Tonight Philadelphia-based Grammy Award-winning hip hop band the Roots and Long Island-bred hip hop act De La Soul will be performing at the Hollywood Palladium with none other than Common, Ludacris and Nas. LA-based DJ collective the Glitch Mob (LAist Review), among many other electronic acts, are poised to take on the 15th annual Nocturnal Festival at the NOS Events Center in good ole San Bernadino. And, lastly, local indie rockers the Deadly Syndrome (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4) will be headlining the El Rey Theatre for this year's Tarfest. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch the phoenix that rose from the ashes of Page France, Maryland-based indie folk act Cotton Jones. Oliver Future are slated to kick things off. more ›

Tonight HARD Summer, a massive multi-stage festival boasting a bevy of prominent electronic acts like Underworld, Chromeo, Crookers, Tiga, SebastiAn, the Bloody Beetroots and many more, will be taking place at the Forum. This year's Rock the Bells, which features the likes of Nas, Damian Marley, Ice Cube, The Roots, Common, Busta Rhymes, RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Slum Village, the Knux (LAist Interview) and many more, is set to take place at San Manuel Amphiteatre. Local producer/musician extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be jamming at Largo at the Coronet with none other than Wilco guitarist Nels Cline (LAist Interview). And, lastly, Bergen-based experimental indie pop outfit Casiokids will be performing at Spaceland with the Wave Pictures and Slow Club in tow. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Getty Center to catch San Francisco-based psych-folk-pop act the Dodos for this week's edition of Saturdays Off the 405. more ›

Tonight Philadelphia-based Grammy Award-winning hip hop band the Roots will be taking part in the predominantly electronic, fledgling music festival Audiotistic, which takes place at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino. Sussex-based pop rockers Keane are poised to headline the Hollywood Palladium. NY's own faux French indie rockers Nous Non Plus (LAist Interview) will be gracing Spaceland. And, lastly, local noise/punk outfit Mika Miko (LAist Review) will be ringing in their debut album at the Smell with none other than the Soft Pack. Although we recommend attending the aforementioned show, we strongly suggest heading over to the Henry Fonda Music Box to catch North Carolina's crown jewel: bluegrass-infused folk rockers the Avett Brothers. Chicago-based lo-fi/alt-country outfit Magnolia Electric Co. are slated to kick things off. more ›

NOTE: See LAist's coverage of world premiere and UC Irvine's Sociology 69: Sociology of Sexuality. more ›

Tonight LA is deprived of particularly noteworthy shows. Jon Brion will be playing here and Princeton will be playing there. We've got the second night of Canadian singer-songwriters Tegan and Sara's sold-out four-date stint at the Henry Fonda Music Box. And for the second night this week the newly-renovated Palladium will be hosting hip-hop. If we had tickets, then we'd probably stay for the Roots and pass on the Heroes. But for the first time in a very long while, we suggest heading over to the Viper Room to catch Brisbane-based the Boat People. They'll be blasting their exemplary brit-pop tunes tomorrow night as well, but why not be among the first in LA to see them? more ›

As we mentioned in our interview with Questlove, LAist was on the red carpet for the 5th Annual Roots Jam Session at the Key Club in West Hollywood. While we were hoping that this post would serve as a review of the best live band in the world jamming the night away with a little help from some of their friends, we'll happily settle for the chance to rub elbows with the big names, not-so-big names, and what's their names? that walked the red carpet on Saturday night in support of Rock the Vote and The Roots. more ›

Last night, LAist had a spot on the red carpet of the Key Club in West Hollywood, host of The Roots Jam Session sponsored by Rock the Vote, Okayplayer and Keldof. more ›

">over a year ago, then in May about Stagecoach (the roots version of Coachella) and this last December. We'll spare any in depth analysis this morning, but will just say if you're looking for things to do late this morning, whether your a parent or babysitting some little rascals, they could be your saving grace. more ›

HIM - "Passion's Killing Floor" more ›

From writing to recording and producing, Joe Henry knows how to keep himself busy. This year he released his CD "Civilians", wrote the music for "Knocked Up" with Loudon Wainwright III, and produced several tracks for Todd Hayne's Bob Dylan film "I'm Not There". In 2003 he won a Grammy for producing Solomon Burke's "Don't Give Up On Me". Burke has said about Joe Henry, "He's an exciting young man, a talented gentleman, he... more ›

That faint murmur you heard this morning weren't boos. It was three guys quietly saying "Bruuuuuce" to themselves as they heard that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will return to LA on Oct. 28 to a venue to be named later. The Boss has seem out of sorts since Born in the USA, churning out mopey, cheesy middle of the road forgetables. Even the 9/11-inspired The Rising didn't hold a candle to... more ›

What would you do to see a newly reunited Rage Against the Machine playing on the same stage and day as Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, The Roots, Nas and Talib Kweli? If you said: Drive over an hour, stand in a line for 80 minutes in the 99 degree sun, avoid a restroom for nine hours, sit in possibly the worst parking lot traffic the Western Hemisphere has ever seen and inhale... more ›

- In the name of the budget, Gov. Schwarzenegger seeks to end the Integrated Services for Homeless Adults With Serious Mental Illness program. The reason? The budget. The cut would save $55 million annually. - The Game was pimpin' while in custody and so a LAPD officer who decided to make a video and supposedly pimp it to TMZ. That doesn't make the bosses happy. - Even at the Downtown Art Walk, Daily News follows... more ›

Paul Dateh & inka one We saw this video on several blogs last week and loved it. Militant Angeleno's blog was one place we saw it. So we had to find out more about Paul Dateh, because seriously, play that video for one full minute and tell us that you didn't want to learn more about him. From reading through his Myspace, we learned that Paul is from LA, he's been around for a... more ›

There's so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it's almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don't have to! more ›

Sunday there are lots of great bands, culminating with the reunion of one of the best groups ever, Rage Against the Machine. Here's how we're probably going to do it, thanks to the magic of the Coachooser which, if you leave a little early from shows will show you how you too can see 17 bands. Mika: 1 - 1:30 Anathallo: 1:30 - 2 Mando Diao: 2:15 - 2:35 Tapes 'n Tapes: 2:35 -... more ›

Most DJs will tell you that their turntables are in fact musical instruments, and they’d certainly have a point. But has any DJ ever taken the instrumental nature of turntables as far as “Sound Artist” Walter Kitundu? A Rochester, Minnesota-born, Tanzania, Africa-raised artist and musician, Kitundu, 33, has become well known for his phonoharps and phonokoras. The instruments are his original inventions, which he constructs in his San Francisco studio, and are best described... more ›

Midnight Star, Heatwave, Bloodstone, El Chicano, Evelyn "Champagne" King @ The Forum The Roots, Jill Scott, Lupe Fiasco, Akon @ Gibson Amphitheatre The Ettes, Rocket, The Affair @ The Scene Bob Weir & Rat Dog @ Ventura Theatre Los Lobos @ The Canyon The Mentors @ The Knitting Factory Cindy Lee Berryhill, John Doe @ Largo The Groovie Ghoulies @ Alex's Bar Mirah, Anna Oxygen & Sir DSS, The Sharp Ease @ The Troubadour... more ›

When it comes to explaining the roots of Kwanza, KNBC has no problem dedicating some time in their news broadcasts, a feat they failed to give to this history of Christmas yesterday. In today's 11am "Mid Day Report" KNBC cheerfully said this of the American-made seven day holiday: African-Americans are beginning the celebration of Kwanza. A parade gets way at noon in LA's Crenshaw district. The seven-day long Kwanza holiday was founded back in... more ›

The Horrors, The Cinematics, The Deadly Syndrome @ Safari Sam's more ›

Remember Green Jell-O? Remember when they had to change their name to Green Jelly? Remember when they were given their own studio on Hollywood Blvd. a few blocks east of the Palladium to dig into their endless banks of creativity and bring back gooey nuggets of rock? Remember how they don't have that studio any more and now they have to open for Metal Skool? We kid our local Gwarabees. The Roots @ Avalon... more ›

Congrats Jennifer who won the Vegoose Contest. It was a random pic (since who really can judge haikus since theyre all beautiful) but this is her entry: a band of horses storms the galactic abyss for a special sauce For the rest of youse, Tom Petty, The Roots, Cat Power (pictured), Phil Lesh, The Black Crowes, Fiona Apple, and many many more will be in Vegas for Halloween Weekend so if you like to... more ›

We caught the June 8 performance of Grendel at the Los Angeles Opera, which, due to some previous technical setbacks, turned out to be the world premiere. The opera tells the story of Beowulf, a human epic of a battle against a monster, from the point of view of the monster. more ›

For this Laist contributor, the love for The Brand New Heavies began with a little Heavy Rhyme Experience. Before LL Cool J went unplugged and before The Roots became the only contemporary Black (hip-hop, r&b, pop or rock) band with national acclaim and radio airplay in America, there was this eclectic group of British cats getting supremely funky underneath my favorite rap group in high school, The Pharcyde. From "Soul Flower" 14 years ago to last night at The Roxy, we've all been through a lot. more ›

Photo by Anna Martino. more ›

The devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the Gulf Coast is almost unfathomable even to people who are there. I've noticed that many of my friends here in Los Angeles, while sympathetic to the destruction they see, don't know what it is like to live through a hurricane. I (I'm dispensing with the editorial "we" for this post) grew up on the Gulf Coast, in Houston, Texas, so I do know about hurricanes, though those I've been through were not as deadly as Katrina. Think of the night this January in Los Angeles when, after days of rain, the streets flooded and houses slid down cliffs. Now imagine that amount of water coming down in a few hours, and accompanied by winds at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. Now you have not only the water and wind to deal with, but the wind rips up trees by the roots, peels off the roofs of houses, and sends them hurling at you. more ›

TUESDAY more ›

After much whining and pleading, LAist's inner child persuaded us to call USC and obtain a pass to the "Ready to Share: Ownership of Creativity in Fashion" conference on 1/30 sponsored by USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center's Creativity, Commerce & Culture project, Center for the Public Domain and The Fashion Institute of Desgin & Merchandise/FIDM. more ›

Tuesday means it is once again new release day, second only to Friday as LAist's favorite day of the week. Check below for the newest in music and video for all your fresh entertainment needs. more ›