Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys Dies at 47

Adam Yauch, a founding member of the rap group Beastie Boys, died today at just 47 years old. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer since 2009, when a tumor was discovered in his salivary glands. The cancer delayed the release of "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2," the most recent album by the Beastie Boys.

Part of the notice of Adam Yauch's death on the Beastie Boys website.

At the time of the diagnosis, statements indicated that Yauch thought the cancer was treatable and could be overcome. It's not been revealed if Adam Yauch's death was the direct result of the cancer that was diagnosed in 2009.

The Beastie Boys were the first rap group to have an album hit #1 on the charts—their first full-length effort, "Licensed to Ill," in 1986.

Yauch co-founded the Beastie Boys in 1979, along with friends Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz.



The tributes have been coming in from far and wide in the music community, and beyond. (Dan Reilly of Spinner.com has collected a number of them here.) What's more, all starting players for the New York Mets have said that they will use Beastie Boys songs as their walk-up music tonight, it was reported tonight on Twitter.
 
Of course, the best way to pay tribute to Yauch is by listening to some of the music he created. You can hear an appearance that his bandmates made last year to KCRW radio, to celebrate the release of "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2." Also check out a tribute to Adam Yauch that KCRW DJ Jason Bentley played today.

The Beastie Boys had a profound impact not only on hip hop but other types of music. And Adam Yauch put charitable causes, particularly the struggle for rights in Tibet, at the forefront of his non-musical efforts.

Rest in peace, MCA. Our condolences go out to his family and friends, and the other members of the Beastie Boys.

Sharon Van Etten Plays "Serpents" on Jimmy Fallon (Video); Starts Presale for New Album

The up-and-coming Sharon Van Etten has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention recently, the biggest being her debut network TV appearance last night playing "Serpents" on Jimmy Fallon (video below). She also opened for The National on one night of their multi-night stand at the Beacon Theatre.



And today Van Etten announced on Twitter that her new album "Tramp"(which contains "Serpents"), is now available for pre-order online (the album drops on Feb. 7th). You can buy it on CD, vinyl, or a deluxe bundle, and each version includes a poster of SVE and a code that lets you download the full album on MP3 on Jan. 17th. (See photo of the deluxe bundle below.)

The album was produced in the garage studio of Aaron Dessner of The National (who also played with Van Etten on the Jimmy Fallon appearance above).

I ordered the CD version today, and can't wait until I can download the album on the 17th. I'm impressed with what I've heard from her previous albums, especially her most recent release "Epic," and am interested to see how her new collection sounds.

Van Etten will be playing two shows in New York City next month, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Feb. 24th and at Bowery Ballroom the next night. Tickets are on sale now for both.

Concert Updates & Free Music Downloads for Hurricane Irene

Spend the hurricane weekend downloading free MP3 sampler albums, like this Kill Rock Stars 20th anniversary compilation.

I was set to write a post yesterday about free concerts coming up for this weekend... and then the news of Hurricane Irene broke. Needless to say, if the storm comes anywhere near shore, any outdoor concerts are going to be cancelled.

I wish that I had posted info about Thursday's free show featuring Wavves and Dee Dee from the Dum Dum Girls at the East River Amphitheater, since today's rain apparently held up and the concert indeed took place. (If anyone went to it, please post your reactions in the comments section below.)

This weekend's shows were to include the H-Mag Music Festival at Hoboken's Pier A park on Saturday, featuring The Walkmen and School of Seven Bells, among others. The good news is that the show will be taking place, and soon. A note on the H-Mag Music Festival website says, "The Music Fest WILL be rescheduled to an upcoming weekend in September with date TBA as soon as possible."

The Afro-Punk Festival in Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn is still a go, it seems... for now. Santigold, Das Racist, Gym Class Heroes, and others are scheduled to play on Saturday, while Cee Lo Green, Toshi Reagan, Janelle Monae, and others are set to take the stage on Sunday.

An update on the Afro-Punk site reads, "The program of the Afro-Punk Festival hasn't changed until further notice, as this is a rain or shine event. We care about your safety and we'll make announcements if we have to modify the program." For the latest weather updates, check the Afro-Punk Twitter account.

(Brooklyn Vegan notes that a couple of artists have said that the Afro-Punk fest is cancelled. Let's hope the organizers issue an announcement soon to sort this all out.)

For indoor free shows that may or may not be taking place this weekend, see the Oh My Rockness free shows list.

Regarding the big for-pay festival set to take place this weekend—the Dave Matthews Band Caravan on Governors Island—the show will take place as scheduled on Friday, but the Saturday and Sunday shows have been postponed.

If you're hanging out indoors this weekend and don't have to evacuate the premises, this will be the perfect chance to download some free music, and Amazon.com has a new batch of free samplers to choose from. Among them:

• 23 This Year: The Sub Pop Amazon Sampler, with tunes by artists such as Fleet Foxes, the Head and the Heart, Chad Vangaalen, Dum Dum Girls, J Mascis, and Sebadoh.
  
• Merge Records 2011 Sampler, featuring Times New Viking, Apex Manor, Mountain Goats, Wye Oak, and Destroyer, among others.
  
• Kill Rock Stars 20 Year Anniversary Sampler, with songs by performers including Elliott Smith, The Thermals, Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Quasi, Corin Tucker Band, and The Decemberists.
  
• Bloodshot Indie-Pendants Sampler, with contributions from artists such as Exene Cervenka, The Detroit Cobras, Justin Townes Earle, Firewater, and Maggie Bjorklund with Mark Lanegan.

There are many more, so check them out and get downloading. Assuming your electricity doesn't go out...

Free Summer Concerts: Nicole Atkins Tonight; Deer Tick Thurs.; Roots of American Music Fest. this Weekend

Nicole Atkins plays a free show outside City Winery at 5:30 Tuesday.

Another week of free concerts is underway, and here are some of my picks.

[UPDATE: The Nicole Atkins show is postponed because of the heavy rain, City Winery announced at 4:30 p.m. on its Twitter and Facebook pages. They say they will try to reschedule a make-up date.]

Tues., Aug. 9th: Nicole Atkins at Hudson Square: the South Jersey native plays the second-to-last show in the after-work Hudson Square series, which takes place in the parking lot behind City Winery. Atkins recently came out with her second album, "Mondo Amore." Showtime is 5:30 p.m. City Winery is at 155 Varick St. between Vandam and Spring Street; you can enter the festival area from Spring Street (between Varick and Hudson) or from Vandam between Varick and Hudson.

Wed., Aug. 10th: performance artist Laurie Anderson takes the stage at Lincoln Center Out of Doors; also on the bill is fiddler and composer Todd Reynolds in a debut collaboration with Sxip Shirey and Adam Matta (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) and a section of violinists. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. at Damrosch Park Bandshell (map/directions) in Lincoln Center.

Thurs., Aug. 11th: Deer Tick and Dom at RiverRocks (Pier 54): Led by John McCauley, Deer Tick brings its blend of punk, blues, country and more to the RiverRocks series at Hudson River Park. (Hear an early performance by Deer Tick in what may have been their first radio broadcast set, from WNYC in January 2006.) Also on the Thursday's bill are Dom and Translations. Doors: 6 p.m. Hudson River Park, Pier 54 (map and directions to Pier 54.)

And the Roots of American Music Festival closes out Lincoln Center Out of Doors this weekend, with a series of great roots/Americana musicians Saturday and Sunday. The whole thing ends with a bang late Sunday afternoon with a show featuring legendary soul guitarist Steve Cropper, Bettye Lavette, The Bar-Kays, and the North Mississippi All-Stars Duo. On the schedule:

Sat., Aug. 13th, 2 p.m.: banjo player and singer Abigail Washburn; folk-rock singer Sid Selvidge with Sons of Mud Boy; and Sun Records oral histories. Location: Hearst Plaza Stage (venue info), Lincoln Center.

Sat., Aug. 13th, 5 p.m.: Ebony Hillbillies, a black string band with "a rootsy, homegrown style that was a key element in the genesis of all-American music: jazz, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, rock and roll, and country." Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (map/directions), Lincoln Center.

Sat., Aug 13th, 6 p.m.:  country and bluegrass show with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives; Sonny Burgess; Cowboy Jack Clement; Rudy “Tutti” Grayzell and Hayden Thompson; Dailey and Vincent. Location: Damrosch Park Bandshell (map/directions)

Sun., Aug. 14th, 5 p.m.: Steve Cropper and Friends: Tribute to the 5 Royales (New York debut) with Bettye Lavette, Ellis Hooks, and Dylan LeBlanc; The Bar-Kays; North Mississippi All-Stars Duo; Big Sam's Funky Nation. Location: Damrosch Park Bandshell (map/directions)

Free NYC Concerts This Week: Black Eyed Peas (Central Park, June 9th); Coheed & Cambria (Williamsburg, June 11th)

All the Black Eyed Peas tickets are spoken for, but you can get in to see Coheed and Cambria Saturday.

UPDATE #3, 6/10: Robin Hood says in a statement on their website that it's not giving up on the Concert 4 NYC idea, and notes, "We are exploring our options and hope to announce to you soon what our next plan will be."
 
UPDATE #2, 6/9: The Concert 4 NYC with the Black Eyed Peas has been CANCELLED due to inclement weather, and spectators are being asked to leave the Park. The start of Thursday's Black Eyed Peas concerts is delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms expected to move through the NYC area. According to the Robin Hood Foundation's Twitter account (follow the for the latest updates), "Gate opening delayed. Pending weather conditions, gates are projected to open at 7:30 with an 8:30 show start."
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In addition to the free concerts being staged by Celebrate Brooklyn and SummerStage, this week features two no-cost rock shows with very different types of music.

The Black Eyed Peas play Central Park's Great Lawn tomorrow night, June 9th, in a show called the "Concert 4 NYC" to raise money and awareness for the poverty-fighting Robin Hood Foundation. Tickets are free, but ticketholders have already been chosen via a lottery.

I haven't been around one of these huge Central Park free shows in recent years, so I don't know if you can get inside the Park close enough to hear if you're not one of the 54,000 lucky lottery ticket recipients. With some shows, I believe people were prevented from entering Central Park at various locations to try to prevent overcrowding.

The Black Eyed Peas show is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., and if you can't be there you can watch it live online on LiveStream here.

According to a blog post at Romio.com, the B.E.P.'s will have a host of special guests, including Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, Natasha Bedingfield, and Blondie's Debbie Harry, among others. Note: temperatures of up to 97 degrees with high humidity are predicted for tomorrow, so dress and hydrate accordingly.

For something completely different (and at a much smaller scale), Coheed and Cambria are playing a free gig on the Williamsburg Waterfront on Saturday, June 11th. Also on the bill are the Adrian Belew Power Trio and Tigers Jaw. You won't need a ticket to get into this one, but entry is on a first-come, first-served, and doors open at 5:30 p.m. It's unclear what time the show actually starts, but it's scheduled to end at 10 p.m.

The location for the show is East River State Park at North 8th Street and Kent Avenue.

According to a post on their Facebook page, Coheed and Cambria the band will be "playing a free encore performance of their wildly successful Neverender: SSTB tour," featuring an acoustic opening set; an electric performance in its entirety of their debut album, "The Second Stage Turbine Blade;" and a "short encore set of songs from other albums."

Legendary guitarist Adrian Belew, best known as a member of King Crimson, will be on the bill with his current trio.

Are you going to either of these shows? What other live gigs (free or otherwise) are you looking forward to seeing this week?

YouTube Guitarist Performs Throwing Muses' "Freeloader"

Here's a fun video I came across the other day: a version of the Throwing Muses song "Freeloader" performed by a British guitarist who goes by the name of Daniel Earwicker. He is shown playing a number of different guitars during in the video and is apparently singing all the layered vocals as well (you can also hear an unseen drummer in the song, presumably also Earwicker).

I wasn't familiar with Daniel Earwicker, but his YouTube site has cover versions of a number of songs, including The Smiths, Blur, and the Talking Heads, as well as what seems to be his own one-man Internet band, The Primrose League.  I like his version of "Freeloader," and apparently so does the person who wrote the song: I discovered this version because Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh tweeted a link to it last week.

Below is Hersh doing a solo performance of the song, recorded live (with non-professional equipment and technique, unfortunately). "Freeloader" appeared on the 1996 Muses album "Limbo."

Free Music: Download 10-Song Austin City Limits Festival Sampler

The Austin City Limits Festival starts tomorrow and runs through this weekend, and Spin.com is offering a free 10-song sampler from artists playing the big shindig at Zilker Park. The ACL Festival will bring more than 130 artists to Austin for the weekend, including the Eagles, Muse, M.I.A., and Phish.

You can read Spin's article on the 10 must-hear artists from the 2010 ACL Festival here. Their free ACL sampler, called Lone Star Solid State, contains the following tracks:

1. Girls, "Lust for Life"
2. The Gaslight Anthem, "The Spirit of Jazz"
3. Lissie, "In Sleep (Live)"
4. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, "40 Day Dream"
5. Pete Yorn, "Rock Crowd"
6. First Aid Kit, "Hard Believer"
7. Bear In Heaven, "Wholehearted Mess"
8. Matt & Kim, "Cameras"
9. Beach House, "Norway"
10. Deadmau5, "A City in Florida"

Note: To get the sampler, you'll need to supply your e-mail address, then click on a link they send you.

If you're going to the festival or just want to follow what's happening there, you can follow the ACL Festival Twitter account.

Sunday in NYC: Women Rocking for Women Rockers

I'm a big fan of female rockers and singers, and I'll be seeing plenty of them tomorrow, Sept. 26th (and there are more I won't be able to see).

The main event is the inaugural Tinderbox Festival of established and up-and-coming female artists, which I heard about from Eliot of the Now I've Heard Everything blog. Starting at 3:30 and running til around midnight at Southpaw in Brooklyn, Tinderbox doesn't just showcase female musicians, it supports them by benefiting causes to help young women (including the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls).

You can find the Tinderbox Festival lineup here; tickets are only $20 at the door. Jenny Owen Youngs is the only performer there that I'm familiar with, so I'll be seeing a lot of new artists, which is always fun.

I won't be able to stay too late at the Tinderbox Festival because I'm seeing Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile at Radio City (tickets available here). Crow is one of those performers I see every time they come to town not only because I love their music, but because they always put on a good show. I've liked the various Carlile songs I've heard over the years, so am looking forward to catching her live.

The Canadian band Stars (featuring singer Amy Millan) is one I've enjoyed seeing live before, and after playing Terminal 5 the other night word came that they are playing a last-minute show at Littlefield in Brooklyn, which holds about 400 people max from what I've read.

Doors for Stars at Littlefield are 8 p.m., with showtime listed as 10 p.m. I probably won't be able to catch that show after Radio City, but if you're looking for a good pop-rock show to finish your weekend (and for only $10), catch Stars at Littlefield (check link to see if tickets are still available).

Austin City Limits Festival (ACL Festival) Lineup Announced; Tickets On Sale Now

The lineup for the 2010 Austin City Limits Festival (ACL Festival) was announced today, and tickets are now on sale. The festival takes place in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas from October 8th to 10th.

Three-day passes are already sold out; single-day passes went on sale at 10 a.m. are available for each day at $85 per day. (Link to buy ACL Festival tickets.)

Headliners for the 2010 ACL Festival include The Eagles, Muse, Phish, The Strokes, M.I.A., and Flaming Lips. (Full 2010 ACL Festival lineup by day.) Here are the top 10 acts performing each day, as listing on the daily schedule:

Friday:
Phish, The Strokes, Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Sonic Youth, The Black Keys, Broken Bells, Slightly Stoopid, Beach House, The Sword

Saturday:
Muse, M.I.A., LCD Soundysystem, Monsters of Folk, Deadmau5, Gogol Bordello, Pat Green, Matt and Kim, The xx, The Temper Trap

Sunday:
The Eagles, Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, Band of Horses, The National, Robert Earl Keen, Yeasayer, Rebelution, Portugal. The Man, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

You can follow updates from the 2010 ACL Festival at its Twitter page, @ACLFestival.

Get Tickets Now for the Conan O'Brien Tour - "Prohibited" at Radio City

We've all been wondering what Conan O'Brien's been up to since leaving The Tonight Show (besides growing a beard and following one person on Twitter). We now have the answer: Coco's been gearing up for a tour of live shows, and it will be coming to New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 1st and 2nd.

The Conan O'Brien tour, which has the catchy title "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television," will feature Andy Richter and the former Tonight Show Band. It'll be just like the The Tonight Show, only live on stage!

You can get tickets for the Conan O'Brien tour shows at Radio City here, and they are on sale now. Prices range from $44 to $84.

For all of the stops and dates for the 30-town Conan O'Brien tour, go to www.teamcoco.com.

R.I.P. Vic Chestnutt - Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter is Dead at 45

Some sad news for any day, but especially Christmas day: Vic Chestnutt, an acclaimed singer-songwriter who battled substance abuse and suicidal thoughts, has died, his record company and other sources confirmed. It was reported yesterday that he was in a coma, which some sources said was caused by a suicide attempt. Some Web sites said that he had died, as did a few Twitter feeds from musicians, but the Web sites later changed their articles to say that he was in a coma.

An article on Entertainment Weekly's Music Mix blog says that some reports stated that Chestnutt was in a coma earlier in the week, but that the cause of death has not yet been made public.

Originally from Athens, Georgia, Vic Chestnutt was injured in a car accident when he was 18 and had been a paraplegic ever since. His musician friends later held concerts and produced a tribute album, Sweet Relief II: The Songs of Vic Chesnutt, to help pay his medical expenses, and those projects gave greater visibility to his music and gained him new fans.

Our condolences go out to Vic's wife, Tina, and his family and friends.

Music News: FREE Veterans Day Downloads, Listen to the "New Moon" Soundtrack, Get Backstage at the CMA Awards

Free Veterans Day Downloads: Just heard this afternoon that Amazon.com is making available a free MP3 collection of patriotic songs for Veterans Day, entitled "Veterans Day Honor." The set features the bands and ensemble of the U.S. Armed Forces and features a few contemporary tunes as well as versions of classics such as The Star-Spangled Banner, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, and the Navy and Air Force hymns. There are 12 songs in all (though some are pretty short). It's not clear if the set will be free after today, so you might want to get it now.

Free Streaming - "New Moon" Soundtrack: The next movie in the "Twilight" movie series will be in theaters soon, and KCRW.com has made the original soundtrack for "New Moon" available on its Web site until November 15th. Most (but not all) of the tunes from the soundtrack can be streamed there, including tracks from Death Cab for Cutie, Band of Skulls, Lykke Li, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Editors, and more.

You can buy The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrackhere, and learn more about it at its Web site, www.newmoonthesoundtrack.com.


Get backstage at tonight's CMA awards: If you want to get behind the scenes of the Country Music Association awards, follow @wildaboutmusic on Twitter. Longtime music writer David Wild has written the lines that are spoken by the stars on many awards shows, and he'll be sending along his inside, backstage tweets tonight at his Twitter feed. His comments will be a worthy complement to watching the CMA Awards on TV.

Built to Spill Headlines 2009 Siren Festival on Coney Island

After missing every previous Siren Festival, the all-day, two-stage indie music festival on Coney Island, I'm determined to make it to this year. As usual the festival, which takes place Saturday, July 18th, features a fine lineup of indie/alt-rock acts. Built to Spill headlines on one stage while Spank Rock leads the way on the other stage.

The bill also includes Danish duo The Raveonettes, Scottish band Frightened Rabbit, Frank Black's band Grand Duchy, and up-and-coming Canadian rockers Japandroids. Each stage will have a DJ spinning tunes between sets.

Check the official Web site for the 2009 Siren Festival schedule as well as directions, frequently asked questions, and more information. To answer a few of the main questions:

• The Siren Festival is totally free, and no tickets are required.
  
• The event is an all-ages show, and goes on rain or shine.
  
• The live music starts at 1 p.m. (Tiny Masters of Today, on the Main Stage)
  
• The last band to play is scheduled to go on at 8:00 p.m. (Spank Rock, on the Stillwell Stage. Built to Spill takes the Main Stage at 7:30 p.m.)
  
• The D, F, Q, and N trains will get you to the Siren Festival. Check the official Web site for the stations to use on each line. Note: as the site says, the trains to Coney Island can take about 45 minutes.
  

You can find updates on the festival at the Siren Festival's Twitter page, www.twitter.com/SirenFestival.

The New York City tourism site NYCgo.com has an interview with Siren Festival headliners Built to Spill.

2009 Webby Awards Announced

The winners of the 2009 Webby Awards were announced today, and the honors are going to a diverse range of online properties, from old media learning new tricks (The New York Times, National Public Radio) to online-only sites like Mint.com and YouTube LIVE.

As the Webbys organizers noted, "Winners receiving the prestigious title of the best of the Web have been selected in over 100 Website, Interactive Advertising, Mobile and Film & Video categories." And the categories range from best typography to best use of video, and include specialties including a wide variety of topics from fan/celebrity sites to automotive, and everything in between.

National Public Radio (NPR) proudly noted that it won the most awards overall, seven, with The New York Times coming in second with six. I'm a fan of NPR's extensive offerings in live music streaming and podcasting, and it's no surprise that NPR snagged Webbys for best radio site and best music site, among other things, as well as People's Voice for best radio site, best music site, and best podcasts.

(You can find the Webbys press release here.)

The Webby Special Achievement Award Winners were also announced today, recognizing "a pioneering group of entertainers who have utilized the Internet in creative, thought-provoking and cutting-edge ways." TV host Jimmy Fallon took The Webby Person of the Year Award, Sarah Silverman won for Best Actress, Trent Reznor of the Nine Inch Nails was named Webby Artist of the Year.

Microblogging site Twitter was named Breakout of The Year; Lisa Kudrow was selected for Outstanding Comedic Performance in "Web Therapy;" and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane was tabbed as Webby Film & Video Person of the Year.

The Webby awards will be presented in a ceremony in New York on June 8th. In keeping with Webbys tradition, acceptance speeches will be limited to five words.

New York Area Concerts: Bamboozle, Pete Seeger Tribute, Dark Was the Night

It's a busy concert weekend in the New York area, and three multi-artist events look to be very promising.

The Bamboozle festival continues Saturday and Sunday at the New Jersey Meadowlands in East Rutherford. On Saturday Fall Out Boy is the headliner, with Third Eye Blind, the Get Up Kids, Asher Roth, and many more acts on the bill. Sunday boasts headliners No Doubt; also slated for the final day are acts including Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against the Used, Face to Face, and Sum 41.

For set times, tickets, and more visit the Bamboozle Web site above or check them out on Twitter: @thebamboozle.

Sunday features two benefit shows. Over at Radio City Music Hall is Dark Was the Night, the latest show to benefit the Red Hot organization (and the live companion to the recent CD of the same name). On the bill are David Byrne, Dirty Projectors, Feist, Dave Sitek, Bon Iver, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and more. Get more info and Dark Was the Night Concert tickets at the Radio City box office Web site.

Madison Square Garden is probably the only venue big enough to hold all the stars, big and small, who'll be performing at the Pete Seeger 90th birthday celebration on Sunday. The music legend has influenced countless performers over the decades, and many of them will be singing and playing at Sunday's show: Bruce Springsteen, Arlo Guthrie, Bela Fleck, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine), Richie Havens, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Get Pete Seeger birthday celebration tickets here at the MSG box office. Proceeds benefit Clearwater, the environmental organization Seeger founded 40 years ago.