Marilyn Manson, Offspring, Bad Religion to play Sunset Strip Fest

Goth rocker Marilyn Manson and rock acts the Offspring and Bad Religion are set to play the final day of the fifth edition of West Hollywood's Sunset Strip Music Festival, on Aug. 18. Local dance-pop act the Far East Movement, veteran hip-hop act De La Soul and electro-rap cut-ups Das Racist are also on the bill for the street fest. 

Tickets are on sale now for the all-day event. Sunset Strip Festival activities officially launch on Aug. 16, but the name acts and ticketed outdoor concert is on Aug. 18.

Other artists that will appear include the Black Label Society, Dead Sara and Steve Aoki. All told, the three-day Sunset Strip Festival will feature more than 50 acts at West Hollywood venues such as the Roxy Theatre, the Whisky A Go-Go and the Key Club.

This year's Sunset Strip festival will pay tribute to the Doors, with many artists on the bill expected to cover a Doors song or two. Sunset Boulevard will be closed on Aug. 16 between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard and the fest will feature two outdoor stages. Also planned is a silent disco and a VIP rooftop lounge.

Tickets for the concert start at $75 and are on sale now via TicketWeb. A VIP pass costs $135. A three-day pass that will get concertgoers into every Sunset Strip event is $250 and includes all VIP perks. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit the Impact Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center in Pasadena.

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-- Todd Martens

Image: Marilyn Manson. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Locals Far East Movement officially on Team Bieber

When Far East Movement dominated the pop charts with "Like a G6" in 2010, the L.A. hip-hop-influenced electronic group did so with the help of little-known acts the Cataracts and Dev. For the act's spring follow-up, "Dirty Bass," it's banking on a little more star power out of the gate.

The new album's first single comes blessed by no less than teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. The track "Live My Life" hit the Web today, and it features production from Lady Gaga's go-to-studio ace RedOne. With ultra-clean retro-synths, a hands-in-the-air chorus and a stockpile of sing-along "woo-ohs," the soon-to-be-hit carries all the feel-good sheen of the most expensive of soda-pop commercials.

Rolling Stone premiered the track today and featured a brief interview with the group. The act's rapper-singer Kev Nish told the pub that "Far East Movement has always focused on unexpected collaborations." The workout-ready lyrics are all-about maintaining flexibility, and there's even a shout-out to Pilates. The opposite sex is also lovingly described as "Cirque du Soleil." Personally, I'm more of a Ringling Bros. man myself, but listen to the cut over at Rolling Stone. 

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-- Todd Martens

Photo: Far East Movement in 2010. Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

 

The Far East Movement drop 'Bump from the Trunk Vol. 1'

The Far East Movement know exactly who they are and what they do well. In a world where pop stars fancy themselves avant-garde geniuses and rappers attempt to make Rihanna songs, this is an extremely endearing quality.

The Far East Movement make pop music. Their core is hip-hop and they incorporate various strains of electronic music, but they make music for the masses and they do it well. There is no pretense, no posturing and no attempts to be deeper than it needs to be. Far East Movement make music to soundtrack parties, and they do it with German efficiency: Their songs have no frills, just propulsive bouncy beats that get girls on the dance floor. That was the name of their first big hit, and if you play it at party today, it will live up to its name every single time.

John Updike's first rule of reviewing books was "try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt." If Far East make you dance, they are doing their job. And last year, other than Skrillex and LMFAO, no other local group made more people move. Their new mixtape is called "Bump from the Trunk Vol. 1." It features the Outkast song "I Like the Way You Move." It also has "Rumpshaker" and Da Brat's "Funkafied." Know your audience.

Mixed by DJ Virman, the tape reveals their old-school-dance and hip-hop roots. It's a mixtape in the classical sense, made up of a few of their tracks ("Girls on the Dance Floor," new single "Jello"), but it's mostly a party to go. A good one. After all, the weekend's here.

Download:

ZIP: Far East Movement-"Bump from the Trunk Vol. 1" (Left-Click)

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-- Jeff Weiss

Grammy preview: L.A. bands in the running

Local acts Foster the People, the Belle Brigade, Tyler the Creator, Far East Movement and Fitz & the Tantrums vie for Grammy glory.

While it’s never a bad year for music in a city the size of Los Angeles, 2011 was a particularly notable one, at least when it came to fresh voices garnering attention at a national level. In fact, between just Foster the People and Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator, Los Angeles boasted one of the year’s biggest success stories as well as one of its most controversial.

Dig deeper, and the city had a little of everything that generally appeals to Grammy voters, including a pair of critically beloved pop traditionalists, a dash of vintage soul and an act that spawned multiple Top 10 singles. Nominations will be announced Wednesday.

Far East Movement tapped to join Lil Wayne for summer leg of 'I Am Still Music' tour

When Lil Wayne moves his hit I Am Still Music tour to outdoor venues for its second leg this summer, the rapper is adding a dose of electro-hop to the roster by adding Far East Movement.

The multiplatinum group owned the charts when their single "Like A G6" made them the first Asian American group to achieve a No. 1 single in the country.

Los Angeles natives, the group rose to mainstream prominence after building a following in the club scene. Their hit, "Girls on the Dance Floor," co-written by Bruno Mars, earned them a record deal with CherryTree/Interscope Records.

The band is currently headlining their Free Wired World Tour, which is taking them to college campuses across the country.

FM joins Rick Ross, who supported Wayne on the first leg, along with R&B singers Keri Hilson (she actually joined the rapper on the first I Am Music tour back in 2008) and Lloyd.

The second leg of the Live Nation/Haymon Ventures produced tour will kick off in Hartford, Conn., July 13 at the Comcast Theatre and wrap up Sept. 11 at the Woodlands Amphitheatre in Woodlands, Texas.

Far East Movement premieres new video for 'If I Was You (OMG)' with Snoop Dogg

For all the international intentions and multi-cultural appeal of Far East Movement, they've repped L.A. harder than any pop stars in recent memory. Based in downtown and advocating a "freewired" lifestyle of interconnectivity and the virtues of food trucks followable on Twitter, the quartet have put on for their city at every opportunity.

Hence, their latest video, "If I Was You (OMG)," filmed at downtown's La Cita bar and with a major assist from rap godfather Snoop Dogg. Though using the acronym "OMG" usually incites eye-rolling, FEM display the sort of affability that has landed them two consecutive Top 10 singles (including the No. 1 "Like a G6").

They're after little more than crafting a breezy summertime pop song tailored for the KIIS-FM demographic -- those who order Grey Goose bottle service and those that dream of being able to afford it. Thus far, it has the makings of a hit with nearly 60,000 views in just 24 hours. Plus, it's difficult to dislike a video featuring lucha libre and Snoop Dogg.

The cameo from the latter shows once again how far he's come since the days of gin and juice. He's the rare rapper capable of wearing a suit and tie and appearing on a chromatic pop track and then flipping the script to kick raw gangsta raps. So it goes when you're the man who made "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" (with Dr. Dre) and "Drop it like it's Hot."

Expect to hear this ad infinitum throughout the Vine Street vortex this summer. Just don't trust anyone who casually uses the phrase "OMG" in conversation. Brevity be damned.

-- Jeff Weiss

Far East Movement cracks the top 10 again, releases short film for 'Rocketeer'

Deadening any discussion about it being a one-hit wonder, downtown L.A.'s Far East Movement has scored its second top 10 national hit with the Ryan Tedder-collaboration "Rocketeer."

At the moment, metaphors of flight seem apt for the Cherry Tree/Interscope signed group, whose "Like a G6" topped the Billboard Hot 100 last fall. But unlike the Walt Disney-produced box office turkey that it shares its name with, FEM's "Rocketeer" has racked up sales of 668,000 units, an impressive figure to stack up alongside "Like a G6's" triple-platinum sales.

"Rocketeer" is currently positioned at No. 9 in the Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on the Digital Songs Charts and No. 6 on Power 106's playlist, and the Koreatown-bred group recently released the "LA Dreamer Short Film" for the song, featuring a more stripped-down and less glossy version of the hit single.

According to a statement from the group: "When we did the song Rocketeer off our 'Free Wired' album, it was inspired by how we grew up in Downtown LA as LA Dreamers living on a dream and never knowing where it would take you. We wanted to paint a portrait of where we live, from where we started, to the free wired mashed up community of dreamers that make up LA.

"We linked up with our neighbor, DPD of Transparent Agency, and went around with a camera to capture our home... then hooked up the same sound setup of old mics and amps we first used to rehearse on, and recorded this live remix in the old backroom to give it a sound like when we first started making music. Made this for dreamers world wide."

The video underscores the group's slow and steady grind -- as depicted in this 2009 Times feature. What appears as overnight success is the result of both stylistic evolution, pop savvy and a decade of tirelessly rocking every venue in Los Angeles. Accordingly, the "LA Dreamer" film is a paean to the band's hometown, including the Santa Monica Pier, Korean barbecue restaurants, Melrose Boulevard and  downtown Los Angeles. Even Snoop Dogg, Los Angeles' rap patron saint, makes a cameo.

With an appearance on "Conan" last Monday and promises of a marquee soundtrack placement, the group has lived up to the hook of its song. It's hard to get much higher than this -- unless Snoop helps the band out in that category too.  

-- Jeff Weiss

The Far East Movement go platinum, discuss alternative pop and G6's

They might not be able to purchase their own Gulfstream yet, but the Downtown Los Angeles-based Far East Movement (FM) are certainly able to buy their fair share of bottles at the club.

After all, “Like a G6,” their platinum paean to the jet-set existence, was the No. 1 digital single last week, racking up sales of 216,000 units to complement its 10,000,000-plus plays on YouTube. The greatest Airplay Gainer on the charts, the song currently sits at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on urban radio powerhouse 105.9-FM.

Since their Times feature last winter, the Koreatown-raised rappers have seen their profile skyrocket, inking a deal with Cherrytree/Interscope and touring with Lady Gaga, Robyn, LMFAO, La Roux, and Mike Posner. In the process, they shattered any lingering doubts about whether an Asian American group could see massive national pop success.