After much anticipation, the official line-up for the 2008 Virgin Mobile Festival has been announced (see below).

Tickets for the two-day festival sponsored by billionaire Richard Branson start at $175 for the full two days, however, single day tickets have not been released, which is the norm when festivals first announce the official line-up.

This year marks the third year of the Virgin Mobile Festival held August 9-10 at Pimilco Race Course in Baltimore, MD.

Here is the official VMF line-up:

August 9
Main Stage

Bloc Party
Cat Power
Chuck Berry and The Silver Beats
Citizen Cope
Duffy
Foo Fighters
Gogol Bordello
Jack Johnson
KT Tunstall
Lupe Fiasco
The Offspring
Paramore
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
The Swell Season
Wilco

Dance Tent

DJ Dan & Donald Glaude
Erol Alkan
Ferry Corsten
Soul Wax
Steve Lawler
Underworld

August 10
Main Stage

Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
The Black Keys
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Bob Dylan
The Go! Team
Iggy & The Stooges
Kanye West
Lil Wayne
Nine Inch Nails
She & Him
Shudder to Think
Stone Temple Pilots
Taking Back Sunday

Dance Tent

Armin van Buuren
Chromeo
Deadmau5
Moby (DJ Set)
Pendulum
Richie Hawtin

Labels: 2008 Music Festivals, Baltimore, Festivals, Virgin Mobile Festival

Coachella is just about over for another year. Here are some video highlights from the festival.

Prince - Little Red Corvette - Coachella, Saturday night



Jack Johnson "Waiting For You" performed Friday night at Coachella 2008.



The Verve performing Friday night at Coachella (not sure song title)



Vampire Weekend performing "A Punk" at Coachella 2008



Quick Clips

Prince - Jammin



The Raconteurs



The National (song title anyone?)




Pendulum - Voodoo People - raving at Coachella - short clip, but good sneak preview



Serj Tankian

Labels: 2007 Indie Festivals, Coachella 2008, Coachella Videos, Jack Johnson, Prince, The Raconteurs

Coachellians poured in to the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California today in the hot sun to see artists like Portishead, Prince, DCFC, Hot Chip, Rilo Kiley and others. Check out the lineup for Saturday and Sunday below.

The YouTube videos from Friday's Coachella performances are already being posted. Sifting through them, here are some of the best, including The Black Kids, The Raconteurs, Aphex Twins and Fatboy Slim.

The Black Kids performing "I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend" at Coachella on Friday, April 25:



The Raconteurs - "Consolers of the Lonely" - Friday Coachella show



The Raconteurs - "Attention" - from AT&T BlueRoom Broadcast (FYI: This may be deleted by YouTube)



Aphex Twins - Live set at Coachella, Friday, April 25, 2008 (song title anyone?)




Fatboy Slim - "Green Supernova" - Friday night, Coachella 2008



The following is the line-up for artists and bands playing Coachella Saturday and Sunday. Check out the stage and set times for more information.

Saturday

Portishead, Prince, Kraftwerk, Death Cab for Cutie, Cafe Tacvba, Sasha & John Digweed, Rilo Kiley, Dwight Yoakam, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Cold War Kids, Animal Collective, Kate Nash, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, DeVotchKa, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Turbonegro, Scars on Broadway, Islands, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Above & Beyond, Enter Shikari, Calvin Harris, Boys Noize, Junkie XL, Cinematic Orchestra, The Teenagers, VHS or Beta, CarbonSilicon, Erol Alkan, Man Man, Yo! Majesty, Little Brother, Bonde Do Role, St. Vincent, AkronFamily, MGMT, Surkin, Curses!, Para One, Orgasmic, James Zabiela, SebAstian, Kavinsky, Minus the Bear, Dredg, The Bird and the Bee, 120 Days, Yoav, Electric Touch, Yelle, Uffie featuring DJ Mehdi

Sunday

Roger Waters, Love and Rockets, My Morning Jacket, Spiritualized, Justice, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, Metric, Danny Tenaglia, Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Murs, Dimitri from Paris, Autolux, Stars, The Field, Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Cool Kids, Sons & Daughters, Sia, Holy F*ck, Black Mountain, Annuals, Kid Sister with A-Trak, Modeselektor, Duffy, I'm from Barcelona, Manchester Orchestra, Deadmau5, AUSTIN TV, Grand Ole Party, Shout Out Louds, Plasticines, Brett Dennen

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Labels: Coachella 2008, Coachella Videos, Coachella Webcast, Festivals

Coachella 2008 - April 25-26 - kicks off tomorrow in the desert of southern California. Here's the full skinny on the event, with stages, maps, artists and performance times.

Survival Guide for Coachella festival-goers (Press-Enterprise) - Summarized information on how to stay cool and hydrated, protecting yourself from the sun by wearing hats and sunscreen (there is almost no shaded areas at Empire Fields), what you can and cannot bring and food options (plastic not accepted, so bring cash because ATM lines are usually very long).

You can view an Excel sheet of all three days performances (thanks to NoInput) or check out the official Coachella customizable schedule here.

More Coachella 2008 news and features:

- Coachella releases schedule (sixsquare)
- Coachella 2008 Set Times Unveiled (Spin)
- Mouse's Coachella Saturday Schedule (Classical Geek Theatre)
- Coachella Schedules in PDF format (MyDesert)

Crave Online has released a Music Guide to Coachella 2008 with a detailed line-up of artists not to miss and in-depth review of performers and other events.

And of course, check out the Coachella website for all the latest. You may want to watch the AT&T BlueRoom telecast which really needs to step it up this year, especially after the huge controversy from Lollapalooza 2007 when Eddie Vedder's anti-Bush statements were censored by AT&T, although the company says it was an accident. Yeah, and I'm King Tut.

However, perhaps to AT&T's horror, rumors are flying around that Eddie Vedder may make a surprise appearance at Coachella this weekend. You can almost bet that if he does, he will say something to irk AT&T, so don't be surprised if they pull the plug on him again, should he make the rumored surprise appearance.

Labels: Coachella, Coachella 2008, Coachella Maps, Festivals

The best indie, alternative, rock and pop new CD and MP3 releases of 2008 are pouring in at a dizzlingly pace. This week's New Tracks Tuesday features Tokyo Police Club, Tapes N Tapes, Elf Power, Sleeper Car, Sarandon and The Flight of the Conchords.

Ontario, Canada's quirky quartet Tokyo Police Club mix straight away garage rock with poeticism and post-punk overtures, accompanied by catchy guitar hooks, energy-drenched drumming and infectious melodic bass lines, in their new full-length CD, "Elephant Shell."



MP3: Tokyo Police Club - "In A Cave" from Elephant Shell
Stream: Elephant Shell from MTVU.com


Minneapolis' lo-fi, jamming indie rock outfit Tapes N' Tapes has released their first new album since 2006's widely-acclaimed "The Loon". The CD is full of spirited rock mixed with dark keyboards, experimentation and the band's signature shaky vocals.

MP3: Tapes N’ Tapes – “Hang Them All” from Walk It Off
Stream: Walk It Off from MTVU.com

Athens, Georgia's psychedelic indie pop band Elf Power has returned from sabbatical with a new album In A Cave. The album is a collaborative effort featuring Olivia Tremor Control hero Eric Harris, the Instruments Heather McIntosh and former Of Montreal music man Derek Almstead.
MP3: Elf Power - "Paralyzed" from In A Cave

The El Paso band Sleepercar mixes Americana jingle-laden pop with swirls of alternative folk on their debut album West Texas. Jim Ward, a musician well-heeled in the indie music world for his work with At The Drive-In or Sparta, spent six years working on this album. "Even if you are a bit wary about the whole “Americana” tag, this album is worthy of your attention and may even help expand your musical horizons" says music writer Rich Duncan.

MP3: Sleepercar - "Stumble In" from West Texas

More new or upcoming releases:

MP3: Sarandon - "Welcome" from Kill Twee Pop!

MP3: The Conchords - "Ladies of the World" from Flight of the Conchords
Stream: The Flight of the Conchords

Labels: 2008 Indie Songs, New Tracks Tuesday

According to the official website of Matador Records, Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, has announced the cancellation of part of her 2008 spring tour.

The famous "Nora Jones of indie", Marshall, has canceled her next five shows, reportedly. The announcement, sure to let down hundreds, if not thousands, of ticket holders, comes after the cancellation of Cat Power's concert Thursday night in Tempe, Arizona. Marshall will not be performing tonight in Dallas as scheduled.

Matador Records has said that Cat Power's next five shows will also be canceled, per doctor's orders that a strain on her vocal chords must be meet with rest and no singing.

From what we can gather, the following upcoming shows, including a performance at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis on May 3, 2008, will not go on.

Saturday, April 19 - Dallas, TX at the Palladium Ballroom (canceled)
Sunday, April 20 - Austin, TX at Stubb's - Outside (canceled)
Tuesday, April 22 - Houston, TX at the Warehouse (canceled)
Saturday, May 3 - Memphis, TN Beale Street Music Festival (canceled)

The following dates have not been confirmed as being canceled yet:

Monday, May 26 - Lisbon, Portugal at Lisbon Coliseum
Wednesday, May 28 - Porto, Portugal at Porto Coliseum

See more concert dates for Cat Power's 2008 tour schedule.

MP3: Cat Power - The Greatest

The following is a YouTube video of Cat Power playing "Lived in Bars":

Labels: Cat Power, Chan Marshall

Since their formation in 2004, and a widely applauded debut album and series of performances at the South by Southwest festival, Glasgow, Scotland's indie pop band Frightened Rabbit has emerged in greater frequency on music websites and blogs in the past few months, largely based on their new sophomore release The Midnight Organ Fight.

MP3: The Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit

The digital version of the album was released this week and CD version of the album will be officially released on April 29th on Fat Cat Records.

- Frightened Rabbit interview with Stereogum
- MySpace: Frightened Rabbit
- Pitchfork review of The Midnight Organ Fight
- Elbo.ws review and tracks off Frightened Rabbit's new release

According to the band's record label:

Frightened Rabbit's performance and interview from this year's SXSW festival will feature on Rockfeedback TV on CH4 on 19 April...and 25th April.

Labels: 2008 Indie Releases, Frightened Rabbit, Indie Pop, New Releases, Scottish Indie Bands

The line-up for the 2008 Austin City Limits Festival has just been released.

Headliners for the famous, three-day musical festival in Austin, Texas include Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Beck, Foo Fighters, Gnarls Barkley, N.E.R.D., The Mars Volta, David Byrne, Gnarls Barkley, The Raconteurs, Vampire Weekend, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, Iron & Wine, Hot Chip, Okkervil River, Jamie Lidell, Jenny Lewis, CSS and Spiritualized.

Other musicians and bands set to play in the ACL Festival 2008 line-up include:

Jamie Lidell, Man Man, Jenny Lewis, Stars, M. Ward, Drive-By Truckers, Neko Case, John Fogerty, Roky Erickson, Del the Funky Homosapien, Silversun Pickups, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Swell Season, José González, Yeasayer, Octopus Project, Against Me!, Erykah Badu, MGMT, Manu Chao, Tegan and Sara, The Kills, Mates of State, Antibalas, Gogol Bordello, What Made Milwaukee Famous, and White Denim.

What do you think of the line-up? Who else would you like to see play Austin City Limits in 2008?

Stream a mashup of this year's ACL performers from Cassettes Won't Listen

Stay tuned for profiles, videos, MP3s, schedules and more from this year's Austin City Limits Festival.

Labels: 2008 Music Festivals, Austin City Limits Festival 2008, Festivals

Based on visitor traffic, comments and your email requests, people want more music festival news, updates, line-ups and more for 2008 music festivals - perhaps the biggest year for music festivals worldwide.

Coachella, less than two weeks away, has just added Prince as a headliner. It's really helpful that he returned to his original namesake rather than that symbol (thanks Prince). Also the Coachella line-up rumors that Goldfrapp and Aphex Twin have been added have been confirmed.

MP3: Fly Me Away - Goldfrapp

The Virgin Mobile Festival, set for August 9-10, 2008 at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, has yet to release the official, full line-up of artists for this year's festival, but the headliners already announced include Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and Stone Temple Pilots.

Get more details at the Virgin Festival official website.

Tickets for the UK Reading and Leeds Festival sold out in record time. To see why, here’s the official line-up for 2008.

Video: The Killers - When You Were Young



Headliners for both fests include include Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, The Killers, Metallica, The Raconteurs, Editors, Bloc Party, Manic Street Preachers, Justice and Bullet for My Valentine. The dates of the festivals are from August 22-26, 2008.

MP3: Die in the Summertime - Manic Street Preachers

Organizers have canceled the Isle of Skye Festival in Scotland due to mounting debts. Nice work, guys!
The Flaming Lips have announced that they plan to debut their long-awaited movie "Christmas on Mars" at this year's Sasquatch Festival in Washington State on Sunday, May 25. The following day, Monday, May 26, the Flaming Lips will close out the festival with a predictably flashy set.

Other headliners set to play the Northwest's largest outdoor festival - and voted by Pollstar as the best outdoor fest in the U.S. - include Modest Mouse, The Cure, Death Cab For Cutie, Built to Spill, Rodrigo y Gabriela, MIA, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Mars Volta, REM and The National.

Video: Modest Mouse: Dramamine (many of MM's vids on YouTube have been disabled for embedding; hmmmm....)



Non-headliners, but not less note-worthy, include bands such as Mates of State, Rogue Wave, Beirut, Okkervil River, Grand Archives, Cold War Kids, The Kooks, White Rabbits, Throw Me the Statue, Ghostland Observatory, The Hives, Battles, Yeasayer and many more. Here's the full line-up.

The Celebrate Brooklyn summer music concert series kicks off for the 30th year in Prospect Park beginning in June.

Artists and bands slated to play Prospect Park include Issac Hayes (June 12); Cold War Kids (June 26); Brazilian Girls (July 11); Beth Orton and Matt Munister (July 12); Deerhoof (July 18).

Related stories:

Outdoor music festival are bigger and better than ever
TradingMarkets.com

Have festivals gone middle-aged?
UK Sunday Times

Rocking on, Lollapalooza-style
Chicago Tribune

Stadium rock: this summer's big noise
UK Telegraph

More 2008 music festival news, updates and profiles coming soon. In the meantime, see the Festivals page or save this site to your feed reader.

Labels: 2008 Rock Festivals, Indie Rock News, New Releases

The Isle of Skye Music Festival has been canceled by organizers for running out of money. Festival organizers reportedly fell into the red by $500,000 Pounds. I'd love to know how and who screwed this up, especially in a year when music festivals are raking in cash. The Reading and Leeds festivals' sold out in just days.

That's bad news for all the rock fans in Scotland who planned to attend this year's festival - which was considered the most "fan-friendly" of all festivals in Europe in 2006.

So, for the memories, here's some audio and video from past Isle of Skye Music festivals.

Here's some memories:

A six-minute set from Kasabian performing at the 2007 Skye Festival:



Video of Echo and the Bunnymen (post punk icons) performing "Lips Like Sugar" at Skye Fest 07:

Labels: 2008 Music Festivals, Festivals, Isle of Skye Festival

The Canadian Broadcast Company's disbandment of its classical music division and traveling orchestra series last month has produced outrage from Canadians across the country.

Yesterday, in eight cities throughout Canada, including Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver, protesters demonstrated outside CBC offices.

The CBC's reaction: "We have a mandate as a national public broadcaster … to represent the musical diversity and creativity in the country, and that's exactly what we're going to do. Classical, yes, but other kinds of music as well." [Full article].

John Terauds, a classical music critic, wrote to the Toronto Star, essentially agreeing with the CBC's decision in the interest of 'indie pop and rock':

Wouldn’t it be nice if our portal truly reflected the country – so our rich and ever-regenerating indie pop and rock artists and burgeoning world and world-fusion musicians can get equal airtime (and bandwidth) with the venerable Toronto and Montreal symphony orchestras?That’s where Radio 2 is going – while still guaranteeing listeners several hours of classical programming every day. We should be proud – not angry – that the CBC is willing to take this kind of risk.

But Sara Davis Buechner, concert pianist and assistant processor of piano at University of British Columbia, strongly disagrees with Terauds, writing in the Vancouver Sun:

Anthony Tommasini has written some excellent columns recently in the New York Times about the astonishing interest in classical music being shown by young people through hits on the Internet, downloads, in Facebook groups and the like, on YouTube and Naxos, etc.

Classical music...is hotter than ever and our halls are filled with young people eager to challenge their ears and imagination. They want more and better, not less and worse. How is chucking one of the best new music groups in the country serving them?

Commercial stations exist aplenty full of indie rock and pop. The CBC need not compete with them. CBC-2 is not a moldy blanket. It’s a public trust with an obligation to the cultural history of the Nation of Canada.

Personally, what I didn't find in reading about the CBC's disbanding of the orchestra series is any mention that one of Canada's most popular music groups ever, Arcade Fire, helped bring attention to classical instruments by regularly incorporating strings in their music, both in the studio and in concert.Here's the full version of the one of Arcade Fire's song that made string instruments 'cool' with many fans and had a ripple effect (Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend, The Ramonovs, etc.) - that may or may not be a trend.

MP3: Arcade Fire -Neighbourhoods #1

Related Article: Indie Rock Gets It Very Own String Quartet

Featured on the release of the string tribute quartet covers from Vitamin Records is Arcade Fire's Neighbourhoods [audio clip] and Death Cab for Cutie [audio clip].

All said, the demise of classical music anywhere cannot be a good thing because classical music is the basis for all modern popular music.

So, in conclusion, while the CBC may have decided to axe a huge chunk of classical programming in the interests of appealing to a younger generation that wants indie and alternative pop and rock music, I don't think classical music will vanish, but this is just another example of the attrition classical music has had with the 'masses' for decades.

Labels: Canadian Music, CBC, Classical Music, Indie and Classical, Music Trends

They made a splash at South by Southwest, which says a lot nowadays in the world of 'indie' music. With their soft harmonies and breezy melodies, Wye Oak have risen in popularity on music blogs in recent months. Not only that, but Wye Oak can also rock, demonstrated by the indie rock song "Warning".

Now the band, consisting of members of Jenn Wasner (guitar, vocals) and Andy Stack (drums, vocals), have released their debut album If Children on the popular independent label Merge Records.

The Baltimore duo's music has been compared to Stars and Bodies of Water and their music role models include Elliot Smith and Yo La Tengo (that's some awesome influence!), which is evident in listening to their tracks.

Purchase If Children via Merge Records

MP3: Wye Oak - Family Glue from If Children via Box.net

MP3: Wye Oak - Obituary from If Children via from Box.net

MP3: Wye Oak - Warning from If Children via Merge Records

Stream more songs from If Children on the band's official mp3 page

Wye Oak's Tour Dates:

4/10 - The G-Spot (CD Release Party), Baltimore, MD
4/11 - The Sugar Tank, Lancaster, PA
4/12 - Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
4/13 - The Black Cat, Washington, DC
5/01 - Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh, PA
5/02- Over the Top Festival, Toronto, ON
5/03 - Valentine's Downstairs, Albany, NY
5/04 - Great Scott, Boston, MA

Wye Oak Official Website Wye Oak on MySpace

Labels: Album: If Children, Free Indie MP3s, Merge Records, New Artists, New Releases, Virgin Festival 2007 Baltimore, Wye Oak

Each Tuesday, IRC features a half-dozen new indie tracks from alternative musicians and groups. This week's featured tracks include songs from Australia's indie electronic band Cut, Copy; Prague's new indie buzz band Airfare; Seattle's newest hot indie popsters Throw Me The Statue; Oxford, England's electronic pop group Foals; Missouri's oddly named Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Louisiana's own The Breeders.

Labels: 2008 Indie Releases, 2008 Indie Songs, New Tracks Tuesday

Looks like there will be a lot more lollas than loozas for Lollapalooza 2008. While there are some great artists set to play, Lolla 08 doesn't match up to the powerhouse lineup for Lollapalooza 2007. (PDF file). Here's our report from Lollapalooza 2007.

Stay tuned for Lollapalooza 2008 lineup artist and group profiles, MP3s and streams, links, photos and more Lolla 07 videos.

The official line-up for Lollapalooza 2008 is out thanks to an early leak from The Chicago Sun Times. The Lollapaloozer's organizers 'official' line-up announcement set for today at 8 a.m. EST.

Here's the poster we made up in like 15 minutes after hearing the announcement Sunday night (I know Lolla's is better, but ours was first) : |


Other artists and groups confirmed for Lolla 08 (not listed in the unofficial Lollapalooza poster above):

The Raconteurs
Mark Ronson
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Brand New
Gogol Bordello
Dierks Bentley
Amadou & Mariam
Blues Traveler
John Butler Trio
Girl Talk
Your Vegas
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves
Steel Train
Jamie Lidell
Bang Camaro
Butch Walker
Tally Hall
Spank Rock
White Lies
Brazilian Girls
Magic Wands
Chromeo
Electric Touch
Duffy
Innerpartysystem
The Postelles
The Parlor Mob
Bald Eagle
Mason Jennings
Krista
Ha Ha Tonka
Grizzly Bear
We Go To 11
Sofia Talvik
Booka Shade
Santogold
Dr. Dog
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
The Ting Tings
Kid Sister
Office
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Foals
Uffie
Cadence Weapon
Ferras
De Novo Dahl
Noah and the Whale
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
K'NAAN
Serena Ryder
Newton Faulkner

Check back for profiles of Lollapalooza's 2008 line up artists and groups, plus videos, MP3s, news, stage and location information, schedules, maps, Lolla links and more.

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Labels: Lollapalooza, Lollapalooza 2008, Lollapalooza Lineup, Lollapalooza Tickets, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Wilco

The Lollapalooza 2008 official line-up is supposedly just hours away, so in the meantime, so here are some of the best video performances of Lollapalooza 2007, including LCD Soundsystem, Muse and Regina Spektor. The first set of best videos from Lolla 07 include Pearl Jam and Daft Punk.

LCD Soundsystem is one of the 'rapid risers' in the indie music world offering fans a mix of punk rock styles with electronic beats and keyboards. This clip of their performance performing "All My Friends" at Lollapalooza 2007 helped the band add fuel to their own fire, becoming one of the hottest new bands of 2007. In fact, they were nominated for a number of music awards this year, including a Grammy (the Grammy people know good music?)



Muse performs "Take A Bow" during a live set at Lolla 2007. This video features
a lengthy introduction by some Vegas showman in a fettered yellow jumpsuit and a long audio quote, with the words accompanying on screen, by JFK about the threats to our liberties (which are just about all gone now, thanks George!). Altogether, this is one of the best videos from Lollapalooza 2007. Another shout out to tacvbo.



Regina Spektor performs "Après Moi" in this video performance at Lolla 2007. The video is from the official AT&T Blue Tooth live cast, so the quality is excellent.



Check out Best Lollapalooza Videos, Vol. 1 and official AT&T live casts from Lollapalooza 2007.



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Note: Please submit CDs with a press kit to POB 722, RE, CA 95044 for review.

Labels: Best of Lollapalooza Videos, LCD Soundsystem, Lollapalooza, Lollapalooza 2008, Lollapalooza Videos, Muse, Regina Spector

While waiting for the official Lollapalooza 2008 line-up, here's a look back at Lollapalooza 2007's best performances. Enjoy.

The grunge/alt rock legend Pearl Jam performs "Daughter" and then eases into Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". Always willing to expose the ills of corporations and politicians, Eddie Vedder changes up the lyrics in ABITW to "George Bush leave this world alone/George Bush find yourself another home."

Those lines were censored from the official AT&T Blue Room 'live' (obviously delayed) cast of Lollapalooza 2007, which created a huge uproar in the mainstream and blog music press. AT&T called the censoring of Vedder's words a 'mistake' with the video stream. Yeah, right.



This next clip is from the electronic lightshow duo Daft Punk performing "Robot Rock" with a very interesting and familiar intro. This is a good video, but it gets shaky once the grooves and beats really get moving. It's obvious that amateur videographer tacvbo was being bumped into, but strangely or not, it gives the video an added sense of excitement. Sound quality is excellent for a YouTube concert video.



Did you say more Daft Punk? Cool. Here's a nine-minute long compilation of Daft Punk's set during Lollapalooza 2007 meticulously spliced together by YouTuber trunts297. The shots are further from the stage and there's the shakiness factor (when will YouTube give us tripods?), but overall it's a must-see for DP fans. Sound quality is good.



Stay tuned, more best videos from Lolla 2007 coming soon...

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Labels: Best of Lollapalooza Videos, Daft Punk, Eddie Vedder, Lollapalooza

Today's Music Festival Round Up Report, Part One:

- Bamboozle Left is on this weekend in Irvine, Califronia. Get a report, see the lineup and sample some of the fest performers' MP3s. Read more...

- The V Festival in Australia is losing money, according to billionaire tycoon Richard Branson, but he says in the long-run it will be worth it. Nevertheless, tens of thousands have turned out for the second years of the Down Under's traveling festival, which continues this weekend. Read more...

- The official line-up for Lollapalooza 2008 will be announced only hours from now and there will be a full guide to Lollapalooza posted here when it does, including the full line up of artists, videos and MP3s of the best Lolla performances and artists of last year's event. In the meantime, here's all the news for Lollapalooza 2008, including rumored headliners, ticket sales and the wait game. Read more...

- South by Southwest 2008 was another resounding success, proving once again that it is the king of all festivals for just about everything currently hot, and up and coming, in the world we call indie rock music, film and art.

Here are a series of articles about SxSW, and just in case you didn't get enough of the popular music festival, the following links provide more from SxSW:

- http://www.emediawire.com/releases/sxsw/2008/prweb815894.htm - An argument for why South by Southwest is the best music festival of all the others around the world to attend.

- http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1583193&pid=2837741 – Gallery of SXSW 2008 photos

- http://stereogum.com/tag/sxsw - Stereogum's full coverage of SouthBy is worth checking out for South by Southwest fans and those curious about what SxSW is all about.

Check back or get the feed; more festival news coming throughout the next week to keep you completely briefed on everything that's going on (with focus on the major music festivals for practical reasons) for 2008 music festivals around the world.

Labels: 2008 Music Festivals, Bamboozle Left Festival, Festivals, Lollapalooza, V Festival Australia

The Bamboozle Left Fesival kicks off today, April 5th in Irvine, California and extends through the end of Sunday, April 6th.

Check back regularly for updates from Bamboozle Left's weekend festival and get blog and media reports, photographs and videos, plus MP3s and streams of profiled artists.

Performing today on one of six stages at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (I hate how so many of our music, sporting and other venues and events have surrendered their namesakes to brands of capitalism; it really takes the 'organic' feel out of the event and makes you wonder why you still pay so much for tickets) include:

- All American Rejects [mp3: It Ends Tonight], Josephine Collective, Alkaline Trio [mp3: Radio], Daphne Love Derby, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore [mp3: Pressure], New Found Glory, The Bouncing Souls, The Starting Line and Valencia to name a few.

But there really are no 'big headliners' at Bamboozle Left that other music fests for 2008 can brag about.

Then again, the full line-up is not all that bad for the $45 single day tickets at the door, but with the dragging economy, fears of a recession and rip-off gas prices, the single day ticket price is still a bit pricey. Why not $70 for a two-day pass?

If you're in the Irvine area and decide to go the festival last through the end of Sunday. Check back for more lineup information, performances, music, videos, blog and media reports.

Labels: 2008 Music Festivals, Bamboozle Left Festival, Coachella, Festivals, Lollapalooza 2008, South by Southwest, V Festival

Former Pavement frontman and one of the original trailblazers that delivered 'indie' music to the masses during the 1990s, Stephen Malkmus, appeared on FOX News' (nice move man; that really appeals to Pavement fans...) program "RedEye" last Friday (at 3 am - when every one's watching) and, well, disappointed some fans, including yours truly, with his apparent snooty and less-than-dignified persona.

Maybe I'm over-reacting, but the interview (watch the video segment) speaks for itself. It's a good educated guess that many Pavement/Malkmus fans may get a different opinion of the 'indie rock sensation' after seeing this clip. Maybe it's just me (although other bloggers were left with a luke warm feeling as well). Is Malkmus a FOX News type of 'thinker'? If so, what a let down.

Not only did Malkmus actually agree to do an interview on FOX News, but he also made what some consider a semi-racist remark, not surprising for a guest on FOX News, but this guy is a representative of indie rock. In another interview, Malkmus compares his music more to the 'underground' than the 'indie fashion.' What?!

Steve, you're not underground at all; you're a multi-millionaire preppy rock star - hardly an 'underground' musician. Even if Malkmus means 'underground' in an artistic sense - that is "holding unorthodox views in an environment where conventional ideas dominate" - he's the one that went on FOX News and acted like a pompous ass.

In response to the question from the always annoying (maybe that's why he's on when no one's watching) Greg Gutfeld about the origin of the word 'jick' (Malkmus' band name is the Jicks), Malkmus said: "I don't know what ghetto that comes from" and went on to elaborate that he believes it means someone who is "between a dick and a jerk." Irony?

Fame often kills the 'indie' in a musician, and yeah Malkmus has made some of the greatest grunge and indie rock ever, but watching this interview left me with a stomach ache. This is the guy who was the force behind Pavement and he's doing a stupid, 'I'm-all-that' interview on FOX News with Greg Gutfeld, who asked one stupid question after another.

It is just head-scratching and disappointing that one of indie rock's most celebrated frontmen would go on FOX News channel and make such an ass of himself with the help of Gutfeld. I wish I'd never seen the damn interview, so if you're a die-hard Pavement fan, you might want to save yourself the trouble and skip it - not 'underground' or true to grunge/indie ideals at all.

The bitch-fest about Malkmus on FOX didn't start here; check out what others had to say:

Stereogum
Pitchfork
Prefix

Just in case you are curious about the debut album Real Emotional Trash, here's a free, legal track off the new album:

MP3: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Baltimore from the new album Real Emotional Trash

* Maybe Malkmus should go to a 'ghetto' somewhere and ask around what 'jick' means and come back to us and explain to us what he meant by the "I-don't-know-what-ghetto-that-comes-from" remark. And perhaps, he could clarify that whether he really thinks he's in the same league as Bach and if he endorses FOX News distorted agenda of blatant support and advocacy of the right-wing agenda. (Ugh)

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Labels: 2008 Indie Rock, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus

This week's New Tracks Tuesday features The Annuals, Beach House, Sufjan Stevens, Kevin Drew of BSS, Matmos and Ladytron.

Labels: 2008 Indie Songs, Kevin Drew, New Tracks Tuesday, Sufjan Stevens