Music Notes: Watch Jack White's Webster Hall Webcast and The Baseball Project's Met Show

If you couldn't be at Jack White's show at Webster Hall last night, or be near a computer to watch the webcast, you can watch the entire webcast here. The show begins with a few brief pre-recorded video segments, including one in which White greets director Gary Oldman by running up to him and tackling him. (The two wrestle on the floor briefly, before chatting as if nothing had happened.)

If you'd like to see the proceedings in a setting that (somewhat) simulates being at the show, Brooklyn Bowl is showing the concert at what it's calling a "brunchcast" tomorrow. You can watch the Jack White Webster Hall show for free while you're having brunch. Doors open at 12 Noon, and the concert will be shown at 1 p.m. If you're into the communal experience or want to hang out with other Jack White fans, this might be for you.

There's another recent concert that you can view from your computer, the show that The Baseball Project performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few weeks back. R.E.M. posted the full concert on its website earlier this week, and you can view it at the link (TBP features two members of R.E.M., Peter Buck and Mike Mills).

You can also view the Baseball Project set below, but you're better off viewing it on YouTube in a larger format. If you're a baseball fan, you can also view the panel discussion that preceded the concert, which features Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon and others.

Music Notes: Marissa Nadler Interview, More "Today" Show Concerts, Steve Cropper Talks About His Idols

Video for Marissa Nadler's "Alabaster Queen," from her self-titled album. 

Here's a mishmash of musical news, with notes on live performances, interviews with musicians, and more.

• Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper has played with many greats over the decades. On his latest album, he pays tribute to his idols, the 5 Royales. Hear an interview with Cropper here.
• Marissa Nadler is the subject of an interview in The Rumpus. I really like this singer-songwriter's new self-titled album, and will be interested to learn more about her.
• Two more shows have been added to the "Today" Show free concert series: Blondie (on Sept. 12) and Lady Antebellum (Sept. 13) will play the popular early-morning series in Rockefeller Plaza. (Info via NewYorkology.com)
• YouTube has signed a licensing deal with music publishers, ending a four-year legal battle. Under the deal, which covers songwriting rights, YouTube will pay licensing fees to the National Music Publishers Association. According to the L.A. Times, the deal "paves the way for YouTube and Google to begin monetizing user-generated videos that contain music written by artists represented by the NMPA."
• The 10th anniversary of the film "O Brother Where Art Thou" is being marked with the release of a two-CD collection featuring more old-timey music from the movie, featuring artists who weren't on the original disc (which is included as part of the set), such as Van Dyke Parks, Colin Linden, and Alan O'Bryant. It also features more songs from the performers who appeared on the 2001 album.

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."

Coming to YouTube: Doctor Who and Friends

Although YouTube couldn't reach an agreement with Viacom on content, it just signed a deal with a major broadcaster from overseas. YouTube and the BBC announced today that they had inked a deal to put the British broadcaster's programming on the popular video sharing site.

The content will include popular shows such as Doctor Who, Spooks, and The Catherine Tate Show. It's not clear whether the content will involve excerpts of all shows or the complete shows. It sounds like there will be at least one news channel and one entertainment channel, though one report I read indicated there would be two entertainment channels.

It's said that advertising will be included in one of the channels, which has caused some controversy in Britain. The BBC is funded by license fees that TV owners in Britain purchase, and the network contains no advertising. The Beeb's international programming can contain advertising, and there's been much rancor over whether properties such as the BBC News Web site should contain ads.

As an American, I don't see any problem with them including ads on content shown outside Britain, since they don't get any licensing money from non-British users (though they do receive money for the rights to show programming on networks such as PBS). I'm looking forward to being able to see more BBC programming, with or without ads.