The LA Times reports that local indie stalwarts Dim Mak Records has made a deal with Downtown Music (Gnarls Barkley, Cold War Kids, Art Brut, Justice) in which Dim Mak will continue to discover and develop new artists, and Downtown will give them that boost in distribution and promotion that Dim Mak has never been fortunate enough to be able to offer. Sounds like a deal that could make everyone happy. Founded by well-known local......

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their......

With indie rock mainstays Devotchka, Oh No! Oh My!, Foreign Born, Snowden, Illinois, The Black Angels, St. Vincent, and Thee More Shallows, how can one really go wrong? Well, quite simply by not publicizing your festival enough. My experience swerving was a little disconcerting, mainly because of the poor turnout. It's my turn to take a stab at this whole Swerve Festival. Everything seemed perfect on paper (the music, the art, the film, and the......

Photo essay from the Swerve Festival at Barnsdall Park....

The Swerve Festival is taking place at Barnsdall Park on Friday, Sept. 28th and goes till Sunday the 30th. There will be movies, music and art for all three days. ...

In honor of today's guest editor, here are some songs about trains. And one about a bus. And one about a bike. And one sung by Michelle Pfeiffer. Think of it as a musical love letter to all things transport. The Bees (U.S.) - Catch Yer Own Train &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://andysternberg.com/laist/06 Catch Yer Own Train.mp3"> Bob Dylan - It Takes a Lot to Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://andysternberg.com/laist/03 It Takes a Lot to......

Har Mar Superstar - "Power Lunch" Har Mar Superstar, Lady Dottie & the Diamonds, Rolan Bolan @ Viper Room Ryan Adams @ Wilshire Theatre Shout Out Louds @ El Rey Team Dresch @ The Echo Kenny Loggins @ Pacific Amphitheatre Jon Brion @ Largo The Fray, Gomez @ The Greek Jill Sobule, Julia Sweeney @ The Hotel Cafe B-Side Players @ Key Club Dickey Betts & Great Southern @ The Canyon Kenna, Carina Round......

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge) Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (Side One Dummuy) Mark Ronson - Version (RCA) Oh No! Oh My! - Between The Devil And The Sea (Dim Mak) Gravy Train!!!! - All the Sweet Stuff (Cochon Records) Danzig - The Lost Tracks of Danzig (Evilive) The Monkees - Headquarters [DELUXE EDITION] (Rhino) Chris & Rich Robinson - Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy (Eagle) They Might......

They're the best band you'll see all summer. Yes, even better than Rage Against the Machine. Pound-for-pound Arcade Fire has more songs, better songs, and you can't call it comeback. Plus the Canadians will be playing two nights in a venue in a park that will still smell of the remnants of an actual fire. Unless Rage has a stage that looks like a 1970s super computer, another point must be awarded to the......

Not that long ago Jason Toney was the Editor of LAist and now he works for The Mouse in their online division. And he's still bustin on Negro Please. And he's still bobbin his head to the fat beats. As we continue our list of top ten best of lists, we give you Jason Toney's Best LA Hip Hop CDs of 2006: In a pretty dismal year for hip-hop, local hip-hop head Peanut Butter......

Bowling for Soup - The Great Burrito Extortion Case (Jive) J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton - The Road to Escondido (Reprise) The Chelsea Smiles - Thirty Six Hours Later (Acetate) El Goodo - El Goodo (Empyrean) Europe - Secret Society (Sanctuary) The Evens - Get Evens (Dischord) Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones (RCA) Josh Groban - Awake (Reprise) Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) (Koch) Librarians - Alright Easy Candy......

This week we held a contest for three pairs of tickets to the upcoming LA Weekly street fest. Congratulations Richard, Aileen, and Marisa. They will be downtown on Saturday, October 7th on Main and 1st, rocking out to Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, and Basement Jaxx, with additional performances by Peeping Tom, Redd Kross, Blackalicious, Blonde Redhead, !!!, The Like, The Elected, OH NO! OH MY!, The Blood Arm, Everybody Else, The Howling......

Every week we've got something sweet to stoke you, the gentle LAist readers with. Last week we sent a lovely lady a pair of tickets for the Vegoose concert; today we're gonna bro someone with ducats to the First Annual LA Weekly Detour Fest. Saturday, October 7th on Main and 1st in Downtown LA, locals will rock out to Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, and Basement Jaxx, with additional performances by Peeping Tom,......

Ben Kweller @ Avalon The Bondage Fairies @ Mr. T's Bowl Mission of Burma @ The Troubadour George Thorogood, Dr. John, Buddy Guy @ The Greek Quetzal @ The Echo Dumbluck @ The Vine Street Lounge Older Than Your Parents, Pillow Fist @ Whisky Slant, Scarred Sanity, Death Punch @ Roxy Oh No Not Stereo, Numchuk @ Viper Room Pomegranate, Slow Car Crash @ Hotel Cafe Maze, Frankie Beverly @ Gibson Arena Mort Sahl......

Zach Brooke @ Hotel Cafe Josie Cotton, The Leadership Crew @ Knitting Factory Brutus Gets the Girl @ Fais Do-Do Batlord @ Malibu Inn Don Caballero, Zombi @ Spaceland Oh No Oh My @ The Echo Skye, Joe Purdy @ Troubadour Mamadou Diabate @ Skirball The Watkins Family Hour @ Largo Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys @ Amoeba The Pets, Disalto, Hypnogaja, Rkyves @ Whisky The Magazines, XRAYOK @ Lava Lounge The Pretty......

Wednesdays are for Dancing....