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)

On what was the kick-off date of their 2010 Spring tour, Vivian Girls visited Allston's Great Scott and pleased a young, bouncy audience. The girls paired up with longtime friends, Male Bonding of the UK, and local band, You Can Be A Wesley (YCBAW), for a superb show on March 8^th.

YCBAW, a four-member group comprised of BU graduates, combines catchy chord combinations with the soft, clean voice of their front woman, Saara Untracht-Oakner. Saara, who also plays the rhythm guitar and her bandmates: Winston Macdonald, Nick Curran, and Dan Goldenberg complete the line-up of this Allston-based band. Over the past two years the crew has gained the praises of local publications like, the Improper Bostonian, The Weekly Dig, and The Boston Phoenix. With vibrant, stunning energy and genuine chemistry, YCBAW opened with a great forty minute set on Sunday night. Pink socks, echo effects, and half an hour of non-stop grunge-influenced surf rock were some of the images and impressions the band left on their audience.

Next on stage was three-piece group, Male Bonding, who have earned their place as part of the body of the most significant indie bands all over the globe. With Robin Silas Christian on drums, John Arthur Webb on guitar, and Kevin Hendrick on bass, the band adopts an intense style: up-tempo songs played as loudly as they can. The band, who stole the audience's energy as the second act, recently signed with alternative music powerhouse Sub-Pop, and will no doubt continue to prove their force in the industry for years to come.

Marking the debut of the main event, Vivian Girls' guitarist, Cassie arrived on stage carrying a suitcase with a pedal panel in it. Kickball Katy (bass/vox) and Ali K. (drums/vox) were on their marks and and set to go, when technical problems seemed to hold up the band's performance. The girls managed it coolly however, and their ortherwise impatient audience, couldn't help but smile at Katy's smoothness. "It's our first date this Spring, tonight..." were Ali's words, somewhat excusing the snafu and perhaps suggesting they might be a little bit rusty. Nothing could be further from the truth. The girls pulled off an amazing set, enriched by their most popular tunes, "The End", "Tell the World",and "Wild Eyes" among many others.              

The girls developed  their band surrounded by Brooklyn's underground punk and psychedelic music atmosphere. The resulting style represents a nice dichotomy between their apparent quietness and the force and extremeness with which their music invades whatever venue they play at. Cassie's guitar and antics (dropping to the floor and frantically playing with the buttons of her pedals) are in great contrast to Katy's chill approach and constant smiling. You can tell that beyond all appearances, these girls are serious about their music. All in all, a great show to check out this spring.

Vivian Girls are set to continue touring the U.S. until the end of April. For information on upcoming shows check out: www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc

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."

With so many bands crowding the Boston Music scene these days, it is difficult to attend an event without the feeling that you may be getting some more of the same ole recipe. Here's one band that's adding some old-school elements for a new-school sound.

On Friday, February 26, I had the opportunity to catch Trailer 4 House Band perform as part of the BMS Friday night Spotlight at Copperfield's. What is unique about this band is that they are blending various styles of music: mostly roots-reggae, blues, as well as acoustic folk rock. The band, who hails from Franklin Pierce University, was formed in the spring of 2007. Though still in their early days, the eclectic group have already logged countless shows across the Northeast, sharing the stage with artists such as Immortal Technique, Roots of Creation, and Lowercase p.

Consisting of hand percussion, guitars, drums and bass, the group mixes three and sometimes four-part harmonies with catchy, foot-stomping rhythms that create a winsome, yet undistinguished, sound. Live sets transition effortlessly as the group members trade instruments between songs, creating a fun and idiosyncratic atmosphere as well as an memorable show.

While the group entertained for about an hour  with its most popular songs, at times it was painfully obvious that the higher notes of  the melodies were slightly out of range. The grateful crowd however, cheered to the opening guitar riffs and mouthed the familiar lyrics of "Density" and "Mrs. Noele". I personally enjoyed the song "Rodeo" with its minimalistic Jet/Bluesy style bass line that drives the chorus of the song that has a nice contrast to their overall rocksteady/reggae feel.

For more information about T4HB and their upcoming tour dates, be sure to check them at:
http://www.myspace.com/trailer4houseband

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

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.

Is there a better place to be in St. Patrick's Day than in Boston? Unless you have a couch to crash on Dublin for a week, there's not. But, even with said couch,  you would miss out on Beantown's music scene. I mean, what is St. Paddy's without an entire week of  Celtic celebration and the Dropkick Murphys?

Boston's finest Irish punks will be making their traditional appearances from the 12^th to the 17^th of March, at the House of Blues.. and guess what? Not all dates are sold out yet!. $30 will get you in the door and dropkickin' around til your little Irish hearts' content.

The band's performances also coincides with the promotion of their new CD/DVD combo featuring material from last year's St. Paddy's shows-an amazing piece for collectors and for anyone who enjoys the festivity and  music from this awesome Irish punk-rock band. 

For indie buffs, Allston's Great Scott presents its annual St. Patrick's Day concert. Midatlantic (formerly The Bleedin Bleedins), a Dublin/Boston based quartet that combines post-punk and electro, will be the main act of the night. With songs that resemble such bands like The Cure, U2 and The Strokes, this band, founded in 2004, is a great alternative to celebrate St. Paddy's, underground style. Local bands Mellow Bravo, The Organ Beats, The Luxury and Creepy Jones will be joining Midatlantic on March 17^th. The other part of the Irish quota will be provided by DJ Belfrank, from Belfast. $10.

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

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

For the first time in their careers, El Perro del Mar (Sarah Assbring) and Taken by Trees (Victoria Bergsman) paired up for a U.S. tour in which the two friends have been sharing a band and alternating headline slots. On February 19, the artists compiled the best of their repertoires and gave Harvard Square's Brattle Theatre, a night full of mellow, and opposingly fierce sampling of their unique melodies.

If you are reading this and thinking, "Who the heck at are these chicks? And why do I care?" rest assured, you are not the only one. Leading lady, Victoria Bergsman has been recognized for her years in The Concretes and for collaborations with popular indie-folk artists, but not for her work with Taken by Trees (a solo project, which she began in 2006). You may recognize her as the female voice in that catchy, hipster, tune, "Young Folks," by Bergsman's fellow Swedish band, Peter Bjorn and John. Others may have listened to some of the records she did while with The Concretes; a band she helped found in 1995 and fronted for more than 10 years.

In 2009, Bergsman released, East of Eden, her second album as a solo artist, and the product of a cultural experiment in which she travelled to Pakistan in search of new sounds, experiences and musicians. Her passion for Indian and Pakistanii music was evident at the show, as the tone of the set list was defined by the findings of her journeys. All but two of the songs she performed -"Lost and Found" and "Too Young"-had a sound enriched by woodwind instruments, experimental percussion, and reflective guitars.

Opening the show was El Perro Del Mar. On stage, her style waxes melancholic and bounces back ferocious. Of the two, her performance is more visceral and instinctive, which is reflected in her movements and in the way she dances to her own music. Over the last seven years she has released four albums and been featured as Starbucks' 'Pick of the Week' with, "Change of Heart." The song appears on her latest album, Love Is Not Pop.

As the opening act (in this case merely a formal distinction), El Perro del Mar had to deal with a shy, too-comfortable-in-their-seats crowd; a problem she quickly overcame. The audience didn't have a choice but to ride along with her and the band's music. In the final part of her set, no one was sitting. Many audience participators stood by their own choice, while others followed Sarah's advice after "A Better Love," "If you want to stand up, this is the right time for that."

As I mentioned before, in this show there was no place for opening and main act ‘labels.' El Perro del Mar and Taken by Trees acted as allies, uniting in their complementary styles and amazing force and passion. What resulted was an incredible show and display of talent. Whether you're looking for the next big thing in the indie pop-folk scene, or you're just in the mood for superb, inimitable, shining music be sure to check out El Perro Del Mar and Taken By Trees.

Check out: http://www.takenbytrees.com/ and http://www.elperrodelmar.com/

El Perro del Mar set list

Let Me In

Change of Heart

L Is For Love

Party

Gotta Get Smart

Blue Moon

A Better Love

Shelter

Heavenly Arms

Taken by Trees set list

To Lose Someone

Only Yesterday

Greyest Love of All

My Boys

Anna

Too Young

Day By Day

Lost And Found

Tidens Gång

Watch the Waves

Summer Sigh

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!

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!