Osheaga lineup announced

The annual Montreal music festival Osheaga announced their official lineup a few hours ago, with Snoop Dogg, The Black Keys, and Justice leading they way. If you noticed something, the festival's dates are scheduled conveniently (or inconveniently) on the same exact weekend of Lollapalooza.

In years past, both festivals usually had a heavy crossover rate. Last year, 20 of the 83 acts playing the Canadian fest also played Lolla, roughly a 24 percent carryover rate. That is, however, when the fest was a week before. As it stands, a lot of the artists on the billing are suspected to play Lolla, including the aforementioned Black Keys and Justice, along with Florence + The Machine, The Shins, Sigur Ros, Passion Pit, and more.

So far zero confirmations have actually been made for this year's Lollapalooza, which is pretty surprising now that it's getting into late March. This time last year, half of the headliners plus a few other had already been known for weeks. Regardless, the fact that Osheaga and Lolla fall on the same weekend doesn't rule any of the artists out, just that they obviously won't perform on the same days.

Bonus Notes: The $75 souvenir tickets for Lollapalooza have already sold out, despite no lineup confirmations, and early bird tickets go on sale next week, March 27. As always, stick with us for more rumors.

Coachella 2012 Lineup Revealed

As you probably have already heard, the first big music festival of 2012 released its lineup early today, and as you can see from above ... Coachella looks to the biggest event of the year. Not only has the Indio, California festival has enlisted Radiohead, The Black Keys, and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg as the three primary headliners, but recently reunited At The Drive-In, Pulp, Justice, The Shins, Bon Iver and a crap-ton more have also made the list. Which, by the way, is a bit different this year.

If you haven't heard already (as I had no idea), Coachella is going to take place over two weekends. The lineups won't change from the weekends of April 13-15 to 20-22, but the artists will be playing twice because of overwhelming ticket sales.

Before I get into whatever inclinations this will have for Lollapalooza later this summer, I will affectionately say that this is absolutely the best festival lineup I've seen since Lollapalooza 2008. It's really just astonishing to look at.

Anyway, Coachella usually has a heavy layover of acts for Lolla. Last year, 31 of the 170-plus Coachella acts ended up playing both festivals, with roughly an 18 percent carryover rate. However, of those acts, none were considered the headliners. That doesn't bode fairly well for those hoping that Radiohead would make the Chicago date, but it doesn't completely rule them out.

If there are any tickets left, do your best. They'll be gone fast.

Black Keys on the Colbert Report

After last weekend's so-so showing on Saturday Night Live, the Black Keys performed on last night's The Colbert Report with the same two songs from their recently released El Camino album, "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling." Watch them both below and grab the new record, out now via Nonesuch Records.

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

The Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling (Web Exclusive)

Monday Bears: New Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Normally, I'd be posting about the Black Keys performance from last week's Saturday Night Live, but judging on how it seems like EVERY live performance on that show just sounds sub-par, I'll skip it (by the way, Robyn will be the guest next Saturday).

Instead, check out Shabazz Palaces wonderfully shot summation of his most recent album Black Up, available now via Sub Pop. If you aren't familiar with the album that already is, or soon will be, on the top of all the end of the year lists, this five minute video sells it well.

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Wednesday Bears: New Black Keys - Lonely Boy

Part of Black Friday's Record Store Day promotion (November 25 this year), the Black Keys will be releasing their new "Lonely Boy/Run Right Back" 7". In addition, check out the duo's new video for "Lonely Boy," below. It gets it going.

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

Thursday Bears: New Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. video - Simple Girl

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. take the Black Keys approach for "Simple Girl," the newest video from the duo's debut LP It's a Corporate World, which is meeting its fair share of hate on Youtube. Mostly because of the band name, still.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Simple Girl

Monday Bears: Arcade Fire ... wins?

Last night, the 53rd annual Grammy Awards gave one of the most shockingly righteous awards in the show's history. After being nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, the Arcade Fire seemed more like outsiders thrown into the comical ring for nothing more than pity and forced acknowledgement. A lot of people who know me have heard my on-again off-again verbal detest of the lauded award show. Year after inconsequential year, denominated awards were handed out like peripheral life-time achievement statues, giving awards to Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock, and a dead guy.

Throughout the course of the show, the Grammy's were unsurprisingly Grammy-like: Lady Antebellum seemed to be getting every award they had been nominated for, and "Hey, Soul Sister" actually won something -- so, it didn't look good. To put things in an even wider perspective, Arcade Fire actually lost their first two awards to the Black Keys.

Three years ago, Radiohead was also shockingly nominated for Album of the Year for In Rainbows, only to lose to who-gives-a-fuck Robert Plant and Allison Krauss. I'm basically trying to tell you in a bevy of different ways that The Suburbs had virtually no shot to win Album of the Year.

Well, I was wrong. Happily wrong. Arcade Fire beat out Lady Antebellum, Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry - four massive mainstream pop acts with legions of followers dwarfing anything the Montreal group has come close to. Barbara Streisand, who announced it, couldn't even seem to get the right words out of her mouth - like she couldn't pronounce the insanely foreign phrase "The Suburbs."

So, what does it all mean? Twitter indie-philes were utterly shocked (just like these people), and dishearteningly concerned that the group would transpose into the mainstream, even though their radio play is few and far between. Will the group actually get radio play now? How will "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" sound between an Usher and the Black Eyed Peas on top 40 radio?

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but right now the band isn't just important to those of us who try to pay attention to more than 10 artists - they matter on a global scale. And whether that lasts or not, right now, fans like me feel like we won something.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Must-See Artists, Pt. I

That heavily-anticipated time of year has finally drifted within the week. Next Tuesday, August 3, I'll make my annual departure to Chicago for Lollapalooza. If you don't know that by now, well, now you do. And as with the coming days, I'll give out my list of my ten most anticipated acts of the festival.

Now keep in mind, because of schedule restrictions and conflicts, that seeing literally every act I wish would be utterly impossible. So, there will, unfortunately, be some omissions in this list; including: The Black Keys, Grizzly Bear, and others.

So to start my list, we'll highlight two artists that made my first official top ten list, Gogol Bordello and Yeasayer.

#10: Gogol Bordello
Eugene Hutz and Co. are somewhat frequent here (considering how much I adored them in 2008), so me seeing them as much as I can always ends up being a must. The group, an eclectic mix of European, Asian and American gypsy punks (the only title that works) are well-known for their electric live shows and rampant fan base.

Fresh off the release of their fifth studio album, Trans-Continental Hustle, Gogol Bordello will be performing at 3:45 on the Parkways stage, on Saturday, August 7.

Gogol Bordello - Immigraniada (Live on Jools Holland)



#9: Yeasayer
Another act I first saw at Lolla 2008, Yeasayer have gained a little more recognition in the past few years, especially after the release of their Odd Blood last February. Over those years, the group's sound has evolved from slow, psychedelic jams from their All Hour Symbols album in 2007, to a more flexible electro-pop.

The group will be performing at 4:00 on the Budweiser stage, Sunday, August 8.

Yeasayer - O.N.E.



Part II will be continued tomorrow ...

Wednesday Bears: Black Keys on Letterman

Akron duo the Black Keys made their way to the Late Show with David Letterman stage for, I don't know, the 30th time last night to perform their Brothers' standout single "Tighten Up," without crowd-favorite, Frank. Still, the Keys always seem to standout whenever they do the talk show circuit, and last night's show was no exception - whistling, included.

Brothers is out now via Nonesuch Records. Check out the official video for "Tighten Up" below the Letterman performance.

The Black Keys - Tighten Up (Live on Letterman)



The Black Keys - Tighten Up