The Velvet Underground

White Fence's Tim Presley Records the "Crappy" Way

Given the maturity and insight of White Fence's previous releases and his collaborations with it-boy Ty Segall, it shouldn't shock anyone that the act's newest record, Cyclops Reap, is quite brilliant. Still, Tim Presley's one-man band reaps a whole host of casual garage-rock casuistry from the laz ... More >>

The Best Concerts to See in L.A. This Weekend

Friday, April 5 Vum, Esben and the Witch THE BOOTLEG There's plenty of the spirit of New York synth-punk pioneers Suicide in minimal L.A. synth-wave trio Vum on their new single "I Will Return" -- and is that song title a promise or a threat? This is menacing stuff, built on bare-bones electronic b ... 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 >>

Quit Hating on Kings of Leon, Even If You Disliked "Sex On Fire"

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] I have several friends who should ostensibly like everything about Kings of Leon, but they strongly dislike the Nashville ... More >>

The Five Best Concerts in L.A. This Week

Monday, December 10 Lamps PEHRSPACE Lamps are punk (like Chrome? Or Suicide?). They're from space (like Hawkwind?) but also from hell (like Electric Eels!), where everything melts together into a big hot white ball of confusion that's bright enough to give off some sick kind of light but which will ... More >>

Henry Rollins: The Column! Some of the Best Times of My Life

[Look for your weekly fix from the one and only Henry Rollins right here on West Coast Sound every Thursday, and come back tomorrow for the awesomely annotated playlist for his Saturday KCRW broadcast.] Several nights ago, I was standing in the parking lot behind the Art & Culture Centre in Corne ... More >>

Cannes Film Festival: Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly and Gael Garcia Bernal in No

The opening credits of the Brad Pitt-starring Killing Them Softly are set to snatches of Barack Obama's 2008 Democratic Convention speech, focused on the notion of "the American promise," jarringly jump-intercut with scenes of Frank (Scoot McNairy) making his way through a tunnel onto a dismal Ameri ... More >>

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: Henry's Ode to Winter

KCRW Broadcast #151 for Saturday, February 11, 2012 See also: Henry Rollins: The Column! I'm Not Dead Yet Fanatics! Cold much? Scandinavia has all the cold you could ever want. I am sitting in the airport in Helsinki, Finland, waiting for a flight to Frankfurt. From there we will go to Linz, Austr ... More >>

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: A Whole Lotta Hendrix

Timothy Norris​KCRW BROADCAST #122 for Saturday, July 9. Fanatics! Another week goes by and we find ourselves contemplating the sonic bounty of another Saturday get down. We approach this mountain of sound that awaits us, we must ponder this thought: what keeps bringing us back together ever ... More >>

Top Ten Ways to Make Your Band an Epic Fail in 2011

Our Epic Fail Band could be your life! Here's how.​ We're gonna start 2011 by being servicey. We have seen too many talented bands (and the PR people they pay) squander opportunities and/or generally make our lives in the music press difficult. We thought we'd give you our (100% unsolicited) ... More >>

Life Of Crime: Robbing For Records and Five Rock 'n' Roll Criminals

Les Rallizes Denudes -- Rock 'n' Roll Hijackers​ Via Gawker via the NY Post: Four men knocked off a series of laundromats, gas stations, and convenience stores earlier this week, making off with cash and cigarettes in hopes of getting money to start a record label. (180-gram vinyl is expensiv ... More >>

The Growlers Debut New Live Videos, Announce Dec. Tour Dates

Long Beach-OC-ish band the Growlers bring to mind Jonathan Richman's famous quote about the Velvet Underground: "They made an atmosphere, and I knew then that I could make one too," he said way back circa the banana LP, and the Growlers now exist amid the same strange fog and smoke. Listen yours ... More >>

Moe Tucker Gives Interview about Politics, Leaps Ahead of Lou Reed and John Cale as "Craziest Former Member of the Velvet Underground"

Moe Tucker: confirming widely held views about the intelligence of drummers​Former Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker was filmed a while back at a Tea Party rally. Pitchfork, Gawker etc. found out about this a few weeks ago and all the indie kids got their panties in a bunch debating whethe ... More >>

Nightranger: Pop Smart

Nightranger: Steppin' Out

MAKE US LAUGH, FUNNY BOY! -- EUGENE MIRMAN

Club Hypothetical: What's the One Album That a New Goth Fan Should Own?

Trends may come and go, but there will always be young people gravitating towards music that's dark, dramatic and a little raw around the edges. Though the kids dressed in black now might be more into Interpol, The Killers and AFI than Joy Division, The Cure and Sisters of Mercy, they're probably re ... More >>

Best LA Radio Shows: Required Listening for Traffic-Clogged LA

​In this week's Best of LA issue of LA Weekly, writer Wendy Gilmartin gives proper love to two radio shows on KXLU: Part Time Punks' Michael Stock snagged Best Afternoon DJ, and Melissa McAllister was honored with the award Best Reason to Turn on Your Radio in the A.M. Both great shows, and ... More >>

Phish to Take Over Coachella Site for Halloween Festival. Like, Whoa.

Whoa. This could be huge! Billboard is reporting that Phish has announced a three-day festival called "Festival 8" at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio. Writes Billboard's Michael Ayers: After several weeks of speculation and a shape-shifting "Save the Date" map decorating its homepage, Phish h ... More >>

25 Years of 'Double Nickels on the Dime': Celebrating Los Angeles, 1984

The 25th Anniversary of the Summer of LA Post-Punk is upon us. It was a quarter-century ago this month that San Pedro's best, the Minutemen, with a simple, defiant declaration -- "Take That, Huskers!" -- unleashed Double Nickels on the Dime, a double-album response to SST labelmate Husker Du's equal ... More >>

Coachella Tip: Tinariwen's North African "Music for the Unemployed" (MP3)

Tinariwen If you paid attention to 'best of the year' lists of 2007, an odd name popped up on a lot of the more esoteric tastemakers' lists, an album called Aman Iman by a group called Tinawiren, from North Africa. The band, which has been together since 1982, creates some of the most beautiful and ... More >>

Live in L.A.: Pop Levi and the Parson Red Heads at the Echo, August 15

Pop Levi and the Parson Red Heads at the Echo, August 15 Photos by Timothy Norris I'm kinda obsessed with this Pop Levi guy right now, and finally saw him Friday night at the Echo during week three of his residency. I tried to catch him on week one, and showed up at 10 o'clock thinking, 'cool, go ... More >>

Siouxsie Sioux at the Fonda

Also, Grizzly Bear and the L.A. Phil at Disney Hall

Grizzly Bear and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, March 1

Grizzly Bear and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Walt Disney Concert Hall Saturday, March 1 photos by Timothy Norris You knew Saturday night was turning magical when a roustabout in the audience at Walt Disney Concert Hall let out a yelp of glee during the LA Philharmonic's octane-fueled performanc ... More >>

Factory Made

Bad Boys

The (Ugly, Nasty, Pissed) Men Among Children

With Deerhunter, The Horrors and Pissed Jeans

Rock Picks

For the week of Jan 18 – 25

5 Overlooked Literary Sketches of Coastal California

The Complete Mr. Arkadin (a.k.a. Confidential Report)

Bang Bang Rock & Roll

Art Brut! Art Brut!

IN THIS SHORT LIFE: BRITTA SJÖGREN IN PERSON

5 Overlooked Literary Sketches of Coastal California

Unchain Your Heart

Bookstores for the independent-minded book lover

Bowled Over

My own private culture clash

The Psychic Hipster’s Pop 10

Coachella 2005: The Year of the Cult

A highly opinionated user’s guide

Forever Then

Bloggers’ Report

Kids Rock

The bands that are saving L.A.’s music scene

Against Small Odds

The Strokes struggle to overcome their good fortune

Husband and Husband

As real as any doggie or kitty wedding

Pink Flag Burning

Tangled Up in Blue

The soundtrack of our sad lives

Future Sounds

A Fan's Notes

Oral Histories

Akashic Offering

Ira Cohen, human being

Joey Ramone

1951 - 2001

Silver Screams

Music mutilates the movies

Odds and Ends