Melissa Moore

It seems like everyone we speak to has a hankering for the baby-faced band that is Surfer Blood. We loved them at The Village Voice party at SXSW and decided to check them out locally for the Aquarium Drunkard presented-Waved Out last Saturday. Of course, any band claiming Pavement and Yo La Tengo as influences is on the right path, but it's a really good thing Surfer Blood have got the musical chops to back...

SXSW Saturday was a slow descent into Hell GWAR. As LAist's Molly Bergen probably mentioned, the weather dropped about 30 degrees from the night prior, startling the hung-over 90% of us that were completely unprepared clothing-wise. (Not like I own a truly warm coat, anyhow). While this might have shaped the musical choices for some (the Twitterverse was full of the indoor show lineup times), we decided to bundle up as many layers as we...

Ok, party people. I've got two words for you: Superchunk (and) Hole. Showing the new kids how things are done, both bands rocked the house in their entirety. Even Courtney declaring, midway through her 1 am set, “Listen, folks. I’m an elderly person. It’s 1:30 in the morning. I just want to get my blow job on and go to bed,” couldn’t detract from her screaming through a ballsy rendition of a "Doll Parts." And Superchunk’s energy was so frenetic that it instantly brought me back to their three-night run at the Fillmore over 10 years ago, with Mac’s bounce as pogo-y as ever. As for bands I haven’t followed for a decade or more, French Miami, An Horse, Bear Hands, and Rumspringa all pulled me in from the street for an enjoyable listen. Surfer Blood, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the xx all gave good performances and rounded out my Friday at SXSW - don’t forget to check out Molly Bergen’s recap for a more in-depth perusal of the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous. As for me, I’ve got to get to GWAR. Pics to follow - if I survive it, that is.

First of all, it’s more madness this time around than I remembered. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and lamer and my half-Irish liver can’t quite swing St. Patrick’s Day with as much gusto as it once did. Or maybe it’s because Molly and I, in an effort to bring recommendations, recap, and (SXSW) reality to those of you who couldn’t make it this year are trying to see as many bands as humanly possible each 24 hour period.

I love me some Los Angeles (born, bred, and back again), but one of the things I miss the most about my time in San Francisco is the traffic-stopping, bell-ringing, cyclist rights-asserting celebration that is Critical Mass. Sure, LA has their own regional chapters, but with the city spread out as it is, the full impact of our cyclist army isn't felt as heartily as in our sister city to the North. Until now,...

The Natural History Museum brought out the big guns for their second installment of 2010's First Friday's series. All musical talent aside, it was like the Pitchfork version of Maxim's Hot 100 List with the beautiful ladies of Warpaint opening for the handsome gents of Yeasayer. An intense amount of excellent genetics in one room upstaged only by key picks from their respective oeuvres. (Speaking of which, you should really grab the latter's Odd Blood...

How is it possible, after all these years, that the signature growl, hair, and impressive catalog of rock anthems can still seem so fresh and so clean, clean? The Troubadour's small stage was home to Chris Cornell's intimate second solo show in his Songbook series (the first having been a stint at Hotel Cafe back in December), which meant an acoustic journey down memory lane....

We realize it can be a pain to juggle your main band, your side project, and your side project's side project. The various tour schedules alone could spell breakup in even the best of situations. There is a solution, however, and the folks of Years, The Happiness Project, and Do Make Say Think have got it on lock-down. Tour the entire lot on the same bill. Genius! The night kicked off with Years, the solo-guitarist...

Those who made their way to Golden Apple yesterday for the latest comic release would have found neighbor Gallery 1988 in full swing preparing for tonight's Glass Hat opening reception. The exhibition of artists from Portland's Grass Hut Art Collective will feature works from Grass Hut members Bwana Spoons, Martin Ontiveros, Le Merde, Apak, Justin "Scrappers" Morrison, and Arbito, as well as affiliate artists Shanggs, Shawn Wolfe, Gargamel, David Horvath, Kiyoshi Nakazawa and John Black....

You're encouraged to "have a drink with the dinosaurs" at the Natural History Museum's First Fridays showcase, which is a helluva lot more exciting than you'd think. It's not just dioramas and deciphering Latin genus-species information, folks. First Fridays, running monthly from January 8th through June 4th, kicked off its sixth season No Place like Home: The Science of Southern California last week with special tours, music, and discussions that kept the museum open until...