One of the cooler new additions to Los Angeles pop culture nightlife is the Flux Cinema Tuesdays movie series at the Nike Sportswear Montalban Theater. Each month guests are treated to a film, usually surfing or music based. The night includes a celeb DJ, drinks and popcorn to boot – all for free. Some of … More Bjork’s Voltaic – A Luscious Concert Experience At The Montalban
Whether or not I thought he was a certified nut job and alleged child molester, Michael Jackson was a music god. Watching Beat It and Thriller on MTV were childhood milestones for me. He was played at every birthday party and then at every bat mitzvah. I even did a cheer leading dance to ‘Smooth … More This Is Thriller Night – RIP Michael Jackson
When I heard that The Juan MacLean was in town, I knew I had to talk to him, not only to chat about his new album The Future Will Come, being part of the uber cool electro mafia: DFA Records, but also to finally figure out how the hell we are related. Two MacLeans from … More Back To The Future With The Juan MacLean & The Ali MacLean
Space Oddities – Looking For Rock In All The Weird Places by Ali MacLean In this town, it’s easy to get jaded. Every club or party these days seems to need to top some pinnacle of bacchanale… a regular night with drinks and music just wont do. A warehouse rave is just ordinary. It has … More Space Oddities – Looking For Rock In All The Weird Places
I’ve been hustling my little bunny tail all over Southern California recently. Lately, I’m in high demand to cover shows. But once you enter the realm of music journalism, the shows become work and it’s hard to detach from being the observer, rather than the music fan. Sometimes you just want to have a blast, … More Detroit Rocks This City – Von Bondies Shake Up The Strip
Hate-mongering, whether it be with a gun in a museum, or hidden behind a computer screen in the blogosphere is dangerous…what is the solution? Freedom of Speech is our right in this country. But when comments and slurs incite violence, how do we stop it, combat it, temper it? Ideas? Comments? R.I.P, Stephen Tyrone Johns. … More Holocaust Museum and Hate Mongering – Guns and Blogs Used For Hate?
Dammit, I wish I still had my 1974 Chevy Monza. She was an old beater, white, with wood paneled interiors and an 8 track player. I only had 4 cassettes I picked up at a garage sale: Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Foghat, Sweet and some musical (Chess?), but it was a bad-ass car. Not that … More Band Of Skulls – Rock’s New Backseat Lovers
Carina Round is my favorite female performer today. Her live show was phenomenal tonight – and every night I’ve seen it. She is about to leave my other faves like her (PJ Harvey, Auf Der Maur, etc) in the dust. Here’s one of her softer songs. Check her out!! more about “Carina Round – Backseat … More Carina Round – Backseat (Official Video)
When I was little, I used to pour over my Dad’s records, which were mostly divided into two camps: Beatles and Rolling Stones. I loved the colorful Beatles record jackets, especially Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Peppers. The Stones records intrigued me; I knew the zipper on Sticky Fingers records was something I wasn’t supposed … More Smooth Sailin’ – Yacht Rock Putting The Hard On In Chardonnay
Mike Doughty led the one-of-a-kind Soul Coughing in the 90s, one of the original “alternative” rock bands, and one that really tested the limits of the genre, with improv jazz, odd samples and glitch-punk experimentation. Soul Coughing broke up in 2000; Doughty was battling a heroin addiction when he wasn’t battling band mates over credits … More Ali On The Air interviews Mike Doughty on Antiquiet
ALI MacLEAN 