New Pearl Jam Single!

15 seconds of the new Pearl Jam single is available for legal download here.

More cool news: There is a hidden performance of "Hunger Strike" on Disc 1 of Live at the Garden. Find it here:

• Load Disk I and go to the "Set List" menu. Navigate down to "Black" and hit the "next" button on your remote twice. This should start playing "Hunger Strike".
• If that doesn't work, this method should definitely work, it's just less fun: load Disk I and find the "Title" or "Title Search" button on your remote. The Easter Egg is "Title 02, Chapter 1" on the DVD. Selecting this should just start playing the track.

Black Crowes Acoustic Tour!

That's right, kids, the brothers Robinson are playing a few acoustic gigs in select markets in April. From the press release on the band's website:

Pete Angelus, manager of The Black Crowes, confirmed today that Chris and Rich will be performing a collection of their catalogue, influential covers as well as new material. Billed as “Brothers Of A Feather: An Acoustic Evening With Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes,” all show will be in a very intimate setting and will be recorded for a possible acoustic release at some point in the future.

Although The Black Crowes have performed a few acoustic numbers in their electric sets in the past, this will be the first time the infamous brothers have ever performed full-length acoustic sets in their 16-year career.

Confirmed tour dates:

Thu 4/13 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw (on sale: Fri 2/24 @ Noon)
Fri 4/14 New York, NY Frederick P. Rose Hall- Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center- Broadway at 60th Street (on sale: Fri 2/24 @ Noon)
Sat 4/15 New York, NY Town Hall (on sale: Fri 2/24 @ Noon)
Mon 4/17 Austin, TX Cactus Café (on sale: Fri 2/17 @ Noon) **
Tue 4/18 Austin, TX Cactus Café (on sale: Fri 2/17 @ Noon) **
Thu 4/20 San Francisco, CA Swedish American Hall @ Café Du Nord (on sale: Fri 2/24 @ Noon)
Fri 4/21 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore (on sale: Sun 2/26 @10:00 AM)
Sat 4/22 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club (on sale: Fri 2/24 @10:00 AM)
Mon 4/24 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy (on sale: Fri 2/24 @ 11:00 AM)
Tue 4/25 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy (on sale: Fri 2/24 @ 11:00 AM)
** denotes two shows per night, 7:00 and 10:00 PM

Gotta post some acoustic Crowes in honor of this historic occasion.

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Cursed Diamond (acoustic)

Black Moon Creeping (acoustic)

Good Friday (acoustic)

"Nude" Part Deux

As a follow-up to Strontium Dog's post about Radiohead recording the old track "Nude" for possible inclusion on their new album I thought I'd post some audio.

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This is a live version of "Nude" recorded somewhere on the tour for Kid A, I believe.

Around the same time that "Nude" was making the rounds on bootlegs, fans also got a taste of another potential gem in the film Meeting People Is Easy. "Follow Me Around" was interrupted half way through in the film for an interview clip, but the quality of the piece of the track that aired in the movie was so high that apoplexy set in for many fans who couldn't fathom why the band hadn't recorded and released such a killer song.

I couldn't post about unreleased Radiohead gems without talking about "Lift". Performed live on the OK Computer tour, the tune is magically (unfortunate pun intended) uplifting. There were rumors that guitarist Ed O'Brien hoped to record "Lift" for inclusion on a post-Ok Computer album. We should be so lucky... Here's "Lift" from the Pinkpop Festival in 1996.

V For Vendetta

V For Vendetta releases March 17 in theatres everywhere. A striking vision of the near future, it captures the political drama of our times- terrorism, authoritarian government in the guise of democracy, and the desire for real justice.

In the 1980s, Alan Moore created what is arguably the most powerful graphic novel ever, The Watchmen. V For Vendetta is his early genius at work. You can buy it here.

Long time comic fans live in fear of classic stories dying on the big screen. There are no worries here. This may be the Event Movie of 2006. Watch the trailers here (I recommend Trailer 1).

"Nude" Recorded for New Radiohead CD

Die hard Radiohead fans will be delighted to hear that the unreleased OK Computer era track "Nude" (you heard it in Meeting People Is Easy) will appear on Radiohead's new CD, scheduled for release by year's end.

Colbert Report Clips

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Comedy Central's Colbert Report is one of the funniest programs on the air. Here are some choice video clips from recent episodes:

Colbert's salute to the American worker.

An analysis of President Bush's State of the Union.

There are more clips here.

As a special bonus, a little slice of brilliance from The Daily Show.

Overlooked In 2005

I realized recently that I missed a couple of key new releases from 2005 that I'm now really into.

First, Brandi Carlile's self-titled debut album. She's a little bit pop/rock, a little bit more country - kinda in a Sheryl Crow way...good Sheryl Crow, not the schmaltzy crappola she's put out since 1998's The Globe Sessions - and a whole lotta sweetness. She's got an amazing voice and writes some very good songs, especially considering she's very young and it's her debut album. I'm bummed I missed her recent performance at World Cafe Live in Philly. Here are two samples to check out:

What Can I Say (2:50) - mp3 (160kbps)

Tragedy (3:47) - mp3 (160kbps)

Second, the Nine Black Alps EP. I heard them on XM Satellite Radio and was immediately hooked. They've got the energy of early Nirvana and, if the five tunes on this EP are any indication, a lot of songwriting talent. They rock in an indie kinda way, but not the hackneyed indie-rock thing that is all over college radio now (do you hear me Franz Ferdinand and Co.???). Think 90's indie rock. Actually, the production isn't unlike that of the first Foo Fighters album. Good times. Their first full-length is due out in February, I believe. Here's a sample:

Shot Down (2:55) - mp3 (160kbps)

In case you missed them the first time, check out the Best of '05 lists Strontium Dog and I posted in January, although the audio sample links are probably dead by now.

Album of the Month 01.06: Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins

Rabbit Fur Coat is a perfect pop album whose polish and sweetness are undermined by the world weary, progressive lyrics and wryly haggard vocals of Jenny Lewis. The opening 1-2-3 combo of Run Devil Run, The Big Guns, and Rise Up With Fists!!! is a knock out like few album starts in recent memory. The completely serious take on the Travelling Wilburys "Handle With Care"- with Bright Eyes, M. Ward, and Ben Gibbard taking vocal turns as the rest of the Wilburys- is priceless. The band is tight. The songs pull you in with candy apple hooks, then suddenly the songs erupt with emotion and lyrical might.

Sample tracks here: http://www.myspace.com/lewiswithwatsons

A good purchase if you're a fan of any of these: Rilo Kiley, Juliana Hatfield, Steve Earle, or Dusty Springfield.

Radiohead Headlining Bonnaroo

The story so far:

Radiohead, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Phil Lesh and Friends, Beck, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Bonnie Raitt, Death Cab for Cutie, moe., Bright Eyes, The Neville Brothers, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Buddy Guy, Damian Marley, Ben Folds, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Dr. John, Matisyahu, G. Love and Special Sauce, My Morning Jacket, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Steel Pulse, Mike Gordon and Ramble Dove, Cat Power, Medeski Martin and Wood, Nickel Creek, Gomez, Atmosphere, Steve Earle, Blues Traveler, Amadou & Mariam, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Dresden Dolls, Son Volt, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Jerry Douglas, Soulive, Rusted Root, Devendra Banhart Band, Donavon Frankenreiter, Mike Doughty, Sasha, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, The Magic Numbers, Bill Frisell, Seu Jorge, Bettye LaVette, Dungen, Shooter Jennings, Rebirth Brass Band, Robinella, Andrew Bird, Steel Train, Jackie Greene, Devotchka, Wood Brothers, dios (malos), Toubab Krewe, The Motet, Marah, I-Nine, Balkan Beat Box, and Cat Empire