So this news is at least a couple of months old, but I would like to point out that Record Surplus, fine Westside purveyors of used CDs, vinyl and media miscellany, formerly over on Pico Blvd., is now over on Santa Monica Blvd., at Centinela Ave.

They’ve brought along with them one of the more curious assortments of dusty used vinyl stacks–particularly heavy on vocals and classical–and a wide range of hit and miss media detritus in formats spanning the decades: CDs, VHS tapes, laser discs, used books, old magazines, cassette tapes. You will be glad to know that “The Attic”–a subgroup of strictly $1 items; i.e., Loverboy LPs–survived the move, though it is now a little penned off area at the front, rather than the literal upstairs attic at the former Pico Blvd. spot. They maintain their innovative pricing strategy that results in sales totals of even dollars when tax is applied.

How this particular shop has stayed in business in the current climate with their yard sale hodgepodge while even managing to pull off a move to a large, clean, arguably higher profile new space, is baffling, though in many ways comforting and reassuring. Now, I’m not saying the shop is a front for some other, unsavory business going on in the back, but I’m not not saying it. Of course I could attempt to interview the proprietors, but it’s always more fun to speculate recklessly.

So be sure to visit Record Surplus while your car is being worked on at Santa Monica Volvo Saab right across Santa Monica Blvd.

Under The Big Black Sun – California Art 1974 – 1981 @ The Geffen Contemporary through Feb. 13 | Info

MOCA Presents X
with Special Guests
The Dead Kennedys & The Avengers
This Saturday, January 28
7:30 p.m. (Doors 6:30 p.m.)
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 N. Central Ave., 90013
MOCA | Pacific Standard Time
[ENTER TO WIN TICKETS]

Win tickets to this sold out exclusive concert with seminal punk rock bands X, The Dead Kennedys and The Avengers who continue to shape California’s music scene.

Pacific Standard Time is an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to celebrate the birth of the L.A. art scene. For six months, over 60 cultural institutions will make their contributions to this region-wide initiative encompassing every major L.A. art movement from 1945 to 1980.

Pacific Standard Time | pacificstandardtime.org
Facebook| Twitter | YouTube

John C. Reilly will perform a special record release show at Largo tomorrow, Thursday, December 15, with Becky Stark, Tom Brosseau and very special guests.

Reps from Third Man Records will be on hand to sell Tri-Color copies of John’s singles “Becky & John: I’ll Be There If You Ever Want” and “John & Tom: Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar,” copies of the White Stripes Tri-Colors for “The Big Three Killed My Baby” and “Lord, Send Me An Angel”, as well as an assortment of regular Third Man releases and merchandise.

»continue reading Tomorrow–John C. Reilly Record Release Show w/ Becky Stark, Tom Brosseau & Guests and Third Man Records Merch Sale @ Largo

Hat tip Pam

Flying Lotus by Sung

HEADS UP
Eagle Rock Music Festival – Today

Saturday, October 1, 2011
4:00-11:00pm
On Colorado Blvd. between Argus & Eagle Rock Blvd.

»continue reading Happy October: Eagle Rock Music Festival Is Today: Set Times

January ’07

HEADS UP
Buy your very own signed and numbered Hancock Park David from Youngwood Court at an upcoming estate sale! (via Curbed)

NOTE: The future of the official Y Que Hancock Park t-shirt line remains unclear at the time of this writing.

We’ve had a lot of fun with this house over the years – shared a few emails with its owner – and taken plenty of photos, as evidenced. Best of luck to Norwood with the next chapter. Click through for a couple of holiday shots.

»continue reading Buy Your Very Own David Statue At The Youngwood Court Estate Sale (RIP House of Davids)

2009 by Sung

Sunset Junction 2011 Cancellation Sound-Off Wall

It finally happened after three decades – the 2011 street festival has been cancelled, and the official Sunset Junction website remains down at the time of this posting. Feel free to sound off here: favorite memories, favorite scandals, favorite ways to sneak in, favorite complaints, what you will miss or not miss. Giant sausages sizzling in the sun, that time Elliot Smith was too drunk to play, the time I stood on top of the ferris wheel console in order to see Sonic Youth. I’ll try to dig some of our better photos and write-ups out of the archive and add them to this wall as the day progresses.

Venice High School acknowledged its Centennial tonight with a screening of the 1978 film Grease, starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing and the late Jeff Conaway. The unmistakable significance of both the high school’s longevity and its place in Grease history was a special energy in the air that brought out Venice neighbors and alums and friends of friends with blankets to the football field. We waited for the sun to go down so we could all sing “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and wonder after the accomplishments of Travolta and Newton-John amid the peak of innocence of the salad days of 1978. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Jamba Juice had a presence at the back of the field, but the sheer idea behind a road stove notoriously entitled “The Greasy Wiener” went hand-in-hand with its parental advisory change to PG-13, mostly to the chagrin of those who blushed at Greased Lightning being called a Pussywagon and other things parents probably didn’t remember. But hey… Grease is the word. I had no idea the bleachers on the northwest end of the field are where Danny Zuko and the T-Birds sing “Summer Nights”, but thanks to the Class of ’11, a clearly-marked photo-op is what they were tonight. The establishing shot of “Rydell High” could not have been any more obvious to alums and students, and all gave a spirited round o’ applause for VHS upon first sight of the landmarks.

»continue reading “Grease” Sing-A-Long at Venice High, June 24, 2011

HEADS UP
Charles Phoenix Los Angelesland
830pm – 300-350 S. Grand Avenue
FREE

A Live Slide Show performance celebrating the City of Angels like it’s one big theme park!

Showman, author and humorist Charles Phoenix presents a fun-filled tour of the city’s many “lands” including Downtown and Boyle Heights – all new, and created especially for Grand Performances!

Charles is known for his retro slide shows, school bus “field trip” tours, “test kitchen” videos, coffee table books and Slide of the Week emails all celebrating classic and kitschy pop culture. You’ve seen him on Conan and the Martha Stewart Show and heard him on NPR.

Pre show will begin at 8:00 pm

>>Organist

8:30pm
>>Sign Spinners
>>Children’s Mariachi Band
>>Ballerina
>>Bob Baker’s Marionettes

Intermission

>>Charles Phoenix Los Angelesland program

Could this day get any better? Huell Howser is DJing on KCRW. How did this happen!? We speak now with KCRW Music Publicity Director and Guest DJ Producer/Booker Rachel Reynolds, the person responsible for this occurrence and an industry publicity personal favorite of the Losanjealous editorial staff. Indeed; not only is it Huell Howser Guest DJ Day today, it is also Rachel Reynolds Appreciation Day as decreed by Losanjealous, 22 June 2011 Anno Domini. Like most all things KCRW, Rachel brings quality to the equation (whatever the equation). Read on…

Greets, Rachel! How did you originally become involved with KCRW? How long have you worked for the station, and what do you do?

I feel like I’ve been involved with KCRW since I first started listening. I heard it in a friend’s car about 10 years ago (within a year of moving to LA) and I was totally hooked. KCRW and its DJs were what made me feel OK about the move to LA, it was like a friend I could always turn to. And I’m not saying this just because I’m the Music Publicity Director (a job I’ve held since 2007). It’s 100% true.

I was hired in late 2006 to work in the pledge drive department. I BEGGED them to give me the job. Then, the publicity position became open and since my background was doing PR for indie bands, I jumped on it!

My job is to make sure people know about all the incredible things we’re doing, both programming-wise and out in the community with events. My goal is to spread the word far and wide in hopes of growing our listening audience and our membership base. There are still far too many people out there who don’t know about the station, but would love it if they did. I also edit KCRW’s Music Blog, which is a great way for us to promote bands we’re digging, as well as the Guest DJ Project, which taps into the musical passions of creative folks outside the music business.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

»continue reading Huell Howser Guest DJs on KCRW Today: The Losanjealous Interview with the Person Responsible

Ok kids, this photo recalls an erstwhile moderately active wall at the corner of Santa Monica and Virgil circa 2004. The corner here used to be home to the famed Jayburger shack. Jay’s Jayburgers was the place to end your night of revelry in Silver Lake, and many a drunken grizzled hipster ended up here scarfing down an egg-topped cholesterol timebomb come 2am. It’s true. The next time you go out to a bar, look for the oldest alcoholic in the place and ask him about Jayburger, but back to topic. Whenever he wasn’t throwing redbull-and-vodka sponsored DJ parties and art openings in his space next to the Wiltern, Shepard stayed hard at work ’round town. Here we see Angela Davis next to Andre. I also spy the remaining tops of a few Robbie Conal anti-Iraq War posters. The wall itself is not really visible at all now, due to the construction of an incredibly ugly building some years back (helpful Google street view reference map below). Whee!, memory.
»continue reading Shepard Fairey: The Pre-Obama Years

Descendents, Death From Above 1979, Explosions In The Sky, Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, Guided By Voices, Simian Mobile Disco (Live), The Dead Milkmen, Girls, No Age, Kid Dynamite, Glass Candy, Dan Deacon, Four Tet, The Head & The Heart, Off! , Yacht, The Weakerthans, Chromatics, Cults, The Olivia Tremor Control, Smith Westerns , Strange Boys, Japandroids, Nosaj Thing, Ty Segall, Mister Heavenly, Pink Mountaintops, Avi Buffalo, Cass McCombs, Title Fight, Fools Gold, Tijuana Panthers, Touche Amore, Purity Ring, Twin Sister, Future Islands & more TBA