My Morning Jacket's Jim James injured, shows postponed

My Morning Body Cast? Jim James of My Morning Jacket took a tumble off the stage last night during a show in Iowa City, Iowa, and evidently landed pretty hard. That’s causing the band to postpone a few shows in Chicago that were on tap later this week, as well as benefit performances for Sen. Barack Obama tonight in Chicago and next week in Louisville, Ky.

"We were finishing up the last few bars of 'Off the Record,' and just like any other night we were all having a great time,” according to a statement the band issued today. “Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer, the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage.

“Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso, and was immediately taken to the hospital,” the statement continued. “Per the doctor's orders, Jim will be off the road and recovering from his injuries for the next two to three weeks. Sadly, we must postpone the two shows in Chicago on Thursday and Friday until further notice… We take our fans and performances very seriously, and would never cancel a show unless it was absolutely necessary. Please know that we will be making every effort to return to your fine city.”

There’s no word on whether the doctor gave James the news to the tune of MMJ’s “Lay Low.”

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Chris Pizzello/Associated Press

Rapper T.I. has blazed a golden road to the top of the national sales chart with his new album, “Paper Trail,” which qualifies for gold certification in its first week of release with sales of 568,000 copies.

It’s the Atlanta rhymer’s third collection to enter the chart at No. 1 and also the third best opening-week sales of 2008, behind Lil' Wayne’s "Tha Carter III" and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” which sold 1 million and 721,000 copies, respectively, during back-to-back weeks in June.

T.I. earns another chart distinction by becoming the first performer in four years to replace himself in the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. “Live Your Life,” the second release from the new album, has just taken over the top of the list, knocking out “Whatever You Like.” Usher last did the same when “Confessions Part II” replaced “Burn” at No. 1.

“Jennifer Hudson,” the long-gestating debut album from the “American Idol” contestant turned Oscar-winning actress, showed up at No. 2 with sales of 217,000. Robin Thicke’s “Something Else” comes in behind Hudson at No. 3 on sales of 137,000 copies. And James Taylor’s new collection with his versions of some of his favorite rock and pop songs, “Covers,” lands at No. 4 with first-week sales of 95,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

--Randy Lewis

Photo: T.I. performs at Key Club on Friday. Credit: Michael Park

They’ve bottled and sold Elvis’ sweat, so I guess there’s a certain logic to offering rock fans a shot at some of Bob Dylan’s spit.  Once you get past the initial “eewww!” factor, though, the new collaboration between rock’s poet laureate and the Hohner harmonica company holds a certain fascination. 

It’s the first time Dylan has ever endorsed any product, in this case a signature line of the Hohner harmonicas he’s been wheezing into for the better part of a half century. The Bob Dylan Collection is on exhibit at the Sam Ash music store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and boasts the answer of what to get for the truly expectorating, er, discriminating Dylan fan: a harmonica actually played by the man himself.

There’s a hand-signed set of seven harmonicas — one in the key of each note of the C major scale — and they’re authenticated to guarantee that Dylan not only owned them but blew into them at some point in time.
      

Why is it that Republican candidates keep stepping in it when they try to use pop music as a rallying cry?

Ronald Reagan incited an uproar when he attempted to get his reelection campaign rocking in 1984 to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” His campaign staff apparently only ever listened to that one line in the song, not the rest protesting the shabby treatment Vietnam War veterans had received after coming home.

Flash forward to 2008 when Jackson Browne sued Sen. John McCain’s campaign for unauthorized use of his 1978 hit “Running on Empty" to take a swipe in a TV ad at rival Sen. Barack Obama’s run for the presidency.

Now McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have sounded echoes of the Reagan gaffe with the use of the 1994 Martina McBride country hit “Independence Day”...

Van Morrison is nothing if not a patient man -- at least when it comes to his landmark 1968 album "Astral Weeks."

The work established him as one of rock's most revered singers and songwriters after his initial bout with fame and commercial success a few years earlier with his band Them. But it wasn’t a big hit -- it never cracked Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart -- and took 33 years to reach gold record status, denoting sales of 500,000 copies. It has, however, consistently shown up on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time, alongside the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."

Come November, to mark the 40th anniversary of the album’s release, he’s doing a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl performing the album in its entirety, something he never did originally.

“In the '60s and '70s the record companies did not support the music, so I never got to take these songs on tour, and I certainly did not have the money to do it,” the mercurial 63-year-old said in a news release announcing the shows. “These songs are as timeless and fresh right now as the day they were written and I am happy about taking them to the Hollywood Bowl."

Tonight's show at Royce Hall for McCabe's 50th anniversary show is already pretty stacked: Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ricky Jay, Ditty Bops and lots more. But guess who else is coming. Hint: She's got something in her pocket.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

T.I.'s 'Paper Trail' leads at No. 1

Rapper T.I. has blazed a golden road to the top of the national sales chart with his new album, “Paper Trail,” which qualifies for gold certification in its first week of release with sales of 568,000 copies.

It’s the Atlanta rhymer’s third collection to enter the chart at No. 1 and also the third best opening-week sales of 2008, behind Lil' Wayne’s "Tha Carter III" and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” which sold 1 million and 721,000 copies, respectively, during back-to-back weeks in June.

T.I. earns another chart distinction by becoming the first performer in four years to replace himself in the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. “Live Your Life,” the second release from the new album, has just taken over the top of the list, knocking out “Whatever You Like.” Usher last did the same when “Confessions Part II” replaced “Burn” at No. 1.

“Jennifer Hudson,” the long-gestating debut album from the “American Idol” contestant turned Oscar-winning actress, showed up at No. 2 with sales of 217,000. Robin Thicke’s “Something Else” comes in behind Hudson at No. 3 on sales of 137,000 copies. And James Taylor’s new collection with his versions of some of his favorite rock and pop songs, “Covers,” lands at No. 4 with first-week sales of 95,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

--Randy Lewis

Photo: T.I. performs at Key Club on Friday. Credit: Michael Park

They’ve bottled and sold Elvis’ sweat, so I guess there’s a certain logic to offering rock fans a shot at some of Bob Dylan’s spit.  Once you get past the initial “eewww!” factor, though, the new collaboration between rock’s poet laureate and the Hohner harmonica company holds a certain fascination. 

It’s the first time Dylan has ever endorsed any product, in this case a signature line of the Hohner harmonicas he’s been wheezing into for the better part of a half century. The Bob Dylan Collection is on exhibit at the Sam Ash music store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and boasts the answer of what to get for the truly expectorating, er, discriminating Dylan fan: a harmonica actually played by the man himself.

There’s a hand-signed set of seven harmonicas — one in the key of each note of the C major scale — and they’re authenticated to guarantee that Dylan not only owned them but blew into them at some point in time.
      

Why is it that Republican candidates keep stepping in it when they try to use pop music as a rallying cry?

Ronald Reagan incited an uproar when he attempted to get his reelection campaign rocking in 1984 to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” His campaign staff apparently only ever listened to that one line in the song, not the rest protesting the shabby treatment Vietnam War veterans had received after coming home.

Flash forward to 2008 when Jackson Browne sued Sen. John McCain’s campaign for unauthorized use of his 1978 hit “Running on Empty" to take a swipe in a TV ad at rival Sen. Barack Obama’s run for the presidency.

Now McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have sounded echoes of the Reagan gaffe with the use of the 1994 Martina McBride country hit “Independence Day”...

Van Morrison is nothing if not a patient man -- at least when it comes to his landmark 1968 album "Astral Weeks."

The work established him as one of rock's most revered singers and songwriters after his initial bout with fame and commercial success a few years earlier with his band Them. But it wasn’t a big hit -- it never cracked Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart -- and took 33 years to reach gold record status, denoting sales of 500,000 copies. It has, however, consistently shown up on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time, alongside the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."

Come November, to mark the 40th anniversary of the album’s release, he’s doing a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl performing the album in its entirety, something he never did originally.

“In the '60s and '70s the record companies did not support the music, so I never got to take these songs on tour, and I certainly did not have the money to do it,” the mercurial 63-year-old said in a news release announcing the shows. “These songs are as timeless and fresh right now as the day they were written and I am happy about taking them to the Hollywood Bowl."

Tonight's show at Royce Hall for McCabe's 50th anniversary show is already pretty stacked: Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ricky Jay, Ditty Bops and lots more. But guess who else is coming. Hint: She's got something in her pocket.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Bob Dylan signature harmonicas unveiled

They’ve bottled and sold Elvis’ sweat, so I guess there’s a certain logic to offering rock fans a shot at some of Bob Dylan’s spit.  Once you get past the initial “eewww!” factor, though, the new collaboration between rock’s poet laureate and the Hohner harmonica company holds a certain fascination. 

It’s the first time Dylan has ever endorsed any product, in this case a signature line of the Hohner harmonicas he’s been wheezing into for the better part of a half century. The Bob Dylan Collection is on exhibit at the Sam Ash music store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and boasts the answer of what to get for the truly expectorating, er, discriminating Dylan fan: a harmonica actually played by the man himself.

There’s a hand-signed set of seven harmonicas — one in the key of each note of the C major scale — and they’re authenticated to guarantee that Dylan not only owned them but blew into them at some point in time.
      

Why is it that Republican candidates keep stepping in it when they try to use pop music as a rallying cry?

Ronald Reagan incited an uproar when he attempted to get his reelection campaign rocking in 1984 to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” His campaign staff apparently only ever listened to that one line in the song, not the rest protesting the shabby treatment Vietnam War veterans had received after coming home.

Flash forward to 2008 when Jackson Browne sued Sen. John McCain’s campaign for unauthorized use of his 1978 hit “Running on Empty" to take a swipe in a TV ad at rival Sen. Barack Obama’s run for the presidency.

Now McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have sounded echoes of the Reagan gaffe with the use of the 1994 Martina McBride country hit “Independence Day”...

Van Morrison is nothing if not a patient man -- at least when it comes to his landmark 1968 album "Astral Weeks."

The work established him as one of rock's most revered singers and songwriters after his initial bout with fame and commercial success a few years earlier with his band Them. But it wasn’t a big hit -- it never cracked Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart -- and took 33 years to reach gold record status, denoting sales of 500,000 copies. It has, however, consistently shown up on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time, alongside the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."

Come November, to mark the 40th anniversary of the album’s release, he’s doing a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl performing the album in its entirety, something he never did originally.

“In the '60s and '70s the record companies did not support the music, so I never got to take these songs on tour, and I certainly did not have the money to do it,” the mercurial 63-year-old said in a news release announcing the shows. “These songs are as timeless and fresh right now as the day they were written and I am happy about taking them to the Hollywood Bowl."

Tonight's show at Royce Hall for McCabe's 50th anniversary show is already pretty stacked: Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ricky Jay, Ditty Bops and lots more. But guess who else is coming. Hint: She's got something in her pocket.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

'Independence Day' songwriter jabs McCain-Palin campaign's use of song

Why is it that Republican candidates keep stepping in it when they try to use pop music as a rallying cry?

Ronald Reagan incited an uproar when he attempted to get his reelection campaign rocking in 1984 to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” His campaign staff apparently only ever listened to that one line in the song, not the rest protesting the shabby treatment Vietnam War veterans had received after coming home.

Flash forward to 2008 when Jackson Browne sued Sen. John McCain’s campaign for unauthorized use of his 1978 hit “Running on Empty" to take a swipe in a TV ad at rival Sen. Barack Obama’s run for the presidency.

Now McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have sounded echoes of the Reagan gaffe with the use of the 1994 Martina McBride country hit “Independence Day”...

Van Morrison is nothing if not a patient man -- at least when it comes to his landmark 1968 album "Astral Weeks."

The work established him as one of rock's most revered singers and songwriters after his initial bout with fame and commercial success a few years earlier with his band Them. But it wasn’t a big hit -- it never cracked Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart -- and took 33 years to reach gold record status, denoting sales of 500,000 copies. It has, however, consistently shown up on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time, alongside the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."

Come November, to mark the 40th anniversary of the album’s release, he’s doing a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl performing the album in its entirety, something he never did originally.

“In the '60s and '70s the record companies did not support the music, so I never got to take these songs on tour, and I certainly did not have the money to do it,” the mercurial 63-year-old said in a news release announcing the shows. “These songs are as timeless and fresh right now as the day they were written and I am happy about taking them to the Hollywood Bowl."

Tonight's show at Royce Hall for McCabe's 50th anniversary show is already pretty stacked: Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ricky Jay, Ditty Bops and lots more. But guess who else is coming. Hint: She's got something in her pocket.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Van Morrison to revisit "Astral Weeks" live

Van Morrison is nothing if not a patient man -- at least when it comes to his landmark 1968 album "Astral Weeks."

The work established him as one of rock's most revered singers and songwriters after his initial bout with fame and commercial success a few years earlier with his band Them. But it wasn’t a big hit -- it never cracked Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart -- and took 33 years to reach gold record status, denoting sales of 500,000 copies. It has, however, consistently shown up on critics' lists of the greatest albums of all time, alongside the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."

Come November, to mark the 40th anniversary of the album’s release, he’s doing a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl performing the album in its entirety, something he never did originally.

“In the '60s and '70s the record companies did not support the music, so I never got to take these songs on tour, and I certainly did not have the money to do it,” the mercurial 63-year-old said in a news release announcing the shows. “These songs are as timeless and fresh right now as the day they were written and I am happy about taking them to the Hollywood Bowl."

Tonight's show at Royce Hall for McCabe's 50th anniversary show is already pretty stacked: Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ricky Jay, Ditty Bops and lots more. But guess who else is coming. Hint: She's got something in her pocket.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Guess who's coming to Royce Hall tonight

Tonight's show at Royce Hall for McCabe's 50th anniversary show is already pretty stacked: Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ricky Jay, Ditty Bops and lots more. But guess who else is coming. Hint: She's got something in her pocket.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Metallica on 'Death Magnetic' complaints: Get over it

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has a few words for fans who are griping about the sound quality of the new "Death Magnetic" album.

In response to the debate over the CD's sonics, which has spawned an Internet petition now carrying more than 13,000 signatures asking for an improved version to be released, Ulrich tells Blender: "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality.

"It's 2008, and that's how we make records. [Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds ... smokin'."

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Cornell out, Bon Jovi in at Obama fundraiser downtown

Last week, we told you about a Hillary Clinton-led fundraiser for Barack Obama, taking place Saturday at the Edison downtown.  Chris Cornell was expected to play, but he has been replaced by someone we actually can imagine Clinton rocking out to: Jon Bon Jovi. 

Bon Jovi (and Richie Sambora) will play three songs at the event and will introduce the New York senator. The entire event is expected to take place between 6 p.m. and 8:15 or so. Around 9 p.m., after the invite-only, $500-and-up benefit, the Edison then actually plans on opening its doors to the public for normal Saturday night business.

Tickets are advance sales only, and invite-only through the Obama campaign. Tickets for the Detour music festival, which will be taking place just blocks away during the Obama fundraiser, are still available online and can also be purchased at the festival near City Hall.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Mike Derer / AP

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Phish resurfaces for March reunion shows

Grab your tackle box--Phish is back.

The Vermont-based jam band, which became one of the top draws in the concert business during the 1990s and early part of this decade, will reunite for shows March 6-8 in Hampton, Va., and is expected to announce additional performances for 2009.

Rumors of a reunion have been heating up since last spring, and the momentum kept building when three of the four Phish members played together in July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan. All four showed up last month and played at the wedding of their road manager Brad Sands.

When the group decided to call it quits in 2004, guitarist Trey Anastasio said his thinking was that  "Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.”

The band’s final shows Aug. 14-15, 2004 in Coventry, Vt., drew about 80,000 fans and movie theaters around the country carried some of the performances.

Only two of the group’s studio albums made the Top 10, but Phish pulled off the unprecedented feat of placing 16 live albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums chart within the span of  14 months in 2001 and 2002.

Tickets go on sale to the public on Oct. 18 through Ticketmaster, but fans wishing to get a jump on the general sale can try an online ticket request process under way at a Phish ticket web site.

--Randy Lewis

Photo by Alden Pellett/AP

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Bruce Springsteen to play Super Bowl; no 'Nipplegate' expected

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Metallica album sparks more sales, some fan complaints

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Clay Aiken said 'yes' instead of 'yep': Gay pride in celeb-speak

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Metallica, Run-DMC vying for Rock Hall of Fame

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Natalie Cole hospitalized with Hepatitis C, postpones concert tour

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Alison Krauss, Robert Plant win again

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Metallica rockets to No. 1 with 'Death Magnetic'

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Black Crowes cancel in L.A., 4 other cities

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

New Metallica album headed toward No. 1

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

New Britney Spears album 'Circus' due Dec. 2

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Brian Wilson Day in Los Angeles

Now there’s something you don’t see every day: two L.A. City Council members, hand in hand, dancing in the council chamber’s aisles during a midday meeting.

It happened earlier today: Tom LaBonge was spinning Janice Hahn to the sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proclaimed Sept. 12 as “Brian Wilson Day” in Los Angeles.

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Avenged Sevenfold cancels tour dates

How times have changed. Huntington Beach pop-punk-metal band Avenged Sevenfold is calling off its tour for the next few weeks because singer M. Shadows’ voice is thrashed.

Once upon a time, that’s when any self-respecting punk singer would start his tour.

In any case, the band issued a statement today saying that after having to cancel a show Sunday in Baltimore, Shadows, a.k.a. Matt Sanders, went to his doctor and was told that he should rest his vocal cords for a couple of weeks. No surgery will be required.

"I feel as if I'm letting so many people down, especially the fans we were supposed to see this month,” Sanders said in the statement, “but after a little rest it'll be back to the usual craziness everyone expects of A7X.”

About a dozen shows in the Midwest and South will be scotched. The group plans to resume touring Oct. 15 in Japan, then return to the States for shows in November with Buckcherry, Shinedown and Saving Abel. No Southland date has been set on this tour.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Avenged Sevenfold, after they won best album at Kerrang! magazine's annual awards ceremony last month in London, by Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Peter Buck's Rickenbacker guitar stolen

Once again proving that no band is safe from the scourge of rapacious gear thieves, bandits have made off with R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck's longtime Rickenbacker axe from a show in Helsinki. This theft was particularly brazen, as the guitar in question was taken directly off the stage after the band's set at Finnair Stadium on Tuesday night. The guitar has appeared on every R.E.M. record since the band's 1982 debut EP, "Chronic Town," and the group is offering, as they put it in a bulletin, "a generous reward, no questions asked" for the guitar's return.

If you happen to come across any shifty-looking Finn hocking a vintage Rickenbacker played by Buck, R.E.M. asks that you call them at (001) 706-353-6689 or send an e-mail to fanclub@remtour.com. All ransom demands made by phone will promptly be *69'ed, surely.

-- August Brown

Peter Buck photo by Mark Matson / For The Times

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

'Breakfast With the Beatles' debuting on satellite radio

“Breakfast with the Beatles,” the long-running L.A. radio staple devoted to the music of the Fab Four, makes the jump to satellite radio Sunday, when it premieres on Sirius XM Radio as part of Little Steven’s "Underground Garage" lineup.

The show, broadcast in Los Angeles on KLOS-FM (95.5) and hosted by Chris Carter, will go out Sundays at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Sirius XM Channel 25 (with a repeat at 9 p.m.). Each show will be completely different, Carter said Monday. For local Beatlemaniacs, the Sirius show will be followed by Carter's regular Sunday program on KLOS at 9 a.m.

“It’s an honor to have Chris on our channel,” "Underground Garage" host “Little Steven” Van Zandt said today in a statement. "We already play more Beatles music than any other radio channel so it fits in perfectly."

Carter added: “The Beatles saved rock ’n’ roll and Little Steven saved rock ’n’ roll radio. I’m honored to bring the world’s greatest band to the world’s greatest station.”

One reason the show had never been streamed or picked up by satellite radio previously is that Internet radio stations are restricted from playing more than a few tracks from the same album or by the same artist within a three-hour period. A special waiver was required to allow “Breakfast With the Beatles” on satellite radio.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of the Beatles in 1965 from the Associated Press

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Sarah Palin is not a model Alaskan, say Wasilla indie rock native

Wasilla, Alaska, isn't exactly an indie-rock mecca, but one band of note does hail from the area -- the loud and dreamy rock combo with the odd name Portugal. the Man. Singer-guitarist John Baldwin Gourley and bassist Zachary Scott Carothers grew up and started playing music together near the isolated town and still spend considerable time there. (The band's MySpace page lists its home as "Wasilla/Willow/Portland/Seattle/World, Alaska.")

As a native, Gourley's been observing the rise of the town's former mayor, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with increasing consternation. This morning he decided to act on it, posting a moving argument against her candidacy on the band's blog. Gourley's words of protest led me to investigate the matter, and I discovered that some of the group's anti-Palin sentiments stem from her allegedly standing in the way of a skate park's construction in Wasilla when the band members were teens.

Gourley's blog post is mostly philosophical. Under the heading "Sarah Palin, Because We Don't Need It," he writes of the first time his father took him hunting for moose, when he was about 6. The pair quickly spotted their quarry, but his father pulled back. They didn't kill the moose "because we don't need it," he explained to his son.

" 'Because we don't need it' was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people," Gourley writes of his parents, who were Iditarod dog-sled mushers and continue to live an Alaskan life. "And to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? Two years as governor of the state of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time."

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

KCRW calls off 'Sounds Eclectic Evening' show

Public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9) is calling off its annual "Sounds Eclectic Evening" multi-artist concert fundraiser this year after shifting the time frame of the event earlier this
year from spring to fall.

The show had been slated this year for Oct. 12 at the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre with headliner k.d. lang and support acts including Bajofondo, the Duke Spirit and “more artists to be announced
and special surprise guests.”

But the rest of the bill didn’t materialize because the summer concert festival circuit “which was particularly robust this year, created a challenging environment for filling out a seven-band bill,” according to a statement the station issued today [FRI5].

“We’ve always had a high standard for the bands we’ve invited to play this concert and changing the date to fall -– at the end of the summer festival season -– proved to be a bigger
hurdle than we were expecting,” said Nic Harcourt, KCRW music director and host of its
“Morning Becomes Eclectic” show.

Lang’s performance will be shifted to the 500-seat Malibu Performing Arts Center on the same night and it will be presented as part of the station’s recently inaugurated KCRW Sessions series. Refunds will be made to those who bought tickets for the "Sounds Eclectic Evening" show, and they will be given priority to buy seats for the downscaled lang concert, KCRW’s statement said. Tickets will be $150
and $250, and proceeds will benefit the station.

— Randy Lewis

Photo by EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Britney Spears is coming to the VMAs

Oops, she's doing it again. Britney's coming to the VMAs, according to MTV. The official word is that Brit will "open the show." What that exactly means is anyone's guess. Maybe a slithery song and dance with British cad host Russell Brand? That would be fun, but probably not -- Spears is not officially slated to perform. Something tells me that Britney would do best, as Perez Hilton so sagely states, to simply smile and wave. If only Sarah Palin's job were so easy tonight. Hmm, whose shoes would you rather be in?

--Margaret Wappler

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Slipknot edges past the Game for No. 1 album

In a neck-and-neck race to the top of the national sales chart, Slipknot has slipped past the Game, with the hard-rock band’s “All Hope Is Gone” edging out the rapper’s “LAX” for the No. 1 spot.

It gives the band its first chart-topping album, with 239,516 copies, compared with 238,382 for “LAX.”

Solange Knowles entered the Top 10 at No. 9, Beyoncé’s little sister selling 46,000 copies of her sophomore album, “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” according to the Nielsen SoundScan sales monitoring service.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Slipknot by Neil Zlozower

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Rufus Wainwright and Met Opera part ways

     

Rufus Wainwright and the Metropolitan Opera have parted ways over the singer-songwriter’s new work that the Met had commissioned from him, over both the language and timing of the piece, his publicist said Thursday.

Wainwright, who is French Canadian on his mother’s side, insisted on writing his first opera in French, while Met officials wanted this and other new works it commissioned recently to be in English to appeal to the largest possible American audience. In addition Met officials said they wouldn’t be able to premiere Wainwright’s “Prima Donna” earlier than the 2014 season, while Wainwright said he wants it to be staged as soon as possible.

He now plans introduce “Prima Donna,” about a day in the life of an opera singer, next summer at the Manchester International Festival in England.

--Randy Lewis

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Jay-Z will open renovated Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 15

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

U.S.A wins Air Guitar title in Finland

Forget the Olympic medal count, America just won the only title that matters Friday at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.  San Francisco's Hot Lixx Hulahan, who beat out over 20 aspiring air guitar gods earlier this month in his hometown to take the nationals Aug. 8, apparently bested stiff competition from countries like Germany and the Netherlands to bring air guitar bragging rights back to the States for the first time since 2004. 

More details as we get them (the event just wrapped around 1 p.m. PST), but rest assured over the weekend that America is once again tops at air guitar (Japan's Ochi Yosuke held the title of the world's best for the past two years).

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Hot Lixx at the nationals earlier this month by Misha Vladimirsky

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Nic Harcourt becomes the boy with the Moz in his studio this month

L.A. Anglophiles who regularly tune into KCRW-FM (89.9) may well crash their Union Jack-themed Aston Martins when they hear a certain beloved voice on the air later this month. None other than the sultan of sad sacks himself, Morrissey, will guest DJ on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" with the surely beatific fellow Brit Nic Harcourt on Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m.

The guest appearance, taped a few weeks ago in KCRW's Santa Monica studios, is quite a get for Harcourt, who had been courting Moz to drop by for more than a decade. Morrissey will talk tunes and news about his new solo album, "Years of Refusal," and spin from the few records he can tolerate these days, including cuts from the New York Dolls, Sparks, Buzzcocks and the newbie Manchester quartet the Courteneers.

It's surely required listening for SoCal's considerable Britpop contingent, but we just hope that Harcourt took a cue from Art Brut and cracked open some Hennessy with Morrissey on the air.

-- August Brown

Photo by Gregg Lewis

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Hey, a new Bloc Party album this week!

To combat the election of a Minotaur politician pupetteered by space apes -- as seen above -- Bloc Party is throwing its hat in the ring of new albums released mere days after confirmation of their existence. The 10-track "Intimacy" follows up the band's sophomore LP, "A Weekend in the City," with a digital release Thursday and a physical edition Oct. 28, and again finds them working with old-hand producers Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, with My Bloody Valentine vet Alan Moulder behind the mixing board. To judge by the lead single "Mercury" and between-albums teaser single "Flux," the band has been indulging its electronica fix lately and might be returning to the dance-floor ethos that made them so inescapable in 2005.

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Jackson Browne sues John McCain for using 'Running on Empty'

Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" could be considered the crown jewel in Browne's '70s repertoire of deeply personal songwriting. It was never meant to be a political song, least of all for a conservative candidate; in fact, the leftist connotations with the song itself and Browne's own liberal political history are well entrenched in pop culture. In 1988, Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty," written by Naomi Foner (a.k.a. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's mom), follows a fugitive couple who, with their two sons, bounce from town to town in order to thwart FBI prosecution for blowing up a laboratory in radical protest of the Vietnam War. It earned a couple of Oscar nominations, including one for River Phoenix. Also, the video above is from "No Nukes," a 1979 concert where Browne performed "Running on Empty" to protest, well, you can figure that out. More recently, Browne has made appearances at rallies for Ralph Nader and John Edwards -- not exactly a GOP scene.

So then it wasn't a surprise to hear that Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad. Geoff Boucher at the Top of the Ticket blog has more on Browne's lawsuit and the response from McCain's camp:

Jackson Browne is suing John McCain for using the song "Running on Empty" in a campaign ad -- and the veteran rocker is also calling the candidate a great pretender when it comes to standing up for constitutional rights.

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Sam Moore pays tribute to Isaac Hayes at Sunset Junction

Isaac Hayes has been given plenty of well-deserved tributes in the wake of his death. But Hayes' passing leaves a particular hole in the lineup of this year's Sunset Junction, where he was the scheduled headliner. That's a mighty baritone to fill, but Sam Moore will do his best to compensate. Moore, one half of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, popularized many of Hayes' tunes, including "Soul Man" and "You Don't Know Like I Know," as his Stax label mate in the '60s. He's been booked to perform a Hayes tribute to close out Day 1 of the Junction -- on the Hoover Stage at 9:30 p.m. on Aug 23 -- and while nobody can quite match Hayes' virtuosity as a musician and general bastion of awesomeness, the Junction picked quite a worthy singer to remember him by.

-- August Brown

Moore photo by Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

So, this is what Burial looks like

The camera-shy U.K. dubstep producer Burial is probably the single most unlikely victim in human history of a tabloid-unmasking campaign, courtesy of the British fish wrap the Sun, which opined ridiculously that it might be an Aphex Twin or Fatboy Slim side project. The U.K. paper the Independent put some fuel on the fire by dropping Burial's real name in a February article about the Elliott School in south London, which Burial attended. So as the producer prepares to possibly appear at this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize ceremony (his fantastic album "Untrue" is hotly tipped for a win), he decided to put the kibosh on the reclusiveness thing and make his public debut.

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Gear thief makes a lifelong enemy of the Stooges

If I were to come up with a list of people whom I'd feel comfortable stealing a truck's worth of irreplaceable musical instruments from, the Stooges would not be on it. I can imagine Iggy Pop coming in through my air vents, unhinging his jaw and consuming my innards like that one yellow-eyed "X-Files" villain. And Mike Watt would probably just whale on me in a parking lot somewhere. Nonetheless, some cowardly soul in Montreal decided to disembark with the Stooges' entire tour truck worth of gear this morning, including Watt's classic Gibson bass. Full list of lost equipment after the jump from the e-mail that's being forwarded around, and how you can help ensure they have the gear to try and make a better album than "The Weirdness" in the future.

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

NPR’s Bryant Park Project no longer living on the air

Got the official news from producer Jacob Ganz that the Bryant Park Project, NPR's drive-time show for Gen X-Y-Z-whatevers, has been canceled. It's sad: I loved their Onion-like sensibility, their vivacious and super-smart host Alison Stewart -- who's been fighting the good fight since her early-1990s days at MTV, when she spearheaded "Choose or Lose," the network's award-winning voter awareness campaign -- and their smart music coverage. (They even had me on once, so they must be geniuses.)

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Russia to ban emo?

Perhaps fearing that the spread of HIV, rampant drug addiction and a nasty depopulation crisis may be putting Russian teenagers on edge these days, Russia's government is currently mulling over legislation that would regulate emo-centric websites and curtail goth wear in schools and government buildings. NME reports that Russian lawmakers cite fears of emo's alleged glorification of suicide and depression as reasons for the bill.

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Critic’s Notebook: On Pitchfork and kingmaking

Yesterday, August Brown offered an impassioned take-down of Pitchfork's snarky "review" of the new Black Kids LP. For me, the whole little mess raises questions beyond whether a snapshot of a pair of pugs -- one black, the other white -- is an effective emblem for artistic failure. (Though I'd like to get some of my friends who have written on minstrelsy and racialized pop imagery to weigh in on Pitchfork's decision to use those particular animals to represent an interracial band).

I'm not quibbling with turnabout reviews, or the ratings drop from 8.4 to 3.3 from the Black Kids' first recorded effort to the band's second. Critics often thrill to a young band's first, rough outbursts only to question its (slightly) more polished later efforts. And though I'm with Neil Young's dad in "Powderfinger" in saying, "Numbers add up to nothing," readers do respond to scores and stars. Making a statement that way is a time-honored critical gesture -- an easy middle finger raised.

What interests me about this tiny Black Kids backlash is the one word that accompanies the picture:

"Sorry :-\"

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Just another day in the life of (former prison guard) Rick Ross

Did Miami rap impresario Rick Ross crib his best coke-dealing stories from inmates while working as a prison guard?

Perhaps.

The Smoking Gun has cleared up a minor controversy surrounding the hot-right-now rapper. Turns out, Ross was in fact a Florida corrections officer, despite his claim that pictures circulating online showing him in uniform were "fake."

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

Sex Pistols’ John Lydon linked to racist attack on Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke

Britain's Guardian newspaper has this hugely depressing story alleging that Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was involved in a racially motivated assault against Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke.

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

China’s music markets are forbidden cities to some singers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown