Josh "CuriousJosh" Reiss

The lineup for Lightning in a Bottle 2013 is out!

This year's electronic-heavy festival will feature headliners Nicholas Jaar, Rusko, Tycho, Emancipator, Griz and Paper Diamond.

As exclusively reported by West Coast Sound in January, the three day fest is going down in a new location in Temecula this year.

It will take place later in the summer than it has in years past.

The full lineup, and location details, are below:

More »

Credit: Galen Oakes, courtesy of The Confluence

Between political strife, rioting, demonstrations and the general cultural upheaval caused by the aftershocks of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the country seemed like a less than ideal location for a music festival and sightseeing tour put on by a group of Americans. Yet, nearly 300 people, mostly of them from Southern California, flew to Cairo late last year to take part in the Do Lab's winter solstice event The Great Convergence.

In the planning stages for nearly a year, the itinerary for the trip included visits to ancient sites throughout the country and lectures and panel discussions by Egypt experts Dr. Carmen Boulter and geologist Robert Schoch. The music event (held in front of Great Pyramids, no less), featured sets from Beats Antique, Random Rab, Apparat, Eskmo and Bluetech. The eight day trip ended with a cruise down the Nile.

It was to be a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone told them not to go.

More »

Aaron Gautschi

Lake Skinner

Annual music and arts festival Lightning in a Bottle is relocating to Riverside County this summer, West Coast Sound can exclusively report. In a vote yesterday, the Riverside County board of supervisors approved the application to hold Lightning in a Bottle 2013 at Lake Skinner County Park. The four day festival, which has taken place at Orange County's Oak Canyon Park since 2009, was forced to find a new home due to zoning changes at that location.

See also: The Do Lab Built a Massive SoCal EDM Community

More »

More »

Courtesy Claude VonStroke

See also: Interview: Claude VonStroke Says U.S. Doesn't Get Enough Respect In Dance Music

You can't blame Barclay Crenshaw for feeling like an old man playing a young man's game. When he created his DJ-producer alter ego, Claude VonStroke, and launched his Dirtybird label, Crenshaw was already 32. "In the world of dance music, that's already, like, you're on the way out," he says. Instead, Crenshaw finds himself on the way in, a rising star and top attraction at several EDM festivals -- including HARD Summer, where he'll take the stage this Saturday -- at an age when most guys are ready to find a more respectable way to earn a living.

Asked how old he is now, Crenshaw cops to being slightly north of 40, then playfully adds over the phone from London, "You don't have to print that, by the way. It's gonna lose me some fans."

More »

PHOTO BY ANOUCK BERTIN

M83's Anthony Gonzalez

See also:
*M83's Anthony Gonzalez Makes Soundtracks, Without the Movie
*The Descendents, Kid Dynamite, and Ty Segall at FYF last year
*Pics from FYF Fest 2011: Death From Above 1979, Explosions in the Sky, Descendents, Simian Mobile Disco and More
*Pics from FYF Fest 2010: The Rapture, Dead Man's Bones, Panda Bear and More
*Pics from FYF Fest 2009: No Age, Lightning Bolt, Dillinger Escape Plan, Dios, Japanther, Mika Miko, Crystal Antlers and More

The FYF Fest lineup was just announced. It will be held Sept. 1 and 2 at L.A. State Historic Park, and the headliners are Refused, M83 and Beirut.

Should be sweet. Full list of performers below.

More »

Aaron Frank

Grouplove

Make Music Pasadena Festival
Old Town Pasadena
6-16-12

With the Sunset Junction Festival filing for bankruptcy and the Silver Lake Jubilee upping admission to $20 a head, one's options for quality summer music festivals in L.A. have dwindled a bit. Meanwhile, at this point the only two free festivals left standing are the Eagle Rock Festival and yesterday's Make Music Pasadena, the latter quickly becoming the lead contender for L.A.'s best.

Spread throughout downtown Pasadena across nearly 30 stages, Make Music Pasadena is organized by the Old Pasadena Management and Playhouse District, who did a wonderful job of appealing to nearly every demographic with their well-curated lineup this year. Indie pop groups Cults and Grouplove drew the biggest crowds of the day, but smaller bands like So Many Wizards took advantage of the intimate settings of the smaller venues, treating the Majestical Roof Courtyard Stage like their own raucous backyard party.

More »

Kevin Scanlon

Maria del Pilar performs Aug. 4 at MacArthur Park

In an exclusive to West Coast Sound, the Levitt Pavilions in Pasadena and MacArthur Park have revealed the lineups to their massive, free summer concert series -- almost 100 shows between the two venues.

This year features everything from Latin alternative to folk, indie and world music. Highlights include former Los Abandoned frontwoman Maria del Pilar (aka Pilar Diaz), noisy garage rocker Hanni El Khatib, cacophonic big band Killsonic, Sara Watkins of contemporary folk trio Nickel Creek and Mexico City-based electronic outfit Mexican Institute of Sound. The full list is below.

More »

Andrea Domanick

Common at Rock the Bells 2011

See also: Our review of Rock the Bells 2011

Last night Guerilla Union announced this year's Rock the Bells 2012 dates, headliners and lineup.

Beginning in 2010, the hip-hop festival's headliners -- famous acts whose first few albums often outshine their later work -- have performed their classic albums from beginning to end. But to keep the attendees' average age down (let's face it, golden-age hip hop devotees are getting old), a couple supporting acts like Mac Miller have been included.

But this year, there's a surprising twist.

More »

Emily Shur

Ximena Sariñana

See also:
*Ximena Sariñana: An Indie-Pop Star In Mexico, Anonymous In L.A.
*Our review of Ana Tijoux at Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park
*La Santa Cecilia Represents L.A. At The Latin Grammys Tonight

Viva Los Dodgers, a festival celebrating Los Angeles' Latino culture, just announced this season's lineup exclusively through West Coast Sound.

Held in Lot 6 two hours before each of the Dodgers' Sunday home games, the festival is free with a ticket to the day's Dodger game. The schedule this year is a mix of hip hop and traditional folkloric music, and standouts including Weekly darling Ximena Sariñana, badass rapper Ana Tijoux and La Santa Cecilia are all scheduled. See the full list below.

More »