Cool. If Duff rejoins G n' R then that means Tommy Stinson can get back to making some music that's actually worthwhile again. On a somewhat related note, I recently read that Velvet Revolver are back together and are searching for a new singer (again).

From ConsequenceOfSound.net: R.E.M.’s new album will be called Collapse Into Now BY ALEX YOUNG Here’s a great little nugget that just popped up on our Twitter feed. The BBC reports that R.E.M. have titled their much-anticipated 15th studio album Collapse Into Now and will unveil it to the masses next Spring. As previously reported, the band recorded the followup to 2008’s Accelerate with legendary producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee (U2, Bloc Party, Editors) during sessions in Portland, New Orleans, and Berlin. More details as they become available/pop up on Twitter.

I may have to finally pop my Xmas Jam cherry. WARREN HAYNES PRESENTS: THE 22ND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS JAM DECEMBER 11TH, 2010 THE ASHEVILLE CIVIC CENTER | ASHEVILLE, NC THE INITIAL LINE-UP: THE STEVE MILLER BAND The Debut of THE WARREN HAYNES BAND GREGG ALLMAN JOHN BELL of Widespread Panic JOHN "JOJO" HERMANN of Widespread Panic DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS UMPHREY'S MCGEE THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND

Probably more notable for Mr. Lindley's picking than the humor in the song but give her a spin anywho...

OLLABELLE, JIM LAUDERDALE, CATHERINE RUSSELL, AIOFE O'DONOVAN • 'AMERICAN BEAUTY PROJECT: MUSIC FROM THE GRATEFUL DEAD' Ollabelle with Jim Lauderdale, Catherine Russell, Aoife O'Donovan & David Mansfield Friday, October 15, 2010 | 8:00 pm Page Auditorium Clear the haze surrounding the Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty and you get a luminous Americana closer to Appalachia than Haight-Ashbury. Here, new-style folk band Ollabelle—co-founded by Amy Helm (daughter of The Band’s Levon)—supports a ramble of stars as they recover the heart of those American beauties. Sharing lead vocals are country-bluegrass icon Lauderdale; Dylan collaborator Mansfield; the singer-composer for Crooked Still, O’Donovan; and the "incredibly talented" Russell (Village Voice)—a freewheeling collective that evokes The Band, but raises a new, unvarnished Dead.

From WorleyGig.com: Original Members of the Alice Cooper Band Record New Material for Cooper Solo Album Alice Cooper in 1972: Neal, Alice, Michael, Dennis and Glen Hello, Hurray! Fans of the original 1970s band Alice Cooper are about to have one of their long-hoped-for dreams come true. The band’s four surviving members, guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and vocalist Alice Cooper (lead guitarist Glen Buxton passed away in 1997) spent two days in September at a NYC studio recording three original tracks for Cooper’s next solo album. Rumored to be a follow-up to Cooper’s first solo effort, 1975’s Welcome To My Nightmare, the album is due to be released in the fall of 2011. These sessions were the first to feature all members of the original Alice Cooper band since the group recorded its 1974 swan song, Muscle of Love. At the board for these sessions was studio legend Bob Ezrin, who not only produced the band’s commercial breakthrough, 1971’s Love it To Death (featuring the hit single “I’m Eighteen”), but who was also responsible for producing several of their other classic hits, including School’s Out and their most popular and commercially successful album, 1973’s Billion Dollar Babies. Ezrin has also produced many solo albums for Alice Cooper the individual since the band’s breakup. Ezrin, whose exhaustive body of work includes landmark albums such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall, has been quoted as saying that the work he did with the Alice Cooper Band in the seventies gave him his career. It is also rumored that rock photographer Bob Gruen, who took many photos of the original band back in the day – including promotional shots for Muscle of Love featuring the band dressed in identical sailor suits – made an appearance to visually document the band hanging out in the studio. Those Alice Cooper band devotees still hoping for a reunion that would see the band perform live can hold out hope that Smith, Dunaway and Bruce make good on rumors that they will join Cooper this coming December in Phoenix, AZ for his annual Christmas Pudding charity concert event.

This is the single from the new Two Cow Garage album, Sweet Saint Me which is due out on October 27th.

Cool. They've also been doing remastered versions of Murmur, Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction on vinyl so I was just curious as to if it was one of those. Hell, new vinyl these days cost more than CDs. I remember when it used to be the other way around.

Thanks, if Nesmith was involved that might actually interest me in seeing them. I've heard nothing but great things about his solo work over the years but have never looked into it. Apparently, he is considered by many to be one of the pioneers of "country rock" due to his early solo material.

This clip, produced by Michael Nesmith, came to mind when reading about the potential Monkees reunion in another thread.

Seems like I heard or read something about this recently...Nesmith wants no part of it if I'm not mistaken. For that matter, has he ever taken part in any of these reunions?

Considering this is also the Velvet Revolver thread I'm surprised there's been no mention of Weiland's recent troubles. The STP tour was slated to run through here a few weeks ago but has since been rescheduled for later this month. I have next to zero interest in seeing it aside from opening act, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Is this the most recent remastered version? If so, I'm just curious how it sounds on vinyl. I have the original vinyl but haven't given it a spin in years. I did pick up the CD remaster and it took me right back to when I heard that record for the very first time. I'm no audiophile but I can say it sounds a bit crisper but still maintains it's Murmur-ness.

I saw Gallagher II (his brother) once who did Gallagher's act down to a t. He walked in with a long PVC pipe he was using to squirt everybody. No one was safe, he made it clear that everybody was going to get something on them before it was all over with (and he did). I believe Gallagher has since put a stop to his brother's act. Even though it wasn't the real Gallagher, everyone still had a great time. I was so convinced it really was Gallagher that I went home and check on the innerwebz to find out for sure. That night, Gallagher was performing at Irvine Meadows in California so it definitely wasn't him. Over the weekend I saw Possum Jenkins, Kim Richey w/Mando Saenz and Whitey Morgan & the 78s.

...and people wonder just how long musicians can keep on rockin'. Well, ol' Jerry Lee Lewis is a prime example that you can do it (and do it well) for as long as you fuckin' want to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEaeEwu8OM8&feature=related

Stipe guesting on vocals last night in NYC with Tired Pony, a new project with Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) and Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey of R.E.M.

He can be very hit or miss though. I like what little I've heard of the new record but I'm not quite intrigued enough to buy it. Yet. When you find yourself with an extra 40 minutes or so on your hands you might wanna give this a looksee, it's the full Le Noise film:

More news on the recording of R.E.M.'s next record from the German edition of Rolling Stone. I'm awaiting a translation of the article but apparently they don't go into what it actually sounds like. They're staying true to their word (at least so far) in regards to staying mum on this one.

Tired Pony's debut album has been out in the UK for a while but it was just released in the US this week. Click on the image below to link to their performance on Letterman last night:

Cool to see Nantucket mentioned here. They still play the occasional gig in North Carolina.