The lineup for this year's Three Rivers Arts Festival won't officially be announced until April 19, but we have one name: Ingrid Michaelson.
According to her MySpace page, the indie pop folkie will be playing the fest on June 10.
I haven't done one of these in a while, so it's time to get back at it.
The Dixie Chicks. They're going out on tour with the Eagles. The recent news that Martie and Emily were starting a side project called Courtyard Hounds led some to wonder if the Chicks' days were numbered, but this tour proves they are still going strong.
Erykah Badu. She's just released a video for "Window Seat" in which she walks through town and removes all her clothes. Her clip was inspired by Matt & Kim's award-winning "Lessons Learned" video. But Badu, like Matt & Kim (and Alanis, years ago), is shown with the naughty bits blurred. Which musician will be the first to bare all without the blurring? The world waits...
Ricky Martin. I know I'm in the minority here but I see no reason to celebrate his coming out. He's 38 friggin' years old. What took him so long? Why do celebrities have these delusional paranoid fears that coming out will hurt their careers? When Clay Aiken beats you to the punch, you're pretty pathetic. I can't think of a single celeb that has come out as gay and seen his or her career suffer as a result. Anyone?
Social media update: I've stopped following Donnie Wahlberg on Twitter because he tweeted constantly about nothing. Sorry, Donnie, you'll never be featured here.
This week's tweet of the week is from Questlove, who loves Joan Jett as much as we do:
watching joan jett on letterman. cotdamn does she ever get old? she'll be a senior citizen in 14 years. friggin looks 30!
Lately we can't stop listening to Joan's version of "Crimson & Clover."
http://twitter.com/questlove
A few quick links to some recent stuff I've written for other sites. I interviewed a handful of bands for spinner.com for their SXSW preview, the most notable being Ozomatli. I also published some opinion pieces on other sites.
Ozomatli interview, spinner.com
The Ten Best Dave Matthews Band Songs
The Best Bands to see at Coachella 2010
The Best Albums of 2010 (So Far)
Amanda Palmer and the Evelyn Evelyn Conjoined Twin Controversy
Photo by Driven by Boredom
This week's tweet of the week comes from party king Andrew WK, who wrote about his favorite subject:
PARTY TIP: Thank the gods that we have friends. Friends make a party much partier!
Andrew WK is playing on the Vans Warped Tour this summer.
Check out our archived review of Andrew's in-store performance in Vancouver last summer.
http://twitter.com/AndrewWK
It's been a while since I posted some mp3s, so here are a few from Beggars Group artists I've been listening to lately.
I had a chance to catch Titus Andonicus at a recent in-store appearance and they sounded great. That performance compelled me to listen to their full album The Monitor. I would never expect a concept album about the Civil War to be entertaining, but it is. Catch the band at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer.
MP3: Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union (from The Monitor)
MP3: Vampire Weekend - Horchata (from Contra)
MP3: The xx - Basic Space (from xx)
MP3: Basia Bulat - Go On (from Heart of My Own)
MP3: Peaches - Talk To Me (from I Feel Cream)
Pittsburghers will finally get a chance to see Lady Gaga when she brings her Monster Ball tour here on September 5.
The show will be at the new Consol Energy Center, future home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is exactly the kind of concert tour that Pittsburgh never used to get, so thank the new arena for this opportunity!
Here's the full list of new Gaga tour dates. Note there is no Chicago show, which seems to confirm earlier speculation that Gaga will indeed play Lollapalooza in Chicago in August.
Jun 28 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
July 1 Boston, MA TD Garden
July 4 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
July 6 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Jul 11 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Jul 14 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Jul 15 Indianapolis Conseco Fieldhouse
Jul 17 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Jul 20 Oklahoma City Ford Center
Jul 22 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Jul 25 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Jul 28 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Jul 31 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
Aug 3 Kansas City MO Sprint Center
Aug 11 Los Angeles Staples Center
Aug 13 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand
Aug 16 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
Aug 19 Portland, OR Rose Garden
Aug 21 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Aug 23 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
Aug 26 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Aug 30 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Sep 1 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
Sep 4 Detroit, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Sep 5 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Sep 7 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Sep 8 C'ville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
Sep 14 Philadelphia Wachovia Center
Sep 16 Hartford, CT XL Center
Sep 18 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
Sep 19 Raleigh, NC RBC Center
Edit: Also confirmed today was a concert for Kings of Leon at the First Niagara Pavilion two days later, on September 7. It's shaping up to be a big year for Pittsburgh concerts.
Last night Lady Gaga finally released the video for "Telephone," her collaboration with Beyonce. Some people loved it, some hated it. (Others thought it was ok.)
Lady Gaga tweeted a line from the video just after it was released:
once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger
http://twitter.com/ladygaga
Video: Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
I gave John Mayer a lifetime exemption from douchebag status after his moving instrumental version of "Human Nature" at Michael Jackson's funeral, but after some of the recent interviews Mayer has given I've been forced to rethink that.
Last week Mayer tweeted to Ke$ha, seemingly innocently: "Dear Ke$ha, you have won me over with your tricks and charms and I must tell you I really like your song."
Ke$ha responded:
dear john mayerrr. Don't be a little b*tch wit ur chit chat. Jus $how me whur ur dick's at. x
http://twitter.com/KESHASUXX
MUST-SEE SHOW:
3/2 Rodrigo y Gabriela @ Byham Theater
This showstopping Mexican instrumental guitar duo is worth whatever price the Byham is charging. Just go! The Alex Skolnick Trio will be opening, which is significant - Skolnick guests on "Atman," one of the best tracks on Rodrigo y Gabriela's new album, so chances are he'll come out to play on it during the show.
ALSO WORTH ATTENDING:
3/16 Jay-Z & Young Jeezy @ Mellon Arena
I got to see Jay-Z at last summer's All Points West music festival in New Jersey and his performance was so far above and beyond what you expect from a typical rap concert. He featured a talented live band, new arrangements of classic hits, and a number of surprises. Jay-Z is indeed the new Sinatra.
3/20 Portugal the Man @ Mr. Small's
Being from Wasilla, Alaska is enough to create a buzz this days, and moving to Portland, Oregon doesn't hurt either. The acclaimed, blogger-approved band Portugal the Man is touring behind its fifth studio album American Ghetto, to be released on March 2. The song "Dead Dog" is available as a free download from their website.
Others to keep in mind:
3/4 Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris & LMFAO @ Mellon Arena
3/5 Alkaline Trio & Cursive @ Club Zoo
3/5 Anti-Flag @ Mr. Small's
3/5 Harvey Milk @ Rex Theatre
3/7 Tally Hall & Jukebox the Ghost @ Mr, Small's
3/12 Megadeth @ Palace Theatre
3/12 John Hiatt @ Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland)
3/13 They Might Be Giants @ Andy Warhol Museum
3/13 Jo Dee Messina @ Carnegie Library Music Hall (Homestead)
3/13 Ekoostik Hookah @ Rex Theatre
3/14 One for the Team @ Garfield Artworks
3/19 Margot & the Nuclear So & So's @ Brillobox
3/25 Train & Butch Walker @ Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland)
3/30 David Gray @ Benedum Center
3/31 Henry Rollins @ New Hazlett Theatre
3/31 Bone Thugs N Harmony @ Mr. Small's
