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For the second time in two months, Foo Fighters covered a Gibb brothers’ classic as the band performed Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing” during Saturday’s Rock-n-Relief livestream.

After Foo Fighters opened their two-song set with Medicine at Midnight’s “Making a Fire,” the lights turned down and the soundstage suddenly transformed into a discotheque, with drummer Taylor Hawkins and the band’s trio of backup singers sharing vocals on the funky and faithful take on the 1978 smash single.

See the Foo Fighters’ virtual set at the 5-hour, 40-minute mark of the Rock-n-Relief livestream above.

Rilo Kiley staged a partial reunion during the Rock-n-Relief livestream and concert series Saturday as Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett performed the band’s “Let Me Back In.”

Playing together for the first time in six years, Lewis and Sennett — Rilo Kiley’s principal songwriters — delivered an acoustic take of their Rkives track. See the partial reunion at the 5-hour, 35-minute mark of the Rock-n-Relief livestream above.

The beloved indie band last performed together in 2008, roughly five years before Rilo Kiley made their breakup official in 2013. However, Sennett and Lewis...

Lollapalooza has announced the headliners for their debut Colombia outing, revealing that Disclosure and The Chainsmokers will top the lineup. Non dance-music acts including Lana Del Rey and Wiz Khalifa appear on the roster as well, with one more headliner as of yet to be announced.

The full lineup will feature more than 40 artists from a diverse range of genres, including Nicky Romero, Robin Schulz, Markus Schulz, Yellow Claw, Silversun Pickups, Lost Frequencies, Louis The Child and more. The South American edition of the major festival brand is set to kick off September 17 and 18 at Bogota’s Simon Bolivar Park.

Children ten years and under will be allowed to attend the festival free of charge, providing they are accompanied by a ticket holding adult, and the event will feature a supervised children’s area called Kidzapalooza.

Tickets for Lollapalooza Colombia are available now and can be purchased here.

Hey there, creeps! As you know I love turnin’ you ghouls on to new music, and this time I got somethin’ a bit different for ya — a band that embraces a multitude of 90s-era alternative influences to create their own unique sound: The Foxfires! Of course they are fans of our beloved horror biz as well, as you will see as you read on!

Famous Monsters. Welcome, fellas. Please have a seat… pick any coffin you want! Now let’s kick off this lil’ convo with an introduction!

Foxfires. Our name is the Foxfires; we’re a Seagaze band from Nyack, NY. Seagaze is a clever combination of indie rock and 90s alternative. Our influences include My Bloody Valentine, Foals, Nirvana, and Silversun Pickups. We came up with the term “Seagaze” based on the feeling you get when gazing out into the ocean when you’re on the shore.

FM.

As previously reported, Coachella returns this year with two big reunions in the form of headliners — plus Calvin Harris, to make you play a quick game of "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)." The rest of the lineup, which the California-based fest released Monday evening, looks like a well-rounded roster that has a tinge of repeat dad-trip potential: Sufjan Stevens, Jack Ü, Chris Stapleton, Major Lazer, Joey Bada$$, Silversun Pickups, Ice Cube, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, A$AP Rocky, Grimes, Run the Jewels, Sia, and Rancid (yep!), among many, many others will be there, too. (If you squint hard enough, you might even be able to convince yourself Dmx is onboard, though it's actually Dma's.) Here's the official poster with all the details:...

A prolific commercials director and occasional music video helmer (remember Morrissey's 'Tomorrow'?), 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake launched Zack Snyder onto the blockbuster A-list and since then he's worked on hotly-anticipated geek properties such as Watchmen and Superman.

The film critic community may not be too kind to Snyder, but his films frequently deliver when it comes to box office and that's partly down to how well his work gets sold. All those years making short-form promos served him well, because the trailers for Snyder's films are often mini works of art in and of themselves.

With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on the horizon, Digital Spy looks back at Snyder's career in seven memorable trailers.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Fans were non-too-pleased about this remake of George A Romero's zombie classic, but with his directorial debut Snyder delivered a sturdy remake that's perhaps his best overall film to date.

The newly rebranded "pink" carpet at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, held in a tent on the Santa Monica beach, brought in this year's nominees who stopped to talk with us along the way. Jessica Chastain, Laura Poitras, Pawel Pawlikowski, Desiree Akhavan, Justin Simien, Eliza Hittman, John Ridley, Emma Stone, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Damien Chazelle, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane and hosts Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen were just some of the faces who sailed by. Best International Feature-winning "Ida" director Pawel Pawlikowski, fielding queries from the press corps while Silversun Pickups blared in the next room, said of his black-and-white Oscar frontrunner "'Ida' was a film made with no hope of commercial success, the actors are unknown, this recognition elevates the whole thing. We need that. These little miracles happen and they keep us going and make us take risks. This was a huge one. It made no commercial sense whatsoever.

HitFix Award Gurus Kris Tapley and Greg Ellwood are both attending Saturday's Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday (February 21) afternoon in Santa Monica and they left me to handle HitFix's Independent Spirit Awards Winners & Losers list.  And once I'm watching Saturday's show, I might as well be live-blogging Saturday's show as preparation for Sunday's Oscars live-blog, especially since is the last time that "Birdman" and "Boyhood" will be going head-to-head for Best Picture (along with "Selma" and "Whiplash") before the Academy Awards. So follow along and say "Hi" in the comments below... And remember that Saturday's show, hosted by Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen, is airing live on IFC, not that obnoxious tape-delayed thing they used to do! 1:50 p.m. Pt. The show hasn't started, but if you're following the Winners list, you know that "Birdman" has already won for for cinematography, while "Whiplash" won for editing, both results I can accept.

wikipedia

The deep, rumbling rhythm, the popping, bouncing groove, the sheer, thunderous, rolling beat. The bass, often overlooked, ignored, cast aside as a boring instrument, carries every song, propelling it to greater heights. And when you think of the bass, it brings a masculine, testosterone heavy feel. Great bass players come to mind: Flea, John Paul Jones, John Entwistle, Paul McCartney. However, some of the greatest bass players had no testosterone at all, yet could bring just as much muscle, just as much grit.

While most female musicians are associated with the piano and the guitar, one area where women have effectively held their own is the bass guitar. The deep, low end of the music spectrum, the bass was historically a predominantly male instrument. While there were a few females rocking four strings, not many reached high levels of popularity and recognition. This greatly changed during the alt-rock boom of the late ’80s,...

Joaquin Phoenix's life is as unique as the characters he plays onscreen.

The actor has been working on and off since the early '80s, though it wasn't until his star turn opposite Russell Crowe in "Gladiator" (2000) that Phoenix became a household name. Since then, Phoenix has turned in a string of unforgettable performances, most notably his incredible portrayal of Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line" (2005).

Whether or not you've had a chance to see Phoenix fall in love with a computer in this year's Oscar-nominated "Her," there's still much to know about the established star. From his unusual upbringing to his music videos, here are 17 things you probably don't know about Joaquin Phoenix.

1. The actor was born in 1974 and is the third of five children: River (b. 1970), Rain (b. 1972), Liberty (b. 1976), and Summer (b. 1978).

2. His parents were members of the religious group the Children of God, leading to...

Joaquin Phoenix has a new girlfriend ... emphasis on "girl."The 39-year-old actor was recently seen touring Rome with a cute blonde on his arm -- and, at 19, she's less than half his age!Joaquin's new piece is teenage DJ Allie Teilz, who, despite her young age, appears to have been working in the entertainment biz for a while now."When I was younger I used to work production for arena shows in Vegas and Palm Springs, and I did artist relations for pop stars," she said in a recent interview with Bullett magazine. "On Thursdays after school I would go from school to the airport, fly to Vegas, work the shows from 6am Friday until Sunday at 2am, before school.""I had a complete double life and lied about my age," she continues. "But I was really getting involved in the music world and starting to meet people."The two...

Forget about thy neighbor's wife, this week on Up All Night we learned thou shall not cover thy neighbor's babysitter.

"Another Saturday Night" turned into fright night when Terry showed up outside the Brinkley household. She was a little bit of Annie Wilkes, Max Cady and Hedy Carlson all rolled into one in that scene, as she stood in the darkness outside the patio door. 

Saturday nights are the life blood of any young couple. Sadly, though, when it comes to finding someone you trust with your child, good help is hard to find. So it was no surprise to see Reagan and Chris act as slippery as Bob Sugar did when he stole Cush from Jerry Maguire on the night before the draft. 

Loved their choice of drinks and their request to have them served in those Buddha raising the roof mugs, but Ava was the clear winner with her Pinot Grige with ice.

When Chris and Reagan try to recapture their youth (or their pre-baby lives) with a night out on the town in a new "Up All Night," they'll wind up rocking out to the Silversun Pickups, Zap2it can reveal.

In "Another Saturday Night," airing Thursday, Oct. 18 at Tktkk p.m. on NBC, Christina Applegate and Will Arnett's Reagan and Chris will find themselves getting wild with Ava (Maya Rudolph) and Jerry (Rob Huebel). The gang will wind up at a Silversun Pickups show, where the band will perform a song from their latest album, "Neck of the Woods."

Elsewhere in the episode, Reagan's brother, Scott (Luka Jones), will try out dating again thanks to Chris' advice. 

"Up All Night" airs Thursdays at 8:30 on NBC.

Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello already told Paul Ryan that he's "the embodiment of the machine our music rages against," and now the guitarist has simplified his view on the vice-presidential candidate.

In a red carpet interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Morello offered this take on Mitt Romney's running mate: "Paul Ryan was a jackass before he listened to [Rage Against the Machine], came out a jackass at the end, so he missed a lot of it."

But Morello said he wasn't necessarily surprised that a conservative like Ryan would be a fan of the band. "[Rage] is a band that casts the nets really wide, and that’s part of the strength of the band," he said. "People are drawn to it by the music, the aggression, the rockingness of it, and then they’re exposed to different ideas."

In August, Morello penned an op-ed for Rolling Stone that compared Ryan's...

The author of the book Friday Night Lights is a vocal Mitt Romney fan, and at recent campaign appearances the Republican presidential candidate has been using the inspirational phrase from the TV adaptation: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”

But that expression isn’t in the book, and Peter Berg, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2004 movie, and went on to create the 2006-2011 TV series, has released a scathing letter to Romney, telling him to cut it out.

Governor Romney:

I created the TV show “Friday Night Lights” and came up with the phrase “Clear Eyes,...

For those of you who have seen the superb documentary Searching For Sugarman or if you’re still thinking about seeing it, here’s some news about the film. It will be featured in a piece on October 7′s edition of the long-running CBS news magazine TV show ” 60 Minutes “. Now if you’re going to record it with a DVR device be sure and allow extra end time in case the football game runs over ( 30 minutes would be safe, I think ). Here’s the press release:

New York (October 3, 2012) . CBS .60 Minutes. correspondent Bob Simon will spotlight artist/musician Rodriguez and director Malik Bendjelloul.s critically-acclaimed documentary Searching For Sugar Man on the show this Sunday, October 7th at 7pm Et/Pt. The film was released by Sony Pictures Classics on July 27th and is continuing to expand nationwide. The film’s soundtrack album is now available from Legacy Recordings/Light In The Attic.

Creed frontman Scott Stapp stopped by "Fox & Friends" to make a big announcement: He will not be voting for Obama.

Stapp made his remarks Tuesday morning, noting that the recession (which he calls "the great correction") was indicative of a failed Barack Obama presidency. The singer voted for Obama in 2008, but says he is just too disappointed to support the president's bid for a second term.

"I'm just disappointed. I had very high hopes and expectations and was really inspired by President Obama," Stapp said. "And I still am, he's an amazing speaker. But in my opinion, his administration [made] a lot of promises, but no real delivery."

Stapp stopped short of endorsing Mitt Romney. Instead, he said he wished a candidate would lay out a grand vision for the country.

"My heart and soul would really love someone like Reagan or Fdr to come back and give us a New Deal,...

Silversun Pickups. Beady Eye. Fitz & The Tantrums. Ben Lee. Richie Sambora. Which one of these is not like the other? Yes, Sambora might stick out like a sore thumb, but the founding member and guitarist of one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Bon Jovi, released his third solo album, Aftermath of the Lowdown, on Sept. 18 via Dangerbird Records -- the Silver Lake, Calif. indie label that hosts some of alternative music’s coolest artists. Sambora, 53, certainly could have taken his music to his pick of major labels, but the axman who once helmed his own indie

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Indie rockers/'90s nostalgics Silversun Pickups have announced the release of a free live Ep featuring tracks from both the band itself and the groups accompanying them on their fall tour, Atlas Genius, School Of Seven Bells, and Cloud Nothings. The Pickups' third album, Neck Of The Woods, was released on May 8 on Dangerbird Records. The Ep is now available on the group's website.

R.E.M. is the latest music act to request that its songs not be played in a political context.

The band -- which broke up last September after 31 years together -- released a statement on their website denouncing Fox News for playing its seminal hit "Losing My Religion" during coverage of the Democratic National Convention.

"We have little or no respect for their puff adder brand of reportage," R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe said in the statement. "Our music does not belong there." R.E.M. said that Fox News is not authorized or licensed to use the song -- a cheeky way for the cable news network to comment on the perceived lack of faith at the DNC -- in the future.

R.E.M. is far from the first band to push-back against Republicans during election season. The Silversun Pickups sent Mitt Romney's campaign...

Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber is known as one of the most successful movie producers currently working, having been an integral part of "Batman," "Batman Returns," "Rain Man" and "The Color Purple." So it would follow that Guber has a finger firmly on the pulse of Hollywood, and he recently shared an interesting perspective with Fox News.

"Even the most ardent supporters have said, 'Yeah the first term was not exactly a stellar performance,'" Guber told Fox's Neal Cavuto of President Obama's performance (transcript via THR). "It wasn't really a win-win."

"I think a lot of these people who have been doing fundraisers and supporting him have some real questions," Guber said. "They have questions on whether this will really change in the second term. Will it be more of the same? Can he really solve what he couldn't solve in the first term in the second term?...

Just can't get enough, once sang Depeche Mode. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm listening to other tunes right now. Check out my August playlist for some desktop and mobile device-worthy tuneage.

"Fisherman" The Peach Kings Handsome Moves (Peach Kings) - So damn infectious, it is! Hot chick vocals and '60s garage-pop, twang-rock flourishes abound. Texan Paige McClain Wood and Californian Steven Trezevant Dies describe their sound as "gypsydelic" and I concur. Favorite single of the month! Check out the vid below!

Pale Morning Light The Late Call (Tapete) - Rare that I can hang with an album from start to finish. Sometimes I get about 3 songs in, if I'm lucky. Lucky that I'm not bored by too many malnourished songs. Not so with this third collection of melodic folk-rock musings from Stockholm-based singer-songwriter Mr. Johannes Mayer. Great vibe, great voice, great songs; worth hangin' from start to finish.

As more musicians including Twister Sister frontman Dee Snider and Los Angeles rock band Silversun Pickups continue to object to Republican candidates using their songs in campaign rallies, no legal clarity on the subject is forthcoming. That's because in the only ongoing lawsuit over whether an Ascap blanket license covers the use of music on the campaign trail -- a dispute between Survivor member Frankie Sullivan and former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich over the use of the Rocky III hit song "Eye of the Tiger" -- the parties have informed an Illinois federal court that they are completing documentation of a

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-- Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has asked Republican vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan's camp not to play his hit song, "We're Not Gonna Take It."

Ryan spokesman Brandon Buck wrote a pithy email in response: "We're Not Gonna Play It anymore."

Snider says in a statement that he does not support Ryan and denounced use of the song, an anthemic 1984 hit for the glam metal band.

It joins a long list of songs that musicians have asked politicians to stop using. Most recently, the rock band Silversun Pickups asked likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney to stop using the song "Panic Switch" last week. The campaign said the song's use was inadvertent.

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Online:...

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider has joined the Silversun Pickups in telling the Republican presidential ticket to back off. Snider issued a statement today after it came to his attention that Mitt Romney’s choice for vice president, Rep. Paul Ryan, is using “We’re Not Gonna Take It” during campaign stops. “I emphatically denounce Paul Ryan's use of my song "Were Not Gonna Take It" as recorded by my band Twisted Sister,” Snider said in a statement released to Talking Points Memo campaign reporter Benjy Sarlin. “There is almost nothing on which I agree with Paul Ryan, except perhaps the use of the P90X.”...

Dee Snider has slammed the use of a Twisted Sister track at a recent Republican Party rally. Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan recently used 'We're Not Gonna Take It' in Pennsylvania, causing the band's frontman to air his disapproval. "I emphatically denounce Paul Ryan's use of my band Twisted Sister's song 'We're Not Gonna Take It' in any capacity," Snider said in a statement. "There is almost nothing he stands for that I agree with except the use of the [workout program] P90X." K'naan and Silversun Pickups have also recently denounced the Republican Party's campaign, which included (more)...

Stars have been making their sometimes-dancey, sometimes-depressed brand of relationship-centric music for over a decade now, so it's a bit jarring to hear singer Torquil Campbell open a song with a line like this: "There's been a lot of talk of love, but that don't amount to nothing."

But the lyric from "Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Get It," a single off The North, is indicative of the album's refreshing candor. It's as though the old band has shed its skin and found new energy without compromising much of its sound.

So if some of the messages on The North are less subtle than the band's earlier work (there's a song called "Do You Want to Die Together?"), so be it. "I do find this record pretty different than the last record," Millan told The Huffington Post in an interview. "There's a fresh feeling going into this record.

Hank Williams Jr. reprised his role as a fiery anti-Obama blowhard on Friday, telling fans at a concert that the president was Muslim and anti-American.

The statement came near the end of a concert at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand. Williams Jr.'s comments were first reported in a review by Des Moines Register reporter Joe Lawler.

According to Lawler, the show was relatively free of politics until the end, when Williams Jr. made the following claims: "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. and we hate him!"

The comments were apparently met with applause and loud cheers.

Williams Jr. made waves in October 2011, when he appeared on "Fox and Friends" and likened the president to Hitler.

That statement resulted in Espn yanking Williams Jr.'s opening song from "Monday Night Football," where the country star's song had played for over two decades.

David Simon, journalist and creator of "The Wire" and "Treme" took to his blog Thursday to denounce Mitt Romney's recent admission that he "never paid less than 13 percent" of his income in taxes.

"Can we stand back and pause a short minute to take in the spectacle of a man," Simon's post begins, "who wants to be President of The United States, who wants us to seriously regard him as a paragon of the American civic ideal, declaiming proudly and in public that he has paid his taxes at a third of the rate normally associated with gentlemen of his economic benefit."

Simon also described Romney's position as "stunning" and a sign that "the republic is just about over."

The Republican candidate for president has been in a months-long battle over his tax returns. Romney's refusal to release his tax record has invigorated critics like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,...

Paul Ryan has previously cited Rage Against the Machine as his favorite band, but the group's guitarist isn't returning the niceties. In a blistering op-ed published Thursday night on Rolling Stone's website, Tom Morello blasts Mitt Romney's new VP choice as "the embodiment of the machine our music rages against."

In painting Ryan as antithetical to progress, Morello compares the Congressman's appreciation of Ratm to Charles Manson's love for The Beatles and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's liking for Bruce Springsteen.

At the heart of Morello's distate for Ryan is "his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to the one percent." He goes on to say Ryan has plenty of "rage," but claims its "A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment."

The Grammy-winning guitarist has a history of outspoken activism.

The Silversun Pickups want Mitt Romney's presidential campaign to immediately stop the use of the rock group's song "Panic Switch." And the Romney campaign has no problem with that. The Los Angeles-based band's attorney sent a cease and desist letter to the Republican presidential candidate's campaign Wednesday. A news release says neither the band nor its representatives were contacted for permission to use the 2009 alternative rock hit and the group "has no intention of endorsing the Romney campaign." "We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign," Silversun Pickups...

Alternative rock band The Silversun Pickups has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mitt Romney, asking him to stop playing its music at his events.

"Without any regard for copyright or intellectual property laws, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has, without permission, begun to use Silversun Pickups' 2009 smash 'Panic Switch' at campaign stops across the country," lead singer-guitarist Brian Aubert said in a statement, according to The Los Angeles Times. "Neither the band nor its representatives were contacted to gain permission for the use of the song and the band has no intention of endorsing the Romney campaign. The band's attorney issued a cease-and-desist today."

Read More >...

On Wednesday, Mitt Romney was served with a cease-and-desist letter from a band called Silversun Pickups for using their big hit "Panic Switch" at campaign rallies. For those who have followed the many disputes over the years between musicians and Republican politicians, the demand was familiar. Romney has battled such musicians as K’naan and Al Green over use of songs. Before that, Newt Gingrich was hit with a lawsuit from Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan. Before that, Michele Bachmann received an unpleasant letter from Tom Petty. And on and on... But just how close are the notes of discord

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Mitt Romney should start hoping that there aren't too many Silversun Pickups fans in the swing states. The alternative rockers sent a cease and desist letter to the Romney campaign today, demanding that he stop playing their song "Panic Switch" at events and stating in no uncertain terms that, even if Romney had asked permission, their politics don't mix. "We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign," frontman Brian Aubert said in a statement to E! News. "We're nice, approachable people. We won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney! We were very close to just letting this go because the irony...

Silversun Pickups don't want Mitt Romney hitting the "Panic Switch." The Los Angeles band's attorney issued a cease-and-desist on Wednesday over the Republican presidential candidate's use of the 2009 hit in recent campaign events. Photos: Hollywood's Campaign Contributions: 15 of the Best Election-Themed Movies "We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign," singer/guitarist Brian Aubert said in a release. "We're nice, approachable people. We won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney!" The indie musician added that the group had been "very close to just

read more...

The Silversun Pickups have asked Mitt Romney's campaign to stop using their song "Panic Switch" at events. The band has issued a cease-and-desist order and released a statement Wednesday, roundly denouncing Romney and his campaign.

"We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign," frontman Brian Aubert wrote. "We're nice, approachable people. We won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney!"

A spokeswoman for the campaign told the Associated Press that while the campaign did not ask for permission for the song, it was allowed to play it under a "blanket licensing agreement." The campaign also said it would not play "Panic Switch" again.

The band suggested that Romney's use of the single was ironic because "he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign."

Here's the song's chorus, as posted on online lyric websites:

When you see...

Mitt Romney's been engaging in illegal activity -- playing the rock tune "Panic Switch" on the campaign trail without permission from the band Silversun Pickups -- this according to the band which fired off a cease and desist letter to the candidate today.According to the band's frontman Brian Aubert, Romney has been using their 2009 hit ... even though no one ever asked them for permission, but it's pretty clear he wouldn't have gotten it even if he asked.

Jaxon Smith is an adorable six year old with one unbelievable talent. The little drummer is pretty much ready to join the Foo Fighters, if the above video of him rocking along to their song "Pretender" is to any indication.

According to the video's description, Jaxon was born in 2005 and weighed just one pound. He's grown up to be quite a rocker, performing songs by Rush, The Who, Heart (yep, "Barracuda"), the Silversun Pickups, Tool, Rage Against the Machine and more. For more of Jackson's amazing drumming, head over to the profile of YouTube user U2RUSHFAN.

Even more incredible? Jackson is described as self-taught. In his most recent video (featuring an upgraded, digital drum kit), Jackson drums along to The Who's "The Real Me."

Our favorite part of Jaxon's "Pretender" performance comes around 3:23, when he jumps back at the kid-size drum set after the bridge. All things considered,...

If the Breaking Bad credits get you pumped, it's not just because you love a floating periodic table and the color green; it's because of the music (which we would phonetically hum for you if it weren't so difficult). The show's composer, Dave Porter, teases us with just enough twisted and ominous sounds to remind us that we're in for a glorious 40-something minutes of television. With season five around the corner (it premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. Eastern on AMC), Vulture spoke to Porter about the music he's been listening to for inspiration and how it's influenced his work this season. Check out his answers, below. (And bonus points if you can confirm his element. Polonium?)Silversun Pickups, Neck of the WoodsI love their use of distortion and guitar. Distortion in general is one of my biggest tools in the score for Breaking Bad, and obviously there's a lot...

Ok, so this isn’t a new observation.

But it really hit home after I watched some TV ads for a kiwi supermarket yesterday that advertising in New Zealand is so much better than much of the crap that is being served up in this country at the moment.

Why is it that Colenso Bbdo Auckland can turn something as bland as a supermarket chain into a brand I almost like, while Australian agencies succeed only in either irritating me (Coles) or passing me by unnoticed (Woolies) because the ads are so average?

The three kiwi ads released yesterday, as someone in the comment thread pointed out, say nothing about the service offering, or point of difference of New World supermarket. But at least they are pieces of communication I can sit through and enjoy.

Yes, the context is different. Coles and Woolies are embroiled in an ugly tit-for-tat scrap...

If Carnavas was fresh and exciting and Swoon was dull and predictable, the Silversun Pickups' third album, Neck of the Woods, could probably be called both refreshing and maybe even a bit eerie. The band's move from hooks that bordered on arena rock into a darker and more ambient sound certainly feels like a step in a refreshing direction. As much as I liked Carnavas, the Pickups' first full length, I felt alienated by the repetitive and overbearing sounds of their followup Swoon. Carnavas was shoegaze-lite, a dream pop inspired opus that relied on fantastic songwriting sprinkled with ambient noise that slowly saturated each track. Neck of the Woods is, thankfully, a call back to the band's debut. It's an album that skates along in ethereal splendor, never getting too worked up or in too big of a hurry. Only on a few occasions do the steady sounds swell...

Blown Away #1 again as Adele moves back up to #2.

By Gil Kaufman

Carrie Underwood's <i>Blown Away</i> Album Cover

Photo: Arista

Just as the 11th season of "American Idol" is wheezing to a close , the top three contenders can take some heart in the fact that former champ Carrie Underwood is still at the top of her game. Underwood's latest, Blown Away, will spend a second week at the top of the Billboard 200 charts thanks to sales of 120,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

Though sales were down 55 percent, that was enough to edge out a resurgent Adele, who may have benefitted from the Mother's Day Bump for her unstoppable 21, which was up 31 percent and two spots to #2 on sales of 101,000. That holiday push helped lift Adele over the 9 million mark in the U.S., with diamond status now well within reach.

The rest of the top 10 was fairly stable,...

There’s not a lot in Silversun Pickups’ swirling, heavy music to indicate the Los Angeles alternative rock band’s four members enjoy busting a move, but it turns out they do — often resulting in collateral damage. “We love to have dance parties,” says drummer Christopher Guanlao. “When we’re on the road, one of the things to kill the boredom is to have a dance party on the bus. A lot of the times, they’re impromptu, but they go off. We’ve broken tables, lighting fixtures...Luckily our techs are amazing and fix it before we have to return the bus.” Some of those...

Norah Jones debuts at #2 and B.o.B in at #5.

By Gil Kaufman

Carrie Underwood's <i>Blown Away</i> Album Cover

Photo: Arista

Carrie Underwood is on a roll. The former "American Idol" champ will land her third #1 debut in a row next week when Blown Away easily tops the Billboard 200 tally. Underwood sold 267,000 copies of her fourth effort, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, which was more than enough to hold off Norah Jones , whose Danger Mouse-produced Little Broken Hearts will come in at #2 on sales of 110,000.

There were plenty of other new faces in the top 10, including Now 42 (#3, 95,000), "So Good" rapper B.o.B's Strange Clouds (#5, 76,000), the cast album for the NBC show "Smash" (#9, 39,000) and veteran shock rocker Marilyn Manson's Born Villain (#10, 38,000).

The rest of the top 10: Adele, 21 (#4, 77,000), Lionel Richie, Tuskegee (#6, 64,000), Jack White, Blunderbuss (#7, 56,000) and One Direction, Up All Night (#8, 45,000). Though the movie smashed just...

Silversun Pickups are back with a new album of crunchy guitar jams partially inspired by their continued love of '90s alt-rock heroes Smashing Pumpkins. For "Neck of the Woods," the indie group, who worship at the altar of Corgan, picked a big-time producer to embiggen their already huge guitar-driven sound; Jacknife Lee has worked with the likes of U2, Weezer and Rem). "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)" acts as the first single. The slow-burning ditty begins with some relentless snare work covered in shoegaze haze, before singer Brian Aubert's nasally voice cuts through the din and the song's melody comes into focus....

Silversun Pickups and Damon Albarn have both carved out May 8 for their return - on record, anyway. The L.A.-based rock band and the Gorillaz/Blur frontman (who recently reunited with his Blur bandmates on-stage at the 2012 Brit Awards) have both announced new albums, entitled "Neck of the Woods" and "Dr. Dee", respectively. "Woods", which was produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., Bloc Party, Snow Patrol), is the third album for the Pickups; their last LP was 2009's "Swoon". The band is currently scheduled to play the Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Wa on May 25 and at Toronto's Edgefest 2012...

If the soothsayers are right and the full length album really is on its way to irrelevancy, maybe the 3 song digital Ep will take its place. Though originally released on vinyl as a Record Store Day promotion back in November, the Silversun Pickups’ Seasick is a slick collection of left over songs from the band’s 2009 Swoon sessions that made its digital debut last month. Though the Pickups haven’t officially announced that they plan to abandon the full length album format in favor of bite size EPs; Seasick is a such a refreshing, affordable and cohesive effort, it’s hard not to wonder what a world where artists dish out monthly EPs instead of bi-yearly albums would be like.

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Beck, the Shins, Childish Gambino and more also on tap for annual fest kicking off Memorial Day weekend.

By James Montgomery

Jack White

Photo: WireImage

Jack White, Beck and Bon Iver top the lineup for the 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival, once again set for Memorial Day weekend (May 25 to 28) at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state.

Joining them on the bill is a virtual who's who of top indie talent, including the Shins, Beirut, Girl Talk, Feist, St. Vincent, Silversun Pickups, Metric, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Spiritualized, Tune-Yards, Kurt Vile (and many, many more). The Roots, Childish Gambino, Shabazz Palaces and AraabMuzik chip in for hip-hop, and Nick Kroll, Todd Barry and Rob Delaney will provide the comedy.

For the full Sasquatch! lineup, check out the official site. Four-day passes — which include camping and parking — go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. Pt through the same site.

The 'Quatch headlining...

Mumford & Sons, Justin Bieber, Rick Ross also prepping new material.

By Gil Kaufman

Photo: Theo Wargo/ WireImage

The past 12 months have seen the release of monster albums from Adele, Lady Gaga, Drake, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.

But the next 12 are promising to bring even more music from several of those artists, plus new albums from Mumford & Sons, Rick Ross, Jay-z, Linkin Park, Paramore, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Maroon 5 and Green Day.

It's a bumper crop of major albums from some of rock, pop and hip-hop's biggest stars, who are returning from long breaks, hoping to follow up smash debuts or just trying to keep their momentum going.

While release dates are always subject to change, here are some of the most anticipated releases of 2012.

Pop:

Ironically, the status of new albums from the artists whose next moves everyone is most curious about are the ones most in the air.

Summer is quickly approaching. While warm weather makes most of us think beach trips, ice cream, and drinking outside, to die-hard music fans, summer means one thing: Festivals. Here's a guide to some of the shows this summer.

April

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2011

Apr 15 - Apr 17, 2011

Indio, California (Empire Polo Grounds)

Line up Highlights: Arcade Fire, Kanye West, the Strokes, Animal Collective, Pj Harvey, the National, Bright Eyes, Robyn, Odd Future, Ariel Pink, Interpol, Cut Copy, Crystal Castles, Lauryn Hill, Sleigh Bells, Cee-Lo, Lightning Bolt, the reunited Big Audio Dynamite and Suede, Duran Duran, Erykah Badu, the Black Keys, Titus Andronicus, Best Coast, the Kills, the New Pornographers,

Official Website

May

Atp Curated by Animal Collective 2011

May 13 - May 15, 2011

Minehead, England (Butlins Holiday Centre)

Line up Highlights: Animal Collective, Gang Gang Dance, Lee Scratch Perry, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Broadcast, Black Dice, Meat Puppets, The Frogs.

Official Website

Sasquatch!