Johnny Thunders

The Best Concerts to See in Los Angeles This Weekend

Friday, April 20 The Call THE TROUBADOUR The Call couldn't have imagined its rousing song "Let the Day Begin" would be the rally cry for not one (Al Gore) but two (Tom Vilsack) presidential campaigns. The Northern California group, who came into their own in the 1980s, haven't had a release since 2 ... More >>

Deathmatch: Aerosmith vs. New York Dolls

[Editor's note: Deathmatch pairs two things that have something in common, and determines who is better. It's a concept we sort-of ripped off from MTV, except that instead of claymation it's the printed word!] In the 1970s, two bands took the bluesy swagger of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds t ... More >>

The Top 5 Punk Rock Guitarists

Somewhere along the line, punk rock's amateurish enthusiasm became conflated with a dearth of talent. That's OK -- anything to keep the squares out -- but it's not entirely accurate. Indeed, it was hard paring this list down to just five. While you might complain that your favorite isn't on here, it ... More >>

The Best Concerts in L.A. This Week

Monday, January 21 Baron von Luxxury, Yellow Alex, Yung Skeeter THE SATELLITE Electro-pop comes in splendiferous shapes and sizes. And Baron von Luxxury brings the wicked-wit version, in which DeBarge, ELO, Hall & Oates and other formerly uncool '80s soul stylists float through the disco in super-s ... More >>

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: New York City Is a Helluva a Town

KCRW Broadcast #189 for Saturday, November 10, 2012 See also: *The American People Kicked Your Ass, Republicans *Henry Rollins: Sandy, the Incredible Mood Swing of Mother Nature Fanatics! Tonight is a great one. I am in NYC this week, so I thought a show that was NYC-based would be just the thing ... More >>

The Zeros, The Muffs - The Troubadour - 7/20/12

The Zeros, The Muffs The Troubadour 7-20-12 See also: Our interview with Javier Escovedo Even though the Zeros were born at the dawn of the punk era in 1976 and the Muffs didn't start until the depths of the grunge scene 15 years later, they couldn't have been more perfectly billed last night at ... More >>

Music Picks: Rome, The xx, Aretha Franklin

Also, Cannibal Corpse, I See Hawks in L.A., Smokey Robinson and others

Kurt Vile, Santigold, Rusko

Also, Star & Dagger, Charli XCX, Church of Misery and others

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: African Music

KCRW Broadcast #165 for Saturday, May 19, 2012 See also: Henry Rollins: The Column! Advice From Diamond Dave Fanatics! Hello from Cape Town! Before we go any further, I want to say that hours ago, I read about the passing of Chuck Brown, the legendary Washington DC musician, the founding father of ... More >>

Music Picks: Bettye LaVette, Johnny Thunders, Johnny Hallyday

Also, Kate McGarry, Enter Shikari, Hype Williams and others

Music Picks: Skrillex, Diplo, Wu-Tang Clan, The Health Club

Also, Art Lande, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Gilad Hekselman, The Stitches, The Villains and others

Shonen Knife - The Echo - 11-1-11

Javier Cabral​Better than...almost anything this side of the Ramones. Everyone raised their finger bunny ears as Japanese pop punk female trio Shonen Knife, celebrating their 30th anniversary, walked on stage. Their fans cheered enthusiastically, knowing they were about to get their fucken so ... More >>

D Generation - The Troubadour - September 24, 2011

Lina LecaroSinger Jesse Malin finds his way to the bar ​D Generation at The Troubadour September 24, 2011 Better than... shows where the lead singer doesn't leave the stage, head to the bar, and throw back some tequila. Though they sweat and bleed New York, D Generation has an L.A. fan ba ... More >>

Six L.A. Neighborhoods With the Most Distinctive Fashion Styles

Jason Levesque​ How we dress can send messages not only about who we are and what we like but also where we're from. There is no singular "L.A. look," and Silver Lake isn't all beards and ironic T-shirts, either. Still, there are certain aesthetics -- in the form of everything from accessorie ... More >>

Falling James' Gig of the Week: The Middle Class and Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds at the Echoplex, 6/24

Falling JamesThe Middle Class​So much of punk rock is centered around nostalgia these days, whether it's played by modern corporate pretenders aping their elders in watered-down, insipid ways or the surviving elders themselves, whose reunions are often too sluggish and self-congratulatory to e ... More >>

Music Picks: Matt & Kim, Partch, Booker T, Motley Crue,

Also, Spain, Civil Wars, Bruno Mars and others

Music Picks: Prince, Amanda Jo Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit, Civet,

Also, Miguel, L.A. Bluegrass Situation, Heidecker and Wood, the Ditty Bops and others

Henry Rollins: Out of Africa and Into the Land of Acting Without a Script (with Cameo Appearance by Princess Leia and His Favorite Dylan Song)

Timothy NorrisHenry Rollins' Weird Record Academy for the Open of Ears: Last night at the Echoplex​ [For more exclusive shots from Henry Rollins' event last night, see Timothy Norris' slideshow 'Henry Rollins @ The Echoplex'.] I am back from Africa. That was a long haul. From Entebbe, Uganda ... More >>

Music Picks: Tift Merritt, Clinic, Microscopic Septet

Also, J. Cole, the Crazy Squeeze, Wild Flag and others

Music Picks: Batusis, Interpol, Minus the Bear

Also, Taj Mahal, Shakira, Sufjan Stevens and others

New Year's Eve in LA: Bubbly and Bumpin' In the Clubs with Arabian Prince, Hang the DJs, Part Time Punks and More

The year -and decade- are done, and the city's biggest, most buzzed about New Year's Eve bashes (Hard, Giant, Gridlock) are either out of your budget or out of your comfort zone. The house party of a good friend -with lots of other good friends- might be optimal this Thursday night, but we think we' ... More >>

Top 5 Topless Groupies: Women Who Bared It All For Music (NSFW)

​Rock-n-roll and breasts often go (tee-hee) hand in hand. In fact, Motley Crue drummer and groupie magnet, Tommy Lee, has this rule about coming into his dressing room: "You're not allowed in unless you remove an article of clothing. And I'm not talking about your socks. It's pretty f***ing c ... More >>

Rock Picks: Future of the Left, Deerhoof, Ronnie Mack's Barndance, The Urinals

Also, Torche, Alejandro Escovedo, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, and others

Rockers at Morrison Hotel Gallery with Legendary Music Photographer Bob Gruen

To be honest, I never thought I'd be standing in legendary photographer Bob Gruen's teenage bedroom. The unkempt bed covered by a Led Zeppelin blanket, the shelves of rock memorabilia, the walls plastered with photos and cutout articles from vintage rock magazines like Creem and Rock Scene... it is ... More >>

Rock Picks: Digable Planets, Pigeon John, the Wedding Present, Prima Donna

Also, Josh Rouse, the Raconteurs, Chicha Libre and more

Jesse Camp

He had his MTV

Rock Picks: New York Dolls, Lizz Wright, Brother Ali

And other March 6-13 shows

Rock Picks: The Humpers, Secretary Bird, Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow

For the week of June 21–28

Loud & Proud

And ghouls on film

Rock Picks

For the week of March 8 – 15

Rock Docs Are Go! Rockumentary Recommendations

As CDs wither, the low-budget rockumentary is born again

Hole, Sweet Hole

The last weekend of CBGB

Music Picks

Oh, You Brut!

In a world of blog hysteria and terminal hipsterism, Art Brut kick ass, take names and get naked. (About time.)

Nightranger

A Strange Phone Call With David Johansen

The head New York Doll muses on celebrity culture and various cars

Cocks of the Rock

The ear-to-ear assault of the Chelsea Smiles

Wise Guy

For Those About to Rock

Seven nights at the Whisky, where dreams still die hard

Couch Hopping in L.A.

Let's Have a Party

She Had To Stay

Exene Cervenka and Original Sinners, burning in L.A.

Endless Vacation

Dee Dee Ramone, 1952–2002

Shock Treatment

Letters

Mickey and Mortie

Lonely Planet Boy

With love from Johnny Thunders

The Steamy Muse

Rhapsodies of light and heat and hope

Beat Your Heart Out

Sneaking Out With the Zeros

Jesus in Furs

Marilyn Manson wants to touch you