Heavy electro rock pioneers Trans Am have been bringing the heat since the early 90s. Music fans and critics alike hail the group as the originators of  "post-rock."  Their sound lies comfortably between the synth driven sonics of Kraftwerk and the robotic vocal production of  Daft Punk. With 9 studio albums to date, Trans Am has enjoyed a lengthy career with all their albums being released by  Thrill Jockey Records.

Trans Am continue to push the envelope both live and in the studio. Their live show consists of all three members taking on double duty alternating between synth, bass, guitar, vocals and drums. The group does a great job at replicating their electronic tsunami of sound on stage. Be sure and catch them live if you get the chance!

                                                               Trans Am came by Amoeba Hollywood to do a little digging. From the iconic hip hop record illmatic by Nas, to Wooden Shjips' psychedelic offshoot Moon Duo, Trans Am dig up some great pieces. 

Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino found some time in his busy schedule to do a little shopping at Amoeba Hollywood. Many of you know Glover for his acting role on the comedy sitcom, Community. Or maybe you've seen his hilarious Comedy Central special Weirdo. Perhaps you are one of the 9 million people who viewed Glover in the viral video Bro Rape. It's obvious, the dude is funny, super talented and he's everywhere! Did you know he was a writer for the NBC show 30 Rock?

Not only is he quickly on his way to blockbuster status a la Will Smith, but he's proved to be a bonafide emcee and has the lyrical punchlines to rival Kanye West. ("The shit I'm doing this year? Insanity. Made the beat then murdered it: Casey Anthony"). Already an underground favorite, Childish Gambino (Glover's moniker) has released 3 mixtapes followed by his well recieved debut album CAMP (Glassnote). To further solidify his Hip Hop cred, Gambino has recorded tracks with the likes of Ghostface Killah and Kendrick Lamar.

There’s a fuck-all attitude to Hanni El Khatib’s music that makes his relatively straightforward garage rock so enjoyable. Maybe it’s that his songs are really catchy, pairing rock ‘n’ roll swagger with actual hooks. Or that he actually seems like a really cool guy, which I learned he is after interviewing him. Check out his second album, Head in the Dirt, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, which is out now on Innovative Leisure. He’s at S.F.’s Fillmore May 17 and L.A.’s Mayan Theater May 21, both with The Black Angels and Wall of Death.

PST: There’s a hint of desperation to the lyrics to some of these songs. I’m thinking of how “Family” starts with the lyric “I wanna be somebody else today” or the lyrics of songs like “Nobody Move” and “Pay No Mind.” Where do you get your lyrical inspiration?

El Khatib: Most of my lyrics are written in a very spontaneous way. Total stream of consciousness that I try to loosely connect to an underlying mood or theme. They usually reflect the mood I’m in at the moment, and since the record was written and recorded in such a short time-frame, I guess that’s just the place I was at.

Our "What's In My Bag?" series won a Webby Award today for Best Online Film & Video: Variety Show! We were up against some brilliant, funny, and thought-provoking shows by SoulPancake (who won the People's Voice Award in our category), Conan O'Brien, MIT and Fandango. It's amazing that our little series - of which we are so incredibly proud, don't get me wrong - would be nominated with those folks, let alone honored by the Webby judges with the win.

If you're not familiar with the Webbys, it's an annual international award that's been dubbed "the Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times. Some of the other winners this year include The Onion which won its 18th and 19th Webby for Best Humor Website; The Creators Project which won a Webby (and a People's Voice Award) for Best Art; Pinterest which won a Webby (and a People's Voice Award) for Best Social Media; and Dumb Ways to Die which won for Best Viral Video. Additionally, the Webbys have named Amoeba faves Grimes the Artist of the Year and Frank Ocean as the Person of the Year. See all the winners here. 

The awkwardly hilarious comedy duo Tim & Eric are some of the busiest funnymen in showbiz. Gaining legions of cult-like fans from their successful Adult Swim shows (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tom Goes to the Mayor), Tim & Eric continue to bless us with more left field content via their popular website, timanderic.com. They also recently partnered up with fellow comedians Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts and Michael Cera to launch the new Jash Network YouTube channel. If you simply can't be fulfilled by Internet videos, then pick up Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. If you need even more Tim & Eric, grab the new film that stars the pair alongside LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, The Comedy. 

Tim & Eric wandered into Amoeba Hollywood in search of very specific and maybe even peculiar selections. We got it all on video for another awesome episode of What's In My Bag?. Find out which of the two is a fan of a famous Mexican comedian and which one needs two copies of a 30 Seconds To Mars album. Oh yeah, and check out their very funny impromtu cover of Smash Mouth's "All Star."