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......

Tonight (10pm) marks the fifth annual installment of VH-1's Hip Hop Honors, a program saluting the contributions of the genre's pioneers and players. This year's honorees include: De La Soul, Slick Rick, Naughty by Nature, Too Shot and Los Angeles' own Cypress Hill. For the last 20 years, the Hill has been rocking mics with their Cannabis laced brand of genre twisting music that combined hip-hop with elements or rock and Latin music. Sen......

With the remarkable infusion of whimsical melodies and cutting lyrics, Stars has created a long history of fiercely bright pop. The kind of pop songs that lift you up with the beauty of their melodies and then crushes your heart with the tortured elegance that leaves you hungry for more. Touring to support their latest EP, Sad Robots, Stars frontman, Torquil Campbell was kind enough to grant an interview with the LAist from Oklahoma City.......

Imagine yourself gliding down the PCH with the warm summer breeze blowing through your hair in a red convertible (preferably with fins). This is the vibe that emanates from the Western States Motel's classic Californian sound. Originally a one man band, Carl Jordan formed, wrote, and produced this first album himself in his home in Los Angeles. With his new work hailed by critics as an intelligent, poppy disk Jordan was compared to Jeff......

September is here, which means a slew of great residencies around town are launching their first week. That's right, people. Rock shows for free! What a magical concept. In a town where there are so many great acts to go and see the LAist will try and guide you through the best of the best. This week we're featuring Olin and the Moon an amazing up and coming local alt-country act. Blending classic gritty country......

Photo by Emily Ibarra via RX Bandits' MySpace The RX Bandits, everybody's favorite progressive/reggae/rock band from Long Beach, are back in town. Playing two nights at the Troubadour, this is the perfect opportunity to whip out your dancing shoes and skank your way onto the dance floor. Their explosive live show will blow you away. I first saw them when I was sixteen and haven't gotten over it since. We caught up with Steve......

Photo by Chrissy Piper via Aesop Rock's MySpace profile Aesop Rock - the tall man of the NY weathermen rap cliq - consistently breathes fresh air into everything he touches. He's the only man that could have a music video with zombies, and yet still is that proverbial, (or fabled) fresh prince of fresh air. His artistry on the mic, coupled with his abilities working the production tip, makes my heart float. I wish......

Submitted and Written By Dan Collins For ice cream lovers, Scoops is the frozen jewel in the Heliotrope Corridor crown (also called the Bicycle Districk and Hel-Mel), just around the corner from the legendary punk rock pavilion on Melrose known as the Ukrainian Center. Today’s urban sophisticate finds that nothing cools one down after a midnight bike ride’s next day sun-soaked hangover more than gourmet ice cream at bargain prices. And Scoops has all the......

Photo by Julia Brokaw via Robert Francis' MySpace profile Note: Robert Francis plays tonight at The Troubadour.You don't hear Robert Francis' name mentioned around Los Angeles that often, but when you meet a fan of his, they are not just a cheerleading friend of his, they're a true die-hard fan of his musicianship, his words and the hauntingly beautiful art he creates. NPR took notice last Fall and called him a "a young man......

Buddyhead has been an LA institution of sorts since it launched in 1998 by Travis Keller and Aaron North. After two years they got into the record label business and have put out releases by The Icarus Line, Your Enemies Friends, Shat, Radio Vago, modwheelmood, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Gayrilla Biscuits, 400 Blows and many more. Throughout the years they have been most notorious for their now-defunct-but-soon-to-hopefully-be-resurrected gossip page and pranks. They would frequently give......

Versatile Karen Knotts is an actor, singer, comedian, clown, magician, puppeteer and ventriloquist. She exhibits several of these talents in her new stage show. Show business is in her blood. She’s the daughter of an American entertainment icon, Don Knotts, an authentic comic genius. Her story isn’t “Mommie Dearest,” however. Her regard for her father is one of warm and considerable affection, and it’s obvious that she considers her late dad to have been a......

In marches Chin Chin, changing the dynamic of Def Jux records with this its first non-hiphop release. They are touring the west coast in late May/ June, and come through LA on Friday, June 6th @ Mint, and in Fullerton on Saturday, June 7th @ The Continental Room. ...

Los Angeles resident Josh Robbins and friends will embark on a twenty-seven day quest, by car, to visit baseball games at thirty baseball stadiums around the country. Their journey starts on June 16th, and they hope to set a world record, document the trip on video, and raise funds for the Jim Thorpe Little League in Hawthorne. All thirty stadiums and games, as well as information on donating to the project and the little......

Carlos Mencia is back at it and chances are you're either pumped or pissed about it. The loved/hated comedian's show, Mind of Mencia is back for a fourth season, his new Comedy Central special "Performance Enhanced" is now in heavy rotation on the cable network and he's hitting the road with the Bud Light Presents: Carlos Mencia at Close Range Tour, which hits the Gibson Ampitheater September 26 and 27. The comic who was......

Via the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated At the end of April, Jose Canseco chatted on the phone with LAist's Tim Hammer regarding his life in Los Angeles, writing, steroids and reality TV. Oh, and one of his latest pursuits -- fiction. "Yeah it's going to be about baseball and cloning. It's a very dark dark sci-fi story."......

The idea for Pangea Day was inspired by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim's acceptance speech after winning the TED Prize at the 2006 TED Conference. The global event begins this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. PDT with events in six cities including Los Angeles (Sony Pictures in Culver City) and numerous satellite gatherings. In addition to 24 short films, the four-hour event will include live music and speakers. Max Lugavere and Jason Silva, the founding hosts/producers of Current......

Guy Garvey is a busy... um... guy. As the frontman for one of the UK's most critically acclaimed bands, Elbow, he and his bandmates are in the middle of their global tour's North American leg, which ends here in Los Angeles Friday night at the Avalon. They have a newly-released album, The Seldom Seen Kid (read the LAist CD review here). On top of this, Guy is still selecting songs for his weekly BBC......

Comedian Brian Regan has been on "The Late Show With David Letterman" an astonishing 19 times - if you haven't seen him there, then how about Conan/Johnny Carson/Dr. Katz/etc.?? The man that has been everywhere is coming to The Wiltern, this Saturday, May 3rd at 8:00pm. LAist had a chance to talk to the Las Vegas-based Regan about his recent Comedy Central Presents Special "Brian Regan: Standing Up" which is now on DVD, and his......

The Mae Shi Versus Orochon Ramen. All photos by Carrie Meathrell So I think The Mae Shi are robots. I know, I know – they look like your typical cute-as-shit L.A. indie band, but start talking about the Book of Revelations and cybernetic intelligence with them, and you’ll start to get this funny inhuman feeling. And they’re certainly not clunky, "Forbidden Planet!" style robots, but super smooth Cylons, like something out of a Dan......

Junot Diaz at the Hammer Museum/Osmany Rodriguez for LAist The thing about author Junot Diaz is, one minute he’s on the phone with you, rapping about meringue, Malcolm X, comic books, and how shit never gets done on time in the Dominican Republic – and the next minute, he’s winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. He describes himself as just another ordinary, poor immigrant......

We caught up with Mahalo Daily host/producer Veronica Belmont at Community Next over the weekend to discuss her daily (weekdays) video podcast for Santa Monica-based Mahalo. Veronica discussed her sci-fi affliction, World of Warcraft habit, and LA vs. SF. We also coined the term "puppy roll," a unique variation on the Rick roll featuring the Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis' bulldogs. What will Veronica get up to next?......

So what DOES Rick Astley think of his accidental role as star of the viral Internet prank that keeps on never giving up? Despite rumors of a possible Super Bowl halftime appearance and the pining of journalists and geeks around the world, the Rick behind the Rickroll has remained mum. Or perhaps nobody bothered to call his management. But in a breakout week for the Rickroll that included a nod from the Gray Lady, David......

Clinton Sparks smashing it up at Hard Rock Hotel's Body English every Saturday night If you aren't familiar, Clinton Sparks has rapidly risen from the basement of his mother's house in Boston to an elite DJ, producer and on-air personality. Recently, the host of the nationally syndicated Smashtime Radio and producer of numerous classic mixtapes like the first two volumes of the "We Got it 4 Cheap" series by The Clipse and The Re-Up......

Less than a year after being acquired by CBS Interactive, Wallstrip executive producers Jeff Marks, Adam Elend, and host-producer Lindsay Campbell (interviewed above at the MobLogic launch party this week at SXSWi) have added a second daily video podcast to the mix. MobLogic aims to take daily news and politics to the people, with daily topical summaries and commentary from everyday people-on-the street. Though based in New York City, MobLogic will be criss-crossing the......

Capping off four days of panels at SXSW's 2008 Film Festival, (which also included Mark Cuban interviewing Michael Eisner, and a conversation with Billy Bob Thornton), Doreen Ringer Ross of BMI interviewed Moby. The meat of the interview is posted above and concerns Moby's take on licensing music for film (and the concept of mobygratis) as well as a look at his unlikely rise from a punker on Manhattan's lower-east side to a corporate......

Matt Belknap is changing the way people experience comedy. As founder of Aspecialthing.com , Matt's created a place where comedy nerds, whether they be fans or the artists themselves, can discuss the art form they love so much. But Belknap isn't only a comedy fan. He runs See You Next Tuesday at the UCB Theater, is producer of and panelist on Never Not Funny, one of the I-Tunes picks for best Podcasts of '06 and......

It's hard not to notice when Jeffree Star enters a room because he is wearing high heels, has bright pink shoulder length hair, is heavily tattooed from head to toe, and carries a large Louie Vuitton purse. And it was apparently just as difficult not to notice him when he bust onto the internet scene (and into our hearts) in 2003. Recently, and without any marketing or ads, he has been blowing doors on the......

Big Business, Red Fang, The Cops @ Spaceland (Tho Cops reviewed on LAist, 3/20/06) New York Dolls @ House of Blues (Anaheim) Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, George Sarah & String Trio @ Safari Sam's (George Sarah video below) The Riders of the Purple Sage @ Live at the Lounge (Hermosa Beach) Peter Himmelman @ McCabe's (Music for the kids) Sunday Residency (See all March Residencies) Alex & Sam, Liz Pappademas @ Tangier ($8), Los Feliz (Read......

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level......

Photo of Carter Tanton by Amanda Zee Carter Tanton of Tulsa always gets rave reviews about his voice like this one from Pitchfork: "Lead singer Carter Tanton has a spectacular voice... [he] could probably sing a recipe for chocolate éclairs and still make it sound good." And Rolling Stone said "his indie-seraphim voice is not of this world." Both reviews referenced the similarities to My Morning Jacket. And not to forget the band, the......