Members of Arcade Fire To Rock Out For Barack Obama

Aracade Fire members Win Butler, Regine Chassange, Will Butler and Jeremy Gara are gearing up to play two free shows in Ohio in a bid to help Barack Obama win the state in the upcoming March 4th primary. (Win and Will were actually born in the U.S. and Regine has dual citizenship.)

The shows will be Sunday, March 2nd at Stuart Opera House in Nelsonville, OH and Monday, March 3rd at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland.

Heads up - Sunday's show will be all ages while Monday's is 18+.

AF are going old school when it comes to admission - that means NO advance tickets. If you want in, get there early and be prepared to wait.

All you Ohioans enjoy the show and then go out and vote on March 4th!

The Lonely H @ Arlene's Grocery - New York City

The Lonely H brought their headlining tour to Arlene's Grocery where the Seattle band kicked out some of the laid back rock tunes on their latest album Hair (The Control Group).

Fronted by the taller than tall Mark Fredson (vox/keys), the group delivered on the promise of their recorded tracks. The Lonely H have an easy breezy charisma and just enough of The Band's full-throated twang to make you want to sing and sway along.

The guys will be on the road all spring and are also hitting up SXSW where they'll play three shows (March 13,14,15).

Full tour dates here.

Orion Rigel Dommisse Plays 4 NYC-Area Shows

If you like the rustic folk stylings of Marissa Nadler or Jana Hunter than you should definitely catch Orion Rigel Dommisse on her swing through NJ/NYC.

The Providence, RI singer will be playing four area shows:

- February 28 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ
- March 1 - Sound Fix - Brooklyn, NY
- March 2 - Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
- March 3 - Cake Shop - New York, NY

Her album What I Want From You Is Sweet is available from Language of Stone. It's a stunner so pick it up!

If you're heading down to SXSW, you can also catch Orion at St. David's Church on March 13th.

Madonna Will Be Inducted Into Rock Hall by Timberlake

We all know that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Madonna is going to rule this year's party like no other and now we know who is going to escort the Material Girl into that hallowed hall of history - her latest boy toy (but only in a musical sense) - Justin Timberlake!

Should be interesting!!!

Mother Madge also just announced the title of her upcoming album. The disc, her 11th studio album will be called Hard Candy and it will be out on April 29th.

Madonna isn't the only one to be honored this year so here's a list of the other inductees followed by their presenters:

-Leonard Cohen - Lou Reed

- The Dave Clark Five - Tom Hanks

- John Cougar Mellencamp - Billy Joel

- The Ventures - John Fogerty

- Little Walter - Ben Harper

Cat Power, Devendra Banhart and Others Release Songs on Aime Street

Today is the day that more than 15,000 songs from artists like Cat Power, Devendra Banhart and Of Montreal become available on Aime Street - an online music store where fans set the price.

How it works is that all the songs are initially free and then rise in price based on popularity topping out at $0.98. The songs are DRM-free mp3s.

Labels releasing their catalogues on Aime Street include Beggars Group (XL, Rough Trade, 4AD), Matador Records and Polyvinyl Recording Co.

There's a ton of great stuff here - just downloaded St. Vincent's album this morning for $0.32 but you have to get in there early to get the great prices.

David Bowie Oo's and Ah's for Scarlett Johansson

In case you were looking for a way to make actress and Woody Allen muse Scarlett Johansson's upcoming album of Tom Waits covers Anywhere I Lay My Head more palatable, this might just do the trick.

David Bowie is adding backing vocals on two songs - "Fallin' Down" and "Fannin' Street".


The jury is still out on the album due May 19th but a little assist from Mr. Bowie can only help!

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova Win Oscar + Tour Dates

They did it!

Music soulmates Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the duo at the center of the film Once, rode their DIY ethic onto the red carpet and all the way up to the podium where they scored an Oscar for Best Originial Song for "Falling Slowly".

Indie film Once was shot on a shoe string budget and went on to win over audience members with it's simple tale of an Irish busker and a Czech immigrant who meet and make music together.

The night before the Academy Awards, Once also won Best Foreign Film at the Indie Spirit Awards.

Hansard and Irglova are touring under the moniker The Swell Season and you can catch them live in NYC at Radio City Music Hall on May 19th. They are also playing Coachella.


The Swell Season - 2008 Tour Dates:

Wed 04/23 - Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theatre
Fri 04/25 - Indio, CA Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
Sat 04/26 - Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
Sun 04/27 - Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
Mon 04/28 - Portland, OR Portland Center For The Arts
Wed 04/30 - Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
Thu 05/01 - Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
Fri 05/02 - Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
Sat 05/03 - Denver, CO Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Mon 05/05 - Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
Sat 05/10 - Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
Sun 05/11 - Cleveland, OH Allen Theatre
Mon 05/12 - Louisville, KY W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre
Tue 05/13 - Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Fri 05/16 - Richmond, VA Toad's Place Of Richmond
Sat 05/17 - Baltimore, MD Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Mon 05/19 - New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
Tue 05/20 - Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
Mon 06/16 - Madison, WI Overture Center For The Arts
Tue 06/17 - Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
Sun 06/22 - Telluride, CO Town Park (Telluride Bluegrass Festival)

Death Cab for Cutie Set Release Date for "Narrow Stairs"

Save the date Death Cab for Cutie fans!

May 13th is the magic day when the Seattle rockers will drop Narrow Stairs, their second album for Atlantic Records

The first single from the disc will be track #2 "I Will Possess Your Heart".

Full Track Listing:

1.Bixby Canyon Bridge

2.I Will Possess Your Heart

3.No Sunlight

4.Cath…

5.Talking Bird

6.You Can Do Better Than Me

7.Grapevine Fires

8.Your New Twin Sized Bed

9.Long Division

10.Pity and Fear

11.The Ice Is Getting Thinner

You can also catch the band this year at Coachella (April 26th) and Bonnaroo (June 15th).

Full Tour Dates:

April 18 Bremerton, WA Admiral Theatre

April 19 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre

April 21 Arcata, CA Van Dozer Theatre/Humboldt State Univ

April 22 Davis, CA UC Davis-Freeborn Hall

April 23 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

April 24 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

April 26 Indio, CA Coachella

June 15 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo

All Points West Announces Line-up - Radiohead and Jack Johnson Are Headliners

As previously rumored, Radiohead and Jack Johnson will headline the All Points West Music & Arts Festival which will held in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ from August 8-10.

Radiohead gets double headlining duty with gigs on Friday and Saturday night while Johnson is penciled in for Sunday.

Other names on the roster aren't too shabby either.

They include a nice mix of guaranteed great performers (Rodrigo Y Gabriela, CSS), world music (Amadou & Mariam), people we've loved for what seems like forever (Cat Power) and ones who are just starting to make our hearts go pitter pat (The Virgins, Your Vegas, The Felice Brothers).

Tix ($89.00 single day / $258.00 3 day pass) go on sale Friday, February 29th at noon (eastern time) via ticketmaster.

The festival is going green which means there will be lots of public transportation and limited parking.

Line-up as of February 22nd:

Radiohead,
Jack Johnson
Underworld
Kings of Leon
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Cat Power
The Roots
The New Pornographers
Youssou N'Dour
Animal Collective
Andrew Bird
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Metric
CSS
Girl Talk
Chromeo
The Go! Team
Amadou & Mariam
The Black Angels
Sia
The Felice Brothers
K'Naan
Jason Isbell
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Alberta Cross
The Virgins
Black Kids
Mates of State
Duffy
Forro in the Dark
Nicole Atkins
Juana Molina
Little Brother
Rogue Wave
Neil Halstead
Your Vegas.

Kate Nash - 2008 U.S. Tour Dates

New U.K. sensation Kate Nash is coming around again with a spring tour that will take her north, south, east and west in support of her debut album Made of Bricks (Geffen Records).

Tix go on sale the weekend of February 22nd-24th.

U.S. Tour Dates:

Tuesday, April 15 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
Wednesday, April 16 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Thursday, April 17 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Friday, April 18 - Baltimore, MD - Recher Theatre
Saturday, April 19 - Philadelphia - Trocadero
Monday, April 21 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Wednesday, April 23 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Saturday, April 26 - Indio, CA - Coachella Music & Arts Festival
Monday, April 28 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Theatre
Wednesday, April 30 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
Friday, May 2 - Chicago, IL - The Vic
Saturday, May 3 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Monday, May 5 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
Thursday, May 8 - Vancouver, BC - Richard’s on Richards
Friday, May 9 Seattle, WA - Showbox
Sunday, May 11 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Tuesday, May 13 - San Francisco - The Fillmore

Here's some video we shot of Kate singing "Foundations" at the Virgin Megastore in NYC during her last trip.

Eminem Is Publishing His Memoirs

Seems like "8 Mile" was only a primer for the true tales of Marshall Mathers, who we know better as Eminem.

On October 16, 2008, Orion Books will publish Eminem: The Way I Am the memoirs of the Academy Award-winning rapper.

Watch out Mama! Em is getting ready to clean out his closet . . . again.

Splurge - Releases for February 19, 2008

Here we go again . . . another Tuesday . . . more to add to the already out of control collection.


She Writes Rock Pick = Christine Perfect : Complete Blue Horizon Sessions

Before she married bassist John McVie and became part of music history as one of Fleetwood Mac's singer/songwriters, Christine McVie was a young British blues singer making music under her maiden name of Christine Perfect. After a stint with the blues band Chicken Shack, Perfect recorded a well-received solo album called The Legendary Christine Perfect Albun.

Shortly after recording the album, she married John McVie and was rolled into singing/songwriting and playing the keyboards for the big Mac.

Now, Blue Horizon has collected Christine's solo blues recording post-Chicken Shack / pre-Fleetwood Mac.

It's available as an import through amazon.com.

- American Music Club : The Golden Age - Merge Records

- Arlen Roth & Levon Helm : Toolin' Around Woodstock - Aquinnah Records

- Atlas Sound : Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel - Kranky

- Christine Perfect : Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (Import) :

- Morcheeba : Dive Deep - Ultra Records

- The Mountain Goats : Heretic Pride - 4ad / ada

- Nick Lowe : Jesus of Cool - Yep Roc Records

- The Raveonettes : Lust Lust Lust - Vice Records

The Cribs - 2008 U.S. Tour Dates

One of our favorite band of brothers, The Cribs are heading back across the pond to thrash their way into our hearts all over again!

Their U.S. run will be a little less than a month but they'll be covering some serious ground and making the most of their time including two gigs (March 14th - day and evening) at this year's SXSW in Austin, TX.

Only one NYC date this time around:

- March 20th - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY


Full Tour Dates:

Mar 11 - The Engine Room - Houston, Texas
Mar 12 - The Loft - Dallas, Texas
Mar 14 - SXSW - Austin, Texas (daytime La Zona Rosa / night Festival Stubbs)
Mar 15 - One Eyed Jack’s - New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 17 - 40 Watt Club - Athens,Georgia
Mar 19 - Black Cat - Washington, Washington DC
Mar 20 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
Mar 21 - Paradise - Boston, Massachusetts
Mar 22 - North Star - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 23 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 25 - Double Door - Chicago, Illinois
Mar 26 - Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 28 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, Colorado
Mar 31 - Chop Suey - Seattle, Washington
Apr 2 - Doug Fir - Portland, Oregon
Apr 3 - Pop Scene - San Francisco, California
Apr 4 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, California

Morrissey's Roadie Tells All

You may love Morrissey but would you wanna be his roadie?

Before you go pogoing up and down screaming the affirmative, you might want to check out the story of Andrew Winter who had one of those supposed "gigs of a lifetime" serving at Moz's beck and call.

We always take these kind of "behind the scenes" stories with a whole bag of salt but they're always a fun read.

You can have your dreams of hanging with Morrissey crushed by reading the London Times.

Buck Brothers Playing 3 NYC Shows

U.K. band Buck Brothers are going to be paying a visit to our stomping grounds soon.

Band members Andy Duke (vocals/bass), Pete Sellers (guitar/vocals) and Stixx (I'm not going to tell you what instrument he plays. You'll have to figure it out on your own!) met back in 2005 at a Buddhist Disco in North London.

I'm figuring they might have stood out from the crowd because their music is far from zen.

What it is though, is full of catchy pop punk hooks like "I like girls in skirts and boots on bikes" and crunching guitars.

In fact, their cheeky humor carries them through songs like "Gorgeously Stupid" with just enough sting to keep them from disappearing in a sea of UK bands who want to pop on over to our shores and head home screaming something about "coming, seeing and conquering".

Buck Brothers dropped their debut Me in October of 2007 and it has been steadily gaining steam with a little help from KROQ.

You can keep the guys powered up like good little energizer bunnies by coming out to see one of their area shows:

March 25th - Lit Lounge - New York, NY
March 27th - Midway - New York, NY
March 28th - Crash Mansion - New York, NY

Full dates (including a SXSW gig) are here.

The Kooks Are on Conan O'Brien Tonight

The Kooks will be stopping by Conan O'Brien's show tonight (Thursday, February 14th) to premiere a new song called "Always Where I Need To Be".

The track is off their sophomore effort Konk due out April 15th on Astralwerks.

Stay up late, pig out on the Valentine's candy and check out the new tune!

Radiohead Remixes - Free of Charge!

Radiohead's latest hotselling album In Rainbows has been "remixed and reimagined" by California DJ/Producer AmpLive as a set called Radiohead Rainydayz Remixes.

It's available here as a FREE download.

Track Listing:

01 Rainydayz
02 Video Tapez (ft. Del The Funky Homosapien)
03 Nudez (ft. Too $hort & MC Zumbi
of Zion I)
04 Weird Fishez
05 All I Need
06 15 Stepz (ft. Codany Holiday)
07 Reckonerz (ft. Chali2na)
08 Faustz

Valentine's Day - Rock And Roll Style!

Rock and roll romances are kind of like a three minute pop song - an intense sugar rush and then it's over.

And while a lot of that "strange magic" that hits guitar players and girl singers goes the way of Kurt and Courtney's (minus the whole death thing) there are still a few music-loving couples like Cameron Crowe and Nancy Wilson and Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon that lead us to believe that that giddy feeling can continue to last even after the crowd has gone home and the gear is packed up.

In order to help all you cooing love birds out there celebrate the day of the cupid, we have come up with two things that should make the day special - food and music.

I have some restaurant recommendations for you courtesy of my friend Dave of Short And Sweet NYC and we at SWR have created a play list (a little sappy / a little biting) to help you woo your musical soulmate.

#1 - GRAB A BITE TO EAT

Supper
156 East 2nd Street
Tel: (212) 477-7600

An impressive first date spot with a warm country atmosphere, while being easy on the wallet, is Supper. Dressed in hardwood tables and exposed brick, this Italian eatery has a comfortable and romantic vibe with rustic charm where you can get cozy with one another. If you can, I recommend getting a seat at the bar overlooking the chefs at work as fire rises from their pans high above. Daring and fun to watch, it’s a great conversation starter. While the chefs perform high-risk maneuvers, the food doesn’t suffer one bit. Standout dishes include the “Priest Stranglers” Pasta with Dad’s Sunday marinara sauce topped with fresh soft ricotta di pecora ($12). This is my favorite dish. The half roasted chicken rubbed in wild fennel with rosemary roasted garlic and mashed potatoes ($14.95) is a close second. Whatever you order, you get more than what you pay for.


ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street
Tel: (212) 995-9511

If you don't want to get dinner and would rather head straight for dessert, then ChikaLicious is the perfect spot. This tiny dessert place has more bar seating than tables, and that's exactly where you want to be as chefs/owners Don and Chika Tillman happily make you delectable desserts right in front of your face. With a 3-course prix-fixe dessert menu for $12 that includes an amuse bouche, choice of dessert, and petit fours (with wine pairing, $7 additional), it's a great first date for serious fans of sugar. With desserts like Warm Chocolate Tart with Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream and Red Wine Sauce or Poached Pear with Asian Pear Salad and Lemon-Verbena Ice Cream, it's no wonder that there's usually a line out the door to get in, so get there early and bask in the sweet goodness that ChikaLicious has to offer.


#2 - FIRE UP SOME TUNES (all of these are available on iTunes)

- "A Girl LIke You" - Edwyn Collins
-"Anyone Else But You" - The Moldy Peaches
-"Layla" - Derek & The Dominos
-"I Just Died in Your Arms" - The Cutting Crew
-"Superstar" - Sonic Youth
-"Call Me" - Blondie
-"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - The Proclaimers
- "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John
-"On The Radio" - Donna Summer
- "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl" - Broken Social Scene
-"Love is All Around" - The Troggs
-"Silver Springs" - Fleetwood Mac
-"Genius of Love" - Tom Tom Club
-"Pour Some Sugar On Me" - Def Leppard
-"Brandy Alexander" - Feist
-"Heart and Soul" - T-Paul

And, last but never ever least . . .

- "In Your Eyes" - Peter Gabri

Beach House - Video For "You Came To Me"

Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally record under the moniker of Beach House and they've been making some serious inroads on the music scene over the past couple of years.

Their second full-length Devotion (Carpark Records) drops on February 26th but since we just can't wait that long, Beach House have slipped us an early Valentine in the form of a video for the oh so dreamy song "You Came to Me".

The vid was directed by underground Baltimore filmmaker Skizz Cyzyk.

Check it out and then catch Beach House when they hit Bowery Ballroom on April 2nd!

Michael Jackson's Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition

Say what you will about the person Michael Jackson is today, 25 years ago (and even by today's standards) he created Thriller which was nothing less than a track by track music miracle - pure genius!

The Anniversary Edition of the album hits shelves today and it includes seven bonus tracks that find MJ getting the remix treatment from artists (Kanye West, Will.i.am) who have followed in his ginormous moon-walking footprints.

Just the mention of Thriller calls up a bunch of memories - a fellow second-grader whispering how she used to kiss her Michael Jackson poster good night - every night, the day my uncle's old girlfriend gave me an extra copy of the tape (yes, tape - this was pre-CD) and instantly became the coolest person in the universe to me.

I could give the album props by posting one of the many youtube clips of the gloved-one doing his thing on "Thriller", "Beat It" or "Billie Jean" but I like this new take the best . . .

Amy Winehouse - 2008 Grammy Awards Video

In case you missed it . . .

Live-blogging the Grammy Awards - 2008

It's almost show time and we're surrounded by snacks - as ready as we're ever going to be so bring it on!

Bring on Amy Winehouse - via satellite or anything.

We're especially looking forward to seeing Tina Turner back in action - even if she does have to drag Beyonce along with her.

Word on the hideously boring and unending red carpet run down is that the two divas will be introduced by a third who give them a run for their money - Cher!

We're also looking forward to seeing what Kanye West has in store for us.

And we're off . . .

8:00 p.m. - A historical discussion of the award that is the Grammy by Frank Sinatra which turns into a duet with one of those dead/alive duets with Alicia Keys. It works but we still think it's kind of creepy.

8:04 p.m. - Alicia opens with a speech about celebrating the past and looking towards the future. "Here's to the next 50 years!" She throws it to Carrie Underwood.

8:05 p.m. - Carrie Underwood performs "Before He Cheats" in a black vinyl dress that looks like a Cat Woman cast-off. In the background, a group of guys use all kinds of metal pipes to beat on pieces of automotive junk.

8:09 p.m. - Prince struts out into stage decked out in red. He's handing out the best Female R&B performance. It goes to Alicia Keys for "No One".

WINNER: BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE - ALICIA KEYS "NO ONE"

8:11 p.m. - Keys is heavy on thanking her P.R. people. Good move!

8:18 p.m. - The original members of the TIme perform for the first time in 15 years. They're joined Rhianna who performs a medly of (big shock) "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop The Music". Not sure about the gold lame-clad back-up dancers.

8:23 p.m. - Tom Hanks is introduced to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to The Band. I love those guys and they're so deserving but couldn't they find anyone else beside Hanks to pay tribute!

8:25 p.m. - Hanks is now paying tribute to "the power of The Beatles". Ringo and Yoko are in the audience. He introduces the members of Cirque du Soleil who perform their "A Day in the LIfe" number from their Vegas show Love.

8:30 p.m. - "Let it Be" is sung while scenes fromAcross The Universe play in the background.

8:34 p.m. -Cyndi Lauper and Miley Cyrus handle the presenting duties for Best New Artist. Amy Winehouse is Cyndi's favorite according to Miley. Yes! . . . From us and Cyndi - it goes to Amy Winehouse.

WINNER - BEST NEW ARTIST - AMY WINEHOUSE

8:35 p.m. - Jason Bateman, the cad of Juno, introduced the Foo Fighters. Zep's John Paul Jones will conducting the orchestra playing along with the guys.

8:37 p.m. - Bateman goes on to explain some very complicated Grammy competition for unknown musicians. He begs people to stay with him at one point.

8:45 p.m. - Kanye West in black with funky white electro glasses heats it up with "Stronger". His set reminds me of Tron. Probably not what he was going for.

8:50 p.m. - Kanye sings "Hey Mama" in tribute to his recently-deceased mother, Donda West. Very heartfelt. Stark. Lovely.

8:52 p.m. - Fergie sings "Finally" while John Legend accompanies her on the piano.

8:55 p.m. - They present the Best Compilation Soundtrack. It goes to The Beatles Love put together by Sir George Martin. He's there and brings Ringo Starr up to accept with him. I love Ringo who introduces himself with, "I'm Ringo.".

WINNER - BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK - THE BEATLES LOVE

9:03 p.m. - Cher introduces Beyonce and hopefully Tina Turner will be coming on soon.

9:04 p.m. - Beyonce ratles off a name of famous women in R&B. It reminds us how much Beyonce doesn't belong on that list!

9:05 p.m. - The wannabe Queen B intros the real "queen" - Tina Turner. She's wrapped in a silver jumps suit and still looks amazing. She sells "What's Love Got To Do With It" like it's the 1980s all over again. Beyonce, we hope you're taking notes.

9:07 p.m. - Tina delivers a fierce "You Better Be Good to Me". Can you hear this Ike?

9:10 p.m. - Tina and Beyonce kick out "Proud Mary". Tina just rolled right over Beyonce like she was that old river.

9:12 p.m. - In the audience, John Fogerty still looks pissed that his song was hijacked by Ms. Tina.

9:13 p.m. - Nelly Furtado walks out with original Grammy host Andy Williams. They present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Burt Bacharach.

9:14 p.m. - Williams and Furtado present Song of the Year to Amy Winehouse for "Rehab". This moment made my life - getting to see Andy Williams give an award to Amy Winehouse. Ha!!!

WINNER - SONG OF THE YEAR - AMY WINEHOUSE - "REHAB"

9:20 p.m. - Jason Bateman announces the winner of the convoluted My Grammy Moment thing. It's Anne Marie Calhoun. She gets to play in the orchestra for the Foo Fighters. I guess I should be excited?

9:21 p.m. - Foo Fighters perform "The Pretneder" wiht a little help from an orchestra led by John Paul Jones. I guess that Led Zeppelin band thing didn't work out for him.

9:32 p.m. - George Lopez comes out. When did he get so cranky? He intros Brad Paisley. Paisley = popcorn refill. Please stand by.

9:38 p.m. - Chris Brown and Akon give thanks to the winner of the first Grammy for Rap Album - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Oh, the times they have a changed! The group presents the award for this year to Kanye for Graduation. You have to give it to the guy who buzzes "Mama" onto his head.

They try to play him off but Kanye is having none of it! He says Amy Winehouse, if she wins, deserves to win Album of the Year, (that was nice) but then so does he! Now, there's the Kanye we know and love.

WINNER - BEST RAP ALBUM - KANYE WEST GRADUATION

9:42 p.m. - Ludacris presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to Cab Calloway. How many of these are they going to give out?

9:44 p.m. - BeBe Winans and Aretha Franklin, with a lot of back-up help, give a soul-stirring performance. Good night for R&B!

9:56 p.m. - Carole King and Dierks Bentley give a Lifetime Achievement Award to bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs.

9:57 p.m. -King intros Feist who has her guitar strapped on for a stripped down "1234". We like it! She has a brass section too. Nice!!!

10:00 p.m. - Grammy winner Keely Smith is scared by joined by Kid Rock for some of "That Old Black Magic".

10:03 p.m. - Kid Rock reads off the nominees for Best Rock Album. It goes to Foo Fighters for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

WINNER - BEST ROCK ALBUM - FOO FIGHTERS - ECHOES, SILENCE, PATIENCE & GRACE

10:11 p.m. - Before introing Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder gives props to industry icon and his "mentor" Berry Gordy.

10:12 p.m. - Alicia Keys performs "No One". While it's nice to see her up from behind the piano she looks a little awkward getting around the stage. Um . . . can we a get a piano, please! John Mayer joins her and adds a little wah wah on the guitar. Why??

10:17 p.m. - Ringo Starr (Beatle) and Dave Stewart (Eurythmic) rattle off the nominees for best Country Album because they always loved country music - "it's three chords and the truth". The Grammy goes to Vince Gill for These Days.

WINNER - BEST COUNTRY ALBUM - VINCE GILL - THESE DAYS

10:19 p.m. - Vince Gill - "I just got an award given to me by a Beatle. Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?" I think I love you!

10:25 p.m. - Joe Mantenga from Criminal Minds awards (guess what) Lifetime Achievement honors to drummer Max Roach and violinist Itzhak Perlman.

10:26 p.m. - Herbie Hancock and some other people whose names I didn't catch perform "Rhapsody in Blue".

10:33 - Juanes and Taylor Swift are on hand to present the Grammy for Best Rap Song Collabortion - a category they probably know a lot about. Grammy goes to Rhianna featuring Jay-Z for "Umbrella" I would never have guessed.

WINNER - BEST RAP SONG COLLABORATION - RHIANNA AND JAY-Z - "UMBRELLA"

10:40 - Cuba Gooding Jr. is coming to us live from Riverside Studios in London. Could it be? It is -AMY WINEHOUSE!! Killer versions of "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab". That's the way to play it Amy!!

10:49 p.m. - Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole read off the nominees for Record of the Year. And its . . . Amy Winehouse for "Rehab".

WINNER - RECORD OF THE YEAR - AMY WINEHOUSE - "REHAB"

10:50 - Live from London a very emotional Winehosue is hugged by the Dap Kings and her father. She thanks Island Records and her Mom and Dad and . . . her "Blake incarcerated" . I know . . . baby steps.

10:57 p.m. - Recording Academy President Neil Portnow talks about all those good Grammy programs like Music Cares. To show off the good they do, they bring on piano virtuoso Eldar who appeared on the show when he was a kid.

11:01 - Video montage of the artists who have passed away this year. There are always way too many lost. Applause broke through for soft rocker Dan Fogelberg who died this past December and Luciano Pavarotti.

11:04 p.m. - Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban sing to the high heavens (and probably beyond) in honor of Pavarotti.

11:12 p.m. - Bonnie Raitt is in the house to welcome Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and John Fogerty to the stage.

11:14 p.m. - Jerry Lee is still a "killer" when it comes to "Great Balls of Fire"

11:17 p.m. - Little Richard - "Good Golly Miss Molly" is just well . . .good golly! Fogerty is jamming along.

11:24 p.m. - Will.i.am is singing mish mash of tunes in a "Happy 50th" celebration of the Grammys. Come on, we still have awards to give out and time is a wastin'. We could really skip this!

11:27 p.m. - Usher and Quincey Jones give a shout out to Producer of the Year/ Amy Winehouse Cohort - Mark Ronson.

11:28 p.m. - Usher and Quincy Jones present the Album of the Year Award to Herbie Hancock for River: The Joni Letters a jazzed up tribute to Joni Mitchell. A shocker? Not really, this is the kind of album that was practically made to sneak in. It has the perfect pedigree. Joni Mitchell has always been loved by Grammy voters and Herbie Hancock is an artist favorite.

Watch your back, Herbie. Kanye is comin' for you!

WINNER - ALBUM OF THE YEAR - HERBIE HANCOCK - RIVER: THE JONI LETTERS

And there it is . . . on to the next 50 years!

Grammys Turn 50 Tonight

We''ll be live blogging the Grammy's tonight as the music industry gets ready to usher in the next 50 years worth of legends, one-hit wonders and everyone else in between.

Amy Winehouse will be performing via satellite but even from across the ocean, whatever she does is sure to be memorable.

We're crossing our fingers for Feist to walk-away with an award.

Red carpet arrivals start at 5:00 pm EST on E! Entertainment Television if you're into that whole thing.

Until then, here are some past Grammy performances to hold you over:


Madonna / "Hung Up" - 2006



The White Stripes / "Seven Nation Army" - 2004




The Clash Tribute - 2003



Eminem & Elton John / "Stan" - 2001



Metallica - "One" - 1989



Marvin Gaye / "Sexual Healing" - 1983



John Lennon and Paul Simon - This is so hilarious in that awkward sort of way.

Glastonbury Festival 2008 Has Headliners!

Get ready all you mudlovers because Glasto is getting off the ground!!

NME has announced that Jay-Z, The Verve and Kings of Leon landed the headlining gigs at this year's Glastonbury festival which will go down June 27-29.

First to play out will be the Tennessee band Kings of Leon who will take the stage on Friday, June 27th. These guys can't get any traction in their home country but wow are they LOVED (to put it mildly) over in the U.K.

Hip hop master (I'm retiring/I'm not retiring) Jay-Z is scheduled to play Saturday, June 28th and The Verve will close it out (and no doubt bring it home) on Sunday, 29th.

Other acts confirmed for Glasto include Hot Chip, British Sea Power and um . . . no joke - Neil Diamond.

Go rock your wellies off!

The Lonely H - "Hair" Video and Tour Dates

The Lonely H, the new kids on the block from the Seattle area, just dropped the video for their second single "Hair" from the album of the same name.

You can view the video here.

The Lonely H mix folk and Americana with psychedelic flourishes and lots and lots of 1970s style swagger!

Singer/keyboardist Mark Fredson is a master of vocal stylings. He can do whispy and tender on tunes like the '70s guitar plucker "Rollin" and then change into a roaring arena singer for crunching rock songs like "Yeah Yeah" and "Meal".

The band just launched cross-country tour in support of their 2007 albumHair (The Control Group).

Catch 'em!!

TOUR DATES:

2/08/08 - Slim's - Raleigh, NC
2/09/08 - The Village Tavern - Mt. Pleasant, SC
2/11/08 - Preseveration Pub - Knoxville, TN
2/12/08 - The Exit Inn - Nashville, TN
2/13/08 - Deadwood Saloon - Covington, KY
2/14/08 - The Gypsy Hut w/ The Libertines - Cincinnati, OH
2/15/08 - Lemmons - St. Louis, MO
2/16/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/17/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/18/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/19/08 - NACA Conference - St. Louis, MO
2/20/08 - V-Club - Huntington, WV
2/21/08 - The Fire w/ the Parlor Mob - Philadelphia, PA
2/22/08 - Club 19 w/ The Parlor Mob and Swinging Fingers - York, PA
2/23/08 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ
2/25/08 - The Brewery - State College, PA
2/26/08 - Cousin Larry's w/ Swinging Fingers, Sikamor Rooney (9pm door, 10pm show, 21+, $5) - Danbury, CT
2/27/08 - Arelene's Grocery w/ The Parlor Mob, Stoley P.T. - New York City, NY
2/28/08 - Valentine's - Albany, NY
3/01/08 - V-Club - Huntington, WV
3/03/08 - Jackrabbit's - Jacksonville, FL
3/04/08 - Backbooth - Orlando, FL
3/06/08 - New World Brewery - Tampa, FL
3/08/08 - The Jackrabbit Lounge - Shreveport, LA
3/12/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/13/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/14/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/15/08 - SxSW - Austin, TN
3/21/08 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
3/22/08 - The Belmont - Detroit, MI
3/23/08 - Dino's Coffee Lounge - Kalamazoo, MI
3/26/08 - Dirty Jack's - Cincinnati, OH
3/27/08 - The Davenport - Cleveland, OH
3/28/08 - The Anchor Inn - South Bend, IN
3/29/08 - The Verve - Terre Haute, IN
3/30/08 - Friends and Co. - Charleston, IL
3/31/08 - Picador - Iowa City, IA
4/01/08 - Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
4/05/08 - The Uptown - Minneapolis, MN
4/08/08 - The Filling Station - Bozeman, MT
4/09/08 - Jesters - Helena, MT
4/10/08 - Sean Kelly's - Missoula, MT

Scorsese To Direct Bob Marley Documentary

He's a fickle music docu-maker that Martin Scorsese.

The tyro helmer already has another music project set just a few days after premiering his Rolling Stones concert docu Shine A Light at the Berlin Film Festival.

Next up will be a look at the life of reggae singer Bob Marley.

Variety.com is reporting that the docu, which has yet to be named, will be released on February 6, 2010 to mark would have been the legendary music maker's 65th birthday.

The project is being done with the cooperation of the Marley family.

SXSW - 2008 Showcases Announced

Strap a few gallons of Red Bull on your back and get ready to run the gauntlet that is South By Southwest.

There are a lot of great bands heading down to Austin to strut their stuff and we're glad to see some of our new and old favorites including Apache Beat, Ha Ha Tonka, Black Moth Super Rainbow, My Morning Jacket and Orion Rigel Dommisse,

The heavy hitters on the list include R.E.M. and Dolly Parton.

For a full list go here.

SXSW takes place this year from March 12-16.

Hard Rock Park Opens Spring 2008

Forget Coachella, Bonnaroo . . . hell even forget All Points West (even though it is basically, in my back yard)!

The summer destination that has me grinning like a little kid is the 140-acre Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I practically lived at Six Flags when I was a little rocker (neon shorts and tees / ponytail to the side, thank you!) and just the idea of combining music with memories of summer fun well . . . . they had me at the Magic Mushroom Garden and the Slippery When Wet kiddie coaster. (I know there's something slightly wrong with calling a kid's ride that but I just don't care!)

The HRP's crowning jewel is Led Zeppelin-The Ride, a 155 -foot roller coaster that blares "Whole Lotta Love" as you go whizzing by.

And of course, there are plenty of music venues on hand too.

The park opens in May and I want to be first in line at the Love Shack Snack Booth!

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies - He Was A Spiritual Advisor To The Beatles

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi passed away in the Dutch village of Vlodrop on February 5th. He was thought to have been in his 90s.

The Maharishi earned his spot in the pages of counter-culture history when he became a spiritual advisor to The Beatles and even hosted them on several of their sojourns through India.

Some would argue that he was no more than a svengali in the guise of a holy man while others do give him credit for introducing Transcendental Meditation to a wider audience.

What can't be doubted is that the Maharishi used his friendship with the fab four to rocket to stardom and was soon in first-class style with followers that included Donovan, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithful and Mia Farrow.

As the 60s faded so did the Maharishi. His rock star pets grew suspicious of his clinging ways and moved on in search of other highs while their "teacher" faded largely into obscurity except for a 2002 scheme that included combating terrorism through the use of 40,000 "expert" meditators.

Bonnaroo 2008 Lineup Announced - Pearl Jam and Metallica Are Headliners

Bonnaroo just blew Coachella out of the water.

The initial lineup for the Manchester, Tennessee festival has been announced.

Pearl Jam and Metallica grabbed the headlining spot but also scoring a place on the roster are Kanye West, Broken Social Scene, The Racounteurs, Death Cab For Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Rilo Kiley among many many others.

Bonnaroo is also heavy on "classic" acts. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, The Allman Brothers Band, Levon Helm and B.B. King are all making the trek to Tennesse.

No Led Zeppelin reunion but hey, Plant can't stay on the road with Krauss forever!

Bonnaroo will invade nice polite TN this year from June 12-15.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 16th.

Feist Wins Shortlist Music Prize!

She faced some tough competition in the form of Arcade Fire, Justice and Wilco among others, but Feist, one of Canada's favorite exports, carried away the Seventh Annual Shortlist Music Prize for her album The Reminder just as easy as "1234".

She is the second woman (first was Cat Power) and first Canadian to receive the award.

This could be a good sign for Feist, who is hoping to pick up some Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 10th.

Watch your back Winehouse!

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Super Bowl XLII

There weren't any wardrobe malfunctions but the Super Bowl 42 half-time spectacular featuring and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers still drew a record-breaking 97.5 million viewers.

The band performed a four song set that included their uber-hits "American Girl", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin" and "Runnin' Down A Dream".

Tickets for their 2008 tour are on sale now via ticketmaster.com.

If you missed it . . . there's always youtube!

From The Jam Plan DVD Release

From the Jam, the remnants of UK punk band The Jam, are planning a DVD Release of a concert they filmed in London last December.

The live DVD is scheduled to hit shelves (and my own personal music collection) in May.

From the Jam features original Jam members Bruce Foxton (bass) and Rick Buckler (drums) along with new(er) guitarists David Moore and Russell Hastings.

Original front man Paul Weller is still riding the solo wave and not interesting in a full-on reunion.

Also in the works, a new album from From The Jam!

The band are currently writing songs but don't expect to have anything for our ears to feast on until late '08.

New B-52's Song "Funplex"

It's been awhile since their "tiiiin roof . . . rusted" but America's greatest party band, The B-52's are back and ready to remind us how movin' and groovin' is really done with "Funplex" the first single off their upcoming album, also titled Funplex.

The song has the pop leanings of some of the band's classic tunes but it has just enough of an edge and a dark undercurrent to keep it living in the here and now - these pussy cats don't kill kill they "thrill thrill".

"Funplex" is available for purchase on iTunes and it's also posted on their myspace.

The full album drops via Astralwerks on March 24th in the UK and Europe and March 25th in U.S.

According to a posting on the band's website, remixes of "Funplex" are coming soon from CSS, Peaches and Scissor Sisters.

Rock Lobsterlicious!!!!