Elton John

Gibson Amphitheatre To Shut Down

Gibson Amphitheatre, the mainstay mid-size concert venue at Universal City, will close its doors in September, according to its operator Live Nation Entertainment. As announced in December 2011, the 6,200-capacity amphitheatre is expected to be demolished to make way for The Wizarding World of Har ... More >>

Chris Stroffolino Lives and Plays In His Van. Is He the Next Daniel Johnston?

Recently, filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig, the director of indie smash The Devil and Daniel Johnston, was riding his bike on Sunset near Maltman. He heard somebody playing piano and singing his heart out. "I'm looking around, I don't see anybody," says Feuerzeig. "I'm thinking, man, that sounds like Danie ... More >>

6 Other Boxing One-Man Shows We'd Like to See

See also: *Mike Tyson's One-Man Show at the Pantages Theater Is Surprisingly Good Mike Tyson's much-hyped one man Broadway show (and Spike Lee joint) Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth came to L.A. for just a few performances this past weekend. In it he apparently comes clean about his past by admitting ... More >>

The Best Concerts in L.A. This Weekend

Friday, February 22 Kurt Rosenwinkel KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE Kurt Rosenwinkel's playing is richly complex and challenging, and while he is smarter than most of us, smart people also feel. Thus, to label this guitarist as "intellectual" or "cerebral" does him a disservice. He is more poet than scientis ... More >>

Inc.: Employing the Grateful Dead's Business Model

Out today, No World is the first full-length album from the L.A. duo Inc., and not unlike John Henry racing the steam-powered hammer. Brothers Daniel and Andrew Aged, are incredibly proficient at their instruments -- they've worked as session musicians for Beyoncé, Cee-Lo, and Elton John -- and so ... More >>

Openly Gay Rapper Rob B Draws From Influences Far and Wide

On a recent cool Friday afternoon, 25-year-old Mexican-American, openly gay rapper Rob B sits in one of the many cafés peppering Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. He's tan and toned, a 6-foot-1 part-time model who has done everything from runway to hand modeling, and today he's fitted in al ... More >>

The Five Best Concerts in L.A. This Week

Monday, September 24 Lavender Diamond THE ECHO Lavender Diamond are back, and they come in peace, as usual, and also with synthesizers, which is a bit more unusual. The heartbroke piano-folk they made on their one-and-a-half beautiful albums about five years ago is still there on the new Incorrupti ... More >>

Music Picks: Dublab Anniversary, Ladyhawke, Flying Lotus

Fuck Art, Let's Read

The 20 Best Albums Not in the Canon: The Complete List

*Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time *Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre *Top 20 Sexiest Female Musicians of All Time *Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time A few months back Rolling Stone put out their updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. (Here's a quickly-scannable version; Sgt. P ... More >>

Top 20 Albums Not In The Canon: 20-11

*Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time *Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre *Top 20 Sexiest Female Musicians of All Time *Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All Time A few months back Rolling Stone put out their updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. (Here's a quickly-scannable version; Sgt. P ... More >>

Train Kept a-Soulin'

The Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All-Time: The Complete List

*Top 20 Worst Bands Ever: The Complete List *Top 20 Musicians of All-Time, in Any Genre: The Complete List *Top 20 Sexiest Female Musicians of All-Time: The Complete List *Top 20 Sexiest Male Musicians of All-Time: The Complete List Considering that most all of today's popular music -- be it roc ... More >>

The Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All-Time: 20-16

See also: *Top 20 Worst Bands of All Time *Top 20 Musicians of All Time, in Any Genre: The Complete List Considering that most all of today's popular music, be it rock, pop, dance, or rap, sprang from genres pioneered by black musicians, to be all caucasian about your songs is to, literally, betr ... More >>

Top 10 Live Music Venues in L.A.: The Complete List

Timothy Norris​California knows how to party. -"California Love" It's the unofficial state motto. But not only do we know how, we know where. Los Angeles is home to a wide spectrum of live music venues, from the teeniest Echo Park hole-in-the-wall only you and five friends know, to grand ol' ... More >>

Top 10 Best Live Music Venues in L.A.: #5-1

For all the best of L.A. music, download our free Best Of Mobile app. See also: Top Ten Best Live Music Venues in L.A.: #10 - #6 5. Music Box See also: R.I.P. the Music Box? Legendary Hollywood Venue Shuttered [UPDATE: Short-term?] News of the Music Box's overnight shuttering this month was met wi ... More >>

It's Cinco De Mayo: Do You Know What Actual Mexicans Are Listening To?

Listen up Gringos! Today might be Cinco De Mayo but did you know there's a lot more to the strangely non-English language celebration than rhyming 'Cinco' with 'Drinko'? There is! You see, there's this country called 'Mexico' just south of here, and it turns out Cinco De Mayo actually commemorates ... More >>

Day 1: Coachella's GOODs, BADs and UGLYs (featuring Paul McCartney, Black Keys, Chemical Brothers and Craigslist)

Colin Young-Wolff​ Compared to last year's problems with wristbands and overcrowding, the first day of Coachella 2011 was smooth sailing. Greasy even. Let's take a look at yesterday's GOODs, BADs and UGLYs.

William Shatner Reveals Song Lineup for His Upcoming "Metal Album"

​Back in February, we broke the news that William Shatner was working on a star-studded new album with some of LA's most prominent metal session musicians (Read "William Shatner Is Recording Star-Studded Metal Album in L.A.: We Got the Details"). Well, now WilliamShatner.com (of course there' ... More >>

Nightmares on Wax: Top Ten Creepy Musician Wax Figures (which You Can Buy for Your Home)

Nightmares on Wax: 11 Creepy Musician Wax Figures

Interview: Beloved DJ Joe Sib On Growing Up Punk Rock in LA

Joe Sib, unplugged​Joe Sib -- Side One Dummy Records co-owner, former Wax frontman and former Indie 103.1 DJ (he currently hosts Complete Control on Star 98.7) -- gets nostalgic in his one-man show, California Calling: Growing Up Punk Rock, which he's been touring for a year and performs at th ... More >>

Tonight: Betty LaVette, Jews on Vinyl Revue, Eastern Conference Champions, Wallpaper, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jets Overhead

Elizabeth FladunBetty LaVette​One of the best Betty LaVette stories came out of the veteran soul singer's performance a couple years ago at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. In a nod to one of the year's honorees, the Who, LaVette delivered a show-stopping rendition of "Love Reign ... More >>

Nightranger: Bringing Sounds to the Sea

West Follywood

How a progressive town founded on renters' rights and diversity ended up gridlocked, angry and elitist

Rock Picks: Prefuse 73, the Gaslamp Killer, VoicesVoices, Beyond the Pale

Also, Do Make Say Think, the Living Sisters, Wale and others

Terminator Salvation: Save Yourself ...

... from McG's franchise add-on

GO LA: Gay Fusion, Jackie Kashian and the Gold Standard Food Festival

Plus, lots more to see, hear and consume in town, March 6-12

Royal Rumble: Prince, Queen Latifah, Fischerspooner and the Dukes of DFA

Prince Getts Off At Avalon Post-Oscars Party, Covers the Cars, Rolling Stones and Jimmy Eat World

We'll get to a review of the show in a minute, but first, oblige us to cut to the chase and share/brag/go crazy/get nuts about something: We danced on stage with Prince last night! Near the end of The Artist's astounding covers-packed set at Avalon (for his "surprise" post-Oscar bash), he had one of ... More >>

Dame Edna, Makeup Muse: Painting the Town Varicose Violet

Think Possum Nose Pink

Last Night: Muppet (of Burlesque) Show at Monday Night Tease!

(All photos by Shannon Cottrell. Click images for entire Muppet (of Burlesque) slideshow.) It's official; last night I saw my last burlesque show. Why the last? Well, because after enjoying a front row seat for a Muppets-themed striptease, nothing else compares. I'm talking an hour and a half of fe ... More >>

Conversations on Foster Care at an Oscar Party

Sonic Youth: They Are Not Rock. They Curate Rock.

Marc Jacobs asked Sonic Youth to leap. Their response was "How high?"

Renaissance Man Val Kilmer May Have Met his Match.

The Iceman cometh

the Host and His Protégée

Tyson Cornell and Erin Levy, Book Soup

Bringin’ Sassy Back

Super Fun Music Hour

Little Radio podcast

Manu, Mort & Thor

Lewis Taylor’s Stoned

One of the year’s finest albums you never heard

Live in LA

Live in LA

Summer Songs

Music for changing seasons and future days

Sing Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace

Where are the new protest songs?

The Radical Romantic

A manifesto

Oldies But Goodies

The television event

Landmarks

A to G

As the world turns Blackalicious

Time After Time

Dance clubs L.A.: In one era and out another

Mockin' Bird

Patti Page comes out swinging

Sweet Heart