Best Buy Co. Inc.

Urasawa Unseated in Zagat's 2014 Los Angeles Restaurant Guide

"America's favorite" quote-laden guide book doles out "praise" and "scorn" once again with its 2014 guide to Los Angeles restaurants, out today. Though many complain that the guide is "outdated" and "unreliable" in the age of Yelp, Zagat ratings still make a "splash" every year when they're released ... More >>

Dom Kennedy: Reluctant Businessman

The rapper built a huge fan base through Darwinian promotional methods

Here's How Sublime's Final Live Recording Came to Be

Sublime played their first gig 25 years ago in Long Beach -- on July 4th, 1988. (The show is said to have started a riot, with a bunch of arrests.) From then until Bradley Nowell's untimely death in 1996, not much still exists in the way of video. But amateur filmmaker Gary Davis managed to captur ... More >>

Under-the-Radar Acts to See at Coachella

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] Beware any tutorial about the "right way" to do Coachella. Stay sentient, steer clear of phosphorescent forms in spirit hoodies, drink water, and never m ... More >>

Remembering Napster

Now Out: Zagat's 2013 Los Angeles Restaurant Guide

In case you missed the arrival of the distinctive rectangular maroon book in your mailbox, you should probably know that the 2013 edition of Zagat's Los Angeles restaurant guide is out. Noteworthy for many reasons, not least of which because Michelin no longer publishes in Los Angeles. So what's n ... More >>

Kreayshawn's New Album Is Not, In Fact, the Worst-Selling Ever

The internet is broken again. It's telling us that first-week sales of Kreayshawn's debut Somethin' 'Bout Kreay -- released last week, it moved about 3,900 units -- are the weakest ever for a major label release. Thanks for the misinformation everyone, which has come fast and furious, often with th ... More >>

Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together": Why This Song Sucks

[Editor's note: Why This Song Sucks determines why particular tracks blow using science. It appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday.] See also: Exclusive: A Disgruntled Label Exec Spills the Beans About Taylor Swift's Insane-Sounding New Album Song: Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Ba ... More >>

The Fugly Neon Aquarium at 11280 W. Olympic Blvd.

At the busy corner of Olympic and Sawtelle sits a banal retail center that's typical of Los Angeles' low commercial development standards, complete with all the elements of conventional, early-90s design and construction. You got your beige block, your beige stucco, your storefront glass, and your c ... More >>

Exclusive: Levitt Pavilions Announce Summer Line-ups

In an exclusive to West Coast Sound, the Levitt Pavilions in Pasadena and MacArthur Park have revealed the lineups to their massive, free summer concert series -- almost 100 shows between the two venues. This year features everything from Latin alternative to folk, indie and world music. Highlights ... More >>

Everlast Was High on 'Shrooms With Cypress Hill When He Found Out About the Riots

[Editor's note: In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots late last month West Coast Sound spoke with rappers and writers whose work has been influenced by them. Here's one more.] See also: *L.A. Rappers Speak On The Riots: Our Complete Coverage *Don't Call Him Country. Everlast i ... More >>

10 Best Sports Bars in Los Angeles

Now that musicians and nerds are the cool kids and jocks are the villains, liking sports has become distinctly uncool. So where are reasonable people of average coolness supposed to go to share their now-lame passion for twentysomething physical freaks throwing or kicking roundish objects for millio ... More >>

World Famous V.I.P. Records To Close

Long Beach shop helped foster the G-Funk era

Is "Kiss From a Rose" to Blame for "My Heart Will Go On"? Maybe, but It's Still Awesome

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] We've all been there. What normally would be a forgettable moment of your existence -- standing in line at the supermarke ... More >>

Tantalum: Best Beautiful Bar in an Ugly Strip Mall

Lost in a corner between a Loehmann's and an Acapulco, Tantalum is an Asian-jungle-oasis-escape from the SUV-driving hordes at Best Buy, Ralph's, and Sports Authority. As you enter with the less-than-zero expectations inspired by the front façade, you are greeted by a huge, open series of rooms wi ... More >>

Sexy Holiday Gift Guide: 5 Presents to Spice Up Your Love Life

Black Friday has passed and Cyber Monday just happened. Some of you spent your time huddled on sidewalks waiting for frightened store employees to unchain the front doors of Best Buy/Target/Urban Outfitters. Others of you stayed in bed bundled in blankets while clicking around those stores' Internet ... More >>

Best Posts Of The Week

Jena Ardell​"It's fucking Halloween, do you know where your skull is?" Glenn Danzig asked the crowd at Gibson Amphitheater on Monday night. Actually, it was his skull that was showing up in strange places this week, as Jena Ardell imagined what scenes from famous movies would look like if Danz ... More >>

Dâm-Funk and DJ Quik - El Rey - 11-03-11

Julian Schoen​By Julian Schoen See also: *Crate-Digging with Dam-Funk ... at Best Buy *Dâm-Funk: Keytar Hero Dâm-Funk and DJ Quik El Rey 11-03-11 "SGV, 626, Pasadena!" Dâm-Funk, a 'Dena native, howled to an electrified El Rey crowd. His ruby red keytar was as bright as a Rose Bowl ros ... More >>

Crate-Digging with Dam-Funk...at Best Buy

Rebecca Haithcoat​Dam-Funk always comes prepared. As L.A.'s ambassador to the funk gods, he's always equipped with the booty-rotation essentials he's acquired from years of digging in the crates. (You can bet his show tonight at the El Rey Theatre will be no exception.) The man reigns so sup ... More >>

L.A. 'Helicopter Noise Relief Act' Proposed After Valley, Hills Residents Finally Discover What It's Like to Live in Chopper Hell

SZONE via FlickrYeah, we know. It sucks.​The national media is in a tither this week over the concept of "helicopter traffic" in Los Angeles -- an offshoot of the ridiculous amount of buzz we received for Carmageddon. Though the big 405 closure turned out to be an anticlimactic breeze, the m ... More >>

Good Morning, Venice: Best Buy Heist in West L.A. Leads to Massive Helicopter, K-9 Pursuit

Aliens!​Promise we're not just bitter because we were ripped from sleep at 6 a.m. by what we still kind of believe to have been the alien army from "War of the Worlds." By any standards, the three-hour LAPD operation to catch a pack of Best Buy heisters on the run in their overstuffed U-Haul ... More >>

Herbert Seymour Jr., L.A. Homicide No. 34: Man Discovered by Father After Being Shot Dead in South L.A. Street

Los Angeles TimesHerbert Seymour Jr.​By Ryan Deto During a walk back home from the liquor store on February 9, Herbert Seymour Jr., a 31-year-old black man, was fatally shot in the 10400 block of South Western Avenue. According to a LAPD news release, the suspect approached Seymour on foot a ... More >>

Wal-Mart Buys Up Monster Lot in Burbank; Facebook Protesters Say 'Hell No'

Facebook​There comes a time in every sleepy suburban town's life when it must go head-to-head with the Wal-Mart empire. There is the initial outcry -- the sidewalk picketers, the angry speeches at City Council meetings -- and, too often, the inevitable defeat. (Followed by a sheepish midnight ... More >>

'Call Of Duty: Black Ops' Draws Midnight Nerd Herd To L.A. GameStops, Best Buys

A GameStop employee braces himself for the stampede​Updated after the jump: L.A.-area GameStop stores weigh in on the success of their midnight launch parties. Originally posted at 6:05 a.m. The economy had a pretty wild night last night. While you were sleeping, it partied with passive-aggr ... More >>

West Hollywood City Council's Big Dreams of Subway-Oriented Development Goes Down in Flames, Traffic Destined to be a Nightmare

West Hollywood City Councilwoman Abbe Land​When the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shot down a subway route through West Hollywood a few weeks ago, it probably shook up no group of people harder than West Hollywood City Council members John Heilman, Abbe Land, Lindsey Horvath, Jeff Pra ... More >>

More Fun With Restaurant Guides: The Zagat Los Angeles 2011 Edition

​You may not be carting around your L.A. Michelin Guide anymore, but fortunately for those of us who enjoy having handy literature in our glove compartments (Larousse Gastronomique does not fit), the 2011 Zagat Guide for Los Angeles and Southern California is out. Of course, it's been out for ... More >>

Tonight: Arcade Fire, the Black Lips, Casiokids, Lissie, Dave Alvin, the Ruby Friedman Orchestra

Arcade Fire​Not much we can say here is going to change your mind about Arcade Fire. You're either a believer, or not. You've either dropped some paycheck/worked an angle/called in a favor to get a ticket to one of the next two nights' sold-out shows, or not. (Or, you'll wait for Coachella, w ... More >>

Top 4 Bargain Wines With Gimmicky Names: Some Are Actually Worth The Buyer's Humiliation

Big House WineThe Big House Online Rehab Room​With beer, silly names are second nature -- so much that it feels like breaking news when a brewery doesn't add a pun to every bottle label. With wine, the idiotic references have no doubt increased in recent years, but there's still that shock fac ... More >>

Nightranger: Gamer Gauche

A&R Star Makers: The Vanishing Gatekeepers

The once-powerful executives have become an endangered species

HEALTH: Color-Coded

L.A. noiseniks reveal the hidden inspirations behind their remarkable new album

East Side Stories

The Eastsider L.A. blog mixes up some nice ruminations on the effect of the economy on housing developments, as well as an alert on Tweaker Tom. The site notes that the new Durbin condos going up on Echo Park Avenue and Delta are due to be shown to prospective buyers (at $400k and up) in April -- ev ... More >>

Guns N' Roses: Why Chinese Democracy's Fine Print Is Way More Fun Than the Record

Amuse your delusion

WORN OUT- Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas Seen On Sunset Strip And Beyond.

Selling Out With the Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins for Corporate Cash

Chinese Democracy Gets a Release Date Just in Time for Turkey Day

"> The big question: will anyone be able to stomach two turkeys in one week? (I'm just a little pissed because of this quote in the Billboard article: "Beyond enticing pre-Thanksgiving shoppers, the move is tied to the structure of Best Buy's sales week, which runs from Sunday to Saturday." Jeezy c ... More >>

A Hero for Our Time

Are rocker video games the new MTV — and will they help save the music universe?

The Mall Is His Classroom

Auditing a class at the Apple store

Daliwood

And anarchy on Sunset

Pass Da Chutney

Or, OMFG this POS!!

Used Country

Waiting for the Black Keys

E Is for Excess

Nice Monster

The New Blacklist

Corporate America is bowing to anti-gay Christian groups’ boycott demands

Mezmerized

All whacked out on E3

Letters

Summer Enchanted Evenings

The Nine Lives of Rave

Hey you with the start-ups in your eyes