Tonight Brooklyn-based neo-psych rockers MGMT will be headlining the Fox Theater Pomona with NY-based electro-funk act Francis and the Lights. the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, are poised to take on the Hollywood Bowl with none other than Portland-based alt-country duo She & Him (LAist Review), or rather Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, and local indie pop duo the Bird and the Bee (LAist Review, #2). And, lastly, Philadelphia's own jangly pop indie rock quartet Drink Up Buttercup will be headlining Spaceland, ringing in their latest tour de force—2010's Born And Thrown On A Hook. But we strongly suggest heading over to Sixth Street Warehouse to catch NY-based retro 60s pop duo Cults, who will be making their debut appearance here in LA. LAist favorites, local indie pop quartet Superhumanoids, who recently rung in their latest EP, 2010's Urgency, are slated to perform as well. more ›

Tonight the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, will be performing at Largo at the Coronet. San Juan Capistrano-bred indie rock outfit the Union Line are poised to... more ›

Tonight the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, will be performing at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Mon Mon. Local psych-infused indie rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (LAist Interview) are poised to conclude their three-night stint at the Echoplex. And, lastly, Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers (LAist Review) will be taking on the Smell in Downtown. But we strongly suggest selling your body (or your time, whichever way you look at it) to get into the Troubadour to catch Broken Bells—the brainchild of the Shins front man James Mercer and producer/musician extraordinaire Danger Mouse. more ›

Tonight the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, will be closing out a two-night stint at the Wiltern with Idaho's own pop folk singer-songwriter Josh Ritter in tow. Austin-based electro-pop duo Ghostland Observatory (LAist Review, #2) are poised to headline the Keyclub. And, lastly, local electronic mastermind Daedelus will be performing at the Silent Movie Theatre. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Troubadour to catch Athens' own garage rock revivalists the Whigs. LAist favorites, Portland-based indie rockers the Dead Trees are slated to kick things off. more ›

Tonight the Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, will be gracing the Wiltern with Idaho's own pop folk singer-songwriter Josh Ritter in tow. New Orleans-bred indie pop act the Generationals are poised to perform at Spaceland, warming up the stage for Canadian indie pop outfit the Hidden Cameras and Guelph-based indie rock singer-songwriter Gentleman Reg. Local indie rockers Radars to the Sky will be ringing in their latest disc at the Echo with none other than Le Switch. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch London-based electro-infused rock duo the Big Pink. Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers (LAist Review) and LA-bred goth/dance-infused rock duo IO Echo are slated to kick things off. more ›

This week Maine-bred folk singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne will be taking on a three-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown with LAist favorite, Illinois-based alternative country singer-songwriter Lissie. The Swell Season, an indie folk duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová, are poised to grace the Wiltern with Idaho's own pop folk singer-songwriter Josh Ritter in tow. St. Albans-based dance pop outfit Friendly Fires (LAist Review) will be headlining the Henry Fonda Music Box with none other than acclaimed British indie rock outfit the XX. And, lastly, London-based electro-infused rock duo the Big Pink will be performing at the El Rey Theatre with Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers (LAist Review) and LA-bred goth/dance-infused rock duo IO Echo. more ›

Stoking the flames of independence, KCRW released its latest compilation album from live Morning Becomes Eclectic performances cut from twelve different in-studio acts. Crowd pleasers like The Shins and The Swell Season imbibe the album with not so new takes on their even older songs while Spoon and Indie Brits, The Orange Lights dig deep into their live repertoire to deliver interesting versions of their already strong songs. more ›

In an e-mail early, early, early this morning, McCabe's announced something unexpected: The Swell Season will be playing tomorrow night in the guitar shop's intimate performance space. You may not recognize the band's name, but you know them as Irish singer Glen Hansard and Czech pianist Marketa Irglova from the movie Once. The gig got booked serendipitously yesterday when Glen brought his guitar into the shop for repair. Of course, the bad news here is that tickets sold out quickly, probably before the light of day hit. Tonight, McCabe's presents Jackshit, who we interviewed here on LAist last August. more ›

The Format "Dog Problems" If you're not going to be at Dodger Stadium booing Barry you really should be at the Avalon enjoying two super great up n coming bands, The Format and Limbeck. The Format, Limbeck @ The Avalon Godsmack @ Long Beach Terrace Theater The Swell Season @ El Rey Rockchild, Pudinvaag @ The Derby Krimzen, No Mas, Dinosaur Dance, The Young Sixties @ Cobalt Cafe Elemenopy, Didley Squat, The Active Set,... more ›

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a picture displaying the woes of cruising in a tacky limo on the streets of San Francisco. more ›

Movies like Once, happen ...well, just once in awhile. A 2007 Sundance darling, Once is a unique love story set in Ireland. The film is a departure from the regular summer blockbusters and yes, it is a musical- thats right, a musical, but not the break out into song with jazz hands type musicals we're used to. If there were to be a mellow indie rock musical where the songs fit into the story line of writing and recording music, Once is that movie. And its beautiful- both the story and the music that serves as its soundtrack, which one should get/download regardless of seeing the film. more ›