PJ Harvey and John Parish Go South By Southwest

The SXSW Music And Media Conference is a legendary festival and industry conference showcasing more than 1,800 musical acts of all genres from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin, TX. SXSW 2009 is March 18-22.

After SXSW, the pair, backed by a band comprising of Eric Drew Feldman, Jean Marc Butty & Giovanni Ferrario, will then head to LA for an intimate show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on March 23rd, and will perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) on March 24th. - Then they

Tommy Lee's Excuse For Helicopter Incident

SleazeRoxx reports: Tommy Lee has cleared up reports police ordered his helicopter to land for flying "erratically" - insisting his pilot was trying to get a closer look at a building on fire. The Motley Crue drummer was a passenger in the aircraft when officials grounded it for coming "too close" to a Los Angeles police helicopter over Glendale, California on February 1.

But the star is adamant he wasn't breaking any laws - and was instead just curious about a nearby home up in flames.

He says, "There was nothing scary about it. Motley Crue did a show in Palm Springs, out in the desert, and we were flying the helicopter back. This house was on fire about 30 minutes outside of Van Nuys airport, where we were going to land. So there was this house on fire, you could see all this smoke coming up. And I said, 'F---! Let's go over there and check it out.' We flew close to the house to check it out, and apparently we got into the police's airspace. But we were so far away from them. I still don't understand. Like, there was no way we (were) that close." - more on this story

McCartney Goes To Vegas For A New Joint

PR reports: The legendary Sir Paul McCartney will headline grand opening weekend of The New Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Sunday, April 19. "I'm looking forward to Rockin' The Joint!" said Sir Paul McCartney.

"We are honored to have the multi-Grammy award winning artist and rock legend, Paul McCartney, launch us into a new era of rock 'n' roll at the all new Joint concert venue scheduled to open at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in April," said Randy Kwasniewski, President and COO of Morgans Hotel Group Las Vegas and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "The new Joint will be the most sophisticated, intimate, and authentic venue in Las Vegas – unlike anything the city has ever seen."

"We could not have asked for a greater rock and roll legend than Paul McCartney to open The New Joint at Hard Rock Hotel," said President & Co-CEO of Concerts West/AEG Live John Meglen. "The booking of Paul McCartney reinforces The Joint's image as the legendary home of rock. The new venue will be THE place for artists to play and fans to experience a concert in Las Vegas." - more on this story

Leonard Cohen Live DVD and Double CD Set Coming

PR reports: Columbia Records is proud to announce the release of Leonard Cohen's Live In London, a musical chronicle of the legendary singer-songwriter-musician-painter-poet's historic 2008 concert -- available as either a DVD or 2 CD set -- on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Recorded live on July 17, 2008 at London's 02 Arena, one of Europe's largest indoor venues during Cohen's phenomenal 2008 World Tour, Live In London offers definitive performances of classic songs drawn from the artist's 40-year repertory.

Beginning today, Friday, February 13, Live In London is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Additionally, Cohen's performance of "Suzanne," culled from Live In London, is streaming exclusively - here

MxPx Cover Tracks

PR reports: MxPx are commemorating seventeen years of punk* reign with 80s covers on their latest release, On The Cover II. Fifteen years after their first 1995 covers album, On The Cover, the new follow-up will be released March 24 through Tooth & Nail Records.

The album has been gaining momentum with every fan that has continuously asked, demanded, and pleaded for another covers album from MxPx following the success of the first one. On The Cover II was finally delivered to the fans after it was recorded at bassist and vocalist Mike Herrera's Monkey Trench studios. It buoys with the energy, fevered pacing, and melodic sensibilities that MxPx have built their rock solid reputation upon since forming in 1992. Some of the album renditions include the Dead Milkmen's "Punk Rock Girl," U2's "I Will Follow," Descendents' "Suburban Home," The Go-Gos' "Vacation," The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go." (See full track listing below.)

The Clash track was a choice that drummer Yuri Ruley called a "'no-brainer.' Tom [Wisniewski], our guitar player, sings this one, which is fitting because he's our Mick Jones." Wisniewski, the resident Clash fanatic, has never previously sang lead vocal on any MxPx recordings, but says, "We have played this for years with me singing lead vocals and it was one of the first songs that we knew we had to put on our new cover record!" - more on this story

Guitarist Among Flight 3407 Victims

PR reports: East Brunswick resident, solo artist and lead guitarist for Chuck Mangione, Coleman Mellett, husband of jazz singer Jeanie Bryson was a passenger on Continental Flight # 3407 which went down in Buffalo, New York on Thursday, February 12, 2009.

In 2007, Mellett released his first CD titled "Natural High." In 2008, Coleman auditioned for the 2008 Radio City Christmas Spectacular and was selected to be first chair on strings. - more on this story

Forkner Joins Yacht

PR reports: Adam Forkner, of Portland's White Rainbow, will be joining Yacht as a touring member for all forthcoming shows, beginning with their upcoming Australian and U.S. tours. The addition of Forkner has been both organic and much anticipated by Jona and Claire, who consider Adam to be the "third vertex" of the Yacht triangle, responsible for balance and affinity.

Forkner has collaborated with Yacht since its inception, from a short-lived improvised live incarnation in 2002 to recent guitar work and mixing help with Yacht's forthcoming See Mystery Lights album, due this spring on DFA Records.

After years of spatial exploration with his bands Yume Bitsu and Surface of Eceyon, as well as stints as a hired gun for a string of artists including Little Wings, Dirty Projectors, Jackie-O Motherf*cker, Devendra Banhart, and Atlas Sound, Adam's Swiss Army Knife of energies will add an extra dimensional quality to Yacht's already megaphysical live performances. - more on this story

Impending Doom Bundle Up For Preorders

PR reports: Facedown Records.com has launched a preorder for Impending Doom's upcoming full-length The Serpent Servant.

The First 750 orders received will get an autographed poster and all pre-orders are entered to win a brand new Schecter Guitar. Multiple packages are available including a CD / T-shirt and CD / T-shirt / LP bundle.

Impending Doom recently wrapped up a tour with Unearth and are about to start a national tour tomorrow with Bleeding Through, As Blood Runs Black and The Acacia Strain. - more on this story

Stevie Wonder Tapped For Gershwin Prize

PR reports: The U.S. president will give the Second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to Stevie Wonder on Feb. 25 at a special concert in the East Room of the White House in celebration of African American History Month.

The program, to be taped by WETA Washington, D.C., as part of the In Performance at the White House series, will air on PBS stations nationwide on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings) as "Stevie Wonder In Performance at the White House: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize."

The concert will feature a tribute by top performers singing the songs that propelled Wonder to the ranks of international stardom. The full line-up of performers will be announced soon. - more on this story

. Revolting Cocks - Sex-O Olympic-O

Revco busts a nut for you once again and one thing is immediately clear: their sound hasn't changed. Revco shoots around in musical styles covering cheesy 80's synth-pop to the hairiest of hair metal and everything that you could imagine in between. (3 stars) - Read the full Revolting Cocks - Sex-O Olympic-O review

. REPO! Road Tour Diary: Denver

We've been telling you all about REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA and the recent REPO! Road Tours. The third tour just wrapped up and REPO star and co-writer Terrance Zdunich (plays Grave Robber) gives us the lowdown! Here is today's entry from Denver. - Read the full REPO! Road Tour Diary: Denver review

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