Perhaps no rock star over the past 30 years has stirred quite as much controversy as the angelic-faced, acid-tongued Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O’Connor. From ripping up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live before a performance of Bob Marley’s “War,” which preceded an impromptu a cappella version just 13 days later at a Bob Dylan tribute at Madison Square Garden, where she was unmercifully booed and consoled by Kris Kristofferson.( The song she was supposed to perform that night was, ironically, “I Believe in You.”) That, in essence, was the end of her stint as a pop star in the U ..read more

The quips about long-running L.A. punk band X changing its name to Twitter started almost immediately after Elon Musk announced plans to rebrand the social media site he acquired for a cool $44 billion just last October. “Big fan of the new Twitter logo @elonmusk #X #punkrock1977,” the group tweeted over a vintage photo to a total of half a million views and climbing, following up with a press release to “address the confusion,” claiming, “We would like to assure everyone that Twitter is not us and we are not it… To misquote David Bowie – ‘it’s not who does it second; it’s who did it first.’ W ..read more

Engine Co. No. 28, the historic downtown Los Angeles building that’s home to Los Angeles Magazine, celebrated its 110th birthday on July 24. Helping toast the landmark firehouse, which houses a restaurant of the same name, was Grammy Award-winning songwriter, musician, and actor Rick Springfield, who brought along his Beach Bar Rum (a collaboration with Sammy Hagar) for attendees to sample as part of a special drink menu. Photo by Philip Macias Greeted by an assortment of hors d’oeuvres — including plates of fresh hummus paired with pita chips, slider burgers, mac n’ cheese balls, and buffalo ..read more

With the death of Tony Bennett on July 21 at the age of 96, a chapter of the Great American Songbook comes to a close. Bennett left behind an impressive legacy, and while he didn’t write the music or lyrics for his catalog, he helped bring the songs alive with his unique voice and impeccable style. Here’s a selection of both his greatest hits and some of his deep cuts. “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” Recorded in 1962, Bennett’s signature song, with music written by George Cory and lyrics by Douglass Cross, won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Vocal Performance. In 200 ..read more

The Roxy Theater is quickly approaching its 50th birthday. The Sunset Strip icon has been home to thousands of music shows across a variety of genres, from punk and folk to country and reggae and, of course, rock. To commemorate the occasion, the club has tapped none other than Neil Young, who will return to The Roxy on September 20, 50 years (to the day) after he headlined the venue’s opening night in 1973. The benefit performance is held in collaboration with The Painted Turtle and Bridge School. In addition to this, The Roxy has tacked on some special events to its fall calendar. Most notab ..read more

A cause of death for Lisa Marie Presley has officially been released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. According to their report Thursday, the 54-year-old singer and actor died due to a “sequelae of a small bowel obstruction.” Small bowel obstruction is noted as a “common surgical emergency” by the National Library of Medicine, with more than 300,000 laparotomies being performed each year in the United States. The obstruction shows a higher incidence rate in correlation with increasing age, previous abdominal surgeries, inflammatory bowel disease, or hernias. When unaddressed, it can ..read more

Over the last three decades, 333 South Boylston Street has had a myriad of proprietors—including Prince!—but none have been able to keep the doors of this versatile venue open. Michael Swier, owner of the city’s Teragram Ballroom and Moroccan Lounge, and Gregg Perloff, CEO and founder of the Bay Area’s Another Planet Entertainment (APE)—the largest independent promoter in the US—are determined to change the fate of this plum location on the outskirts of DTLA. The space has been rechristened The Bellwether and is set to launch on July 11 with electronic rockers Phantogram headlining. The remain ..read more

Madonna says she is “on the road to recovery” and “getting stronger” in a statement made Monday. It is the first time the popstar has spoken since being released from the hospital nearly two weeks ago. “Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement. I have felt your love,” She wrote on Instagram. “I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life.” “My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can!” she continued. Page Six previously reported that Madonna had been foun ..read more

Add the Eagles to this year’s list of veteran bands hanging up their six strings and heading into the tequila sunset. Founded 52 years ago as one of the first fruits of L.A.’s incestuous singer-songwriter scene  at the Troubadour nightclub, the Eagles have sold more than 150 million albums (the band was the first recipient of the RIAA’s Platinum album award) and carried on through personnel changes and lengthy hiatuses caused by, among other distractions, friction between the group’s dominant songwriters and front men, Don Henley and Glenn Frey (who died in 2016) and lead guitarist Don Fe ..read more

The Beatles were the biggest rock band of the 20th century, and their music lives on all over the world. The Los Angeles radio program Breakfast With the Beatles has helped ensure that longevity as it’s been celebrating the fab four every Sunday from 9 to noon since 1983. The show is marking its 40th anniversary with a series of brunch parties—at the Hard Rock Café in Hollywood and Kobe Bistro in Seal Beach—featuring host Chris Carter (pictured above with Paul McCartney). Deidre O’Donoghue started the show at KMET until the station crashed from hard rock to become The Wave in 1987. She landed ..read more