Ke$ha Slams Britney- Original Sugerbabes Vs Current Sugerbabes- Susan Boyle Dreams of Juno- Debbie Rowe Wins Judgment- Burt Reynolds Heart Surgery and more

Today's "well duh!" story: Jessica Simpson has refused to accept an apology from ex-boyfriend John Mayer over comments he made about her sex skills in a racy Playboy magazine article. more
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Rites of Spring Music Festival 2010 To Feature Drake, Ben Harper, Phoenix and Passion Pit

While most are trying to keep warm during one of the coldest winters the Southeast has seen in years, The Music Group at Vanderbilt University is already gearing up for the warm days of spring and the annual pilgrimage music lovers make to its Rites of Spring Music Festival. Taking place on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24, 2010, the Rites of Spring Music Festival is the perfect kick-off to the spring season and the best place to see some of the hottest talents in music, including Drake, BEN HARPER and Relentless7, Phoenix, and Passion Pit.

Canadian hip-hop star Drake has quickly risen up the charts since his first mixtape release in 2006, ironically titled, Room for Improvement. His third and highly acclaimed 2009 mixtape So Far Gone was named "The Hottest Mixtape of 2009" by MTV. His single from that mixtape, "Best I Ever Had" landed at #1 on Billboard Rap Chart and #2 on Billboard Hot 100 in July 2009, making Drake only the second artist (after Nelly Furtado) to have his/her first two top ten hits in the same week. Drake's quick rise to fame has led to collaborations with artists such as Jay-Z, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West and a show-stopping performance with Lil Wayne and Eminem at the 2010 Grammy Awards. His debut album, Thank Me Later will be released this spring.

Grammy award-winner Ben Harper is currently playing some of the most exciting music of his career with BEN HARPER and Relentless7. A straight up American rock group, Relentless7 has become an exhilarating staple among major music festivals. After lead guitarist Jason Mozersky played a demo for him in the late '90s, Harper invited Mozersky and friends (future Relentless7 members) to play on his 2006 album Both Sides of the Gun. Released in May 2009, their first album, White Lies for Dark Times, is a timeless rock record: raw, unrelenting, haunting, thunderous and emotional. - more on this story

The Very Best Line-up Some Shows

The Very Best return this month for a series of shows including March 12 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, March 16 at Bottom Lounge in Chicago and several South by Southwest shows in Austin (please see below for current schedule of performances, more dates will be announced soon).

The group consisting of European production duo Radioclit and Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya garnered extensive critical acclaim following the October release of their debut album Warm Heart of Africa - dates

Air App

EMI Music/Astralwerks recording artists Air, the French electronic pop duo, have teamed up with London-based music technology company RjDj to create an innovative App, "Love by AIR," for the iPhone, which allows fans to experience Air's music in a unique, immersive way.

Fans can choose from five different "soundscapes," and then use the App's features to transform the musical experience in real-time by sampling and processing ambient sounds, the fan's own voice and more into Air's own music.

Fans can also record their own messages or performances with the application, allowing them to share their own unique productions of Air's music with their friends, and with the world. - more on this story

TRUTHLiVE UnLearning MP3

As the release of TRUTHLiVE's free EP, The UnLearning approaches, the Cali-based MC/DJ/Producer is letting loose the fifth and final leak before the EP's release next week, and giving one final introduction by releasing the EP's title track, "The UnLearning."

Featuring production by Vitamin D, who has worked with artists including 50 Cent and Redman, "The UnLearning," which also serves as the EP's lead track, bears a personal feeling, as TRUTHLiVE introduces himself to the world. Starting off with rhythmic and heavy drumbeats, a rolling bass line, and triumphant horns, TRUTHLiVE's voice soon takes command of the beat, as he raps about his dedication to the art form he loves. "It's my passion, no way that I can mask it/ My heart in every line, every track, every facet," raps the emcee, reinforcing the authenticity that he layers into every one of his songs. Recording the song in one take, what you see is what you get, and TRUTHLiVE was so happy with the natural feeling of the way the vocals came out, he decided to keep things just how they were. "I made some mistakes delivering with the lyrics compared to how they were written, but when I heard the playback, I actually liked the mistakes," explains TRUTHLiVE. "It has the feeling of a sincere, almost desperate plea."

TRUTHLiVE's The UnLearning EP will be available for free download next week, while his full-length album, Patience, produced entirely by Jake One, will be available April 20, 2010 via Interdependent Media. - grab the mp3 here

Jana Mashonee Sets New Album Release

Miss Molly Records proudly announces the release of GRAMMY nominated, eight time NAMMY (Native American Music Award) winner Jana Mashonee's album New Moon Born on April 27, 2010 through RED – A Division of Sony Music Entertainment/BDG. Miss Molly Records is the first Native American owned label to be distributed by RED/BDG.

New Moon Born showcases Jana's powerfully sensitive, soulful vocals performing eighteen tracks of musical adventure, from gentle R&B ballads to tear the roof off rhythmic instant classics. As one critic put it, "I could listen to her sing the phonebook." He won't have to - her songwriting is at once deeply personal yet universal with a melodic and lyric sense that belies her age. Produced by Stephan Galfas, internationally renowned for his work with artists like Cher, Meat Loaf, and Kool & the Gang, the album bears his signature sound, seamlessly blending contemporary R&B and urban with pop, world and Native American flavors.

Featured tracks on New Moon Born are a heart wrenching version of Sam Cooke's classic, "A Change is Gonna Come," and Jana's own "Solid Ground," her promise to be there when all seems lost. - more on this story

Jennie Arnau Chasing Giants in April

Chasing Giants, set for an April 13th release on MRI, is the follow up to Jennie Arnau's 2007 release, Mt. Pleasant. Jennie Arnau creates a unique blend of New York-nurtured South Carolina-born Grassroots rock. Her original blend of Americana, Alt-Country and rock along with her bold and bittersweet voice have lead more than one critic to describe her as a cross between Neil Young and Martina McBride.

It's a sly underground sound that's born of urban grit, rowdy southern sensibilities and perfectly suits this native South Carolina singer. It's not a voice that has gone unnoticed either. Chuck Eddy of the Village Voice praises her "husky uplift and rhythmic wallop rarely heard in the female-folkie field," while No Depression raves "Jennie's voice is strong without sacrificing its femininity." Singer Magazines goes on to spotlight Jennie's ability to "pierce your heart one moment, then turn right around and calm your spirit the next."

Determined to find a producer who would understand her alchemy of grassroots Americana and indie rock, Jennie enlisted the help of Trina Shoemaker (Sheryl Crow, Queens of the Stone Age, Emmylou Harris). The two, along with recording engineer Phil Palazzolo (Neko Case, The New Pornographers), quickly began work on CHASING GIANTS. - more on this story

Scott Hardkiss EP

The new EP from Scott Hardkiss Come On, Come On (Part II) which features all new remixes that take the unique track into completely different sonic territories! Dean & Britta, Joaquin "Joe" Claussell, and DJ Phunkae each put their own spin on Scott Hardkiss' original song "Come On, Come On" off his album Technicolor Dreamer.

In their gorgeous downtempo remix, NYC indie darlings Dean & Britta (formerly of Luna) reimagine the song into a psychedelic rock meets intimate electronic chill-out ballad with beats, keys, and dreamy vocals by Britta Phillips and tripped-out space guitars by Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500). Scott Hardkiss delivers his own signature uplifting club mix in both vocal & dub versions that effortlessly shifts between breaks and 4/4 beats in an anthemic tribute to all the old school Hardkiss-heads. The legendary Joaquin "Joe" Claussell of Body & Soul and Sacred Rhythm unleashes two brand-new remixes that push the boundaries of dance music by combining fiery house & techno with experimental jazz in a startling way that's sure to bring the more adventurous dancefloors to their knees. Electro-funk master DJ Phunkae (Real Hype/ Kick It) brings it all back home and tips his hat to the funky 90's US breaks style that first Scott made famous in a seriously fun breakbeat jam, also available here in both vocal & instrumental versions.

"Come On, Come On" featuring Lisa Shaw was the shot heard round the world for Scott Hardkiss' debut Technicolor Dreamer album on his Brooklyn-based boutique label God Within Recordings. This beautifully unique song fuses futuristic electronic beats & production with live instrumentation and jaw-droppingly beautiful vocals written by Scott and sung by Lisa Shaw of Salted/Naked Music into a danceable but emotionally-drenched anthem that has been hailed as a "future classic" and a slice of "breakbeat Buddhism." The original Come On, Come On EP featured remixes of the stunning song by Morgan Geist of Metro Area & Environ and Joe Claussell of Body & Soul and received overwhelmingly positive feedback and support from a vastly wide range of club and radio DJs worldwide, so get ready for Come On, Come On (Part II) EP! - more on this story

Grupo Fantasma Set Release

Grupo Fantasma have been doing things their own way for over a decade now, which continues with the highly anticipated and self-produced 'El Existential' out May 11, 2010 on Nat Geo Music.

An exceptional follow-up to their Grammy nominated 'Sonidos Gold' (2008), this new effort's love for exploration using the sounds and fundamentals of traditional Latin styles is uniquely reminiscent of Fania Records; and GF, like Fania's staple of artists in its prime, has been on the corner long enough to not only be tough, resilient and self-assured, but also be mature enough to turn out top quality material repeatedly on its own terms.

For 'El Existential' the band opted to bypass the traditional studio route and installed a custom built facility in a three bedroom rental house in their hometown of Austin, Texas. Their goal: to immerse themselves in a collectively occupied homestead so they could create communally in a non-corporate, domestic atmosphere engineered to foster collaboration and experimentation. Special guests on the album include the legendary pianist Larry Harlow (who also appeared on 'Sonidos Gold') and guitar wizard Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets. - more on this story