Colourmusic are the rarest of musical rarities- a band from the isolated hinter portions of America's Heartland (Also known as "The Sticks") that not only doesn't suck, but actually turns out to be pretty great. And not in that sort of special olympics, everyone's a winner, "well, they're good for [insert your tiny state here]" kind of way, but actually, honestly, for realsies good. Kind of like how The Flaming Lips are so good......

On News Year's Eve, Belinda Carlisle and Rufus Wainwright will sing classic French cabaret songs and more accompanied by a Parisian band and dancers. You could be with them in Los Angeles' living room, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, as we are giving away a pair of tickets to the 10:30 p.m. show, which will take you into 2008. To enter, leave a comment telling us about your favorite New Year's Eve in the past.......

by Kira Gouriluk for LAist KT would have rather haven been on the DL yesterday in LA, but it's OK. Shortly after landing into LAX yesterday from Scotland, the first thing she had to do was start answering questions from the press, and worse, from bloggers! Such are the ups-and-downs of the 32-year-old KT Tunstall who had to wake up at 4am for a flight that took her 'round the world where today she will......

Not since Pee Wee's Playhouse has there been a children's show that grown-ups can enjoy as much as kids. Washington DC's local cable-access show, Pancake Mountain, has been attracting rockers like Deerhoof, Scissor Sisters, and Arcade Fire since 2003. Scott Stuckey's concept for the program was to have a children's show that is focused on fun, not on marketing. It's all about the music, and their live dance parties invite local kids to join......

If you keep walking west down Hollywood Blvd past the nonsense of Hollywood & Highland, past the tourist and super heroes at the Chinese Theater and down the next block, you will find the Knitting Factory, tucked away beneath what was once a movie theater. Boasting three stages and tons of bands every night, the Knitting Factory comes to us via New York and has hosted some shows this year that LAist had a great......

Artist: Dappled Cities Release Date: June 2007 Album: Granddance Label: Dangerbird Records The Aussie band Dappled Cities (formerly Dappled Cities Fly) are often compared to the Flaming Lips and I just don't get it. The Dappled Cities produce measured indie rock that has marching highs and Sigur Ros-like lows but none of the crazy, out-there solos or fantastical weirdness of the Lips. Their release, Granddance, on LA's Dangerbird Records, is 11 tracks of well-crafted......

The L.A. Film Festival lumbers towards its final weekend today and The Director Lunch Talk series has its best interview yet. John Horn talks to Danny Boyle (Sunshine, Trainspotting) at 12:30 p.m. at the Target Red Room. Another free talk is on tap at 7:00 p.m. at the Hammer Museum. It's Been There, Done That: A Conversation with Mickey Rooney. If you've never seen Mr. Rooney talk in person, treat yourself to this program.......

Tennessee is having a quaint little version of Coachella. Called Bonnaroo, the three-day outdoor festival is being headlined by the Police, above, and features the Flaming Lips, Gogol Bordello, Wilco, Wolfmother, and The White Stripes among others. Many of those bands have yet to play and thanks to the AT&T Blue Room you can see some of those heavy hitters live thru your computer. Just go to blueroom.att.com and click Live Now. Or you......

At LAist we've had some pretty cool contests over the year. We have given away box seats to the 'Bowl (including parking and picnic baskets), we gave away New Year's Eve tickets to see the Flaming Lips and Gnarls Barkley, we gave away tickets to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers play at the Roxy, and last week we gave away hella cds and one lucky winner will get to see a Luscious Jackson......

Last night I found myself deep into the hipster scene at the Echo. The usual Silver Lake crowd was there, along with a smattering of underage Bel Air brace-faces. After braving the rain, I caught the last two songs of the Mezzanine Owls, an Angeleno band with a solid following. After performing a Husker Du cover, the Mezzanine Owls' last song sounded like Early Flaming Lips a la Clouds Taste Metallic with that velvety......

Donning a trademark jumpsuit and moon-man helmet, Cee-Lo Green of Gnarles Barkley emerged on stage at USC's Galen Center to the tune of a surging, epic, space-odyssey instrumental. Touting the merits of Danger Mouse, Feng Shui, and Crown Royal, our weeblesque hero warmed up the enthusiastic crowd with a string of pervasive, electro-rock/neo-soul, head boppers. Threatening that the party might get “off the chain” to a bunch of arty-indie-college-punks was certainly the booze talking,......

How to celebrate the New Year? With sexy aliens and hyper Santa Clauses (including LisaNova as Dalmation Benjamin Franklin) sandwiching The Flaming Lips on stage. With Gnarls Barkley singing Crazy in a jumpsuit. With Cat Power. The balloons (see the video below), the space ship, the aural atmosphere. A good year to begin 2007.......

If there's one night you really have to dig down and pony up for the rock it's New Years Eve. Don't ask us why. So today we will put the ticket prices next to each event so you don't get sticker shock when you make your last minute plans. Although the best value appears to be down in the OC, factor in 1) you have to go behind the orange curtain 2) you better......

Why is this LAist reader smiling? Maybe it's because she's going to the Flaming Lips + Gnarls Barkley + Cat Power show tonight at the spanking brand new Galen Center at USC. And she won the sweet new dvd 40 Bands 80 Minutes about the punk rock fest that went down at Il Corral this year. And she won the hilarious new dvd of stand up comedy by Pablo Francisco "Ouch - Live From......

It's not really a dance video, but it's hilarious, and not only did LAist consider it a nominee, but the people came out en masse to help it win the contest in what can only be called a landslide. Joseph Thai, whoever you are, reply back to the email we sent you and claim your amazing prize for this hidden gem. Enjoy your bag! Time magazine totally wimped out by naming "you" the Person......

Didn't get everything you wanted over the holidays? We're having two contests with prizes that might tickle your fancy. First, we'd like to give you Goddess Gwen in the flesh, but we are keeping her for ourselves. Instead, we are giving away an entire bag full of Gwen goods - everything pictured above. For that contest, all you have to do is go to a site like YouTube, Google Video, or Buzznet and show......

The Delta Spirit @ Spaceland (free) Bright Light Fever @ Safari Sam's Ioma, Gabriel's Falling, Moxie Tribe, 4 Star Tribe @ Viper The Hellzaboppers @ Joe's Great American Bar & Grill Matu, The Elevaters, Shakespeare, Solomon Cole @ Temple Bar Digital Fridge, Echoes of a Boundless Life, Cat Fur @ The Scene Plastic Fate, How I Became Invisible, Natasha Lewis @ Cat Club Coming up... Wed: Los Lobos @ House of Blues Fri &......

Before we announce the new Flaming Lips / Gnarls Barkley (pictured) / Cat Power ticket giveaway concert for the Dec 31 show at the Galen Center at USC... we should congratulate the winners of the last giveaway. Congratulations Annie, Christina, and Helen! OK now we proudly present our newest contest - there will be one winner who will get two tickets to the Lips/Barkley/Power show, but this winner will also get a cd sixpack......

Just a little reminder, in case you don't scour our archives or come here every hour (for which we forgive you). We're having two contests right now. First, we'd like to give you Goddess Gwen in the flesh, but we are keeping her for ourselves. Instead, we are giving away an entire bag full of Gwen goods - everything pictured above. For that contest, all you have to do is link to a YouTube......

LAist has had a great year and we've tried to share some of that with you. We've given away box seats to some Hollywood Bowl shows that included picnic baskets and free parking, we've given away tickets to Vegoose, the Dixie Chicks, and we even got a bunch of people into that secret Red Hot Chili Peppers gig... and those were only some of our contests. Today we are giving away a super cool......

COOP doesn't play. If you tell him you're going to have a couple dozen questions emailed to him, and you shoot them to him, when you come back from your little party, there they are, answered, beautifully, honestly, no problems, no worries. The man is a pro. He takes his art just as seriously. Well, as seriously as you can take big-tittie devil girls and hot rods and demons and now Atari joysticks. He's your......

Even though Site Meter disagrees, LAist hasn't been the same without Carolyn, who moved away from us last month to put Pittsburg back on the map. Gentle yet punk rock, well-read yet well-versed, even Koreatown misses it's native daughter and if we're lucky maybe she will write us and tell us what life is like outside the 323. *crazy chill down our spines* But seriously without Carolyn, this blogger would not be here writing......

Some call it cheesy, some call it rad. Sort of like how aloha means opposite things, perhaps so does "Blue Hawaii", the 1961 Elvis classic. "Lady in the Water" apparently is no good, "Superman" was lame, maybe something light and vaguely familiar? But what really matters is that it's playing on a big screen in an airconditioned classic theatre in Hollywood, the Egyptian at 4pm. This is the film that Elvis sang "Can't Help......

Tonight: Tom Jones @ Hollywood Bowl Raconteurs @ Wiltern Brian Bell @ Whiskey Freedy Johnston @ McCabes PM Dawn @ The Joint Ninja Academy, XO @ CIA Saturday: Paul Oakenfold, The Crystal Method - Giant Village @ Downtown Slick Rick @ Viper Room Slayer @ Long Beach Arena Tom Jones @ Hollywood Bowl Blue Cheer @ Key Club Rusted Root @ House of Blues Imperial Teen @ Knitting Factory Velvet Revolver @ Pacific Amphitheatre......

By Jeff Baum for Gothamist Horray, more music! Day 2 of Bonnaroo got off to a great start with Dungen at the That Tent. It's quite a trip to hear thousands of people singing along in a language they don't actually understand. Lots of people knew the words, few actually knew what they were saying. Regardless, the energy and presence of this band always impresses, and they left the early risers in high spirits......

Last night, LAist decided that today was the day to do something only tourists do: go to a TV taping. And not just any taping — our destination was the Tonight Show. We don't particularly like Jay Leno, but it's something we've never done. So why not? OK, we had a reason: the Flaming Lips will be on. So we trucked out to Burbank and found the right gate and brazenly parked in the......

The Flaming Lips At War with the Mystics (Warner Bros.) – As much as we loved The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots we're glad they're trying some new things on this one. While it's not as stylistically consistent as their other albums, there are enough quality songs to recommend it. Catch them live at the Hollywood Bowl on 7/23. Irving Death in the Garden, Blood on the Flowers (Eenie Meenie) –......

LAist and our friends at RES Magazine are giving away two pairs of tickets to the RES Screening at the Egyptian Theatre tonight. It all starts at 8 PM and features the new Traktor video for the Flaming Lips. A mini-retrospective of award-winning filmmaker Jonas Odell will feature his new cherry-popping short Never Like the First Time! Plus more shorts and music videos to make you happy. Once the visual entertainment is over, DJ......

We aren't going to tell you where to go for the most over-hyped of holidays. Instead, we urge you to take the highly scientific personality quiz the LA Alternative Press has cooked up to help you pick among the zillions of faboo events happening around the southland this Saturday night. Of course you've heard about Giant Village, with its mad DJs and the Flaming Lips; Anon Salon's downtown Circ-O-Six with burlesque and circus performers......

THURSDAY • Sam Prekop (of The Sea & Cake) will be performing tonight at the Troubadour with Pit er Pat. Doors open at 8 PM. Tickets are $15. • At the Silverlake Lounge, SF/Berliners The Vanishing will perform with Dame Darcy, New Collapse and Shoot Out the Lights. Cover is $8. • Locals Killola will be performing tonight at the Viper Room with The Binges and Oliver Future. Tickets are $7 with flyer. •......