Music Notes: 2011 Rock Hall of Fame Inductees; Hank Williams' Daughter Speaks; The Sing-Off Continues

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2010 inductees. They are: the Alice Cooper Band, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love, Tom Waits, Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, Specialty Records founder Art Rupe, and Leon Russell.

Speaking of musical history, Jett Williams, daughter of Hank Williams, was interviewed recently on WNYC. She discussed her decades-long struggle to confirm her father's identity and the upcoming 16-disc boxed set that includes dozens of Hank Williams radio appearances, as well as conversations and other content.

The set, which comes housed in a box that looks like an old-style cathedral radio, is called Hank Williams: The Complete Mother's Best Recordings.

I haven't been following NBC's a cappella singing contest "The Sing-Off" as closely this year as last (my family knew someone in the competition last year), but have caught some of the performances online. The show continues tonight, and one of the groups remaining is Oregon's On the Rocks. The other night On the Rocks performed a nice version of the catchy Mr. Mister 1980s hit, "Kyrie," which OTR recorded on its album "Full Coverage." (You can see the entire "Sing-Off" episode in which the song appears here.)

"The Sing-Off" airs on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern, and you can also view episodes online (for a limited time).

What's the Best Music of 2010? Some Early Opinions from Radio

The end of the year is always a time for looking back at the best albums, artists, etc. of the last 12 months, and here are some best-of lists that have already come out.

The DJs at L.A. radio station KCRW have each picked their top 10 albums of 2010, and the choices are the eclectic mix you'd expect from that station. Indie rock favorites like Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and The National are all on the list, as well as less mainstream acts as Frazey Ford, UNKLE, The Fall, and !!! (Chk Chik Chick).

Of course, there's a lot of good music coming out of KCRW's backyard, so the station's DJs offer a review of the best L.A. bands of 2010. They range from veteran Latino group Ozomatli to surf-rock newcomers The Best Coast to the retro-soul sounds of Fitz and the Tantrums.

The members of NPR's All Songs Considered review the year in music in their latest podcast.
a discussion, and also review their top 50 releases of the year. The list includes albums by Arcade Fire, Jonsi (of Sigur Ros), singer Janelle Monae, The Black Keys, and more.

In their following podcast, the All Songs staff took a look at the albums they missed in 2010. Most of the artists I hadn't heard of, except for Dean & Britta (formerly of Luna).

The year's end is also time for the Bucky Awards, when CBC Radio 3 recognizes in top vote-getters from its listeners in categories including Most Canadian Song, Lifetime Achievement, and Sexiest Canadian Artists, as well as some more traditional awards. Among other awards, Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" won for best song, while Sarah Harmer's song "Captive" took the Bucky for best vocals.

The nearly two-hour-long Bucky Awards podcast features songs from the nominees and winners. (You'll find just the list of Bucky Awards winners here at the Canadian indie blog NxEW.ca.)

Free Music Podcasts: Tokyo Police Club and Avi Buffalo Live; Beatles, Decemberists, & Sinead O'Connor Cover Tunes

This week's slate of music podcast downloads includes a variety of musical styles, including live sets from two bands at different stages of their careers.

* Veteran Canadian rockers Tokyo Police Club perform a live set at the Halifax Pop Explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and...

* the just-out-of-high-school members of Avi Buffalo plays in the KCRW studios for Morning Becomes Eclectic. The set is available for streaming or podcast download.

Also:
* Buke and Gass, a duo that play a baritone ukelele and a bass-guitar hybrid, perform a brief live set in NPR's offices.

* The Coverville podcast has several enjoyable episodes in the last couple of weeks, featuring covers of tunes by The Beatles, Sinead O'Connor, and The Decemberists, as well as the annual Coverville Countdown Hall of Fame podcast.

In the next post, I'll take a look at some of the end-of-year podcasts that review some of the best (and overlooked) music of 2010. And I'll review the winners of the Bucky Awards, CBC Radio 3's honors for the best in Canadian indie music.

Free Album Streaming: New Music by Graham Parker, Diane Birch, Deadmau5, & More

Here is the latest in my semi-regular listing of new albums (mostly) that are available for free streaming online. In particular, Spinner.com has some tasty albums including the latest releases (though they aren't necessarily brand-new anymore) by Broken Social Scene, Local Natives, and Superchunk.

See the respective websites for a full listing of album previews being offered. The date that streaming ends is given, when known.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"December Songs" by a cappella group Sonos (streaming until Jan. 4, 2011)
"Suave Patria" by Mexican Institute of Sound (until Dec. 28th)

NPR First Listen:
"We'll Never Stop Living This Way" by various artists: collection from the label Ghostly International, with songs ranging from rock to ambient to electronica by Mobius Band, Gold Panda, School of Seven Bells, and many others (until Dec. 14)

Spinner.com's Listening Party has albums including:
"Dark Night of the Soul" by Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse
"Root for Ruin" by Les Savy Fav
"Gorilla Manor" by Local Natives
"Lucky Shiner" by Gold Panda
"Sigh No More" by Mumford and Sons
"The Budos Band III" by the Budos Band
"Infinite Arms" by Band of Horses
"Forgiveness Rock Record" by Broken Social Scene
"Tourist History" by Two Door Cinema Club
"Majesty Shredding" by Superchunk
"Teen Dream" by Beach House

AOL Music Listening Party has album previews including: 
"Dharohar Project" EP by Laura Marling & Mumford and Sons
"4x4=12" by Deadmau5
"The Velveteen Age" by Diane Birch with the Phenomenal Handclap Band
"Wonders of the Younger" by Plain White T's
"Live at the FTC" by Graham Parker and the Figgs
"An Open Letter to Thelonius" by Ellis Marsalis
"The Minnesota Beatles Project by various artists (Beatles covers by artists including Soul Asylum, the Meat Puppets, Mason Jennings, and Corey Chisel)

Allman Brothers Band Returns to the Beacon for Eight Shows

The Allman Brothers Band playing at the Beacon Theatre in March 2009.

Many Allman Brothers fans such as myself had an extra reason to feel thankful last week, because it was announced that the long-running band would be returning to the Beacon Theatre in March 2011 for its usual long run of shows.

Here are the specifics, from an e-mail I got from the Allman Brothers Band mailing list:

"In just a little over 3 months, the Allman Brothers Band will be back where they belong, at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. The specific dates are March 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19. That’s what we call March Gladness!! Whoo hoo!

Tickets for all 8 shows go on sale tomorrow, December 4, at 11:00 A.M. via TicketMaster."

Allman Brothers Band tickets at the Beacon Theatre always sell fast, even with this many shows, so be ready to go online at 11 a.m. Saturday morning.

Like many other fans, I was scratching my head last Spring when the Allmans were bumped from the Beacon, where they have done a number of shows each March for many years, to make room for a Cirque de Soleil show called "Banana Schpeel." The Allmans were moved way uptown to the United Palace Theatre, but the sound and ambience weren't the same.

So it's great to hear that the Brothers will be heading back to their home in New York, the Beacon.

Michelle Branch Formally Releases Her First Album, "Broken Bracelet"

I've been a fan of pop singer-songwriter Michelle Branch since she burst on the scene with her 2001 album "The Spirit Room," which went double-platinum and spawned three big pop hits. That recording came out when Branch was all of 17 years old.

Branch, who is now 27 and married to her bass player Teddy Landau (with whom she has a daughter), has now released an album that will delight her longtime fans and may gain her some new ones: "Broken Bracelet," an album she recorded when she was 14 years old. As she explains in a note on her website, this was an indie recording that she sold at shows, and it ultimately got her a record deal. Included on the album are demo versions of tunes that were on "The Spirit Room," including "Goodbye to You" and "If She Only Knew."

I've heard a few songs from "Broken Bracelet" over the years, and it's amazing to think that these catchy, appealing pop tunes were written by someone so young. You can buy "Broken Bracelet" at Amazon.com, iTunes, eMusic, and at Branch's online store.

Also in the note on her website, Branch says that she has shelved her album "Everything Comes and Goes," which she says she has been working on since 2007. (She did put out a six-song, country-flavored EP by that name several months ago.) Branch says that "I have recently started a new album from scratch and I couldn’t be more excited."

Branch also says that next Thursday, December 9th she will be holding a live online chat in which she'll answer questions and play songs. The Michelle Branch online chat will take place at 8:00 pm Eastern time; she says her website will have more details later.