Music

Los Lonely Boys is hoping its forthcoming album "Forgiven," out July 1 on Epic, "gets people back on the train with Los Lonely Boys," according to bassist JoJo Garza.

Authorities say DMX has been arrested on drug and animal-cruelty charges in Phoenix following an overnight raid on the rapper's house.

The Dave Matthews Band will perform at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sept. 10 as part of the inaugural Stand Up For A Cure concert series, designed to raise funds and awareness for lung cancer research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Coldplay's Viva La Vida world tour -- which will land in North America, Europe and Japan -- is set to begin at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center on June 29 and extend well into next year, Billboard.com can reveal.

John Mellencamp's "Life, Death, Love and Freedom," produced by T-Bone Burnett and due July 15 via Hear Music, will be released in a new high-definition audio format dubbed CODE.

• Sting, Brian Wilson Play Rainforest Benefit • Coldplay Announce Tour Dates • Cee-Lo Helps Perform 500 Sing-Along Songs • News Ticker: Notorious B.I.G., Radiohead • News Ticker: R. Kelly, Dave Grohl, Foxy • The Academy Is … in the Studio • Springsteen Plays Rare Theater Show • Top Ten: Best in Pop Culture • Weekend Rock List: City Songs • Jason Castro Overthrown on “American Idol” • Trey Anastasio Shreds at Jammys • Tour Tracker: My Morning Jacket, Tina Turner • News Ticker: Neil Young, Diddy…

“I would compare it to starting over,” the Academy Is… singer William Beckett says of working on the band’s third full-length album. “The way we felt on [2005’s debut] Almost Here.” Beckett, along with drummer Andy Mrotek, bassist Adam Siska and guitarists Mike Carden and Michael Guy Chislett entered a New York recording studio this week to begin production on the follow-up to last year’s Santi. Armed with an estimated 20 tracks in “final form,” the Chicago band will now determine what Siska calls “the best of” for the…

Tokio Hotel came to our office today, and even though they spell Tokyo incorrectly (well, the German way), it got us thinking about songs with cities in their titles. Therefore this week’s Rock List is an ode to tracks that serve as homages to big metropolises, small towns and other places you can find on a map. Let us know your favorites, and on Monday we’ll count up the picks. Before you break out your atlases, here’s a few to get you started: Nirvana – “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” Tom Waits – “I Wish I Was in New Orleans (In the…

Last year Atlanta music manager Josh Rifkind brought Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Songs Of All Time to life over the course of an epic 10-night concert. This year he’s staging the 500 Greatest Sing-Along Songs, with all the proceeds again benefiting the 500 Songs For Kids Foundation. The event — which wraps tomorrow at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta — will conclude with Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo singing “Hey Jude,” the Number 1 song on the bill. Other performers include Butch Walker on “Sister Christian,” Arrested Development on “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Artist to…

Each week on MTV’s Rock the Cradle, the sons and daughters of musical icons compete for the sort of exposure they would have received anyway on the basis of their DNA. Rock Daily sorts through the nepotistic wreckage. Children’s Story: We finally arrive at our last live episode, which opens in rapid fire fashion with Crosby Loggins shrugging his way through the Raconteurs’ “Steady As She Goes,” Chloe Lattanzi getting all twitchy on “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and Jesse Blaze Snider shouting along with Good Charlotte’s “The…

Just in... Photo op: JESSICA SIMPSON performs for the troops at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. The pics were snapped by audience member Lance Cpl. SHANNON E. MCMILLAN, USMC.

DONNA SUMMER is releasing Crayons, her first album of all-new material in 17 years, on May 20, and the legendary former disco queen sat down exclusively with our own MARY HART in the music studio to deliver the 411! The "Hot Stuff" and "Last Dance" singer -- who will perform live on the ET stage on Tuesday, May 20 -- gets candid about her private problems early in her career, struggling with "severe depression" and admitting to a suicide attempt in the late '70s. "It sort of snuck up on me," the multiple-Grammy winner tells Mary. "I had my…

New wedding details just in... While newly engaged ASHLEE SIMPSON has kept quiet about her upcoming wedding plans to fiance PETE WENTZ, her big sis JESSICA has let the cat out of the bag on one big detail! She will be Ashlee's maid of honor, reports People. When asked if she will be standing next to Ashlee on her wedding day, Jessica replied, "Of course."

It was a night of musical heavyweights as BARBRA STREISAND, QUINCY JONES and others took the stage to honor ALAN and MARILYN BERGMAN with the ASCAP Founders Award at the 23rd annual film and television music awards. The Bergmans credits include four Emmy Awards and three Academy Awards , in addition to two Grammys for their classic tune, "The Way We Were."

ET has the latest... MADONNA announced the dates for her highly anticipated tour today, revealing that she will kick off her "Sticky and Sweet" tour on August 23 in Cardiff, Wales. The worldwide tour, which will promote her new album Hard Candy, will also make stops in France, Germany the Netherlands and Italy. The Material Girl will make her first U.S. stop on October 3 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The tour is set to conclude in Miami on November 26. Tickets go on sale May 16.

I Want To Be Popular: This interesting video of John Mayer popped up on the blogosphere. His good musicianship and personality allows him to hang out with the popular kids in high school. For some reason his music never struck a chord with me.. Have you seen the new video for ‘Pretty Buildings‘ by People in Planes? Check it out here. It’s good, original and different. Listen to the new track Actions and Motives by alternative act 10 Years that comes off the Division record which be will be in stores this tuesday May 13th. The songwriting became so intense and divisive that…

Coldplay’s Viva la Vida: The new Coldplay track Viva la Vida is simply incredible. If you lost your faith in music, this band just may restore it. Microsoft May Build a Copyright Cop Into Every Zune: A future update of the software for Microsoft’s portable media player may well include a feature that will block unauthorized copies of copyrighted videos from being played on it according to The New York Times. ‘Microsoft, which suffers from its own piracy problems, is sympathetic to Hollywood’s concerns’. MTV’s New Pitch To Advertisers: Being that traditional media…

TVT’s Credit Crunch: Here is a list of TVT’s unsecured creditors. You will even find Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger in the list.The indie lable filed chapter 11 several months ago. Coldplay Reaches 2 Million: Coldplay’s new single ‘Violet Hill’ has been downloaded over 2 million times which was made available only 7 days ago. “A spokesman for the band said demand was “staggering,” adding Violet Hill would have outsold the whole of last week’s top 40 singles four times over”. Listen to the track here, it grows on you with each…

KOARs favorite My Favorite Highway will be releasing a new record scheduled for a July release date. We have been pimping this band for a while, and if you’re not familiar with the band, check them out and listen to Murder On The Radio and They Tried To Kill Chivalry. Truly a cut above the rest! Signings:The four piece pop punk band, The Years Gone By, has signed to Rise Records. Universal Republic has signed the Nasvilled based singer/songwriter Erin McCarley. It also appears that Republic also struck a deal with the band State of Shock. Their track “Money Honey” was a top 10…

12,000 of the world’s independent record labels have joined together to create a virtual fifth major. “80 percent of the world’s music releases come not from the majors but from independent labels. Getting access to this music is a hassle for stores like iTunes and webcasters like Last.fm, since it takes an incredible amount of effort to do thousands of different (and small) deals. It’s not a great situation for the indies, either, which individually don’t possess the clout needed to get the best deals.” A little over a year ago, the indies launched Merlin,…

That's right; I'll pay you $100 via PayPal if you can come up with a name for this blog, as Indie Music 2.0 was just a temporary place card. While it's evolved from DIY marketing and promotion tips for indie musicians, to a discovery resource about the Internet based products and services enabling indie artists, these two directions are not mutually exclusive. It would be great to find a name that somehow reflected both, but I'm open to just a good name :-) So, all you have to do is come up with a name that not only I like, but is also an available domain name, and you'll get a C-Note! There…

Have you ever wanted to find new music for the mood you're in? This is exactly the problem that recently launched Guitarati is trying to solve. Incorporating aspects of Color Psychology, Guitarati has developed a technology that correlates music styles and genres with a listener's emotions, expressing these relationships in a wide range of colors. Guitarati, suggests that for every mood, every state of mind, colors can more accurately represent the kind of music a listener wants to hear, as musical notes elicit emotions as diverse as the color spectrum, something that text based tagging is…

A couple of weeks ago I learned about idiomag, a personalized digital music magazine that keeps you in the loop with your favorite musicians/bands by aggregating various types of content about these artists in a centralized and interactive format. The content includes audio, articles, photos, gigs, videos and more. What's compelling about this service is that idiomag deploys an intelligent system which adapts to a reader's interests as he/she rates the appeal of the content they are viewing, helping to refine the viewer's preferences. An interesting service, I see at least three ways indie…

A couple of days ago I asked a few questions about We7's business model, and Steve Purdham, the CEO for We7 graciously responded with some good insight. As such, his comments warranted a new post. Here's what he had to say: 1) Can advertising support the business: We obviously believe yes otherwise there would be no point, however there are challenges. The biggest being the disparate economics of the current Music and Ad worlds. However, early signs are looking very promising in particular for Streaming and we believe downloading will follow. 2) What's to prevent people removing the ad: In…

In case you haven't heard, MOG, a music sharing and discovery site announced they've received a $2.8 million investment from the Universal Music Group and the Angels’ Forum. According to CrunchBase, MOG has raised at least $6 million since their founding in June of 2005 by David Hyman. This round of funding for MOG pushes music technology investments since the beginning of the year to over $60 million. That's impressive. Who's next? If you know of more, or one in the works, just send me an email and I'll add it to the list. ----------------------------------------------------------I was…

One reason I love Google Trends: It allows me to keep up with Don't Forget The Lyrics while not having to watch the show, thanks to the many searches for strings like "thriller lyrics" and "hit the road jack lyrics" and "movin on up lyrics" (sadly not for the awesome Primal Scream song). No. 7 on the list at this moment is, uh, "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters, a song that I have a probably disproportional affection for thanks for a) the way it's kind of the perfect slow-dance song and b) its introduction to the American populace via Family Ties, which was one of my favorite…

Self-proclaimed "guy that's been listening to your band faithfully since 1983" Dave Grohl has apparently sent an open letter to Metallica pleading with them to not release their new album until they're sure it's good, a rule that they haven't really been following for the past 10 years or so. Dear METALLICA, Hey, it's Dave! Remember me? Yeah, I'm the guy that's been listening to your band faithfully since 1983. I bought your first album 'Kill 'Em All' from a mailorder catalogue called Under The Rainbow, I think. Actually I can't remember. It was 1983 for Christsakes! But that album changed my…

DMX has been having lots of problems with the law lately, particularly when it comes to what is and what isn't a moving violation. He's had so many issues with that subset of the penal code, in fact, that his license has been suspended! Which makes the fact that he was driving "over 114 miles per hour" in Arizona a few months back a bit sticky.On January 21, the actor/rapper was photographed driving his 1966 Chevy Nova II on the Loop 101 at a speed of 100 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone. Just a minute later, DMX, born Earl Simmons, was photographed at another camera moving at a…

From the "statements that I pretty much agree with 100% file, so there's not much else to add to them" file comes Ryan Catbird's rumination on the "all music should be free" model: "I still think the more important question is: 'What if an artist that hasn't already built a career on the label system released their work directly, gave it away for free, retained their rights, etc. Would it matter?' The answer, sadly, to that one is "no, it doesn't matter." Myriad small unheard-of bands are out there posting their albums for free every day, but there's still no good way for them to get heard.

Apparently the right wing has been going batshit crazy over the pornographic content on the online Wikipedia (link NSFW), which includes but is not limited to "images of mammary intercourse," "an illustrated list of sex positions," "photos of nude strippers," and other such pieces of filth. (I guess some people really were scarred for life after looking up "sex" in the World Book.) One of the more controversial Wikipedia bits happens to be the non-US cover for the Scorpions' 1976 album Virgin Killer, which has a photo of a young nude girl whose crotch is obscured by a camera-lens crack. The,…

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The full bill's now been announced.

You could WIN a DAB radio by casting your vote for TNB's Amy Jones

Enemy, Pigeon Detectives, The Wombats, Fratellis, We Are Scientists, Reverend and the Makers and Pendulum all confirmed

Millions of independent musicians are trying to achieve success in the music business. But the chances of them "making it big" are miniscule at best. What can they do to improve their odds? Singer Aneel asked the same question and in the process created a DVD called "411 On The Independent Music Movement" containing answers from a number of experts.

The Love Kills Theory bandleader releases 'A Hole In The Head,' an hour long documentary about trepanation - the process of boring a hole in the skull

Toronto-based, roots-calypso act Kobo Town is capping a pivotal year with their debut album 'Independence' being selected in Exclaim! Magazine "Year in Review 2007." Voted a Top 10 "Groove" Album of 2007, following Amy Winehouse and M.I.A, Independence was the only album by an unsigned act in the category. The band was also recognized by the 2007 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards with a Best World Song Award for "Corbeaux Following."

The L.A. Carpool website has already received over one million hits. But thats just one indication of the bands growing popularity. L.A. Carpool has been featured in a Salsa night club scene on the CBS television show First Monday, and the song Salsa Inferno was played. The band has performed live on LATV Live, KJLA which broadcasts to approximately 10 million bi-lingual households.

Artists like Annie and Phil of Hobbyhorse, go that extra mile to help themselves, while helping others. It makes it worthwhile to volunteer myself to work as hard as I do, in this overly crowded industry of self-centeredness - when you have the opportunity to find those special people that really do care about their fellow artists. When they are genuine about it... it's all the more pleasurable. Thanks Hobbyhorse! Annette Warner - Editor, GoGirlsMusic

Aleks Kolkowski has discovered a new use for old CDs: repurposing them into vinyl-style records that can be played on any record player. Attendees of the Manchester Futuresonic 2008 Festival were invited to bring their unwanted CDs and DVDs to his display at the event to have music physically etched onto them by Kolkowski's vintage vinyl cutter. Even better, he apparently let people bring their own WAV files so that they could have whatever song they wanted cut onto the disc. The resulting CDs are sort of like a DIY version of the vinyl CDs we spotted in November. Drop them onto any turntable…

Herbie Hancock told us that for the past ten years, he has been writing music by envisioning a scene and then coming up with melodies that complement it. It's been a while since we checked in with Podington Bear, and it turns out he's been working along the same lines, recording songs that are inspired by photographs. He uploads the photographs next to the songs so you can view the pictures as you listen to the free MP3s that go along with them at his new site, SoundofPicture, likening the concept to scoring a film that consist of a single frame."The idea is that I take a picture and…

Straight outta the New Zealand boondocks, Die! Die! Die! are anything but quiet. They exhibit a sonic intensity that starts with the legendary Wire and Pixies and ends somewhere between The Silversun Pickups and Interpol. Which is another way of saying they rock nicely, thanks. Their self-titled 2005 debut was produced by iconoclast Steve Albini, whose muscular instincts helped Die! Die! Die! crack open the American and European markets, and their recent sophomore effort Promises Promises has finally made its way across the pond after enjoying months of acclaim with its native kiwis. So has…

CBS's Last.fm aims the camera at a number of worthwhile recording artists in the inaugural iteration of Last.fm/Presents, its new video interview channel. They've come out of the gate at a full sprint, with interviews from some fairly serious badasses discussing their musical influences and flightier topics: Santogold Moby Neon Neon (Griff Rhys and Boom Bip) Josh Radin Steve Aoki Spoon (more) All of the interviews were conducted during a three-day period at SXSW, but Last.fm is readying more interviews to post in the coming months. And the company has more plans for creating original content…

Beach House's stunning sophomore effort Devotion has been out for a couple of months now, but it remains hard to shake. Its Lynchian dream sonics thrive on waking life, the way all great albums do, offering up sublime soundtracking for every possible environment. Mission accomplished. Of course, everyone expected big things from Beach House after Pitchfork and other tastemakers latched onto the band's self-titled 2006 debut and didn't let go. But pianist/vocalist Victoria Legrand and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally turned in even more addictive songs of love, loss and everything in between…

“Technology, it needs me,” Whigs' singer Parker Gispert sang on their first album, Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip. Now the technology of

Country legend and “countrypolitan” musician, Eddy Arnold, died Thursday morning at a care facility in Nashville. He was just days short of his 90th birthday. Born on a farm near Henderson, Tenn., Arnold sang on radio stations in Memphis and St. Louis before having his first No. 1 hit in 1947, “...

The news has been hit by a slew of animal-related disturbances: mountain lions prowling the suburbs, alligators

The members of My Morning Jacket will be courting the dark side as they travel across the country on their upcoming Evil Urges tour. Jim James and Co. won’t be releasing their fifth album

With a Nobel Peace Prize under his belt, Bishop Desmond Tutu has turned his sights on a Grammy. Digital Music News reports that the South African champion of human rights is involved in the SOS Record...

What the crap? According to Blabbermouth, Dave Grohl has penned an open letter to Metallica, urging them not to release their new album until it’s ready. I have to say - I don’t understand it. I keep thinking “What’s Dave’s motivation for writing an open letter to Metallica?” I mean, baiting Metallica is huge. And Foo [...]

Madonna has just announced her summer tour, the dubiously titled “Sticky & Sweet” tour. The tour will begin in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on 23 August 2008 and will travel across the UK and Europe through to the end of September. The will be further dates in North America in October and November, finishing up in South [...]

Do you think Kanye West takes himself too seriously? He’s well known for blowing up at award shows when he gets stiffed by the establishment in favour of other acts. Anyway, he took exception to a review of his Seattle gig by Entertainment Weekly where they rated the show a B+. The review is actually full of [...]

Well, they promised us different, and I can confirm that Coldplay have delivered something different. But is it good? Hell yeah. Even speaking as a determined Coldplay hater, Violet Hill sounds dark, foreboding, and heavy. Less of the piano-sturbation, and Chris Martin retires the falsetto in favour of a more earthy vocal tone. Violet Hill is a [...]

So, you’re in the club, chatting up a girl you’ve met. Next thing she’s wearing your bloody Rolex. Happens me all the time, folks, so I’m glad Wiley wrote a song about it. Seriously though, tracks like this are taking over the charts, and with good reason. There’s been an explosion of UK urban talent recently. [...]

As we may have told you, much of the Odd Couple will make you fall asleep. Some won't, though, and "Going On" is definitely one of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse's best post-St. Elsewhere jams. Fittingly then, the video for the track is a booty shaking dance-a-thon, but not like "Run"'s Timberlake-hosted TV dance party. This one's set in Africa with cooler hats, smoother moves, and more dust. Plus, it stars a real-life Magritte door and some kinda love story.

When not talking about Vampire Weekend and vaginas or performing with his Islands, Nick Thorburn's teaming up with Royal City-associated songwriter and solo artist (and current Islands guitarist) Jim Guthrie as Human Highway. The duo has a forthcoming full-length, which they reportedly recorded in one week at Guthrie's place in Toronto. You can stream two songs at Human HighSpace: Toe-tapping whistle-while-you-steel-drum tune "The Sound," and "Sleep Talking," a sorta reprise on Modest Mouse's "Sleepwalking" reprise on the tradition of '50s/'60s prom dances. Also, Thorburn isn't the only busy…

Although it's not any sort of epic transformation, the half-the-title-track to Viva La Vida or Death Will Come Before This Album Title Is Over, posted earlier this week, is at least a good cut and successful rut-buster. Who knows what the rest of the record holds as far as that's concerned, but while Chris Martin has little to no skill when it comes to naming things (see: album titles, children), you can be sure he is well versed in the use of multiple screens and stage lights to achieve an overdramatic aura. So if you want to see Coldplay's sparkly new Eno-isms translated for the arena --…

Before "Handsome Dick" Manitoba lost his mind and threatened to sue Dan Snaith a few years ago, the Canadian electro psychedelicist was named after one of his homeland's provinces. Now, splitting the difference, he's named after an animal that resides there. Fuck you, "Handsome Dick." Anyhow, the Natural Geographic friendly video for Andorra's "Irene" splices together footage of other furry, feathered, scaled, slimy, and ribbed (yes, ribbed) creatures who you might come across during a hike or swim.UPDATE: Sorry, the newness of is unclear. But we hadn't seen it, so maybe you haven't either?

Earlier this week we posted a couple MP3s from Gregor Samsa, the multi-city minimalist collective that shares members with Kayo Dot. Now we turn our gaze toward KD. Led by Toby Driver and Mia Matsumiya, the NYC sextet just released their third album Blue Lambency Downward on Isis man Aaron Turner's Hydra Head records. The opening, title track is a mysterious 10-minute meandering of bells like crickets, bursts of patient guitar, jazzy drum fills (kept to a toppling spaciousness), electronic pulses, and chiming vocal melodies. It kinda feels like a psychedelic boat trip piloted by Ghost, albeit…

The National Association of Broadcasters has had a meeting with the FCC. Interestingly, the positions of the NAB, when thought about from a business perspective seem odd. 1 - The NAB states that the merger would harm consumers by removing incentives that XM and Sirius currently have to offer competitive rates. If SDARS became more expensive would terrestrial radio benefit because less people would be listening to satellite radio? If SDARS already is only able to keep half of those that try the service at current prices, what percentage would that change to with higher prices? 2 - The NAB…

Another organization has come forward in an effort to seek spectrum as a concession in the proposed merger between Sirius and XM. The National Hispanic Media Coalition stated in a letter to the FCC that should the merger be approved that 15% of the spectrum should be set aside and dedicated to Latino programming. The NHMC arrives at the 15% figure because that is the percentage of the American population that is Hispanic. It seems that groups are trying their best to see to it that the ownership of SDARS equates to the population of the united states. While this idea may seem noble, there…

The Minority Media and Telecommunications council recently had a meeting with the FCC regarding the proposed merger between Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. In their filing with the FCC, the MMTC noted that they were asked to comment on the merger. The MMTC response was: “MMTC has not filed comments in this proceeding and does not plan to do at this time as the merger does not appear to have a direct, specific impact on minority ownership policy.” The filing contains some other bits of information that deal with the congressman Towns letter on 8 minority channels. This is the first…

Despite the fact that a chip in the Starmate 5 carries the LSI name, there is no contractual relationship between LSI and Sirius. LSI informed us of this today and provided us with a press release detailing the sale of their mobility business to Infineon. For their part, Infineon was not able to comment on any SDARS connection, but did confirm that they bought the mobility unit of LSI by supplying a press release Clearly LSI did indeed sell their mobility unit to Infineon. Clearly the Starmate 5 has a chip labeled LSI. Clearly Infineon could be a possible partner in satellite radio. Recent…

Directed Electronics released their Q1 2008 financial results today, and reported that net revenue from satellite radio sales are up 14% on a pro-forma basis. Now, readers should be cautioned that this reporting method does not mean that sales of satellite radios are up. It simply means that on a net basis, the company is seeing more dollars. For Directed, Net sales of Sirius radios represented $17,676,000 for Q1 2008 vs. $15,491,000 for the same period in 2007. “We believe the change to net reporting of our satellite radio sales coupled with providing our security and entertainment and…

Photo by Kathryn Yu Dapper fellow Jarvis Cocker is working on a follow-up to his solo debut, 2006's Jarvis. But he isn't exactly chomping at the bit to get it out there. As he recently told NME, he's got "vague ideas" about the record, which he'd ideally like to do "before the end of the year." (Jarvis' label, Rough Trade, confirms that it will probably be 2009 before we hear a new album from him.) Mr. Cocker also laid a pair of possible song titles on NME: "The Usual" and "Girls Like It Too", the latter of which is apparently about male perceptions of…

Said to be heavily informed by her recent experiences as both a new mother and a transplant to a truly remote part of her native Finland, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lau Nau's sophomore set, Nukkuu, is due May 13 on CD and vinyl from Locust Music. To celebrate the follow-up to 2005's well-received Kuutarha LP, Nau plans to tour extensively. At present, however, she's only got one tour date to her name: a stop at the Ugglan Festival in Stockholm, Sweden on May 15. For a fun time, turn to one of your co-workers and attempt to read the tracklist below out loud. [MORE...] Video: Lau Nau:…

For a while there, a couple years ago, it seemed like Oxford Collapse were putting out records on an almost monthly basis. Lucky for us, they were all pretty good, and lucky for them, after a period of extreme prolificacy, the Brooklyn trio had a little time to unwind. Apparently, they didn't take it. In between tours and more tours last year and earlier in this one, the band managed to crank out enough material for a single, an EP, and a double album, all due in the next few months. Let's run 'em down, shall we? First up is the "Spike of Bensonhurst" 7", due May 13 from…

Photo by Josh Bean Are you ready to rock? It would seem you have clicked on the wrong news story. Are you ready to take in some absurdist comedy from Eugene Mirman, the man with the "fancy, bejeweled penis?" Well, uh, stay ready. Sub Pop signee Mirman is out on tour as we speak, hitting a few comedy festivals and more than a few rock clubs as he traverses this country of ours. What, no Canada? Of particular note: a June 5 set in Brooklyn to benefit Gulf Coast rebuilders South Toward Home, and a set at the pre-party for his current label's big 20th anniversary bash in July. [MORE...]…

Photo by Natalie Kardos The release of Spiritualized's sixth studio record, Songs in A&E, is approaching at warp speed. Thus, J. Spaceman and co. have decided to expand their itinerary with North American dates, starting with their appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. These new shows take place in the midst of an already sizable world tour, and, in contrast to Spiritualized's previous "Acoustic Mainlines" performances, they feature a full electric band. Given Spiritualized's predilection for thunderous electric performances, we advise securing your internal organs in…

So many towns boast a Cripple Creek, it’s hard to know which one this song is referring to. The famous banjo picker Bascom Lamar Lunsford mentioned in his 1927 book “30 and 1 Folksongs From the Southern Mountains” that he knew of a Cripple Creek [...]

Blow the Man Down originated in the Western Ocean sailing ships. The tune could have originated with German emigrants, but it is more likely derived from an African-American song Knock a Man Down. Blow the Man Down was originally a halyard shanty. A [...]

This is another song that I learned at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. The song originated in Irish Creek, on the Blue Ridge Parkway near South River Virginia in the early 1800s. Joe Clark had a daughter who jilted her [...]

On December 1, 2007 the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago celebrated its 50th anniversary. This is a song that I learned there 50 years ago. I love sea chanteys and this is one of my favorites! American sailors who sang this disdained [...]

Two films take a look at the echoes of Jamaican music worldwide. Dub Echoes read more

Los Angeles-based web radio collective-turned non-profit organization dublab launched its "Hands On" Proton Drive this week, and until May 21, the infamous Labrats (frosty, Jimmy Tamborello, Nobody, Daedelus, The Gaslamp Killer, Carlos Nino, and a ton of other artists) will be broadcasting live, working hard to collect some extra funds. read more

The Roots, Múm, Caspa & Rusko, Robert Hood, and Senor Coconut are just a few of the artists confirmed for the diverse Flow Festival, set to take place August 15-17 in Helsinki, Finland's Suvilahti. Now in its fifth year, the event is organized by the Nuspirit Helsinki collective, who have expanded the show to an area three times larger as the previous year and added a fourth stage. read more

BJ “Bitter” Bastard’s not one for navel-gazing. And he certainly didn’t care to trawl through the annals of this rag’s history to find for you our finest moments of the past 15 years. But we made him do it anyway. One might think that he’d come away with a veritable history of electronic music culture from ’93 ’til the present. He did, but he also surfaced with tired drug references, sore eyes (from staring at the worst fractal graphics ever), and God knows how many disses on Moby and prog house. Here he lays bare 10 monumental firsts in XLR8R’s early years. read more

Atmosphere When Life Hands You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold Rhymesayers Release Date: Out Now read more

What? Emerging from a curious indie-rock-meets-new-age fog, located somewhere between Enya, Bright Eyes, and Air, the Republic Tigers debut this week with Keep Color (out May 6), an excellent collection of acoustic guitars, backing ooohhhs and aaahhhs, sailing keys, and frontman Kenn Jankowski's hushed vocals, all covered in a ethereal, smooth production. And album opener "Buildings & Mountains" is an apt mission statement, with its digi-filtered instrumentation, sputtering progressions, and otherworldly transcendence. Tune in and -- in the word's of Enya -- "sail away." Who? Kansas…

The Inglish-Rocks team -- Cool Kids' Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll and Antoine "Mikey Rocks" Reed -- opened with a little fiscal advice on off-album track "Gettin' It," telling last night's (May 8) be-seen crowd "there's no pocket full of cash to be thrown in the air," before slathering clunky-ill beats over trademark odes to BMXs and Fruity Pebbles. The evening came as a home turf treat before the two emcees and one DJ embark on a coast-to-coast mission supporting new EP, The Bake Sale (out May 20). While a crew of Heffner Bunny-worthy waitresses mixed Snow Queen vodka cocktails and danced…

I haven’t posted even once since last Friday.  I’ve been busy with these guys, and getting ready for this, and listening to this, and shopping for one of these.  Whew. I was suppossed to go to an Elvis Costello concert next week, but it was canceled because of this and the damage that was done to the roof of the venue.  I was very sad.  But now we have tickets to see this guy, and I am happy again.  So here is our Friday Night Video.

Everyone at our house is singing “Boom Dee Ah Da” tonight.  This is so darn catchy.

That’s what I said to my husband Saturday night as we sat in the emergency room waiting for my tetanus shot. It was like Trading Spaces, I argued, because it involved home improvements (me, removing the tile from our kitchen wall so I could install a fancy new backsplash behind the stove) and the couple from next door coming over (to watch our kids while my husband took me to the ER after I gouged myself with a brand new super-sharp 3-inch putty knife).  On a Saturday night, no less.  Just like a new episode. If we had color-coordinated shirts and a perky host, then yes, it would…

If you had told me a few months ago that I would be rooting for a boy with dreadlocks and a ukulele singing “Over the Rainbow”, I would never have believed you. Carly Smithson’s music career, it seems, was never meant to be. Ascots and Aerosmith do not mix well, Michael Johns.  And I still do not believe that you are 29. My husband’s opinion: David Archuleta needs to be chained to a rock and played Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith and Exile on Main Street by the Stones for three days straight.  Then, perhaps, he will be cured. P.S. My new favorite Idol commentary…

There are very few artists whom I’ve addressed directly on this blog in an “open letter” — I believe Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes are the only two (although that Dan Zanes entry isn’t so much an open letter as a shout-out).  My latest open letter is a “Dear Johns” letter — for John Flansburg and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants. Dear John and John, You probably get tired of having adjectives like “quirky” and “clever” applied to your music.  I can totally relate.  My brother used to refer to my husband and me…

The Waterboys - World Party from Fisherman’s Blues (1988) Ivan Neville - Ghetto Street from Saturday Morning Music (2002) Ray LaMontagne - Country Girl from Rarities (year) Splitsville - Your Way, My Way from Ultrasound (2005) Red House Painters - Priest Alley Song from Songs for a Blue Guitar (1996) Stick McGhee - One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show from Atlantic Rhythm & Blues (1947-74) (1991) The Innocence Mission - Song About Traveling from Small Planes (2001) Bob Dorough - Hodges from Right On My Way Home (1997) Cheap Trick - Woke Up With a Monster (live) from Silver (2001)…

So, I’m about to reveal to you a problem I have that only a few know about: I cannot scream. That’s right, I can’t yell really loud at anything. I can raise my voice, I can get angry, but for some reason, I really can’t scream out loud. It’s hard to explain what actually happens when I try to — I mean, I just can’t condition myself to actually do it. So of course, today, when I heard “Summertime” (download) – the first single from the reunited New Kids on the Block — I naturally had to call up my BFF Suzy so she could just do all the screaming for me…

Hey everybody, and anyone else I’ve left out. Welcome to the sixteenth stoat-wrangling week of Name That Tune at Popdose. While we do impose a certain amount of structure on the game, I urge you to think of this structure not so much as a loose set of guidelines but more as a firm and unbreakable set of rules that you flout at your peril: The Rules (subject to modification in future games): MAXIMUM THREE GUESSES between updates of the list, to give everyone a chance to play. An update of the list is when I post the entire list of correct guesses. The Puzzle clip may only be guessed once…

Mainstream Rock: Spacehog, “In the Meantime” (1996) Pete: Haven’t thought about old Spacehog since, well, 1996. But this song did age well. Jeff: I can’t believe these guys opened for Pearl Jam. Their moment in the sun was sadly brief — that hourglass in the beginning of the video is pretty appropriate — but I guess you don’t need to be too worried about record sales when you’re Liv Tyler’s husband. Robert: Why, because of her two dads’ cash? ‘Cause she’s not really that big of a movie star. By the by, my pitch for a new…

All I know about Speed Racer I learned as a kid, when I watched episodes of the proto-anime between spoonfuls of Cocoa Puffs. There wasn’t much to it — there was a car, a monkey, a bad guy, and once I had my sugar rush I was outta there, its theme song lodged in a tiny corner of my mind. Some 40 years later I wouldn’t have imagined it as a potential new franchise for the makers of The Matrix (1999) to put on the road, but then again I was the guy who said today’s savvy, Wii-playing kids would never, ever go for Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Speed Racer invite for the press…

photos by Krissi Pearson As promised, Mochipet… dressed as a purple dinosaur… running through the streets… spreading his love among the record shoppers…

photos by Krissi Pearson We’ve moved over to Sonic Boom Records, where Throw Me the Statue has just thrown it down. Be sure to catch them at the Sasquatch! Music Festival later this month. Minutes ago, the purple dinosaur that is Mochipet just rampaged through the store, and Man Plus is warming up now. Come on down!

photos by Andrew McDonald Our second performance of the day featured a beautiful set from Arthur & Yu at Verite Coffee and Cupcake Royale. Next, we’re moving across the street now to Sonic Boom Records, where Throw Me the Statue (11AM), Mochipet (11:45AM), Man Plus (1PM), and Cloud Cult (3PM) will perform for DJs Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole. Come on down!

photos by Andrew McDonald Common Market kicked off Ballard Day at Verite Coffe and Cupcake Royal! Come down and help us celebrate Ballard for their win in the 2nd Hood-to-Hood challenge during last summer’s membership drive. DJ’s John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole are spinning from Verite Coffee from 6-10AM and then at Sonic Boom Records for the rest of the day until 6PM. Here’s the schedule for the day, but be sure to check out the Ballard Day Guide for full details: 7:00AM Common Market 9:00AM Arthur & Yu 11:00AM Throw Me The Statue 11:45AM Mochipet 1:00PM Man…

photo by Chona Kasinger After just finishing up a pretty intensive week of hanging out in rock clubs and going to shows nearly every night, I’m not sure I’m up for another one for a while, yet there is still so much going on, show-wise and not, that it will be tough to stay at home. Annie Hall and Manhattan at the Seattle International Film Festival Cinema, Friday May 9 I’m very excited to be covering SIFF this year for TIG and am still working on my itinerary since the schedule just came out yesterday. In the meantime, two of my absolute favorite films of all time are…

Mac users can get passionate about running the latest and greatest. But it’s worth tempering that enthusiasm, as on any OS, with some healthy caution about your critical machines. Photo by Mark Pang. (Beautiful office, mate!) Apple’s "point" releases — those seemingly-harmless updates you get automatically in Software Update — do sometimes break stuff. I tend to ignore the updates until I’ve had a chance to confirm they’re okay. Case in point: it looks like 10.5.2 can result in glitchy audio on laptops. Native Instruments has an official statement…

Brad Sucks, the (despite the name) well-loved Internet musician, has been blogging and releasing tools he’s building to make his online music life better. This one is especially nice: it’s a simple, open source script that connects mailing list sign-ups to Google Maps. Armed with this information, it’s easier to see where your fans are. (Image at right seems to suggest at least a one-person gig offshore of Nigeria, but you get the idea.) Brad’s Mappy Email Signup Release Early data is really interesting already. Of course, you need to have more than, say, five fans,…

Slicing, remixing, looping, "live performance-oriented features" … this is Digidesign we’re talking about, right? Digi’s Advanced Instrument Research (A.I.R.) unit, the fruits of the acquisition of Wizoo, may have a pretentious name, but they’ve been doing some pretty great work on new instruments. The new project, Transfuser, will have to enter some crowded waters. Loop slicing and handling already works pretty nicely in Ableton Live (especially with Live 7’s drum racks), in instrument form in FL Studio 8’s awesome Edison and Slicex, and in tools…

A spherical view of the Baltimore Symphony, by Zach Stern. Ableton announced that they’d be doing an orchestral sample library — called, logically enough, the Orchestral Instrument Collection — way back when Live Suite came out last year. But Orchestral Instruments actually didn’t ship then. As of this week, it is shipping. You can buy the whole library for US$599, or you can pick up sections a la carte for $189 (or, oddly, $159 for Orchestral Percussion). Like the Essential Instruments Collection, the samples come from SONiVOX, with high-fidelity and low-fidelity…

Native Instruments is releasing some cheaper ways of getting at their software guitar modeler, Guitar Rig, in the form of a cheaper software version and a hardware bundle: Guitar Rig 3 XE is a "lite" version of Guitar Rig, focused on the basics — 5 guitar/bass amps, 12 cabinets, and 21 effects. It also some of the "helper" modules from Guitar Rig, including a metronome, tapedeck, and tuner — but no looping module, which is one of my favorites. (See the full list.) US$99 on its own. Guitar Session bundles the LE software with Cubase 4 LE, some pop drums for KORE…

Mike Doughty “27 Jennifers (05/07/2008)” (mp3) Mike Doughty - Official Site Mike Doughty - Wikipedia Site Mike Doughty - MySpace Site Subscribe to Culture Bully Here

Myth: 5:00 doors SOLD OUT “Gigantour” Megadeth - Official Site Megadeth - Wikipedia Site Megadeth - MySpace Site In Flames - Official Site In Flames - Wikipedia Site In Flames - MySpace Site Children of Bodom - Official Site Children of Bodom - Wikipedia Site Children of Bodom - MySpace Site Job for a Cowboy - Official Site Job for a Cowboy - Wikipedia Site Job for a Cowboy - MySpace Site High on Fire - Official Site High on Fire - Wikipedia Site High on Fire - MySpace Site Triple Rock Social Club: 9:00 $10 18+ “Interlock Lives” (preview) Prof and Rahzwell - MySpace…

Jimmy Eat World “Let It Happen (05/05/2008)” (mp3) Jimmy Eat World - Official Site Jimmy Eat World - Wikipedia Site Jimmy Eat World - MySpace Site Subscribe to Culture Bully Here Previously: Jimmy Eat World on The Tonight Show

Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. In this, the second of two parts featuring Carl Creighton, the singer expands on his transition into America’s ultimate metropolis. The feelings that develop as one becomes blind to their surroundings, Creighton concludes, start to resemble a song that really has nothing to do with its title. On “El Paso”: This was the first song I wrote after officially moving to New York, at least the…

7th St. Entry: 8:00 doors $10 18+ Mac Lethal “Rotten Apple Pie” (mp3) Mac Lethal “Walkin’ on Nails” (mp3) Mac Lethal - Official Site Mac Lethal - MySpace Site Grieves - MySpace Site DJ Sku - MySpace Site Soulcrate - Official Site Soulcrate - MySpace Site Turf Club: 9:00 Private Dancer - MySpace Site The Black Hollies “Paisley Pattern Ground” (mp3) The Black Hollies - MySpace Site The Floorshakers - MySpace Site The Conquorers - MySpace Site Subscribe to Culture Bully Here

Vinnie Caruana (I Am the Avalanche) is playing a last minute acoustic show tomorrow in Matawan, NJ at the Matawan First Presbyterian. Doors at 6.

Radiohead have spoken out against their Greatest Hits album. From the ArticleWe haven't really had any hits so what exactly is the purpose? There's nothing we can do about it. The work is really public property now anyway, in my head at least. It's a wasted opportunity in that if we'd been behind it, and we wanted to do it, then it might have been good.

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) implores Metallica not to release their new album unless it "kicks ass." Letter from DaveHey, it's Dave! Remember me? Yeah, I'm the guy that's been listening to your band faithfully since 1983. I bought your first album 'Kill 'Em All' from a mail order catalogue called Under The Rainbow, I think. Actually I can't remember. It was 1983 for Christsakes! But that album changed my life and I've been listening to your albums ever since (even 'St Anger'!). I can't wait to hear the new shit, and no matter what you guys do I'll always be first one at the shop…

Ashlee Simpson has claimed she is not the new Yoko Ono. From the ArticleAny problems with Fall Out Boy, such as a delayed tour, are blamed on her, with some even accusing her of being the reason for the band's lack of Grammy nominations. Like Yoko, who was blamed for breaking up The Beatles, it seems Ashlee can do no right in the eyes of the Emo faithful.

The rest of the music world is moving past DRM; however, the RIAA never were ones to be early adopters. From the Article"(Recently) I made a list of the 22 ways to sell music and 20 of them still require DRM," RIAA technology unit head David Hughes said...

An animal trainer was recently attacked by a white tiger on the set for Rick Ross’ new video "Here I Am" featuring Nelly.   The unnamed trainer was bitten on the leg by the white tiger, which will be portrayed as Rick Ross’ pet in the upcoming video.   According to Miami's WVSN Channel 7’s Deco Drive, the tiger became aggravated after being entangled in chains and attacked the trainer as he attempted to coax the animal out of its cage.   "The trainer went and tried to help...(read more)

Composer Karl Presseur's score to the animated film, DRAGONSLANCE: DRAGONS OF AUTUMN LIGHT, will release on May 13, 2008 at iTunes and Amazon.com. The direct-to-dvd-feature offers the voice talents of Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, and Michael Rosenbaum. The DVD released in January 2008 and is also available at Amazon.com.You can check out a couple pieces from the Presseur's score at the official site. Here and Here.You can also visit KARL PRESSEUR's official site here.

One of the busiest composers in the world of video games is INON ZUR. Having already written score for popular franchises such as CRYSIS, LINEAGE, PRINCE OF PERSIA, and EVERQUEST, the composer is now attached to yet another famous game franchise - Fallout. The official game site now offers 3 streaming tracks from the score. Check them out here. Below is the official press release.MEDIA RELEASEFALLOUT 3® TO FEATURE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKBY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER INON ZURMay 7, 2008 (Rockville, MD) -- Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that Inon Zur has created the…

Even as IRON MAN continues to tear up the box office, the next big "Summer Movie" is upon us - SPEED RACER. While composer Michael Giacchino's score for the film has proven a bit of an orchestral-shock to me, veteran-video-game composer, WINIFRED PHILLIPS' score for the SPEED RACER VIDEO GAME is much more along the lines of what the film's trailer appeared to be setting us up for. Check out three tracks from the video game soundtrack here!Below you can read the full Press Release:Go Speed Racer! In Stores Now!Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment PresentsSpeed Racer: The VideogameBurbank,…

The Keys to the KingdomReview by Christopher ColemanFor martial-art film fans, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM has been a dream come true. Even beyond their prime, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are still tops in the business. For this Lions Gate release, the two play iconic roles: a monk and a drunk respectively. They become the co-masters of a young, displaced Bostonian, Jason Tripitakas. Not only is Jason in the wrong place, but he's in the wrong time...and universe. The young, kung-fu-film-fanatic, has come to possess a golden-staff, that legend says, was once owned by the mythic Monkey King. Before being…

...more of the same music. That is. The second full length trailer for, what seems to be, the most anticipated film of the Summer, has just been posted. In a Summer full of potential super-blockbusters, THE DARK KNIGHT has the masses in the palm of their viral-marketing palms. Admittedly, this does look like it is going to soar above the rest of the Summer line-up as director Christopher Nolan is putting himself in a class by himself. Heath Ledger's performance looks as though it will be unforgettable. He'll be sorely missed.Oh yes. In terms of the music, appears to be more of the same from…

BLEEDING HEART NARRATIVE MP3: Braids And A Necklace Lightly pawing its way past a busker playing a cheap violin. Everything is probably blurry when you are only one foot tall, especially in this heat. In all of Braids and A Necklace’s initial subtlety and diminutive stature, there is a great big heart that pumps and grows, driving string-led atmospherics that drone, and build; brick by brick, until a pile of rubble becomes a smart wall, and a doorway. You are welcome to walk through, you have 7 minutes to decide. Bleeding Heart Narrative’s album is superb. It’s available to…

It Hugs Back MP3: Other Cars Go A powerful, stylishly American, night-time imagination of pop; dreaming the same scene every night. Colours are more vibrant, scenery is more specific, and the pace is faster the more tired you are. It’s long, but like in a dream-world there’s exhilaration before exhaustion. Even gliding through clouds of feedback and distortion, above predictable seas, is familiar in a dream: not the least bit startling. It Hugs Back are now part of the revamped, but still super & hi-quality, 4AD label. Album this summer, very excited. The proposed weekly…

QUIET VILLAGE MP3: Circus of Horror Psychy-jam sessions get a bit more direction, and get a little more decadent; a dark off-kilter. It’s a spiralling descent of funk and cool, all delivered in a grainy slow motion on the warmest beach by the coldest sea. Samplists, in the most stretched out sense of the word, Quiet Village, might just be the genre-bending stars of summer nights occasionally revealing something incredible. This is what Quiet Village do, with exquisite… timing and choice. What a way to start May: Exotica born in London, via a few Italian beaches, forgotten towns…

For all future BEST OFs I’ll be asking a couple of people involved in music blogs to comment on my favourite tracks of the month, keep me in check, and give a wider perspective on things. Shane represents Ireland over at The Torture Garden. Sean, who recently left these shores to return to Canada, writes for Said The Gramophone. [Photo credit: Chris Seufert] MP3:MOUNTAIN MACHINE - TIGERS Mike: My favorite track of the month was by Mountain Machine, I said that it was “an instrumental and psychedelic revving up and tuning up…” until… “the throb begins. The…

WRITINGS ABOUT NEW BRITISH MUSIC, ALL OVER THE WEB. In Nothing But Green Lights news: Go to nothingbutgreenlights.net/gigslist/ if you want a daily updated list of gigs being played by bands who have been featured here in the last year. Because live music is awesome. Clicking band names for a review and an mp3 so can sample and decide, or listen whilst you get your coat on. ******* BRITISH MUSIC OF THE MUSIC BLOGS: Withered Hand {NBGL reader} gets some love at Said The Gramophone: “Scotsman, using mandolin, guitar, cello and his voice to shake all the dust from him, all the stray…

As remarkable as Eddy Arnold’s country music career was, Chet Flippo says, “his lasting legacy will be that he made the world safe for country pop music.” Flippo also pulled a snippet from a CMT interview where Arnold recalled one of the first times he recognized the split between pop and hillbilly music. Peter Cooper says goodbye to Eddy Arnold by remembering his life and career, and Bill Friskics-Warren says intimacy was his calling card and “at the heart of Arnold’s appeal was his lustrous, purling singing voice.” Danielle “Bella” Romeo is a…

The Stagecoach Musical Festival was a three day event that, on a grand scale, showcased what country music is today. It’s estimated that over the three day period 150,000 people showed up. I arrived on Friday with very little idea of what to expect. As I walked into the festival, The Randy Rogers Band was playing the Mane Stage (get it?) but I didn’t have the time to catch their deal because Shooter Jennings was playing over at the Palomino Stage (the cool stage). He really sur