Glastonbury 2009 Line-up Revealed!

Wilco's New Album Streaming From Their Website

Wilco's new album, titled Wilco (The Album), recently leaked on the web. This has led to the band deciding to stream the entire album for free from their website until the album's release in late June. You can find the stream for the album here: http://beta.wilcoworld.net/records/thealbum/index.php.

Pearl Jam Bassist Jeff Ament Assaulted and Robbed

Jeff Ament, the bassist of Pearl Jam, was assaulted and robbed outside of Southern Tracks Recording studio in Atlanta, GA. The band is currently recording their new album there.

According to police reports, Ament and a band employee were attacked on April 27 by three assailants wearing masks and wielding knifes. They smashed the windows on his Jeep and demanded money. When Ament tried to run, he was knocked to the ground. The robbers got away with $3,000 in cash, Ament's passport, and over $4,000 worth of goods. No arrests have been made and Ament did not require hospitalization.

Blink-182 Returns and So Does This Blog!

Sorry for the long hiatus. I'd list the reasons for it but there are way too many. Let's just life got busy. Anyway, on to the news.

Blink-182 made good on their reunion promise at the Grammys by being the surprise ending to a private party to unveil the new T-Mobile Sidekick at Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures. While they only played a short three-song set, fans of the band won't have to wait long for more. The group has announced a 50-date U.S. tour. Opening acts include Weezer, Fall Out Boy, All American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth, and Chester French.

The Blink-182 2009 tour dates are:

07/24 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
07/28 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
07/30 - Calgary, AB @ Saddledome
07/31 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
08/01 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Center
08/02 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
08/04 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheater
08/06 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center
08/07 - Quebec City, QC @ Colisee Pepsi
08/08 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
08/09 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
08/12 - Hershey, PA @ Star Pavilion
08/13 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
08/14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
08/15 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
08/16 - Omaha, NE @ Westfair Amphitheater
08/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ XCel Energy Center
08/20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
08/21 - Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center
08/22 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/23 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Ampitheater
08/25 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
08/27 - Saratoga, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
08/28 - Camden, PA @ Susquehanna Bank Center
08/29 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
08/30 - Washington, DC @ TBA
08/31 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
09/02 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
09/03 - St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
09/04 - Kansas City, MO @ Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone
09/06 - Denver, CO @ Fiddlers Green Amphitheater
09/07 - Salt Lake City, UT @ David O. McKay Events Center
09/10 - Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater
09/12 - Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater
09/13 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
09/14 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
09/16 - San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
09/17 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
09/19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Tempe Beach Park
09/21 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
09/23 - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
09/24 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
09/26 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater
09/27 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheater
09/29 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
10/01 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
10/02 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
10/03 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Events Center

Albums On Sale: 03/24

- Rock album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Approaching Normal by Blue October* - "Dirt Room"
-> Blitz by KMFDN - "Potz Blitz"
-> Crack The Skye by Mastodon - "Divinations"
-> Falling Up by Falling Up*- "Lotus and the Languorous"
-> The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song"
-> Hymn to the Immortal Wind by Mono - "Ashes In The Snow"
-> Metamorphosis by Pape Roach - "Lifeline"
-> Three by Joel Plaskett - "One Look"
-> Ten (reissue) by Pearl Jam - "Even Flow"

2009 Festival Update

- Dates and Location: August 7 to 9 at Grant Park, Chicago

- Confirmed Headliners: Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode, Jane's Addiction, Kings of Leon, The Killers, Tool

- Other Confirmed Performers: Andrew Bird, Atmosphere, Ben Folds, The Decemberists, Delta Spirit, Friendly Fires, Kaiser Chiefs, Lou Reed, The Ravonettes, Neko Case, The NewNo2

- Confirmed Performers Include: Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, Boombox, Buckethead, Assembly of Dust, Galactic, Cornmeal, Les Claypool, Umphrey's McGee

- Dates and Location: July 17 to 19 in Chicago

- Confirmed Acts: Built to Spill, Grizzly Bear, The Jesus Lizard, The National, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Pharoahe Monch, Tortoise, Vivian Girls, The Walkmen, Yo La Tengo

Death Magnetic Dates Announced for Fall Metallica Tour

Metallica has announced the next leg of their World Magnetic Tour. Their fall trek will see them play across North America, beginning in Nashville on September 14th and ending on December 12th in San Jose.

The complete lists of dates are:

September 14 - Nashville, TN @ Sommet Center
September 15 - Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
September 17 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
September 19 - Montreal, QUE @ Bell Centre
September 28 - San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
September 29 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
October 1 - Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
October 3 - Tampa, FL @ St Pete Times Forum
October 4 - Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
October 12 - Winnipeg, MA @ MTS Centre
October 13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
October 15 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
October 17 - Charlottesville, VA @ JPJ Arena
October 18 - Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Bobcats Arena
October 26 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
October 29 - Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place
October 31 - Quebec City, QUE @ Colisee Pepsi
November 9 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
November 10 - Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
November 12 - Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
November 14 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
December 5 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay
December 7 - Nampa, ID @ Idaho Center
December 8 - Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
December 10 - Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
December 12 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion

E Street Rehearsal for New Springsteen Tour

On March 23rd, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played the first of two planned rehearsal contests to a few thousand lucky fans. The show was said to contain much more optimism and hope due to the start of the Obama presidency. It was also revealed that Max Weinberg's 18-year-old son, Jay, would replace his dad for some of the tour due to Weinberg's commitment with the Tonight Show.

The rehearsal setlist was:

“Outlaw Pete”
“My Lucky Day”
“Night”
“Out in the Street”
“Working On a Dream”
“Johnny 99″
“I Ain’t Got No Home”
“Good Eye”
“Radio Nowhere”
“Candy’s Room”
“Because the Night”
“Mary’s Place”
“The Wrestler”
“This Life”
“Long Walk Home”
“Surprise, Surprise”
“Badlands”
“No Surrender”

Encore:
“Hard Times Come Again No More”
“Mustang Sally” (w/ John Eddie)
“Thunder Road”
“Born to Run”
“American Land”
“Seven Nights to Rock”

SXSW 2009

From March 13 to March 22, the South by Southwest Festival was in full swing in Austin, Texas. While many bands performed, here are some of the reported highlights.

- Indie rock band The Decemberists performed their upcoming album The Hazards of Love in its entirety. The album has been viewed as a rock opera in the vein of Tommy.

- Jane's Addiction, who recently reunited and will hit the road with Nine Inch Nails this year, played a ten song set in the strange venue of a former supermarket. The group ripped through several hits from their first decade, ignoring their post-Ritual de lo Habitual material. The setlist included "Mountain Song," "Stop!" and "Been Caught Stealing."

- Metallica played a 90 minute greatest hits set that surprisingly didn't include Enter Sandman. Probably one of the strangest factors of the show was the band's opening act. Instead of a traditional band playing, three contest winners played Guitar Hero: Metallica tracks.

- Other acts that performed at the show included Kayne West, Ben Harper and the Relentless7, Devo, Fleet Foxes, Ra Ra Riot, Silversun Pickups, The Duke Spirit, The Morning Light, The Used, and Tori Amos.

Dylan's New Album Revealed

Bob Dylan's new album will be called Together Through Life and is expected to be released on April 28th. The album cover is a shot from famous photographer Bruce Davidson. Dylan has stated that the album contains "struggling love songs" and is very different from his previous album, Modern Times.

Phish Extends Reunion Tour and Plans New Album

Following the success of their 3-night reunion stand at Virginia's Hampton Coliseum, Phish has extended their reunion tour and plan to record a new album this April. The tour, lasting from June to August, will start and end in New York and includes stops such as the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Jam band fans rejoice.

Here are the complete tour date listings:

June 4 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach
June 5 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach
June 6 - Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
June 7 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 9 - Asheville, NC @ Asheville Civic Center
June 12 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
June 14 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
June 16 - St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theatre
June 18 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
June 19 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
June 20 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley
June 21 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley
July 30 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 31 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 1 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 2 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 5 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 7 - George, WA @ The Gorge
August 8 - George, WA @ The Gorge
August 11 - Chicago, IL @ Toyota Park
August 13 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
August 14 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theater
August 15 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 16 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Album Announcement and Tour Tracker: 03/15/09

- Rock album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Resurrection Macabre by Pestilence (Monday, March 16th) - "Horror Detox"
-> Beware by Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "I Am Goodbye"
-> Cult of Static by Static X - "Lunatic"
-> Fist of God by MSTRKRFT - "1000 Cigarettes"

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> The Bangles on 05/24 at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, on sale on 03/18 at 10 am
-> Jukebox the Ghost and Jenny Young Owens on 05/27 at Bowery Ballroom, on sale 03/20 at noon
-> Depeche Mode on 08/03 at Madison Square Garden, on sale 03/16 at 10 am

Michael Jackson Announces 30 shows at London's O2 Arena

About a week ago, Michael Jackson announced that he would be performing a ten-night stand at London's O2 arena. This wouldn't be that big of a deal except that Jackson has said that these will be his last dates in London ever.

Now, Jackson has added another 20 shows to his run, bringing the total to 30. While Jackson says these are his last shows in London, I'm skeptical. He's performing now because he needs the money and I'm sure he will do so again if he thinks his wallet is getting too light.

Here are the dates:

July 8 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 10 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 12 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 14 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 16 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 18 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 22 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 24 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 26 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 28 – London, England @ O2 Arena
July 30 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 1 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 3 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 10 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 12 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 17 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 19 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 24 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 26 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 28 – London, England @ O2 Arena
August 30 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 1 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 3 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 6 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 8 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 10 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 21 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 23 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 27 – London, England @ O2 Arena
September 29 – London, England @ O2 Arena

U2 Play Secret Show at Fordham University

This actually happened last Friday and I had meant to write about it. But I think the review I wrote for the Fordham University newspaper pretty much sums up what I thought of it.

The review can be found here:

http://www.fordhamobserver.com/1.1604215-1.1604215

Needless to say, it was really awesome.

U2 360-Degree Tour Announced

U2 has announced most of the dates for their 2009 tour, called U2360. The name is appropriate since the stage design will allow the band to sell tickets for every seat in the venue instead of having empty seats behind the stage.

The band will perform completely in stadiums, starting in Barcelona, Spain on June 30. After trekking across Europe, the band will head to North America for a series of stadium shows in the fall. This will be U2's first stadium tour in America since 1997's Popmart tour. Only 4 U.S. dates have been confirmed but there will be more announced in the near future. ALL LISTED DATES AFTER GIANTS STADIUM ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. This is just an estimate from an original post on U2.com that has been removed. Therefore, they are not finalized.

U2 has also promised to keep ticket prices low this time around due to the economic situation. While the option to due a $250 seat is still there, many tickets will be sold for prices below $100. Every show will also have 10,000 seats on sale for $30. I think this is a really good price range for the band that will allow every economic group to attend.

The tour dates can be found at U2tours.com.

Album Announcement and Tour Tracker: 03/08/09

Starting a new tradition, I'll include a link to a song from each album so you all can listen to it and decide if you want to try out on of the albums.

* = picks of the week

- Rock album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> All The Plans by Starsailor* (Monday, March 9th) - "Tell Me It's Not Over"
-> Amor Vincit Omnia by Pure Reason Revolution (Monday, March 9th) - "The Gloaming"
-> Death to Analog by Julien K - "Kick the Bass"
-> Face Control by Handsome Furs - "I'm Confused"
-> I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day* by Julie Doiron - "Heavy Snow"
-> It's Blitz* by Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Zero"
-> Mama, I'm Swollen by Cursive - "From The Hips"
-> No Regrets by Dope - "No Regrets"
-> Not Without A Fight by New Found Glory - "Listen To Your Friends"
-> Scream by Chris Cornell - "Long Gone"
-> Supporting Caste by Propagandhi - "Dear Coach's Corner"
-> Worse Than Alone by The Number Twelve Looks Like You - "Glory Kingdom"
-> Years (by One Thousand Fingertips) by Attack in Black - "Beasts"

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, etc on 04/04 at Radio City, on sale on 03/09 at 11:30 am
-> Telsa on 04/24 at Northern Lights, on sale 03/14 at 10 am
-> Gavin Rossdale on 04/28 at Northern Lights, on sale 03/14 at 10 am
-> Leonard Cohen on May 16 at Radio City Music Hall, on sale on 03/09 at 10 am
-> Leonard Cohen on May 16 at Radio City Music Hall, on sale on 03/09 at 10 am

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr To Play NYC Charity Gig

The two remaining Beatles will join Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Moby, and Donovan at a charity gig for the David Lynch Foundation. The foundation's purpose to educate children to practice meditation as a way of getting through the stress of their daily lives.

The concert, called "Change Begins Within," will be at Radio City Music Hall on April 4th. Tickets go on sale March 9th at 11:30 am. The prices range from $80 to $500. Now, I understand that the show is for charity but $500? I think that's way too high to set given the economic climate.

Miley Cyrus Has a Beef With...Radiohead?

Yes, apparently, Miley Cyrus is a fan of Radiohead and wanted to meet them at the Grammys. When she sent her manager to Radiohead's manager to arrange a meeting, he said that the band doesn't really do that type of stuff. Many artists would just accept this and move on. Cyrus instead decided to whine and pout about it. She was so upset by this offense that she refused to watch their performance of "15 Step" at the Grammys and has promised to ruin them by telling everyone she knows what happened.

I'm really worried for Radiohead. I mean, how will they survive without the 9-t0-14 year old female demographic? This could be the end of the band. Hannah Montana's fanbase shall not be denied their retribution!

Anyway, back to reality, if you haven't seen it yet, here is the link to Radiohead's Grammy performance.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-5175317999285072447&hl=en&fs=true

"The Beatles: Rock Band" To Be Released 9/9/09

The Beatles music videogame will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii on September 9, 2009. It's the first videogame to have any Beatles master tracks in it. The game will go through the Beatles entire career and contain in-game instruments used by the group. It will contain 45 master tracks but no specific songs have been announced yet.

I think it's about time we got the Beatles in a Rock Band style videogame. I think there are a lot of great options for songs here. This is what I would put in the game.

I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout
All My Loving, Roll Over Beethoven
A Hard Day's Night, If I Fell, Can't Buy Me Love
Eight Days A Week
Help!, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Ticket to Ride, Yesterday
Drive My Car, Norweigan Wood, In My Life, If I Needed Someone
Taxman, I'm Only Sleeping, Yellow Submarine, She Said She Said, And Your Bird Can Sing
With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better
Magical Mystery Tour, I Am The Walrus, Hello Goodbye, Strawberry Fields Forever
Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Blackbird, Birthday, Yer Blues, Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except for Me and My Monkey, Helter Skelter
Hey Bulldog
Come Together, Something, Octopus's Garden, Here Comes The Sun, The End
Get Back, Across the Universe

Comment with what songs you'd like to see in the game.

Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction Announce Tour Dates

Trent Reznor announced the tour dates he's worked out with Jane's Addiction so far. It sounds like there could be more dates confirmed in the future. As it stands, the tour will begin in May in Florida before working its way across the U.S. over the next month. The date tickets go on sale and the price have not been announced yet. Here are the tour dates:

May 8 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
May 9 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre
May 10 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
May 14 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
May 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
May 16 - Chula Vista, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
May 18 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl
May 20 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 22 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
May 26 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
May 27 - Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
May 29 - Chicago, IL @ Charter One Pavilion (NIN Only)
May 30 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
May 31 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 2 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
June 3 - Darien Lake, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheatre
June 5 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center At The Waterfront
June 6 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
June 7 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Music Theater
June 9 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 10 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
June 12 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

It looks like a pretty good trek but I wish they would have chosen somewhere other than Jones Beach for the NY show. It's pretty tough for anyone without a car to get there. For all you Nine Inch Nails fans out there, Reznor has stated that this will be the last NIN work he does for some time. The band will be going on hiatus soon so go to these shows if you get the chance. It may be the last of Trent you see for a while.

21st Century Breakdown: the news for weeks of 2/8 and 2/15/09

Alright, it's been a couple of weeks since my last update. Sorry about that. My internet connection has repeatedly been crapping out and I've been busy with college-related activities. Before I get to news, I would just like to say that I watched the Grammys. U2, Radiohead, and Paul McCartney were the best performances. Chris Martin really needs someone to tell him he can't dance. Allison Krauss/Robert Plant won too many awards. Finally, I'd like to say that Radiohead got robbed in a lot of categories, especially album of the year. They deserved that award. Warning: this update will be long.

- Blink-182 announced at the Grammys that they would be reuniting for an album. I don't know how this will work since they already didn't look like they wanted to be together while they announced their reunion.

-Green Day also had an announcement to make at the Grammys. Their new album, 21st Century Breakdown will be released in early May with an arena tour to start in July.

- Live Nation and Ticketmaster officially announced their merger last week. To me, this is an extremely bad idea for the concert goers. The Live Nation-Ticketmaster company will pretty much now have a monopoly on concert tickets. Not good at all.

- Ozzy Osbourne has canceled OzzFest 2009 in order to have more time to work on his new solo album. Now I'm wondering why he can't just have someone else organize it and simply not perform this year. I'm sure the fans can live a year without Ozzy at OzzFest.

- U2 has booked David Letterman's Late Show for 5 straight days, from March 2nd to March 6th.

- Peter Gabriel has dropped out of performing his nominated track, "Down to Earth," at the Oscars. He refuses to perform because they Academy wanted him to only perform about a minute of the song as part of a medley. M.I.A. is unlikely to show up as well since she has recently given birth. Looks like the Oscars are running out of performance options here.

- Blind Faith, the group containing the duo of Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, will be hitting the road this summer. The tour is to start on June 10th at the IZOD Center in New Jersey and end on June 30th in L.A.

- Robert Plant and Allison Krauss are back in the studio, working on a follow-up to Raising Sand.

- Nine Inch Nails will be touring with Jane's Addiction later this year. Dates are expected to be announced in a couple of weeks. Trent Reznor also stated that it may be some time before a new NIN project.

- The Sasquatch! Music Festival revealed that Kings of Leon, Jane's Addiction, and Ben Harpr & Relentless7 will headline this year's festival on May 23, 24, and 25, respectively. Other groups scheduled to perform are Nine Inch Nails, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Animal Collective, TV on the Radio, Peter, Bjorn, and John, Fleet Foxes, and Santogold.

- Coldplay have announced the dates for a summer American leg of their world tour. The tour will begin on July 10th in Portland and end on August 9th in Tampa.

- Kings of Leon are also hitting the road in North America, starting on April 19th in Boston and ending May 21st in San Francisco.

- The title of Grizzy Bear's new album has been revealed. It's called Veckatimest and will be released in May.

- Slipknot will headline this year’s Download Festival along with The Prodigy, Korn, and Motley Crue. The festival will take place at Donington Park, Derby from June 12th to 14th.

- Limp Bizkit have officially reunited after their 8-year hiatus because "we decided we were more digusted...with the state of heavy popular music than we were with each other." All I can say is that my digust has just been revived.

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> Blue October on May 1 at the Webster Hall, on sale on 02/21 at noon
-> Primal Scream on March 29 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, on sale on 02/20 at noon

- Rock album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Years of Refusal by Morrissey
-> Common Existence by Thursday
-> Sargarmartha by The Appleseed Cast
-> The Century of Self by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead
-> Pins and Panzers by Plushgun

My Grammy Predictions!

Hey everyone. Since the Grammy Awards are technically later today, here are my predictions on who should win, who will win, and who should have been nominated in some categories. Since I mainly listen to rock, I won't try to predict categories I know nothing about. Anyway, here's my list.


Album of the Year:

Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends by Coldplay

The Carter III by Lil Wayne

Year of the Gentleman by Ne-Yo

Raising Sand by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant

In Rainbows by Radiohead

Who Should Win: In Rainbows
Who Will Win: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Modern Guilt by Beck

Even without the pay-what-you-want deal, In Rainbows would still deserve all the media attention it received simply for being an amazing album. Every song is great from beginning to end and go over a wide range of territory. From the dirty guitar riff of "Bodysnatchers" to the string-laced beauty of "Nude" to the piano-driven closer, "Videotape," this album never fails to deliever and is even better on repeat listens. Sadly, I don't think the Grammys will go for Radiohead. They've rarely go against a safe choice and this year, the safest choice is Coldplay. Also, why the hell is Ne-Yo nominated when Beck possibly released his best album in his career? He should of at least received a nomination here.


Record Of The Year:

"Chasing Pavements" by Adele

"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis

"Paper Planes" by M.I.A.

"Please Read The Letter" by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant

Who Should Win: "Viva La Vida"
Who Will Win: "Viva La Vida"

Coldplay created one of the biggest hits in 2008 and their entire career with the infectiously catchy "Viva La Vida." It's the most mainstream song out of all the choices and also the best here. The only way Coldplay could lose this one is if guitarist Joe Satriani's copyright infringement suit against the band makes the Grammy Foundation nervous about negative media exposure. In that case, I'd say it's a toss-up between "Paper Planes" and "Please Read The Letter."

Song of the Year:

"American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kayne West

"Chasing Pavements" by Adele

"I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles

"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

Who Should Win: "Viva La Vida"
Who Will Win: "Viva La Vida"
Who Should Have Been Nominated: "Spiralling" by Keane

See Record of the Year. Also, Keane definitely deserved a nod for their inventive and nostalgic pop-rock song, one of the best in recent years.

Best New Artist:

Adele

Duffy

Jonas Brothers

Lady Antebellum

Jazmine Sullivan

Who Should Win: Anyone who is NOT the Jonas Brothers
Who Will Win: The Jonas Brothers
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Ra Ra Riot

Please Grammys. Please don't let me down on this. Do not give in to the hoards of preteen girls who love the Jonas Brothers. They are not original, innovative, or talented at all. Anyone else on this list would be a better pic. Even if I don't like some of the other artists, at least I can say they have talent.
Best Rock Song:

"Girls in their Summer Clothes" by Bruce Springsteen

"House of Cards" by Radiohead

"I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie

"Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon

"Violet Hill" by Coldplay

Who Should Win: "House of Cards"
Who Will Win: "House of Cards"

"House of Cards" is probably Radiohead's most radio-friendly song since...well...ever. But it doesn't feel like the group was going for a hit single or anything like that. It's just naturally catchy with an amazing falsetto from Thom Yorke at the start of the track. If Radiohead doesn't get it, the award will go to Bruce.

Best Alternative Album:

Modern Guilt by Beck

Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie

The Odd Couple by Gnarls Barkley

Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket

In Rainbows by Radiohead

Who Should Win: Modern Guilt
Who Will Win: In Rainbows or Modern Guilt

This category all comes down to whether or not Radiohead wins the Best Album award. If they do, expect Beck to win this award for his incredible piece of psychedelic rock. If not, Radiohead will win this as a consolation prize.

Here are a few more quick category predictions for winners.

Best Rock Album: Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group With Vocals: "House of Cards"
Best Solo Rock Performance: "Girls in Their Summer Clothes"

Agree? Disagree? Think I'm a genuis? Want to throw rocks at me? Let me know! I want to see lots of comments about who you think will win the Grammy Awards. I would love to hear your opinion. Anyway, I'll be back by Monday with the winners and other rock news.

Springsteen is Everywhere: News for the week of 2/1/09

Sorry for the delay everyone. The Super Bowl put me behind schedule this week. Anyway, here's the news.

- Bonnaroo have announced that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Phish will headline their festival this June. Springsteen will get one night while Phish will get the other two. Other acts performing include Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Snoop Dogg, Wilco, Elvis Costello, The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Andrew Bird, MGMT, and Santogold.

- Springsteen was busy this week as he also performed at the Super Bowl. He played a medley of hits with his E Street Band and at one point, let a gospel choir on the stage as well. His set was "Tenth Avenue Freezeout," "Born to Run," "Working on a Dream," and "Glory Days." I only really had two questions about his set. Where was "Born in the U.S.A" and why did he slide his crotch into the camera?

- Pop band The Flamin' Groovies will reunite for the first time since 1971 to perform at the Ponderosa Stomp festival, taking place at New Orleans’ House of Blues on April 28-29th.

- The Hold Steady will release their first live album on April 6th. It's called A Positive Rage and will include a DVD documentary of their tour.

- The Langerado Festival in Miami has been cancelled this year due to poor ticket sales. This has been the first festival to cancel their 2009 show due to the economy. Hopefully it'll be the last but that's highly doubtful this year.

- Spinal Tap plans to release a new album sometime this year. It would be the group's first album since 1992's Break Like The Wind.

- Rob Zombie has announced that his new album is complete but he won't release it until he finishes directing Halloween 2. The album should drop by the end of the summer.

- Elbow will release a CD/DVD live combo in March on their performance at Abbey Road studios.

- The White Lies' To Lose My Life will be released in America on March 17th. The album is already #1 in the UK. The band will also play a couple of shows at the Bowery Ballroom on March 26/27.

- Flight of the Conchords will be heading on the road this spring for a tour throughout America. The tour starts on April 6th in Tampa and will end on May 25th in Berkley, CA.

- Coldplay and The Killers will both headline a charity gig at the O2 arena in London on February 18th. All proceeds will go to War Child.

- Depeche Mode have released the tracklisting for their next album, Sounds of the Universe, due on April 21st. Here's the tracklisting:

1. "In Chains"
2. "Hole to Feed"
3. "Wrong"
4. "Fragile Tension"
5. "Little Soul"
6. "In Sympathy"
7. "Peace"
8. "Come Back"
9. "Spacewalker"
10. "Perfect"
11. "Miles Away/The Truth Is"
12. "Jezebel"
13. "Corrupt"

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> The Allman Brothers Band on March 26 at the Beacon Theatre, on sale on 02/06 at 10 am
-> Gomez on April 2 at the Bowery Ballroom, on sale on 02/06 at noon
-> Flight of the Conchords on April 14 at Radio City Music Hall, on sale on 02/06 at 10 am
-> Ratatat on April 21 at Terminal 5, on sale 02/06 at noon


- Rock album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Changing Horses by Ben Kweller
-> Eviseration Plague by Cannibal Corpse
-> The Fray by The Fray
-> Lonely Road by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Coachella lineup announced!

Both Coachella has announced their complete lineups for this year. Headlining acts are in bold.

Coachella:

Friday - Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.

Saturday - The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT’s, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.

Sunday - The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K’naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.

“A Hundred Million Suns” Fades Out Quickly

Snow Patrol’s fifth album, “One Hundred Million Suns” starts out strong but quickly runs out of fuel after only a few songs.
The Irish rockers’ latest album shows some attempts to expand their sound, giving it a more epic quality. The result however, is wildly uneven. The starting trilogy of songs shows off this ambitious direction, especially “Take Back The City,” one of the best songs on the album.
After the opening trilogy though, the songs start to become bland and all sound like different versions of the first three tracks. The epic songs begin to sound like Coldplay and don’t offer anything new. This is the real shame of this album because there are moments throughout “A Hundred Million Suns” where you can hear potential for an innovative and interesting song but the band winds up moving in the opposite direction. The worst case of this repetitive nature can be found in “Set Down Your Glass” and “The Planets Bend Between Us.” These songs are so similar in instrumentation, tone, and speed that they sound like one could easily be part of the other.
The final track, “The Lighting Strikes,” slightly redeems the rest of the album with a 16-minute suite chaining three tracks together. While this track does run a little too long, it is a very innovative and pleasant surprise that is very much in Snow Patrol’s style but different enough to stand out.
If Snow Patrol is to keep its fans interested and gain new ones, their closing track of “A Hundred Million Suns” should be a direction they should strongly consider for their next album. It’s time for this band to break away from being Coldplay’s echo and show the world what epic really is.

Key Tracks: “If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It,” “Take Back The City,” “The Lightning Strike”


Coming soon...my Grammy predictions. Who should win, who will win, and who should have been nominated. Stay tuned!

Guitar Hero Metallica: News for the week of 1/25/09

This week has been a little slower compared to all of last week's info. But there's still some news to go through. I've also decided to inject a little bit of my own opinion about the news updates. Comment if you think it works.

- Metallica has revealed the tracklisting for their upcoming Guitar Hero videogame. It contains 28 songs from Metallica's entire career as well as 21 of their favorite tracks by other artists like the Foo Fighters, Queen, and Alice in Chains. The game will also contain a difficulty level higher than expert. Have a bucket of ice nearby for your hands. You're gonna need it.

- The Academy Awards nominees for Best Song were whittled down to only three tracks. WALL-E's "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel and Slumdog Millionaire's "O...Saya" by M.I.A & "Jai Ho" by A.H. Rahman were the three songs to be nominated. Springsteen, who one the Golden Globe for Best Song, was surprisingly snubbed by the Oscars. Big mistake by the Academy in my opinion. What was wrong with the original 5 nominations?

- AC/DC have denied a report that they will perform at Wrestlemania XXV.

- Death Cab for Cutie have annouced a spring tour that will begin on March 7 in Miami and end on May 6 in Atlanta.

- The Moody Blues will play a series of shows on the West Coast, starting on March 27 in Rancho Mirage, CA and ending on April 7 in Santa Rosa, CA.

- Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is in development to become a musical on Broadway. No theater dates or location have been given yet. A musical based on "Thriller"...really? Broadway really does seem to be running out of ideas.

- Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, T.I., Kayne West, and Jay-Z will all perform at this year’s Grammys ceremony. Other performers include Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Jennifer Hudson, Katy Perry, and Kenny Chesney. I am really surprised that Radiohead is actually going to perform at the Grammys given their general anti-record label philosophy. But I'm not complaining. Radiohead is one of the best live bands around and I look forward to their performence.

- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs new album will be titled It's Blitz and will be released sometime this spring.

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> The Ting Tings on March 15 at the Music Hall of Williamsberg, on sale on 01/30 at noon
-> The Cave Singers on April 2 at the Mercury Lounge, on sale on 01/30 at noon
-> Dan Deacon on May 16 at Bowery Ballroom, on sale on 01/30 at noon

- Rock album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Tonight: Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand
-> Working on a Dream by Bruce Springsteen
-> Fornever by Hoobastank
-> Crooked X by Crooked X
-> Lividity by It Dies Today

The Killers concert review at Madison Square Garden on 01/25/09

I had previously seen The Killers when they last toured New York in support of their second album, Sam's Town. The show was good but not fantastic. That show was held up by the power of the band's hit singles. However, this time around, The Killers put on a fantastic show that showed both the strength of their new album, Day and Age, as well as their older hits. The show began at a fairly early time of 8:15 and blasted right into their latest single, "Spaceman," with Brandon Flowers jumping around the stage as he sang and the large video wall offering the visual support. As good as the new album is, older hits such as "Somebody Told Me," "Mr. Brightside," and "When You Were Young" are still the fan favorites and got the crowd on their feet. The highlight had to be the main set closer, "All These Things That I've Done." That song was made to be performed in large venues. The crowd was so into it that they began singing "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier" before Flowers even got the chance to sing it himself.

Setlist:
1. Spaceman
2. Losing Touch
3. Somebody Told Me
4. Smile Like You Mean It
5. This Is Your Life
6. Joy Ride
7. I Can't Stay
8. Bling (Confessions Of A King)
9. Shadowplay
10. Bones
11. Neon Tiger
12. Human
13. Sam's Town
14. Read My Mind
15. Mr. Brightside
16. All These Things That I've Done

Encore:
17. On Top
18. For Reasons Unknown
19. Jenny Was A Friend of Mine
20. When You Were Young

Get On Your Boots: News for the week of 01/19/09

Sorry this update is a couple of days later than usual. I've been a little busy. Anyway, I forgot to add that if you enjoy this blog, please tell your friends to check it out as well. Now, on to news.

- U2's new single, "Get On Your Boots," was released to radio and digitally on Monday, 01/19. It is their first new single since 2006's "Window in the Skies."

- Metallica, Run-DMC, and Jeff Beck are three of the many 2009 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other performers to be inducted on April 4th in Cleveland are Wanda Jackson, Little Anothony and the Imperials, and Bobby Womack.

- Bruce Springsteen picked up a Golden Globe for his track, "The Wrestler," which was written for the movie of the same name.

- Capitol/EMI plan to re-release Radiohead's first three album, Pablo Honey, The Bends, and OK Computer as 2-CD and 2-CD/1-DVD sets. The reissues will contain the original album along with all of the group's b-sides for each respective era. The DVDs will include live footage and music videos. They will be released on March 24th.

- Bruce Springsteen, U2, Beyonce, and James Taylor were a few of many performers to play at a inaugural concert on 01/19 for President Obama.

- In other inaugural news, Obama selected The Dead to perform at the Inaugural Ball.

- U2 has released the tracklisting and album cover for their upcoming album, No Line On The Horizon. The tracklisting is : 1. “No Line On The Horizon”
2. “Magnificent”
3. “Moment of Surrender”
4. “Unknown Caller”
5. “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
6. “Get On Your Boots”
7. “Stand Up Comedy”
8. “Fez – Being Born”
9. “White As Snow”
10. “Breathe”
11. “Cedars Of Lebanon”

- Kings of Leon, U2, Duffy, and Girls Aloud have all been confirmed to perform at this year's BRIT Awards on February 18th.

- Pete Doherty's first solo album, Grace/Wasteland, will be released on March 24th.

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> Kris Kristofferson at The Concert Hall, on sale on 01/24 at 10 am
-> Rick Springfield at the Nokia Theatre Times Square, on sale on 01/24 at 12 pm
-> Say Hi at Mercury Lounge, on sale on 01/23 at 12 pm
-> Van Morrison at WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, on sale on 01/25 at 10 am
-> Tom Jones at Terminal 5, on sale on 01/23 at 12 pm

- Album releases this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
-> Grand by Matt and Kim
-> Noble Beast by Andrew Bird
-> The Empyrean by John Frusciante
-> Mantis by Umphrey's McGee
-> A-Lex by Sepultura (January 23)

Zeppelin is over. News for the week of 1/11/09

Hey everyone. This is my first news update on this blog so let's see what's been happening and what's coming up this week in music.

- Jimmy Page's manager stated that the plan to find a new singer to replace Robert Plant on a possible future tour is "completely over now." It appears that there will not be a new Led Zeppelin album or tour for a while, if ever.

- NY DJ, Minty Fresh Beats, has created a mashup of Jay-Z and Radiohead. The mashup is called Jaydiohead and can be found here.

- Bonnaroo.com recently launched Bonnaroo 365, a program that will occasionally show complete sets from the Bonnaroo Festival. The first set up is The Racontuers set from 2008's festval.

- Phish announced that they will be reuniting for a tour this summer, their first in five years. The tour will open with two shows at Jones Beach in New York on June 4 and 5. Tickets will go on sale on January 30th at 10 am.

- The Dead have also announced their first tour in five years. It will start in North Carolina on April 12 and end in California in early May. Pre-sale tickets for the tour go on sale January 13th.

- Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck will play two shows together at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on February 21 and 22.

- Prince intends to release three albums in 2009: Lotus Flow3r, MPLSound and Elixir. Now word on release dates yet.

- Concert tickets that go on sale this week (in the tri-state area):
-> David Bryne at Radio City Music Hall, on sale on 01/12 at 10 am
-> The Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre, on sale on 01/16 at 10 am
-> Mates of State / Black Kids at Webster Hall, on sale on 01/16
-> Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden, on sale on 01/17

- Albums being released this week (always Tuesday unless stated otherwise)
-> Life In-Between by Royal Bliss
-> Hordes of Chaos by Kreator

Top 10 Songs of 2008

Here's  an article on my top 10 tracks of 2008. Hope you enjoy it and please add your own list

if you wish. I've added links for all the tracks so you can hear them yourselves

1. "Reckoner"by Radiohead
While this song technically came out in 2007 on In Rainbows, it was released as a single in 2008 so I’m including it. Starting with a dominant drumbeat, the track is a beautiful ballad sung entirely in falsetto by Thom Yorke. The lyrics are some of the best on In Rainbows (Because we separate like/ripples on a blank shore). The highest point is the gorgeous bridge in which the drums drop out, leaving Yorke to sing over just the guitar and string arrangement.

2. Spaceman by The Killers
The second single from Day and Age is a brilliant track about alien abduction. Starting with a short synth intro, the song quickly explodes into pure dance-rock. The song has glittery guitar that ensnares itself in the listener’s brain. Containing an instantly catchy chorus and a funky bridge, it may be the best song The Killers have ever done.

3. Chemtrails by Beck
Probably the most psychedelic track Beck has ever done, “Chemtrails” is a very ethereal track grounded by a steady drum beat. Beck’s vocals lazily float over the track in a beautiful falsetto. The track instantly puts the listener at ease and can easily lead to a daydream. It almost feels like you can just float out to sea and leave your worries behind.


4. "Spiralling" by Keane
The first single off of Kean’s latest album, Perfect Symmetry, has a nostalgic 80s New Wave/dance feel to it without going over the edge into feeling dated. One of the first tracks by Keane to contain a guitar, the song is held up by the use of two synthesizers and the vocals of singer Tom Chaplin. Without a doubt, “Spiralling” is one of the best pop-rock songs in recent years.

5. "Daddy's Gone" by Glasvegas
From Glasvegas’ self-titled debut album, “Daddy’s Gone” is a testament to a father who wasn’t there for his child. The lyrics are fairly straightforward but they aren’t overly sentimental or cheesy. There is a real anger that’s just barely held back by a sense of longing. One of the most noticeable qualities of the track is James Allan’s thick Scottish accent. The track also heavily implements Phil Spector’s “wall-of-sound” technique, which works in favor of the song. The track is one of the best singles from a new group from 2008 and should hopefully lead the band to much success.

6. "Lost!" by Coldplay
While Coldplay’s two earlier singles, “Violet Hill” and “Viva La Vida,” have received more exposure, “Lost!” is the real gem of the album. Containing a prominent tribal drum beat throughout the song, “Lost!” rocks a little more than the rest of the album. While the lyrics aren’t particularly great (the “big fish/small pond” line is cringeworthy), the track’s rhythm and enthusiastic energy causes it to stand out.

7. "Dying is Fine" by Ra Ra Riot
One of the first songs written by Ra Ra Riot, this track has a slightly tragic attachment due to the accidental death of the band’s drummer, John Ryan Pike. The band decided to continue after his death, releasing “Dying is Fine” on their first album, The Rhumb Line. While the title may imply a dark or depressing song, the track has a very light-hearted quality to it. The cello and violin adds an organic quality and distinguishes the song from many other indie tracks released this year.

8. "Bones Of You" by Elbow
From Elbow’s fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid, “Bones of You” has an Arabic vibe to it, especially in terms of the guitar arrangement. Holding the song together is the combined percussion of traditional drums and handclaps. Lead singer Guy Garvey’s earthy vocals are counterbalanced in the chorus by the much more airy vocals of various backup singers.

9. "Evil Urges" by My Morning Jacket
Featuring a bluesy guitar that sounds like it could have been written by Lynyrd Skynyrd, this track features a funky falsetto that makes you wonder if the audience should be fist-pumping or dancing. The answer is both. “Evil Urges” shows My Morning Jacket’s ability to blow open the genre of southern rock and their refusal to be tied to one style of music.

10. "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon
The first single from Kings of Leon’s latest album, Only By The Night, seems to be made for people to sing along to in an arena. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Another instantly catchy tune that gets stuck in your head, “Sex on Fire” should finally break open the American market that Kings of Leon have struggled to find success in.

Hello! Hello!

Hey everyone.

Welcome to my blog. I tried to make one of these before but I never updated it.  I hope to remember to update this one weekly with news and occasionally with reviews.

This blog is basically for fans of rock music everywhere. Every week I'll try to update this blog with all the news I can find regarding upcoming releases, tours, and other info. I'll also post reviews of both new albums that I get and also older albums I already have.  I want to encourage anyone who reads this blog to post any comments or suggestions for improvements I can make or just to post your own opinions about the albums I review/news that I post.

Hopefully, this will be the first of many posts (even though I'm writing this first post two days before class begins) and I look forward to posting so stay tuned.