Beta Band and Big Pink meet Black Mountain. “Dry the Rain” is not a cover but a sophisticated late Beatles-esque 12/8 ballad layering harmonies over piano, shaker and an acoustic guitar; “Wandering Foot” shows off drummer Justin Ivey on a deceptively simple beat laced with unexpected syncopation and precise fills.

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If you’re a serious record collector, chances are you’ve paid your fair share of cash for hard to find, out-of-print records. Ever wonder what records are the most valuable? Discogs just released a list of their top 100 highest selling records, which you might want to compare to auction tracker site Popsike’s current top 25 [...]

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By three the next afternoon, I was slumped exhausted in the back row of the Silent Movie Theater, as the last night of L.A.’s first-ever Jerry Lewis retrospective flickered to giddy life. The three hours of clips shown before the main feature were like a curated tour through a vast and quirky comic universe roughly the scope of those of James Joyce or Flann O’Brien, and (in America at least), about as little understood. The last living heir to the great line of Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel, Lewis remains problematic to American critics and I think I know why.

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The Dream Syndicate found whatever was in Sister Lovers and Tonight’s The Night still breathing in L.A. in 1984 and used it to make Medicine Show, still a nervous and wild local classic. Guitarist-singer Steve Wynn will perform the album in its entirety tonight with his band the Miracle 3. He speaks now from a quiet park in New York. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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Sérgio Mendes swept into America with “Mas Que Nada” in 1966 and went on to establish immortality among connoisseurs of both classy cocktails and bossa nova rhythms. He is working on his new album and still claims to be nervous before shows—especially if he’s playing at the Hollywood Bowl. He will play the Hollywood Bowl this Wednesday. This interview by Ayse Arf.

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Jody at the excellent blog When You Awake—your welcoming home for all things country friendly in Los Angeles—alerts us to Bob Dylan Goes Twang Part 4, the newest in the series of the …Goes Twang mixtapes, previously featuring the Band, Gene Clark, Leon Russell and many more! Get right to it here and examine the [...]

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Walking up to the Smell Friday night, I see a slight man with bushy hair and unusually well-tailored casual wear walking a few feet behind. Ian Svenonius walking the streets is just like finding a mint copy of a Beatles Butcher LP in a dollar bin, a serendipitous October surprise. So I asked him how the Chain And The Gang tour was going. He wearily replied, “We’ve been on tour for 43 days, with only two days off. I’m kind of tired, but it’s a good time, I guess.” An honest answer. His newest band, Chain And The Gang, is on tour with The Hive Dwellers, Calvin Johnson of K Records’ new group. While both Ian and Calvin shared the same backing band, the two live experiences varied drastically.

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