This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward......

Colin Meloy might look like just another guy in line at Radio Shack, but he knows no fear. After being called out by Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report for utilizing his trademarked Green Screen effect, Meloy upped the ante -- and on December 20th on Comedy Central, we will all benefit from the “Decemberists vs. Stephen Colbert Guitar Solo Challenge.” Meloy also accepted LAist's dare of handing over a Top 10 best CDs......

image from colinbrown via flickr. Against a painted backdrop of a Japanese landscape and bathed in the glow of red paper lanterns The Decemberists took the stage at the Wiltern on Saturday night to play for a full house in support of their latest album, The Crane Wife. The Portland quintet, augmented by a violin player on this tour, skillfully mingled the traditional guitar, bass and drums with a cornucopia of instruments not commonly......

Though the biography on their website claims the musical group known as the Decemberists are a group of vagabonds brought together serendipitously and subsequently joined together like so many lone wolves to form a proper pack. They are, in fact, a talented group of musicians based in Portland, Oregon, led by singer/songwriter and the heir to the Rivers Cuomo School of looking like an unassuming hipster, Colin Meloy. If it seems that we're tending......

• At the Knitting Factory, see Imaad Wasif with Charles Bissell of The Wrens. Tickets are $8 and the show starts at 9:30 PM. • For the second and final night, see Colin Meloy of The Decemberists performing solo at the Hotel Cafe, along with sometime-labelmate Corina Repp. The show begins at 8 PM, but LAist would recommend arriving early, as Mr Meloy tends to draw a crowd. • At the ArcLight, director Antoine......

Tonight's entertainment features Colin Meloy of The Decemberists performing solo at the Hotel Cafe, along with sometime-labelmate Corina Repp. The show begins at 7 PM, but LAist would recommend arriving early, as Mr Meloy tends to draw a crowd.......

We thought it might actually be nice to go out tonight, you know, catch a show. Maybe see former Wall of Voodoo frontman Stan Ridgway rock a little guitar and harmonica at The Hotel Cafe. Only one problem - there appears to be a boulder in the middle of the road. The Associated Press (via Yahoo! News) reports that a 25 foot high rock is blocking both lanes of Topanga Canyon. Not that we......