​So it's Bob Dylan's 70th birthday. For some, it's one of those annual affairs on a par with the great holy days of the year: Christmas, Easter, MLK's Birthday, Ramadan. Don't act like it isn't. For decades Robert Zimmerman has been looked upon as a deity.  Most fans of rock & roll (at least the ones I meet) seem to be card carrying congregants in the church of Dylan. But just call me a non-believer.  More >>

Miguel Vasconcellos

Dave James of Factory Records

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We're not even going to say anything about how OC Register published a story on vinyl records making a comeback, five days after we put the same story on our cover (Revinylized, by Brandon Ferguson) on the same people, and photographed by a former OCR photographer.

All I'm saying is the story "Where vinyl is king and The King is still alive" by David Whiting has the best lede ever.

In our rush to move forward we sometimes behave as if nostalgia is bad. So let's be bad to the bone.

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Flickr user D2 Photography

​Your local band doesn't like you. For a society which readily bends over at the altar of hero worship, this is a bitter pill to swallow.  Though it's painful, the truth will set you free. Here's a quick list of the reasons your local band hates you and why you should stop giving them free post-show hand jobs:
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Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly

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According to the LA Times, a woman from Hermosa Beach who allegedly sold dozens of fake tickets to a Lady Gaga concert on Craigslist has been ordered to pay at least $7,000 in restitution.  
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Vickie Chang

John Lennon, 1940-1980.

​Thirty years ago today, John Lennon's life was cut short by a disturbed fan while returning to his home at the Dakota on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. As with any legend, countless tales--the bizarre, the depressing, the totally untrue--surround Lennon's murder.

In memory of one of the greatest songwriters and musicians ever, we've compiled a list of five strange stories linked to the death of Lennon. Shine on!  
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Detroit Bar.com

​ You may have noticed that Detroit Bar's website has a new look. The background isn't beige anymore, and the information for their shows isn't in a flyer format (in a "cool in 1998" way). Plus, it doesn't take forever to load. The best part? You can share information about the shows via Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites.  
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[via Idolator]

​Ke$ha's new video is set in an gritty, urban, '80s Mad Max glitter fest where people are partying and drinking all night long.

Obviously, dirty isn't the most unusual part of Ke$ha's aesthetic, but random product placement in videos are a new thing (at least for her). See if you'll buy what she's pimping aside after the jump.
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www.harmonyfestival.com

​I've been to music festivals in Southern California, in the Midwest, Northern California and the East Coast, but I had an epiphany at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa (about an hour north of San Francisco) last weekend.

There, I realized that for some reason, NorCal music festivals are special. Not just different--I mean, they're crunchy granolier, have more hippies, more body odor, more weed, more sage in the air--but special, in that music isn't always the main focus of these events.  Some parts are totally obnoxious--especially if you hate hippies!--but others make you wish that the Northern California mentality spilled over to the rest of the world. After the jump, a list of just how different things are up North.More >>

Christopher Victorio / OC Weekly

There was barely room for sombreros at Coachella.

​About 225,000 people attended the Coachella Arts & Music Festival over the course of its three days last month, Billboard reports. That represented a huge jump from the festival's previous record of 186,636 atendees in 2007.More >>