Photo via MURS' MySpace profile LAist got some time in with Los Angeles rapper MURS. MURS has just released 'MURS FOR PRESIDENT' on Warner Bros Records, and is a member of the rap groups Living Legends, and Felt. He hails from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Mid-City. I call him a homie-by-proxy! MURS stands for Making Underground Raw Shit - but it should stand for My Ultimate Rare Sit-down. LAist: Congrats on the new... [continue]

Weezer's long awaited "Troublemaker" video just premiered on Yahoo! Music. The video’s exclusive 24-hour online premiere is available now. Weezer gathered a ton of their fans at The Forum to shatter Guinness records such as "World's Biggest Rock Band" and "The Biggest Weezer Logo Made of Nachos." In June, LAist was at their LA Hootenanny. Next Tuesday October 14th, you can check out Weezer's North American Troublemaker Tour at The Forum.... [continue]

The name "Baldwin" shows up here and there around the City and County of Los Angeles, like in Baldwin Hills, or on Baldwin Avenue, which runs from El Monte through Temple City and into the foothills in Sierra Madre. Well the Baldwin in question is Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, a man who made a name for himself as a real estate maven and as a bit of a wild card in the late 1800s and... [continue]

It doesn't take much of an imagination to enjoy the Ting Tings. The UK-based duo, who have garnered wide media attention thanks to those obtrusively "stylish" Apple commercials, devise instantly appealing, uninvolved jams. Their brand of dance-infused pop-rock is as sharp and clear as their name. And, in stark contrast to their rather bucolic birthplace, the Ting Tings are full of vim and vigor.... [continue]

If you haven't read LA Times columnist Steve Lopez' book, The Soloist, it comes with a high recommendation. And if you're a fan of reading books before the movie version comes out, then you've got to November 21st. Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez and Jamie Foxx plays Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, the street musician Lopez discovered in Pershing Square before writing a series of amazing columns that led to the book. Related: LA Times'... [continue]

The bloggers who helped bring the taco truck ban in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles to national headlines have done some sleuthing with a particular commenter's IP address (it's like a digital fingerprint) who left comments bashing the cause to save the savory street food. When they compared the address left on their website to the address listed on Wikipedia page edits about the County, it was the same. What they found was that someone... [continue]

For a while we couldn't pay them to visit Los Angeles and now we can't get rid of them. Fresh off a visit by her father, Sen. John McCain, Meghan McCain will be showing off her newest ode to literature tomorrow when she reads, signs and talks about her recently penned children's book "My Dad, John McCain" at two exalted outposts of Republicanism: The Americana at Brand and then at USC. The first stop will... [continue]

In a stunning twist of logic that has breathed new life into the once moribund TV series John McCain For President, Republican Presidential Candidate and POW-Tourrette's sufferer John McCain has selected Alaska Republican Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate. During weeks of intense media speculation that can only be described as "compulsory", "not as relevant as the interest in Obama's decision", or "barely interesting", McCain played coy, leading on a number... [continue]

Last Monday, Swedish singer Lykke Li (MySpace) headlined an estrogen-filled night at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, that included local singer-songwriters Emily Wells (MySpace) and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) as well as New York-based Ida (MySpace). Li's performance immediately followed an in-store appearance and signing of her debut album Youth Novels at Amoeba Music just a few blocks away. And last Thursday, she performed "Breaking It Up" on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. As for... [continue]

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) At 9:50 p.m. I looked at my phone and saw a text message waiting to unveil itself. It was a Friday night and speculation had been swirling like Fay for a week about Obama's partner in crime. Back on Aug. 11, Obama had assured us -- his supporters that turned over emails and phone numbers -- that we would be the first ones to know "the... [continue]

As of last May, these were the 4 remaining rail options (View Larger Image) | Provided by Metro Here's one of the maps that will be seen at the upcoming Westside Extension meetings that Metro will be holding in September. Metro won't say what routes/alternatives have made the cut, but we do know this: the above map shows all four remaining subway possibilities from last May and all four might remain as possibilities. As... [continue]

Going to the Warped Tour is kinda like a combination between going to Disneyland and Las Vegas in the same day. A crowd of people, young and old converged upon Home Depot Center in Carson for the final show of the tour then scattered in all directions once the gates opened. The choices included watching a live band at one of nine stages or visiting one of many swap meet style vendor booths to buy... [continue]

Dave Matthews Band sax player, LeRoi Moore, died earlier this afternoon at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center "from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia," according to a statement given to TMZ. Moore, 46, lived in Los Angeles and had returned to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program after the June 30th accident that left him with a punctured a lung and some broken ribs. Although Moore usually played... [continue]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “It was the sound of post-independence Nigeria, not Vampire Weekend.” Suffice it to say that Afrobeat has become an increasingly prominent element in today’s fusion music. Yet we seldom stop to think where these unique tones originated. So this compilation marks the beginning of a series dedicated to investigating the peaks and troughs of a glossed-over genre. After all, no musical victory is without its unsung heroes. ... [continue]

If you've been following the Ed McMahon foreclosure story (the latest is that Donald Trump is helping out), the mainstream media has been saying that his now $4.6 million home is located in Beverly Hills. Even our our local paper, the LA Times continues to say Beverly Hills when talking up the TV icon's home. But where does McMahon live within Beverly Hills? He lives on Crest Court in a gated community called The... [continue]

Moments ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally picked up a big bat. Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez will call Chavez Ravine home after a rocky end to his career in Boston. The slugger begged to be traded anywhere, saying he would play in Iraq and joking that he should be traded to the Green Bay Packers for Brett Favre. Recently, he was seen chatting on a cell phone during a... [continue]

Caught out on the streets of Chinatown... Yesterday in STYLEist: Shooting Star or Falling Star?... [continue]

Last Sunday, Little Radio's Summer Camp series Downtown continued with performances by local bands Matt Ellis (MySpace), Hypernova (MySpace), Tenlons Fort (MySpace), and Castledoor (MySpace), with The Karabal Nightlife (MySpace) as well as Ladies and Gents (MySpace) among those performing earlier in the day during Open Mic. While Hypernova, who are originally from Iran, have been living for the past year Downtown near MacArthur Park, they will be relocating to New York in two... [continue]

Glad I wasn't in that aisle when this happened. This is from a security camera inside Incycle Bicycles in San Dimas. In the below video, watch at least 7 people sprint to and out the door. In most cases, going outside is not recommended, but in a bicycle shop where things don't seem very secure in the first place, that might have been the best sort of action. Thoughts?... [continue]