John Payne

The Best Concerts to See In L.A. This Week

Monday, April 1 Rhye, Nosaj Thing MASONIC LODGE Love hurts! On the one hand, Rhye does offer more of that sort of nu-quiet-fire sexy pop that blows through cocktail bars from here to Ouagadougou. You know, the kind that, if your timing is off in the hearing of it, might just encourage you to go ahe ... More >>

The Five Best Concerts in L.A. This Weekend

Friday, December 14 Thrill Jockey 20th-anniversary party with Wooden Shjips, Liturgy, Trans Am, Kid Millions THE ECHOPLEX Back in the '90s, arty Chicago alt/indie warhorse label Thrill Jockey basically drew the map for marginalized music's move into the mainstream, with a roster including Tortoise, ... More >>

Music Picks: The Weeknd, That '70s Soul, Power of the Riff

Music Picks: Culture Collide, Nick Lowe, Screaming Females

The Five Best Concerts in L.A. This Week

Tuesday, September 4 Krzysztof Urbanski conducts "Three Russian Masters" HOLLYWOOD BOWL The classical canon today is both questioned for its relevance and pounced upon eagerly by a new generation of composers, performers and conductors of prodigious technical and scholarly gifts. The young firebran ... More >>

Music Picks: Charli XCX, Polica, Esperanza Spalding and More

Music Picks: NKOTBSB, Mixed Message, Earthless

Also, Catwalk, Holly Miranda, Darwin Dees, and others

Music Picks: Iannis Xenakis Now and Tomorrow, Ozzy Osbourne, War Tapes, Liz Pappademas

Also, Savage Republic, Tanya Morgan, the Church, the Fling and others

Music Picks: Physical Forms, Kimya Dawson, Madame Recamier, Young Hunting

Also, Lizz Wright, Wanda Jackson, Iron and Wine, Wallpaper. and others

Music Picks: Haroula Rose, Jimmy Webb, Adler's Appetite, Nikka Costa

Also, The Melvins, Graf Orlock, Dudamel/Mahler 9th, Lissie and others

Music Picks: Nicole Eva Emery, Hard NYE, Peter and the Wolf,

Also, Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound, Octavius, Cosmologic and others

Rock Picks: DJ Spinna, Bodega Girls, Andre Nickatina, Elevated Suspects

Also, Hilary Hahn, People Under the Stairs, KROQ Almost Acoustic Xmas and others

Music Picks: The Hangmen, Brother Ali, Tommy Rock-A-Shacka, Weezer

Also, Hellride, Bonobo, New Kingdom and others

Music Picks: Amanda Jo Williams, Usher, Masaki Batoh, Procol Harum

Also, Dustin Wong, Greg Dulli, Ghostface Killah

Music Picks: Batusis, Interpol, Minus the Bear

Also, Taj Mahal, Shakira, Sufjan Stevens and others

Music Picks: Laurie Anderson, Onibaba, Superchunk

Also, Hoodoo Gurus, Die Antwoord, Jonsi and others

Music Picks: Liz Phair, the Weepies, Tom Tom Club, Evan Voytas

Also, the Lee Boys, Klaxons, Macy Gray, Eels and others

Music Picks: Plastic Ono Band, Ooh La LA Fest, Belle & Sebastian

Also, Marianne Dissard, Bad Company, Matador 21 and others

Music Picks: Ooh La La Fest, Pavement, Beach House

Also, Kris Kristofferson, the Black Keys, Bettye Lavette and others

Music Picks: Grizzly Bear, Muse, Dark Dark Dark, the Charlatans UK

Also, Tonya Watts, Modeselektor, Heart and others

Music Picks: The Chapin Sisters, Pink Martini, Freestyle Fellowship, Mark Kozelek

Also Shonen Knife, the Vibrators, Karnivool and others

Music Picks: John Lee Hooker Jr., Faun Fables, Tribute to Dolly Parton

Also, Ray LaMontagne, Wait. Think. Fast., Crooked Fingers and others

Music Picks: Sunset Junction Street Fair, Lucinda Williams, Y & T, Tanya Morgan

Also, GZA, Jimmy Webb, Fol Chen and others

Music Picks: Ida & Michael Hurley, Rasputina, Hercules & the Love Affair

Also, Natalie Merchant, Earthless, Seu Jorge & Almaz and others

Music Picks: Circa Survive, Joanna Newsom, El-P, Roots Roadhouse

Also, Scorpions, Viza, the Park and others

Free the Robots, Dr. John. Alex Cuba and Merle Haggard

Also, Bestial Mouths, The Dreaming, Echo Lush and Elevaters

Music Picks: Buzzcocks, Diana Ross, Isis, the xx

Also, Compton Metal Night, Health, Thao and Mirah

Music Picks: Free Kutmah Benefit, Amanda Jo Williams, Rosie Ledet

Also, Svarte Greiner, Miike Snow, School of Seven Bells and others

Music Picks: Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Bad Religion, Non

Also, The Wedding Present, Phil Alvin and others

Music Picks: Soweto Gospel Choir, Paul McCartney, Melissa Auf der Maur

Also, Jay-Z, Metric, Triorganico, Air and others

Rock Picks: GZA, the Ettes, A.A. Bondy, Mose Allison

Also, the Kris Special, Jesse Sykes, Mamak Khadem and others

Rock Picks: Fuck Buttons, Exene Cervenka, Imogen Heap, John Fogerty

Also, HEALTH, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Múm, Leon Russell and others

SMMoA on Sunday: Mike Watt, Lee Ranaldo, Raymond Pettibon, others Celebrate Rock, Paper, Scissors Opening

FROM FRIDAY: Seriously. Take John Payne's advice below. Go to this. First of all, Animal Collective is sold out, and all your friends who will be there will be bragging in tomorrow about the AMAZING SHOW they saw at the Troubadour. You, however, will have a trump card. Background: Mike Watt, Ray ... More >>

Rock Picks: Brian Wilson, the Juan Maclean, Common

Also, Citay, Nightwish, Savina Yannatou

Rock Picks: DJ Quik, Alejandro Escovedo, Ratatat

Also, the Bad Plus, Amos Lee, Built to Spill, and more

Rock Picks: Warped Tour, Pop Levi, Valient Thorr

Also, Previously on Lost, Raphael Saadiq, Liz Pappademas

Record Reviews: Usher, Lurker of Chalice

Also, The Dodos, Mezzanine Owls and more

Music Picks: Black Heart Procession, Vandelles, Minnie Driver, Ronnie Mack

For the week of Jan. 11 - 17

Beirut free show at Amoeba tonight

Missed the sold out Beirut shows? Ahh, lucky you. They're playing at 6:30 tonight at Amoeba Records. Go on over and check it out or read Rena Kosnett's review to convince yourself not to miss it. Photo by Rena Kosnett Amoeba will have a webstream of the performance on their website, but come o ... More >>

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

For the week of August 23-30

Pleasant princess Castle

L.A. Music '06: Welcome to Indie Land

The Magic Kingdom has Tomorrowland; we’ve got Spaceland. Plus, more magical local bands, man.

Music Picks

For the week of October 26 - November 2

Rock Picks

For September 21–28

Fear of Music

South by Southwest 2005, as told by its survivors

Letters

Letters

Letters

The Year in Music

And the LAWMA Goes to . . .