Justin Townes Earle Sets Winter Tour Dates
Justin Townes Earle is one of the best things to happen to country music in 2009. His latest and nearly flawless record, Midnight at the Movies, stands as an organic blend of honest, dusty outdoor ditties bathed in clean and simple studio production, which is probably why Amazon named it #8 best country record of the year, its “Walk Out” earning the runner-up best country song title.... read more
NBC Goes Green in Prime Time...Again
Starting yesterday, NBC made its biggest push to date in its three-year long commitment to the Green is Universal initiative. The network is bringing the green theme into five of its prime time shows, right in the middle of November sweeps.... read more
Liam Gallagher to Continue Oasis With New Band Name, Without Noel
Does a rock group become a completely new band if one member leaves? Ex-Oasis guitarist and songwriter Liam Gallagher would likely answer yes—especially when that member is his brother Noel. During an interview to support his Pretty Green clothing line, Gallagher told an Italian radio station that the remaining members of Oasis (as in, everyone but Noel) will continue as a reformed band under a different moniker.... read more
Aziz Ansari to Release Comedy Album in January
Aziz Ansari is a funny guy. In fact, in our estimation, there are only nine people this decade who’ve been funnier. On Jan. 19, you’ll be able to own a piece of the laughter; Ansari’s Comedy Central stand-up special Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, which airs two days earlier, will be released as a CD and DVD.... read more
David Lloyd: 1934-2009
Television writer David Lloyd, highly regarded for his comedic work on Frasier, Cheers and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died early last week of prostate cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 75.... read more
Wilco Launches Haiku Contest
Despite their plans to record new material in January, Wilco wants fans to contemplate the seven studio albums they’ve already released, in the band’s first-ever haiku contest.... read more
The Who Calls Super-Bowl Rumors "Pure Speculation"
Due an onslaught of reports that began circulating Thursday, The Who have called rumors of a Super Bowl performance “pure speculation,” in a statement released today.... read more
Animal Collective Announces Fall Be Kind EP
Animal Collective keeps on keepin’ on. Following the colorful wowing of Merriweather Post Pavilion, and the reissue of their delicate Campfire Songs, the band has announced an upcoming five-track EP, entitled Fall Be Kind, which is slated for a Nov. 23 digital release, before it hits stores on Dec. 15.... read more
Oscars Considering 20 Animated Films
A record 20 titles will be considered for Best Animated Feature Film in next year’s Academy Awards, a stark reflection of this year’s colorful craze.... read more
Peter Gabriel Orchestral Covers Album On the Way
Peter Gabriel first LP in seven years will be something of a group project, an orchestral covers album that hosts an eclectic bunch of music hot shots performing each others’ songs. The title, Scratch My Back, plays along with the record’s tit-for-tat song swaps among artists like Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Radiohead, Randy Newman and The Kinks, according to The Guardian.... read more
Dirty Projectors Book Show With L.A. Philharmonic, Get Covered by Solange
Dirty Projectors’ idiosyncratic nature has inspired two recent developments on seemingly disparate ends of the musical spectrum: an orchestral performance and an R&B cover.... read more
Deer Tick Ready iTunes-Only EP, More Fuel for the Fire
As the story goes, Deer Tick was born when frontman John McCauley started recording songs on tape for his friends. The quartet is now bearing similar gifts five years later, as evidenced in an EP out Dec. 1.... read more
Auto-Tune Developer Knocks Off Auto-Tune Knock Off
Auto-Tune is becoming an all-too-common embellishment in music and iPhone apps these days, especially for the developer behind the tricky technology that lets you keep this pitch-correction software in your pocket. Antares Audio Tech is the company responsible for the magical, giggle-inducing “I am T-Pain” app, and while they’ve spread the warbling joy to the masses, the techy troupe of nine employees are protecting their brand like it’s no one’s business, because to them, it shouldn’t be.... read more
"Shit My Dad Says" Creator Justin Halpern Talks Book Deal, TV Show
In the wake of news that Twitter phenom @shitmydadsays is being picked up for a CBS TV deal... read more
Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum Win Big At CMA Awards
The CMA Awards often reward music’s biggest and brightest stars. The underground heroes of the genre tend to go quietly into the night unnoticed (Justin Townes Earle, where art thou?), but who ever said these award shows had to be high concept? Rather, the CMAs offer a chance for the biggest names in country music to be recognized as, yes, the biggest names in country. And the names of the winners at last night’s ceremony don’t get much bigger in the land of 10-gallon hats.... read more
Watson Twins Announce New Album, Tour
The easy-to-spot, difficult-to-distinguish Watson Twins will release their sophomore album, Talking To You, Talking To Me, on Feb. 9 via Vanguard Records.... read more
This Is It Not Quite It: Jackson Reality Show Coming to A&E
The posthumous Michael Jackson promotion train keeps on rolling, and in its next incarnation, the Jackson-hungry public will learn the troubles and travails of the Jacksons who are still around. Starting Dec. 13 at 9 p.m., cable fixture A&E will air The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, a six-episode reality miniseries showing viewers how the King of Pop’s death has affected his family, namely his brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon.... read more
Diplo Drops Hints About New M.I.A. Album
If Diplo gets his way with the next M.I.A. album, then listeners can expect “Booty Shorts” paired with “Summertime Clothes,” “The Purple Bottle” leading to getting “Wasted” and “Dope Boys” frolicking with “My Girls.”... read more
MGM on its Way to Auction
MGM’s iconic roaring lion has been stifled to whimpers of late due to ticket-sale woes, and the box office blows have the once ample studio heading to the auction house again.... read more
Steven Tyler Now Merely Taking Two Years Off From Aerosmith
Well, so much for that. Just days after Aerosmith started calling for a new lead singer, Steven Tyler himself showed up Tuesday night at a Joe Perry Project performance to announce that he is not leaving the band after all.... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
B.O.B. - Put Me On
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Stay Zombie…
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
David Bazan - Hard To Be
