Michele Reverte

In one respect, Leona Naess' current album, Thirteens, could be described in numbers. She spent four years crafting 13 album's worth of songs from which she carefully selected 11 for her fourth album. But Thirteens could also be described in terms of raw emotion. For Naess, music became an outlet through which she could channel her grief after the tragic death of her father in 2004.

Although it sometimes takes two or three listens to truly appreciate and feel familiarity with an album, Lisa Hannigan's debut, Sea Sew, is a different story. Hers is a rare record that feels comfortable on the first listen--sort of like slipping on a pair of warm, fuzzy slippers and curling up next to the fire on a blustery day. LAist caught up with Hannigan last week to chat about sewing, venn diagrams and what it feels like to be drenched in chocolate.

Although many people know Largo at the Coronet as a music venue, their comedy lineup has always been strong--and over the years the venue has hosted everyone from Tenacious D to Flight of the Conchords. In November, Largo will feature comedian and Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Russell Brand, who quickly became an audience favorite during a Greg Proops Chat Show last summer. Brand's upcoming gigs are scheduled for Sunday and Monday, Nov. 2 and 3...

Although Amie Miriello's first solo record, I Came Around, was released in September, this singer/songwriter already has quite the resume. She first made her presence known as lead singer of the band Dirtie Blonde, and opened for musicians such as Teddy Geiger, INXS and Gavin DeGraw. Once the band dismantled, she set off on her own and received support from some of today's top record producers as she crafted her debut. LAist recently caught up with Miriello and learned about the new album, her gig at the Key Club this week and the time she had to play the part of the actual yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz

Although you might not realize it, chances are you've hummed a Jason Reeves song at some point in the last year. For example, he co-wrote 10 songs, including the ubiquitous "Bubbly," on Colbie Caillat's debut album. Last month, Reeves struck out on his own with his first album on the Warner Brothers label. LAist recently met Reeves for lunch at the Aroma Cafe to discuss the new album, robot pianos and Reeves' current tour with Tyrone Wells.

On her sixth solo studio album, The Works, Jonatha Brooke lends her unmistakable timbre and solid songwriting skills to lyrics penned by Woody Guthrie more than 50 years ago. With the blessing and assistance of Guthrie's daughter, Nora, Brooke scoured the Guthrie archives to create one of the most intriguing albums of the year. Throughout the 13 tracks, Brooke's style intertwines with Guthrie's words to reveal a man who was at once passionate and flawed, frightened and brash.

With recent news that Misty May-Treanor is probably out of the competition due to an injury she sustained to her Achilles on Friday, and reports that dancer Derek Hough was rushed to the hospital after blacking out in rehearsal on Saturday, it almost appears that the secret to winning DWTS this season is avoiding (or surviving) injury!

LAist was on hand for this week's taping of The Soup, which included the above clip of Dancing With the Stars contestant and Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. According to stories posted today by MSNBC and E! Online, May-Treanor injured her Achilles tendon the following day during a DWTS rehearsal and it is not yet clear how this will affect her status on the show. More info after the jump.

Last week, LAist ran a heartbreaking story about 11 pelicans that died after their wings were deliberately broken in Huntington Beach. The following photos, all of which were taken in Santa Monica this month, illustrate just how comfortable pelicans can feel around humans. Although people on the pier were reaching out and petting this little guy, he didn't even flinch when they did so.

It's been said that one of the tracks from the Brazilian Girls' latest genre-traversing record, New York City, would fit in perfectly on the new James Bond movie's soundtrack. I'd like to take that one step further by suggesting that the band members themselves would make fantastic secret agents. Herein lies the proof: First, they are masters of misdirection, because although their name is "Brazilian Girls," not one member is Brazilian and only one is...