The Seoul-based band takes pansori, (Korea’s centuries-old tradition of powerful musical storytelling), and brings it starkly to the present, building a wildly kinetic sound, from elastic basslines (with not one, but TWO bassists), drums, and a chorus of voices and personalities that can move from whispering ideas to full-throated release in a matter of seconds.
In the 1970’s, the Pasadena-Altadena area was a mecca for infamous backyard beer bashes featuring then unknown local bands like Van Halen. Fast forward a few decades and a new DIY backyard music scene has emerged, sparked by the 2025 Eaton Fire. Teenage punk and indie bands are turning to Altadena’s backyard lots and other temporary venues for shows that are drawing kids from all over Southern California.
Venice is known for its offbeat boardwalk, full of artists and street performers. But tech-driven gentrification has changed Venice fundamentally. With all of Abbot Kinney’s polish and the canals’ multimillion-dollar homes, many artists are living in substandard housing. If the long-stalled Venice Dell housing project moves ahead after 10 years of delay, it would create 120 units of low-income and homeless housing – with some units allocated for artists – just two blocks from the beach.
Many residents hate it.
[listen for the full story]
Los Angeles is surrounded by deserts and mountains. But a recent heat wave is bringing hot and muggy weather to a city that prides itself on having dry heat. So what changed?
National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Lewis explains.
(listen to the full explanation at link)
Today KCRW remembers Glen Hansard, whose musical resume spans The Frames, The Swell Season (his Grammy-winning duo with with Markéta Irglová), and an extensive body of solo work. Hansard first visited KCRW in 1994 and became a regular mainstay on Morning Becomes Eclectic, taping seven sessions for KCRW altogether. His humor, sensitivity, passion, and artistry will be missed.
This 2015 performance of his at Apogee for KCRW is not available elsewhere. It was one of many special moments we shared with Hansard.
Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Toko Yasuda are wearing studded black leather jackets, dark sunglasses, and laced sneakers. To this base ensemble, Armisen has added a wig -- black and extra-shaggy. Tucker and Brownstein are best known as the principals behind Olympia, WA's Sleater-Kinney. Armisen, in addition to his extramusical collaborations with Brownstein, earned his chops on the drum throne for Chicago's incendiary Trenchmouth. Bassist Yasuda came up in the NYC indie band Enon and has subsequently toured with Blonde Redhead and Cate le Bon, among others. Together, they are The Return of Jackie and Judy, a punk supergroup of sorts whose origins inadvertently trace to the 2025 wrap party for Everybody's Live with John Mulaney.
Dialog Cafe is a bustling spot for locals in West Hollywood. But the busy shop abruptly closed last week after a water main break flooded its location and left behind extensive damage.
Tadeh Ghazalian and his family have owned the cafe for nearly two decades. He tells KCRW's Steve Chiotakis about the process of dealing with insurance, city officials, and payroll during clean up.
LA Metro’s Board of Directors is composed of 14 members, including LA Mayor Karen Bass, LA’s five county supervisors, and eight other appointees. But under a new proposal from LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn the board will consider on Thursday, that number could increase to include a regular user of the public transit system.
Hahn says the idea is to include the perspective of "a real, true transit rider who sees things through the lens that most of us do not see.”
She continues, “Having a real transit rider sit on the committees, sit in the board meeting, to actually have someone who rides our system every single day, who is dependent on our system every single day, I think would make a big difference in the decisions we make on our board meeting days.”
When asked whether board members might consider a requirement that every member of the board spend a minimum amount of time using the system themselves, Hahn responded, "I don't know if that's the right way to go."
A crowdsurfing, white-bearded man with a helmet. Sleater-Kinney & Fred Armisen in a Ramones cover band. Pavement half-remembering the lyrics to “Stairway to Heaven.” These are scenes from 2026’s Mosswood Meltdown, where “bizarre” is a loving prerequisite to perform.
We welcome DEVO frontman and prolific film composer Mark Mothersbaugh as well as musician/actor Jason Schwartzman as our special guests, discussing the iconic music they’ve been a part of from the films of Wes Anderson, one of Hollywood's most visionary directors and give away tickets for their musical tribute this weekend at the Hollywood Bowl.