St. Patrick’s Day is begging for a “jig pit.” Though not as young as when they began twelve years ago (go ahead, keep laughing), the Los Angeles-based Irish transplants now comprise a quintet that has toured with Collective Soul and performed at the 2002 Olympics. Check out Chas Waltz in particular, who balances violin, harmonica, keyboards, and mandolin. The Celtic rock group... >>more

You've come a long way, baby, when these British ambient electronica kings are headlining a show at Disney Hall. Though Brian Wilson performed Smile at the venue in 2004, and the Dakah Orchestra played (a kind of) hip-hop there, this is undoubtedly the most unusual programming the esteemed concert hall has ever had. Most famous for their seminal work Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld,... >>more

Building a steady following in anticipation of the Stateside release of their self-titled debut LP, Norwegian co-eds Serena Maneesh have gotten some strong word of mouth for their feedback heavy live show. Coming on like The Jesus and Mary Chain losing interest in pop, the band explores the sludge buried within their guitars, and piled into Spaceland, there's little doubt that the... >>more

What better way to celebrate the advent of Spring than with bikini-clad babes, flame-throwing guitars and instrumental noise rock? Josh Taylor’s Friends Forever offer all three. Maybe you’d rather ring in the new season with a Belgian/Korean-American duo rapping in French about the history of eurotrash? Laco$te (pictured above) has ya covered. And if your favored form of nature worship... >>more

Strapped for cash, gents? Here’s a tip: pick up an acoustic guitar, work on your emotional vulnerability, and you’ll probably place one of your songs in a commercial. Iron and Wine did it, and his Civil War chic ain’t exactly posterboy material. Nick Drake too, and he’s not even alive. The latest sensitive troubadour to nab a plum licensing deal is Sweden’s Jose Gonzalez, whose... >>more

Galaxie 500 morphs into Luna. Slowdive becomes Mojave 3. So it goes: from the ashes of great bands arise, well, great bands. Next up is Band of Horses, a new Sub Pop signee made up of members of longtime Seattle scenesters Carissa’s Weird. And what pretty horses they are: reverb-drenched, western-tinged, emotive--much better than these rock-crit clichés can put into words. Vocalist... >>more

Fear not Angelenos. The Toronto-based Metric may have a political edge, but despite their name, they won’t force you to abandon your precious inches and pounds. They just want to rock. Touring in support of their 2005 release Live It Out, the half guitar shredding, half synth loving group comes to the Fonda to show why Canada is the center of the indie rock universe right now. Led by frontwoman... >>more