News

Fandom Gone Wrong: NBA Finals Edition

Matt Kiebus :: Thursday, June 10th, 2010 6:15 pm

There are two types of irritating sports fans: fake and bandwagon. Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics fans create the perfect storm of the phony and the spoiled. And because of that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to watch the NBA finals without vomiting. They are the bane of my existence. MORE »

Arizona Considering Pulling L.A.’s Power? Go Ahead, Make Their Day

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, May 21st, 2010 3:10 pm

In response to the Los Angeles City Council’s boycott of all things Arizona, the Arizona Corporation Commission, which controls Arizona’s utilities and power, has flirted with the idea of denying L.A. electricity from Arizona. Arizona power makes up about 25% of the supply for Los Angeles, so this statement would be a massive one if it actually happened…which it should, in my opinion. Bring it on and turn it off, Arizona. Let’s see just how much good it does you, shall we? MORE »

Listen To New Flying Lotus

Nick Nicoludis :: Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 1:40 pm

Flying Lotus’ sophomore album Cosmogramma is due out May 4th here in the US and May 3rd in the UK, but you don’t have to wait that long to hear all the psychedelic, glitch-filled tracks off the new album. Right now, yup right this very second, you can head to the Flying Lotus myspace page and hear all the new tracks; even the song featuring Thom Yorke. MORE »

Them Crooked Vultures Announce Additional U.S. Shows

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, March 25th, 2010 12:40 pm

Them Crooked Vultures, the amalgamation of Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme and John Paul Jones, have announced an addition of three more dates to their spring 2010 tour. Besides their multiple dates across Canada in May, an appearance at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and shows in Las Vegas and Denver, the group is adding shows in Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Chicago. In conjunction with the new tour dates, TCV plan on releasing a picture-disc (my favorite discs) 10″ featuring the previously unreleased “Hwy 1″ and “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” on the double A-side, and an exclusive interview dubbed “Vulture Speak” on the B-side for this year’s Record Store Day on April 17. Click through for the dates. MORE »

M.I.A. To Headline HARD LA And HARD NYC

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 2:25 pm

M.I.A., the queen of hipster zaniness, will be making her first appearances of 2010 during July’s HARD LA and HARD NYC festivals. She’ll be supported by Sleigh Bells, Rye Rye, Ninjasonik, Theophilus London, and Destructo, to name just a few. MORE »

What To Do If You’re Not Going To SXSW

Nick Nicoludis :: Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 1:20 pm

If you’re one of the unlucky people, like me, who has to hear about your friends/co-workers SXSW plans, you’re probably brewing with envy at the idea of drinking all day in the hot Austin sun, seeing amazing bands everyday all day/night and being apart of the indie music scene’s annual vacation. Lament no longer. Even though, it seems that every good band out there is Austin bound there are still some amazing shows going on, and you can live you’re own SXSW by starting your weekend bender off with St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow and continuing the bacchanal celebration of music into the weekend by getting out to all the great shows going on in your city. MORE »

Ticket Giveaway: Lovvers (Attention Los Angeles)

Isaac Lekach :: Monday, March 8th, 2010 9:00 am

We’ve got some tickets to give away for Lovvers’ show at the Echo in Los Angeles on March 10th (Wednesday). All you have to do is click here and enter to win. Boom! It’s that easy. Local homies Abe Vigoda and The Black Apples will join the UK rockers. 8$ advance, 10$ at the door-but potentially FREE thanks to our friends at Wichita Recordings. Don’t miss it.

Jay Leno Returns

Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 3:20 pm

NBC’s white knight is back! Jay Leno is telling bad jokes at 11:35pm again, hoping a drowsier audience laughs harder. Rejoice and give your friends uninspired high-fives. In more important news, Sam Waterson is back issuing justice, as Law & Order returns to 10 p.m.

Last night Leno returned to The Tonight Show, and a whopping 6.6 million people watched his grand return, doubling Letterman’s Late Show. It was a homecoming that included Jamie Foxx spraying the crowd with champagne, Leno going door-to-door in LA searching for a new desk, and Brad Paisley singing good ole’ country music. It was business as usual for Mr. Leno, as he mailed in an uninspired premiere episode. It’s too early to tell, but dare I say Leno might have returned to 11:35 p.m. MORE popular than when he left?

Playlist: Take Me To The City

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, February 19th, 2010 4:30 pm

I’m not exactly what you’d call “well-traveled.” I’ve been to some excellent places and seen the great things they have to offer, for sure, but I’m not some jet-setter who can readily put forth an opinion on many of of the major cities of the world. Instead, I’ve learned about them largely through the lyrics of the musicians I listen to. Below are some of the songs that have whisked me to far-off locales over the years.

THIS Los Angeles, Opening Soon

Isaac Lekach :: Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 9:00 am

Here’s a photo photographer (and D+T contributor) Jeremy Weiss just sent us. He took on his cell phone while setting up for THIS Los Angeles’ first opening. We’re not sure, but we believe one of the people in the frame is Weiss’s wife and collaborator Claire. The collective, of which the Weisses are affiliated with, will unveil works of a slew of L.A. based artists (way too many to list here) this Friday from 7-10 pm. Click here for more info. Here to watch the promo video. And yes, we recommend going-for a good time.

Fall In Love With Awesome Bands This Valentine’s Day

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 1:10 pm

If you’re looking for plans on Valentine’s Day, there are tons of great shows that will surely impress the fine young music-lovin’ thing you’ve got your eye on. If you’re single, you could just take this opportunity to try and make some groupie-style, extra-heavy eye contact with that bassist you always thought was sexy. Who knows? Maybe it’ll lead somewhere.

Check Out This, Los Angeles

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, January 15th, 2010 9:00 am

Our good friends and contributors Jeremy & Claire Weiss started a new site with some friends (Dan Monik, Justin Van Hoy, and Aaron Farley). It’s called THIS, Los Angeles. They describe it as a communal gallery space, which serves as “a venue for artists to speak about their work, to interact with their audience and facilitate a creative atmosphere in the community.” Check out the video of Ted Adams’s performance here—in which we make a brief cameo! Holler! Do cruise the site. Bobby Birdman and Michael Runion recently stopped by and taped their own performances too.

Sea Wolf release new single “O Maria!,” tour with The Album Leaf

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 5:55 pm

L.A.-based Sea Wolf are soon beginning a ten-day tour with fellow Californians The Album Leaf, an ambient- and electronic-focused band. The tour will span the West Coast, starting on February 3rd.
Sea Wolf is the project name for singer/songwriter Alex Church and a revolving line-up of musicians. The single, “O Maria!” will be released to radio stations in late January. It is a track from the 2009 album White Water, White Bloom. In addition to this project, Sea Wolf contributed a song to the surprisingly indie-inflected Twilight: New Moon soundtrack entitled “The Violet Hour.” Church will also be hosting MTV2′s “Subterranean” in the next few months.

Local Natives set to release Gorilla Manor in US, tour Europe

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 3:50 pm

Although the name “Local Natives” sounds reminiscent of indigenous tribes from far-off places, the up-and-coming band is based out of L.A., where they quickly earned the respect of critics and local show-goers. As a result, their debut LP, Gorilla Manor, was snapped up by Rough Trade and released in the UK in early November, and is being supported by a European tour with fellow L.A. folk-inspired bands Fool’s Gold and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros until mid-March. MORE »

Dirty Projectors Announce Fancy Shows

Isaac Lekach :: Monday, November 9th, 2009 2:20 pm

Sure, it’s a little bit away, but the Dirty Projectors have some neat shows coming up. They will play New York City’s Lincoln Center as part of the acclaimed American Songbook series on February 19th and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on February 27th. The Disney Concert hall was designed by Frank Gehry. It also sounds unreal there. For more information on the American Songbook series click here and for more information on the L.A. Phil and the Concert Hall click here.