The New Pornographers At Terminal 5

The New Pornographers played a crowd-pleasing show to a very enthusiastic sold-out house at New York's Terminal 5 last night. With five albums now (including the recently released "Together"), songs that they have played in past shows had to be dropped in order to make room for the new material.

Despite the obligatory emphasis on playing the new songs from "Together," the New Pornographers played a good mix of songs. The older songs ranged from "Sing Me Spanish Techno" (the show's opener) to the title tracks from "Twin Cinema," "Mass Romantic," and "Challengers" (their previous album); "Use It," "Jackie," "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism," "and the show's final encore song, "The Bleeding Heart Show."

Songs from "Together" included "Crash Years," "Your Hands (Together)," "Silver Jenny Dollar," "My Shepherd," and "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk."

Great show, and it's always good to see Neko Case playing in the band.

Music News: Jimmy Dean Dies; New Pixies Tour Dates; Corin Tucker to Release Solo Album; More

Above: Frank Black and The Pixies are performing their classic "Doolittle" album live on tour again this September. Photo: Simon Fernandez.

Bonnaroo has ended and the cleanup has begun in Manchester, Tennessee, but the music world keeps turning. Some stories that are new and of interest:

* Country Hall of Famer Jimmy Dean dies: the songwriter best known for the song "Big Bad John," and later for the brand of sausage that bears his name, passed away on June 13th. He was 81. In addition to his singing, songwriting, and performing, he also was a TV pioneer, and his 1960s who brought country music to a wider audience.

* The Pixies announce new "Doolittle" tour dates: After their successful tour last Fall playing the full "Doolittle" album in honor of its 20th anniversary, the Pixies are doing it again with 11 dates this September. The tour will visit Philadelphia, Nashville, Atlanta, Kansas City, Tulsa, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Mesa, Las Vegas, and San Diego.

* Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker readies solo album & tour: She took four years off of music to be a mom, but Corin Tucker is planning a return to music with a group called The Corin Tucker Band. The so-far-untitled album (on S-K's old label, Kill Rock Stars) has an Oct. 5 release date, and Tucker plans five live shows not too far from her home or Portland, Oregon.

* KCRW offers World Cup music playlist: You don't have to be a soccer/football fan to enjoy this fun world music playlist. It features one streaming tune representing each country in the 32-team World Cup draw, handily arranged by tournament grouping. You'll find BLK JKS (South Africa), Jorge Drexler (Uruguay), Fela Kuti (Nigeria), and Quadron (Denmark).

Free Streaming of New Albums: LCD Soundsystem, Broken Social Scene, Hold Steady, Merle Haggard, The Fall

Above: Broken Social Scene is one of the groups with a new album available for free streaming ahead of its release. Photo: Flickr user sfllaw.

Some tasty new albums are being streamed for free online in their entirety. LCD Soundsystem is streaming their new release "This Is Happening" from their Web site; the other free album streams are from NPR Music (and one from KCRW) and include Broken Social Scene (one of my favorite bands), The Fall (didn't realize they were still together), and Merle Haggard, as well as The Hold Steady.

For the NPR Music streams, the dates they're available are listed (with the last day of streaming being the album's release date). LCD Soundsystem doesn't say how long their album will be streaming.

* LCD Soundsystem, "This Is Happening" (release date: May 18 in U.S.)
* Merle Haggard, "I Am What I Am," April 13-20 (release: April 20)
* The Fall, "Future Our Clutter," April 19-May 4 (release: May 4)
* The Hold Steady, "Heaven Is Whenever," April 19-May 4 (release: May 4)
* Broken Social Scene,"Forgiveness Rock Record," April 19-May 4 (release: May 4)
* Minus the Bear, "Omni," April 19-May 18 (release: May 4)

More NPR Music streams will be available the following Monday, April 26.

Music News: Roger Waters 2010 Tour, Supergrass Breaks Up, Lilith Fair Sched Complete, CD Baby & MySpace Connect, No Cream Reunion, More

* Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters will tour in 2010 to perform the band's album "The Wall" live in its entirety. You'll find Roger Waters tour dates here.

* U.K. pop group Supergrass is breaking up after almost two decades together. They produced six studio albums, according to the linked article, including the anthemic "Alright."

* Online music retailer CD Baby is partnering with MySpace Music to sell tunes from CD Baby artists on the widely used social-networking site. Though MySpace has lost momentum to Facebook and Twitter as a go-to social-networking destination, it's still a potent force for musicians and fans to reach each other.

* Lilith Fair has announced its complete list of 2010 tour dates. The all-women touring festival, begun by Sarah McLachlan a decade ago, returns this summer. McLachlan is once again headlining every event on the tour, which otherwise has a different line-up of 11 performers at each date.

* Jack Bruce, best known as the bassist for 1960s supergroup Cream (with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker) and West, Bruce, & Laing, has confirmed that Cream will never reunite again. Which makes me very glad that I saw them in 2005 at Madison Square Garden. Even though that ticket was the most money I've ever spend for a concert ticket, it was well worth it.

* And finally, the highly influential Malcolm McLaren died last week, and KCRW music librarian Eric J. Lawrence offers a brief remembrance here. McLaren is best know for managing the Sex Pistols, but he also recorded his own albums and had a hand in fashion and cinema. 

Music News: Smashing Pumpkins Auditions, Allman Bros. Cancel NYC Shows, Joan Jett on the Runaways Movie

Some news briefs this week in the world of rock, from various music news outlets:

Have you ever dreamed of playing in the Smashing Pumpkins? Leader Billy Corgan is looking for band members. (NME)

The Allman Brothers Band has cancelled its second week of shows in New York City (March 22nd - 27th) due to an "unforeseen family matter," according to an e-mail from the band. The first set of shows, March 11th - 20th, will go on as planned.

Joan Jett met Kristen Stewart, the "Twilight" star who will be playing her in the upcoming movie "The Runaways." The former Runaway found Stewart to be "through and through totally professional and just great to be around." (Interview Magazine)

The Go-Go's are performing at least a couple of shows this summer, but Kathy Valentine has been making music with her latest all-girl (and all-Texas) group, the BlueBonnets. You can hear "Don't Pass Me By," a new song from the BlueBonnets, here.

Ian Dury, my favorite wacky singer from the 1970s, is the subject of a "loose biopic" that will be shown at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. The Ian Dury film is, of course, titled after his best-known song, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll." Andy Serkis plays Dury.

The Who Play the Super Bowl (VIDEO)

As someone who's been a fan of The Who since the 1960s, I was delighted to see the band play the Super Bowl halftime show tonight, even though they weren't in touring form and only had a 12-minute window to play as many segments of songs as they could squeeze into that time.

Here's what was in The Who's medley: “Pinball Wizard” into “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You,” a bit of “See Me/Feel Me” (from Tommy), and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

The New York Times noted that The Who "exhibited flashes of age and familiarity," whereas Rachel Sklar over at Mediaite echoed my reactions to the show: would've liked some lesser-known tunes, but overall thought it was a great show. (Judge for yourself in the videos of the performance, unfortunately split into two parts.)


Speaking of which, how old are the members of The Who these days? According to The Times (which seems to have trouble getting dates right these days), guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend is 64, and singer Roger Daltrey is 65. I wasn't sure who the bassist was, but the drummer was Zak Starkey, son of Richard Starkey (better known as Ringo Starr). Zak has been The Who's drummer since the mid-'90s, and is a relative youngster at 44.

The Who was my favorite of the top rock groups growing up, even more than the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. I was glad to see them rocking out on such a big stage, and hope the performance wins them some new fans and sells some albums.

Patti Smith Documentary Airs on PBS Wed., Dec. 30th

While legendary punk rocker and poet Patti Smithis performing the second of her three shows in New York City Wednesday night, PBS will be premiering a new documentary movie about the artist (see trailer above) as part of its POV series. (You can find a conversation with Smith about the movie at the previous link; the piece aired on the PBS News Hour on Tuesday.)

"Patti Smith: Dream of Life" will be aired for the first time on Dec. 30th; check the link for complete schedule of air times. As the description in the New Hour piece notes, fashion photographer Steven Sebring started shooting daily footage of the musician, and "captured Smith during a time of tremendous loss (she had lost both her husband and her brother), and then her subsequent return to the public eye. 'He wanted to join me as I tried to put my life together after a very difficult time,' says Smith."

Patti Smith has for years performed in New York City on New Year's Eve, usually with another show or two in town, and this year is no exception: she's playing Bowery Ballroom Dec. 29th, 30th, and 31st. All three shows are sold out, but sometimes additional tickets are made available close to show time.

2009 Amazon.com Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales: Music, Movies, and More

For those of you recovering from eating massive amounts of turkey and other foods, the Amazon.com Black Friday sales offer you the chance to shop for your friends and relatives (or yourself) and get some great deals. (What's more, many of the specials will continue through Cyber Monday).

The Amazon.com Black Fridays main pagelists deals available in a number of popular categories: music, movies and TV, electronics, video games, etc. At the top of the page is a "Lightning Deals" offer. These are items available only for a limited time and in limited quantity, and below the item is a countdown timer and a progress bar showing you what percentage of the item has been claimed. If you like the pulse-pounding thrill of chasing down a hot deal and buying it at the last minute, this option is for you.

Check out the Black Friday music salefor information on sale prices running through Monday, Nov. 30 on new releases and bestsellers, boxed sets, and $5 lightning deals on CDs. You'll also see the list of timed specials available.

Amazon always offers a selection of 50 MP3 albums for $5 each month, but for Black Friday they claim to be offering 600 MP3 albums for $5 each. I didn't take the time to count them all, but go to their page to check it out. There are lists of 50 $5 albums in pop, rock, indie and alternative rock, jazz, Christian and gospel, R&B, singer-songwriters, Amazon editors' picks, and more.

Many of these albums seem to have been offered in the monthly $5 sale, but there are also some titles I haven't seen there. These specials, like many other deals, may continue through Cyber Monday.

The Amazon.com Black Friday movies & TV dealshas a bunch of timed specials available through Friday night, Nov. 27. Only a few titles are on sale in any particular time window, but if there's something you want there, you'll want to pounce.

If this all sounds like a bewildering array of products and deals, well, it is. I can only peruse the Black Friday pages at Amazon.com for a few minutes at a time without feeling bogged down with all the choices. But, an overselection of discounted music, movies, and the like to choose from is a good problem. Amazon will likely hold sales after Cyber Monday as well. Happy shopping!

The Weezer Snuggie: Smart Marketing or Nutty Stunt?

Weezer has never been hesitant to tap into pop-culture references (witness its music video for "Buddy Holly," in which the band played in a scene from TV's "Happy Days.") Now the band selling a Weezer-branded item in conjunction with their latest album, "Raditude," and that product is none other than that ubiquitous sleeved blanket, the Snuggie.

Weezer has put together a tongue-in-cheek infomercial to promote the Weezer Snuggie (below), featuring the band members lounging around what looks like a typical middle-American home wearing their soft fleece alt-rocker blankies.



What's more, the band wore its branded Snuggies while playing a song at a recent appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

You can buy the Weezer Snuggie in two designs, soothing blue or zebra print ("snugging safari," they call it), both with the Weezer logo. It comes with a copy of "Raditude" (either regular or deluxe versions), and you can purchase directly from the band's Web site, www.weezer.com/raditude. The Snuggie with the regular version of the CD is $29.99.

An article at WFUV's Alternate Side notes that "Raditude" features some interesting guest players, including Lil Wayne, the All-American Rejects, and Jermaine Dupri. And the band's recent AOL Sessions had smooth-jazz sax man Kenny G blowing his horn on one track.

It'll be interesting to see if the Weezer Snuggie campaign boosts the band's sales and visibility, or just gives its current fans a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Live Music News: Bon Jovi & U2 Dates on Sale; More Springsteen Full Albums

Here's a special live edition of our semi-irregular music news. Three heavy hitters in arena rock are in the news with live dates this week:

* Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band continue their string of New York shows at Madison Square Garden, and they've announced that this weekend's shows will feature albums performed in their entirety. On Saturday, November 7th they will perform the whole The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle, Springsteen's second album, for the first time ever.

The next night, November 8th, Bruce and the band will give the full-album treatment to 1980's The River, also for the first time.

Tickets may still be available for these shows.

* Bon Jovi tickets for the first-ever concerts at the new Giants Stadium (May 26 and 27) went on sale earlier this week; visit the band's Web site for information.

* U2 continues its series of presales for its 2010 concerts. This is the second week of the presales, which are open to U2.com subscribers, and include shows in Anaheim (June 6th), Denver (June 12th), Chicago (July 6th ), Miami (July 9th), and New York (July 19th).

Tickets for these dates go on sale to the public Monday, November 9th.

"Believe," New Album by Australian Guitarist Orianthi, is Out; Get Her New Single Free

I've written before about the young guitarist Orianthi, who was to be part of Michael Jackson's "This Is It" tour. She's played with a lot of her guitar heroes, from Santana to Steve Vai, and after getting a lot of attention for her rehearsals with Jackson and her stint playing in Carrie Underwood's band on the Grammy Awards, Orianthi now has her own full-length album out.

Orianthi's "Believe"drops on October 27th and is available on CD and in digital format.

The 24-year-old Orianthi (full name: Orianthi Panagaris), who's been living in Los Angeles the last few years, is currently doing promotion for "Believe," and has been announcing the latest developments on her Twitter page. As of midnight on Oct. 26th the CD is ranked #165 on Amazon's music bestsellers list (for CDs), but that is sure to rise with some high-profile appearances, such as going on "Good Morning America" on Oct. 27th. She and her band will be going on tour soon to support "Believe."

Orianthi's first single from the album, "According to You," is free on iTunes as its single of the week starting on Tuesday, October 27th.

CNN Entertainment has a story on Orianthi in which she discusses working with Jackson on his tour.

2009 WFMU Record Fair - This Weekend!

As if you weren't already suffering from musical overload with the CMJ Music Marathon in full swing, this weekend is another annual Fall attraction for New York-area rock fans: the WFMU Record Fair.

Once again the "free-form station of the nation" in Jersey City will put on its extravaganza of vinyl (including LPs, 45s, and 12"s), CDs, DVDs, and even VHS tapes. There will also be special WFMU records on sale for a dollar, and a number of live music events as well.

The fair will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 W. 18th St. (between 6th & 7th Avenues). One-day admission is $7, or you can buy an early-bird admission for $25 that gets you in a few hours early on Friday and allows you unlimited entry the entire weekend. And, of course, it gives you first crack at the merchandise, including rare and hard-to-find items.

If you're ready to take a break from the live music in the clubs for CMJ, head on over to the WFMU Record Fair and pick up some choice recordings to take home.

Canada's 2009 Polaris Prize to Be Awarded Monday

The Polaris Prize to honor the best in Canadian music will be awarded Monday night, Sept. 21st in a live ceremony. The Polaris was created a few years ago to recognize the album with the highest level of artistic merit regardless of commercial success, and gives a $20,000 cash prize. Who will win? You can find out by watching the Polaris Prize ceremony live at the CBC Web site, www.radio3.cbc.ca, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Here is the shortlist of Polaris nominees, one of whom will walk away with the big prize:

* Artist: Elliott BROOD - Album: Mountain Meadows

* Artist: Fucked Up - Album: The Chemistry Of Common Life

* Artist: Great Lake Swimmers - Album: Lost Channels

* Artist: Hey Rosetta! - Album: Into Your Lungs (and around your heart and on through your blood)

* Artist: K'NAAN - Album: Troubadour

* Artist: Malajube - Album: Labyrinthes

* Artist: Metric - Album: Fantasies

* Artist: Joel Plaskett - Album: Three

* Artist: Chad VanGaalen - Album: Soft Airplane

* Artist: Patrick Watson - Album: Wooden Arms

You can also see the long list of Polaris Prize nominees to see who didn't make the final cut. Some pretty good albums were left out, including Leonard Cohen's live album and releases by Land of Talk, Japandroids, The Stills, and Martha Wainwright.

Free Music: Jay-Z Concert on Fuse, Amazon Music Downloads, Streaming Albums

Who couldn't use some free music in today's economic climate? Here are a few choice recommendations:

* Jay-Z Concert at Madison Square Garden: The hip-hop mogul knocked it out of the park (the Garden, actually) on Friday night, 9/11, in a concert broadcast on Fuse TV that featured a bevy of guest stars and, fittingly for the date, benefits the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Fund. Fuse is airing the concert again today, 9/13, at 5 p.m. Eastern, and maybe again in the future. Check Fuse's Jay-Z page for broadcast info and exclusive Jay-Z interviews and videos.

* Amazon.com free MP3 song downloads: I'm a big fan of Amazon.com's $5 MP3 albums and free singles, but it wasn't until the other day that I realized that they have a whole huge list of free singles. The list includes everything from The Donnas to Apples in Stereo to Booker T., Jerry Lee Lewis, and even some classical pieces. You can find (and sample) the Amazon.com free MP3 song downloadshere.

* NPR Music free streaming albums: Hear some of today's most-anticipated album releases before they come out with NPR Music "First Listen" series. There are always at least of couple of albums being featured for free streaming; each stays up for a given time that may range from a week to a month. Right now (until 9/15) you can listen to the first CD of the Big Star box set, "Keep an Eye on the Sky"; upcoming are the new albums by the Avett Brothers and Rosanne Cash.

Music News: Apple Announcement, Beatles Rock Band, and Beatles CDs Remastered

It turns out that 9/09/09 is a big day in the world of music: The long-awaited Beatles Rock Band game comes out today, Beatles remastered CDs are now on sale, and Apple is holding its usual early September announcement, with speculation on products ranging from new iPods (probable, since prices of current iPods have dropped) to the launch of an Apple tablet computer (not so likely) to the very-long-awaited appearance of the Beatles on iTunes (coming, but not yet).

Mac Observer will blog Apple's "Rock and Roll" event live at 1 p.m. today (you can also follow the news live on other sites such as The Apple Blog). The online Apple Store is down, as is the case before new product announcements. Some of the wags on Mac Observer dig through the rumors and anti-rumors regarding today's Apple presentation.

Amazon.com lists a range of options for The Beatles Rock Band game, from software for Xbox 360, Playstation, and Nintendo Wii to limited-edition bundles, controllers, and other add-ons.

You can buy the Beatles remastered CDs here. And if you're a real completist or just need to bring your Beatles collection up to speed in a hurry, you can buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set for $180. A mono box set is available for $230.

Music (and Other) News: R.E.M. Dublin, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Thirtysomething DVD, J&R Music Fest

There's news this week on albums, software, and TV, as well as music.

R.E.M.'s "Live At The Olympia" album, which drops on October 27th, is a unique kind of project: the recordings are from the group's "working rehearsals" from their weeklong run at a theater in Dublin. According to the band's Web site for the project, www.remdublin.com, for the first time R.E.M. tested out new material before an audience before releasing them on record. It's a two-CD set, and a CD/DVD set will also be available. See the Web site for track listing of the 39 songs, videos, and more information.

Apple's long-awaited Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" release now has a new on-sale date: this Friday, August 28th. The version was first announced more than a year ago. The price to upgrade to Snow Leopard from OS 10.6 is $29. Mac Observer notes that, as of yesterday, the Apple Web site wasn't showing a price for a standalone version for Mac users who are not running Leopard already.

The groundbreaking late-'80s TV show "thirtysomething" is finally out today on DVD (the first season anyway). The Washington Post reviews it here (and says that the set was delayed because it took so long to secure music rights). Amazon.com is selling thirtysomething: The Complete First Seasonfor $38.49, and it's said to include many interviews and other extras featuring cast members.

If you're near downtown New York City, check out the free J&R Music Fest and Tech Expo (August 27th to 30th, a kind of block party near the store (situated near City Hall). Tech equipment makers will be there for demos, and there will be live performance of musicians from The Smithereens to Roy Hargrove. I'll post more on the performances in the next day or so.

Music News: Monty Python Reunion, Beatles Rock Band Songs Announced

Beloved comedy troupe Monty Python is celebrating 40 years since its formation, and is reuniting in New York City for one night at the screening of a new documentary. Brooklyn Vegan says that they'll be at midtown's Ziegfeld Theater on October 15th for a showing of the theatrical version of "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)," along with a Q&A with the cast and a presentation from BAFTA, the British film and TV awards organization.

IFC is behind the documentary and will be televising it October 4th to 10th, in one-hour episodes. BV says IFC will also be showing the Monty Python films during a special Monty Python week. See the link above for episode descriptions and air dates for the episodes.

Speaking of beloved old British performers, the upcoming Beatles version of the Rock Band video game has been in the news a lot lately. Yahoo News says the names of the 19 of the songs to be featured in Beatles Rock Band were released today, with one song title yet to be released. The Web site Vintage Vinyl News lists what it says are 44 of the 45 songs to be included in the game.

Among the songs to be included in Beatles Rock Band: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "A Hard Day's Night," "Ticket to Ride," "Helter Skelter," "If I Needed Someone," and "Drive My Car."

Beatles Rock Band goes on sale September 9th.

Music News: New Phish CD, No More Radiohead Albums, Woodstock’s Forgotten Man, and Michael Jackson Concert

This week's developments in the music world involve everything from '60s classics to today's alt-rock groups.

Vermont jam-rock band Phish will release its new album "Joy" on Sept. 8th. Paste Magazine says that fans can buy the album in "CD, vinyl records, or splurge on the Joy Box, containing an explosion of Phish paraphernalia, including a second album, Party Time, just in case Joy alone doesn't cut it." Phish worked on the album with producer Steve Lillywhite, who also produced their 1996 album as well as recordings from U2, Dave Matthews, and other big names.

Thom Yorke has said in an interview that Radiohead will release no more full-length albums. The article in Believer quotes Yorke as saying that recording full-length albums had become "a drag" and that the band will instead focus on producing EPs and downloadable singles, such as their new “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” a tribute to the recently deceased last British veteran of World War I.

It's the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and the Wall Street Journal has an article on Bert Sommer, which it calls "Woodstock's Forgotten Man." The musician, who performed on the iconic festival's first day, wasn't represented on the Woodstock albums, and the article says his name was even omitted from the original commemorative plaque placed at the site of the concert. Though he recorded a few albums, he never became widely known, and died in 1990. A friend created a tribute Web site to him, www.BertSommer.com.

Michael Jackson will be getting a tribute concert fit for the King of Pop, an affair in the lavish Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, home to the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Jermaine Jackson, the oldest brother of Michael, is lining up artists to perform at the gig, which may attract an audience of "at least 85,000."

British folk-rocker and activist Billy Bragg criticizes the record labels for trying to sic Internet providers on illegal music downloaders. In an article in The Guardian, Bragg says that while he is opposed to copyright infringement, record labels and Internet companies shouldn't be penalizing music fans. He suggests that "Clearly, some form of P2P subscription service is the way forward, if only because it provides the most convenient way for consumers to access music."

All Points West: Sunday is Soggy But Now OPEN!

After a four-hour delay due to steady rain in the NY metro area, the All Points West Festival is now open for its third and final day.

Around 3:10 p.m. Liberty Event, the company that produces All Points West, sent a message from its Twitter account (@libertyevent) saying, "Doors are OPEN at #APW #AllPointsWest. A break in the skies."

Turns out that was premature, though; it seems the gates didn't actually open until almost an hour later. All Points West sent a message from its Twitter account about 4:10 reading, “THE DOORS ARE OPEN! Let the games BEGIN! RE-TWEET like craaazzyyyyyy!!!!!!”

No word yet on how this will affect the schedule. Sunday's show was to begin at Noon and headliners Coldplay were to take the stage at 9:35, with other bands going on later at the other stages. Another factor is that this is Sunday and many people will be going to their 9-to-5 jobs the next day.

Oh, and just to complicate things more, rain is forecast for tonight.

Music News: Siren Fest Wrap, Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys Has Cancer, Scramble for Michael Jackson's Songs

News from rock to rap for this Monday...

Siren Festival: First off, I finally did make it to Coney Island's Siren Festival this year, but didn't get to the festivities until 5:30. So I missed a couple of acts I really wanted to see (Canada's Japandroids and Scotland's Frightened Rabbit), but I did get to see a bit of Grand Duchy (with Frank Black) as well as the full sets by The Raveonettes and headliners Built to Spill, which were enjoyable. I also got to catch a few songs from a band I wasn't familiar with, Brooklyn's own A Place to Bury Strangers.

Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch has Cancer: The band is delaying its forthcoming album and canceling all upcoming tour dates because Adam "MCA" Yauch has been diagnosed with cancer of the salivary glands, it was announced today in a video on the Beastie Boys' Web site. Among other things, this means that the All Points West Festival in Liberty State Park has lost its headlining act for Friday, July 31st. The good news is that the cancer was caught early, is very treatable, and does not affect Yauch's voice, and he is expected to make a full recovery.

Michael Jackson's Unreleased Songs Up for Grabs: Amid all the mysteries and unknowns surrounding Michael Jackson's untimely death, some are actually related to his music: such as what's going to happen to the estimated 150 unreleased Michael Jackson songs, says Business Week. The magazine says the material includes songs he recorded over the last decade, and a comeback album. Jackson's deal with Sony ended with the release of 2001's "Invincible" album, the article says, but it's not clear whether the Japanese firm may have rights to some of these unreleased tunes.

And speaking of Sony, it's come to light today that Sony is said to be bidding $50 million for the Michael Jackson rehearsal film for his "This Is It" tour.