Andy Sternberg

LA-based Airborne Toxic Event's new song "Neda" is a eulogy for Neda and proceeds from sales of the song are going to Amnesty International's Neda Project (iTunes link). The band's frontman Mikel Jollett (LAist interview) wrote and directed the video, with artwork by Mona Shafer Edwards.

The Lightning in a Bottle festival returned Memorial Day weekend after a one-year hiatus bigger -- and better -- than before. We've come to expect The Do Lab to only go big, bold, and beautiful in their multi-platform, lifestyle-agnostic, installations and event productions. We've been dazzled by The Do Lab-produced Lucent Dossier Experience, the Do Lab Tent at Coachella and Lucent L'Amour Valentine's love-fest. But Lightning in a Bottle - in it's ninth iteration -...

Getting a head start on your long weekend? Steer clear of the 91 near Corona. A tanker truck overturned and exploded around 10:40 a.m. shutting down traffic in both directions on the 91 between Green River and Highway 71.

A standing room-only crowd was treated to just that. What began with an almost too-subdued set by Lou Barlow (of Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh fame) ended with the rollicking hilarity of Al Madrigal and his band of imaginary cholos, with a solid dose of Sarah Silverman shenanigans in the middle.

Via NPR This morning in Austin, Texas, where the annual SXSW conference is being held, Pepsi announced the winner of its Refresh SXSW Challenge, in which three people competed for a $50,000 prize to launch a web-based campaign for good. Mark Horvath, who was once homeless himself on the streets of Los Angeles, won the grant for his blog InvisiblePeople.TV. He even won against SparkHelp, a location-based mobile application that looks to connect people...

We've been hearing rumors of Paul McCartney's grand return to the Hollywood Bowl for some time. We can now confirm that Sir Paul will visit the Bowl next month, and tickets go on presale tomorrow at 10 a.m. and open to the public at large on Sunday 2/28 at 10am.

We were lucky to be among a few hundred people to catch Broken Bells' first-ever live performance Friday night at the Bootleg Theater in Echo Park. Broken Bells -- if you haven't heard yet -- is a collaboration between James Mercer (of The Shins) and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse). Try to imagine what that might sound like and your expectations would be met and likely exceeded by the first single alone.

Last month at Twiistup 7 we had the opportunity to chat with the founder of Bakespace.com -- the social network for foodies. Babette Pepaj was bouncing around the networks as a reality TV producer before she decided to go full-time with her new-found passion for baking. The LA-based Bakespace.com is now one of the top online communities for recipe sharing and more. So before you step into the kitchen, check out Bakespace and be...

The sensual aerobatics of Lucent Dossier at Lucent L'amour 2008. Photo by Kelly C. Gallamore for LAist. The DoLab's annual Valentines extravaganza is here again! Lucent L'amour - A Visionary Lovefest takes over the Shrine Expo Hall (and neighboring parking lot) this Saturday the 13th with a multimedia spectacular to stimulate the senses. A night full of booty-bumpin' beats supplied by the likes of N.A.S.A., Bassnectar, and more will be complemented by the high-flying...

Over the years Twiistup has evolved from a blowout meet 'n' greet for startups, entrepreneurs and investors to a can't-miss, day-and-a-half of panel discussions, showcases and mixers featuring the top tech and media innovators and venture capitalists from LA and beyond. Billed "LA's biggest technology event," the agenda and guest list is a stacked who's-who of elite tech talent. But don't let the mature, sit-down nature of Twiistup 7 fool you, as Hollywood's penchant for...