It’s obvious to anyone who is a fan of local music and who listens to KCRW that Los Angeles has one of the best scenes in the world.
It really is THAT good.
Over the past dozen years or so that I’ve been paying close attention, I’ve been rewarded numerous times with bands that encapsulate the best that music has to offer. Pop magicians The Little …

I love 7″s. It’s the definitive statement from a band. Two songs (usually). Side A is the cream of the crop. A song that best defines the band. Side B can be anything. From super cool or ridiculous covers (see Superchunk’s cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer” from earlier this year) to throw away experiments or even another top notch track destined for the upcoming …

One of my favorite things about MTV were the videos. They were windows into a band’s sound. An added artistic vision to the music.
It’s easy to remember the iconic videos, even for songs I didn’t really care for. Steve Perry’s girlfriend descending from the top of the staircase at the legendary Park Plaza (Masquerade was great this year, wasn’t it?) the cubist animation of …

All of our DJs receive hundreds of CDs a month to consider for airplay. In this regular feature, KCRW DJ Chuck P catalogues his musical bounty from the Post Office.
While it’s definitely been on the warmer side, the last couple of weeks have been merciful… but that’s just me, a polar bear living in the tropics. Lots of Angelenos love this time of year. Me, not …

FYF Fest takes place September 1st & 2nd just north of downtown. This is the first year it’s a two day fest. Quickly becoming the go to summer festival in Los Angeles, this year it’s full of reunion gigs.  (Check out the full lineup right here)
Here’s a quick rundown.
Sweden’s Refused & NYC’s Quicksand haven’t released albums since the 90s. Last heard from Refused was …

From KCRW DJ Chuck P:
Formally leader of Japan’s Yura Yura Teikoku, Shintaro Sakamoto has just released his first solo album on Other Music Recordings called How To Live With A Phantom. Interesting that it’s his first, because Yura Yura Teikoku have been cranking out albums steadily since 1992. iTunes has a couple of their albums, too, if you’re interested.
The first thing you may notice about Sakamoto‘s …

All of our DJs receive hundreds of CDs a month to consider for airplay. In this regular feature, KCRW DJ Chuck P catalogues his musical bounty from the Post Office each week.
Greetings and salutations. Welcome to another (and long overdue) episode of the mail grab bag of fun.
Weather has been pretty hot past couple of weeks, but that finally seems to be dying down a bit. …

From KCRW DJ Chuck P:
I’ll be DJing all LA punk rock and hardcore from the late 70s and early 80s tonight as part of the Made In LA music series at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.
Jason Bentley was kind enough to offer the gig and I accepted wholeheartedly.
I’m a huge fan of punk and how it has evolved and thrived here in LA. …

All of our DJs receive hundreds of CDs a month to consider for airplay. In this regular feature, KCRW DJ Chuck P catalogues his musical bounty from the Post Office each week.
HI!
Yes, I’ve been away for a while. Lots lots lots going on which is great, but I’ve been slacking in my blog contributions. Let’s fix that right now. (By the way, using a new wide-angle …

From KCRW DJ Chuck P:
This Mediterranean influenced group (that revolves around the trio of Tomer Yosef, Ori Kaplan & Tamir Muskat) have a unique sound… and story.
First, the music. Including elements of klezmer and hip hop, funk and dub, brass band and arabic melodies, their originality is undeniable. Consistently high energy and fun, they have evolved over the course of their four albums, but …