Ben Westhoff

Prince - City National Grove of Anaheim - 5/7/13

By Katie Bain and Ben Westhoff Prince City National Grove of Anaheim 5/7/13 "Do you love rock and roll?" Prince asked last night. "Do you like your rock and roll funky, though?" A Prince show is always a big deal; his passion and showmanship is Springsteen-like. Even better, his need to constantl ... More >>

Worst of Coachella: Weekend One

Daft Punk Fake-Out Friday and Saturday, all anyone could talk about was if Daft Punk was going to show up during Phoenix's set. Why? Because we were fucking teased. On the main stage before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a long commercial for their new album played, and then we found out that members of the ... More >>

KDAY Is Closing? A Eulogy to the Best Station in L.A.

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," normally appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] "Remember KDAY?" Tupac asked that question on "To Live & Die in LA," but the answer was obvious. Makaveli never even lived in Southern Califor ... More >>

Five Los Angeles Parking Secrets and 111 Places to Park (Google Map!)

(Also contributing to this report were Elisa Losson, Jennifer Swann, Ali Trachta and Ben Westhoff.) You know what sucks? Circling a block for twenty minutes, burning the gas in your car and watching someone slip into a space right as you turn the corner to claim what you dreamed was yours. As Los ... More >>

Low Cut Connie Is the Coolest Critically Lauded Band That You've Never Heard Of

Low Cut Connie is a band that basically defies all laws about how a band is supposed to make it in 2013. I know this because instead of sending me a CD or asking me to review a show, the duo's singer took me out to lunch and invited my band to open for them. Combustible frontman/upright pianist Ada ... More >>

The 20 Worst Albums of the '90s: The Complete List

Sure, you had the Bill Clinton blowjob scandal, OJ, Pakistan and India going nuclear, mad cow disease, the Rodney King decision, and Titanic. But what made the '90s truly awful was its music. That's not to say that there weren't bright spots -- early Beck, say, or Ok Computer and much of hip-hop's g ... More >>

Comments: Wendy Greuel's Union Problem: Readers Discuss

The 20 Greatest EDM DJs: The Complete List

Electronic dance music's recent resurgence has made the genre more popular than ever before, but it's still often not taken seriously as an art form. World's Douchiest DJs: The Top Five The 20 Worst Hipster Bands Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre And yeah, many goofily-dressed ravers are ... More >>

Bruce Springsteen - Honda Center - December 4, 2012

Bruce Springsteen Honda Center December 4, 2012 Having castigated myself during presidential season for missing Bruce Springsteen's show at the Sports Arena in April, I resolved to see him this time around, Orange County traffic be damned. Because the Greatest Rock and Roll Show One Will Ever Exp ... More >>

Pension Reform? Readers Argue About Richard Riordan's New Plan

Happy Internets Day! Famous Bushism Turns Eight

Eight years ago today, in his debate with John Kerry at Washington University, then-president George W. Bush uttered one of his most famous quotes, his "Ask not what your country can do for you," or more likely his "Ich bin ein Berliner." Pledging to maintain an all-volunteer army, he noted that he ... More >>

The 20 Worst Hipster Bands: 10-1

Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All Time 10. White Rabbits Why do bands need a second drummer? In recent years everyone from Local Natives to Bon Iver to fucking Radiohead has thrown a second kit out there, or at least a floor to ... More >>

Comments: American Pie

Is The Dove Shack's "Summertime in the LBC" the Perfect Summer Song?

[Editor's note: Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. Be sure to also check out the archives.] See also: KDAY, the Gangsta Rap Oldies Station, Breaks New Ground by Playing Music From the Bad Old Days This is the city and the season for the summer jam. Yo ... More >>

Family of the Year: Read Our Profile and Stream Their New Album

Family of the Year, a bubbling four-piece Silver Lake indie pop group that's as tight-knit as their name suggests, make songs that are ludicrously, preposterously catchy. The familial camaraderie of their name comes from guitarist Joe Keefe and drummer Sebastian Keefe, brothers who left both Bosto ... More >>

The Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All Time: 10-6

See also: *The Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All-Time: 20-16 *The Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All-Time: 15-11 *Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time 10. Eric Clapton Eric Clapton makes Jack White look like Son House. Dude tries so hard it's embarrassing. Kind of weird, considering his pithy quip to a Lond ... More >>

Coachella 4/20: Let's Talk About Weed

See also: *The Best of Coachella: Friday, April 20 *Our Complete Coachella Coverage Yesterday was 4/20. It was also Coachella. And so, the percentage of festival-goers who were stoned rose from a paltry 75 percent to a full 98 percent. (These estimates come courtesy of our editor, Ben Westhoff, wh ... More >>

Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs

*"What My Spirit Hood Means To Me": Coachella-Goers Explain *Coachella: The Black Lips' Cole Alexander Goes Full Monty, Plays Guitar With His Ding-Dong At Coachella, folks come from all over the world to lose themselves in the music. They'll employ almost anything in this quest -- but mostly drugs. ... More >>

The Best Of Coachella: Friday, April 13

See also: *Coachella: The Garbage Situation Is Out of Control *Coachella Preview 2012: Everything You Need to Know About the Performers Day one of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brought something more unusual than ironic outfits or that poor guy who couldn't get his flip flops on ... More >>

Top 20 Sexiest Female Musicians of All Time: #20-16

*Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time *Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time *Top 20 Greatest Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre What we talk about when we talk about sex and rock 'n roll is often dudes, the lusty front men and axe-grinders who, perhaps, joined the band in the first place for the pu ... More >>

Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time: The Complete List

See also: *Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time: The Complete List *Top 20 Greatest Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre: The Complete List *Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of All Time: The Complete List Physical appearance actually has little to do with sexiness. Sure, we've all been known to stare at a shirtle ... More >>

Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time: #5-1

See also: *Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time: #20-16 *Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time: #15-11 *Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time: #10-6 5. Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen is the only man, of any age, who can pull off tight-ass jeans and a bandana. Those broad shoulders ... More >>

The Worst Moments of SXSW 2012

See also: *The Best of SXSW Music: Saturday 3/17/2012 *Ten Awesome Concert Posters at SXSW Spontaneous tattoo at the S.O. Terik-Filter showcase On Friday, Samantha Urbani from Brooklyn indie band Friends did something to a fan he might forever regret. At the S.O.Terik-Filter showcase, beneath a bl ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Saturday 3/17/2012

So, we come to it: the end of all things. Four days of madness, Doritos, Skrillex and finally, St. Patrick's Day. Before we bid SXSW 2012 farewell, allow us to share our favorite moments from SXSW day four. Later, we'll let you know which shows weren't so hot. Find our favorites below, and if there ... More >>

50 Cent, Eminem, and the Best of SXSW Yesterday

See also Houston Press's 50 Cent showcase slideshow 50 Cent / Eminem - Austin Music Hall Never mind that Get Rich or Die Trying actually came out in 2003; the moist and dewy crowd at Austin Music Hall last night was plenty psyched for his performance of his debut album on its "10th anniversary." Ba ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Thursday 3/15/2012

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music e ... More >>

Killer Mike - Echoplex - February 21, 2012

Ben Westhoff​Killer Mike w/ Busdriver, Nocando, and Open Mike Eagle Echoplex February 21, 2012 Better than: John Rocker Killer Mike is conscious without being boring, a street preacher rapper who knows that no one will listen to your message if your beats aren't dope. He's an obvious heir to ... More >>

Henry Rollins: The Column! The Time I Made a Punk Rocker Cry

[Look for your weekly fix from the one and only Henry Rollins right here on West Coast Sound every Thursday, and come back tomorrow for the awesomely annotated playlist for his Saturday KCRW broadcast.] Weeks ago, my L.A. Weekly super editor Ben Westhoff asked me about my plans for 2012. I told h ... More >>

Top Books We Read in 2011, by L.A. Weekly Writers

Yes, bookstores are closing all around us, from the giant Borders to the tiny Village Books. But Angelenos still read, and to prove it, we asked LA Weekly's staff writers, editors and freelance contributors to tell us their favorite book they read this year, and why. Answers after the jump. What's ... More >>

Why This Song Sucks: The Worst Rap Tracks Of 2011

​I still don't understand why more people didn't like Unbreakable. It was suspenseful, smart enough, featured an attractive color palette, and it had a horribly creepy opening. (Remember the baby who was born with all of his bones broken?) And the most clever part -- the crux of the entire mov ... More >>

The Top Ten Los Angeles Albums Of 2011

​The best albums of 2011 from Los Angeles artists came from a suitably diverse Angeleno cast of characters; there are rappers and singers, legends and transplants, folks with great careers in front of them, and those who may have peaked this year. One thing's clear: it was unquestionably a gre ... More >>

Glenn Danzig - Gibson Amphitheatre - 10-31-11

Ben Westhoff​See also: *The Craziest Danzig Stalker of Them All *Glenn Danzig's Amazing Art Collection *Glenn Danzig's Head On Other People's Bodies: An Appreciation Glenn Danzig Gibson Amphitheatre 10-31-11 Better than...God damn sons of a bitch. "It's fucking Halloween, do you know where ... More >>

Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums Of All Time: 5-1

​See also Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums of All Time: 20-16 Editor's note: For our music issue, out on Thursday, Ian Cohen, Rebecca Haithcoat, Jeff Weiss and Ben Westhoff run down the top 20 L.A. rap albums of all time. We're unveiling the list all this week on West Coast Sound. 5. The Phar ... More >>

50 Reasons Los Angeles Is the Best Effing City in America

Timothy Norris​John Lennon once said of Los Angeles, "That's just a big parking lot where you buy a hamburger for the trip to San Francisco." Pretty rough stuff from a supposedly nice guy. Clearly, the Eggman (or was he the Walrus?) missed the endless taco stands, the pupusas, the pho, the don ... More >>

Odd Future - The Palladium - September 29, 2011

Andrea Domanick​Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All The Palladium September 29, 2011 Better than... L.A.'s other live acts (still). Strobe lights, blood and bubble guns: Ladies n' gents, Odd Future is back in town. Last night's set at the Palladium was the kind of raucous horrorshow audience ... More >>

Toddla T: Wicked Clever, Proper Smart, He Performs at Dim Mak Studios Tonight

Ben Westhoff​Toddla T comes into a room with the movement and energy of Russell Brand, hair akimbo, limbs constantly in motion. The 26-year-old Sheffield native producer -- whose real name is Thomas Bell -- also talks in a similarly manic, slang-riddled accent. In town to perform at Dim Mak S ... More >>

Tyler's Alter Ego "Young Nigga" Had Us Fooled

​By Dan Hyman Early Friday morning Tyler, The Creator took to Twitter to inform his followers that -- despite his crew's 'no outsiders' policy -- Odd Future's new label under the Sony/Red Distribution umbrella had signed a rapper. The first artist off of Odd Future Records? Someone called You ... More >>

Soulstyce Festival featuring Fat Joe and others - Pico Rivera - Sept 17, 2011

Ben WesthoffFat Joe performs at the left. BMX dudes catch air to the right. ​Soulstyce Festival Reaturing Fat Joe, Redman, Ras Kass, Binary Star and others Pico Rivera Sports Arena Sept 17, 2011 Better than...party rocking in the house tonight. The second annual Soulstyce Hip-Hop And Arts F ... More >>

We Walk Up To Random Angelenos and Ask: "What's Your Favorite Tupac Memory?"

Ben WesthoffThis is not Tupac, and this was not taken in L.A., but darn if it isn't awesome​Editor's Note: This week marked the 15th anniversary of Tupac Shakur's death. To commemorate, West Coast Sound is featuring Tupac stories all week. See also: *Bruce Hornsby on Tupac: "The original 'Ch ... More >>

Jani Lane, Lead Singer of Warrant, Found Dead in Ventura Blvd Motel

YouTubeJani Lane was found dead Thursday.​Read LA Weekly music editor Ben Westhoff's eerily knowledgeable obit of Lane here. At the bottom: What was found in his motel room. First posted at 7:09 a.m. Jani Lane, lead singer of the hair-metal band Warrant, was found dead inside a Ventura Boulev ... More >>

DJ Quik - Do-Over Party at Cabana Club - 8/7/11

Ben Westhoff​DJ Quik and Gaslamp Killer Cabana Club 8/7/11 Better Than...A day in the life of a player not named Quik. Long lines and folks trying to get the valet to park their Bentleys circled outside of the Cabana Club in Hollywood yesterday. It was Sunday afternoon and time for the weekl ... More >>

Weiss' 50 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2008 (#50-26)

Over the next two weeks, myself and a very talented cadre of contributors will be emulating the book above. Unlike said tome, it won't cost money and you'll get free MP3s--which, presumably, serve a tangible purpose. Now go cry into your near-beer, Phillip Ardagh, you lovable rogue. 50. Redman ft ... More >>

SXSW Flashback: Interview With Del Tha Funky Homosapien

It was my third night in Austin. Devin had just blazed through an epic set that had been celebrated in the appropriate fashion , El-P was currently on-stage and I was wandering around the Def Jux party with four cups of Jack in my stomach, a head full of smoke and the strange desire to approach p ... More >>

eMC's The Show: The First Great Rap Album of 2008

"This is the number one rule for your set/In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets/And through our travels we get separated, never forget/In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets"-Jay-Z "Regrets" Rappers today don't live with regrets. Or maybe they just don't express the ... More >>