Amoeba Hollywood has tickets to DJ competition the 2013 U.S. National Finals, hosted by Red Bull Thre3Style. The 21+ show takes place Friday, April 5, at Hollywood club LURE, located just around the corner from the store. Tickets are available at Amoeba Hollywood for only $20 (with no service fee).

The competition will feature six acclaimed American DJs, will be judged by DJs Jazzy Jeff, Z-Trip and A-Trak, and will also feature a DJ set from producer and performer Mark Ronson after the competition. The winner of the competition will go on to represent the U.S. in the Red Bull Thre3style World Championship in Toronto, Canada, in November.

The DJs featured in the competition and their city of origin are as follows: Trentino (Chicago), DJ Phish (Philadelphia), Konflikt (Miami), Donnie Dee (Dallas), DJ Scene (Las Vegas) and Aroc (Orlando). Their sets will consist of one 15-minute performance apiece, with a minimum of three genres per set. DJs are judged based on track selection, creativity, mixing skills, stage presence and crowd reaction.

Black Lips ripped through songs across their catalog March 21 at the El Rey Theatre. The band clearly was having a great time without a recent album to support (the most recent being 2011's excellent Arabia Mountain, which saw the band trading some of their trademark scuzz for Mark Ronson production while retaining their essential sound). They began as loudly and reverby as usual, tearing through Arabia Mountain's "Family Tree" and old favorites "Dirty Hands" and "Not a Problem" from 2005's Let it Bloom. By the time they got to the whirlwinds of "O Katrina," the crowd and pit was worked up into a froth — one girl jumped onstage with Black Lips written on her ass cheeks. They played a new song which was hard to make out — they gave the disclaimer that they were still working out the kinks on it. For the most part, they stuck to playing the jams — "Raw Meat," "Boomerang," "Buried Alive." Toilet paper came a-flyin' during "Modern Art," while another girl jumped onstage around the time they played "Bad Kids" to kiss guitarist Ian Saint Pe, who quickly obliged, after having flung a beer all over himself that had been thrown onstage. Cohorts Jared Swilley, Cole Alexander and Joe Bradley mostly stayed well-behaved during the show, minus Swiley's air-humping while playing bass and Alexander licking the mic stand (sorry, no penis this time). The band was set to play Burgerama the next day with Bleached, Nick Waterhouse and others at the Santa Ana Observatory, but they also have a documentary about their trip to the Middle East in the works. It's seeking funding via Indiegogo. Check out the trailer below. I love seeing them play politely in Erbil while onlookers tap their feet and one man holds up his baby. Looks amazing. See photos from their past three Amoeba performances here, here and here.

Amoeba presents a special screening of the new documentary film, Re:Generation Music Project, on Monday February 13 at the Los Angeles Film School (across from Amoeba Hollywood).

The Re:Generation Music Project follows five electronic DJs/producers - DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, Skrillex, Pretty Lights and The Crystal Method - as they remix, recreate and re-imagine five traditional styles of music (Rock, R&B, Country, Jazz, and Classical). These five distinctive DJs collaborate with some incredibly talented (and some unlikely) partners - The Doors, Martha Reeves, Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste, Nas, Leann Rimes, Dr. Ralph Stanley - to discover how our musical past is influencing the future.

What: Re:Generation Music Project Screening
Where: Los Angeles Film School (6363 Sunset Blvd) entrance on Ivar.
When: Monday, Feb 13 at 8pm

RSVP via email to attend: regenerationmusicproject@gmail.com

Include your full name and if you plan to bring a guest to the screening. Please arrive early at the Film School for check-in. RSVP does not guarantee admission.



Directed by award-winning documentarian, Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story, My Kid Could Paint That), produced in association with Grammy's and presented by Hyundai Veloster, Re:Generation Music Project examines music’s past, present and future, while yielding five revolutionary collaborations in the process. In the film, The Crystal Method, DJ Premier, Pretty Lights, Mark Ronson, and Skrillex use technology to mix musical styles and generations for the creation of five original tracks that are nothing short of magical. 

Greetings from New York, New York! CMJ kicked off at the beginning of this week and NY became a mammoth showcase for new music. I love autumn in New York -- it's ridiculously beautiful. Walking is of course the greatest pastime while in the city. The weather was nice, so nice, for the first couple nights, which made it easy to get around and still look half way put together by the time you got to your final destination.

Unfortunately, by Friday night, it was cloudy with a chance of matzo balls, which meant an extra change of clothes was imperative. Luckily, it was short lived. OMG, there was so much going on. I was overwhelmed with work, with a lot on my plate, and didn’t get to see nearly as many acts as I would have liked to, but I made notes of the little I was able to soak in.

Green Label Sound hosted a party sponsored by Cornerstone at The Brooklyn Bowl with Chromeo, Thelophilus London, Amazing Baby and Solid Gold that was off the chain. DFA's Holy Ghost provided a dj set. This new bowling/concert venue is ginormous, 1,000 capacity at least, and it was packed wall to wall. An eclectic mix of industry folk, unbigoted music-minded individuals, people dressed like hipsters, aspiring and established artists roamed the joint. The night's festivities lasted well into the night, but time just seemed to fly by. I enjoyed great food, had a couple rounds on the lanes with friends, enjoyed the live acts in a concert setting, and danced till I broke a sweat all under one roof. If you get the chance to go check out this spot, do, and order the cajun catfish, it's scrumptious!