Devendra Banhart

What Is Ayahuasca and Why Is Everyone Singing About It?

Ever heard of ayahuasca? It's an ancient medicinal plant that has become trendy of late, particularly in Los Angeles. It's not uncommon to overhear ladies at Soho House discussing their transcendental experience with the substance, which is consumed as a thick, almost chocolatey tea and comes from ... More >>

The Best Concerts to See in Los Angeles This Weekend

For any show in town see our regularly-updated concert calendar. Friday, May 3 The Rolling Stones STAPLES CENTER It's easy to make fun of The Rolling Stones -- a karaoke-addled Mick Jagger even got in on the act last season on Saturday Night Live -- but the not-always-convenient truth is that Jagg ... More >>

Local Natives' Big Vaulted Ceilings

On their new album, the rising indie-folk act show who they are and what they've become

The Ten Best Latin Alternative Albums of 2012

It has become difficult to define what Latin Alternative is these days. The genre seems to encompass everything from traditional roots band playing an accordion to a progressive hip-hop MCs to singer-songwriters crooning romantic ballads -- and can be sung in Spanish, English or Spanglish. It's a hy ... More >>

Jenny Lewis, Ab-Soul, Céu

Also, Vinny Golia Sextet, Mary Anne Hobbs, Delta Rae and others

James Franco's MOCA Show Opening Night: 'There's Just a Lot of Dicks in There'

"There's just a lot of dicks in there. A lot of porno," the painter Ty Williams says, shaking his head. "But I get it, though. I understand the prevalence of penises." We're standing in the alleyway behind JF Chen, a collectible furniture showroom and exhibit space, at the opening party for "Rebel ... More >>

New Year's Eve: Ten Mystical Songs For Making Out With Your Hippie Boyfriend

From the film Zabriskie Point​See also: What To Do This New Year's Eve With a galactic alignment and Mayan prophecy fulfillment on the horizon -- not to mention the Aquarian dawning -- 2012 is poised to be a pretty cosmic year. So as you embrace your turquoised-out, biker hippie wizard love ... More >>

Adanowsky Leaves A Trail Of Fluttery-Eyed Females In His Musky Wake

​Like a latter-day Serge Gainsbourg, the singer Adanowsky emanates cosmic sensuality, leaving a trail of fluttery-eyed females in his musky, potent wake. Such was the case as he glided through Harvard and Stone last week, all furrowed brow and crumpled shirt, looking like a broken-hearted mari ... More >>

Page Two: Red Hot + Rio, the Sequel

Paz Lenchantin, Psychedelic Goddess

The Entrance Band's bassist discusses her inspirations and their Satellite residency

Music Picks: SWANS, Sebadoh, Arbouretum, Cass McCombs

Also Meshell Ndegeocello, Kaki King, Local Natives and others

Swans: Forever Changes

Prodigal son Michael Gira returns to L.A. with more Swans music

Time Machine: See What Ten LA Musicians (and Betty White!) Will Look Like 20 Years From Now

LA is famous for a lot of things, but perhaps nothing says Hollywood magic quite like the ubiquitous, desperate quest to stay young forever and ever and ever. Think you're above it? Live east of Alameda for a 2 years and you'll be staring emptily into every mirror you see, desperately trying to perf ... More >>

The Birds Are Flying Elsewhere

With Linda Perhacs, we'll think about the world

UPDATED: Wavves to Play Historic L.A. Punk/New Wave Venue Madame Wong's Before it Closes for Good

"Madame" Esther Wong, founder of the former restaurant and eventual punk venue in Chinatown​UPDATE: L.A.-based noise-pop artist Wavves, a.k.a. Nathan Williams, will be playing one of Madame Wong's' final shows on Wednesday, August 3. Commenters have pointed out that the venue never officially ... More >>

Review: Amanda Jo Williams @ Echo Country Outpost

​Strumming a small child's guitar and tapping a giant bass drum that rattles like an earthquake, Amanda Jo Williams spins country-fried yarns about growing up in Georgia, hitchhiking to Woodstock, the men she's loved and the cosmos she abides by, with a voice somewhere between Minnie Mouse and ... More >>

'Mutations' Meets Mutantes: Beck's New Record Club Joint Drafts St. Vincent, Liars, Tropicalia Legends

21st Century Os Mutantes 'Mutations' Auteur Beck!​You know when you're sitting around with your buddies, just chillen, and you start singing along to a favorite record and everyone has a great time? Well, if you're Beck, your buddies are people like the Liars, intensely-staring chanteuse St ... More >>

Lisa Germano's Dark Magic

An artist best known for her classic work for 4AD returns with a lush new record

Nightranger Looks Back at '09 Fashion and Music

Rock Picks: Al Kooper, Year Long Disaster, Steven Severin, the Phenomenal Handclap Band

Also, Kimya Dawson, the Cigarette Bums, Willi Williams and others

Duran Duran Announce Track Listing of Manimal Vinyl's Upcoming David Bowie Tribute (Featuring Carla Bruni!)

While you were sleeping off NYE on Friday, LA-based Manimal Vinyl and Brit-based Duran Duran teamed up to announce the details of the label's forthcoming David Bowie tribute, which, as of this writing, is still unnamed. Among the many potential highlights are covers of Bowie songs by the aforeme ... More >>

Rock Picks: Gabriel Andruzzi, DANNY B. HARVEY, RIOT GRRL XMAS CARNIVAL

Also, Boogie Nazis, the Growlers, Good Old War and others

Over the Weekend: The Crystal Method Play Secret Show, Julian Casablancas Begins His Downtown Residency, Plus LMFAO and PMX

Thought the LA nightlife would calm down after Halloween? You thought wrong. From secret shows to Asian pop culture conventions, we were out and about this weekend. Keep reading to find out what happened. Julian Casablancas at Palace Theater Timothy Norris​ Julian Casablancas marked his mov ... More >>

Over the Weekend: The Crystal Method Play Secret Show, Julian Casablancas Begins His Downtown Residency, Plus LMFAO and PMX

Thought the LA nightlife would calm down after Halloween? You thought wrong. From secret shows to Asian pop culture conventions, we were out and about this weekend. Keep reading to find out what happened. Julian Casablancas at Palace Theater Timothy Norris​ Julian Casablancas marked his move ... More >>

Avi Buffalo: Young, Gifted and Slack

Long Beach teens sign to Sub Pop

New Hecuba Video for "The Magic" Gets Kanye's Seal of Approval

Hecuba "The Magic" [Official Video] HD from Hecuba on Vimeo. The new Hecuba video for their song "The Magic" has just been released, and it's an oddly alluring little bit of videowork to a curious quiet-storm Autotune jam. Kanye West likes it; he embedded it on his blog the other day. Watch for you ... More >>

Rock Picks: Camper Van Beethoven, Cass McCombs, AC/DC

Also, Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, Magda, Hedgehog, Mos Def and others

FYF Fest 2009: Parks and Inspiration

Event's new mission: Save Our State Parks (and deliver a mind-bending roster of punk, electronics and noise)

Rock Picks: Fol Chen, Moonrats, Brightblack Morning Light, Bachelorette

Also, the Curious Mystery, Graham Parker, Miss Derringer, Marduk and others

Remembering Longtime LA Music Photographer Shawn Mortensen

M.I.A., as shot by Shawn Mortensen The other night as M.I.A. was winding down her Coachella performance of "Paper Planes," she dedicated the song to longtime L.A. photographer Shawn Mortensen, who died last week at the age of 42. We've received a few notes of remembrance from friends and colleagues ... More >>

Coachella Day 3: The Kills Kill It, Throbbing Gristle Force Me Into The Fetal Position, and The Clipse Cancel

Slowly, my brain is slinking its way towards sensible shape. Three days of Coachella are not for the faint of heart -- if nothing else it requires a quarter-ounce of weed, an array of narcotic edibles from potcorn to cannabis cakes, several brightly colored pills of indiscriminate origin, copious ... More >>

Over the Weekend: RIP J.G. Ballard, Three Days of Coachella Madness, Plus Zombie Invasion at Fangoria Convention

We don't know about you but we are the very definition of exhausted. Three days of music, parties and the desert heat at the 10th annual Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio has left us completely wiped. But damn if we didn't get some great coverage while we were there. Randall Roberts put tog ... More >>

Linda Perhacs' Parallel Universe

How a Topanga dental hygienist who worked on Paul Newman's teeth created an acid-folk masterpiece (and one of the year's best reissues)

Nightranger: Maggie Barry, Box 8, Shin BBQ, Brian Lichtenberg, and Fashion Accessories by Cobrasnake

ROCK ’N’ WEAR CIRCUS EIGHT’S GREATS

Rock Picks: Sunset Junction Street Festival, El Vez, Café Tacuba

Also, Veruca Salt, Mike Einziger, Kings X and Junior Brown

SXSW Flashback: Even Jandek is a SXSW whore

It's quite possible that Jandek -- more than any artist in history -- has milked the obscurity thing for all that it's worth.

Devendra & Natalie sitting in a tree. But are they K-I-S-S-I-N-G?

Is Devendra Banhart a starfucker or just a star?

The mysterious case of the Microphones who climbed away to Mt. Eerie

Our newest musical voices who, a decade a ago, might have been tempted to call themselves Moon Flower or Dog Park proudly go by their given names: Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, Neko Case, Devendra Banhart. Not so with the mysterious Mr. Phil Elverum...

Wolf Songs: Michael Hurley's 40-Year Journey

Through hobo camps and boxcars, straight to Devendra Banhart's heart

Beards, Blazers & Glasses, Or Yeasayer, The Indie Spin Doctors

Yeasayer are a jam band, they just aren't aware of it yet. At one point during the Brooklyn four-piece's set Saturday night at the Echoplex, lead singer Chris Keating even paused to extemporaneously inform the crowd that "people call us hippies, but that's just not true. We're from Baltimore." Thi ... More >>

Rock Picks: Los Lobos, No Age, Los Abandoned, Slayer

For the week of August 23-30

Rock Picks

For the week of June 7 - 14

Devendra Banhart

Days of mud and poses

Rock Picks

For February 1–8

Rock Picks

From October 13-19

Music Picks

For the week of July 13 - 20

Spank Rock, Wolfrock and Honest Hips

The Psychic Hipster’s Pop 10

A Subtle Bullet

All Tomorrow’s Parties Today

Matt Groening talks outsider music and party planning with a fellow gearhead