Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman brought his sweet, shy, Burt Bacharach-meets-the-Avalanches sound to the Henry Fonda Theater on Friday and kicked out almost every jam he's got: "Maple Leaves," "Black Cab," "The Opposite Of Hallelujah," a jittery new song and even an Arthur Russell cover. Only bummer was that the show barely lasted an hour and a half, but at least he'll have some fresh tunes to play next time -- and there will definitely be......

Use Last.Fm? Thanks to LAist reader, thecoloured, you can join our new LAist Last.Fm group! If you're staying Westside tonight, check out the hybrid jazz-alt-folk band, 1921a, at McCabe's Guitar Shop. They'll be there with Matt Taylor and his Laurels. Cat Power and the Dirty Delta Blues @ The Wiltern MSTRKRFT With DJ Z-Trip, La Riots and Diabetic @ Henry Fonda Spindrift, Spirit Army, Moonrats, Restaurant @ Spaceland......

Part of an ongoing series. Last Tuesday, local singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop (MySpace), whose album Kismet was number one on Nic Harcourt's Top Ten Albums of 2007, performed a solo acoustic show at Temple Bar (MySpace) in Santa Monica, opening for Van Hunt (MySpace). Hoop's next local show will be with the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) on April 12th at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, alongside Meiko (MySpace) who was mentioned by LAist last......

Robert Francis | Photo via his MySpace page As we said yesterday in this column, Robert Francis fell ill earlier this month, prompting the cancellation of his Monday night residency at the Silverlake Lounge. Good news, though, the new favorite local artist of ours is playing tonight at El Rey at 8:45 p.m. with the Australian Missy Higgins performing after. There's no better way than letting you get to know Francis via a few......

The duo of Ant and Slug are heading back out on the road this spring for a 19 show North American tour to support their highly anticipated sixth official studio album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. On May 6th and 7th, Atmosphere brings their unique brand of Midwestern underground hip hop to Hollywood's Henry Fonda for back-to-back nights of backpack rap. Tickets to see the group that has become......

Headdress plays tonight at McCabe's Guitar Shop | Photo by Briana Purser Photography Har Mar Superstar, Electrocute @ Spaceland Wooden Shjips, Mariee Sioux, Headdress @ McCabe's (read our Interview about Sunday nights at McCabe's) El Manifesto, Orgullo Café @ House of Blues Maceo Parker @ The Roxy (Video after jump) DJ Craze, Klever, Treasure Fingers, Villains @ Henry Fonda Sunday Residency (see all February residencies here) Alex & Sam, Rachel Cantu, Dustin Boyer @......

Van Hunt plays the Temple Bar tonight, Feb. 19 and March 6 | Photo via his MySpace page In an e-mail early, early, early this morning, McCabe's announced something unexpected: The Swell Season will be playing tomorrow night in the guitar shop's intimate performance space. You may not recognize the band's name, but you know them as Irish singer Glen Hansard and Czech pianist Marketa Irglova from the movie Once. The gig got booked......

Local singer/songwriters Meiko (MySpace) and Priscilla Ahn (MySpace) share similar qualities -- they are part-Asian (Meiko is quarter-Japanese and Ahn is half-Korean), and originally from back east (Meiko from Georgia and Ahn from Pennsylvania). So perhaps it was coincidental that both were booked in back-to-back shows last week at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, with Meiko onstage last Wednesday and Ahn last Thursday. Meiko, a one-time Hotel Cafe waitress, became a favorite of controversial......

Astra Heights, who is this week's iTunes Latino “Single of the Week,” will play tonight at The Echo. Lemon Sun will also be there. Yesterday was Xena: Princess Warrior picket day at the WGA Strike. Tonight, Xena herself, Lucy Lawless, will be bashing heads and belting out songs over at the Roxy. And earlier this morning, we interviewed Talib Kweli who will be at the House of Blues down the street from the Roxy......

You Me and Iowa Things are starting to get back to normal here, after the holidays -- it's a great night in music for Los Angeles. For one, two major arts institutions are hosting some excellent concerts tonight. At the Natural History Museum's popular music and discussion series, First Fridays, Dr. Antonio Damasio, M.D., Ph.D. (Director of Brain and Creativity Institute, USC) will cover how the brain processes memory, language, emotions and decisions. And......

I watched Saving Grace last night because there was nothing else on and I was sorry I did it. Holly Hunter I love you but there should be a better show than this for you - it's morphed into Touched By An Angel with touches of profanity. It looks like there's a lot of stuff tonight (below) but it's actually pretty sparse. I'll have some DVD reviews up soon since that's what I'm really watching,......

Listen to the interview here: Deborah Harry is on her way to LA to play the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater tomorrow, Friday the 7th. She's got her first new solo album in fourteen years out, Necessary Evil, and you can hear some samples of it at her MySpace. Unfortunately our conversation sounds like I'm contacting her by sat-phone somewhere in Tibet but these are the days of multiline patch-ins so it couldn't......

Ghostland Observatory @ Henry Fonda Jimmy Scott, Hello Stranger @ The Echo Carole King, James Taylor @ The Troubadour The Raspberries @ House of Blues Cake @ Orpheum Aimee Mann, Paul F. Tompkins, Grant-Lee Phillips, Morgan Murphy, Ben Gibbard @ El Rey Chimaira, Kataklysm, Terror, Divine Heresy @ Key Club Under the Influence of Giants, Maxine @ Malibu Inn Bullets & Octane, The Ringers @ The Roxy......

John Fogerty - "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" John Fogerty @ Nokia Cold War Kids, Richard Swift @ The Wiltern Social Distortion @ House of Blues White Out, Alasdair Roberts, Charalambides @ Spaceland TSOL, DI @ Echoplex Down @ Henry Fonda Poncho Sanchez @ The Mint The Fine Print, Illumination, Clown Bitch @ CIA Aztlan Underground, Olmeca, Pachamama @ Knitting Factory......

In no particular order... 1. Secret Shows at the Viper Room 2. La Taquiza on Figueroa 3. Saturdays with the USC Trojans 4. The Henry Fonda Theatre 5. A short hop over Laurel Canyon to see my family 6. Friday Nights at the Rainbow Room 7. Using Venice Blvd. to get from work to play 8. The newly built lane at the 405/101 interchange 9. Amoeba Music 10. Some of the most eclectic, intelligent,......

Sarah Silverman @ Largo Metal Skool Tommy Peacock, 3 Against 1 @ Key Club Razorlight, Gran Ronde @ Henry Fonda Chris Daughtry @ Orpheum Softlightes, Sunday Drivers, Arizona, Unbusted @ Spaceland Tickle Me Pink, Dead Sara, The Record Life @ Safari Sam's Pedestrian, Cydney Robinson, Holly Palmer @ The Bordello Black Hole Suns, Scott Wolf, Grogans Girl @ The Good Hurt Mercy Killers, The Black Rose Phantoms, Static Though @ Knitting Factory......

Heavy Trash - "Dark Hair'd Rider" Heavy Trash @ The Echo The Octopus Project, Pedestrian, 8MM @ The Roxy Culver City Symphony Orchestra @ Veterans Auditorium Evanescence @ The Greek Theatre Henry Franklin Quartet @ Senor Fish (The Plan to End Homelessness benefit at 4 p.m.) She Wants Revenge @ The Henry Fonda Theater Nathan Hubbard's Everything After @ Cafe Metropol Very Be Careful @ The Regent Theatre......

Joanna Newsom - "Monkey and Bear" Joanna Newsom @ Disney Hall ZZ Top @ The Greek Of Montreal, Grand Buffet, MGMT @ Avalon Loudon Wainwright III, Joe Henry @ El Rey M.I.A., The Cool Kids @ The Wiltern Ben Harper, Piers Faccini @ Orpheum Rhino Bucket @ Knitting Factory Dave Mason @ House of Blues, Anaheim Eek-A-Mouse @ Galaxy Theatre Jesu, These Arms Are Snakes @ Echoplex She Wants Revenge, Kenna, theSTART @ Henry......

Of Montreal - "Gronlandic Edit" Of Montreal, Grand Buffet, MGMT @ Avalon Phantom Planet, The Hives @ Staples Ween @ The Wiltern David Allan Coe, Dos @ Knitting Factory Gram Parsons @ Amoeba Valient Thorr @ Spaceland Ben Harper @ Orpheum Great Northern, Robbers on High Street @ Echoplex Peanut Butter Wolf @ El Rey Ima Robot, The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Roxy Hello Stranger @ The Viper Room Mason Jennings @ Troubadour......

The Hives - "Tick Tick Boom" The Hives @ The Avalon The Hold Steady, Art Brut @ Henry Fonda Architecture in Helsinki, Glass Candy @ Troubadour The Thrills, Small Sins, Rock and Roll @ Spaceland Julio Iglesias @ Gibson Dos @ Alex's Bar Tunng @ Amoeba Hannah Montana @ Staples Cue the Moon @ Silverlake Lounge HoneyHoney, Whispertown2000, Buddy @ Hotel Cafe She Wants Revenge, Kenna, The Start @ Grove of Anaheim Freezepop, Solvent,......

Wyclef - "Sweetest Girl" Wyclef Jean @ Nissan Live Shout Out Louds @ Henry Fonda Paul F. Tompkins, Morgan Murphy @ Largo Casxio, Voxhaul Broadcast @ Silverlake Lounge The Airborne Toxic Event, The Western States Motel @ Detroit Bar Brand New, Thrice, mewithoutYou @ The Wiltern The Pity Party, Io Echo @ Viper Room Shannon Hurley, David Ryan Harris @ Hotel Cafe Resident Hero, Whitey @ Roxy......

Peaches - "Fuck the Pain Away" Peaches, Tone Loc @ Avalon Do Make Say Think, Apostle of Hustle @ The Echo Rodrigo Y Gabriela @ Henry Fonda Brand New, Thrice, mewithoutYou @ The Wiltern Dilated Peoples @ The Roxy AMG, DJ Quik @ Key Club Buck 65 @ Troubadour......

Rodrigo Y Gabriela @ Henry Fonda Yo La Tengo @ Ivar Pretty in Stereo @ Whisky Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus @ Honda Center Low Vs Diamond, Something For Rockets @ Viper Room Enon, Love of Diagrams, Model/Actress @ The Echo Minus the Bear, The Helio Sequence, Grand Archives @ Avalon Xu Xu Fang, Lion Fever, Winter Flowers, Magic Mirror @ Spaceland Jon Brion @ Largo Bootie LA @ Safari Sam's Melee @ Troubadour......

Redd Kross, Santa Monica Pier, 1982 Redd Kross @ The Echoplex The Bronx, The Mercy Killers @ Safari Sam's The Polyphonic Spree, Rooney @ Henry Fonda Yo La Tengo @ The Ivar Dropkick Murphys @ The Wiltern Jon Brion @ Largo Mezzanine Owls, The Black Kites @ The Echo Dax Riggs @ Spaceland Ferraby Lionheart, The Hundred Days @ The Bordello Low Vs Diamond, Something For Rockets @ Viper Room The Monolators, Correatown, Frankel,......

The Pogues @ The Wiltern - Tonight ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, Dethklok @ UCLA - Tonight Redd Kross @ Echoplex - Tomorrow The Polyphonic Spree, Rooney @ Henry Fonda - Tomorrow Yo La Tengo @ The Ivar - Tomorrow Low Versus Diamond @ Viper Room - Tomorrow The Bronx, The Mercy Killers @ Safari Sam's - Tomorrow Rodrigo Y Gabriela @ Henry Fonda, 11/3 Yo La Tengo......

Bruce Springsteen & Neil Young - "All Along the Watchtower" We can't recall a more star-studded Tuesday night in rock in LA in a long time. We realize that many of you might be preparing to head out tomorrow night, but friends, tonight is the night to rawwwwwk! And Neil if you're reading this... if you feel like recreating this moment from 2004, the Sports Arena is just a freeway away from the Nokia.........

Hot Hot Heat @ Henry Fonda Roky Erickson, The 1990s @ The El Rey Josie Cotton @ Key Club Killola @ Safari Sam's Pinback @ The Wiltern Glassjaw @ Avalon The Spazmatics @ Dragonfly The One AM Radio @ Tangier Tribute to Herbie Hancock @ The Kodak Early risers: The Hollow Trees @ Kidspace Children's Museum - Pasadena (noon) photo by Joey Maloney......

Two really good bands (that taste great together) have announced today that they are heading East. The Art Brut / Hold Steady concert that was originally planned to happen at the Wiltern will now go down at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda on November 7. Art Brut is the crazy British band whose tune "Moving to LA" can be heard on KROQ and Indie pretty much every day, and the Hold Steady......

Tomorrow morning at 10am, all these sweet concerts will go on sale except for Queen Latifah which will go on sale at noon. You're welcome Bjork, Ratatat @ Nokia Theater, 12/12 Ozzy, Rob Zombie @ Staples, 11/30 ZZ Top @ The Greek, 11/9 Queen Latifah @ Royce Hall, 11/21 Puffy AmiYumi @ House of Blues, Anaheim, 11/18 Deborah Harry @ Henry Fonda, 12/7 Lamb of God & Killswitch Engage @ Long Beach Arena, 12/15......

Morrissey @ The Palladium Gwar, CKY, Vains of Jenna @ The Wiltern Aesop Rock, Black Moth Super Rainbow @ Henry Fonda Theater Kool & The Gang @ Cerritos Center Mickey Avalon @ Boardner's Dark Star Orchestra @ El Rey English Beat, The Disrepair @ Key Club Bloodcat Love, Army Navy @ The Viper Room Airborne Toxic Event, Low vs Diamond @ Echoplex Nellie McKay @ Largo Genesis @ Hollywood Bowl Berlin @ The Canyon......