While I agree to an extent, I don't think it's true across the board. In my case the local theaters tend to play only the huge blockbuster type movies. If you want to see something even remotely off the beaten path you're going to have to travel to another city. The best bet is to wait for everything to come out on DVD as you have a wider variety to choose from. Even then, if the only option you have in your town is Blockbuster, you're still pretty much fucked. I'm not a subscriber (yet) but that's where services like Netflix come in. Small towns just aren't going to take chances on most movies so choices are extremely limited by that.

Who'd a thought he wasn't any good? I don't own any of his records but am familiar enough with his music to know that he is usually the exception to the rule when it comes to how much "modern" country sucks (at least the variety played on the radio). He's also a damn good picker. Jimmy Buffett is also on the new album. As previously mentioned he has guested on several Buffett records in recent years and has put in several guest appearances at his live shows.

Review: R.E.M. brings Vancouver "a superb evening of music" REM's Michael Stipe rocks out at Deer Lake Park Friday night. Steve Bosch / VANCOUVER SUN Amy O'Brian, Vancouver Sun Forget about the blue face paint and confounding ballads of their decade of experimentation. R.E.M proved Friday night at Deer Lake Park that they're back to their fun, fast-rocking ways. The high-energy outdoor show was the first of the band's world tour and they made it abundantly clear they are a band rejuvenated and revived by their latest album, Accelerate. Under threatening - but ultimately forgiving - skies, the boys from Athens, Georgia performed with a synchronicity and genuine gratefulness that comes with 28 years of being a band. To read the rest of the review click here.

When you look at this picture up close you see Albert Einstein but if you stand 15 feet away it will become Marilyn Monroe. Give it a try. More optical illusions here.

Since a great deal of the article seems to deal with how he doesn't want to be in Van Halen right now my impression of Hagar is the exact opposite. It's like when Page went off with Coverdale and the Crowes when Plant wouldn't come out to play.

McMurtry turns frustration into songs Storytelling songwriter James McMurtry airs his political views in his songs, including 'Cheney's Toy.' BY ED CONDRAN, Correspondent James McMurtry clearly hit his stride with his last album, 2005's "Childish Things." The veteran singer-songwriter connected with the angry, epic political anthem "We Can't Make It Here." The loss of the American dream, outsourcing and the Iraq war are touched upon throughout the moving track. "I got lucky with that song," McMurtry says during a telephone interview from his Austin home. "I was fortunate it didn't sound like a sermon. It turned into a song that I think people could relate to. I just got so frustrated and I wrote the song." To read the rest of the article click here.

"Mr. Dave" and/or "The King of Polyester" (as he's affectionately known) is one of the most talented mult-instrumentalists out there. You're in for a real treat. I first got introduced to his solo work via this very excellent album, one of my all time faves:

I have no problem with public displays of affection (which I'm guessing are now known as PDAs) but there's a huge difference between kissing and those that do everything but fuck in public. That's what the privacy of a bedroom (or the nearest motel room) in your own home is for.

Maybe Perry can convince Tyler to get into the studio before he completely cleans up so they can record an album that doesn't suck.

Wanna be in my gang? It is one thing to love a person's music - quite another to try and physically resemble that person while watching them perform in concert. Chuck Klosterman on the uber-fans The Guardian This is a question reporters sometimes ask musicians: "So, tell me - who is your fanbase?" It is not an original question. I probably put it to at least 40 different artists over the course of my career until I realised I was always getting the exact same answer: "Oh, you know. All sorts of people." And this, I suppose, is generally an honest response. To read the rest of the article click here.

On the bus with the Drive-By Truckers By DAVID W. WERSINGER Accent editor The Drive-By Truckers just may be the best American band you've never heard. Do yourself a favor: Take the time to listen. The group, formed in 1996, is known for its swampy, Southern-fried roots rock, with tinges of alt and pure country thrown in to boot. DBT's breakthrough came in 2001 with "Southern Rock Opera," a double-disk concept album inspired by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but really more about growing up in what band leader Patterson Hood calls "the duality of the South." Their most recent album, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," a sprawling, steel-guitar-driven 19-song disk, has garnered even more critical acclaim. Currently on tour, the band will play tonight at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg and Saturday in Jacksonville -- the home of their heroes, Skynyrd -- at Freebird Live, no less. Click here to read the remainder of the article.

Patty Hurst Shifter Sadlack's Heroes Saturday, May 31st Raleigh, NC

Duran Duran w/ Your Vegas Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park Cary, NC

I saw this several weeks ago on HBO but forgot to mention it. It wasn't nearly as bad as I figured it would be: On Turner Classic Movies last weekend:

The latest from Tift's mailing list: Tift will perform on the Late Show With David Letterman on CBS television on Thursday June 12, backing Emmylou Harris, who will perform a song from her new album All I Intended To Be. Tift will be back to visit Dave two weeks later, on Wednesday June 25, singing "Broken" with her band.

I first heard of Kaleidoscope because of David Lindley (who I first heard of through Jackson Browne) but have yet to pick up any of their records. As far as I know Lindley plays solo these days (that's not to say he won't be jamming with Hot Tuna either). http://www.davidlindley.com

I'd say some Zeppelin definitely qualifies as "folk". I've read that during the III time period they were heavily into Joni Mitchell and CSN & Y. Of course those are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to naming their folk influences.

I saw him on Letterman recently. The song he performed seemed to be nothing more than a rewrite of Sweet Home Alabama. Can't say I cared for that any more than I ever cared for his version of rap/rock.

Several years ago there were unconfirmed reports of Steven Tyler falling off the wagon but I don't recall it ever becoming much more than that. In other words, I don't think it ever got out of the rumor stage. As for Kurt Cobain, he didn't die of drugs. He died from a fatal shotgun wound to the head. Drugs may have led to him wanting to take his own life but they weren't the cause of death.

They will definitely play Who songs. Try these covers on for size: Pearl Jam "Baba O'Riley"

From Billboard.com: The Who Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters and Flaming Lips have signed on to perform at VH1's third annual "Rock Honors," which this year will salute the Who. The event will be held July 12 at Los Angeles' Pauley Pavilion and air five days later. The Who will also perform during the taping, tickets for which go on sale June 6 to members of the group's Wholigans fan club and two days later for the general public. Proceeds will benefit such charities as the Teenage Cancer Trust, which the Who have long supported, VH1's Save the Music Foundation, the Double O Charity and VH1 Classic Rock Autism. In related Who news, the group's Web site will on June 1 premiere an animated version of "Wire & Glass," the mini-rock opera included on the band's 2006 studio album, "Endless Wire."

It's funny seeing the criticism of the "emos" when some of the very same things were said about "hippies" back in the day (I'm referring to the "is that a boy or a girl?" comment). Again, "emo" began as part of the punk movement in the DC area back in the 80s with bands like Fugazi but got misappropriated along the way and now applies to Bright Eyes, Dashboard Confessional, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and the like.

No. The Goo Goo Dolls are big fans of the Replacements, most of whom had a similar hairstyle (see below). The Replacements definitely weren't "emo". Goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover. The Faces and Stones also had/have the spikey hair (which probably inspired the Replacements), they're not "emo" either. Ryan Adams is another one inspired by the Replacements' hairstyle.

The Burritos were definitely more country than folk or rock.