Tonight two lucky dogs will be in attendance at the Raconteurs show thanks to LAist. And if those lucky dogs aren't you, then might we suggest some other options? Austin-based Okkervil River will be rolling through the Henry Fonda Music Box with local favorites Sea Wolf. Zykos, another exemplary Austin act that we are quite fond of, is slated to open as well. Bordello in Downtown will be hosting a superb bill of LA's finest, including Echo Park's EXITMUSIC. And tonight will be the final night of a three-night run featuring Brazilian pop sensation CSS at the Mayan. But, all things considered, the Barack Obama-rama Fundraiser at Spaceland takes the cake. The wondrous female-fronted lineup of predominantly electronic acts (Lady Tigra, the Bird and the Bee and Electrocute) will be belting out notes in support of the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee. As the relatively newfangled saying goes: Love your momma, vote Obama....

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......

My friend's boyfriend started a band awhile back with his friends, and they practiced for what seemed like a very long time, always saying, "No, no, we're not ready yet", if I asked when they were gonna play a show. They called themselves Monolidic, because they're all Korean and Chinese. (Being white, I'm not even sure I can laugh at that, so I'm just relaying it expressionlessly.) By all appearances, he and his friends......

5pm-Infinity Roy Rogers Film Fest TCM - All you could ever want of the singing cowboy. 9:00pm Big Brother 8 CBS - Veto! Veto! Veto!! [What's it all about Tony?] 9:00pm Wide Angle PBS/KCET - Crop failures, sinking global cotton prices, and spiraling debts drive Indian cotton farmers to suicide in this typical example of uplifting fare from public television. 9:00pm i-Caught ABC - Parkour (as featured in LAist within the last week) athletes jump......

There was some really good music released over the summer and it's always nice to return to school with some "indie cred" so here are the Top 5 Albums to bring back to school with you: 5. The Stage Names - Okkervil River The next hot band on the indie stage. 4. Marry Me - St. Vincent After departing from the mega collective Polyphonic Spree, Annie Clark blazes her own glorious trail on her......

OUT TODAY: Flight Of The Conchords - The Distant Future (Sub Pop) [MP3]: “Business Time” via Tunes Consumed Magnolia Electric Co - Sojourner (Secretly Canadian) [MP3]: “Leave The City” via Aquarium Drunkard The Budos Band - The Budos Band II (Daptone Records) [MP3]: “Chicago Falcon” via Inflight at Night Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) [MP3]: “Unless It’s Kicks” via Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good Augie March - Moo, You Bloody......

Friday night's "celebration" at Safari Sam's was testimony to the tremendous impact Sea Level Records has had upon the local Los Angeles music scene. As reported previously, the foremost indie record store decided to throw in the towel after their influential 5 1/2 year reign. So, party, celebration--any word used to connote remote contentment would simply be a misnomer. As friends of Sea Level sporadically graced the stage to eulogize, it became harder to......