Mastodon Unveils Custom Vans, Paste Demands More Musical Product Endorsements
If you thought that custom edition Vans were strictly the purview of pop-punk bands, think twice. Think three times if you need to. An ad from this month's issue of Decibel (pictured above) shows a pair of Vans emblazoned with the man-deer-demon from the cover of Mastodon's 2006 tour-de-rock, Blood Mountain. Now you'll have some very metal footwear for your own epic quest to find the Crystal Skull. No word yet on whether the deer skull will be included or if it's one of those pre-order promo dealies.... read more
Tony Awards 2009 Winners Round-Up
Who said theatre is dead? You wouldn't know it from watching the opening to last night's Tony Awards, that saw Elton John, Liza Minelli and Dolly Parton join the cast of about a million different musicals for a mash-up of Broadway's greatest hits. It was the "biggest and most expensive number in the history of the Tonys," host Neil Patrick Harris observed. "That is why I am your host tonight."... read more
MTV's Unplugged Returns with Adele, Silversun Pickups and Katy Perry
There are a few essential steps in a musician’s career that signify big-time success: releasing a best-of album, headlining a festival, and throughout the 1990s, performing live on MTV’s Unplugged. Alhough the series was hugely popular for a time, when major rock artists like Nirvana and Eric Clapton graced the stage with acoustic-only versions of their biggest hits, after eight seasons, Unplugged left the air, to return only for special occasions in the following years. Today, it makes a comeback, returning to MTV.com with a series of monthly performances from popular contemporary artists like Adele, Silversun Pickups and Katy Perry.... read more
Stephen Colbert Kicks off "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando"
It's said that truth hurts, but nothing hurts quite as good as a healthy dose of truthiness from the man who coined the phrase: Messr. Stephen Colbert. And really, truthiness can't be contained by trifling things like national boundaries or large bodies of water, which is exactly why, starting tonight, Colbert will be crossing the Atlantic to kick off his first-ever USO tour: "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando."... read more
David Carradine: 1936-2009
Actor David Carradine was found dead early this morning in a Bangkok, Thailand, hotel. The cause of death is uncertain at this point, with multiple sources reporting suicide, natural and accidental deaths.... read more
Everything Is Terrible: The Movie to Feature the Best of the Worst of Video Mash-Ups
For a couple years now, the cultural historians over at Everything Is Terrible have worked hard to dredge up all the groan-inducing infomercials, workout videos, PSAs and otherwise terrible footage from the '80s and '90s that they could find. The artists of found footage are now releasing a mash-up of terribleness in movie form—the aptly titled Everything Is Terrible: The Movie. ... read more
Performing Songwriter Announces Final Issue
As an independent music magazine with humble beginnings, we hate to say goodbye to a like-minded publication. But today, we're doing just that, as Performing Songwriter publisher/editor/founder Lydia Hutchinson recently announced that this month's issue will be the magazine's last. ... read more
Microsoft Wows E3 Conference With Myriad XBox 360 Plans
If you've ever felt the urge to update your Twitter or stream radio while playing your favorite video game, now you're in luck. On Monday, Microsoft announced at the E3 conference that XBox 360 will now offer gamers the ability to stream music from Last.fm, check and update their Twitter and Facebook accounts and stream more movies and television shows faster from Netflix. Finally, we can stalk our friends on Facebook while waiting for Madden to load.... read more
New iPhone Photos Leak Online, Hype Ensues
Leave it to Apple to set techie hearts worldwide a-flutter once again. iPhone 3.0, the newest version of the iPhone that's rumored to be released soon (not to be confused with iPhone 3G), has been shrouded in mystery in spite of millions of curious, technology-hungry fans, much like the company prefers. But with so much hype setting the interwebs ablaze, it should come as no surprise that leaked photos of a new iPhone protoype have emerged.... read more
Neutral Milk Hotel Saves Paragon Carousel
In April, we reported that Neutral Milk Hotel asked its fans to vote online to help keep the Paragon Carousel alive and beautiful. Vote they did: American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced on May 18 that the carousel was the winner of a $100,000 grant to be used for restoration and repairs.... read more
Give Papa John His Camaro, Get $25,000 Cash
That old clunker in your garage might have more value than you think. To celebrate his pizza company's 25th anniversary, "Papa" John Schnatter is handing out $25,000 in cash to whomever can find his original 1972 Z28 Camaro, the one that he sold back in the day for $1,600 in order to start his first pizza place.... read more
Phil Spector Awaits Murder Sentence as Attorneys Argue for Reduction
Attorneys of Phil Spector are attempting to trim the prison sentence for the music producer convicted of the second-degree murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Spector, 69, was found guilty April 13 of shooting Clarkson in his mansion in 2003 and is scheduled to be sentenced today. Conviction of second-degree murder holds a mandated 15 years, but Spector is likely to receive a life sentence. ... read more
Atlanta's Corndogorama Festival Announces 2009 Lineup
Chances are, the last time most of our readers thought about a corn dog was in the fifth grade, when the fried delicacy was considered a treat in a lineup of questionable cafeteria fare. But to music fans around Atlanta, the words "corn dog" conjure up warm memories of a different kind: the annual Corndogorama Music Festival, now in its 13th year. ... read more
No! Kidding: They Might Be Giants Sponsors 11 Little League Baseball Teams
As a rule, musicians get pretty peeved when they feel they've been ripped off. But when the rockers of They Might Be Giants found out that their band name and art from their album No! was being used without their permission, they were the ones to shell out some cash.... read more
Flying Fish Brewing Company Finds Inspiration in New Jersey Turnpike
We've all come to look for America. As Simon and Garfunkel know, the U.S. of A. can be found on the classic stretch of highway known as the New Jersey Turnpike. And as most of its citizens know, America can also be well represented by a classic bottle of beer. Or 18. That is, the number of exits along the New Jersey Turnpike highway, and the number of different beers that microbrewery Flying Fish Brewing Company plans to create, based on the famously congested toll road.... read more
New Twitter Feature Allows File Sharing
Our apologies to Mark Zuckerberg, but Twitter is pretty much taking over the world. It seems like everyone is tweeting through life (sometimes, perhaps just a little too intensely), and the site has served as inspiration for both film and television. And the list of possibilities is growing.... read more
Brian Eno Lights Up Sydney Opera House
Brian Eno, genius, father of ambient music, producer and self-proclaimed non-musician, can now add another title to his already storied career. As Curator of the Luminious Festival, Eno has created continuously changing layers of abstract art to be projected on the sails of the Opera House during the three-week music, light and art festival, which began yesterday, May 26. ... read more
TuneCore and Amazon Partner for On Demand CD Service
While the new Kindle may not be able to pronounce our president's name, the whole digital world hasn't gone straight to hell. According to Wired, TuneCore is gearing up to partner with Amazon's on-demand CD-printing and distribution service.... read more
The Great American T-Shirt
We’ve assembled some of our favorite shirts for spring to appeal to the fashionista and the metalhead alike. Wear them with pride... read more
American Apparel Settles with Woody Allen
The scuffle between Woody Allen and American Apparel CEO Dov Charney hasn't come to blows. Although the director extraordinaire was livid with Charney for using an unauthorized image from the film Annie Hall of Allen dressed as a Hasidic Jew, he has accepted a $5 million settlement from the CEO. ... read more
The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Instant
The 25 Best Movies of 2012 (So…
The 50 Best Movies of 2011
The 30 Best TV Shows on Netflix…
The 50 Best Movies of the Decade…
