For the past 25 years, Neil Young has brought some of his best friends together for the Bridge School, a school in California for kids with severe developmental disabilities. The school, which Neil's children attended, specializes in helping children who don't use speech to communicate.
Now he's releasing some of the best performances, on either a 2 CD or 3 DVD set. The Bridge School Concerts has a pretty incredible lineup, with performances from Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, the Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, The Who, Elton John & Leon Russell, and more. Check out the movie trailer:
The most recent concert happened over the weekend, and it featured an amazing performance of the song "Helpless" by Neil and Arcade Fire.
More info about the concert, the school, and the new CD and DVD here.
Tom Petty will drop a live record November 25th in conjunction with Record Store Day's Black Friday. The vinyl only release, Kiss My Amps Live, will be a limited-edition pressing of 5000 numbered albums available exclusively through independent retailers.
The record features 6 songs from Mojo recorded live during Petty's 2010 North American tour, and Sweet William a b-side recorded in 2008.
Each copy purchased will include a unique code that will allow the buyer to also download the album in a hi-fi digital format for free.
Side One
1. âTakinâ My Timeâ â July 22, 2010 â The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Mich.
2. âI Should Have Known Itâ â June 16, 2010 â Rexall Place, Edmonton, Canada
3. âSweet Williamâ â June 14, 2008 â Comcast Center, Mansfield, Mass.
4. âJefferson Jericho Bluesâ â Aug 1, 2010 â Wachovia Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Side Two
1. âFirst Flash of Freedomâ â Aug 1, 2010 â Wachovia Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
2. âRunning Manâs Bibleâ â Sep 18, 2010 â Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion, Raleigh, N.C.
3. âGood Enoughâ â July 31, 2010 â Wachovia Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
T Bone Burnett Presents the Speaking Clock Revue is an album showcasing 11 performances from a benefit concert recorded last year at New York's Beacon Theatre. Proceeds from the album and the live shows benefit Participant Media, an organization dedicated to supporting arts education.
The lineup includes Elton John, Elvis Costello, Leon Russell, John Mellencamp, Gregg Allman, Ralph Stanley, Jeff Bridges, Neko Case, Jim James, Punch Brothers, Karen Elson and The Secret Sisters. The Speaking Clock Revue features a house band put together by Burnett and led by music director and guitarist Marc Ribot.
"The privacy and the intimacy of the studio afford artists the freedom to create," Burnett said, "but something thrilling happens in getting away from the machines and into the live communication of real-time storytelling in the larger community. The first tour I went on, my first job in show business, was on The Rolling Thunder Revue, and I've come back to that type of collaborative and extraordinarily rewarding experience from time to time."
The record comes out tomorrow but you can listen to the full length here now.
The Black Keys teamed up with Funny Or Die to announce the release of their new record El Camino December 6th. They enlisted the help of comedian Bob Odenkirk from HBO's Mr. Show and AMC's Breaking Bad to shoot a parody video of a 70's car salesman advertising a van for sale.
The band has even launched a website wannabuyavan in the viral marketing campaign. At the site you can call Pat and hear a recorded message describing the "van" and pre-order the new record.
Previously, The Black Keys have stated the new record is heavily influence by The Cramps and The Clash. El Camino is the follow up to 2010's Brothers.
If Triple M's favorite rock and roll farmer plays his new CD for the cows out in the barn in New Glarus, they're chewin' their cud a bit faster..and dancing in their stalls.
If you're a follower of local music, you've probably heard that Jimmy Voegeli brought in some heavy hitters to help out on "Gimme the Jimmys." Yeah, he's got Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick on one track, and Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites playing the guitar solos on several songs, but while that looks great on press releases, the proof is in the listening.
So often a local band will sound great live, but when they try to make a record of original material it leaves you asking "Why did I buy this?"
Luckily, that's not the case with Gimme the Jimmys. It starts off really strong with " HaDaYa"..a great jumping boogie woogie number that you just want to turn up loud. And even though all the songs aren't traditional blues..they all fit and have a great flow. A couple of my favorites: "Hell or Heaven," and "JiMo Boogie," with the liner notes listing the musicians as Jimmy plus drummer Mauro Magellan, and a bottle of Jack. Gotta give credit where credit is due. I also can't get enough of Dan Baird's slide guitar on "She Don't Love Me."
Jimmy's a great keyboard player, fine tuning his chops as a member of the Westside Andy Mel Ford Band over the years. But he's not a show-off on this record..it's got great guitar solos..and the horn section (The Amateur Horn All Stars) is fantastic.
If you missed their Madison CD release party at the Harmony Bar, you still have a few chances to see the Jimmys live this month and pick up a copy of the CD. They've also got upcoming gigs at the Club Tavern, Knuckledown Saloon and the Brink Lounge
You can check out the Jimmys schedule and sample and buy their CD here. Reviewed by Kitty Dunn
Grammy-award winning musician Jason Mraz, film director Andy Morahan and photographer Don McCullin have teamed up to call on entrants from 16 countries, including the United States, to submit their idea of "the incredible".
The competition is part of intel's launch of the new N Series notebook. The contest is searching for the most amazing stories from around the world. You can submit your story in words, audio, video, or photos at the official website here.
There are several rounds with different prizes. Each country will have a winner, picked by a panel of judges, who will receive a new ASUS N Series laptop.
The grand prize winner will have their incredible story transformed into a short film guided by the three project creators and professional crew. He or she will then attend the screening of their film with Jason Mraz at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
Mraz's new single The World As I See It serves as the theme to the In Search Of Incredible campaign.
Garbage has announced they will release their 5th record in the spring of 2012. According to the band, "We are making a record filled with the music we love to hear. The new songs have been inspired more by what we haven't been hearing rather than by what we have."
The band is currently putting the finishing touches on the new record. This will mark the first time they've recorded outside of Madison's Smart Studios which closed it's doors in 2010.
Garbage formed in Madison in 1995 releasing the debut that dominated radio in Australia, the UK, and here in the U.S. It's been 7 years since we've heard anything new from the band.
Shirley Manson, Steve Marker, Duke Erikson and Butch Vig have been recording out in Los Angeles with engineer Billy Bush. The as-yet-untitled set will be mixed by Vig and Bush.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Nevermind with Nirvana dropping a reissue of the record that changed the landscape of pop music in 1991. Initially, Nevermind got off to a slow start(just 45,000 copies in the whole of America).
Then Smells Like Teen Spirit took off bumping sales up to 300,000 copies a week and dethroning Michael Jackson from No.1 in the US. Geffen thought Come As You Are would be the only hope for a mainstream breakthrough.
Disc two of both the deluxe version and super deluxe version includes the demos the band recorded here in Madison. For the first time we hear demos of the record that pretty much buried the big hair metal bands of the 80's. Polly is the only track on Nevermind that was actually recorded at Smart Studios.
The Smart Studio demos give us an inside look at the songs in their raw form before Butch Vig and Andy Wallace polished them up for the masses. The demos also yield a better understanding of why Kurt seemed so insecure at the time of the intial release. He had asked numerous insiders and friends back in 1991 if it sounded too much like Poison.
Of course we know Nevermind sounded nothing like Poison.
Novoselic has spent almost a year putting the reissue together. 'The Boombox Rehearsals', capture the first time songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit were played in the studio used as reference points for Cobain, Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl. "They were in the bottom of a box," Novoselic admits. "They almost got thrown out. I found them in the mid-'90s. They're interesting, in the context of this release. I mean, it's a cassette recording of a boom box. But when you're looking at this record and the work that went into it, it adds up."
While he often ponders writing a book to document his memories of Cobain, for now Novoselic is happy with the peek behind the curtains the Nevermind reissue offers.
"People tell me to this day 'Nirvana and Nevermind changed my life or my attitudes on music' and how it really spoke to them. I really appreciate that. For me personally I remember Kurt Cobain and I think 'Hey dude, good on you'. It's a good way to remember him and the vision he had."
Pearl Jam is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year..just like Triple M! Next week they're releasing a retrospective CD containing 29 rare and unreleased songs.
The album is actually the soundtrack to a documentary DVD that will come out October 25th.The movie is directed by award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe, and is being called a definitive portrait of thel band carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely and never-before-seen footage, plus 24 hours of recently shot concert and interview footage. PEARL JAM TWENTY chronicles the years leading up to the band's formation, the chaos that ensued soon-after their rise to mega-stardom, and what happened in the years after that.
And for the Pearl Jam completionist, there's also a PJ20 book that came out on Tuesday.
Get the free download of the song Ole here.
Did you see Pearl Jam play the song on Jimmy Fallon's show? You can watch that here.
Bono was rushed to a hospital in Monaco by his wife Ali last Wednesday after complaining of chest pains. The U2 frontman underwent two days of medical tests before being spotted Friday night at a restaurant with his wife and pal Julian Lennon.
Doctors have prescribed plenty of rest which shouldn't be a problem in the luxury mansion he co-owns with the Edge in the French Riviera. Get the details here.
SuperHeavy, the new "super-gr0up" featuring Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Damien Marley and A.R. Rahman just released the video for their song Miracle Worker.
When the band's formation was announced in May, Jagger said "We wanted a convergence of different musical styles... We were always overlapping styles, but they were nevertheless separate." You can definitely hear a reggae vibe in the first single. It will be interesting to hear what the rest of the self-titled album will sound like when it comes out in September.
You can tell they had a pretty big budget for the video. And probably a good share of it was spent on Jagger's suit.
What do you think?
--Posted by Kitty Dunn
The last couple weeks Feist has been dropping hints about her upcoming release Metals due out October 4th. Feist revealed via tweet yesterday a "paint by numbers" image of the official album art. As the post reads, "Use the key or make your own and post to listn.to/feist. Our faves win something special."
Feist still collaborates with Broken Social Scene and became one of the big breakout artists of 2007 with her fourth solo album The Reminder. The video for 1234 was an homage to the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Olympics in her hometown of Calgary in which she performed as a dancer at just 12 years of age.
The new record was recorded in Big Sur, California and co-produced by Chilly Gonzalez, Mocky and Bjork associate Valgeir Sigurosson. Feist will be offering 12 separate track-teasing vignettes of Metals at her website, www.listentofeist.com.
Colin Meloy of The Decemberists' first novel Wildwood hits bookstores August 30th. The children's book was illustrated by his wife Carson Ellis. The project came to life while the couple strolled Forest Park in the Tualatin Mountains west of downtown Portland. Meloy has revealed the story's main character Prue is kind of himself as a kid.
Wildwood is described as a spellbinding tale full of wonder, danger, and magic that juxtaposes the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Original and fresh yet steeped in classic fantasy, this is a novel that could have only come from the imagination of Colin Meloy, celebrated for his inventive and fantastic storytelling. With dozens of intricate and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis, Wildwood is truly a new classic for the twenty-first century.
Collaborating on the creative project has brought the couple even closer together as they have committed to a three book series. Colin and his wife are offering autographed copies of the book pre-ordered through Powell's Books in Portland.
Universal Music plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nevermind with a multi-format re-issue September 27th. The remastered 2-CD deluxe version will for the first time feature the Smart Studios demos recorded by producer Butch Vig here in Madison. The tracks included on the original release were recorded in Los Angeles.
The limited-numbered super deluxe version offers the "devonshire mixes" produced and mixed by Vig as opposed the previously released songs mixed by Andy Wallace. The super deluxe will also include Nirvana's 1991 Halloween concert at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on cd and dvd. A 90 page book with never before seen photos and more is also included.
Both deluxe and super deluxe packages will be available for digital download and offered as 180 gram heavyweight vinyl. The Paramount concert included on the super deluxe will be available in a 1080p high definition and uncompressed 5.1 surround sound.
If you ever wondered what happened to the baby on the cover of Nevermind.. meet Spencer Elden.
Bombay Bicycle Club are set to drop their third release in as many years August 29th in Europe with a U.S. release date to follow. A Different Kind Of Fix was recorded in Germany, London, and Atlanta. This time out the band worked with Animal Collective producer Ben Allen.
Frontman Jack Steadman on the new single, "The first time I played it to any of my friends was at a house party and none of them believed it was Bombay Bicycle Club." The record boasts funky bass riffs, house piano, and a groove not found on previous efforts.
This feels like a big step forward for these twenty somethings. You'll have a hard time not hitting replay.
Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle by Bombay Bicycle Club
The new Red Hot Chili Peppers record I'm With You drops August 30th. The first single produced by Rick Ruben leaked earlier today. The album cover was designed by prominent British artist Damien Hirst. Check it out here.
This is the RHCP's first record with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Flea's putting some music theory classes into play after attending USC in 2008. Both Josh and Flea tripped to Africa for inspiration on the new record. Check out the first single The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie.
Attention Beatles fans..you might want to add HBO to your cable TV package before the fall.
According to an announcement on George Harrison's official website, a new documentary about George, directed by Martin Scorsese, will air on HBO this fall. "George Harrison: Living in the Material World" will tell George's life story with rare photos, video, and even unreleased Beatles' footage. The film will include interviews with George's wife Olivia, and many of his closest friends including Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Tom Petty.
Scorsese has a done a fantastic job on other documentaries about musicians, including "Bob Dylan: No Direction Home," and that fantastic Blues series that aired on public television several years ago. You know that with Scorsese behind the project, it's going to be very well put together. He's even rich enough to afford the rights to use actual songs from the artists! And if you've ever watched a documentary where they don't have the rights to the songs, you know how crappy they can be.
So who's inviting me over to watch later this year?
Here's a video to tide you over until the documentary comes out, or at least around four minutes.
--Posted by Kitty Dunn
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ogFsrbbHOY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Not all of you will recognize Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner...unplugged. However, it's hard not to be captivated by his charming accent. So even if you don't recognize him at first, you definitely want to listen when his soft, British banter begins.
Soon after the banter leads into a stunning solo performance of their new single, "Suck It and See" from the band's 4th album. Â This moment at Spin can be described as stunning, nothing less.
Before Gomez released their last record the band separated from each other for a while and that space gave them new life on the road. Since some members of the band live in the UK and others here in the states.. it's pretty easy to do.
This time out technology provided a new space in the creative process and allowed the band to come together in other ways. âWe decided not to spend any time together at all,â Ian Ball (vocals, guitar) described. âWeâd work at home, aiming for two to three ideas every month.â
Ball's strategy paid off and the band demoed 80 new songs this past year. âI enjoyed the way that it went down, it was really interesting and cool, and definitely my favorite way to record so far,â said Ball. âI think everyone enjoyed the way it worked out. It gave you a lot of time to really formulate what you wanted to do. When youâre on your own, you can explore things on your own time.â
Gomez then narrowed down those 80 songs to find their 10 favorite and recorded Whatever's On Your Mind in a Virginia studio in just a couple days. The record hits stores June 21st. Here's an acoustic performance of Our Goodbye from the record.
Posted by V. Cannova
Coldplay's new album doesn't come out until this fall...but they're giving us a preview, with release of the first single,"Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall."
What do you think of it?
Arcade Fire celebrate the one year anniversary of their grammy award winning album The Suburbs with the release of The Suburbs Deluxe Edition August 2nd.
The Suburbs Deluxe includes an extended version of Wasted Hours and two previously unreleased tracks recorded during The Suburbs sessions, Culture War and Speaking In Tongues featuring backing vocals by David Byrne. The deluxe package also includes an 80 page booklet of behind the scenes stills and 30 minute DVD of the documentary Scenes From The Suburbs directed by Spike Jonze.
Arcade Fire - Speaking in Tongues (feat. David Byrne) by MergeRecordsArcade Fire - Culture War by MergeRecordsPosted By: Vince Cannova
When you and I clean out the clutter..it's probably a lot of old shoes and clothes that no longer fit.
When Neil Young does some housecleaning..he finds some pretty cool previously unreleased material.
Back in the 1980's, Young explored various genres of music, including country. At that time he toured with a band called The International Harvesters, and some of it's coming out on an album calledA Treasure in June.
He's also reportedly working on releasing a second volume of his Neil Young Archives box set..and getting ready to go out on tour with Buffalo Springfield.
You can hear one of the songs that will be on the album that comes out next month on the Rolling Stone website.
Give it a listen and tell us what you think.
You should also watch this video of him talking about how .mp3's suck and why you should buy his new album on Blu-ray.
(Nice outfit, Neil.)
--Posted by Kitty Dunn
Eau Claire native Justin Vernon, who records as Bon Iver, has a new album coming out in June, and Rolling Stonesays he's going the other direction from the stark, stripped down feel of his first album, which was called "For Emma, Forever Ago."
The new album will be called titled "Bon Iver, Bon Iver," and the magazine says the first single, "Calgary," is full of rich sonic detail.
It sounds kinda trippy, if you ask me.
You can't buy the new album until June 21, but you can stream the single on the Bon Iver website, and you can even download it for free if you give them your e-mail address.
Click here if you'd like to check it out.
If you like what you hear, you can go see Bon Iver at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee July 22 and 23.
-Posted by Kitty Dunn
Paul McCartney's two classic solo albums, " McCartney", and "McCartney II" will be re-released June 14th in the United States.
Both albums will be remastered by the same team that did the Beatles reissues a couple of years ago, and will feature rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks. There will also be a couple of different "special" and "deluxe" editions available..with a variety of other items like dvd's and picture books. New remastered vinyl versions will also be released.
"McCartney" is the album that out in 1970 right as Paul announced the Beatles breakup. It includes the studio version of "Maybe I'm Amazed." A live version recorded in 1976 became a Top Ten hit.
"McCartney II" was released in 1980 and contained the hit "Coming Up." However the hit was a live version recorded by Wings "Coming Up Live In Glasgow." It was on a B-side of a 45 sent to radio stations and that's the one that got radio airplay. Eventually the record company stuck that song on a 7" 33rpm single and slid it into the sleeve of the album as a bonus. This new version will include that song on a bonus disc.
Find out more about both reissues and what they'll include here.
Paul is also giving a preview of some of the remastered songs. Here's the song "That Would Be Something" from "McCartney."
That Would Be Something by PaulMcCartney--Posted by KDunn
Peter Gabriel, the English singer and songwriter, has announced tour dates for his "New Blood" North American tour starting in June. He was the lead singer of Genesis. His newest album "Scratch My Back" was released in February of 2010.
Here are the tour dates:
06-10 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater
06-11 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
06-13 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
06-15 Dallas, TX - Verizon Theater
06-16 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Pavilion
06-18 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theater
06-20 Chicago, IL - United Center
06-22 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre
06-24 Boston, MA - Comcast Center
06-25 Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
06-27 Saratoga Springs,NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
06-29 Milwaukee, WI - Molson Amphitheatre
The Arcade Fire played a show in Port-au-Prince for a small group in front of the Hotel Oloffson last Tuesday and played a 45-minute set that included a bunch of covers.
They covered Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop The Rain," "The Last Time" by the Rolling Stones, 'The Tide is High" by the Paragons and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."
Check out "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun:"
Foo Fighters have decided to stream their 7th full-length release Wasting Light before it hits stores April 12th. The record was produced by Butch Vig and includes former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic on a track called I Should Have Known.
Wasting Light by Foo Fighters
Lead singer Justin Vernon, the guy behind Bon Iver, has announced that the band's new LP will be released this summer, probably around June, and will contain 10 songs. This will be the follow up Bon Iver's 2009 EP "Blood Bank."
Pitchfork reported, "According to Rolling Stone, experimental saxophonist Colin Stetson and pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Wilco, Joni Mitchell) were tapped to contribute to the record. Tracks include "Perth", which Vernon refers to as "a Civil War-sounding heavy metal song" and Rolling Stone reports that it features "a marching drum beat, a children's choir and wailing guitars," "Minnesota Wisconsin", and the closer "Beth/Rest", which Vernon claims is "definitely the part where you pick up your joint and re-light it." Okay!"
The band was founded in 2007 and the band was originally based out of Wisconsin.
Listen to Bon Iver's "Woods" below:
If you're not living in New York, you probably didn't buy tickets to see LCD Soundsystem for their final concert. Well, you're in luck because Pitchfork.com announced that the band will live stream the concert on their website. The show is tomorrow (April 2nd) at Madison Square Garden.
You can go to Pitchfork to check out the live stream tomorrow night. You can check out the video of singer James Murphy talk about the last album "This is Happening:"
Tom Waits is a man of many talents, from his incredible music career to acting to composition, he has been involved with music for a long time. So, it's no surprise that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week with this year's class of musicians including Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Leon Russel.
Waits was introduced by Neil Young and played a short set including songs "Make it Rain," "Rain Dogs," "House Where Nobody Lives" and "Get Behind The Mule."Â The last song included Neil Young and you can watch the video below:
So, you think you've just had about enough of hearing about The Strokes?  Well, too late, because Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture said the band plans to work on their next album, starting as early as next month.
âWe just were talking yesterday about when we would get back together and start working on writing for the next album,â Fraiture said in an interview, âwhich would be some point soon, I think around April â mid-April.â
You can listen to him hear:
The list is slowly coming together, but some of the headliners for Summerfest have been announced.
Those include:
Wednesday June 29th:Â Peter Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra
Thursday June 30th:Â Kanye West w/Kid Cudi
Friday July 1st:Â Toby Keith w/Eric Church
Tuesday July 5th:Â Def Leppard w/Heart
Wednesday July 6th:Â The Black Keys w/Florence + the Machine and Cage the Elephant
Thursday July 7th:Â Katy Perry
Friday July 8th:Â Jason Aldean w/Chris Young and Thompson Square
Sunday July 10th:Â Sugarland w/Sara Bareillas
Who are you excited to see?
Duran Duran has resurrected itself several times over the years and they are making a push into new ground on Wednesday night when they streamed a concert live on YouTube from Club Mayan in downtown LA of their new album "All You Need Is Now."Â The new album is their 13th studio endeavor and was produced by Grammy winner Mark Ronson.
The album was released via digital download on December 31. They released a physical copy of the album on March 22 to coincide with their 30th anniversary of their first release.
The even was directed by filmmaker David Lynch and includes some amazing visuals.
You can check out their song "The Man Who Stole a Leopard" below:
Pearl Jam has a lot of things going for them this year. They just released their live album "Live on Ten Legs" and they have a new book, documentary (directed by Cameron Crowe), numerous side projects and a festival they will put on themselves this year.
But, bassist Jeff Ament told Billboard.com that they have begun to work on their 10th studio album and have done a variety of demos and are parring down about 25 songs. Â Eddie Vedder is also planning on releasing a new solo album this year and Soundgarden is also releasing a record (with drummer Matt Cameron who plays in both bands). The plan is to have the 10th album release in 2011.
The band is also putting on the Pearl Jam Twenty festival around Labor Day to celebrate the 20th anniversary from when the band released their debut album. They are in the middle of finalizing details and will announce the location and official dates in April.
Ament is very excited for this year. "There's been so much focus on the past that I think all of us are really excited to make a new record and have something to look forward to because we've been digging in the boxes in our basement a lot the last year or so," he said.
Jack White stepped out into a parking lot and put on a show on Wednesday. He performed a cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and the White Stripes' song "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground."
He brought a truck that sells his Third Man Rolling Record Store's music. Pitchfork wrote, "White's two-song set was friendly and laid-back, prompting smiles and sing-alongs from the crowd, which included Aziz Ansari and both members of the Kills. Afterwards, he introduced Third Man's latest signing, grizzled itinerant folkie Seasick Steve. (White told me that Steve inked his one-album Third Man deal by signing his office desk, rather than a contract.) Steve and his three-string guitar and stomp box only got one song in before a frantic parking lot attendant shut the celebration down. But the line to start shopping in the Rolling Record Store already stretched around the block. Mission accomplished."
You can check out the video below from NPR of the event:
The Strokes have a new album called "Angles" that will be released on March 22nd and they previewed it at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.  They played through a variety of their previous hits and some new songs. The Strokes formed in NYC in 1998 and "Angles" will be their 4th studio album.
Here they are performing their new song "Life is Simple in the Moonlight" on SNL, March 5th.
Here is the set list for the Strokes' SXSW performance:
What Ever Happened
The Modern Age
You Only Live Once
Under Cover of Darkness
New York City Cops
You're So Right
Under Control
Someday
Juicebox
Life Is Simple in the Moonlight
I Can't Win
Reptillia
Taken For a Fool
Take it Or Leave It
Encore:
Gratisfaction
Hard to Explain
Last Night
In the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Jack Johnson announced he's helping out with relief and recovery efforts in the region, by donating $50,000 to GlobalGivingâs Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. The nonprofit is distributing funds to Save the Children, the International Medical Corps, and other organizations on the ground to provide relief and aid to victims.
Johnson and his crew were in Osaka for a stop on his "To The Sea" tour when the earthquake struck on March 11. The concert in Osaka took place as scheduled hours after the massive
earthquake, but eventually the decision was made to postpone the remainder of the tour due to the tragedy.
Johnson is encouraging his fans to support relief and recovery efforts in any way they can. To learn more about GlobalGivingâs Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund click here.
This isn't the first time Johnson has demonstrated his generosity. In fact, he's donating 100% of his current our proceeds to charity. The tour is collaborating with over 150 hand-chosen community groups around the globe as part of Johnsonâs All At Once Community.
Dave Matthews Band have announced the first of four festival dates to take place across the country this summer. DMB celebrate their 20th anniversary this year with Dave Matthews Band Caravan ,a festival of hand picked artists produced by DMB manager Coran Capshaw and Star Hill Presents.
The festival will be a three day event with Dave Matthews Band performing a full set each night. The impressive line-up in Atlantic City includes David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, The Flaming Lips, O.A.R., Damian Marley, Amos Lee, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Guster, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Delta Spirit, Fitz and the Tantrums, a Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds acoustic set, and more.
Sources reveal the festival's line-up will be different at each stop. Dave Matthews Band Caravan will hit the midwest July 8-10. The city, venue, and line-up could be released as early as next week. Tickets will be available as three day passes only.
The Walkmen have just released a music video for their song "While I Shovel the Snow" off their new album Lisbon. You can check out our review of the album here. The video is absolutely stunning.
Here is:
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, the duo behind The Black Keys, will be coming to Summerfest and playing at the Marcus Amphitheater on Wednesday July 6th. They will be joined with Florence and the Machine and Cage the Elephant. Tickets go on sale Wednesday March 6th.
Ok...you can breath now.
The Black Keys are coming off their success of their newest album "Brothers" that won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance, Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package. It is an awesome album. Here is their most well-known song "Tighten Up" below:
The Black Keys will also be at Bonnaroo in June. You can check out their entire schedule here.
Radiohead have announced the release of their 8th record The King Of Limbs this Saturday, February 19th. The follow-up to In Rainbows will be made available via download at their website.
You can pre-order the release now as a download only or "newspaper album" coming out May  9th.  The "newspaper album" will include over 600 pieces of artwork packaged in a full-color piece of oxo-degradable plastic, two 10 inch vinyl records, cd, and MP3 download.  Of course if you choose the "newspaper album" the download will be available to you Saturday with the physical album shipped May 9th.
The King Of Limbs was produced by Nigel Godrich.
The Foo Fighters have been doing some secret, cash-only intimate concerts in the past couple weeks that have included some of the songs off of their new album. Their 7th album will be out in April and is tentatively titled "Rope." The Foo Fighters were formed in Seattle in 1994. They have released 6 albums that have all been nominated for Grammys. You can check all the videos here.
Here is the song "Bridge Burning" that will be the opening song on their new album:
R.E.M. LAUNCH âIT HAPPENED TODAYâ REMIX PROJECT    DOWNLOAD RAW TRACKS AND CREATE YOUR OWN REMIXES OF âIT HAPPENED TODAY,â A SONG FROM BANDâS UPCOMING ALBUM, COLLAPSE INTO NOW
 In keeping with R.E.M.âs ongoing commitment to giving their fans an interactive musical experience, the band have announced an exciting remix project in conjunction with âIt Happened Today,â a track on R.E.M.âs upcoming new album Collapse Into Now, which is due from Warner Bros. Records on March 8th.
 R.E.M., and Collapse Into Nowâs producer, Grammy-Award winner Jacknife Lee, are offering you the opportunity to remix the entirety of âIt Happened Todayâ from the ground up by distributing the raw source for the song as both a Garageband file for Apple Macintosh computers, or as raw stem audio files for other platforms. Lee, himself, has prepared both sets of files, which delivers the song in its "raw" state with no reverb, mixing, or effects.
Visit the bandâs website, www.remhq.com, and download all 16 tracks Lee used to create the song, including vocals by Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, as well as those by special guests Pearl Jamâs Eddie Vedder and The Hidden Camerasâ Joel Gibb, plus Peter Buckâs guitar and mandolin, Millsâ signature bass, and brass ensemble tracks from Bonerama. After creating their own versions of the song, you are invited to submit your remixes on the bandâs website to share with the members of R.E.M. and other fans around the world.
 âIt Happened Todayâ is currently available on iTunes as an âInstant Downloadâ track for those who pre-order Collapse Into Now.
According to an announcement today on their website, The White Stripes have officially broken up. Â Part of their statement said,
"The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health. It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way."
You can read the whole text here. Â Jack White's label Third Man Records will still release some of their live work and unheard studio songs. Â The group was founded in Detroit in 1997. Â They played a wide variety of music and released 6 studio albums. Â Their last three albums all won a Grammy Award.
Here is one of their popular songs "We're Going To Be Friends:"
Independent Madison artist and former Project M contestant Whitney Man has landed an opening slot for Loretta Lynn on February 12 at the Hoyt  Sherman Theatre in Des Moines, Iowa.
Whitney Mann released her self-titled debut EP The Way Back Home and was featured on NPR and won the 2010 Madison Area Music Award for New Artist of the Year. She grew up in Camden,Michigan and started singing and songwriting there.  She went to school at the University of Michigan receiving a degree in English and now lives in Madison.
Mann has played at Summerfest, opening for Willie Nelson and George Jones.  You can check some of her music and her upcoming shows on MySpace.  Her next show in Madison will be  on February 13th at the Oblrich Botanical Garden.
Here is a video of Whitney Mann and her band at the 2010 Madison Area Music Awards:
Seattle's Fleet Foxes plan on releasing their second album May 3rd. The band has just made the title track Helplessness Blues available as a free download. Robin Peckhold's vocals sound amazing.. perfect for today's snowy blast! Their first tour in a couple years begins April 30th in Vancouver.
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop
The Strokes have confirmed that they will be releasing their tentatively titled album Angeles on March 22. The first single from this 10 song LP will likely be "Undercover of Darkness."
The album was recorded at guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.'s studio in upstate New York. The band also plans to tour later on in 2011.
The Strokes were formed 22 years ago in New York City and have enjoyed commercial and critical success with each of their three albums released. Angeles will be their 4th album. Their last album First Impressions of Earth was released in 2006. The band went on hiatus after that, but regrouped in 2009 to make the 4th album.
Matt & Kim began 2011 front row and center taking in the Jay-Z/Coldplay show at the grand opening of The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas. Who wouldn't want to ring in the new year with the likes of Kristin Dunst, John Mayer, Kanye West and more? According to Jay-Z the night was a "once in a lifetime event". Kim says, "It was the craziest New Years we have ever had!"
As Matt & Kim recently departed for a short Australian tour, including an appearance at Big Day Out, they dropped the official video for Cameras. M&K have a reputation of releasing splashy videos with Cameras no exception. Shot in LA the new video features the two at each other's throats as a rehearsal takes an aggressive turn. Stunt lessons were in order and Kim revealed she was sore for a week afterward. One thing's for sure, she's not afraid to throw a punch!
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In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Slash said that he was approached by the producers of the television show Glee about doing a Guns N' Roses themed show. Here's what he had to say:
"Actually, we got asked about that once already but it got turned down. In the current climate of whatâs going on in entertainment these days, I try to be more optimistic than negative because itâs really easy to get negative about it, but I draw the line at Glee. Glee is worse than Grease and Grease is bad enoughâ¦.  When Grease came out I was like, 'Oh, câmon, give me a break.' Actually, I look at Grease now and think: Between High School Musical and Glee, Grease was a brilliant work of art."
In the other parts of the interview, Slash talked about his new tour with Ozzy Osbourne, and how Velvet Revolver is currently looking for a new lead singer after the departure of Chris Cornell. You can read the article here.
If you're looking to escape the bitter cold in Wisconsin, you might consider heading out to California in April for the annual Coachella Music Festival held in Idaho, California. Tickets go on sale today. They released their headliners a couple of days ago and some artists to note that will be there include:
Kanye West
Arcade Fire
Kings of Leon
The National
Cee Lo Green
Cold War Kids
Flogging Molly
The Black Keys
Mumford & Sons
The Strokes
Some fans of the festival were angry about the choice of Kanye West to headline, some even saying that they are going to boycott the festival. 3-Day passes run at about $280. (That doesn't include food/hotel/campground). Single day passes are available as well.
You can find the whole list here on their website. If you could go, who would you really want to see?
Ben Folds performs live at the Overture Center Thursday, January 27th in support of his new release Lonely Avenue. His 6th solo record is a collaboration with Nick Hornby author of High Fidelity. Hornby handed the lyrics over to Ben who then set the short stories to music recording all eleven songs in analog onto two inch tape.
But this wasn't the first time Folds had asked for Hornby's assistance. Over the years they had unknowingly developed a mutual admiration for each other's work. Then in 2002 as Ben Folds was working on William Shatner's Has Been record, he reached out to Hornby asking him to help write some songs for Shatner. With Lonely Avenue, Hornby again marked a definitive starting point for each song surprisingly yielding an even wider creative palate for Folds to develop the music to. There's moog synthesizer , string arrangements, horns and much more on the record.
Street Corner Symphony from NBC's The Sing Off will be the opening act on the 27th. Â Folds is a judge for the a capella talent search. Â He'll have a four piece behind him when he takes the stage next Thursday. Last year he once performed songs on video chat site Chatroulette while on stage in front of thousands. Â He likes to be unpredictable and has a tendency to improvise feeding off the audience during his performances which should make for a fantastic night out.
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Stevie Nicks spent most of last year working on her 7th solo release In Your Dreams. Â Nicks and former Eurythmics star Dave Stewart have co-written much of the material with Glen Ballard producing. Â Ballard's worked with Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette, and No Doubt in the past. Â In Your Dreams, Nicks' first solo record in a decade, will drop May 3rd with guest appearances from Lindsey Buckingham, Mike Campbell from the Heartbreakers, Mick Fleetwood, and includes a duet with Dave Stewart called Everybody Loves You. Â Other songs on the upcoming release include, Italian Summer, Cheaper Than Free, and the title track.
A documentary filmed during the recording process Stewart calls, "an insight into the mind of an artist and how she works" will be released as well. Â In fact, Stewart plans on dropping his own solo record The Black Bird Diaries this spring and has hinted at a possible tour with Nicks this summer.
Adele Adkins who just goes by Adele is a young Londoner who burst upon the scene in 2008 with her debut album "19". She was the recipient of the BRIT Awards very first Critic's Choice , and was predicted to be one of the year's breakout artists. They were not wrong, and she picked up a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2009.
A chance stumble across CD's from Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James influenced her music as a very young girl and she wrote her first song at just 16.
A brand new album is due to be released here in the states on February 22. Expect to hear a little more Americana influence in this album as she spent some time listening to country music  her tour bus driver played.
Here she is on Ellen with the world premiere of first single from the new album " 21" called " Rolling in the Deep".
--Gabby Parsons
Amy Winehouse has begun her first tour since she finished promoting her last album Back to Black in 2008.
The singer is set to play four concerts in Brazil, beginning with the Summer Soul Festival in Florianópolis this past Saturday.
Here she is performing I'm on the Outside (Looking In)
According to Winehouse's back-up vocalist Zalon, the singer has been rehearsing new material with her band especially for these shows. In a YouTube clip posted in late December, Zalon and his brother Heshima, also a Winehouse back-up singer, reveal that Winehouse had already debuted some new tunes at a private concert in Moscow.
What do you think - has she cleaned up her act for good?
Cage The Elephant are streaming their new album ahead of it's release date. Thank You Happy Birthday will drop January 11th. In fact, the band is scheduled to perform the new single "Shake Me Down" on Letterman the night of it's release. Check it out now here. Thank You Happy Birthday is the follow up to their 2009 self-titled debut.
The Strokes are set to drop their first record in five years in March. Bassist Nikolia Fraiture tells the BBC, "It's been a learning experience". Unlike previous efforts lead singer Julian Casablancas recorded his vocals in a room separate from the band. Fraiture added the new album has a "classic sound" more like the first two Strokes records.
This past summer they played some live shows for the first time in quite awhile. The band plans on touring in support of the new release this year. Here's a look at The Strokes playing one of France's biggest festivals near Belfort in 2006.
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Now that the holidays are over, it's time to look ahead at some of the new music coming in 2011.
Folky, jazzy, soulful singer-songwriter Amos Lee will be out with a new album called "Mission Bell" on January 25. Itlooks like it's going to be an interesting album as some of the guest stars will be Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Sam Beam ( Iron & Wine) and Calexico, just to name a few.
Check out the first song released from the album, " Windows Are Rolled Down".
--Gabby Parsons
Check out this really great video biography created for Gregg Allmanâs Rounder debut; Low Country Blues. This is Greggâs first solo album in 15 years.
This past June, Gregg underwent a successful Liver transplant. His recovery was quite rapid - and (in a sense) this has given him an opportunity to replenish his commitment to making incredible music.
You can pre-order the album here - there are a few specials available including the immediate digital download of three tracks from Gregg's new CD, t-shirts, a beautiful limited edition poster autographed by Gregg, and a vinyl copy of the album.
All of the songs selected by Gregg are Blues Classics: Sleepy John Estesâ âFloating Bridge.â, Little Miltonâs âBlind Manâ Skip Jamesâ âDevil Got My Woman".
The notable exception is the first single, âJust Another Riderâ that Gregg co-wrote with Warren Haynes. Itâs a archetypal Allman Bros influenced song that only Gregg could sing with such laconic acumen.
We know you're always looking for music to download and who doesn't love a great deal? Well we have just what you're looking for. Throughout the month of December you can get Shawn Mullins' full album Light You Up for only $5!Â
Just click this link and you can get it!
Want some free autographed vinyl from Shawn? By going to his Facebook you can enter to win a free copy of honeydew and Light You Up signed by Shawn himself. Click here to go to Facebook and get instructions to win.
KT Tunstall asked her fans if they would like to do a youtube collaboration with her. The answer was a resounding yes. Tunstall asked the youtubers out there to send her a video of them playing a piece of her song "Glamour Puss" from her latest album Tiger Suit. They could choose anything from the backup vocals to the drums.  Fans from around the world took up the challenge.  Some responded with standard instrumentation such as voice, guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, but a lot of people got pretty creative and submitted performances on everything from ukulele, beer bottles and carrot flute to glockenspiel, spoons and water glasses.
Check out the video for this gobal mash-up below.
In preparation for the release of her sophomore album 21 British songstress Adele released the track "Rolling in the Deep" this past November. Adele has now released a video for the song on VEVO. Adele, along with a dancer and a drummer are each in their own section of a house that looks like its under renovations. The intensity of the song is perfectly paired with powerful, visually striking images. The song is incredible and the video only drives home the feeling of destruction and loss.Â
Check it out below. What are your thoughts?
Sean Lennon and girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl make up the band Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. The duo have just released their new video for the song "Schroedinger's Cat" off their debut album Acoustic Sessions. The band had only three days to plan and make the video. It features Sean and Charlotte and a group of their friends dressed up as their favorite historical figures at a party. "We wound up being very lucky on all accounts. It was really just an excuse to hang out with all our friends." says Lennon. "I think looking back on this video in 10 years will be really fun."
What do you think of the video?
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, a Broadway Musical scored by Bono and the Edge, had a rough time with its first preview. The show has cost an estimated $65 million, the most expensive in Broadway history, and has had difficulties from its beginning.  Problems only continued during its first preview to audiences. After starting almost a half an hour late, the show ran for more than three hours and was delayed five times. The most awkward malfunction was at the end of the first act in which lead actor Reeve Carney (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) was left dangling over the audience after a would-be climactic aerial stunt. Carney was supposed to soar above the crowd towards a balcony but got stuck after a few yards. Crew members managed to catch him by the foot, and the stage manager called intermission. The intermission lasted for more than half an hour, causing the audience to clap in unison.
After another mishap in the second act a woman in the crowd stood up and yelled "I feel like a guinea pig today â I feel like it's a dress rehearsal."  Â
Critics were divided in their reviews of the production and score. The New York Timeswrote that most of the show's stunts "went off without a hitch, with children and some adults squealing in delight." while The New York Post called the show an "epic flop as the $65 million show's high-tech gadgetry went completely awry amid a dull score and baffling script."Â
Hopefully director and Emmy-winning Broadway vet Julie Taymor can pull everything together by the official opening night in January.
Yesterday late night TV had a great night. The simple reason: Sir Paul McCartney was a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Jimmy gushed like a little kid about his love for the Beatles and his excitement in meeting Paul. The former Beatle was an amazing guest with many anecdotes from his full and ubbelievable life. He talked about being at the White House and meeting the first family, about recording and being mugged in Nigeria and of course about his late friend John Lennon.
Jimmy got an oppurtunity to sing with the legend and do a duet of the original "Yesterday" with the placeholder lyrics. The ver funny song starts out with "Scrambled eggs/oh my baby how I love your legs." and with each verse a new food is introduced.Â
McCartney also preformed a song in honor of John Lennon that he wrote for him called "Here Today"Â from Tug of War.
Watch the full interview and performances below.
Its been over a year since a backstage brawl between Noel and Liam Gallagher ended Oasis and apparently Liam has already moved on. His new band, Beady Eye, released their first single last month and have set a date for the U.K. release of their debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding. The 13 track LP will be available across the pond on February 28th with no date set as of yet for a U.S. release. For Different GearGallagher hooked up with producer Steve Lillywhite (Dave Matthews Band, Morrissey) and backing musicians Andy Bell and Gem Archer from Oasis, plus Chris Sharrock. In an interview with SPIN Gallagher has said the new album will be "bigger than Oasis." "It's proper rock'n'roll. Oasis was a pop band compared to what we're doing," (hmm I sense some bitterness) adding that the songs have a strong Beatles, T. Rex and Jerry Lee Lewis vibe.  Â
Beady Eye has also put out a video for their first single "Bring the Light". Check it out below and tell us what you think of Liam's sound sans Noel.
Bob Dylan's1964 handwritten lyrics for "The Times They Are A-Changing" are going to be sold at an auction on December 10th by Sotheby's. The lyrics were written on a piece of notebook paper and are expected to raise between $200 and $300 thousand dollars.
The autographed piece also includes some of the lyrics of "North Country Blues."Â The item was originally given to singer-songwriter Kevin Krown who recorded some of Dylan's early music.
The Associated Press has reported that Willie Nelson was charged with possession of Marijuana after 4 ounces of pot was found on his tour bus in Texas. It happened on Friday, Nov. 26th when the tour bus pulled into a checkpoint and an officer smelled the marijuana when their bus door opened and they searched the vehicle. Nelson was among 3 people arrested and was held briefly on a $25,000 bond before he was released. The 77-year-old was charged with a misdemeanor and will most likely get a fine and no jail time.
Rapper Snoop Dogg weighed in on the issue and said they should "leave willie the f**k alone..."Â Nelson has been a long-time advocate for marijuana decriminalization and has been arrested multiple times including in Louisiana in 2006 where officers found about 1.5 pounds of marijuana on the tour bus.
Gregg Allman is about to release his first solo album in 14 years titled Low Country Blues in mid January. The album consists of 11 blues covers and one original song he wrote with Warren Haynes called "Just Another Rider". The covered tracks come from blues legends such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Skip James and Junior Wells to name a few. You would think after all that work, plus a liver transplant last June, that Allman would be ready for a break. That is certainly not the case. Allman is already thinking about another solo album. "I'll tell ya, I can't wait to get back in there and cut another one," Allman told Billboard. "That would be fine with me. It really would. It seems like every time we do a record it somehow gets your writing juices flowing. That kind of stuff just starts to come forward, so I'm hoping that maybe (for) the next one I can write a bunch of them." Allman will also be on the road for Low Country Blues starting later this December. Playing, he says, "is all in the world I want to do" after the surgery. "The first (tour) will be rough, but I'm doing fine. I'm ready to get back to it."
As we make our way further into December Christmas music becomes more and more appropriate. And if your sick of listening to the same boring versions of your favorite Christmas tunes then you are in luck! The wonderful people at the website Noisetrade have put together an 8 track Christmas song sampler by Sleeping At Last for everyone to enjoy!
Sleeping At Last is a Chicago indie band comprised of Dan Perdue and Ryan O'Neal. For the last half a decade or so the duo has made a tradition of covering a Christmas song each year and giving it as a free download. This year they've put together a sampler of all their previously recorded songs and their newly covered "White Christmas".Â
All you have to do is click here to go to the Noisetrade website, enter your e-mail address and zip code and you'll receive a musical gift in your inbox. If you want to hear the songs before you decide to download, just click on the snowflake album art and you can hear full length clips of every track.
Why not spread the holiday cheer? Noisetrade is all about sharing the love and will give you an option to share the sampler with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Though it's not required, you can also help out Sleeping At Last by giving a donation of any amount between $1 and $100.
Happy Holidays!
Track Listing
1. White Christmas
2. The Christmas Song
3. Cradle in Bethlehem
4. What Child Is This
5. Silver Bells
6. Merry Little Christmas
7. O, Holy Night
8. I'll Be Home For Christmas
According to an article in the New York Times, the web addresses of several web sites that allow illegal file-sharing were seized on November 26th by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.
Torrent Sites Banned
If you go to the URL of any of those sites (including torrent-finder.com, onmash.com, rapgodfathers.com, and dajaz1.com) you will receive a message from the government saying "This domain name has been seized by ICE â Homeland Security Investigations, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court."
This is an ongoing investigation, so more sites will undoubtedly be shut down. But, already new torrent sites have been created to combat the shutdowns.
These shut downs were the result of newly passed legislation
According to the NY Times, "The new seizures also come as a new bill, the Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act, is making its way through Congress. The bill, which was approved by a Senate committee last week, would allow the government to shut down sites that are 'dedicated to infringing activities.'"
Critiques:
Many people are angry and feel that the law is too broad the Electronic Frontier Foundation says it's an "Internet censorship bill."
The new seizures also come as a new bill, the Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act, is making its way through Congress. The bill, which was approved by a Senate committee last week, would allow the government to shut down sites that are âdedicated to infringing activities.â
On January 25th, Corinne Bailey Rae will be releasing her latest material titled The Love EP. The mini album is a collection of covers done by the songstress. She says it's an "homage to some of my favorite musicians, as well as a conversation between some of my musical influences." Five songs make up the EP and the artists covered are Prince, Bob Marley, Belly and Paul McCartney. Bailey Rae also included her own take on the Sly & The Family Stone version of "Que Sera, Sera" which she has been closing shows with on her latest tour.
Click her for a .mp3 of Corrine's cover of "This is Love" by Bob Marley.
Check out Corinne and her band performing "Que Sera, Sera" live below.
On March 1, 2011, Lucinda Williams will release her new album Blessed, her first since 2008. The album has already gotten some buzz and will feature 12 songs, including "Kiss Like Your Kiss" that was featured on HBO's "True Blood."
The deluxe edition of Blessed will have some bonus material including demos from the album. Paste Magazine has confirmed some dates for her tour shortly after the release of the album. Those include:
March4-5 â Toronto @ Massey Hall
11-12 â New York @ Webster Hall
May5 â New Orleans, La. @ New Orleans Jazz Festival
7 â Austin, Texas @ Stubbâs
8 â Houston, Texas @ The Houston International Festival
This year's American Idol is getting a bit of a makeover. The biggest change for the next season will be seen at the judges table. Although the number is back to three, only one of the original judges remain; Randy Jackson. Sitting by his side will be Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. This Idol will also be eliminating the round of the show that cuts 24 semi-finalists to 12 finalists and will go straight to the top 12. Those 12 lucky contestants are looking at some extra challenges this year as well. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told TVGuide.com that finalists will now participate in a number of new challenges, including making a music video, promoting themselves as singers and creating an awards show-caliber performance that includes a band and dancers. Idol will premiere on FOX on January 12th.
If you want to know exactly whats in store for the upcoming season take a look at the press conference from the American Idol Crew.
Getting sick of all the traditional holiday music you hear every year? Not to worry, now you can add Coldplay to your winter playlist. The British rockers just released a new Christmas song called "Christmas Lights". The track will only be released digitally so head over to iTunes to grab it! The group also put together a dreamy video for the song that you can watch below.
Michael Franti has released his new video for the song "Hey, Hey, Hey". Franti produced and directed the video which was filmed during his current U.S. tour. The video follows Franti through various cities and focuses on the people in each place. ââHey Hey Heyâ is about overcoming adversity and appreciating every second that we have on this planet. The video is centered around the lives of everyday people as we all experience rough times and lean on each other for support and to help lift our spirits,â says Franti.  Check out the video below.
Â
The 53rd annual Grammys will be coming this February and the nominations were released this week. Here are some of the bigger nominations:
Album of the Year
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Eminem - Recovery
Lady Antebellum - Need You Know
Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Record of the Year
B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - "Nothin' on You"
Eminem (featuring Rihanna) - "Love the Way You Lie"
Cee Lo Green - "F--- You"
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"
Song of the Year
Ray LaMontagne - "Beg Steal or Borrow"
Cee Lo Green - "F--- You"
Miranda Lambert - "The House That Built Me"
Eminem (featuring Rihanna) - "Love the Way You Lie"
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"
Best Alternative Music Album
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
The Black Keys - Brothers
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Vampire Weekend - Contra
More info is available on the Grammy website for more of the nominations. What are your thoughts on these artists? You think anyone got snubbed?
After a LONG hiatus filled with a slew of highly publicized drama, Amy Winehouse is on track for a come back. The British songstress announced that she will indeed be doing a tour. Its only a mini-tour with only four dates but Amy is set for performances between January 8th through the 15th. The bad news is that she won't be coming to a city near you, unless you happen to be vacationing in Brazil this winter. Yup, all four shows will take place in four cities in Brazil. Hopefully this tour is a sign of things to come and Amy will be in our neck of the woods soon.
Sufjan Stevens has been recording music for over a decade and has been a front man for the indie rock scene and has promised to write an album for every single state in the U.S., a very ambitious project. His newest album "The Age of Adz" was released in October by Asthmatic Kitty records. Here is the song "Too Much" below off of that album:
Here is a sweet music video of Band of Horses performing "Dilly" off of their third album Infinite Arms that was released in May 2010. They were formed in 2004 in Seattle and are now based out of South Carolina.
Radiohead's Thom Yorke embarked on a Human Art piece that was inspired by the cover of Yorke's solo album The Eraser that was part of the project 350 Earth that is promoting climate change awareness.
Well, on the morning of November 27th, around 2 thousand people gathered in Brighton, England and formed the image of King Canute, who once tried to stop the tide.
You can find more pictures at 350 Earth's Flickr Page.
The Canadian group Wolf Parade will be going on hiatus for a while following an announcement by Spencer Krug at a show in Toronto this weekend. They still have a live show planned in the Netherlands in January of next year.
Other front man Dan Boeckner will be recording a new album with his other band Handsome Furs this winter.
The band was formed in 2003Â in Montreal and have released 3 albums, their newest Expo 86 was released in June.
On the November 17th episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," Bruce Springsteen and "Neil Young" came on and did a cover of Willow Smith's "I Whip My Hair."Â Check it out below:
Here's a new video directed by Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich) of Arcade Fire's short film "The Suburbs" shot in Texas. It's the title song and the video is incredible. Check it out below:
The Gorillaz came on the BBC Radio and did a bunch of their songs, including a beautiful cover of The xx's "Crystalised." Damon Albarn, the lead singer, is an incredibly talented musician and it shows in these acoustic sessions. Here is the video below:
With the date of their new album looming, The Decemberists have announced the schedule for their next U.S. and European tour. The new record, entitled The King is Dead, will be released January 18th on Capital Records. Shortly after the band hits the road with indie band Wye Oak and Mountain Man in tow as their openers. The group will be coming to the Riviera Theater in Chicago and the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee on February 4th and 5th respectively. Looking for other locations? Check out The Decemberists website for a full schedule.  Â
The Decemberists headed over to Conan to give a great performance with Gillian Welch of Down By the Water, the new single from The King is Dead. Check it out below.
Check out this video of Spoon performing "Nobody Gets Me But You" off their album Transference that was released in January. This is them playing at Cake Shop, a New York venue and filmed on the surveillance cameras.
As we all know this year's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had detrimental effects on the environment and the economy of the Gulf Coast. While the oil has been stopped, clean up and recovery action is still going on. In an effort to reverse some of the damage from the spill, a number of talented groups have been recruited to help produce a charity album. The record is appropriately titled Gasoline Rainbows and will be released on November 30th on iTunes. All the profits will go to Green USA and their efforts to restore the Gulf Coast and prevent future environmental catastrophes. This album has a ton of my favorites and whats better than getting some amazing music and donating to charity while you're at it?
Gasoline Rainbows Track Listing:
1. Gasoline Rainbows- Amy Kuney
2. Armistice- Phoenix
3. 40 Day Dream- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
4. There's No Secret This Year- Silversun Pickups
5. At the Birds Foot- City and Colour
6. The Connoisseur of Great Excuse- Damien Rice (*New)
7. Bloodbuzz Ohio- The National
8. Tighten Up- The Black Keys
9. Let the Time Roll By- Onward Soldiers
10. Moth's Wings- Passion Pit
11. Floating Vibes- Surfer Blood
12. Mama Taught Me Better- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
13. I Can Change- LCD Soundsystem
14. Cousins- Vampire Weekend
Ryan Adams has officially re-launched his own record label, Pax-Am. It has a real variety of groups on its roster. According to the label website, its filled "with bands such as Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and more eclectic tastes such as Ryan Adams."
 Adams had originally started Pax-Am in 2004 as a way to release vinyl versions of four-track home recordings. He had only three sets through Pax-Am before his musical hiatus: The Rescue Blues and California EPs , in addition to "If I am a Stranger" single.
Upon its re-launching, Ryan is also re-releasing  Orion.  This is the non-gate fold standard edition version of the limited Orion LP that loyal Pax-Am customers grabbed a while back. Featuring art by Michel Langevin of Voivod and including guest vocalist Gorgon Master of War.
Adams also revealed that a new Ryan Adams & The Cardinals double-LP will be available soon. III/IV was recorded back in 2007 during the Easy Tiger sessions and is described as âdouble album concept rock opera about the â80âs, ninjas, cigarettes, sex, and pizzaâ featuring influences âranging from Kiss to The Cars.â
Famed producer Danger Mouse is working on a new collaboration album with Italian composer Daniele Luppi. The album is titled Rome owing to the fact that the album was recorded in different locations throughout the city. The album was recorded in parts over the past five years and was inspired by the 60's Italian film soundtrack work of Ennio Morricone.
 The record features guest singing spots by the very talented Norah Jones and Jack White.
Danger Mouse explained his motivations for his choice in the pair. "I definitely wanted a man and a woman," he said. "The female vocal needed to be soft, not polarising. But the male needed to have a bit more angst to it."
He added: "I played some of the music for Jack White when I was on tour shortly after doing the first session, just to show him what I was doing⦠he liked it, but at the time I wasn't even thinking of using him â you know, it's Jack White.
"But in the end, I thought, 'He's really into it â why not?' He tried it in different voices â a high voice, a low voice, and I thought, 'Why don't we leave them all in?' There's a bunch of his vocals on 'Rose With The Broken Neck', and it doesn't always sound like him."
Recently some clips of the tracks have surfaced on the Internet. Five segments of songs taken from the album have been posted online ahead of its release next year and are available to hear at Soundcloud.com.
We think it sounds pretty promising! What are your thoughts?
Are you ready for another R.E.M. record? I thought so. Well you are in luck! R.E.M.'s newest album titled Collapse Into Now is finished and estimated to be released in early 2011. The group took a different route than there politically driven Accelerate this time around. Their fifteenth studio album is more personal and expansive. Â
"With Accelerate we were trying to make a point by making the songs as short and as fast as possible," Mills tells SPIN. "So we wanted this new one to be more expansive. We wanted to put more variety into it and not limit ourselves to any one type of song. There are some really slow, beautiful songs; there are some nice, mid-tempo ones; and then there are three or four rockers."
The 12 track album has a couple of guest appearances by music heavy weights Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and Peaches. Eddie with be supplying his vocals on a track called It Happened Today, while Patti will be on the album closer called Blues.  Peaches is featured on a yet to be named track that has been promised to have the word "alligator" in the title.
John Lennon has been chosen to be featured on a special edition 5 Euro coin in the UK. In a close race, (he won 92% of the votes) John won out over Jane Austen, John Logie Baird and Walter Raleigh.
The Mint's Director of communications is pleased with the public's choice. He says, "It's entirely fitting that John Lennon has been chosen by the public in what would have been his 70th year," he said. "The massive proportion of the vote he received shows clearly just how much his untimely death still resonates with the nation."
5,000 coins are set to be made and while they have a face value of 5 Euro or 8 dollars, they are being retailed at 72 dollars.
Piano Moguls Steinway & Sons are also offering a limited edition John Lennon Piano. They are calling it the Imagine Series and the piano is modeled after the white Steinway grand piano that John Lennon presented to Yoko Ono on her birthday in 1971.
The Piano comes with these special features:
⢠A choice of one of four of John Lennon's original drawings
⢠The lyrics "You May Say I'm a Dreamer" elegantly displayed on the bass side of the rim
⢠The opening bars to "Imagine" printed directly on the gold plate of the piano
⢠A medallion on the inner rim including John Lennon's Japanese chop mark/signature (which he often used to sign his artwork) as well as the series name and number
⢠A replica of John Lennon's signature gracing the treble side of the fallboard
MTV may be trying to relive their glory days. You all remember...before Snooki was showing her who-hah to the world, before Amber was beating up Gary or before we all scolded LC for not going to Paris; back when MTV stood for Music Television and not Mildly-realistic Television. MTV is trying to get some of its glory back by trying to revive the golden age of the music video. They have started a new project that they are calling "Supervideos". This series will finance music videos to go above and beyond and turn themselves into epic dramas. Inspired by the successes of almost every Lady Gaga video and Kanye West's Runaway, MTV thinks producing really expensive, visually striking videos done by good directors is the way to go. The kick off of this series began with the video for LCD Soundsystem's Pow Wow. The video featured Oscar-nominee Anna Kendrick (Twilight Saga, Up in the Air) and was directed by acclaimed screenwriter and director David Ayer.
MTV thinks there is a resurrgence for the art form that is the music video and that audiences wont be able to get them fast enough.
Check out the LCD Soundsystem Supervideo below. What do you think? Does MTV have a point or are they off their rockers?
For the Swede indie group Peter, Bjorn & John a sixth studio album means turning back to their first. While the group had stretched their legs with their last couple albums, they decided to head back to the Pop Rock sound that made them famous. John Eriksson in an interview with Spin says "We've sort gone back to the beginning," he explains, adding that the songs have elements of new wave and power pop. "It's like Back to the Future." Eriksson also explains the album is more party oriented since that's what they were doing during most of the writing and recording of the record. There will also be those hints of love and hate and even a little bit of politics. The as of yet untitled album will mark the first time the group has used an outside producer. The choice was was decided by the group after a band meeting.  "We have been producing our own albums, so we needed some new blood." The record will comprise of 11 tracks (each recorded about 20 times to make them perfect) and is estimated to be released early in 2011. Keep your eye out!
British songstress Adele has announced her release plans for her anticipated sophomore album and its first single. The followup from 19, Adele's newest project is fittingly called 21 in accordance with her age at the time she recorded it. Adele admits this album is quite different from the first mainly due to a whole new world of influences. "I discovered lots of artists I'd never heard of, particularly Wanda Jackson, Allison Krauss, Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Lady Antebellum and Steel Drivers who I fell in love with," she explained.  Adele goes further, showcasing her very eclectic taste in musicians, "Then I delved in to more from artists I've loved forever - Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits and Sinead O'Connor. There's something in every single one of these artists that has really really inspired 21." The sound on this album is her British R&B but infusing it with classic and contemporary roots and country.
According to SPIN, "Adele will unveil her new sound when lead single Rolling in the Deep hits radio on November 15."Â Â The full album 21, will be released February 22nd.
If you didn't hear Rolling in the Deep yet and can't wait, check out this video of the track set to studio footage!
If you thought Death Cab for Cutie's newest album was going to be just like Narrow Stairs, well then you thought wrong. In an interview with Spin, Brian Gibbard explains the bands new direction and shares his enthusiasm about it. Â
"It's not a guitar-based record. We've been into vintage keyboards and playing with that palette," he says, citing Brian Eno's Another Green World as a reference point. "We're not adding guitars because people will be expecting them⦠I'm so proud of this album that at this point I don't care if people don't like it."
Gibbard explains how Narrow Stairs was a dark album and called it self-loathing. He admitted to being embarrassed about it now. He is happy that the new record is taking on a new point of view and reflecting a different time of his life.Â
A big change for this album is the actual recording process. Instead of retreating to a studio for six weeks straight, the band recorded in several different sessions with two weeks in between. Gibbard found this style more nourishing for inspiration.  "On this record I've written a couple songs in our downtime between studios and we start recording that brand new song on the first day of the next session, which is something we've never really had the opportunity to do before."  Gibbard also explained how the writing style of this record differs from their previous works. "This new record has turned out to be much more of a construction project," he says, adding that the band would build a song in the studio around one vocal or riff. "It makes for some very creative moments."
The yet untitled album is projected to be relelased some time in the spring of 2011. I cant wait to hear what sounds like a reinvented and interesting Death Cab.
Check out a video of Brian Gibbard playing "a new song" while recently in Seattle.
A year and a half after the surprising and tragic death of music icon Michael Jackson, a new album from the king of pop is about to be released. MICHAEL is set to be released December 14th on Epic records. As the official press release describes it:
"The creative process never stopped for the King of Pop who was always planning for his next album; unbeknownst to many fans around the world Michael Jackson was writing and recording songs continuously everywhere from a friendâs home in New Jersey to studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with a small group of handpicked collaborators. Now, through the unique stories that will be told about the songs that comprise MICHAEL, fans will get mind-blowing insight into how this artist worked and a chance to hear the songs he most recently created along with tracks that Michael had a desire to bring to fruition."
One of the tracks from the album, Breaking News, is currently up on Michael Jackson's official website. There is already a cloud of controversy surrounding the song. Many people, including MJ's family, are accusing the vocals of being fake. Judging by the almost 300 comments on his website since the song was posted, fans seem split. A lot of them support the song 100% while others admit to disappointment.
I don't know about you but I think this is just further exploitation of the memory of a great performer. The people in charge of his creativity and legacy seem more concerned with making a quick buck (or a million) than honoring Michael the way he deserves. I honestly don't believe that's Michael's voice and even if it is I don't think the well known perfectionist would have wanted his work released this way.  Hopefully this isn't it.Â
Listen to Breaking News and judge for yourself. What do you think? MJ or imposter?
Finally! It's only been a mere seven years since Cake's last album. But at last we can all again bask in the excellence that is the half sung half talked witty lyrics of John McCrea. Cake's sixth studio album titled Showroom of Compassion is scheduled to be released on January 11th. Make sure you ask for some iTunes gift cards for the holidays and grab this album as soon as it drops.
While you are anxiously awaiting this album you can keep yourself busy by listening to this little taste called Sick of You.
Keep yourself hyped up for this album by checking out Cake at The Rave in Milwaukee on Monday, December 13th for Snow Show 5.
With a new album released, rock group Guster realized they needed a video for one of their new tracks and saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between artist and fan. So back in September, Guster asked their fans to help them make a video for their new song Bad, BadWorld.
"Our fans tend to be really creative, and they tend to want to share that with us," Guster drummer Brian Rosenworcel told Billboard.com shortly after the contest started. "We generally strive to be the type of the band that doesn't put up a brick wall between our fans, but rather, we kind of break it down."
The winner of the contest is Nora McCormack of Soft Shell Productions. In her heartwarming video she asks four people to change a life for $10 or less. She then follows their stories around the streets of Portland, Maine. One woman buys toys and art supplies for kids in a hospital while another gives away flowers to strangers. See the do-gooders at work in the video below.
Bad Bad World from Guster on Vimeo.
Against all odds, The Cars have reunited and are recording their first album together since 1987's Door to Door. All the members, minus Benjamin Orr who passed away in 2000 from cancer, have holed themselves up in a studio in New York. According to Billboard, the sessions were first confirmed by veteran engineer Paul Orofino in posts on the Pro Sound online message board that have since been deleted, and follow the late July posting on Facebook of a photo with the band together in a Boston recording studio. This was succeeded by a clip of the song Blue Tipon the group's Facebook page. Click here to check it out. There have been reports there will also be a tour to accompany this new album but no dates have been confirmed.
As part of Herbie Hancock's new album Imagine Project, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks lend their talents to an extended version of the track Space Captain. Herbie wanted to do something to promote peace and unity through out the world and his answer was the Imagine Project. He enlisted the help of musicians from all over the world and put together an album filled with different cultural flavor and attitudes. Other tracks on the album include Bob Dylan's The Times, They Are A' Changin performed by The Chieftains, Toumani Diabete and Lisa Hannigan and also John Lennon's Imagine performed by P!ink, Seal, India Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono No.1 and Oumou Sangare.
Check out some footage of Susan and Derek in the studio for the track.
Butch Vig and Steve Marker met back in the 70's while they were both attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both had a love of music and played in college rock bands while also honing their skills as producers and engineers in Steve's basement. Eventually the two moved out of the basement and set up their very own studio, they named Smart Studios, on East Washington Ave.Â
This place has been the setting for recordings, mixes and remixes of some of the greatest bands in modern music history. The list reads like a who's who in music: Nirvana, Fall Out Boy, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Death Cab for Cutie, Beck, L7, Sparklehorse, Everclear, Freedy Johnston, Poster Children and Son Volt all have history at Smart Studios. Unfortunately the studio had to close its door this past May due to the down turn in the music industry.Â
In order to commemorate the building's rich history Wendy Schneider is making a documentary. Wendy is currently in the production stage for the film but has dont about 70 internviews and is taking submissions to add. While the completed movie is still a ways away (possibly a year) I am very excited about this project and cant wait to see how it turns out!Â
Check out the facebook fan page here for more info and instructions to submit material.
The members of The Red Hot Chili Peppers are back in the studio recording their next, yet to be titled, album. This will be the band's first album since their 2006 success, Stadium Arcadium. Drummer Chad Smith has reported that the album is about halfway done and so far, the guys are happy with the way things are going.
So far around 20 songs have been tracked and the boys are hoping for a March release. The group has said this LP will have a bit of a different sound due to a few new elements. First, with the departure of guitarist John Frusciante, Josh Klinghoffer will be bringing his talents to that position. Secondly RHCP are branching out from their norm of funk-pop. Flea and Klinghoffer to a trip together to Lagos, Nigeria and Ethiopia and were inspired to go a more Afro-pop direction.
The members of RHCP have been busy indeed. During the group's break, Flea worked on Bryan Ferry's new album, Olympia, and also toured with Thom Yorke for the group Atoms of Peace. Even now hes planning a new project with Blur/Gorillaz front-man Damon Albarn and afrobeat drummer Tony Allen (you can tell flea is really excited about his new afro-inspiration). Meanwhile Chad Smith plans to record with Chickenfoot in January, though he has already confirmed that he wont tour with the band but is committed to RHCP.
Garbage has just announced that they will be reuniting and creating an LP and will have a tour. Shirley Manson, the lead singer, told a group of industry majors that they had just started recording. She said the tour would probably begin next year sometime.
The band was formed here in Madison, WI in 1994 - you may recall that their first album was produced at Smart Studios, which has since closed. They have sold over 17 million albums worldwide and they co-produced the title song from the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough."Â They have been on hiatus since 2006.
And as a reminder of their music, here's their song "Only Happy When It Rains" below:
Concert posters have been around forever and continue to be a popluar merch item at shows. I myself have a small collection and am glad to see boundaries are still being pushed and creativity is flourishing. Below are some posters I think are amazing. What do you think?
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A new U2 album will be out this spring, and frontman Bono has just announced that it will be produced by Danger Mouse.
Bono told The Age that they have already made about 12 songs with him. U2 also will be releasing a "club" album that will be released after this one that will feature artists like Will.I.Am and RedOne.
Danger Mouse is the stage name of Brian Burton, who has produced a lot of popular albums including The Black Album (Jay-Z), St. Elsewhere & The Odd Couple (Gnarls Barkley), Demon Days Gorillaz), Modern Guilt (Beck), and Broken Bells.
David Grohl is excited about the next Foo Fighters record. Several tracks have already been laid down on analog in Davidâs garage. Grohl describes the album as their heaviest yet saying, âEach song is full on, the whole record is full on. In the 14 songs, there's not one acoustic guitar.â
David has reached back into his Nirvana past and invited some old friends to help out on the album. Former band-mate Krist Novoselic lends his stellar bass playing on at least one track. What is most exciting is that Wisconsin bred Butch Vig will be producing this album which will mark the first time these two powerhouses have worked together since the successful Nevermind. Vig has spent much of his career here in Madison and even set up his own recording studio, Smart Studios, right on East Wash. Sadly the studio closed in May of this year after playing host to a number of famous records including Nevermind itself. Vig attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study film direction and founded and participated in many bands during his years here. These include Spooners, Firetown and Garbage. It will be interesting to see what these two seasoned rockers come up with together!
While performing at NYC's amazing venue Terminal 5, My Morning Jacket put their own spin on Elton John's classic Rocket Man. The group tackled the number in a folksy rock rendition that was part of their encore. Check out a video of the performance below:
Some people are just resourceful...and super creative. A Florida man, Steve Cinnamon, has begun making and selling his own homemade guitars. These aren't your everyday guitars however, they're made out of cigar boxes. This tradition has been around since the civil war era and Cinnamon made it his new hobby after a friend showed him his own creation. Cinnamon has a profound respect to the early makers of these unique guitars saying, âI think what amazes me the most is how the guys back in the old days built these things. I mean, Iâve got a drill press, Iâve got a sander, Iâve got a router, but those guys had nothing.â
Check out some pictures of these awesome guitars. Want one? You can purchase your very own cigar guitar under the title âCottin Pickin Bluesâ on Facebook. Remember, Christmas is just around the corner and what is better than a one of a kind guitar?
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Here is another instance of people being extremely handy and making their own guitars. Check out this clip of Jack White making his own guitar out of a Coke bottle, a piece of wood, a few other elements, from the documentary It Might Get Loud.
This is Roxy front-man Bryan Ferry's newest solo project with more sultry, lovestruck crooning.
Read the Rolling Stone review
Similar Artists: Roxy, The Charlatans, The Verve, School of Seven Bells
Buy it on iTunes OR get the Deluxe Edition
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Buddy Guy: Living Proof
On the new album from Buddy Guy, the blues icon contemplates morality at his 74 years of age and revisits his many years in song.
Read the Chicago Tribune Review
Similar Artists: B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon
Buy it on iTunes
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Prefab Sprout: Lets Change the World with Music
Gifted singer and songwriter, Paddy McAloon has been battling some recent health issues that have prevented him from performing music. Thankfully Prefab Sprout has a host of unreleased tracks at their disposal and have released another record in the meantime. It's a loose concept album speaking of the religious love for music.
Read the A.V. Club review
Similar Artists: Joy Division, The Smiths, The Pixies, Elvis Costello
Buy it on iTunes
Taylor Swift stopped by the BBC Radio 2 Studio to perfrom a few live songs. One of them was Coldplay's track Viva La Vida. Thankfully, her performance was not like some of her more recent patchy live shows like her horrific appearence at MTV's VMA awards. Taylor actually did a noteworthy job on the song giving the verses a mellow feel while building the power during the chorus.Â
What do you think? See a video of her performance below.
Mumford and Sons have decided to completely change their sound for their next album. Â
âI would likeâto an extentâto tear down everything we built with Sigh No More and start again with the second album,â keyboardist Ben Lovett said. âThere are things in our lives that carry more weight and substance than simply saying, âThings are going really well, letâs write some songs about that.â Thereâs more to life than the success of this band.â
Recording for the bands second album is set to begin next year and the band is expecting some fans wont take to it kindly.  With climbing popularity, transforming their sound is a risky move but one the band is willing to take.
Trio Fistful of Mercy, comprised of members Dhani Harrison (George Harrison's son,) Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur, appeared on Jimmy Fallon to perform their song Father's Son.
The song is off their debut album, As I Call You Down, out in stores now. They gave an amazing performance with a little help from The Roots.
Check out our earlier blog post about the band to learn a little more and get a FREE DOWNLOAD of Fistful of Mercy!
Check out their performance below:
Like many of you, my fingers are crossed! Pink Floyd reunited in 2005 to play Live 8 in London but haven't been together since. Hopefully, this hiatus will come to an end. Drummer Nick Mason says that playing shows for charity is the key. In an interview with BBC he said, âI think it would be a very nice way for a band to gently move towards retirement, by doing shows absolutely for charity rather than for more income.â I agree and would be happy to support Pink Floyd and their charities if they were to go back on tour!
Best-selling rock band R.E.M. have revealed that the title of their 15th studio album will be Collapse Into Now. The album will be released in Spring 2011 by Warner Bros. Records. BBC Radio 6 broke the news on its Twitter feed after R.E.M.âs manager Bertis Downs revealed the title at the In the City conference.
R.E.M., which is singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills, re-teamed with Grammy Award-winning producer Jacknife Lee, who produced the bandâs acclaimed previous album Accelerate, to make Collapse Into Now. Lee is also noted for his work on albums by U2, Snow Patrol, The Hives, and indie stalwarts Kasabian, Editors, Aqualung, and Bloc Party.
R.E.M. and Lee recorded the album in New Orleans at the Music Shed and in Berlin at the famed Hansa Studios, where several legendary albums, including David Bowieâs Heroes, U2âs Achtung Baby, and Iggy Popâs Lust for Life, were made. Additional recording and mixing were done at the venerable Blackbird Studio in Nashville.
You can also download Canât Get There From Here (Remastered, 1985.) This track was originally on their 1985 release Fables of Reconstruction. If you like the sound of the above track, a remastered re-issue of the 1985 album was recently released.
Collapse Into Now is the follow-up to 2008âs hard-charging Accelerate, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, topped the Alternative, Rock, Digital, and Internet (physical goods) charts in the U.S., and debuted at No. 1 in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. It spawned three hit singles âSupernatural Superserious,â âHollow Man,â and âMan-Sized Wreath.â The band also released a two-CD live set, entitled R.E.M. Live At The Olympia, last October.
On October 26th, 2010, New West Records will release R.E.M. Live From Austin, TX â a DVD that contains the full live performance of the bandâs concert for PBSâ Austin City Limits television series, plus three songs that didnât air on the original broadcast. The 17 songs, including several from Accelerate and such classic hits as âLosing My Religionâ and âMan On The Moon,â have been re-mixed and re-mastered in LPCM stereo and DTS-HD 5.1 Surround Sound.
The Cold War Kids will be releasing their third album Mine Is Yours in January and Rolling Stone Magazine has an exclusive new track "Royal Blue" that you can watch below. Enjoy!
Last Night, the Pixies played in Santiago on the same day that 33 Chilean miners were released after being trapped for over 70 days after a mine collapse. The Pixies were so moved by the ordeal that the miners had gone through that they played a special dedication set: 33 songs for 33 miners. In a press release, lead singer Black Francis said, "This was definitely one of the most meaningful shows we've ever played."
For more info, click here.
In probably one of the most interesting stories recently, the hip-hop group Imperial Stars stopped their band's U-Haul in the middle of the 101 Freeway in L.A. on Tuesday morning at 10:30 AM effectively blocking traffic while they performed a song "Traffic Jam 101" to raise awareness for child homelessness in the United States. Keith Yackey, the lead singer told a reporter, "We were thinking we needed to do something big to grab the attention of the American people to this cause of the 1.5 million homeless children."
The hip-hop group angered a lot of motorists including one commentator on a story that said, "My lovely friend flunked a final nursing test after missing it while sitting in this jam. There was a strict no-make-up policy."Â A lot of other comments expressed complaints about the safety and security risks that this band took and some questioned whether this was just a publicity stunt.
The three band members performed on top of their truck and were arrested by the police. They were released Wednesday morning on a $10,000 bond. Â Â Here's a video captured on youtube of the scene:
For more info, go to the Orange County Register's article. What are your thoughts? Do you think that it's OK for bands to perform things like this to increase awareness of issues? Do you think this was a publicity stunt or that they were genuinely concerned with raising awareness of child homelessness?
Already need more Kings of Leon?? Well then I have some great news for you! The band is now streaming their full album Come Around Sundown on their website! Click here to jump to their website and listen to all the awesome new tracks! Make sure you comment on their facebook page with your opinion and if you like what you hear you can pre-order the album now!
Check out an interview with the band below about the title Come Around Sundown:
In a yet untitled biopic, Sacha Baron Cohen will be taking on the challenge of playing the role of the late, great Freddie Mercury. Portraying the frontman of Queen suggests some big shoes to be filled. Thankfully, Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger to some leather or a spandex onsie. It has yet to be determined if Sacha will be singing Queen's iconic tracks such as We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Another One Bites the Dust or whether Mercury's original vocals will be used. Hopefully if Sacha attempts it, he can measure up to Freddie's amazing and distinct voice. The film will reportedly cover the begining years of the band up through their performance at Live Aid in 1985, which is still considered one of rock's all-time great live concert appearences. With the remaining members of Queen having a major say in the film, its sure to be a detailed account of the band's rich history.
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Ozzy has recorded his version of the song "How?" from John Lennon's 1971 "Imagine" album specially to salute John's 70th birthday. Osbourne rendition of this classic Lennon track from his 1971 'Imagine' album is available exclusively on iTunes with all proceeds benefiting Amnesty's human rights efforts around the globe. Download the Track Here and watch the video shot on location in New York City below.
From popeater.com: The recording is an extension of 'Instant Karma,' Amnesty's 2007 album of Lennon compositions from artists including U2, R.E.M., Christina Aguilera, Green Day and more all in the name of relief efforts in Darfur. But with a major Lennon birthday on the horizon, there was more to celebrate.
"This year the whole world is celebrating the 70th anniversary of John's birth," Yoko Ono tells Amnesty. "His spirit and influence is stronger than ever. John shared a common purpose with Amnesty International - shining a light on wrongs and campaigning to protect people's rights. We all shine on!"
Amnesty's USA's Executive Director Larry Cox says of Osbourne's effort, "Once again Yoko Ono has shared the extraordinary legacy of her husband's music to make a difference in the lives of those who have no voice. We continue to be enormously grateful to her for her support and generosity. Yoko and John Lennon were devoted to seeking a better world and used the power of their artistry to work toward that goal. Ozzy Osbourne's gift, with Sharon Osbourne's strong and generous support, makes the same powerful statement today: that individuals can make a difference when they join with others who share a commitment to justice and freedom."
If you are unfamiliar with NoiseTrade you are missing out. NoiseTrade is a website devoted to bringing artists and fans together. They offer free services to artists who can add their tracks to the site for fans to download. The cost? Either tell five of your friends or give a donation of your choice. The five founders are looking to improve the site with the Noisemakers Campaign. They will be taking donations of any amount in exchange for a 25-song sampler that includes artists like Kate York, Katie Herzig, Matthew Perryman Jones, Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, Trent Dabbs, Thad Cockrell and Mikky Ekko. You can get the sampler without donating, but we suggest you tip your server generously.
For more information about the Noisemakers Campaign and to download their sampler check out this link: http://noisemakers.noisetrade.com/
Feist burst onto the scene back in 2007 with her debut album The Reminder.Now shes taking a look back at the album that made her a household name in an Anthony Seck directed documentary entitled: Look at What the Light Did Now.The film will include candid interviews and numerous performances as we discover just what it took to make that special album. It premiered this past Friday at the POP Montreal and will continue to be screened in select venues around the country.  It will be coming to Chicago October 26th but make sure you check Feist's website for updates!
Contrary to what the band said earlier this year, its new album will not be coming out in 2010. Chris Martin had said in February Coldplay was hard at work on the follow-up to Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and were aiming for a Christmas release.
Coldplaying.com reported that the band shared the news of the postponement as just a case of being behind schedule. Chris said that although the band is close to finishing a lot of tracks, nothing is completely done, not even the new song “Wedding Bells” that he debuted at Steve Jobs’ latest Apple Conference.
It looks like 2011 will be the year for Coldplay fans. Check out the newest track “Wedding Bells” below. You can also download a Free Coldplay Album as a thank you to their fans.
John Lennon's Toilet Auctions for $15KA toilet that was formerly in the home of music legend John Lennon was sold at auction for $14,740, ten times the expected sale amount. The story behind the toilet is that it was in John Lennon's Berkshire, England home until he had the toilet removed and replaced. The bathroom renovator stored the toilet in his shed for the past 40 years. The organizer of the Beatles memorabilia auction, Anne-Marie Trace of The Beatles Store in Liverpool, stated that the toilet was "the most unusual item we've ever had in our auction." I would hope so... more infoNew Bruce Springsteen Set Out in Novemeber
Bruce Springsteen is releasing a box set of music titled "The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story" on November 16. There will be both a two disc set released as well as a 3-disc, 3 DVD version of the remastered release available through Columbia Records on November 16. For more information and ordering information, head to The Boss's official site. To hear a new track from the upcoming release, check below. more infoListen To Matt & Kim's New Single
Planning on seeing Matt & Kim when they arrive in Madison on September 21? Whether you are or not, Matt & Kim are releasing their new album Sidewalks on November 2 and have prepped the upcoming album by releasing the first single off the album titled "Cameras" this week. The band allows fans to stream the new single via their Facebook page by "Liking" the track and spreading the word. Brilliant idea Matt & Kim. Check out the new single at their page here or stream it below. more infoMatt & Kim - CamerasNew Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz Album On The Way
Only days after singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens released his All Delighted People EP, the mysterious musician announced that he will be releasing a new album on October 12. The new release will be released on Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty Records and will be titled The Age of Adz (pronounced 'odds.') The album is inspired by the art of schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson. Robertson illustrated space aliens, monsters, futuristic automobiles and signs of the "Last Judgment" on poster boards. It should not really surprise anyone that Sufjan would announce an album release only weeks prior to the release date after years of no new material. Leave it up to Stevens to release an album inspired by an obscure artist that features heavy electronic use as well as heavy orchestration. more infoArcade Fire Create New Interactive Video with Google Maps
Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire have been working with the good people at Google to create an interesting video. The video promoted by Google's web browser Chrome features Google Earth inserting the image of a given location (i.e. your home) into the video. Head over to an official Arcade Fire site to check out the interactive film by Chris Milk. more infoWatch the New Ben Folds and Nick Hornby "Things You Think" Video
The first video from the upcoming Ben Folds/Nick Hornby collaboration has been released. The album titled Lonely Avenue is scheduled for a September 28 release date. To get a glimpse of the work these two have been working on, check out the video below.
Stream The Weepies New Album Be My Thrill In Whole
Husband and wife duo The Weepies are preparing for the release of their new album Be My Thrill by allowing fans to listen to the entire album through Paste Magazine. The Weepies are a songwriting duo originally from Cambridge, MA who have five releases to their name so far. Be My Thrill is the duos first release since having their first child in 2007. The single from the album "I Was Made For Sun" is simple, catchy and worth a listen. Stream the track and album below. more infoBon Iver helping Kanye WestWisconsin native Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) is taking a step (or two) away from his typical indie rock scene and helping out Kanye West. West will be releasing a new album on November 16. Officially, the only track released that features Bon Iver is titled "Monster." Considering Vernon spent a couple weeks in Hawaii recording with Kanye, more Bon Iver vocals are expected on future Kanye releases. If you are a Bon Iver fan, check out this interview with Pitchfork Media in which Vernon discusses how his Kanye collab came to be as well as his future musical plans. We will have to wait to hear exactly what the two songwriters have in store. To listen to and download Kanye's track "Monster" featuring Bon Iver, Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj , head over to Kanye's blog.
-Sam Ryan
Bob Dylan to Release Witmark Rarities Collection in October
Legendary songwriter and musician Bob Dylan is set to release the ninth volume of his "Bootleg Series" on  October 19.  The Columbia Records release will feature 47 tracks recorded between 1962 and 1964 including early versions of "Blowin' in the Wind," "Mr. Tamborine Man" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'."  Dylan recorded fifteen tracks exclusively for the ninth volume of the "Bootleg Series.  more infoNeil Young New Album Le Noise DetailsNeil Young is embracing modernity.  Young will be releasing a new album titled Le Noise on September 28 on CD and digitally, but later the album will be released on Blue-ray and as a free iPhone application with an interactive "album cover."  The album will not only be released embracing modernity, but producer Daniel Lanois told Rolling Stone the new release will be "very electric" and not the typical Neil Young acoustic album.  more infoLe Noise Tracklist
1. Walk With Me
2. Sign Of Love
3. Someoneâs Gonna Rescue You
4. Love And War
5. Angry World
6. Hitchhiker
7. Peaceful Valley Boulevard
8. Rumblin
Kings of Leon Disco Dance Off
Kings of Leon are enjoying being rockstars and headlining festivals around the world. Â The guys from Tennessee took part in an alcohol-induced "Dance-off 2010" according to Nathan Followill. Â Check out the smooth dance moves of frontman Caleb Followill and company here. Â The best part of the video is the fact they are dancing to the groovy sounds of Chromeo. Â Classy. Â more infoREM, My Morning Jacket, and Tom Morello of Rage Agianst the Machine Add To Dear New OrleansFive years ago, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, LA as well as much of the Gulf. Â To remember the horrific event, musicians have put together a compiliation album filled with great music to help a number of New Orleans non profits. Â The compilation is titled Dear New Orleans and was released digitally August 24. Â The album features My Morning Jacket, REM's Mike Mills, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Ok Go, Steve Earle, Indigo Girls with Brandi Carlile and many more. Â Grab your copy here while helping a great cause. Â more infoNew Brian Eno Album, Small Craft On a Milk Sea, Details
Brian Eno will be releasing his newest album Small Craft On a Milk Sea on November 2, 2010. Â The album will be Eno's first album on his new record label Warp Records and will be released in physical CD format, digitally, as well as a special collectors' edition box set. Â Only 250 collectors' editions will be released which will each include a silkscreen print made by Eno himself. Â For more information and images of the visually pleasing collectors edition box set design, head to BrianEno.net.
New MGMT "Congratulations" Video Released
Check out the boys from MGMT in their new video for their track "Congratulations." Â It is a very interesting video to say the least. Poor dinosaur/camel creature...
Eric Clapton To Release New Album On September 28
Guitar legend Eric Clapton has announced he will be releasing a new solo studio album on September 28th titled Clapton. The release will be Clapton's nineteenth studio album and will be released on Reprise Records. The fourteen track release features guest appearances by Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint and Derek Trucks as well as being co-produced by Doyle Bramhall II. more infoClapton Tracklist
"Travelin' Alone"
"Rocking Chair"
"River Runs Deep"
"Judgement Day"
"How Deep Is The Ocean"
"My Very Good Friend The Milkman"
"Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
"That's No Way To Get Along"
"Everything Will Be Alright"
"Diamonds Made From Rain"
"When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful"
"Hard Times Blues"
"Run Back To Your Side"
"Autumn Leaves"
Weezer To Take Re-Release of Pinkerton On Tour?
Good news for 1990's Weezer fans... The band may be planning a tour centered around the playing of their 1996 release Pinkerton. The band will be releasing a new album titled Hurley on September 13 as well as re-releasing Pinkerton on October 5th. A tour coinciding with the re-release of Pinkerton is the rumor. Weezer fans would likely agree that Pinkerton was one of the bands best efforts, but planning a tour focused on 15 year old material when a new album just hit the stores is not a great sign for the quality of the new material. Maybe Hurley will be great and Weezer and their fans just prefer the Weezer classics live. more infoSpringsteen Doc Scheduled For October HBO Release
A documentary focused on the 1978 Bruce Springsteen album Darkness on the Edge of Town will be premiering this October on HBO. The film is titled The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town and features never before seen black and white footage of The Boss and company in the studio working on the 1978 release. The film also features modern day interviews with members of the band reminiscing about the ups and downs of the recording process. Check your listings and tune in this October to see the documentary. more infoPreview 5 New Brandon Flowers Solo Tracks Before His Flamingo Release
Anyone anticipating the release of Brandon Flowers' solo album Flamingo on September 14, your wait just got a bit easier. Thanks to the good folks at SPIN magazine, you can preview five Flamingo tracks right now! Check out the new tracks and then figure out where you can check out Flowers in a live solo set when he tours for his release. Flowers performed a ten song solo set in Las Vegas on August 15, giving fans an early and intimate showcase of his new solo work. The rest of us will just have to wait until September 14th for the full experience. Until then, get a bit more info and preview tracks here.
New Blondie Album To Be Out In 2011
Believe it or not, Blondie is back and prepping a new album for a 2011 release. The album will be titled Panic Of Girls and was originally set for a late 2010 Australian release. The album has been pushed back and will instead be released next year in the US and UK. The follow-up to Blondie's 2003 release The Curse of Blondie will feature a more "organic" feel with less programming according to drummer Clem Burke. Blondie has played a few of their new songs at shows recently and have received good feedback. more infoCelebrate John Lennon's 70th Birthday and Pre-Order "The John Lennon Box of Vision"
To commemorate John Lennon's 70th birthday, the powers that be will be releasing "The John Lennon Box of Vision." The "Box of Vision" will be released in a very limited manner, individually numbered and only 7500 copies released, and can be pre-ordered at www.BoxOfVision.com. The "Box of Vision" is officially licensed by Yoko Ono Lennon and is a fantastic box of goodies for any Lennon fan. For a full list of what is contained in the "Box" and more info, click here or head to www.BoxOfVision.com.
Delta Spirit Release New "Bushwick Blues" Video
San Diego based American/Soul band Delta Spirit have officially released a new video for their song "Bushwick Blues" off their June 2010 album History From Below. Check out the album if you haven't and watch the new video below.
-Sam Ryan
Elvis Costello Releases New Release Details
Details about the soon-to-be released new Elvis Costello album have surfaced. Costello's most recent release will be titled National Ransom and is scheduled for a November 2 US release. National Ransom was recorded in both Nashville and Los Angeles and was produced by legendary producer T-Bone Burnett. Check out the tracklist and cover art below. more info'National Ransom'
'Jimmie Standing In The Rain'
'Stations Of The Cross'
'A Slow Drag With Josephine'
'Five Small Words'
'Church Underground'
'You Hung The Moon'
'Bullets For The New-Born King'
'I Lost You'
'Dr Watson, I Presume'
'One Bell Ringing'
'The Spell That You Cast'
'That's Not The Part Of Him You're Leaving'
'My Lovely Jezebel'
'All These Strangers'
Jack Johnson Joins Gulf Oil Spill Relief Effort
Chilled-out surfer, singer and environmentalist Jack Johnson is heading "To The Sea" to help out with oil spill relief effort on the Gulf. Johnson and his "To The Sea" tour has joined the "All At Once" campaign to encourage volunteerism and direct-donation in aiding the Gulf spill relief efforts. Jack Johnson's charity The Johnson Ohana Charity Foundation has donated money to help the people of the Gulf. Keep up the fantastic work Jack! more infoMy Morning Jacket Recording New Album
My Morning Jacket are hard at work recording new material in a church in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The band has recorded five new tracks and expects the album out mid-2011, likely May or so. MMJ frontman Jim James talked to Rolling Stone Magazine about the new material and said, âItâs all live, so the vibe is really, really good, really wholesome. Thereâs something about it. Weâve done stuff mostly live but then you do some overdubs, some vocals, or whatever. But weâre trying to do everything other than maybe strings live. Thereâs just something old and dirty about it.â more infoMumford & Sons Announce North American Fall Tour
British folk rockers Mumford & Sons will be hitting the road on a North American tour this fall and have scheduled one Wisconsin date. The guys from London will be in Milwaukee on October 30 as well as Minneapolis the 29th and Chicago the 31st. If you are unfamiliar with Mumford, I highly recommend their first album Sigh No More as well as checking them out this October. For more information and the complete tour schedule, check here.
Reese Witherspoon To Play Peggy Lee in New Film
Actress Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her portrayal of country singer June Carter Cash in the Johnny Cash bio-pic "Walk the Line." Her success with the musically important role has put her in position to play jazz singer/songwriter/actress Peggy Lee in an upcoming film based on the entertainer's life. Witherspoon obtained the story from Lee's estate and will act as an executive producer for the film. Additional details have yet to surface. more infoArcade Fire Take Over The Daily Show
Arcade Fire have been very busy the last couple weeks. The band released their latest chart topping album The Suburbs this week, headlined last weekend's Lollapalooza and recently joined John Stewart on The Daily Show for a two song performance. Check out video from their Daily Show performance below.
New Robert Plant Album Band of Joy Out Soon!
Fans of Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin listen up! Â The legendary Robert Plant will be releasing his ninth studio album on September 13, 2010. Â The album will be titled Band of Joy and features twelve tracks that feature a classic 60's rock sound. Â I have yet to hear the album, so I will let Robert Plant himself give you an album preview!
Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift Set T0 Kickoff NFL Season
As training camps draw to an end and the preseason schedule is in full swing, only one thing can be true. Â The NFL season is nearly here! Â For the past few years the NFL has kicked off the season with a Thursday night matchup that is surrounded by parties and celebration. Â This year will be no different when Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift head to New Orleans to perform prior to the kickoff of the Saints and Vikings game on Thursday, September 9. Â Be sure to tune in for the start of the season as well as see Dave and Taylor Swift rock the night away. Â more infoProfessor Steve Miller?
Rock n' Roll legend Steve Miller will try his hand at a new career, a faculty member at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. Â Steve Miller will work as an "Artist in Residence" at USC, working with undergrad students enrolled at the Thornton School of Music and working in the Popular Music and Music Industry fields. Â "Professor" Steve Miller will advise and help students with first hand experience and knowledge to help the students understand the field. Â That would be an entertaining course to say the least, "The State of Music with Steve Miller." Â more infoSufjan Stevens Schedules North American Tour
Indie singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and all around good guy Sufjan Stevens has announced a North American tour starting in early October. Â Sadly no Wisconsin show has been scheduled, but you can catch Sufjan in other midwest cities including Chicago on October 15 and Minneapolis on October 16. Â If you have any opportunity to see Sufjan live do not pass it up. Â No word on new studio material by Sufjan has surfaced for a while. Â More tour infoSara Bareilles Covers "Single Ladies"
I'm really happy for you Beyonce, Imma let you finish, but Sara Bareilles just covered your song and made it into a happy piano pop tune. Â Sara Bareilles recorded a cover of Beyonce's single "Single Ladies" for Billboard.com. Â Bareilles took the hip-pop tune and put her touches to it and turned the track to a pop-piano ballad. Â Beyonce's version of the song was extremely popular both radio and video wise and was the video that lead to Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift at last year's MTV Video Music Awards. Â Check out Sara Bareilles cover below. Â Hopefully Kanye is a fan...
Lollapalooza 2010 Photo Recap
Did you make it down to the Windy City this weekend for Lollapalooza? Â If you didn't, or did but want to relive the magic, check out SPIN magazine's "Best of" photo recap of the weekend. Â Clearly, Lolla looked like a great weekend filled with fantastic music. Â Check out some of the great photos here!
-Sam Ryan
McCartney Asks To Be Featured on "Glee"
The television show "Glee" has many fans. One of the shows more famous fans recently asked to have his music featured on the show. Believe it or not, Sir Paul McCartney wrote to show creator Ryan Murphy asking to have his music featured on the show. Murphy told BBC that McCartney sent him a package that included two discs of music along with a hand written note suggesting the use of the included material on the show. Murphy added that he was shocked to find out the music legend was a fan of the show and that he will surely be working with Paul to some degree in the future. more infoCheck Out Arcade Fire's The Suburbs Right Now
Yesterday (August 3rd) was the official release day of Arcade Fire's new album titled The Suburbs. If you have yet to grab your copy of the new album and would like to give the entire release a listen before you buy it, NPR is streaming the album in its entirety. After you give the album a listen, you can snag a mp3 download of the album for the limited-time-only super cheap price of $3.99 at Amazon. Give the album a listen and let us know what you think of Arcade Fire's most recent release.
Brain Eno To Release New Solo Album In Late 2010
Roxy Music member Brian Eno is set to release a solo album later this year on Warp Records. No official date or album title have been released, but the project features "the fruits of several years of jams" between Eno, guitarist Leo Abraham, and electro-producer Jon Hopkins. Eno has described the music as "'live' and 'alien' at the same time." What exactly that means I am not sure, but I am sure the project will have a captivating sound like much of Eno's past work. more infoNew Kings of Leon Album Expected October 19
Reports suggest that Kings of Leon will release their fifth studio album October 19. The label as well as the band have yet to confirm an October 19 release for the band's next release. The album title is not known yet but the sound has previously been reported as "beachy" and "chilled out." Kings of Leon have played a handful of their new tracks at live shows this summer and have said that if it were up to them they would play all their new material live. Triple M will be sure to let you know when new word on the forthcoming album is released. more infoRare David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails Live Footage Released
Back in 1995, David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails co-headlined a US tour. Footage of the unlikely pair performing together was recently released online by filmmaker David Williams. Williams shot footage of the tour and recently uploaded a few videos of both David Bowie and NIN from the 1995 tour. Check out the video of the song "Hurt" performed by Bowie and Nine Inch Nails below.
David Bowie and NIN: "Hurt" from video on Vimeo.
Wyclef Jean Officially Running For Haitian President
It is official, Wyclef Jean will be running for the Haitian presidency. The rumor of Jean's political aspirations that surfaced about a week ago will reportedly be verified tomorrow (August 5th) when Jean officially announces his decision on "Larry King Live." In order to run, the former Fugee's member will have to prove he has lived in Haiti for five consecutive years as well as he has not been a citizen of any other country. If all goes as expected, Wyclef will be on the ballot come November 28. more info
Condoleezza Rice and Aretha Franklin Duet For Charity
As previously reported on Triple M, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice performed with music legend Aretha Franklin at a benefit show in Philadelphia earlier this week. Rice is an extraordinary pianist who considered becoming a professional musician before going forward with her political career. The duo's nine minute performance included Rice playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor as well as Rice playing "Say A Little Prayer For You" as Franklin sang. Check out video from the performance below. more infoSoundgarden Plans Pre-Lolla Show
Seattle grunge rockers Soundgarden are preparing for their long awaited headlining slot at this year's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago by scheduling a warm-up Chicago show three days before their Lolla date. Soundgarden, who broke up in 1997, will be playing at the Vic Theatre in Chicago on August 5th. Tickets to the 1400 person capacity show are available to the band's official fan club members. Become a member and grab your tickets for this historic concert as soon as possible. more infoFormer Barenaked Ladies Frontman To Release Solo Album
Steven Page, the former leader and co-founder of Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies, will be releasing a solo album September 28 titled Page One. Page and Barenaked Ladies split up back in 2009 so Page could pursue a solo career. The first single off the album is titled "Indecision" and was officially released July 27. more info and tracklistThe Arcade Fire To Stream August 5th Madison Square Garden Show Online
The Arcade Fire will be broadcasting their August 5 Madison Square Garden show using the services of online video providers Vevo. The live stream of the Madison Square Garden Show will be directed by Terry Gilliam of 12 Monkeys as well as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Fans worldwide will be able to watch this epic show from any where they are receiving an internet signal. Ah, the power of the internet. more infoLCD Soundsystem Hitting The Road with Hot Chip, Milwaukee Date Added
The groovy dance-rock sound of LCD Soundsystem will be arriving in Milwaukee on October 22. LCD Soundsystem will be joined by English electropop band Hot Chip when they arrive at The Rave in Milwaukee. LCD has added only 5 US dates, and we here in Wisconsin are lucky enough to have them visit. If you are looking for a fun show that will keep you grooving all night, grab your tickets starting tomorrow (July 31) for the October 22 date. Full tour schedule and more infoAmy Adams May Play Janis Joplin In Bio-Pic
A biography that follows the life and times of singer Janis Joplin is in the works. Early word on the project reveals that actress Amy Adams (of Enchanted and Julie and Julia) may be the choice to play Janis Joplin in the film. A studio has not picked up the film for sure yet, but reportedly City of God director Fernando Meirelles is attached to direct and Fox Searchlight owns the script. As more details about the tentatively planned Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can bio-pic are released, Triple M will keep you up to date. more infoAmerican Idol Seeking New Judge. Timberlake, Elton, J-Lo, Jessica Simpson Possible?
"American Idol" is struggling. The ratings giant has lost several judges over the past year including "Idol" staple Simon Cowell. Comedian Ellen Degeneres who was on the show for one brief season is finished with the show as well. Reports of new judges are spreading plenty of names including Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez and others. So, with so many new judges, will "American Idol" survive? Has the show already lost its swagger? Who would make a great "Idol" judge? So many questions and so few answers...
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends On Tour With Eric Clapton
Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band
Live At The Greek
George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Live In Boston 1982
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Couldn't Stand The Weather
Top 5 Movies From Last Week
1. Inception, $42.7 Million
2. Salt, $36 Million
3. Despicable Me, $23.6 Million
4. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, $9.6 Million
5. Toy Story 3, $8.9 Million
Kings of Leon Bassist Hit With Pigeon Excrement, Finish Show Early
St. Louis Kings of Leon fans were let down this past Friday evening when the band left the Verizon Amphitheater stage after only 3 songs. What caused this concert to abruptly end? Believe it or not... pigeon poop. A flock of pigeons living in the rafters of the Verizon Amphitheater bombarded the bands on stage with excrement. Opening for Kings of Leon, The Postelles and The Stills both finished their sets covered in pigeon excrement from the unruly birds above. Kings of Leon took the stage despite the openers experience. This did not turn out well when after only three songs Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill was hit in the mouth by pigeon poop. The band left the stage and did not return. Concert attendees can receive a full refund from Live Nation due to the shortened show. more info19 Killed, 100+ injured Following Germany's "Love Parade" Festival Stampede
At the Love Parade Music Festival tragedy struck when the lone entrance for the festival was packed with people. An old railway tunnel served as the festival's single entrance and exit. This clearly was a serious problem due to the festival expecting over one million music fans. The crammed tunnel soon turned to a stampede as 19 people were killed and 100+ were injured. Medical help had difficulty getting to the injured people due to the crowd and entrance setup. Despite the tragic events, the music festival still occurred. more infoMartin Scorsese and Mick Jagger Team Up For HBO "Rock 'n' Roll" Drama
If you are a Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, HBO or all the above fan, listen up. Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger are working together to create a "rock 'n' roll drama" for HBO. The project is to be titled "A History of Music" and will follow two friends and their 40 years in the music industry. "Sopranos" writer Terence Winter is on board and Scorsese would direct if the series is to be picked up. If all this information is accurate, another great HBO show is on the way. more infoElton John Working on "Animal Farm" Inspired Musical
Piano rocker Elton John has reportedly begun working on an Animal Farm inspired musical. Elton John and screenwriter Lee Hall previously worked together to create the stage version of "Billy Elliott." The two will take on the George Orwell novel Animal Farm in musical form. Only time will tell if this is true and how interesting of an outcome will result. more infoDixie Chicks to Record with Steve Martin on His New Album
The Dixie Chicks have been very quiet since their 2006Grammy award winning album Taking the Long Way. The "Chicks" will reportedly be working on a track with Steve Martin on his latest bluegrass album. Steve Martin wrote the song and is asking the Dixie Chicks to harmonize on the tune with his band. Be sure to check out Steve Martin's later to be released bluegrass album. more infoWyclef Jean Seeking A Run At the Haitian Presidency?
All-around music maker and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean is mulling the idea of running for President of his home nation Haiti. Wyclef Jean was appointed as "Ambassador-at-Large" in 2007 for the small island nation by President Rene Preval who is unable to seek re-election. Jean, who is 37, was born in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince but spent much is his growing up years in New York City. The Haitian election has major implications for the nation as the new President will have the task of rebuilding the country after the horrific January 12 earthquake. more info
Beach Boys to Reunite for 50th Anniversary Show
Beach Boys fans...your dreams may have come true. The Beach Boys will be reuniting for a 50th Anniversary show in the near future. No date, time or location have been released yet. Guitarist Al Jardine told Rolling Stone that the band, including Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and possibly early guitarist David Marks, will be getting together for "likely a free show" in the future. Location has yet to be determined, but Jardine said that Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, The National Mall in Washington, DC and Lakeside in Chicago have all been discussed. Jardine went on to say that as long as the band had to get together to rehearse for one show, they may as well take the show on the road. We will just have to wait and see... more infoBilly Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins Collapses Onstage
The Smashing Pumpkins performed an intimate set this past Wednesday night at Ritz Ybor in Tampa, Florida. Lead singer Billy Corgan collapsed to the ground shortly after the playing of "Bullets With Butterfly Wings." Corgan seemed dizzy before he stumbled and fell onto the drum riser. Corgan later tweeted to explain that the fall was not stage antics but rather "blacking out and wiping out." Despite the fall, the band is scheduled to continue its intimate tour with a show in Knoxville, TN tonight (July 23.) more infoGaslight Anthem Expand Tour, Madison Date Added
New Jersey rockers, The Gaslight Anthem, are riding the success of their third studio album American Slang by expanding their Fall 2010 tour, including a Madison date. The Gaslight Anthem will be at Madison's Majestic Theatre on September 19 (tickets) as well as a handful of other midwest shows throughout the fall. Check out this band's latest release and check them out live when they arrive in Mad-Town. more info including additional datesVampire Weekend Sued by Contra Cover Model
Vampire Weekend's second studio album, Contra, was released earlier this year and included the image of a young blond woman as the cover art. The model used for the cover is suing the band for $2 million dollars for allegedly using the photo without permission. Depending on who you talk to, the photo was originally taken as a Polaroid in 1983 by photographer Tod Brody who then later sold the photo's rights to Vampire Weekend to use on the Contra cover. Or perhaps, the photo was taken by the model's mother as a family picture and later sold at a garage sale in a bundle. The model, Kristen Kennis, only recently saw the image after her daughter brought home the album and noticed the cover. Details of the case are still to come and Vampire Weekend have not spoken on the matter due to legal obligations. more infoJack White Performs "Mother Nature's Son" at McCartney's Gershwin Prize Ceremony
Jack White was invited to the White House to perform at the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Ceremony honoring Paul McCartney this past June. The ceremony took place last month and some video of the event has slowly trickled out. PBS will be airing the ceremony in full on July 28, but before the airing, check out Jack White playing The Beatle's "Mother Nature's Son" for Sir Paul and President Obama! more info
(embedding seems to have problems, for better quality video experience, click here)
Carlos Santana To Release Classic Guitar Cover Album September 21
Carlos Santana recorded a cover album titled Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time with much noteworthy help. The album covers some of the greatest guitar rock songs of all time with help from some of Santana's rock friends. Some tracks on the album include "Little Wing" performed with Joe Cocker, "Whole Lotta Love" with Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell, "Sunshine of Your Life" featuring Rob Thomas and many more. The album is set for a September 21 release. more infoDavid Byrne and Brian Eno Soundtrack Oliver Stone's "Wall Street"
In 2008 David Byrne and Brian Eno joined together to produce an album titled Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The album is a fantastic album and will now have tracks featured on the soundtrack to Oliver Stone's forthcoming sequal Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The soundtrack will include music off the Byrne and Eno album, selections by David Byrne, songs by Craig Armstrong, and Byrne's Talking Heads track "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)." more info
Top 5 Movies From Last Week
1. Inception, $60.4 Million
2. Despicable Me, $32.7 Million
3. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, $17.3 Million
4. Twilight: Eclipse, $13.5 Million
5. Toy Story 3, $11.7 Million
Bono Recovered and Ready to Rock
U2 frontman Bono has fully recovered from back surgery that kept U2 from their North American tour. Bono released a video for fans saying he is feeling better while apologizing to ticket buying fans who have to wait a year to see the band. Glad to hear Bono is doing well, check out the video below! more infoArcade Fire Pledge Haiti Aid
Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire will be releasing a new album titled The Suburbs August 3rd. Before the album is released, the band has pledged one million dollars to help rebuild Haiti after the devastating hurricane that took place sixth months ago. Reports have surfaced that not all the pledged money for Haiti is getting to relief efforts due to a handful of reasons. This issue is very important to band member Regine Chassagne because her parents are both Haitian. Arcade Fire will match public donations up to one million dollars to go to the relief charity Kanpe. more infoR.E.M. Finish Recording New Album
R.E.M. have officially wrapped up recording a new album in Berlin, Germany with the help of producer Jacknife Lee. The album has a tentative projected release of Spring 2011. Very few details have been released due to the recent news of the wrapped up recording. As more details emerge, Triple M will surely keep you up to date! more infoNew Weezer Album Due in September
Weezer has a new record on the way but details are few and far between. The album will reportedly be on an independent record label and is set for a September 13 release. The actual record label that will be releasing the album is still unknown as well as the album title. more infoDavid Gilmour to Join Waters at Lone "Wall" Date
A Pink Floyd semi-reunion may be in the near future...David Gilmour may be joining Roger Waters on stage for the second time since the early 1980s breakup. Word is that a hand shake deal was struck between these two musicians, being "If Waters would agree to perform "To Know Him Is To Love Him" at the Hoping Foundation Benefit, Gilmour would guest on "Comfortably Numb" at a to-be-determined show on Waters' upcoming tour featuring Pink Floyd's "The Wall" being performed in its entirety." Let's hope this reunion happens! more infoBen Folds and Nick Hornby album Set To Be Released
The previously reported rumors of a Ben Folds/Nick Hornby collaboration have come true. The album will be titled Lonely Avenue and is scheduled for a September 28 release. Ben Folds recorded the music while Hornby, known for his writing of "About a Boy" and "High Fidelity," wrote the lyrics for the album. This should be an interesting collaboration, and I am looking forward to its release. more info
The Avett Brothers have released a brand new video for the track "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" from their most recent album I and Love and You. The track discusses the temporary nature of our buildings and the inevitable decay that comes with a temporary state of mind.
The new video for the song is a spectacular piece of work. Artist Jason Ryan Mitcham is behind the gorgeous painting animation. The video was created through the gradual alteration of one painting 2600 times over the course of the 4 minute and 20 second video. Ten painting alterations occur every second throughout the video.
The video not only looks amazing, but visually corresponds to the meaning of the song wonderfully. Watch this brand new exclusive video below!
The Avett Brothers have sold over 200,000 copies of their album I and Love and You since its late September release. The album has a cleaner sound than the rougher blue grassy sound of their earlier work. This is likely due to all-star producer Rick Rubin getting his fingerprints on the record. The Avett Brothers are planning to release a Live CD/DVD October 5 while they are still on the road promoting I and Love and You this summer.
Last year's Project M winner Mike Droho is asking for YOUR help! Mike Droho along with his band the Compass Rose are looking to continue their musical journey and are asking you to help them by donating to their cause.
Mike Droho & the Compass Rose are looking for donations to help the band purchase a new van to get the band across the country. The vehicle the band has used in the past has seen better days after the 600 shows and 100,000 plus miles traveled.
The band would love your financial help and in return you will be rewarded with some fantastic Mike Droho fan prizes. As Droho explains, "Your donations will not only help us live our dream, but they will also get you really cool one-of-kind merchandise, song recordings, linear note acknowledgments, admission to shows, and even live private performances! Please find it in your hearts to help us, the karmic universe will surely remember it."
So do a good deed and help these young musicians continue their musical adventure. Donations of any value will go a long ways in helping the band. There are only seven more days to reach around $1800 to help the band. If the financial goal is not reached, all "raised" money will go back to the donors. Head over to their Kickstarter page and show your love!
-Sam Ryan
Carlos Santana Proposes To Drummer Onstage
Being the smooth romantic he is, Carlos Santana popped the question to his drummer Cindy Blackman four songs into his July 9 show in Tinley Park, Illinois. Blackman said yes and the two love birds sealed the deal with a kiss to the applause of the crowd. Santana said in a statement Monday, "Cindy and I are blessed to have found each other. Being in love is a gift from the universe, and the spirit and vibrations that come with it are infinitely powerful." Best wishes to the happy couple from Triple M! more infoJimmy Buffett Plays Free Gulf Shore Show
Parrotheads arrived on the Gulf shore of Alabama to groove to the smooth sounds of Jimmy Buffett and stick it to the oil as it still flows in the Gulf. Buffett grew up on the Alabama coast and referred to the concert as like "a little Jazz Fest with an ocean," referencing the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Alabama Governor Bob Riley said that the state may use the received $15 million from BP for tourism promotion to put on additional concerts this fall. Florida Governor Charlie Christ also arrived on the coast to check out the Buffett show and said, "I think all the Gulf states will benefit from this. We're all in this together. God Bless Jimmy Buffett." Check out video from the concert below and check out this article for more info.
Jon Bon Jovi Tears Calf Muscle During Show, Yet Finishes Show
Jon Bon Jovi LOVES New Jersey. While performing in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the New Meadowlands Stadium, Bon Jovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi badly injured his calf. Despite a torn calf muscle, Jon Bon Jovi finished the two and a half hour show while even limping back onstage for the encore. Jon assured the crowd he was fine as he hobbled around stage saying, "I'm old, what can I tell you." A spokeswoman for the band said the injury will not hinder any future tour dates. more infoNew Interpol Single "Barricade" Released Online
New York based indie rockers Interpol have a new album on the way, and you know what that means... new singles! Interpol is set to release their fourth studio album on September 7 and have leaked the album's first single titled "Barricade" online. Check out the track below.
Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music to Release "Stacked" Solo Album
Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music is working on his upcoming album Olympia and has been graced with the help of a whole slew of famously talented friends. Artists featured on the album will include Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, former Chic frontman Nile Rodgers, Marcus Miller, Scissor Sisters, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd as well as Primal Scream bassist Mani. The album will also include the Groove Armada track "Shameless" which features Ferry on vocals. If you still aren't impressed and excited, Ferry will be collaborating with former Roxy bandmates Andy MacKay, Phil Manzanera, and Brian Eno. more info[You Should Know] Owen Pallett Releases Free "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" EP
Formerly known as "Final Fantasy," indie pop violinist and singer Owen Pallett has released a free EP through his website. If you have never heard of Owen Pallett definitely give a listen, especially if you are planning on heading to The National on September 28 as Owen Pallett is scheduled to open the date at the Orpheum here in Madison. The free EP features Pallett's track "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" as well as a handful of remixes of the track. Check out the EP here. To grab tickets for The National and Own Pallett, head to True Endeavors!McCartney Rocks San Fran For First Time Since '66
Paul McCartney rocked the Bay area Satuday night for the first time since The Beatles final public concert on August 29, 1966. McCartney played at the new baseball stadium AT&T Park next to Candlestick Park where The Beatles previously played. McCartey recalled the 1966 show saying, "We have great memories from playing here a long, long time ago. But we couldn't hear a damn thing from all the screaming girls." The developements of technology as well as the aging of the "girls" helped McCartney hear himself this time as he put on a great show for the McCartney faithful. To check out photos, the 38 song setlist, and other information about the show check here.
Online retailer Amazon is holding a promotion through the end of July in which customers can purchase mp3 albums for only 5 dollars! There are 100 albums available for this low price through Amazon with an assortment of artists and styles.
If you are looking for some new jams for the week or for later down the road, swing over to Amazon and check out the vast collection.
Glancing over the list of 5 dollar albums, here are some of the recordings that stand out to me as worthy download material if you don't already have a copy.
Broken Bells by Broken Bells
Gimme Fiction by Spoon
Oracular Spectacular by MGMT
Manners by Passion Pit
Futuresex/Lovesounds by Justin Timberlake
Homework by Daft Punk
There are plenty of other great albums on the list not mentioned above. Be sure to check out all hundred and find yourself a steal!
-Sam Ryan
Ringo and Paul Reunite to Rock Ringo's Birthday
Ringo Starr celebrated his 70th birthday Wednesday night in New York City and got by with a little help from a friend. Paul McCartney unexpectedly joined Ringo on stage to perform the Beatles' track "Birthday" for the frenzied crowd. This unexpected performance united the last living members of the Beatles as Yoko Ono and George Harrison's widow Olivia watched from off stage. Lucky for us, a dedicated fan shot video of the performance with a camera or phone so the rest of the world could see this historic meeting. Check it out below. more infoBrandon Flowers Saved by Charlize Theron in "Crossfire" Video
If you have listened to Triple M a bit recently you have possibly heard Brandon Flowers new single "Crossfire" on the station. Flowers will be releasing his first solo album titled Flamingo on September 14 with "Crossfire" being the solo for the upcoming album. The official video for Brandon Flowers new single has been released and features actress Charlize Theron fighting off ninjas to save the troubled Flowers. Check out the video and let us know what you think of the new Brandon Flowers track. more infoWilco to Start Own Record LabelAccording to guitarist Nels Cline, Wilco's next move is to write new material for a new album. This makes sense for a band to do, but what is interesting is how the material will get to fans. Wilco will likely be leaving their current label, Nonesuch, while establishing their own record label. Details are vague and the process of creating their own label is still in the early stages, lacking a name even. The implications of a transition are unknown as of now, but as details emerge Triple M will be sure to let you know. Regardless of what happens, Wilco will still be writing great music for their fans to enjoy. more infoKT Tunstall Returns with "Push That Knot Away"
Singer songwriter KT Tunstall is back and preparing for the release of her new album Tiger Suit this September 28. Tunstall has released the video for the track "Push That Knot Away," a track she calls a "signature" track that features her attempt to mix acoustic picking with a bit of electronica. The track has a very different feel from her past work, but something after a first listen I can dig. Give the track a watch and a listen here.
New Strokes Album Expected Next March
The Strokes have not recorded a new album since their 2006 release First Impressions of Earth. This is way too long in my book. But no fear Strokes fans, the word is that the band is planning to release a new album in March 2011. Lead singer Julian Casablancas told BBC 6 Music that the album is about half way done and the band continues to procrastinate to get the album wrapped up. As much as I hope a new album hits stores March 2011, if judging by these remarks and history it may be a bit longer. more infoLearn to Play The National with The National!
Have you ever wanted to play a jam off The National's most recent album High Violet? Well now yon can with a little help from The National's own Aaron Dessner. Dessner swung through Canada's "Q" TV and recorded an instructional video for the piano portion of the track "England" from High Violet. Dessner describes the piano portion as "quite simple," but you can decide that for yourself. Check the video out here along with more info.
Kid Cudi, Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij, and Best Coast Free Download
Converse, yes the shoes, released a free download of an exclusive new track titled "All Summer" that features Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi, Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij, and LA based Best Coast. This collaboration can be heard and downloaded at the Converse site along with video introductions of the involved musicians. A bit of a different feel than the usual Triple M track, but give it a try and let us know your thoughts! By the way, sorry about Lebron Cudi...
-Sam Ryan
Elton John and Leon Russel Develop a "Union" and Plan a New Album
Elton John will be releasing an album titled The Union on October 19 and has been working with legendary singer-songwriter Leon Russel. John has described the album as "a new chapter" in his recording career and that "I don't have to make pop records anymore." Not only are Elton and Leon working together, other legends are aiding and working on the album in some degree. Elton John's longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin is helping with the album along with legendary producer T Bone Burnett. Additionally, guest appearances by Neil Young and Brian Wilson are expected on the highly anticipated album. Keep your ears and eyes with Triple M as more information or tracks from The Union are released. more infoThe Doobie Brothers Are Back! New Album Planned for September
Rock 'n Rollers, the Doobie Brothers, are back to recording music with their longtime producer Ted Templeman. The Doobie Brothers are planning on releasing a new album, the first in a decade, titled World Gone Crazy on September 28. Singer-guitarist Tim Johnston stated in an interview that the band has been working on the album off and on for the last 3 years between touring and other arrangements. Johnston also said that World Gone Crazy is the most "musically diverse" album the band has ever worked on. It will be interesting to hear what the experienced rockers have created when World Gone Crazy is released in late September. more infoThe Beatles' Apple Records Remastering and Re-Releasing Catalogue
Apple Records, the record label started by the Beatles in 1968, will be reissuing a plethora of albums from Apple's roster of artists. Albums by James Taylor, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Jackie Lomax, Mary Hopkin and others will all be remastered and released this October. For a full list of the re-releases and more information regarding Apple's plans, read here.David Bowie To Release "Station to Station" Deluxe Edition
David Bowie fans listen up! Mark your calender for September 20. David Bowie will be re-releasing his album Station To Station in a deluxe version. There will be two deluxe versions released, one as a 3-disc set that includes the original album, a sixteen page booklet, postcards, and a never-before released recording from a performance at Nassau Coliseum. The second deluxe version will be a 5-disc which includes on top of the material in the 3-disc, vinyl copies of all recordings along with a replica press kit and a fan club folder. For a full track listing and additional information read here.
Band of Horses Announce Tour
Following the release of their 2010 album Infinite Arms, indie rockers Band of Horses have announced a string of tour dates across the country. For Triple M fans, Band of Horses have scheduled a stop in Milwaukee on July 16 plus numerous other non-Wisconsin Midwest shows throughout September and October. For a complete list of dates, read here.
The Decemberists Helping Uninsured Musicians
Portland folk rockers The Decemberists have done their fair share of good deeds over the years and are continuing today. The Decemberists are teaming up with The Jeremy Wilson Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting musicians who are uninsured. The foundation was created by Jeremy Wilson, a former Decemberist bandmate, after he was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition while working as an uninsured musician. The Decemberists have donated some memorabilia to be sold through the foundation. more infoSmashing Pumpkins Release New Song "Freak"
Another song has been released off the ongoing and upcoming Smashing Pumpkins 44-track album titled Teargarden by Kaleidoscope. The recent release titled "Freak" is the fifth song off the album that has been released to the public. To listen to the track and also for a free download of the track use the player below. Let us know what you think of the new Smashing Pumpkins tracks. more info
Aretha Franklin Accompanied by... Condi?
An interesting duet is scheduled for Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing Arts Center on July 27. Aretha Franklin will be accompanied by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on piano. Rice will join Franklin for songs including "Say a Little Prayer," "Natural Woman," Mozart selections and more. Who knew this former diplomat had such piano skills? more infoBrian Wilson Reimagines George Gershwin
A very special album will be released August 17. Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys and solo work, has recorded an album titled Brian Wilson Reimagines George Gershwin that consists of Wilson touching and finishing Gershwin material. Last year it was revealed that the Gershwin estate enlisted Brian Wilson to finish previously unfinished Gershwin material when he passed in 1937. So, to summarize, Brian Wilson is releasing an album August 17 that will contain songs written by George Gershwin (but not finished) and finalized by Wilson. A track is available to stream through Brian Wilson's site if this project sparks interest. Keep your ears open for this note-worthy Brian Wilson release. more infoNew Decemberists Album On The Way, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck Helping
The Decemberists are hard at work on their sixth album and have been graced with the presence of Peter Buck of R.E.M. Beck is helping the band by co-writing three songs while they record the album in a barn in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. No official release date has been announced for the Tucker Martine produced album. Keep checking Triple M for more information or official singles as they are released. more info
In other R.E.M. news, check out and listen to an Athen's Demo of the track "Feeling Gravity's Pull" here.
Kings of Leon Test New Material in London
Kings of Leon have written and recorded a new album and keeping the music secret is not an issue for the Nashville boys. The 60,000 person Hyde Park London audience was treated to a few new tracks including "Southbound," "Immortal," and "Radioactive" (all working titles). Lead singer Caleb Followill told the London crowd, "Just yesterday some people at the record label got to hear a couple of songs from it. I don't know if they want us to play a bunch of new songs but I think 'f#$! it' -we're gonna do it!" Album details are not out at this point, updates as details are revealed. more infoLate Senator Robert Byrd's 1978 Bluegrass Album to be Re-Released
Another politically affiliated music news story leading into this Fourth of July weekend.
Earlier this week 92 year old Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia passed away after serving 50 plus years in the United States Senate. An interesting fact about Byrd is that he was an avid fiddle player. In 1978 Byrd released a bluegrass album titled Mountain Fiddler on County Records. County Records has remastered the recording and will be re-releasing the album to commemorate the passing of Senator Byrd. Bluegrass fans looking for a piece of American political and music history be sure to pick up a copy. more infoThe Next Big Thing? Jack White Mentors Young Folk Singer Laura Marling
Jack White (of White Stripes/Dead Weather) likes to invite musicians passing through Nashville to stop in and record at White's Third Man record label studio. White was very impressed with Marling saying, "She's gorgeous. Gorgeous voice and incredible person. A wonderful girl." Laura Marling recorded a single at White's studio in one take. The single will be available on 7-inch vinyl through Third Man's "Blue Series." If Jack White is right, it is worth it to keep your eyes and ears open for this young singer. more info
http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/jack-white-mentors-folk-singer-laura-marling/7321453
Top Five Movies From Last Week
1. Toy Story 3, $59.3 Mil, $226.8 Mil Total
2. Grown Ups, $40.5 Mil, $40.5 Mil Total
3. Knight & Day, $20.1 Mil, $20.1 Mil Total
4. The Karate Kid, $15.5 Mil, $135 Mil Total
5. The A-Team, $6.2 Mil, $63 Mil Total
Forbes Releases Most Powerful Celebrity List
Forbes Magazine recently released this years annual list of the richest and most powerful celebrities. The list of the one hundred most powerful celebrities contains many musicians including Triple M noteworthy artists including Irish rockers U2 at number 7, Bruce Springsteen at number 17, and Coldplay at number 35. The top five most powerful celebrities this year include Oprah Winfrey at number one, Beyonce Knowles at number 2, James Cameron at number 3, pop newcomer Lady Gaga at number 4, and finally Tiger Woods at number 5. For the full list of Forbes Most Powerful, check out Forbes.
Michael Jackson's Famous Glove Auctioned for $190,000
Michael Jackson items were placed up for auction on the one year anniversary of his death this week in Las Vegas. The most noteworthy item up for sale was the famous Swarovski-crystal-studded glove from Jackson's 1984 Victory Tour. The glove was estimated to sell for approximately 20 to 30 thousand dollars, but ended up selling for $190,000. Total sales topped one million dollars at the auction of Jackson memorabilia. more infoR.E.M. and Snow Patrol Members Form Side Project, Tired Pony
R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody have formed a new side-project called Tired Pony. Details regarding the newly formed project are brief, but known information includes that Tired Pony plan on releasing an album titled The Place We Ran From on September 28. The album will be on mom+pop records and will include contributions from actress and She & Him singer Zooey Deschanel and Editors frontman Tom Smith. Tired Pony has set up a website where you can check out a track and preorder the release. more info
Kinks Bassist Pete Quaife Passes Away
Original Kinks bassist Pete Quaife passed away last week in Denmark. Quaife was 66 years old and died of kidney failure. Pete Quaife had known and been playing with both Ray and Dave Davies since their days as high school classmates. This sad passing calls for the listening of some Kinks classics today. more infoThe National's Matt Berninger Causes Airport Evacuation
Matt Berninger of Brooklyn based rock band The National caused some travel issues when he attempted to bring a Japanese alarm clock he purchased while on tour in Tokyo. TSA evacuated the Honolulu airport for 45 minutes while they identified the mysterious item in Berninger's suitcase. Berninger had to let TSA keep the novelty item but said that TSA was pleasant and professional in their handling of the issue. Matt Berninger also apologized to anyone who missed a flight because of the incident. more info The Sound Strike Coalition Adds Members
Outspoken Rage Against the Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha has set up a coalition of artists to fight and protest the recently passed Arizona immigration law. The coalition goes under the name Sound Strike and includes artists such as Steve Earle, Billy Bragg, Ben Harper, Maroon 5, Sonic Youth, Rage Against the Machine plus many more. Within the last couple of days Nine Inch Nails, My Morning Jacket, and Gogol Bordello all joined Sound Strike. Members of Sound Strike will not perform in the state of Arizona until the law is repealed. more info
Here is a video of Zach de la Rocha explaining Sound Strike
Zack De La Rocha for The Sound Strike from Producciones Cimarrón on Vimeo.
-Sam Ryan
One Year Anniversary of Michael Jackson's Death
One year ago today the King of Pop sadly left us. Michael Jackson, known for his numerous chart topping pop hits during the 80's and 90's, died last year June 25, 2009. Details surrounding the abrupt death are still not clear but Jackson fans around the world have been dancing to all his the in memory of the King. Be sure to play your favorite Michael Jackson tunes in memory today. more infoConcerts on the Square Release Summer Schedule
The 27th year of Concerts on the Square has released its schedule beginning June 30th. The concert schedule includes the first show being songs of Summer Romance, a Beatles tribute night, and also the Madison ballet one night. Heading to a Concert on the Square is a great way to spend a beautiful summer night. Be sure to head downtown for a show or two this summer. Here is the full schedule and information.
Depeche Mode: The Musical?
Alternative rock band Depeche Mode could be taking the Green Day route and adapting their music to take form of a musical. Theater writer and director Adrian Buckle is reportedly writing a musical that uses the music of Depeche Mode as the story's narrative backbone. The tentative title for the play is Playing the Angel after the band's 2005 album. Because the musical information is still tentative, specific details are not yet released. more infoBeach Boys 50th Anniversary, Brian Wilson Reunion?
The Beach Boys will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary as a band soon and rumors of a reunion of all remaining members to play together have been circulating. Sadly, singer Mike Love recently shot down the speculation when he stated that a Brian Wilson joining Beach Boys date is not planned. Love explained that Wilson is working on his own solo projects and that the Beach Boys wish him well. Beach Boy fans can hope this is only a smoke screen, but a reunion is sadly not looking good. more infoLibrary of Congress Recording Registry Inducts Songs by Willie Nelson, REM, The Band and more!
The Library of Congress Recording Registry has recently inducted 25 songs to the Library's collection. The Recording Registry inducts songs that are at least 10 years old while also being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Nominations were selected by online voting as well as choices by the National Recording Preservation Board. The recent inductees included tracks by Willie Nelson, REM, Little Richard, and The Band. More information and the full list of recent inductees
Gregg Allman has successful Liver Transplant
Rocker Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers recently underwent a successful liver transplant as part of Gregg's continuing battle with Hepatitis C. Gregg Allman says he is feeling good and is looking forward to a speedy recovery and getting back to music. Gregg underwent the surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Florida and was very pleased with the treatment. Allman described the wonderful staff saying, "Everybody involved here, my doctors and nurses in the hospital and all the Allman Brothers fans, they've just all been great." more infoGoogle Working to Expand, Google Music Next?
Google is looking to get into the music download market as they are looking to create a new service tied to their search engine later this year, and a subscription service in 2011. Specific details, including whether Google has made deals with record labels, about the new services are still vague and will likely trickle out over time. It is thought that with the expansion of Google's Android cell phone operating system in the market, a music service is the next step in Google's attempt to take hold of the media market. Keep your eyes open for new Google features and services. more info
John Lennon Handwritten Lyrics of "A Day in the Life" Auctioned For $1.2 Million
An original handwritten note containing the lyrics to the final track of the Beatles legendary album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was sold to an American collector. The pen and marker written note was originally estimated to sell for around $800,000 by Sotheby's. An interesting side note, when the track was originally released it was banned from being played on BBC and some Sgt. Peppers albums sold in Asia had the track removed from the recording due to censoring the songs drug references. more infoNew Radiohead Album Nearly Finished, 2010 Release?
Great news for Radiohead fans. Reports are revealing that the band is putting finishing touches to a new album and the writing/recording process should be wrapped up in "a matter of weeks." Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien revealed the record status in a recent interview and said, "We're in the heart of the record. It's genuinely exciting. It's very different from what we did last time. Itâs really nice to be doing this. It's so good to be making music with the band that you feel is still as good as it's ever been." New Radiohead is always welcome. more infoStream New Ray LaMontagne Song
Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne will be releasing a new self-produced album titled God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise later this summer, August 17 to be exact. In preparation for the release, a track titled "Beg, Steal or Borrow" has been released for fans to get a glimpse of Ray's new work. Keep your ears open on Triple M for more new Ray LaMontagne while checking out the new track below.
Th Roots New Album Drops Today, Stream The Entire Album Now!
Philadelphia based hip hop band The Roots released their new album today (6/22) titled How I Got Over and are allowing fans to stream the album in its entirety through their Myspace page. One track that may grab Triple M listeners is the track titled "Dear God 2.0" which features a Monsters of Folk sample and the vocals of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk vocalist Jim James. Give the new album a listen online and swing by your local record shop and grab a copy of the new release.
Phoenix Perform 6 Songs For MTV Unplugged
French dance pop rockers Phoenix are featured on MTV Unplugged after their groovy recent Bonnaroo performance. Phoenix performed 6 tracks for the live audience in a toned down unplugged style that can be viewed here. Phoenix has yet to hit it big with US audiences, but exposure to a larger American audience could turn these guys to chart toppers like they already are overseas. If unfamiliar with Phoenix, be sure to check out their most recent album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, you will not regret it.
Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice Prep New Album and Schedule Tour
Rilo Kiley leading lady Jenny Lewis has been working with her singer-songwriter boyfriend Jonathan Rice to write and record a new album titled I'm Having Fun Now that is scheduled for an August 31 release. To tide fans over until August Lewis and Rice are allowing fans a free download of one of their tracks titled "Scissor Runner." If an album announcement and free download aren't enough for the duo, Lewis and Rice have also scheduled a list of tour dates including a Chicago date and a Minneapolis date (sadly no Wisconsin show.) For the entire list of dates along with more information regarding the upcoming album and a free download of "Scissor Runner," check out the Pitchfork Media story.
Pitchfork Music Festival Releases Set Schedule While Adding Comedians
Anyone heading to Chicago July 16-18 for the Pitchfork Music Festival will be happy to learn the time slots for artist performances have been released. If unfamiliar with this years Pitchfork Music Festival lineup, some of the note worthy artists set to perform include Modest Mouse, Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, Broken Social Scene, Sleigh Bells and more. Pitchfork Music Festival has taken the route of other music festivals by adding comedians to the lineup including Hannibal Burress of SNL, Wyatt Cenac of the Daily Show, and Eugene Mirman of Flight of the Concords. For more info on Pitchfork Music Festival check their site.
Simon and Garfunkel Postpone Tour Indefinitely
Legendary singer and songwriter duo Simon and Garfunkel have sadly postponed their North American summer tour indefinitely. Art Garfunkel is recovering from vocal paresis, a vocal chord condition, but is expected to make a full recovery. North American fans will have to wait even longer to hear the duo live considering the last time Simon and Garfunkel went on a North American tour was 2003-2004. This postponement includes the earlier pushed back Madison date. more infoBen Folds and Nick Hornby Collaboration Details Emerge
Pop piano rocker Ben Folds is working on a collaboration album with British novelist Nick Hornby (About A Boy and High Fidelity.) New details about the earlier hinted at album include that the album will contain 12 tracks in which Folds will put music to short stories written by Hornby. The album is set for a September 28 release on Nonesuch Records and will be released on "audiophile -grade" vinyl along with digitally and CD. Follow along as more details of the release emerge. more infoFoo Fighters Side Project Out Soon
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has formed a side project titled The Dead Peasants and there debut release will arrive July 12. The project has been dubbed a country/Americana release and Shiflett explains that "It is so far from anything I've been a part of with Foo Fighters and it was just really fun to do." All Foo or Americana fans should keep their eyes peeled for this rootsy country release. more info Parlimaent-Funkadelic Guitarist Garry Shider Passes Away
Be sure to keep in funky today in honor of Garry Shider. Legendary Parliament-Funkadelic guitarist Garry Shider sadly passed away Wednesday. Shider known to fans as "Starchild" or "Diaperman" was 56 when he passed. Shider was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer this March. Shider had been in P-Funk since his teenage years after meeting George Clinton and becoming a band regular. more infoVoodoo Music Experience Announces Line up
The New Orleans set music festival known as the Voodoo Music Experience has released the lineup for this years festival. The "experience" will be held October 29-31 in City Park in New Orleans. The lineup has a great mix this year including Muse, MGMT, Weezer, Interpol, Jakob Dylan and Three Legs, along with "medical miracle" Ozzy Osbourne. Voodoo could make for a fun weekend get away as lineup looks extremely entertaining and the city of New Orleans is always a great host. For a complete lineup and more information visit Voodoo's official site.
Listen to New Brandon Flowers Single "Crossfire"
If you want one more (or many more) listens to the recently premiered on Triple M single by Killers frontman Brandon Flowers you can! Flowers is streaming his first solo single "Crossfire" on his website for fans to give a listen. Flowers is set to release a solo album, titled Flamingo, later this year and has described the process of recording the solo work as "lonely" in recent interviews.
New Arcade Fire Release The Suburbs Details, Stream New Tracks
Arcade Fire fans listen up! Details about the highly anticipated upcoming Arcade Fire LP titled The Suburbs have been revealed. The follow up to Arcade Fire's highly regarded album Neon Bible will be released August 3 in the US contains 16 tracks, four of which can be heard online at various sites. For a track listing, other album details and links to streams of new tracks check out Pitchfork Media's report.
Matt and Kim Announce Tour
Indie pop-sters Matt & Kim have announced a massive American tour including shows in Madison, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Matt & Kim will arrive in Madison on September 21 to play the Majestic Theatre. Dates spanning 5 months and all over North America are scheduled. Matt & Kim fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the band the second half of 2010. Check in here at Triple M for specific Madison details as they emerge. More info on the tour and the scheduled dates.
-Sam Ryan
Scientists ask how is Ozzy Osboune still living
Scientists at the US company Knome will begin a project to learn more about the difference in effects of substance abuse on individuals. The question of how some people are affected more negativly than others over years of excessive abuse is the question. What better specimen to analyze than former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. The scientists will fully analyze Ozzy's genome to hopefully get a better look at the issue. Ozzy himself has described himself as a "medical miracle" after a 40 year bender. more info New Macy Gray Album, Stream Now Before June 22 Release
Singer Macy Gray known for her 1999 hit "I Try" is returning to music with a new album titled The Sellout which will be released June 22. If you are a Macy Gray fan or are just curious to hear what Macy has been up to, Billboard is streaming the entire album through their site before the official release date. Gray has released 3 albums since 1999, but all failed to bring Macy back to the charts. If Interested, give Macy's new album a try, it won't cost you a thing.
Hit Show Glee to Pay Tribute to Coldplay
Coldplay was way too cool for a FOX show called Glee... until recently. For some time Coldplay denied allowing Glee creator Ryan Murphy to use their music in the show, but have recently backed down from that stance and a Coldplay themed show may be in the works. The fact that Glee has risen in popularity and their tunes are highly profitable has turned the minds of Chris Martin and gang. If you are a Glee fan and a Coldplay fan you could just be in link. more infoGreen Day Wins Two Tony Awards
Green Day recently won two Tony Awards at the ceremony in New York. Green Day has created a musical structured around their album American Idiot which was nominated for 3 Tony Awards, but walked away with two including Best Lighting Design and Best Scenic Design. Oh how far these punks have come. more infoBeach House Stream and Download
Anyone looking for a young indie pop band to follow, here is one to check out. The Baltimore based Beach House has a couple releases this year. Here is a track to stream or download and try out.
Beach House - Zebra (UK Radio Edit) by subpopMore Photos From Bonnaroo!
If you just can't get enough from Bonnaroo, here are some of the best pictures from SPIN Magazine.
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
"With Accelerate we were trying to make a point by making the songs as short and as fast as possible," Mills tells SPIN. "So we wanted this new one to be more expansive. We wanted to put more variety into it and not limit ourselves to any one type of song. There are some really slow, beautiful songs; there are some nice, mid-tempo ones; and then there are three or four rockers."
Against all odds, The Cars have reunited and are recording their first album together since 1987's Door to Door. All the members, minus Benjamin Orr who passed away in 2000 from cancer, have holed themselves up in a studio in New York. According to Billboard, the sessions were first confirmed by veteran engineer Paul Orofino in posts on the Pro Sound online message board that have since been deleted, and follow the late July posting on Facebook of a photo with the band together in a Boston recording studio. This was succeeded by a clip of the song Blue Tipon the group's Facebook page. 
As part of Herbie Hancock's new album Imagine Project, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks lend their talents to an extended version of the track Space Captain. Herbie wanted to do something to promote peace and unity through out the world and his answer was the Imagine Project. He enlisted the help of musicians from all over the world and put together an album filled with different cultural flavor and attitudes. Other tracks on the album include Bob Dylan's The Times, They Are A' Changin performed by The Chieftains, Toumani Diabete and Lisa Hannigan and also John Lennon's Imagine performed by P!ink, Seal, India Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono No.1 and Oumou Sangare.
Check out some footage of Susan and Derek in the studio for the track.
                
Mumford and Sons have decided to completely change their sound for their next album.  
A toilet that was formerly in the home of music legend John Lennon was sold at auction for $14,740, ten times the expected sale amount. The story behind the toilet is that it was in John Lennon's Berkshire, England home until he had the toilet removed and replaced. The bathroom renovator stored the toilet in his shed for the past 40 years. The organizer of the Beatles memorabilia auction, Anne-Marie Trace of The Beatles Store in Liverpool, stated that the toilet was "the most unusual item we've ever had in our auction." I would hope so... 
Wisconsin native Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) is taking a step (or two) away from his typical indie rock scene and helping out Kanye West. West will be releasing a new album on November 16. Officially, the only track released that features Bon Iver is titled "Monster." Considering Vernon spent a couple weeks in Hawaii recording with Kanye, more Bon Iver vocals are expected on future Kanye releases. If you are a Bon Iver fan, check out
Neil Young is embracing modernity. Â Young will be releasing a new album titled Le Noise on September 28 on CD and digitally, but later the album will be released on Blue-ray and as a free iPhone application with an interactive "album cover." Â The album will not only be released embracing modernity, but producer Daniel Lanois told Rolling Stone the new release will be "very electric" and not the typical Neil Young acoustic album. Â 
Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, LA as well as much of the Gulf. Â To remember the horrific event, musicians have put together a compiliation album filled with great music to help a number of New Orleans non profits. Â The compilation is titled Dear New Orleans and was released digitally August 24. Â The album features My Morning Jacket, REM's Mike Mills, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Ok Go, Steve Earle, Indigo Girls with Brandi Carlile and many more. Â Grab your copy 
Clapton Tracklist
"Travelin' Alone"
"Rocking Chair"
"River Runs Deep"
"Judgement Day"
"How Deep Is The Ocean"
"My Very Good Friend The Milkman"
"Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
"That's No Way To Get Along"
"Everything Will Be Alright"
"Diamonds Made From Rain"
"When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful"
"Hard Times Blues"
"Run Back To Your Side"
"Autumn Leaves"
Weezer To Take Re-Release of Pinkerton On Tour?
Good news for 1990's Weezer fans... The band may be planning a tour centered around the playing of their 1996 release Pinkerton. The band will be releasing a new album titled Hurley on September 13 as well as re-releasing Pinkerton on October 5th. A tour coinciding with the re-release of Pinkerton is the rumor. Weezer fans would likely agree that Pinkerton was one of the bands best efforts, but planning a tour focused on 15 year old material when a new album just hit the stores is not a great sign for the quality of the new material. Maybe Hurley will be great and Weezer and their fans just prefer the Weezer classics live. 
'National Ransom'
'Jimmie Standing In The Rain'
'Stations Of The Cross'
'A Slow Drag With Josephine'
'Five Small Words'
'Church Underground'
'You Hung The Moon'
'Bullets For The New-Born King'
'I Lost You'
'Dr Watson, I Presume'
'One Bell Ringing'
'The Spell That You Cast'
'That's Not The Part Of Him You're Leaving'
'My Lovely Jezebel'
'All These Strangers'
Jack Johnson Joins Gulf Oil Spill Relief Effort
Chilled-out surfer, singer and environmentalist Jack Johnson is heading "To The Sea" to help out with oil spill relief effort on the Gulf. Johnson and his "To The Sea" tour has joined the "All At Once" campaign to encourage volunteerism and direct-donation in aiding the Gulf spill relief efforts. Jack Johnson's charity The Johnson Ohana Charity Foundation has donated money to help the people of the Gulf. Keep up the fantastic work Jack! 
Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift Set T0 Kickoff NFL Season
As training camps draw to an end and the preseason schedule is in full swing, only one thing can be true. Â The NFL season is nearly here! Â For the past few years the NFL has kicked off the season with a Thursday night matchup that is surrounded by parties and celebration. Â This year will be no different when Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift head to New Orleans to perform prior to the kickoff of the Saints and Vikings game on Thursday, September 9. Â Be sure to tune in for the start of the season as well as see Dave and Taylor Swift rock the night away. Â 
McCartney Asks To Be Featured on "Glee"
The television show "Glee" has many fans. One of the shows more famous fans recently asked to have his music featured on the show. Believe it or not, Sir Paul McCartney wrote to show creator Ryan Murphy asking to have his music featured on the show. Murphy told BBC that McCartney sent him a package that included two discs of music along with a hand written note suggesting the use of the included material on the show. Murphy added that he was shocked to find out the music legend was a fan of the show and that he will surely be working with Paul to some degree in the future. 
LCD Soundsystem Hitting The Road with Hot Chip, Milwaukee Date Added
The groovy dance-rock sound of LCD Soundsystem will be arriving in Milwaukee on October 22. LCD Soundsystem will be joined by English electropop band Hot Chip when they arrive at The Rave in Milwaukee. LCD has added only 5 US dates, and we here in Wisconsin are lucky enough to have them visit. If you are looking for a fun show that will keep you grooving all night, grab your tickets starting tomorrow (July 31) for the October 22 date. Full tour 
Kings of Leon Bassist Hit With Pigeon Excrement, Finish Show Early
St. Louis Kings of Leon fans were let down this past Friday evening when the band left the Verizon Amphitheater stage after only 3 songs. What caused this concert to abruptly end? Believe it or not... pigeon poop. A flock of pigeons living in the rafters of the Verizon Amphitheater bombarded the bands on stage with excrement. Opening for Kings of Leon, The Postelles and The Stills both finished their sets covered in pigeon excrement from the unruly birds above. Kings of Leon took the stage despite the openers experience. This did not turn out well when after only three songs Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill was hit in the mouth by pigeon poop. The band left the stage and did not return. Concert attendees can receive a full refund from Live Nation due to the shortened show. 
Beach Boys to Reunite for 50th Anniversary Show
Beach Boys fans...your dreams may have come true. The Beach Boys will be reuniting for a 50th Anniversary show in the near future. No date, time or location have been released yet. Guitarist Al Jardine told Rolling Stone that the band, including Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and possibly early guitarist David Marks, will be getting together for "likely a free show" in the future. Location has yet to be determined, but Jardine said that Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, The National Mall in Washington, DC and Lakeside in Chicago have all been discussed. Jardine went on to say that as long as the band had to get together to rehearse for one show, they may as well take the show on the road. We will just have to wait and see... 
Vampire Weekend Sued by Contra Cover Model
Vampire Weekend's second studio album, Contra, was released earlier this year and included the image of a young blond woman as the cover art. The model used for the cover is suing the band for $2 million dollars for allegedly using the photo without permission. Depending on who you talk to, the photo was originally taken as a Polaroid in 1983 by photographer Tod Brody who then later sold the photo's rights to Vampire Weekend to use on the Contra cover. Or perhaps, the photo was taken by the model's mother as a family picture and later sold at a garage sale in a bundle. The model, Kristen Kennis, only recently saw the image after her daughter brought home the album and noticed the cover. Details of the case are still to come and Vampire Weekend have not spoken on the matter due to legal obligations. 
R.E.M. Finish Recording New Album
R.E.M. have officially wrapped up recording a new album in Berlin, Germany with the help of producer Jacknife Lee. The album has a tentative projected release of Spring 2011. Very few details have been released due to the recent news of the wrapped up recording. As more details emerge, Triple M will surely keep you up to date! 
Last year's Project M winner Mike Droho is asking for 
Carlos Santana Proposes To Drummer Onstage
Being the smooth romantic he is, Carlos Santana popped the question to his drummer Cindy Blackman four songs into his July 9 show in Tinley Park, Illinois. Blackman said yes and the two love birds sealed the deal with a kiss to the applause of the crowd. Santana said in a statement Monday, "Cindy and I are blessed to have found each other. Being in love is a gift from the universe, and the spirit and vibrations that come with it are infinitely powerful." Best wishes to the happy couple from Triple M! 
According to guitarist Nels Cline, Wilco's next move is to write new material for a new album. This makes sense for a band to do, but what is interesting is how the material will get to fans. Wilco will likely be leaving their current label, Nonesuch, while establishing their own record label. Details are vague and the process of creating their own label is still in the early stages, lacking a name even. The implications of a transition are unknown as of now, but as details emerge Triple M will be sure to let you know. Regardless of what happens, Wilco will still be writing great music for their fans to enjoy. 
Elton John and Leon Russel Develop a "Union" and Plan a New Album
Elton John will be releasing an album titled The Union on October 19 and has been working with legendary singer-songwriter Leon Russel. John has described the album as "a new chapter" in his recording career and that "I don't have to make pop records anymore." Not only are Elton and Leon working together, other legends are aiding and working on the album in some degree. Elton John's longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin is helping with the album along with legendary producer T Bone Burnett. Additionally, guest appearances by Neil Young and Brian Wilson are expected on the highly anticipated album. Keep your ears and eyes with Triple M as more information or tracks from The Union are released. 
Forbes Releases Most Powerful Celebrity List
Forbes Magazine recently released this years annual list of the richest and most powerful celebrities. The list of the one hundred most powerful celebrities contains many musicians including Triple M noteworthy artists including Irish rockers U2 at number 7, Bruce Springsteen at number 17, and Coldplay at number 35. The top five most powerful celebrities this year include Oprah Winfrey at number one, Beyonce Knowles at number 2, James Cameron at number 3, pop newcomer Lady Gaga at number 4, and finally Tiger Woods at number 5. For the full list of Forbes Most Powerful, 
Kinks Bassist Pete Quaife Passes Away
Original Kinks bassist Pete Quaife passed away last week in Denmark. Quaife was 66 years old and died of kidney failure. Pete Quaife had known and been playing with both Ray and Dave Davies since their days as high school classmates. This sad passing calls for the listening of some Kinks classics today. 
One Year Anniversary of Michael Jackson's Death
One year ago today the King of Pop sadly left us. Michael Jackson, known for his numerous chart topping pop hits during the 80's and 90's, died last year June 25, 2009. Details surrounding the abrupt death are still not clear but Jackson fans around the world have been dancing to all his the in memory of the King. Be sure to play your favorite Michael Jackson tunes in memory today. 
John Lennon Handwritten Lyrics of "A Day in the Life" Auctioned For $1.2 Million
An original handwritten note containing the lyrics to the final track of the Beatles legendary album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was sold to an American collector. The pen and marker written note was originally estimated to sell for around $800,000 by Sotheby's. An interesting side note, when the track was originally released it was banned from being played on BBC and some Sgt. Peppers albums sold in Asia had the track removed from the recording due to censoring the songs drug references. 
Simon and Garfunkel Postpone Tour Indefinitely
Legendary singer and songwriter duo Simon and Garfunkel have sadly postponed their North American summer tour indefinitely. Art Garfunkel is recovering from vocal paresis, a vocal chord condition, but is expected to make a full recovery. North American fans will have to wait even longer to hear the duo live considering the last time Simon and Garfunkel went on a North American tour was 2003-2004. This postponement includes the earlier pushed back Madison date. 
