What Makes the Hollywood Bowl So Perfect?
Is the Hollywood Bowl southern California's most beloved performance space? Quite possibly. Where else do folks brag not just about seeing an act, but about attending a venue itself? Seating 17,376...
View ArticleWhat Happened to the Reseda Country Club?
The San Fernando Valley doesn't come to mind when you think "iconic clubs," but in the 1980s the West Valley was the place to see acts like Tom Petty, Merle Haggard, Metallica and U2. See also: What...
View ArticleThe Shrine Used to Host the Oscars. Now it Hosts Steve Aoki Parties
The Shrine Auditorium, once home to the Academy Awards, hosted countless landmark concerts in its prime, but now is less in the spotlight than its rival up Figueroa -- LA Live. Still, the Shrine has...
View ArticleThe Laurel Canyon Country Store's Interesting Musical History
The Canyon Country Store has been the makeshift cultural center of Laurel Canyon for a full century. Immortalized in the Doors song "Love Street," this deli-market is not a venue, but it's got...
View ArticleThe Dazzling Story of the Orpheum Theatre
The Orpheum Theatre has six floors of dressing rooms, a film projector, a world-class sound system and one of the only surviving Wurlitzer theater organs in the country. It's also one of the last...
View ArticleRIP Santa Monica Civic Auditorium: Former Punk Haven Finished Holding Concerts
For the last 55 years, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium has had all types of boring conventions, cat shows and craft fairs. But it's also held some amazing concerts; truth be told, its importance to...
View ArticleIconic Punk Scene Hangout Atomic Café to Be Demolished
By Paige Osburn Once upon a time, Sid Vicious walked into a tiny café in Little Tokyo, got six orders of fried rice and started a food fight. On another occasion, David Byrne ordered an Egg Foo Yung...
View ArticleThe Regent Is the Latest Theater to Join Downtown L.A.'s Live-Music Boom
Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Mitchell Frank's barking ringtone is at it again. Tonight Frank is hosting a private party at the Regent Theater, his newly renovated venue on Main Street, in the Historic...
View ArticleThe Smell at 17: Moses Campbell's Sean Solomon Looks Back
The Smell is celebrating its 17th anniversary this weekend. For an all-ages DIY venue in L.A., lasting 17 years is equivalent to Darby Crash making it through a set without bleeding. In that sense, the...
View ArticleAlex's Bar Celebrates 15 Years of Punk-Rock Insanity
A lot's happened in the 15 years since Alex's Bar opened its doors. For starters, 42-year-old owner Alex Hernandez says, the methadone clinic in the alley is gone. So is Sublime's secret tweaker pad...
View ArticleWhy Is It So Hard to Hear Live Music on the Westside?
On a recent crisp night, guys stuff their hands into their puffer vest pockets as a couple of excited girls, oblivious to the chill, bounce from one bare leg to the other. The requisite red velvet rope...
View ArticleMy Epic, Three-Hour Journey From Santa Monica to the Hollywood Bowl (VIDEO)
My friend Tom plays piano in Neil Diamond’s band. So when he gifted me with a ticket to their sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl, I had two immediate thoughts: 1) It would be fun to see my friend play...
View ArticleL.A.'s 50 Best Music Venues
There's hardly any debate that L.A. has the best music scene in America. But when it comes to venues in which to hear that music played live, we are equally blessed. Whether you're preferred...
View ArticleWhy We Chose the Fonda Theatre as L.A.'s No. 1 Music Venue
At a desk covered in flowers and tour riders sits Donna Busch, the woman most responsible for putting the Fonda Theatre at the top of L.A. Weekly's list of the 50 best live music venues in Los Angeles....
View ArticleAfter 42 Years, Jewel's Catch One Says Goodbye
In 1973, the first African-American female-owned disco in Los Angeles, Jewel’s Catch One, opened its doors, providing an inclusive, exuberant and one-of-a-kind environment for gays of color to party...
View ArticleGoodbye and Good Riddance, House of Blues Sunset Strip
When the House of Blues Sunset Strip opened in 1994, it seemed like a promising new addition to an off-kilter scene that was still fractured between grunge groaners and big hair-metal howlers. The...
View ArticleEveryone From L7 to Nirvana (Yes, That Nirvana) Played '90s DIY Venue Jabberjaw
Grunge and "riot grrrls" get associated with the '90s to this day, but neither fully represented what was going on in underground music at the time. Especially not in Los Angeles, where arty,...
View ArticleHow Do You Pack the Hollywood Bowl? These Promoters Have Cracked the Code
As Steely Dan wrapped up their show at the Hollywood Bowl in July, Andrew Hewitt paused amid the box seats to greet some guests. Silhouetted against the stage lights, with longish hair and dark-rimmed...
View ArticleHow Ace Hotel Resurrected One of DTLA's Most Spectacular Theaters (VIDEO)
Since opening just two years ago, the Theatre at Ace Hotel has quickly become one of the most beloved entertainment venues in downtown Los Angeles. The beautifully restored space, which first opened in...
View ArticleUpdate: The Smell Launches GoFundMe Campaign to Fight Demolition Plans
An L.A. DIY institution could soon be reduced to rubble. On Saturday morning, Jim Smith, owner of storied downtown all-ages venue the Smell, posted a picture on Facebook and Instagram of a demolition...
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