Model Catches Fire At Diddy Party-Gucci Mane Arrested?- DMX Sentenced- Blake Edwards RIP- Justin Bieber For Twits- Twins for Mariah- Backstreet New Kids New Year's- more

(AFP) US aircraft history buffs are hopeful that tiny bones along with artefacts from the 1930s found on a remote Pacific island may reveal the fate of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart. more more on this story

Aretha Franklin Issues Post Surgery Comment

We received the following announcement on Thursday: Earlier this week, Aretha Franklin was discharged from a Detroit hospital after undergoing surgery that her doctors deemed highly successful!

The Queen of Soul is in great spirits and very happy to be home where she will be resting in anticipation of spending the upcoming holiday season with her family.

"I've been at home for almost three days now. My family and friends who brought me home are taking great care of me. I also have a private nurse who visits on a daily basis. I'm hoping to be strong enough to go out and see the upcoming Sam Cooke play at the Music Hall in Downtown Detroit before January 2, as well as a performance of Dreamgirls at the FOX before it closes." more on this story

David Berkeley Announce New Album and Story Tellers Tour

David Berkeley will release his new album Some Kind of Cure on Jan 25, 2011 via Straw Man and is hitting the road for a set of CD Release Performances to share not only his new compositions, but also the stories behind them.

While living in a 35-person village in the mountains of Corsica, David Berkeley wrote the most haunting and powerful music of his life. Upon returning to the U.S., he began recording a collection of these songs and the resulting work is Some Kind of Cure.

In concert, Berkeley wins crowds over with his low-key charisma and hilarious between song banter. He weaves together fact, fiction and hyperbole into stories that often leave audiences in hysterics, without resorting to obvious punch lines. His on stage narratives rarely repeat themselves and are full of the same astutely observed details that propel his songs. more on this story

Iron and Wine Offer Free Song Download

Iron and Wine is offering "Tree By The River" as a download to fans at the band's official website.

The track is the debut single from Iron and Wine's forthcoming album, Kiss Each Other Clean, to be released January 25th, 2011, through Warner Bros. Records in North America and 4AD in Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Iron and Wine also recently announced 3 select shows in January around the album release, including two shows at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on January 25th and 26th, followed by a show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on January 29th. The band will announce a full spring tour early next year. Grab the free song here

Johnny Cash Receives Grammy Nomination

(HER) Seven years after his passing, the legendary Johnny Cash has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Short Form Music Video." The thoroughly groundbreaking piece, "'Ain't No Grave'/The Johnny Cash Project" is a video for the title track of Cash's final studio recording, last February's American Recordings VI: Ain't No Grave (American Recordings/Lost Highway).

The nominated video is culled from a continually evolving project created frame-by-frame, by tens of thousands of people around the world and is a testament to the life and career of The Man In Black. Cash's passing made it impossible for him to create a video for his last studio album, but in this dynamic crowd-sourced piece, his fans came together to create it for him.

Directed by acclaimed video director Chris Milk, "'Ain't No Grave'/The Johnny Cash Project," is an is an online global collective art project that was launched in April 2010 with a goal of engaging fans from all over the globe in an unprecedented collaborative project: to create a music video for the track "Ain't No Grave." more on this story

Ray LaMontagne Digital EP Coming Next Week

(PR) Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs are set to release their new EP, Live - Fall 2010 exclusively on iTunes on December 21, 2010.

The new EP will feature 5 live recordings from the band's 2010 Fall tour, including 3 songs from the Grammy nominated, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise.

Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs have earned three Grammy nominations, including the penultimate "Song of the Year" nod for their single "Beg Steal or Borrow."

Camp Bisco 10th Anniversary

(PR) Camp Bisco, the three-day music and arts festival founded by The Disco Biscuits will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary when it return to Mariaville, New York this July 7 through 9, 2011.

Throughout its ten year history, Camp Bisco has continued to elevate the level of talent, turning it into one of the country's largest and longest running electronic/rock music festivals.

Named one of the "Top Ten Summer Music Festivals" by Forbes Traveler, the festival has featured performers such as: The Disco Biscuits; LCD Soundsystem; Nas and Damian Marley; Snoop Dogg; Method Man, Ghostface Killah, & Raekwon ("Wu Massacre"); Ween; Kid Cudi; Thievery Corporation; Girl Talk; DJ Shadow; Bassnectar; MSTRKRFT; The Roots; Pretty Lights; Rusko; Diplo; Major Lazer; Chromeo; Holy F#ck; Caribou; Asher Roth; STS9; and !!!. The 2011 lineup will be the most expansive to date, including over 70 acts from around the globe. more on this story

OneRepublic Secrets For Ralph Lauren

Interscope Records and OneRepublic have partnered with Ralph Lauren Fragrances to feature the band's international hit song "Secrets" in the global ad campaign for Ralph Lauren's new men's fragrance launch, The Big Pony Collection.

Broadcast overseas for the past six months, the Big Pony ad will debut on television and online in the U.S. today and run through December 24th. (Watch it here).

"Secrets" is the stirring musical backdrop for a two-minute Big Pony Fragrance Collection video, which was shot by renowned photographer/filmmaker Bruce Weber.
more on this story

Evolett and Page 9 Tour

Evolett will bring in the New Year embarking on their first co-headlining tour with Page 9.

The one-month tour kicks off on January 1st at Eisenber's in Plano, TX (dates listed below).

The band's debut album, For Your Consideration, was produced by Andy Jackson (Hot Rod Circuit, Terrible Things, Death In The Park), Mike Poorman (Piebald, Hot Rod Circuit, Therefore I Am), and mastered by Michael Fossenkemper (Kaki King, Bad Brains). more on this story

Robyn Goes Interactive

Robyn has released a real-time interactive music/video remix beat machine called "We Dance to the Beat."

The new, completely interactive experience - the first of its kind - allows fans to control 100+ video clips and sounds simultaneously. The sounds are parts of Robyn's song "We Dance to the Beat," from her latest album, Body Talk, which has appeared on numerous critics' best-of-2010 lists.

With "We Dance to the Beat," users can choose their own group of sights and sounds, then interact with the clips to manipulate the images and transform the sounds, in perfect sync with the beat. The interactions are stored and repeated, letting the user build patterns and rhythms in real-time. They can then publish their creation to an even larger, ever-evolving stream of unique user-created beats. The concept for the interactive experience was originally developed by Mary Fagot (Creative Director for Blip Boutique) and Johan Belin (Creative Director at Dinahmoe, Stockholm) and brought to life by an international team. Check it out

Jamey Johnson's Golden Guitar Song

Jamey Johnson's 25-song double album, The Guitar Song, has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The effort also recently received two Grammy nominations including the prestigious Country Album of the Year.

"My dream already came true," he says. "All I ever wanted was just to get to ride around and sing country music. It's cool when things like that happen along the way. Because those are the things I never thought I could achieve. Whether or not it's gold or platinum or hell, diamond for that matter, it wouldn't surprise me anymore. I'll just keep doing what I do. I wake up every day and go play some more country music and have another drink." more on this story

Marty Stuart Documentary

(Greenroom) A short form documentary is in the works about American music icon Marty Stuart.

The film shines a light on Stuart's early life and influences in his hometown of Philadelphia, MS and the role it played in the making of his latest album, Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions). Select songs from the album are featured throughout the documentary short, including some candid stories behind the songs. The project, set to premiere in early 2011, is titled "Marty Stuart In Philadelphia, MS," and was helmed by Jacob Hatley, who directed the critically acclaimed "Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm."

"The piece focuses on how music and location work together or how places often inspire and influence artists," explains Hatley. "Marty's sound comes from a very specific region, and it was a real privilege to be able to go down to Mississippi and get to know the people who shaped him as an artist." Preview a clip of the film

Elliott Smith's Goldenboy Sets Release

(Submitted) Eenie Meenie Records has announced the Feb 8, 2011 release of 'Sleepwalker,' the new album by Shon Sullivan under his Elliott Smith coined nickname Goldenboy.

The album was written by Sullivan, demoed in his garage studio and later recorded with full band in two different southern California studios, Intersteller and Leaning Pine.

Veteran producer Don Tayler, who mastered all of Elliott Smith's records, sequenced and mastered the album. Fans of Goldenboy's previous releases will find 'Sleepwalker' showcases Sullivan's talent as songwriter and multi instrumentalist who masters piano, cello, guitar and voice for an unfancy yet affecting pop lushness which dovetails perfectly with the understated charms of the band's previous LPs, including 2006's critically acclaimed 'Underneath the Radio.' more on this story

High School Students Form 2011 Grammy Jazz Ensembles

(PR) 30 talented high school students from across the United States have been selected for positions in the 2011 Grammy Jazz Ensembles.

Their selection launches them into the spotlight surrounding the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and provides them with unparalleled opportunities to perform in front of some of music's biggest names. Since 1993, the GRAMMY Foundation has provided students with this extraordinary musical experience. The students, representing 30 cities and 12 states, will travel to Los Angeles for a weeklong musical adventure under the direction of Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and Dr. Leila Heil of Colorado State University. Many past members of the Grammy Jazz Ensembles go on to enjoy thriving careers as jazz musicians, including several past selectees who are leading bands, including Peter Cincotti (2001), current GRAMMY Nominee for Best Instrumental Composition Gerald Clayton (2002), Grace Kelly (2008), and Aaron Parks (2000).

"Our Grammy Jazz Ensembles program is a hallmark of the Grammy Foundation, and it is truly unique in that it brings together remarkable high school vocalists and instrumentalists from across the country to create a jazz choir, combo and band in the span of a little over a week," said Grammy Foundation and Recording Academy® President/CEO Neil Portnow. "It's a highlight of Grammy Week to experience the talent, dedication and excitement of our Grammy Jazz Ensembles members, and it is inspiring to hear the seamless musicality with which these young artists play with their peers as well as with Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artists. The Grammy Jazz Ensembles program really brings to life the Grammy Foundation's mission of fostering the next generation of music and its makers." more on this story