Grammys Recap and Winners List

During a show memorable for its range of fully fueled performances, the country superstars sang a pitch-perfect medley of tunes that ended with a quiet rendition of the song that launched them, "Need You Now," and shortly afterward collected the Song of the Year Grammy for it (along with co-writer Josh Kear, with whom they also took Best Country Song). But there was plenty more to come for the trio. They also took home the Grammy for Best Country Album for Need You Now. Accepting that award, lead singer Charles Kelley said, "This song has completely flipped our world upside down." By the time Lady Antebellum stood up to collect a trophy for Record Of The Year for "Need You Now," they were in disbelief, and possibly discombobulated: "Oh my gosh, we're so stunned we started walking the wrong direction," said singer Hillary Scott breathlessly. more including winner list

Singled Out: Sims

Today hip-hop star Sims, who is also a member of the MN hip hop collective Doomtree (P.O.S., Dessa, Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger, Cecil Otter, and Mike Mictlan), tells us about "Burn It Down" from his new album "Bad Time Zoo," which hits tomorrow! Here is the story:

Its very rare that a song just comes to me. I am a notoriously slow, meticulous songwriter. I spend entirely too much time making sure each word is the right word not only that it makes sense lyrically but also that it sounds right in the context of the song. "Burn it Down" however was a song that essentially wrote itself.

Doomtree, has weekly meetings to update everybody on the work that has been done over the past week and work that needs to be done. They are the dull but essential side of working in this business. We often try to make them somewhat rewarding when we finish with the business and have drinks, play each other tracks, etc. After this particular meeting in the summer of 2009 Lazerbeak was playing me a batch of new beats he'd made. I was sitting smoking cigarettes in his Camry with Paper Tiger when he played he beat for what would become this song. I vividly remember losing my mind hearing it, so was Paper Tiger. Beak sat there ginning, he knew he made a banger. I knew this was the one, and probably the one that would shape the rest of the sonic landscape of my album. I got home later that night and put the beat on repeat for about an hour, then turned on Blonde on Blonde and passed out.

The next morning I woke up and wrote this song. I was looking out my window at the abandoned warehouses across the street and the lyrics started to pour out. I wrote for maybe two or three hours straight; it was one of those rare moments where I stated and finished the song in one session without having to go back and change anything. And oddly enough that night I began to think of a video treatment for it, sort of a basic predator/prey situation but with a classic Shyamalan twist (just kidding). You can check out the video below.

I'm fairly sure the lyrics in the song will do a better job at explaining the song than I can now but basically the song is about people and their environments. About the distinctions sub-groups of people make between themselves that ultimately distract them from seeing the threads of commonality that tie them together. It's about being distracted by our differences in gender, race or sexual orientation or being distracted by commoditized goods or trying to find our place. It is not my attempt at a call to arms so much as a call to open up dialogue. Its about losing your safe place and taking a chance with other people and abandoning outmoded lines of thought in order to get something accomplished. It's pretty much about partying. Its one of the cornerstone tracks on Bad Time Zoo and helps establish the sonic and thematic environment on the album and it's one of my favorite songs I've written. Hope you like it, thanks for reading.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

Thirty Seconds To Mars Tour and TV

Thirty Seconds To Mars have announced a short North American spring tour which kicks off April 8th in San Jose, CA running through May 6th in Toronto, ON.

The new dates include a very special hometown show on April 9th at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and a headlining appearance at The Bamboozle festival on April 29th in East Rutherford, NJ.

The band will play new single "Closer to the Edge" for the first time live on U.S. television on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Feb. 18th followed by a performance on Lopez Tonight on Feb. 22nd. more on this story

Matisyahu SXSW

(Stache) Matisyahu's documentary from the recently released live DVD Live at Stubb's Vol. II will be screened at this year's SXSW Film Festival, which kicks off March 11th in Austin, TX. Date and time for the screening will be announced in the coming days.

Dubbed Run and Return and directed by Michael Thelin and Jose Louis Rios, this short documentary features Matisyahu's thoughtful reflections on his creative philosophy, celebrated career and musical synergy with his band Dub Trio, who also share their thoughts on their unique musical partnership with Matisyahu.

The behind-the-scenes footage, filmed while on tour in the summer of 2010, captures the Grammy-nominated artist as he prepares to return to the famed music venue Stubb's in Austin, TX, to record Live at Stubb's Vol. II. The live CD/DVD, just released February 1st , is the second installment in his signature Live at Stubb's series. more on this story

The Nat King Cole Show Goes Digital

A historic musical TV show will be hitting iTunes tomorrow. Here is the official word with all of the details:

More than 50 years after its initial airing on television, the estate of Nat King Cole plans to digitally release The Nat King Cole Show on iTunes on Tuesday, February 15, 2011, which marks the 46th Anniversary of Cole's passing in 1965.

These rare television shows, largely unseen in their entirety since their initial airings in the 1950s are being presented for the first time digitally re-mastered from the original kinescopes. We have Cole's widow, Maria Cole, to thank for savings these shows and for helping to preserve the legacy of her late husband. "I knew these TV shows were too important to have something happen to them, so that's way I held on them all these years. And I'm so excited that they will be seen exactly they were first seen back in 1956-1957. And Nat never looked or sounded better in those shows. It's just a shame that the show lasted just a little more than a year," says Maria Cole, who currently resides in Florida. more on this story

Billy Preston's Debut Resurfaces After 45 Years

(PR) Billy Preston's historic debut album from the archives of Sam Cooke's legendary label set to resurface after more than 45 years in the vaults.

ABKCO Records will release 16 Year Old Soul, the album that launched the recording career of the remarkable Billy Preston on February 22.

The release marks the album's availability for the first time in more than 45 years. more on this story

Rubik Going Solar in April

Paper Tiger/Fullsteam Records plan an April 2011 release for Rubik's third full-length studio album, Solar. Here is a little background info we were sent:

Solar was conceived during the hottest summer of our lifetime in Helsinki's Kulttuuritalo ("House of Culture"), a historical brick-walled venue designed by Finnish architect giant Alvar Aalto in the 1950's. Kulttuuritalo is best known for hosting concerts of historical artists such as John Coltrane, Queen, Frank Zappa, Gil Evans and Jimi Hendrix.

Fittingly then, Solar, produced and recorded by the band themselves and mixed by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Gnarls Barkley) absolutely cooks. more on this story

Lady Gaga Releases New Song

(PR) "Born This Way," the first single and title track from the upcoming album from Lady Gaga, has officially been unleashed on the world.

Fans in the US can download the single right now for free when they pre-ordering the Born This Way album from Target.com, where the release is being sold as an exclusive deluxe version with three additional studio tracks and five remixes. Little monsters in the US and internationally can also snag the single on iTunes now. Born This Way, the album, is due out May 23rd.

On Feb. 19th, Gaga will hit the road in North America once again for the final leg of the Monster Ball Tour. http://www.ladygaga.com

Gretchen Wilson Gets Her Combat Boots On

(Webster) Gretchen Wilson kicked off her cowboy boots and slipped into a pair of combat boots to show her gratitude for our armed forces. It's all part of the Boot Campaign's 'get YOUR boots on' mission. By posing in her combat boots, Wilson is saying 'thank you' for the hard work and sacrifices made by the men and women in the U.S. Military.

Wilson joins a growing chorus of celebrities, professional athletes, politicians, business leaders and Americans who are getting THEIR boots on for our troops.

"This is such a simple and really effective campaign to bring attention to men and women who serve our country all over the world to protect our freedom, and I am very proud to be a part of it," says Gretchen Wilson. more info

Musiq Soulchild Set New Album Release

Atlantic Records have announced a May 3rd release date for Musiq Soulchild's new album "Musiqinthemagiq."

Musiq's sixth album will be heralded by the first single, "Anything (Feat. Swizz Beatz)." The track – produced by Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (Wyclef Jean, Justin Bieber, T.I.) – is now available via iTunes.

"Anything" is already looking like another major hit for Musiq, having just made a bulleted debut on Billboard's "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart based on radio airplay audience as measured by Nielsen BDS.

Jonquil Coming Stateside

Jonquil will embark on their first US tour in support of the recently released One Hundred Suns EP on Dovecote Records.

The tour includes shows in New York at The Knitting Factory (3/13) and a sold out show at Mercury Lounge (3/14) with Bombay Bicycle Club and numerous performances at Austin, Texas' SXSW Music Festival.

One Hundred Suns is now available on limited-edition turquoise marble vinyl. more on this story

Score A Free Download of Keegan DeWitt's Cold Weather Score

(PR) Keegan DeWitt's film score for recent theatrical release Cold Weather is now available as a free download via his website.

After recently premiering on Cinema Blend, DeWitt's two-disc Cold Weather score - one disc of the official score and another of demos - can now downloaded here, while an MP3 of the "End Credits" can be streamed and downloaded directly here.

Recently chosen as a 'Critic's Pick' by The New York Times and praised by The Los Angeles Times ("DeWitt's richly textured original score"), the DeWitt-scored Cold Weather saw its New York premiere last weekend and will premiere in Los Angeles at the Sunset 5 tonight (February 11th). The film will continue to make its debut in multiple cities across the country over the next month (a full schedule is below), including on March 4th in the Portland, OR-raised DeWitt's current hometown of Nashville, where he will perform "End Credits" live. Cold Weather is also now available nationwide via On Demand. more on this story