Self-described as a "half-anglo, half-franco, boy-girl, boy-girl" band, based in Montreal, Flotilla offers an interesting alternative to today's indie rock stereotype.
Freelance Whales On World Cafe
After forming in New York in late 2008, Freelance Whales have made waves with their bouncy dream pop. Although they've yet to release an album, the band has built a following based on their impromptu street performances on the streets of New York.
Sony, Michael Jackson Estate Sign Music Deal
Sony Music has signed a historic $250 million deal with pop singer Michael Jackson's estate for previously unreleased music and the late singer's catalog. Ethan Smith, the music industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, says it's hard to say what's in the archives, but there could be two albums worth of songs.
Dixie Chick members make debut at SXSW (AP)
AP - Even though the Court Yard Hounds are a new group, they are hardly your typical baby act. The duo is derived from one of music's best-selling bands — the Dixie Chicks — and their self-titled debut album is already among the spring's more anticipated releases.
Learn An Opera In Two Days, No Problem
One opera singer's illness is another's opportunity. Marlis Petersen jumped in at the last minute to take on a leading role at the Met, in New York, when the star soprano pulled out. The only catch was that she had to learn and rehearse the rarely performed opera in just 48 hours.
Dixie Chicks touring for first time since 2006 (Reuters)
Reuters - The Dixie Chicks will tour for the first time in four years this summer when the country trio opens for the Eagles on a brief North American stadium tour.
Dixie Chicks to tour with Keith Urban, the Eagles (AP)
AP - All three members of the Dixie Chicks, including lead singer Natalie Maines, are heading out in June on a one-month stadium tour with The Eagles and Keith Urban.
Luke Bryan, Gloriana among ACM top new artists (AP)
AP - Reverse psychology may have done the trick for country singer Luke Bryan.
Sony in new music deal with Michael Jackson estate (Reuters)
Reuters - The King of Pop is dead; long live the King of Pop.
Judge OKs settlement in deadly Lear jet crash (AP)
AP - A judge approved a multimillion-dollar legal settlement Tuesday involving the wife and young son of former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker's assistant, who was killed in a 2008 plane crash in South Carolina.
The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes (AP)
AP - iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending March 15, 2010:
Broken Bells: Danger Mouse Meets James Mercer
What happens you blend the sounds of The Shins' frontman James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse? You get Broken Bells. Melissa Block tries to uncover the source of the duo's tweaked sounds in an interview.
Fashawn: Hope Amid The Realism
A rapper on the verge of a major breakthrough, Fashawn just released a debut album, Boy Meets World, which documents life experiences stretching all the way back to grade-school bullies and high-school crushes. He's got a remarkable flair for storytelling, too, as evidenced by "The Ecology," which paints a bleakly vivid portrait of California's ghettos.
Geezers Rock! Abba, Genesis, Hollies, Jimmy Cliff And Stooges Join Hall
An English band steeped in harmony, a reggae pioneer, progressive rockers who thrived despite a defection, four Swedes who combined their nation's traditions with their rock heroes and a man who prowled a ballroom floor singing 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' wouldn't seem to have much in common. But now they're all in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Solas: America's Wild Irish Rose
What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with an Irish jig? The members of Solas are all American, but they play Celtic folk music with authority. In a session from Folk Alley, the quintet performs an instrumental from The Turning Tide, and two songs featuring vocalist Mairead Phelan.
Nat King Cole: Original Five-Tool Jazz Player
Over the course of his life, Nat King Cole became a jazz innovator and an icon of American popular music. Take Five celebrates Cole's birthday — he was born on March 17, 1919 — with a "five-tool" (that's baseball lingo, we'll explain) approach, highlighting the breadth of his work.
Hollies, Genesis, Iggy Pop Enter Rock Hall
English progressive rockers turned 1980s pop stars Genesis have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a New York City ceremony. They're being joined by two other acts that thrived in second lives: ABBA and The Hollies.
Michael Jackson Estate Signs Record Deal
Even in death, Michael Jackson is breaking new records. The King of Pop's estate has signed the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal.
ABBA, Hollies, Genesis, Iggy Pop enter Rock Hall (AP)
AP - An English band steeped in harmony, a reggae pioneer, progressive rockers who thrived despite a defection, four Swedes who combined their nation's traditions with their rock heroes and a man who prowled a ballroom floor singing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" wouldn't seem to have much in common.
Jackson estate in record deal worth up to $250 mln (AP)
AP - Even in death, Michael Jackson is breaking new records.
Abba, Genesis inducted into rock's Hall of Fame (Reuters)
Reuters - Pop band Abba was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday in a ceremony that honored genres from the Swedish group's catchy tunes to the theatrical British rock band Genesis and reggae master Jimmy Cliff.
Tegan & Sara in rare collaboration for new album (Reuters)
Reuters - Tegan & Sara's latest album, "Sainthood," has opened the door for the two to spend more time writing together.
Kings of Leon begin North America tour in June (Reuters)
Reuters - Kings of Leon will begin a North American amphitheater tour in Atlantic City on June 5, the rock band said Monday.
March 23: Joanna Newsom, Live In Concert
When Newsom first emerged on the musical landscape in 2004 with The Milk-Eyed Mender, a lot of people thought she was a whimsical novelty act. But this year, the singer returned with a stunningly ambitious, three-disc collection called Have One on Me. Newsom's voice has matured; the orchestrations are richer and the themes darker. Hear the singer perform live in a full concert, webcast on NPR.org from Washington, D.C.
Warner Music, KKR/Bertelsmann mull EMI bid (Reuters)
Reuters - Warner Music Group executives are talking with KKR/Bertelsmann, a private equity-backed music joint venture, about a potential joint bid for beleaguered music company EMI Group, according to two people familiar with the talks.
Singer-songwriter Dan Black looks for U.S. breakthrough (Reuters)
Reuters - Dan Black is keeping his fingers crossed. The British born but Paris-based musician has been touring North America all winter and from the response, it looks like this could finally be his big break.
Judge grants Evans temporary injunction against ex (AP)
AP - A judge has ordered a temporary injunction against the ex-husband of country singer Sara Evans.
Fans go Gaga for video as Lady unveils new shows (Reuters)
Reuters - Glam pop singer Lady Gaga on Monday announced 31 U.S. concert dates as her fans went wild for a controversial new music video that features R&B star Beyonce and lesbian prison sex.
The Thistle And Shamrock: Fiddle Styles
Sample the tasty fiddle flavors of music from Celtic roots with Catriona Macdonald, Pete Clark and Celtic Fiddle Festival.
The Tallest Man On Earth On 'World Cafe: Next'
Kristian Matsson, a.k.a. The Tallest Man on Earth, pens earthy, passionate folk tunes with a knack for clever lyrical turns. On this installment of World Cafe: Next, hear songs from Matsson's forthcoming album, The Wild Hunt.
Blake Shelton on marriage, breakups and bromance (AP)
AP - Blake Shelton seems to be coping well after his recent breakup.
White Stripes movie documents oddball Canada tour (Reuters)
Reuters - As stylish as the band it depicts and occasionally as enigmatic, "The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights" stands out among tour films largely because of the strange tour at hand.
Public Enemy's Chuck D still fighting the power (Reuters)
Reuters - At the end of "Pirate Radio" -- the 2009 feature film about a '60s illegal rock 'n' roll radio station in Europe's North Sea -- an array of albums is displayed: iconic symbols of musical independence that bucked the status quo. Among the albums on display is Public Enemy's 1990 treatise, "Fear of a Black Planet."
'Idol' contestants discuss elimination from show (AP)
AP - LOS ANGELES (AP — Tweens probably don't know who Patsy Cline is, which is why Lilly Scott thinks she was voted off "American Idol" Thursday night.
The Secrets Behind the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street" Reissue
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards reevaluate their classic 1972 double album Get the full story on the never-before-heard tracks on the Rolling Stone's upcoming Exile on Main Street reissue in our new issue, on stands now. In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards talk about plundering their vaults for the
Spring Music Preview 2010
From MGMT to Erykah Badu, a first listen to 2010's hottest albums From Katy Perry and Stone Temple Pilots to MGMT and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, some of 2010's most anticipated albums are hitting stores this season. Big debuts from Court Yard Hounds and Drake are due, along with eagerly awaited releases by Christina Aguilera, Hole, the Hold Steady and Gaslight Anthem. Read up on 38 of the spring's discs, plus get your first listen to new tunes from Jakob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Peter Wolf, and watch exclusive performances and sneak peeks featuring fre...
Post-Paula Depression
The unthinkable has happened - by losing Paula's craziness, and with Simon heading for the door, "American Idol" feels like it has finally reached the end of its run How do you replace Paula Abdul? You don't. That's no knock on Ellen DeGeneres — it's just that absurd Hollywood creatures like Paula are rare and precious flukes of the universe, like the Loch Ness monster in sequined capri pants. Without Paula, American Idol loses its crazy factor, the suspenseful thrill that you're never more than a few minutes away from seeing a grade-A display of batshit antics on live TV. And what is American Idol without a dose of crazy? Sending Ellen in to...
Lil Wayne Goes to Jail
Up all night with hip-hop's unstoppable machine as he prepares to spend the next year behind bars This story was originally published in February 2010. Since then, Lil Wayne's sentencing has been postponed two times. For the latest on his developing case, click here. "I don't like to stop," says Lil Wayne. "I believe you stop when you die." The biggest rapper in the world stands 23 floors above Atlanta and five feet six in black Chuck Taylors, his wifebeater tee baring a torso as ink-covered as the pages of a doodler's notebook. It's 8:30 p.m., two days after Christmas, and he will be up...
Beach House: Dreaming In Full Color
Beach House formed in 2005 after a chance meeting between guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally and vocalist/organist Victoria Legrand. The next year, the duo recorded a self-titled album, which came out to great critical acclaim. The band's latest, Teen Dream, expands on Beach House's hazy sound.
The Yoga Cult
How a Korean guru has created a fanatical following on college campuses that is part Moonies, part New Age boot camp and pure profit Read a rebuttal to Rolling Stone's Dahn Yoga story by Joseph Alexander, the Vice President-Communications for Dahn Yoga & Health Centers — plus RS' response. If you looked at it from a certain perspective, the exercises Amy Shipley did in Dahn Yoga were perfectly normal. Take what she was doing right now. It was near midnight. Amy and seven other devotees of Dahn Yoga — nearly all in their 20s, clad in blue tracksuits and barely functioning on three hours of sleep — were...
