The Beastie Boys

For 66 Years, Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School Dads Have Put On L.A.'s Weirdest Annual Drag Show

See also: *10 Best Drag Clubs in L.A. *Our Latest Theater Reviews The year was 1947. Headlines announced the establishment of the Cominform and the formation of the CIA that marked the non-declaration of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. In suburban Glendale, meanwhile, a differ ... More >>

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 >>

DJ Muggs Does Dubstep. Prepare For Your Head to Explode

DJ Muggs at 44 still rocks his skull cap and looks not unlike the 20-something hip-hop head who first appeared in Cypress Hill's video for "How I Could Just Kill a Man." He sits at a laptop in his Burbank studio, playing a track he recently produced featuring a pair of hit Queens rappers, Action Bro ... More >>

Everybody's a Critic: Readers Respond to Our Food, Movie and Music Critics

Ready For Carmageddon II? Here's Some Soothing Music For Your Drive

Venice-based, classically-trained pianist Ken Elkinson has often become outraged on the road, such as while witnessing other drivers reading, changing clothes, or putting on makeup while behind the wheel. He even once saw a man smash the window of another man's sedan with a baseball bat. See also: ... More >>

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: Henry's Live With a Ton of New Records

KCRW Broadcast #166 for Saturday, May 26, 2012 See also: Henry Rollins: The Column! South Africa's Present and Future Fanatics! What a show! So many new tracks! Besides that, we give our thanks to some great musicians who have recently passed away. The last few weeks have been very tough with all ... More >>

Let's Not Reduce Adam Yauch's Career to a Single Lyric

See also: *Our Adam Yauch Obituary *Adam Yauch, RIP: A Life in Photos Adam Yauch, better known as MCA of the Beastie Boys, died last week. His group was a big deal in hip-hop, not just because they were the first white act to break through, but because they helped establish both the sample-based pr ... More >>

Five Artsy Things to Do This Week, Including an Exhibit About Prince at the Forum

A festival run by a rapper, brunch inspired by Prince, a Cadillac in a gallery, a soap opera cast with women in white, "taking account of oneself" taken to its extremes: It feels like spring. 5. The "fun" in fundraiser Until May 6, the Beastie Boys' Mike D is moonlighting as a MOCA curator. He has ... More >>

Ten Rap-Rock Songs That Are Actually Awesome

See also: Crazy Town's Shifty Shellshock Is Out of His Coma! Here's Everything You Need To Know About Him Rap-rock remains the coolest idea ever. You've just been scared off of it by the mountain of terrible rap-rock in existence. Here are ten songs that prove the Woodstock '99-tainted genre could ... More >>

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

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

Christmas Rapping: Jim Carrey, Busta Rhymes, And Eazy-E Bring The Ho, Ho, Hoes

​While visions of sugarplum fairies might be dancing in your head this time of year, it's going to take a little more to bring your Christmas party to the next level. While the traditional seasonal standards are... standard, the surefire way to put the star on your tree -- or the eggs in you ... More >>

Blondie - Club Nokia - October 5, 2011

Debi Del GrandeBlondie​See also: An Interview With Debbie Freaking Harry! Blondie Club Nokia October 5, 2011 Better than ... expected. Far better than we could have imagined, actually. When new wave erupted on the back end of punk, there was Blondie, with great hooks, crisp beats and a sul ... More >>

Evidence: A Conscious Rapper Who Doesn't Mind Being Called As Much

See also: Pictures Of Rappers' Cats (Including Evidence's Mr. Drummer) Evidence has a history as a tagger. An apt metaphor since, like graffiti, he's not loud and you can see him everywhere. But only if you're looking. The Los Angeles native came of age in the '90s with Dilated Peoples. Since the ... More >>

"Trouble On My Mind" Video Premiere: Pusha T Featuring Tyler, The Creator

Andrea DomanickPusha T and Tyler the Creator before mass destruction​We knew when we visited the set that director Jason Goldwatch's video for Pusha T and Tyler, the Creator's "Trouble On My Mind" was gonna be one of the dopest visuals we'd seen in awhile. As Pusha T told us on set: I said ... More >>

Beats, Rhymes, and Strife: How Michael Rapaport Learned the Hard Way Why A Tribe Called Quest Just Can't Get Along

Kevin ScanlonMichael Rapaport with his lone ATCQ supporter, Phife Dawg​Michael Rapaport answers the door to his Hancock Park house with a vague look of panic on his familiar, strawberry-blond mop-topped face. As he struggles to restrain two massive dogs so I can make my way into his home, I no ... More >>

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: UK Subs EP

Timothy Norris​KCRW BROADCAST #121 for Saturday, July 2. Fanatics! Talk about no sleep! I have been bouncing from planes to taxies to studios on both coasts. I worked on this show for a few days on paper and then only a few hours ago was able to listen to all of it and makes sure it is up to ... More >>

L.A. Film Fest 2nd Weekend Picks

Top 6 Controversial TV Appearances By Bands, in Honor of Odd Future Playing Fallon Tonight

​The ever controversial Odd Future (OFWGKTA) rap collective is set to perform tonight on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. We're not sure what this means, but we imagine a certain amount of destruction, danger and disrespect will be involved. (At least, we hope.) Earlier today, Roots drummer Quest ... More >>

Coachella 2011: Who Should Be the Headliner? Rumors Swirl around Arcade Fire, Daft Punk and ... Coldplay?

​Rumors about who will be headlining Coachella 2011 pretty much started the moment the last harmonics stop resonating at the Indio Polo Field last spring. With 2011 fast approaching, and Goldenvoice ticket layaway plan under way, the guessing game encouraged by the festival through its ever-ac ... More >>

Nightranger: REDRUM & RITZ

Music Picks: Ornette Coleman, Gary Numan, Natacha Atlas

Also, Marnie Stern, Kristian Hoffman, Elton John & Leon Russell

Watch: Harper Simon Debuts New Video by Actor/Director Joshua Leonard

Harper Simon Debuts New Video by Actor/Director Joshua Leonard

Music Picks: Liz Pappademas, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mad Professor, Bill Frisell

Also, Taylor Swift, Los Tres, Saint Motel, David Allan Coe and others

Cash Reward Offered for Stolen Dublab Cassettes, Money Mark No Longer a Suspect

Sadness unspooled.​Last week, we hipped you to a free Friday night event hosted by the Dublab crew over at Silver Lake's Hyperion Tavern. This special edition of the typically great Calling All Kids night was to be soundtracked completely by DJ'd cassette music and thus, it was dubbed Top Tape ... More >>

Coachella Confirmations Begin to Trickle In, Rumors Abound

The Coachella message board is doing a good job of tracking the upcoming Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Now's the time that bands begin leaking confirmations, revealing their hands on MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, and basically spilling the beans one way or another. For example, this f ... More >>

Guest Blogger Jason Reitman on 14 Perfect Musical Moments

​Editor's note. This week director Jason Reitman is guest blogging at West Coast Sound. Reitman, whose new film, Up in the Air, was nominated for five Golden Globes this morning (including Best Director and Best Screenplay nominations for Reitman ... congrats!), is also a pretty big music head ... More >>

Best of L.A.: Shopping

SXSSXSW Day 4/Days Late (Pt. 1): On Rap/Rock, The Legacy of the Beasties, and Asher Roth Vs. The Knux

Other than freshman Delta Sigma Theta rushes at Cal-State Chico, no substrata of the American population has worse taste in rock than rappers. Sure, your little brother likes Fall Out Boy, but eventually, he's going to grow up and discover The Clash, then weed, then hopefully Junior Murvin and Lee ... More >>

The Many Moods of Rock the Bells

Hip-hop's been in a lull. Meet the new torchbearers

Some Thoughts on the "Best. Politician. Inspired. Single. Ever." Also, Nazis. Also, Jesus. Also, NFL football.

Los Angeles's own Sa-Ra create a rallying cry for Obama. Plus, a bunch of other crap this video brought to mind. Super random, super fun.

Bob the Lefsetz vs. Antony & the Johnsons. ALSO, some words about Coachella.

Why we love Antony and why we hate Coachella.

Bodies moving at MX Beat

M.I.A. delivered once again at the MX Beat fest on Saturday night, scoring more direct hits on the ears and hips of thousands of Mexican fans who braved the merciless chill of the highland plain in Toluca where the festival was held. It was the final and biggest night of four in different cities ... More >>

N.W.A: A Hard Act to Follow

Hip-hop and hype from the streets of Compton (reprint of May 5, 1989, Weekly cover story)

The Freaks Come Out at Night

Where to go for Halloween

Bad Brains, House of Blues, 9/26

Bad Brains House of Blues, Sept. 26 By Matthew Flesicher “The bourgeoisie had better watch out for me. All throughout this so called nation, we don't want your filthy money, we don't need your innocent bloodshed. We just wanna end your world.” In a just world, the Bad Brains’ “Fearless Vam ... More >>

Rock Picks

For the week of May 31 - June 7

Rock Picks

For the week of March 29 � April 5

Weird Scenes Inside the Silver Mine

From old-school heads to prepubescent punks, Silver Lake is where L.A.’s indie rock heart still beats

The Beat Goes On

Rick Rubin

Generation Chef

Fred Eric

Where�s the Funny?

The year hip-hop forgot its dick can fly

Fear of Music

South by Southwest 2005, as told by its survivors

Sixtoo Hops Off

The Contemporaries

Dandyland

Polaroids from Silver Lake

Reach for the Sun

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, April 27-28

I Will Be Absorbed

Champion Birdwatchers

Boomin' Bros

Beastie Boys are ill and always will

For the Record

The life and premature death of Mary�s Danish