Roots, Mates of State, Ting Tings to Rock Nick Jr.

Re-affirming its place as the coolest kids show around, is Nick Jr.'s Yo Gabba Gabba which alternately terrifies and thrills.
"The Roots, Jimmy Eat World, Ladytron, MGMT, Mates Of State, Datarock, Mixmaster Mike and the Ting Tings are among the musical guests confirmed for the new season of Nick Jr.'s award-winning kids show "Yo Gabba Gabba," which premieres Sept. 22. Rapper Biz Markie will return with his "Biz's Beat of the Day" segment, while Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh will reprise "Mark's Magic Pictures," a drawing segment. Film/TV stars Jack Black, Jack McBrayer, Rachel Dratch and Amy Sedaris will also appear throughout the new season."
via Billboard.com earlier today.

Watch Now - The Shins "Try Again"

Ben Folds Five reunites for MySpace concert

The members of now defunct piano rock trio Ben Folds Five will reunite for a one-off show for a performance of their final album, 1999’s The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.

The trio will perform September 18 at UNC's Memorial Hall in the band's hometown Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and marks the band's first concert since disbanding in 2000. The reunion is all part of MySpace’s new “Front to Back” series which features bands performing a signature album in its entirety. The shows are recorded and are later posted on MySpace.

“Of our three albums, this one brings back the most vivid memories, Folds recently told Rolling Stone.
“It was actually written to be one song of many movements, which is why there are motifs that appear throughout the album. That should make Reinhold a natural to be played front to back.”

Tickets go on sale Monday, September 8, with all proceeds to benefit Operation Smile.

Mp3: Ben Folds Five - "Army"

Previously on Lost makes beautiful music

People either love LOST or hate it. Scads of fans spend hours dissecting each frame. Or not. The point being that there's not a whole lot of middle ground regarding ABC's groundbreaking drama. And as with any cultural phenomenon, there is no lack of fan created material, most of which is subpar with scant few exceptions. Harry and the Potters for example. But a duo from Brooklyn has taken fanboy love to an unusual extreme. Adam Schatz and Jeff Curtin, who together make up a band called Previously on Lost, recently toured the West Coast with their own unique brand of homagery for the series. Namely, a song for every episode of season four, with what the band calls “recap-rock.”

Like Sufjan Steven's/Flaming Lips/Beck's incredibly nerdy child, each jangly and joyous track reviews a week’s episode, and though the lyrics are often tongue in cheek, “Ladies and gentlemen, we lost a few friends this week / And something has to be said / For these best lost friends of ours”, the gentlemen are clearly devotees.

Highlights of their album The Tale of Season 4 and the Oceanic 6, include "Wherever Sun Go", "Be My Constant", "Ballad of Sayid Jarrah" and our favorite "The Island Won't Let You Die." Consider this a must for all Lost fans as they look for something to tide them over until next February.

MP3: Previously on Lost - "Just Wink"
MP3: Previously on Lost - "Be My Constant"

The Award for best use of the Muppets on the Internet goes to...

The internet is home to many wonders. Witness the wonders of this, this, and this. But after an extensive and exhaustive search, we at the Sound Advice Labs have finally found the best thing ever created on or for the internets.

Behold!



There's also another, slightly less cool take here.
This should make up for our previous slight on the muppets.

Guitar Hero Update: World's Best Pretend Guitarist, Zep Says No

In the interest of full disclosure, I think the Guitar Hero video game series is a scourge that often destroys lives by having gamers invest hours in the game rather than actually learning how to play the proper guitar. That being said, I love video games and love being amazed and normally I wouldn't post a video of someone playing a game (especially GH), but Chris Chike's perfect 100 percent score on Guitar Hero 3's Expert-Level "Through the Fire and Flames" is surreal to put it lightly.

Said Chike of his Guiness record breaking effort, "I was almost in shock when I finished the song and had hit the 100 percent -- I am so glad I caught it on video or even I wouldn't have believed it happened."

Check out the video below for full aggro amazement!

How I Feel About Guitar Hero: South Park "Guitar Hero"

In other GH news, despite the game's success, you won't see any of Led Zeppelin's iconic tunes being mutilated any time soon, this according to the Wall Street Journal.

The band, specifically guitarist Jimmy Page, is "not comfortable" giving gaming companies access to the group's master recordings, a necessary step in adding a band to any game.

This is welcome news especially since Robert Plant has started schilling for JCPenny's, and the Beatles and Aerosmith have already caved to the Guitar Hero pressure.

Next President to be Featured in New Boxed Set

Whomever emerges victorious from the general presidential election in November gets a bonus prize (in addition to leading the free world). The life and times of either John McCain or Barack Obama will be featured as a supplemental track on the album Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 Presidencies, as a digital download.

In the vein of Sufjan Stevens' state project, this three-disc boxed set, delivers exactly what it says on the label, featuring the tracks "Martin Van Buren: The Little Magician," and "John Adams: Armed With Only Wit and Vigor and the U.S. Navy" which should pair nicely with They Might Be Giants' "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" and "James K. Polk".

Presidencies' auteurs have brought along additional artists to wax historical including Vince DiFiore (Cake), Alan Sparhawk (Low), and Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon), but a host of others, but surprisingly not Stevens. The album's official release date is Sept. 9.

Have a sneak peek at the album's Monroe track and register to vote for the subject of track 44.

It is Inevitable: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Trailer Released

The first teaser trailer for Joss Whedon's groundbreaking Internet musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog has officially gone online. Though it was scheduled for tomorrow someone "discovered it early", according to Whedon so they went forward with it today. And it's every bit as fantastic as we'd expected.

Neil Patrick Harris's pathetic-loser-neurotic supervillain is clearly done the way Whedon envisioned Buffy's nerd trio originally, and his mad scientist goggles are spot-on. Nathan Fillion seems pretty fantastic as well, and he's most definitely singing in a couple of shots. Click through for more!

Trendsetters: Radiohead Holds Music Video Contest

At last someone is putting MySpace to good use as prog-rockers Radiohead host a unique contest which highlights just why democracy was invented.
It's one thing to let your fans remix your songs, it's quite another to let them direct an offical music video. This kind of risky venture is hardly a first for Radiohead, as evidenced with "In Rainbows" groundbreaking release format, but it takes serious guts to entrust fans with your art, allowing them to dictate its direction. This time quite literally.

This time, Britain's avante-garde art-rockers are clearly up for anything, putting the creation of their next music video in the public's hands. The final field has been narrowed to 13 candidates as the contest draws to a close, with the champion crowned on June 30.

The winner gets a $10,000 prize, with the video becoming a part of the official Radiohead catalogue. Head over to the band's MySpace to vote for your favorite.
/add'l info via Paste.com

Bob Dylan goes back to school

In best grandpa ever news, kids from an upscale L.A. Kindergarten class have been coming home talking about the "weird man" who has been coming to class to play guitar and sing them "scary" songs. Turns out this scary, weird guy is Bob Dylan. His grandson (Onetime Wallflower Jakob Dylan's boy) attends the school in the ritzy L.A. suburb Calabasas.

Dylan says he's been singing to the kids just for fun, but they have no idea who he is. Too bad they have no idea they're in the presence of a musical legend. To them, he's just the weird guitar guy.

Spinal Tap reunites for Live Earth concert at Wembley

Spinal Tap is back. The fictional heavy metal group, immortalized in 1984's groundbreaking "mockumentary", This Is Spinal Tap, reunites July 7 for a performance at London's Wembley Stadium as part of the Live Earth concerts. Guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) are all scheduled to appear in an effort to raise awareness about global warming.

Additionally, a new 15-minute film directed by original Spinal Tap will play at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The festival will open with a screening of several global warming-themed short films produced by the SOS (Save Our Selves) campaign. SOS is also responsible for organizing the Live Earth concerts, which will be held across seven continents.

Spinal Tap has reunited several times since the film, most recently in 1992 for Break like the Wind. St Hubbins and company believe that the Live Earth concerts warranted a new single: "Warmer Than Hell." Reiner provides a sneak peek at the lyrics. "'The devil went to Devon, it felt like the fourth degree / He said, 'Is it hot in here, or is it only me?'"

Reiner said the new short film explains what the band has been doing with their lives since the last tour. Nigel has been raising miniature horses to race, but has so far been unable to find jockeys small enough to ride them. David is a hip-hop producer who also runs a colonic clinic. Derek is in rehab for addiction to the Internet.

WATCH NOW - Spinal Tap "Stonehenge"

Baby Metallica allowed to keep name

Metallica Tomaro, a seven-month-old girl from western Sweden, can keep her unusual name after Swedish authorities withdrew their objections.

The dispute began when the Swedish Tax Board ruled that "Metallica" was not an appropriate name for a person. Officials objected on the grounds that Metallica is the name of a heavy metal band and that it is also too closely related to the word "metal".

The girl's mother, Karolina Tomaro, took her case to the County Court where she received a favorable ruling over the tax authority. Officials then vowed to appeal the decision, but reversed its position on Thursday saying it would drop its appeal allowing young Metallica to keep her name. Metallica's mother told local news sources on Thursday, "It feels good,"