Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies

"It was, as Mary always was, honest and completely authentic," he said. "That's the way she sang, too; honestly and with complete authenticity."
- Noel 'Paul' Stookey's comments and a lot more about Mary and her career

American Chicken Farmer Has Apparently Got The Most Talent

AP reports: Kevin Skinner flew the coop with the grand prize on "America's Got Talent." The singing chicken farmer from Mayfield, Ky., was awarded the NBC talent competition's $1 million grand prize and a headlining spot at a Las Vegas show.

Skinner received the most viewer votes on Wednesday's season finale, overcoming runner-up Barbara Padilla, an opera singer from Houston, and eight other finalists. The win brought Skinner to tears.

The humble country singer will headline an "America's Got Talent" show at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino hosted by Jerry Springer in October. - more on this story

Abercrombie & Fitch Raise A Fierce Stink With Beyonce

Yahoo reports: Abercrombie & Fitch, the apparel chain known for its racy marketing and casual look, has sued Beyonce Knowles to try and stop the singer from launching a new line of fragrances.

In a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, Abercrombie claims a fragrance under the singer's "Sasha Fierce" label "poses a likelihood of confusion" with the retailer's own "Fierce" brand.

Media reports say Knowles, the former Destiny's Child frontwoman whose hits include "Single Ladies," "Crazy in Love" and "If I Were a Boy," plans to start selling a fragrance in early 2010 in partnership with perfumers Coty Inc. - But is this a big stink over nothing?

Chris Brown Weeds For Rihanna Beating

AP reports: Chris Brown cleared weeds and debris at police horse stables in Virginia on Wednesday for the first day of his 180-day court-ordered community service for beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

The 20-year-old R&B singer worked along with two others who were serving probation, clearing tall weeds and brush by hand and with yard tools. Additional officers were on hand, but only a few fans and television crews gathered nearby.

Dressed in an orange vest, white tank top, baggy jeans and red baseball cap, Brown did not speak to the media but he waved to fans who saw him working. - more on this story

Gossip To Deliver Music For Men in October

PR reports: Gossip's first major label offering of new material, Music For Men, hits stores October 6th. Recorded at Shangri La Studios in Malibu, CA, Music For Men was produced by multi Grammy Award winner Rick Rubin.

Music For Men finds Gossip taking drummer Hanna Billie's pulsating rhythms and guitarist Brace Paine's raucous whaling to a whole new level. Syncopated beats, punk rock attitude, dance energy and ominous bass thumps provide the perfect canvas for the unique vocal power and range of the band's renowned front woman Beth Ditto.

"Heavy Cross," the first single from Music For Men, draws you in with Ditto's vulnerable murmurs over a pulsing beat that crescendos into an explosive mix of dance and punk rock anchored by her thunderous wail. "Her voice walks a thin line between tenderness and violence, so that the overall effect strikes one like a ballerina wielding a chainsaw," was how The Observer recently described Ditto's vocal prowess. - more on this story

One eskimO Set Debut Release

Submitted News reports: Shangri-La Music recording group One eskimO has announced the upcoming release of its much-admired and anticipated self-titled debut. The collection arrives on September 22.

The band will be touring in the U.S. in support of the album, beginning in New York City on September 15th . This time, the band will be playing shows on their own club tour, offering audiences the opportunity to experience their dreamlike, ethereal sound in an appropriately intimate setting. The tour will include a performance at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live, to air on NPR stations.

The London-based band recently wrapped up a successful North American tour with Tori Amos, who hand-picked One eskimO as support. The band impressed audiences and gained new fans at every show
- more on this story

Never Shout Never In The Studio With Butch Walker

Warner Bros reports: Christofer Drew, the 18-year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist who records under the alias Never Shout Never, is putting the finishing touches on his first Sire Records full-length album with noted producer Butch Walker (Weezer, Katy Perry, Pete Yorn). Recorded in both Los Angeles and London (at the world-famous Abbey Road Studio), the as-yet-untitled album will be released by Sire / Loveway Records in 2010.

Drew will hit the road this fall for a series of headlining dates, culling tunes for his set from his upcoming album, as well as from the three EP's he released on his own Loveway Records, including his latest, The Summer EP, which broke into the iTunes Top 10 Album chart in June. Carter Hulsey and Now Now Every Children will provide support on the bill. In November, Drew will hit the road with Dashboard Confessional for a nationwide support tour. Please see below for all dates.

Never Shout Never is the brainchild of Drew, who was born in San Diego but spent most of his life in Joplin, MO, where he resides when not touring. In 2008, he began writing and recording songs in his basement and self-released The Yippee EP, which has sold more than 30,000 copies and hundreds of thousands of individual tracks. As an unsigned artist, Never Shout Never quickly built a grassroots following via MySpace, where it has been one of the site's top artists for more than a year, averaging more than 100,000 plays a day and racking up more than 77 million total plays. - more on this story

Athlete Set US Release and Shows

PR reports: Since bouncing to prominence seven years ago with the spirited, electro-tinged, indie-pop of their Mercury-nominated debut, Vehicles And Animals, Athlete have established themselves among the UK's finest songsmiths. The southeast Londoners have sold more than a million copies of their three hit albums (the other two being 2005's Tourist and 2007's Beyond The Neighbourhood); packed out venues across the world; picked up an Ivor Novello award; and topped both the UK's album and airplay charts.

Athlete is now set to return with their finest work to date, Black Swan, which will be released early next year on Original Signal Recordings in the U.S.

In advance of the release of Black Swan, Athlete will release their first single "The Getaway" as a digital EP on November 3rd. On the same day, the band will arrive in New York for a special one off U.S. performance to preview the album live at the Bowery Ballroom the evening of November 3rd. - more on this story

Joe Firstman Moves To Rock Ridge

PR reports: Independent record label Rock Ridge Music has had an exciting summer with growth and chart success. TV star and singer-songwriter Joe Firstman is a new management client, and plans to release his brand new studio album with the company.

Firstman, a homegrown acoustic rocker who calls Los Angeles home, has made his mark on the road, in the studio and on television over the past decade. Firstman spent the past several years as the leader of the house band on NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly."

While Firstman enjoyed the years in television, he is now embracing his commitment to his own music, both in the studio and on stage. His next album, "El Porto," will be released on Rock Ridge Music in early 2010. Firstman joins Sister Hazel, Benjy Davis Project, Tony Lucca, Andrew Hoover, Ernie Halter and others on the Rock Ridge Music management client roster. - more about recent Rock Ridge happenings

Meg & Dia Hitting The Road With Dashboard Confessional and Never Shout Never

Warner Bros reports: Fresh off of their summer-long stint on the Van Warped Tour, Meg & Dia will hit the road for an extensive fall tour with Dashboard Confessional and Never Shout Never. Meg & Dia will tour the East Coast and Midwest with Warner Bros. Records' label-mates Never Shout Never beginning in October, then continue on with Never Shout Never and New Found Glory as they support Dashboard Confessional on a U.S. tour that begins November 8th.

Meg & Dia are on the road supporting their new album, Here, here and here, which was released April 21st on Warner Bros. Records. Meg & Dia will perform songs from the new album, including their current single "Black Wedding," as well as favorites from their debut album Something Real, including the singles "Monster" and "Roses."

A New York Times "Critic's Choice" pick, Here, here and here was recorded with producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All American Rejects) in Los Angeles. Over the course of its 13 brand-new studio tracks (written entirely by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton), the album chronicles the past few years in the life of this young, hardworking band, which is made up of Meg (guitar, vocals), Dia (lead vocal), Nick Price (drums), Carlo Gimenez (guitar), and Jonathan Snyder (bass). Here, here and here showcases Meg & Dia's distinctive brand of pop-rock by incorporating new instrument arrangements with their already intense signature style lyrics. - more on this story

90210 The Soundtrack

PR reports: CBS Records will release a specially produced soundtrack for the television series 90210 on Tuesday, October 13. Soundtrack 90210 features 14 brand new tracks from Adele with The Raconteurs, N.E.R.D. featuring Santigold, JET, The All-American Rejects, Anberlin, MuteMath, Owl City, OK Go and Parachute, all set for placement in 90210 episodes during the 2009 - 2010 season.

Last night's episode of 90210, "To Sext Or Not To Sext," featured a brand new song from OK Go, "I Want You So Bad," which marked the first placement in an episode of a song from the forthcoming soundtrack.

90210 executive producer Rebecca Sinclair and music supervisor Scott Vener listened to dozens of submitted tracks before choosing the ones best suited for the show's upcoming storylines. Soundtrack 90210 stands apart from television show soundtracks which merely compile a selection of songs that were heard in a series' previous episodes. - more on this story

Serendipity Is Back For One Night Only!

Submitted News reports: Our last Serendipity bash was a huge success- the one-time event received such acclaim support that Tree Top Productions and Madera Design have decided to bring it back! Imagination, fashion, music, and performance art, created the setting for the swankiest and most artistic party of the summer. Now, Serendipity is here again, just in time to celebrate the month of fantasy.

On October 17th, a fantastic 3,600 sq. ft. warehouse space in Downtown, LA will morph into the second installment of a lively enchanted forest offering an abundance of art, music, theatre, cuisine, and other noteworthy performance artists.

The exclusive event, aptly titled Serendipity, features renowned artist Leila Fakouri's design and art installation works, from her full design company, Madera Design. Percussion gurus like The Derf Reklaw 3 and deejays Carlos Niño (Dublab & Cinespia) and Anthony Valadez (KCRW) will provide the soundtrack to the festivity. Agent Red formerly of Lucent Dossier will enthrall the guests with her aerial arts. - more on this story

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