Free U2- Billy Joel Covers AC/DC- Franz Ferdinand Cure- Arctic Monkeys To Get Festive This Summer- Helix Reunion- Deep Yngwie Purple and more

Jeff Beck has ruled out a Jeff Beck Group reunion with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood - because he thinks reformation of bands is a bad idea. "It usually indicates there isn't anything else happening in someone else's career, otherwise you wouldn't entertain it" - more

Vedder, Grohl, Norah Jones To Tribute Nick Drake

Reuters reports: Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Norah Jones are among the acts confirmed for a tribute album to influential English singer-songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974.

The set will be released by musician Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records, and Johnson also will also perform on the album.

The announcement was made during the MidemNet music industry conference in Cannes, France, by David Schulhof, whose company, EverGreen Copyrights, controls the rights to Drake's work - more on this story

Placebo Eye June Release

MusicRadar reports: Long-standing 90's rockers Placebo have signed to PIAS Entertainment Group for the European release of their still-untitled sixth album. The label let slip of a June 2009 release in the process…

"We will work with them hand in hand to cover all aspects of what needs to be done with the next Placebo album, coming out in June, to make it a very big success," announced PIAS Entertainment's co-founder Kenny Gates.

"We were very lucky to have so many great labels interested in signing us," added Placebo frontman Brian Molko. "It means a lot, especially after 12 years of releasing records." - more on this story

Concert Does Not Endwell for Band: They Get Robbed!

Lambgoat reports: Endwell was robbed this past weekend while on tour in Texas. Singer Sean Murphy has issued the following:

"Last night in Corpus Christi, Texas, Our money box was stolen from one of our merch bins with almost $2000 in it... every penny we had as a band, all money that we needed to pay off our merch debt, van insurance, and oh yeah, gas to get to every show. In the 6 years Endwell has been a band there's been 4 Vans (one of which flipped), more drummers than spinal tap, we've been kicked off tours and even dropped from a record label for playing what we want to play...in 3 years of touring full-time we have NEVER come home with any money. We get in the van and at the end of they day if we can eat and crash on a friends floor then it's all worth it. We've made some of the best friends we have from touring and bonding with like minded people and its a beautiful thing. We want to thank all the kids who donated a few bucks to us last night so we could get to our next show.

"We've never been a band to ask for anything from our fans and quite frankly were opposed to bands who just blatantly ask fans to donate money to them for no reason...but we have no choice, our lives were in that cashbox. - more on this story

Max Cavalera Is Crazy?

Metal Underground reports: Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser recently conducted an interview with Blistering.com. During which he gave his opinions on former Sepultura and current Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera. Some excerpts from the interview can be read below.

Q: Is there any resentment toward the new lineup in Brazil? In North America, it seems the old lineup is that all people want to concern themselves when it comes to Sepultura.

A: Everywhere we feel very positive vibrations. (Former Sepultura frontman) Max (Cavalera - SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) has played a lot more in America than us, so his point of view was spread much more in the press. I guess that's normal, it's propaganda. Max is crazy - he says crazy stuff in interviews, contradicts himself a lot and you can never count on what he says, so I guess people are confused. People can say or think whatever they want, but I wish we could have done without that. We are going to have the chance to go back to America. This album is really strong and the reaction has been strong as well. I've been doing a lot of interviews with people in the United States and it's been very positive. People have to listen to the music with an open mind and ears and not with all the gossip and politics and bullshit. Sepultura is something that is alive. It's not something that stopped in '95 or '96. We create this band everyday. - more on this story

Jim Carry Performs With 50 Cent

Angry Ape reports: 50 Cent invited TV funny man Jim Carrey to join in with his performance on Saturday night (January 17), as the comedian celebrated his birthday.

The Liar Liar star was watching Fiddy and G-Unit live in concert as he was enjoying his 47th birthday celebrations, at the Sundance Film Festival's Vitaminwater in Utah.

A source told the New York Daily News how the Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind actor and his gilfriend - former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy - came to collaborate with the rap group. - more on this story

Secret Machines and On! Air! Library! Stars Team up For School of Seven Bells

PR reports: If School of Seven Bells (Benjamin Curtis from the Secret Machines and the twin Deheza sisters from On! Air! Library!)' full-length debut, Alpinisms, is divided between two stylistic imprints - one consisting of heavenly drones and soaring melodies, the other built upon tribal beats and hypnotic, incantatory vocals - then "Iamundernodisguise," the album's second single, is most definitely the latter. Ghostly International will release School of Seven Bells' "Iamundernodisguise" on 7" vinyl and digital download on February 17th.

A sinister electronic calypso marked by ping-ponging percussion and one of the Deheza sisters' slinkier melodies, "Iamundernodisguise" teases out School of Seven Bells' darker side within the parameters of a concise, catchy pop song. Repetition is the key here, as the Dehezas sing breathy, cryptic promises ("I am neither walker nor sleeper / I am neither sister, brother, son, nor daughter") over and over as the beat goes on. B-side "Trance Figure (Nobody Remix)" takes the Dehezas' already-detached vocals into even more foreign territory with the help of West Coast producer Nobody. - more on this story

Heartless Bastards Hitting the Road and Late Night With Letterman

antiMusic reports: Indie rock up-and-comers Heartless Bastards are hitting the road at the end of the month to turn fans on to their new album "The Mountain".

The tour kicks off on January 30th in Memphis and will wrap up on April 24th in Denver. Along the way they'll headline as well as offer support for The Black Keys, Andrew Bird, Gaslight Anthem at some stops on their tours.

The band is touring behind their forthcoming album "The Mountain" which is set to hit stores on February 3rd. Also be sure to catch them on The Late Show With David Letterman on Feb 10th. - more on this story

Maltese Falcon's Metal Rush Flies Again

MMP reports: Maltese Falcon can easily be called the lost heroes of the golden years of heavy metal. Inspired by Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon and Grim Reaper, the band invaded the 80's metal scene with a solid mixture of power, melody and heaviness. Their short, yet successful career brought a true gem – the album "Metal Rush", released in 1984.

Now, with this exclusive re-release, you can one again see the Maltese Falcon fly high all the way to the heavy metal top! First CD release of "Metal Rush" will be available in a digipak edition limited to 2000 copies, digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on a golden disc. The release date is set up for 19th January in Europe and 10th March in USA (via MVD). - more on this story

Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power Tour

PR reports: Vic Chesnutt and Elephant 6 originals Elf Power will hit the road again this week with dates stretching around the globe and into the spring in support of their collaborative release, Dark Developments on Orange Twin Records.

One special stop on the tour includes a March 11th performance at the legendary venue Carnegie Hall in NYC as part of a night tribute performances to REM.

A tuneful collision of Athens institutions found fruition in the fall of 2008 when Orange Twin Records released Vic Chesnutt's collaboration with Elephant 6 psychsters Elf Power, Dark Developments. - more on this story

Roger O'Donnell (Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Thompson Twins) Releases Solo CD

PR reports: As keyboardist who's played with the Psychedelic Furs and the Thompson Twins, and as a member of the Cure, Roger O'Donnell has spent much of his career with other people's songs. With the release of his second solo record, SONGS FROM THE SILVER BOX, today, Roger can finally perform his music way he wants to.

This is a man who has seen and done enough to be completely comfortable in his own sound, and it shows: Songs From The Silver Box is a mature, complete record from an experienced and respected artist, and is, by all accounts, totally his own.

Roger was just in Southern California at the annual NAMM conference, showcasing his expertise on both Ableton and the Moog, and his hand-drawn video for "Tiny Pieces of You" recently premiered on Flavorwire. - Check out the video here

Singled Out: Edensong

antiMusic reports: Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today James Schoen from Edensong tells us about "The Sixth Day" from their brand new album. We now turn it over to James for the story:

To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that this song went over so well. I had initially planned on kicking off our recent album "The Fruit Fallen" with this track, but due to its ten minute duration and controversial subject matter, I opted to instead bury it someplace near the end of the album in an ill-conceived attempt to ruffle fewer feathers in the already sparse progressive rock world. Despite its less-than-showcased album placement, "The Sixth Day" has nevertheless been frequently plucked from the pile and named as a favorite track by Edensong fans and reviewers alike. It happens to be one of my favorite Edensong tunes as well. In fact, I can't remember a single show where we didn't play it! I tend to write "serious" music, songs about the problems I see in the world, and in this way "The Sixth Day" is archetypical Edensong. I'm just glad that despite the potentially divisive content, or perhaps even because of it, "The Sixth Day" has been greeted enthusiastically.

"The Sixth Day" addresses the role of organized religion in society. I wanted to examine the reasons that drive people toward and away from God, the political use and abuse of religion, the fear and intolerance instilled by religious doctrine, and the hatred and holy wars that stem from religious extremism. While I'm sure that religion brings stability, comfort and guidance to the lives of many, I can't ignore that it tears apart the lives of many others.

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

. Abigail Williams - In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns

Over the course of their debut full length In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns, Abigail Williams do a number of things I enjoy and a number of things I do not. With all this in mind, this review should be read as a (hopefully) unbiased analysis - Read the full Abigail Williams - In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns review

. Bruce Springsteen Month: The Ghost of Tom Joad

When the album was released it was regarded as a valiant work. There are many who feel this was an album that had to be made and it is largely an intellectual work of art. It's a stunning collection of lyrics and is commendable but this does not make it any more listenable. (2.5 stars) - Read the full Bruce Springsteen Month: The Ghost of Tom Joad review

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