Courted by Adam Ant—a relationship from which they politely withdrew when he suggested hiring a studio band to re-record their songs—and noted by John Peel, Animals & Men were positioned to take whatever version of fame and fortune the first wave of U.K. post-punk had to offer. Founders Ralph Mitchard and Susan Wells speak before their first-ever L.A. show this Thursday. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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Long-running pop duo Sparks are now 22 albums deep and their latest, a musical commissioned by Swedish National Radio called The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, will be performed live at the Los Angeles Film Festival, with stage direction from Winnipeg wunderkind Guy Maddin, who hopes to direct a feature film adaptation. This interview by Lainna Fader.

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Ishmael Butler is known by many names, most of which we aren’t meant to ever discover. Now he stands at the center of the universe of the mysterious Shabazz Palaces, holding court as Palaceer Lazaro in the first hip-hop group ever signed to Sub Pop. He speaks here about divine inspiration, being in love, and keeping perspective. This interview by Lainna Fader.

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Brooklyn band Cerebral Ballzy play completely wrecked hardcore and destroyed our Valentine’s Day show in February. They will also destroy the Echo tomorrow. Singer Honor Titus speaks now on puke, cops, jail, jazz, yuppies and Cyndi Lauper. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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Chicago’s Permanent Records is coming to L.A.! Specifically, Eagle Rock, the new home of their second shop. The grand opening party is this Saturday, and they’ll be hosting performances by the Cosmonauts, Francis Harold and the Holograms, and Amanda of Not Not Fun (DJ set). We spoke with Permanent co-owner Lance about what’s in store. This interview by Lainna Fader.

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Tokimonsta is a piano-student-turned-producer who makes beats for Brainfeeder. Her new Creature Dreams EP is out now and fans of her All City and Art Union releases will be happy to know that she picks up where she left off. Toki speaks now about girls, touring, and the danger of knowing too much. This interview by Kristina Benson.

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The Fancy Space People are supposedly led by No-Ra Keyes (of the Centimeters) and D’on Bolles (of the Germs, Celebrity Skin and 60 million more) but they’re TRULY led by space aliens who direct No-Ra and D’on to deploy glitter rock toward the total fancification of Earth. This interview by Dan Collins and Chris Ziegler.

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Dressed in a denim blue letterman jacket, a white hoodie emblazoned with the image of James Dean, and red Converse, Wiz Khalifa looks as American as apple pie. After the Venice Beach shoot for ‘Roll Up,’ a single from his upcoming debut album on the label, he talked about Ninja Turtles, the paparazzi, and, of course, women and weed. This interview by Rebecca Haithcoat.

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Pentecostalism and Mormonism may be the world’s fastest growing religions but it’s Art that we turn our attention to today, folks: The art of Connecting to others, creating Community, transcending our Selves and Time. Put your hands together with those of your neighbor, give a squeeze and believe (at least temporarily) in the mystical joy [...]

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My Dry Wet Mess makes beats in Barcelona that sound like they come from L.A. and it all started with an Atari and MPC given to him by his father, a bass player in Ennio Morricone’s orchestra. He speaks now from his parents’ house after Christmas about why everything is difficult for him, his inability to get a visa, and his affinity for twisting pop songs and mashing them with noises from unidentifiable sources. This interview by Lainna Fader

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