Peter Gabriel has long been a monster in the music biz, immortalizing himself with hits like "Solsbury Hill," "Sledgehammer," and "In Your Eyes".  It's the former Genesis lead singer's place in the classic rock canon that makes his most recent album so surprising: a cover album.  And among the classic rock hits he reinvents (Bowie, The Kinks, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Neil Young), Gabriel also pays homage to the present indie scene.  The list includes Bon Iver, Regina Spektor, The Magnetic Fields, and Arcade Fire.  There's also some Radiohead in there, too - something I never thought I'd hear from Mr. Gabriel.  

"Haunted" is the first word that comes to mind listening to Scratch My Back. Heavy strings hit hopeful chords among the somber melodies.  Bowie's "Heroes" is the first track and the tune is nearly unrecognizable.  You don't even think David Bowie. Gabriel makes "Heroes" his own in a way that irrevocably changes the tone.  It evokes Nirvana's transformative effect on another Bowie classic, "The Man Who Sold the World."

When Cobain performed that song, he was just attaining a level of success.  The name of the band was beginning to spread across the lips of disaffected American youth. Peter Gabriel doesn't need to work anymore, much less make a cover album. Scratch my Back, then, is a labor of love (Kurt's was too, I know).  Lyrics drive this album, with Gabriel sticking religiously to a minimalist touch.  His minimalism is notable in Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble." The infectiously poppy opening track on Simon's Graceland album is turned into a slow, emotional ballad. 

With such a personal selection of songs, it's worth noting that the more familiar songs struck stronger chords in me.  Scratch is by no stretch of the imagination an exciting album.  It is, however, very emotional. And make no mistake, although lyrics dictated flow, Peter Gabriel is a master composer. Within the careful minimalism, he creates a richly textured, evocative soundscape.  And his voice is as ghostly as his keys.

Highlights include the covers of "My Body is a Cage" (Arcade Fire), "Philadelphia" (Neil Young), and "Flume" (Bon Iver).  "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" (Radiohead) is the extreme manifestation of minimalism I was talking about, and as a result, it's disconnected. I don't know if I'd like this song if I'd never heard Radiohead, but I certainly don't feel it as is. Frankly, he sounds broken until he does something cool by suddenly kicking in  a creepy violin and Gabriel comes off like a carnie performer. But then it's back to the broken voice. The man sounds like he's dying! And then he moans, and the pain returns from before, but it's deeper now, and it's guttural and you cannot help but feel it: "Immerse your soul in love", he says.  Within the bleak world of the album, this is nothing less than a heroic battle cry.

Track list:

1. Heroes (David Bowie)
2. The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)
3. Mirrorball (Elbow)
4. Flume (Bon Iver)
5. Listening Wind (Talking Heads)
6. The Power of the Heart (Lou Reed)
7. My Body Is a Cage (Arcade Fire)
8. The Book of Love (The Magnetic Fields)
9. I Think it's Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman)
10. Apres Moi (Regina Spektor)
11. Philadelphia (Neil Young)
12. Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Radiohead)

DJ/Producer Benny Benassi is premeiring his new music video "Electro Sixteen" as a follow up to the release of Benny Benassi Vs. Iggy Pop EP. Benassi, who has a love for punk subculture and raw colors, wanted to connect the fans with the music and enable them to get lost in it and dance, dance, dance. The video was created last summer with more than 15,000 photographs of Benassi's DJ set at the Electric Zoo Festival.

To bring this video to life, Hayden 5 Media snapped rapid-fire photographs of Benassi performing on stage, as well as of Ida Nash, an electro music lover and fan. Hayden 5 Media pasted together the photos to create the stop-motion editing, while the creative team at Qubic New York made the motion graphics. "We knew this would be the perfect opportunity to use the 'photo-motion' technique. There's something about Benny's music, and electro in general - that calls for the fast cutting of exciting visuals and graphics," says Todd Wasserman of Hayden 5 Media. Ezio Burani of Qubic New York, who conceptualized the video, states that "the graphic language - frenetic rhythm, burned colors, vivid visuals, are something new for electro music...We were inspired by the frenetic rhythm of Benny's music, Punk subculture and the raw colors created by Lomography. We tried to verbalize Iggy's iconic punk persona through the raw graphics in a tough, aggressive way."

The Disco Biscuits Planet Anthem

Drive By Truckers The Big To-Do

Tom McRae The Alphabet of Hurricanes

Nas And Damien Marley Distant Relatives

Neon Trees Habits

The Superions The Superions [EP]

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights [Live]

The Whigs In The Dark

Gin Wigmore Holy Smoke

Peter Wolf Midnight Souvenirs

Last Friday, the Manilow himself was set to premier his new show Paris Las Vegas but technical issues interrupted final rehearsals and postponed the show. Before the concert, a power surge shut down all the music and audio-visual components of the show, causing $150,000 in damages.

"You could smell the burnout," said one of the stage engineers. "One or two of the protectors failed or didn't turn on, and the lot just went up."

The disruption probably didn't come as much of a surprise to Barry Manilow, who had a suspicion something of this nature would happen.

"I don't know if we will make it," the singer said. "There's just a tremendous amount of brand new technology never been used before."

Technicians worked through the night while 700 of the audience members who hadn't heard about the postponement were entertained at a free cocktail party, hosted by Paris president Marilyn Winn.

The repairs were finished by 2pm Saturday and Barry performed two shows that night to make up for Friday's incident.

After the double concert, Barry said, "This all turned out great. I felt so good, so energized, I'm ready to do a third show back-to-back."

I'm his audience would have been ready as well. After the first show, people lingered around trying to get tickets for the second concert later that night. During the shows, Barry also received a standing ovation for every song while some members just remained standing throughout the entire 82-minute phenomenon, plus the "Copacabana" double finale. Now that's dedication.

While the show will include all of his hits (including my personal favorite "Mandy), it's all wrapped up in more romance than even die-hard Fanilows are used to. The entire spectacular relates to his latest compilation album Greatest Love Songs of All Time, which was released in January.

The show is a not-to-be-missed experience, blending emotional story-telling from Barry about his relationship to his grandfather with more novelty music sequences, such as when Barry and three other pianists run around the instrument while keeping the music going. The speed and precision of these musicians while they race around the piano and play is truly astounding. Especially seeing how in-shape the 66-year old singer is. I don't even think I could pound the keys or run around the piano that fast.

His Paris performances also simply have an intimacy that his past run at the Las Vegas Hilton lacked.

Jeffrey Hornaday, the show's choreographer explained how at the Paris, "There's nothing to hide behind or cover up any mistakes. Every night, we all have to be perfect because the audience is right there - and not hundreds of yards away. Barry has handcrafted a production that is incredibly personal and nuanced. The result is an original, moving and thrilling theatrical experience. For me personally, it has been the most exciting creative process I've ever participated in."

"It's great. We couldn't be more pleased," said Barry. "We set out to achieve something that should have been impossible, but we pulled it off - and we still had a lot of fun doing it. The theater at the Paris is perfect for what we wanted to do, large but still intimate. It's a beautiful room, and I'm proud to call it home for the next two years. The city of Paris, this Vegas hotel called Paris, it all marries beautifully as love and romance, so it will be a romantic show."

Barry has also turned out to marry beautifully with the city of Vegas as well. Las Vegas middle school and high school music programs will reap benefits from the singer's two-year run on the Strip by receiving a portion of the proceeds generated from the Platinum Experience Tickets. These special tickets include a front-row seat, pre-show champagne reception, a meet-and-greet plus photo with Barry, along with an autographed show program. You can buy yours at ManilowParis.com.

Though a little rocky at first, Barry's strip debut seems to be an out-and-out sensation. After his double-billing on Saturday Barry mused, "Did we have fun tonight? This was simply the best, the highlight of a blessed, long career. I couldn't be happier about being in Vegas, entertaining fans and singing better than ever. I'm looking forward to every night of a fantastic two years."

If you weren't able to get to the SXSW festival or just didn't get your fix of indie sounds, there is another festival that takes place down the road from March 20^th to 22^nd.  There are two stages in a beautiful drive-in movie theater on the side of a mountain in the Sierra Madre Oriental, located at Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas #1818 Colonia Las Torres, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.

Tickets are $30 USD for a 3-Day pass, which will have 78 bands, including headliners - No Age, Liars, Neon Indian, Andrew WK, and Washed Out. The festival includes a substantial visual art element as well, with the perimeter of the space decorated by huge original murals and projected video pieces (on the drive-in screen of course!) by such artists Stephanie Davidson, Sumi Ink Club, Jesse Spears, Katja Mater, JD Beltran and many more.

FINAL SCHEDULE

|| SATURDAY ||

:: 10:30 - LOS PLANETAS (Spain)

:: 10pm - ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE (Japan)

:: 9:30 - CHIKITA VIOLENTA (Mexico)

:: 9pm - TELEPATHE

:: 8:30 - QUIERO CLUB (Mexico)

:: 8pm - Das Racist

:: 7:30 - Lázaro Valiente (Mexico)

:: 7pm - Male Bonding (UK)

:: 6:30 - Hunx and his Punx

:: 6pm - El Resplandor (Mexico)

:: 5:30 - Wet Hair

:: 5pm - Pocahaunted

:: 4:30 - Soho Riots (Mexico)

:: 4pm - Teengirl Fantasy

:: 3:30 - Yo! Linares (Mexico)

:: 3pm - Explode Into Colors

:: 2:30 - The Coathangers

:: 2pm - Kría Brekkan - of múm / Storsveit Nix Noltes (Iceland)

:: 1:30 - Anamanguchi

:: 1pm - Coasting

:: 12.30 - Videohippos

:: 12pm - Drawlings

:: 11:30 - Adventure

:: 11am - Le Macabre Party (Mexico)

:: 1am - Aa (aka BIG A little a)

:: 1:30 - Sun Araw

:: 2am - Young Prisms

:: 2:30 - Campfires

:: 3am - Ringo Deathstarr (Texas)

|| SUNDAY ||

:: 12pm - ANDREW WK

:: 11:30 - DAN DEACON

:: 11pm - FUCKED UP (Canada)

:: 10:30 - LOS FANCY FREE (Mexico)

:: 10pm - WASHED OUT

:: 9:30 - GRANT HART --- of Hüsker Dü

:: 9pm - INDIAN JEWELRY (Texas)

:: 8:30 - Toro Y Moi

:: 8pm - Tanlines

:: 7:30 - Small Black

:: 7pm - Los Margaritos (Mexico)

:: 6:30 - Chinese Stars

:: 6pm - Banjo or Freakout! (UK)

:: 5:30 - The Wave Pictures (UK)

:: 5pm - Talk Normal

:: 4:30 - The Beets

:: 4pm - XYX (Mexico)

:: 3:30 - So Cow (Ireland)

:: 3pm - Beach Fossils

:: 2:30 - Antoine Reverb (Mexico)

:: 2pm - The Bitters (Canada)

:: 1:30 - TV Ghost

:: 1pm - Los Llamarada (Mexico)

:: 12:30 - Total Abuse (Texas)

:: 12pm - Cloud Nothings

:: 11:30 - White Ninja (Mexico)

:: 11am - Piyama Party (Mexico)

:: 10am - Modern Dance from Mexico & USA

:: Mexican dance curated Estrella Sanza (Los Llamarada)

:: US dance curated by Busy Gagnes (Telepathe)

:: Performances include:

:: Crepusculo

:: La Bruja

:: Prefiero Consumirme Que Disolverme

:: Defectos

:: El Yo y El Entorno

:: 1am - MNDR

:: 1:30 - The Mantles

:: 2am - Teeth Mountain

:: 2:30 - KIT

:: 3am - Twin Sister

:: DJ Jonathan Toubin

:: Soul Clap and Dance-Off

|| MONDAY ||

:: 12am - LIARS

:: 11:30 - NO AGE

:: 11pm - NEON INDIAN (Texas/Mexico)

:: 10:30 - Ratas del Vaticano (Mexico)

:: 10pm - THEE OH SEES

:: 9:30 - Lemonade

:: 9pm - BamBam (Mexico)

:: 8:30 - Lucky Dragons

:: 8pm - Liturgy

:: 7:30 - Jóvenes y Sexys (Venezuela)

:: 7pm - Salem

:: 6:30 - DD/MM/YYYY (Canada)

:: 6pm - Alexico (Mexico)

:: 5:30 - Best Fwends (Texas)

:: 5pm - Sandwitches

:: 4:30 - Mockinpott (Mexico)

:: 4pm - Fergus and Geronimo (Texas)

:: 3:30 - Big Troubles

:: 3pm - HEALTH (Rhinoceropolis)

:: 2:30 - Pictureplane (Rhinoceropolis)

:: 2pm - Gauntlet Hair (Rhinoceropolis)

:: 1:30 - Tearist (Rhinoceropolis)

:: 1pm - Josephine and the Mousepeople (Rhinoceropolis)

:: 12:30 - HIGH PLACES (Rhinoceropolis)

:: 12pm - Mentira Mentira (Mexico)

:: 11:30 - Sr. Amable & Mr. Racoon (Mexico)

:: 11am - Baths

:: 10am - Bilingual, Women's Drum Workshop hosted by Tom Tom Magazine

:: 1:30 - Air Waves

:: 2am - Fluffy Lumbers

:: 2:30 - Lawrence Arabia (New Zealand)

:: 3am - Teenage Cool Kids (Texas)

:: DJ Jonathan Toubin

For full information about band info, transportation, and ticket purchase, click here.

Forget The Hurt Locker and Katherine Bigelow, the real history being made during the Oscars on Sunday didn't happen during the live telecast, but during the commercials instead. If you were watching the advertisements right before the Best Actor, Actress, Director and Picture were announced you might have recognized a song playing during a McDonald's commercial. That song was "We Are Alive" off local folk band Hungry Cloud's 2008 self-titled album.

The commercial consisted of a father sipping on a cup of McDonald's coffee while he times his daughter running near Red Rock Canyon, an idea inspired by a rep for the local ad agency R+W.

After seeing local film Thor at the Bus Stop, representative Scott Robertson got his hands on a copy of the soundtrack, which featured the song "We Are Alive." Robertson later listened to the soundtrack while running through Red Rock Canyon and the idea for the commercial was born.

The spot is wordless, an aspect which really appealed to Hungry Cloud's singer-songwriter Mike Weller. "Going into it, I had in my mind that it would be a standard commercial where you [see] people sitting around eating Big Macs and someone talking about stuff like that," he says. "But when they showed us the storyboard, it was a girl running through the desert and my music playing and that was it. It was pretty cool." Weller ads, "We wouldn't have done it if it was compromising the song."

And as for his feelings towards the commercial's huge Oscar debut?

"It was kind of bizarre," reflects Weller." I wasn't really nervous, but I had that kind of nervous excitement as it came on."

Thinking the spot would only play in the mornings, Weller was surprised last week when he learned it was going to air during the Oscars.

"I was relaxed, thinking no one would really see it. Then we found out about the Oscars and I was like, ‘Oh, crap, everyone is gonna see it.' I was expecting a more gradual buildup."

Currently, the ad is only airing locally but Weller says R+W is pitching it to McDonald's corporate with the goal of broadcasting it to other locales throughout the Southwest.

What does all this exposure mean for Hungry Cloud?

"I guess it will depend on whether the commercial leaves Las Vegas," Weller says. "But already, thousands of people probably saw it who might not have listened to my music otherwise."

Plus, there is the financial benefits of being paired with an ad like that.

"Indie bands don't really get paid for their albums these days, so it's good to get some money to put back into the music."

If you like Hungry Cloud, don't forget to check out their show at NSWER's two-room Neon Reverb showcase March 12 at the Aruba for only a $10 cover.

Gorillaz' third album, Plastic Beach, is the latest saga from Damon Albarn, who can also be found as the lead vocal in Blur and The Good, The Bad, and The Queen.  Plastic Beach is the follow up to the critically acclaimed Demon Days and Albarn kept the same recipe, a concept album with a ton of guest spots (maybe too many). But those seem to be the only qualities these two records share; Plastic Beach isn't nearly as poppy as it's predecessors and the commercial singles of "Feel Good Inc." and "19-2000" seem to be long gone.

The record starts with the Orchestral Intro and the soothing sounds of waves rolling up and seagulls squawking in the distance. Before you know it, you're listening to Snoop Dogg welcoming you to the world of the plastic beach and you know right from the start, this is going to be different than anything you've ever heard. "Rhinestone Eyes" is a synth heavy track with only 2D(voiced by Albarn) singing lyrics that are up for interpretation that might have some global warming implications: "With future pixels in factories far away / So call the mainland from the beach / Your heart is now washed up in bleach / The waves are rising for this time of year / And nobody knows what to do with the heat / Under sunshine pylons we'll meet while rain is falling like rhinestones from the sky."

The first single "Stylo" ft Mos Def and Bobby Womack is definitely an album highlight but once Womack crashes in out of nowhere, it almost puts the track to a dead stop and leaves you feeling completely confused as to why it's there in the first place.

The catchiest chorus belongs to "Superfast Jellyfish" on what seems to be a commercial spoof ft De La Soul. The upbeat synth and infectious chorus leads into "Empire Ants" ft. Little Dragon. This slow moving jam picks up intensity and eventually sounds like you stepped out into a 1980's disco club.

"Some Kind of Nature" features Lou Reed almost rapping, but not quite and is followed by one of the few times Damon Albarn sings by himself on "Melancholy Hill" that has his vocals over a gothic organ.

Plastic Beach has a grand theme and it feels that way when you listen to it, almost too grand for its own good. There's so many guest spots, so many different sounds that it doesn't feel as unified as the previous Gorillaz albums. But one thing is for sure, and that's when you hear a Gorillaz song, you know it's a Gorillaz song. Damon Albarn has continued to make a unique original sound with quite a few highlights but just not as many as we're used to.

Acrassicauda Only The Dead See The End Of The War

Alberta Cross Broken Side Of Time

Before Their Eyes Untouchable

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Beat The Devil's Tattoo

Broken Bells Broken Bells

Frightened Rabbit The Winter Of Mixed Drinks

Gorillaz Plastic Beach

jj jj n3

Liars Sisterworld

Monica Still Standing

The Morning Benders Big Echo

New Young Pony Club The Optimist

Numero Group Good God! Born Again Funk

Pavement Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement

Josh Rouse El Turista

Standard Fare The Novelle Beat

The Steel Wheels Red Wing

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists The Brutalist Bricks

Titus Andronicus The Monitor

James Murphy's electro gang LCD Soundsystem is finally going to give the fans what they want, a new record. Set for a May 18th release for the as-of-yet-untitled third album, Murphy stated on the bands blog, "Looks like we added another Paris gig. Oh, and something else. The fucking record is done." Murphy sent it off to be mastered by Bob Weston and by the looks of his comments; it seems to be a relief. Murphy spoke to Rolling Stone about the struggles of recording and coming up with song titles, "You ever listen to a song 40 times?" he asks. "That's why I don't write the lyrics until as close to the day I sing it as I can, so I don't get sick of them." And when it comes to the titles Murphy thinks it should be, "the most repeated, obvious phrase... because that's what people are going to say anyway!"

The three-month recording session took place at a Laurel Canyon Mansion that also had the Chili Peppers for Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The grueling recording process was broken up when Murphy wrote a score for the film Greenberg. And when he returned it's safe to say that he was a bit tired, "It was brutal after the soundtrack," he admits. "The last half of the album was brutal. It was like working on a meal when you've already burned something. I spent a lot of time on self-doubt. I had to go back and find my head again."

LCD Soundsystem has announced their upcoming tour and has mostly planned their European dates, with the exceptions of a few festivals in the States like Bonnaroo and the newly announced Camp Bisco in upstate New York.

Here is the track list for the upcoming LCD Soundsystem album:

1.     Dance Yrself Clean

2.     Drunk Girls

3.     One Touch

4.     All I want

5.     Change

6.     Hit

7.     Pow Pow

8.     Somebody's Calling Me

9.     What You Need

Las Vegas is a hotspot for postmortem musicians. Viva Elvis just opened at the Aria last month and now the Experience Hendrix tour is making a stop at The Joint.

This is the fourth edition of the Experience Hendrix tour which has gone cross-country, playing homage to one of the greatest guitar players ever, Jimi Hendrix. This year's ensemble includes Joe Satriani, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Brad Whitford, Doyle Bramhall II, Living Colour, Double Trouble's Chris Layton, and David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos. Bassist Billy Cox, who met Jimi in the Army and played with him in the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsies is also along for the ride.

On his former band mate, Cox comments, "His music will be everlasting. He'll probably be up there with Mozart, Haydn and Liszt because, not only was he a great musician, he was a great arranger and composer."

Another notable participant is Ernie Isley, younger brother (and later member) of the famous Isley Brothers, whose family housed Jimi for several years when Ernie was just a kid.

"He played the guitar all the time," remembers Isley. "He would come down the hall for breakfast and have a guitar on."

Ernie, now a guitarist himself, cites Jimi as an influence in his musical career, from practicing without an amp to his instrument choice.

"The first instrument I started playing was the drums, and I played my first gig on drums at 14 with the Isley Brothers. I didn't get my first guitar until around October 1968. If Jimi had stayed, I probably would've stayed on the drums. There would've been no reason to pick up a guitar."

"If Jimi were still alive and (the Isley's 1973 hit) ‘Who's That Lady"' came on, he'd fall his chair laughing. He'd ask me, ‘How in the world did you learn how to play guitar? You never played guitar! You were riding a bike or picking up a pair of drumsticks. I never remember you with a guitar - you never asked me any questions about playing guitar.' "

I'm sure if Isley had been interested in guitar when Jimi was still around he would have been sure to follow in his brother Marvin's footsteps and question the musician constantly.There's no way he would have let an opportunity like that go to waste, especially since Isley holds a revelry towards Jimi that most musicians, especially guitarists share.

"Like what Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis are to the trumpet, he was to the guitar. He extended what the instrument apparently was capable of doing. He swings that heavy of a bat. After he came on the scene and began playing, he made everybody else understand that the bar had been raised as far as electric guitar was concerned. Virtually every kind of sound that could come out between an electric guitar and an amplifier, he pretty much got it."

Isley is the first person on the Experience Hendrix to try and tackle ‘Manic Depression.' On his song choice, Isley says, "Anyone who's a musician or a guitar player knows you can't mail that one in. I will go after it without fear."

Experience Hendrix will feature artists performing music written and inspired by Jimi, including the now iconic 'Purple Haze,' 'The Wind Cries Mary,' and 'Red House.' The Experience is taking over The Joint in the Hard Rock this Saturday at 8pm. Tickets range from $41 to $121. On March 9, the greatly anticipated album ‘Valleys of Neptune,' a collection of unreleased Hendrix recordings, will be released as well.

I guess it's safe to say that Jay-Z has a lot of friends in the hip-hop community. Cameos are no longer a shock when Jay-Z plays a sold out show at Madison Square Garden, but last night no one could have guessed who would stop by:

The world's most infamous criminal (well, not yet, because Lil Wayne's sentencing was postponed on the 2^nd due to a serious fire in Manhattan's Criminal Court where three people were injured). This is the second postponement of Wayne's sentencing, the first was due to an "emergency dental surgery" where he had eight root canals performed.

About 45 minutes into Young Jeezy's set (Jay-Z's tour mate), he explained Lil' Wayne's situation at the courthouse for the audience. Immediately following, the beat for "I'm Goin' In" blared from the speakers and the soon-to-be-incarcerated criminal emerged from the side of the stage to perform to a raving crowd. Soon after, Drake blessed the audience with his appearance, and the crowd almost turned into a full-scale riot.

Lil Wayne is expected to be sentenced to a one-year prison term for gun possession charges stemming from a 2007 arrest. Lil' Wayne made a statement to his fans Monday night via Twitter: "yesterday I smiled, today I smirked, tomorrow I stop ...................thanks for your thoughts and prayers, they're needed. They kant lok up my heart bekuz ya'll already have it on lok......thank u."

Hopefully he'll be attending some much needed English and grammar courses while serving his time.

Lady Gaga kicked off her huge Monster Ball: The Electro Opera in England this past week, and did I mention that it's huge? Only Gaga can battle a 30 ft. tall squid and have it somehow work into the theme of her "opera." The show, which is broken up into four acts, spans over 20 songs and 15 costume changes.

The stage and concept has been completely changed from her U.S. tour, and she has now added her new single, "Telephone" to the set list. Also, "Glitter and Grease," "Vanity," and "Brown Eyes" have taken the place of "Paper Gangsta," "Eh,Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)," and "Fashion" for the European tour.

Here's a clip of Gaga battling the half fish half squid in Manchester's Men Arena.

Set list:

Act 1: City

-Dance In The Dark

-Glitter and Grease (unreleased track)

-Just Dance

-Beautiful Dirty Rich

-Vanity (Unreleased track)

-The Fame

Act 2: Subway

-Lovegame

-Boys Boys Boys

-Money Honey

-Telephone

-Brown Eyes

-Speechless

-So Happy I Could Die

Act 3: Forest

-Monster

-Teeth

-Alejandro

-Poker Face (Acoustic)

-Poker Face

Act 4: Monster Ball

-Paparazzi

-Bad Romance

Just when you think the Rolling Stones don't have any more classic songs to be released, they dig deep into their archives and find more! Exile on Main Street, the Rolling Stones' classic 1972 album, is set to be reissued with an additional 10 previously unheard tracks.

On May 18^th, Universal Records will be reissuing the classic record and asked the Stones if they could search for any unearthed tracks, the band was convinced they had released everything for the 1972 double album. But with some determination, the Stones found Plundered My Soul, Dancing in the Light, Following the River, and Pass The Wine, while the special re-issue includes alternate versions of album tracks Soul Survivor and Loving Cup.

Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone Magazine that he and Keith Richards tweaked some of the songs, "I added some percussion and some vocals. Keith put guitar on one or two." But mostly Mick Jagger felt that the majority should be left alone, "I really wanted to leave them pretty much as they were, I didn't want to interfere with the Bible, you know. They still had that great basement sound."

The deluxe edition will also have a documentary directed by Stephen Kijak, which follows the band in the process of making Exile on Main Street.

It's been reported that Keith Elam, better known as ‘Guru' of Gang Starr, is in a coma after suffering a heart attack and will undergo surgery today (March 1^st). DJ Premier of Gang Starr confirmed the terrible news in a Sirius radio interview.

If you don't know Gang Starr, they can easily be described, as the pioneers of combining New York swing jazz and hip-hop. The hip-hop community has regarded Gang Starr as one of the most influential rap groups in the 90's even during their ‘long pause' until 2003 when their last record The Ownerz was released. Even now, it's unclear whether Gang Starr is finished or not with both DJ Premiere and Guru giving confusing statements about the groups status. Guru on many occasions has stated that Gang Starr is done while DJ Premiere has refused to acknowledge the group's end. Recently, on twitter, Guru wrote a message asking if the fans are ready for a new Gang Starr album, so who knows?

Guru has been credited for the idea of rapping over actual live jazz and released, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1. He would follow the release with an entire Jazzmatazz series, which included 4 volumes.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Keith Elam and his family.

Gang Starr Discography

No More Mr.Nice Guy (1989)

Step in the Arena (1991)

Daily Operation (1992)

Hard to Earn (1994)

Moment of Truth (1998)

The Ownerz (2003)

Guru Discography

 Jazzmatazz, Vol.1

Jazzmatazz, Vol.2: The New Reality

Jazzmatazz, Vol.3: Streetsoul

Jazzmatazz, Vol.4: The Hip-Hop Jazz Messenger: Back To The Future

Let the manic refreshing begin, thousands will be glued to their computer screens as they relentlessly check to see if W.A.S.T.E. has opened the ticket booth. What's W.A.S.T.E. you might ask? W.A.S.T.E. is the website that Thom Yorke and Radiohead have used to sell pre-sale tickets to a lucky few for a chance to stand in the pit and witness the rock gods up close and personal.

Thom Yorke has announced via Dead Air Space, that he will embark on a small US tour with his solo band, Atoms For Peace, which includes Chili Peppers' bass player Flea and long time producer of Radiohead and Beck, Nigel Godrich.

Mr. Yorke explained that they "had too much fun to just leave it there..." speaking of the few shows they played in England.

The tickets for the New York and Boston pre-sale go on sale sometime tomorrow, while the Chicago shows will be up on the 3^rd, and the California gigs will go on sale on the 4^th.

If you're unable to get a pre-sale ticket, the general sale starts at 10 AM from ticketmaster.com

Good luck! Well actually, I'll only wish you luck after I get my ticket.

Tour Dates

4/5 Roseland Ballroom NY, NY

4/6 Roseland Ballroom NY, NY

4/8 Citi Wang Theatre Boston, MA

4/10 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL

4/11 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL

4/14 Fox Theater Oakland, CA

4/15 Fox Theater Oakland, CA

4/17 Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara, CA

4/18 Coachella Festival Indio, CA

Benjy Davis Project Lost Souls Like Us

Peter Gabriel Scratch My Back

Groove Armada Black Light

Jamie Cullum The Pursuit

Jamie Foxx Body

Natalie Merchant Leave Your Sleep

Mumford & Sons Sigh No More

Rogue Wave Permalight

Sharam Jay In My Blood

These New Puritans Hidden

Josh Wolf (of WHY?) Jet Lag

Daniel Merriweather was born in a proletarian area in Melbourne, Australia, and spent a lot of his childhood alone, traveling long distances and creating his own world with his much heightened imagination. Daniel created a passion for philosophy throughout his childhood but found himself often distracted during in teenage years and consequently dropped out of high school. However, music thankfully has always been able to guide Daniel in the right direction. Daniel started playing the violin when he was 4 years old and has been singing since he was born.

The current 28-year-old Aussie's first commercially released recording was a guest appearance on the track ‘All I want” from Australian dance at Disco Montego’s self titled album in 2002. His debut single “City Rules” became a huge success produced by Mark Ronson and featuring raps from New York’s MC Saigon. Both of Daniel’s songs later became favorites in popular Australian hot spot clubs.

In 2005, Daniel co-wrote and co-produced much of Phase’s album Talking with Force and even sang on three of the tracks including chart topping single “Catch Phrase.” Recently Daniel has been on tour promoting his new album Love and War which was released in June of 2009.

Be sure to catch Daniel when he returns in NY and performs at Webster Hall on 5/3/2010, get tickets while they're still available!

The fight which country singer Garth Brooks and hotel mogul Steve Wynn have waged against ticket scalpers has escalated. Six arrests were made by the Metro Police Department of scalping suspects who will now be prosecuted for two felonies and violating Clark County laws against ticket scalping.

Tickets for Garth's next series of shows at Encore Theater in the Wynn are being released on Saturday. And to stop the $125 tickets from being resold for more than face value, Garth and Steve have executed an array of safeguards and procedures to deter scalping. The pair also stated that any tickets purchased through unauthorized channels, such as scalpers, will be cancelled.

As of Saturday, these new policies will be in effect for the new set of concerts which run from March 26-28, April 9-11, June 25-27, July 16-18, and August 6-8. The full name of each concert attendee must be given at the time of purchase, and no changes will be allowed once the transaction is completed. There will be a four ticket limit per order, per person, and per credit card. The tickets will only be available for pick-up at the Wynn on the day of the concert.

When one does go to pick-up their tickets, the purchaser needs to show a valid, government-issued photo ID, the confirmation number and the credit card used for the payment. In addition, each ticket holder must also be present with the purchaser to get their tickets. They too must show a valid, government-issued photo ID. This is because individual names will be printed on each ticket and wristbands will also be provided. Once at the Encore Theater, IDs may again be checked.

It sounds like it'd be harder for Tareq and Michaele Salahi to get into a Garth Brooks concert illegally than it was for them to crash the White House.

With all these new procedures in place, I agree with Garth and Steve that fans should stick to only the authorized and sponsored websites and channels. The Wynn's PR department cites an unfortunate incident where scalpers used an unauthorized website to seduce customers into purchasing tickets from them.

Though, I understand the temptation to utilize scalpers, since Garth's last run of shows sold out in the first day. Luckily for them, they will have the chance to purchase tickets for sold-out shows on the performance dates, since confiscated tickets will be sold to the stand-by line at the Wynn box office.

When the Black Eyed Peas put on a concert in New York, they never stop entertaining. Literally. After their concert tonight at the legendary Madison Square Garden, they will be hosting a huge after party at M2 Ultralounge.

The concert (in support of their multi-platinum #1 selling album The E.N.D.) itself will feature special guests Ludacris and LMFAO. It's also the first time since 2006 that will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie will unite for a North American tour.

The Black Eyed Peas themselves are hosting the party, which starts at 11pm at M2 Ultralounge - and some of the Peas will also be doing a DJ set during the party.

There's no RSVP required, just show up and get ready to dance!

"This Will Be Our Year" was the first OK Go song I ever listened to. It was the first track on a popular indie compilation album from 2004 entitled The Future Soundtrack of America. The compilation was chock-full of brokenhearted music, but OK Go sounded different. Their song emitted warmth, solace in love, and hope. "This Will Be Our Year" was instantly lovable and infectiously catchy.

In subsequent releases, in spite of the heartache their lyrics displayed in "OK Go" and "Oh No," the warmth and optimism remained. Just check out "Get Over It." There's anger there, sure, but the conclusion is positive. You might be alone, in a lot of pain, but this isn't forever. Get up, lift your head, and face tomorrow. OK, go. Behind these lyrics are some of the tastiest licks in all of rockdom, featuring multi-layered songs, complex keyboard and bass lines, and hooks that would make your grandmother tap her feet.

So it's 2010, and Of the Blue Colour of the Sky has been out for a month and a half, and I've listened to the album a dozen times. Each listen gets more interesting: electric guitars, xylophones, kick drums; a wonderful fusion overall, always coming back to an honest optimism.

Opening track "WTF?" is a hard scramble of lyrics, opened with distortion, in which lead singer and guitarist Damien Kulash admits he's just an animal. The chorus of the following track, "This Too Shall Pass" has two of the best lyrical hooks I've heard in a while: "Let it go, this too shall pass / You can't keep lettin' it get you down." A killer duo. Followed by a heavy "All Is Not Lost," the album opens with three five-star songs in a row. These guys are on fire, and the album is just getting started. They hit you with smatters of keyboards, they ring out timely notes, and they pluck at heart strings. OK Go challenges you, they tell you, and they reflect you. If your life is a total mess, an emo crying shame, they recognize you, and then they demand you pull your head out of your ass and OK Go, embrace the world. These guys have the talent and complexity to back it all up.

Ok Go has been compared to Weezer and Elliott Smith, but neither one fits the bill for me. The hint of sadness in their lyrics invokes the Smith comparison, but these guys have too much hope, too much fun, in their guitars to be in the same category. As for Weezer, maybe their later stuff compares with OK Go, but never too distinctly. Weezer's older, more engaging work was fun, but unpolished. This group, on the other hand, shot out of the gates like long-term professionals. If they're to be likened to anyone, OK Go is most reminiscent of Spoon. Both bands deal with heavy-hearted issues using a lighter touch, and incidentally, they've both already released killer albums this year. 

In this new release, Ok Go is on point. They're now mature, well-oiled musicians. They lost lead guitarist Andy Duncan to creative differences in the early '00s, but they're still producing. Of the Blue Colour of the Sky isn't their best - that honor goes to their self-titled debut in 2002. There isn't a track on OK Go that isn't top notch.  But Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is a strong effort. It's inviting, and at times excellent. Trust me, after hearing their junior full-length, you won't want to miss what they bring to the table senior year. "I want you so bad, I can't breathe." Now, that's love.