Fans celebrate their last night at South by Southwest '08
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

AUSTIN, Texas — It's something pretty much every South by Southwest vet will tell you, but at first, you probably won't believe it: Saturday sucks.

It's got something to do with the fact that, for four days now, everyone's been going nonstop, partying way too hard, eating terrible food and watching the same bands play the same "at capacity" venues. There's a strange sort of weary tension that descends upon Austin come Saturday, like everyone is just looking to make it through the festival's final 24 hours without killing anyone. It wears you down, honestly.

And then there's Sixth Street, the city's main drag, which has become a clogged tunnel of tired, sunburned and slightly buzzed humanity. Come midnight, it's like "Day of the Dead" out there, as packs of drunken college kids stare down hipster dudes in skinny jeans, and shirtless meatheads cruise the strip, looking for something to set them off. The cops are all edgy, the gutters lined with garbage, and everything sort of smells like a locker room. There are sirens and car horns blaring throughout the night, and everyone is shouting and full of booze and generally unpleasant. Really, Saturday at SXSW sucks.

So perhaps it's fitting that Saturday's biggest musical moment was also perhaps the smallest and most intimate of the entire SXSW festival: an acoustic set by My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, limited to just 240 seats and taking place inside the 150-year-old St. David's Episcopal Church. (Read about My Morning Jacket's big SXSW show on Thursday here.)

Four hours before James was scheduled to play, MMJ fans began lining up, hoping to snag one of the spots in the tiny sanctuary. Once inside, the lucky 240 were treated to a few intense, hushed ballads from Los Angeles' Jacob Golden and a brief set from M. Ward, who played a walking blues version of his song "Rollercoaster" after a nearly speaker-blowing cover of "Oh Lonesome Me," during which he looped his string-scraping slide solo as he accompanied himself in real time.

James came out a short time later and played the rest of the set with Ward, including their 2006 collaboration on "Chinese Translation," which melded James' honeyed, ecstatic wails with Ward's scratchier, sandpaper vocals. The lyrics to the new MMJ song "Look at You" seemed custom-made for the hushed setting, with James intoning, "We believe in your power to guide us in this world ... look at you ... you're such a glowing example of peace and glory." The shaggy-haired frontman seemed genuinely honored to be playing St. David's, saying that although religion can sometimes divide people, he appreciated the opportunity to play in the sanctuary, thanking God for "letting us use his house, or her house or its house."

Once Ward left, James took over, and with the occasional assist from MMJ multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel on lap steel, he played a spare "It Beats for You," with barely perceptible guitar strums underneath his soaring voice. During "What a Wonderful Man," James played on the Omnichord, a battered keyboard on which he pressed buttons with his left hand and made space-age droning sounds by rubbing his index finger on a mouse-pad-like surface.

Another new song, "Librarian," featured site-appropriate lyrics, including a line about how "when God gave us mirrors, we had no idea." Through it all, James seemed humbled by the hushed space and attentive crowd, and as the last, haunting chords of "Gideon" bounced around the room, it was clear that they had shared something truly special, and maybe even a bit sacred.

But, given that this was Saturday night at SXSW, the shows weren't all reverent. Across town, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton had decided to throw himself a party, complete with a fully functional hair salon, lots of free booze, snooty, clipboard-clutching doormen and, of course, plenty of beautiful people.

There was also plenty of music, though none of the acts Hilton assembled for his soiree could top his opener: ultra-sleek, super-sexy (and fabulously profane) Swedish star Robyn, who, for most of the past decade, has been writing some of the most forward-thinking pop music on the planet — and doing so without a label here in the States.

Hilton introduced her as "the most exciting thing happening in pop music today," and Robyn didn't disappoint. From the minute she strode on stage — poured into a tight black jumpsuit with a cape stretching down her left arm — she primped, preened and steamed, breathing heavily through a shimmery version of "Who's That Girl?," then slipping effortlessly into her take on Snoop's "Sensual Seduction," which was all slink and supple electronic baubles.

Then, she turned up the raunch, pushing headlong into her hit "Konichiwa B----es," which takes the art of the sexual metaphor to heights (lows?) that only Luther Campbell could dream of. And then she threw in a showy little cover of Prince's "Jack U Off," which had the crowd singing along and the Mohawked Hilton shimmying stage right. And to top it all off (and to make sure you all have your minds off church), Robyn invited several scantily clad ladies onto the stage and grinded with them while performing her current UK single, "With Every Heartbeat."

And if you're gonna close a Saturday-night SXSW set, that's the way to do it. Perhaps it's not as bad here as we'd originally thought.

Other Highlights From a Sorta Scary Saturday in Austin, From Our Intrepid (and Tired) MTV News Team

John Norris:

With 1,700-plus bands in town, there's way more music than any one person could begin to get a handle on here. Still, every year there are some artists that just seem to be ubiquitous. Lightspeed Champion told us a couple of days ago that he was playing 14 shows here, and that seemed like a lot. But everywhere you turn, it seems you're seeing another performance by the Cool Kids, F--- Buttons or She and Him, the duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.

So, in the grand scheme of things, six performances only qualifies as a modest amount at SXSW, yet Memphis indie-punk stalwart Jay Reatard, who's playing that many this week, says there is a noticeable difference in the crowds this year. We spoke to Jay just after his rapid-fire, 10-songs-in-15-minutes set at Beerland, and he said that there definitely seems to be an ongoing discovery of his music, as evidenced by the recent renewed interest in his 2006 album Blood Visions.

Also on the bill at Beerland: Atlanta punk in the form of Beat Beat Beat and those lovely ladies whom I met at last year's fest, the Coathangers. I don't know if any band has more fun onstage than they do, what with all the trading of instruments, wearing of wigs and singing of tunes like "Nestle in My Boobies" and "Don't Touch My Sh--."

From there it was up to Waterloo Park for the best way to spend a sunny Austin afternoon: an outdoor fest, in this case the Mess With Texas party. Three stages, tons of merch, beer and, most important, veggie dogs meant I was set. On the music front, it was a lot of this week's usual suspects, including Atlas Sound, Yeasayer, White Denim, Two Gallants and, onstage as we arrived, Ethan Miller and Howlin Rain. And, of course, Mess With Texas was the only place you could catch the Breeders, in town to promote their upcoming Mountain Battles album.

James Montgomery:

Highlights of a Saturday spent trying to find the strength to make it through one more day: interviewing the mighty Ice Cube in a bathroom at the Convention Center, then heading over to Beauty Bar to talk with Rachael Ray about her SXSW party and her seven-layer sliders (that's a fancy name for "little hamburgers," which ruled). While we were there, we caught her husband's band, the Cringe, playing an afternoon set and jamming out with surprise guest Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top (he ruled more than the seven-layer sliders). No Eliminator in sight, but hey, you can't have everything.

Later in the day, we went to the Q magazine party, which was held at the very posh Driskill hotel, where I caught These New Puritans (who looked like they worked very hard at looking painfully disinterested) and Kate Nash, who is way more talented than you probably think and deserved better than a mid-afternoon set over the din of inebriated partygoers. Then, as I mentioned above, there was the majesty of Robyn at Perez's little shindig. I had high hopes of catching another Swedish act, the Tough Alliance (who I'm told don't really perform as much as "press keys on a laptop and hold baseball bats onstage," which is badass), but I was told the venue was "at capacity," and after just slogging through the sea of (drunken) humanity that was Sixth Street, I decided that it was time to pull the plug on SXSW 2008.

Other quick moments: Having a 15-minute conversation about puppies with Ally and AJ's mom in the lobby of the Omni Hotel, then shaking hands with M. Ward mere moments later. Seeing My Morning Jacket patrolling the lobby of the same hotel a few hours earlier. Laughing at former teeny-crooner Ryan Cabrera's new hard-edged look (think tats, hilarious facial hair, permanent scowl). Eating an Austin benedict at the Driskill hotel. Not dying of heat exhaustion. Falling asleep.

Gil Kaufman:

Earlier in the day, I was trying to keep the schedule light and, ironically, I had to travel more than 1,000 miles to see a band from my hometown. Cincinnati's Foxy Shazam have earned a well-deserved reputation for their wild, unhinged live shows, and they brought the whole arsenal for their day show at Emo's. Lead singer Eric Nally sliced his hand open writhing on the stage, flossed with the microphone cord, shimmied up a support beam, did a clumsy upside-down stripper-slide down it and nearly brained himself with the mic stand trying to kick it up off his foot in a punk homage to James Brown. All the band's members got into the act, jumping up and down, bashing into one another, wildly thrashing their heads around and in the case of keyboardist Schuyler White — who might own the biggest muttonchops on this side of the Atlantic — standing on his keyboard and pounding on the keys with his fists like a great ape.

The band's chaotic sound mixed punk, some spoken word, emo and prog-rock for a messy car crash of energy that had the crowd staring in awe, especially when Nally lit three cigarettes and then proceeded to chew up and swallow the burning butts.

I also checked out Florida teenage metal revivalists Black Tide, who proved to be well up to the Metallica comparisons they've earned, with a thrashing set of hair-flying agro anthems. Lead singer/ guitarist Gabriel Garcia, 15, alternated between grunting out the lyrics to songs like "Show Me the Way" from the band's major-label debut and playing acrobatic bundles of riffs as his nearly waist-length hair whipped back and forth, obscuring his face.

The night ended with a fun set from Los Angeles' Phantom Planet, who worked out some of the new, harder songs from their upcoming album, while treating the fan-boy/girl audience to favorites like "Lonely Day," "By the Bed," the new up-tempo single "Do the Panic" and, though I didn't stick around to see it, the expected show-closing anthem, "California."

Before calling it a night, I checked in with one of my discoveries from last year, Pittsburgh psychedelic freakers Black Moth Super Rainbow, whose trippy alien jams were just the thing to cap off a weird, wonderful week of music. As a bonus, in an homage to the Flaming Lips, they also took the prize for the best props by filling the audience and the stage with colorful balloons, blasting confetti cannons onto the crowd, tossing out candy-filled piñatas and passing around tiny, half-dollar-size tambourines for people to play along on. If there's a better set of lasting images to go home with, I can't think of them.

We're all over the bands, BBQ and hipster parties at SXSW '08. Check out the MTV Newsroom Blog and You R Here for more.

• Five Questions At South By Southwest: N.E.R.D., Paramore, Vampire Weekend, More
• 'John TV' At South By Southwest

• Vampire Weekend, Paramore, N.E.R.D., & More Rock SXSW 2008

• My Morning Jacket
• Kate Nash

Kate Nash
Photo: MTV News

We all know there's a heap of massive releases en route this year that the big labels are hoping will cure their low-CD-sales blues, but don't think they're the only important releases coming this year. MTV News has rounded up several alternatives to Mariah, Coldplay, etc. — less obvious artists that we think you shouldn't miss. For example, if you're jonesing for the new Mariah you should check out Estelle; if you can't wait for the new Gnarls Barkley, see what Santogold has to offer. Here are the five newcomers who could be household names by the end of the year.

Kate Nash

You could call Kate Nash the next Lily Allen — but don't tell her that. "I think it misses the point," Nash protested. "[If] I'm like Lily Allen, everyone else is like the new Kate Nash." OK, whatever, fair enough — we're just crushing on you (MTV's Buzzworthy blog even named her Artist of the Week just last week). To be fair, the girl's folkie/ big-band/ hip-hop ditties have their own influences. While Nash actually studied classical piano, she gives the nod to Regina Spektor for her playing style. Then she got turned on to punk, from the Buzzcocks to Nirvana and the riot grrrls of Bikini Kill. And like another recent U.K. female breakout, Bat for Lashes, Nash also names Kate Bush and Björk as inspirations for nonconformity. "Because of what they do and the way they experiment and their long-lasting careers and the way they present themselves," she explained. "I just like throwing paint around." Combining this experimentation with the cut-and-paste of punk, Nash also started a Xeroxed fanzine called My Ignorant Youth, packed with short stories and confessional rants by the singer and her friends. "It kind of made me feel how I used to feel when I started doing stuff and it was all really DIY," she said. "Just do it and get it out there, rather than all the complications that come with it when it becomes a bigger deal." Nash will bring the third issue of the 'zine, usually tossed out into the crowd, along on the next leg of her tour.

The Kooks

The only band of our '08 crew — and the most straight-up rock act — the Kooks hail from the U.K.'s Brighton, the seaside town that brought the world the Who movie-musical "Quadrophenia" and ... the Vespa trend? After meeting in music school, the shaggy-haired, chain-smoking foursome formed a garage-rock outfit named for a song from David Bowie's Hunky Dory. Their debut, Inside In/ Inside Out, dropped in the U.S. in 2006, with a sound that gives a nod to the Police, the Kinks and the Clash. Now the guys have just finished their sophomore effort, Konk, named for the North London studio where they recorded both their albums, mostly live-to-tape. Not bad that Konk Studios is owned by former Kinks frontman Ray Davies ("Lola"? "Waterloo Sunset"? Seriously, hit up iTunes). Konk arrives Stateside in April, and you can catch the boys on tour starting next month — assuming singer Luke Pritchard doesn't get into another nasty scrape with Amy Winehouse.

Estelle

Hailing from West London, Estelle (born Estelle Swaray) is just 27 and already staging a "comeback." Having broken through in the U.K. in 2004 with her infectious single "1980," Estelle — then a much-hyped female rapper — scored a multi-album deal with label V2. But, she says, once she veered from the straight hip-hop path into old-school soul — closer to James Brown and Dinah Washington — the label didn't really know what to do with her. "It's like they have a template and you have to stick with it," Estelle said. "I'm not cookie-cutter. No one's listening to one style of music anymore. Get rid of genres!" Luckily, John Legend, who teamed up with her on an early track, was both smitten with her singing chops and shopping around for artists to sign to his new label, HomeSchool Records. The second single from her new album, Shine, (due stateside in February) is "American Boy" and features Kanye West, who Estelle opened for in the U.K. And as for what to expect next? The genre-jumping artist just might get even more international. "I've started getting into a lot of salsa," she said. "I've just discovered Hector Lavoe. He's my dude!"

Spank Rock

Philly MC Spank Rock seems to be posing the question: What if Luke were an art-school kid and 2 Live Crew were a totally over-the-top conceptual prank? The clinically insane video for the track "B.O.O.T.A.Y." says it all: a mashup of idiotically down-and-dirty lyrics, art-house effects, Robert Palmer-style backup dancers and a rapper rocking Devo glasses. So how did Spank Rock (real name: Naeem Juwan) get this way? Maybe by growing up in a "kinda druggy" West Baltimore 'hood ("not as bad as 'The Wire'!," he stressed) while commuting to prep school. Maybe by getting raised on schizophrenic mixtapes that were equal parts hip-hop, reggae and pop — from Public Enemy to Talking Heads. Once he moved to Philly, Spank Rock was knocked out by the boundary-free Hollertronix parties led by DJ (and M.I.A. producer) Diplo, who would help land him his first record deal. "They were playing everything from, like, Dirty South to '80s pop-rock music and Baltimore club [tracks]. There weren't any rules to the party," the MC said. He approaches his own music with the same attitude. So when he paired up with 19-year-old producer Benny Blanco for their waaaaay filthy Bangers & Cash EP, Spank Rock felt free to just put out tracks "about sex and making people dance." "Whether it's a dance song or Dead Prez," he said, "it doesn't matter. I like all music just the same, as long as it has that spirit behind it."

Santogold

Rocking uncharted turf at the crossroads between new wave, hip-hop, dub and '80s pop, Santogold (Santi White) is as much of a musical hybrid as her friend M.I.A. and as much of a pop renegade as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O. Part of Spank Rock's extended Philly family, Santi got her style tips from the public-school tough girls and her education from Quakers (seriously!) — not to mention what she picked up from her free-thinking parents. "My mom's from Mississippi, picking cotton and desegregating schools, and she's like a psychiatrist and a Southern crazy person," Santi said. "And then my dad is from the projects in north Philly. [He] changed the name of his school to Malcolm X High School and went from having nothing to going to Wesleyan and then to Penn Law School. A constant theme in my upbringing across the board has been to create your own path and to think for yourself." After starting out penning songs for other artists (including Res), Santi finally starting writing for herself, as the frontwoman for punk outfit Stiffed, which released an indie album called Burned Again in 2005. When the group split, she and bandmate John Hill started Santogold. Diplo brought producer Switch (who worked on M.I.A.'s Kala) onboard, and soon Santogold's sound became as much about live instruments as messed-up beats. The resulting self-titled album (due in April) runs from the dreamy '80s pop of "Lights Out" to the freaked-out hip-hop/dub of "Creator." "It's totally cross-genre," she said. "Call it something if you want, but I don't know what it is."

[This story was originally published at 2:58 p.m. ET on 01.14.2008]

• Music Alternatives For '08

• Kate Nash
• Spank Rock
• Santigold

Alicia Keys' <i>As I Am</i>
Photo: Sony

It's well established that the music industry is in grave danger, what with album sales declining in recent years, thanks in large part to online piracy. But sometimes it's easy to forget just how dire the situation has become.

Then a day like Wednesday (January 16) rolls around. SoundScan released national sales figures for the country's 200 best-selling releases, and it wasn't pretty. With just 70,300 copies sold, Alicia Keys' As I Am returns to Billboard's peak position on next week's chart, according to the latest figures.

Perhaps more disturbing is the fact that, of the albums that comprise next week's top 200, just 11 had experienced sales increases, including four new releases: Australian pop singer Sia's Some People Have Real Problems, which enters at #26 with 20,000 sold; English singer/songwriter Kate Nash's Made of Bricks, which follows at #36 with 16,400 scanned; Total Dance 2008, a compilation featuring tracks from Mims, Fergie, Ne-Yo and Fall Out Boy, which enters at #102 with 6,800 sold; and the cast recording from Broadway's "Xanadu," which opens at #197 with sales reported at 3,200.

Around this same time last year, the soundtrack to the film "Dreamgirls" shattered a long-held SoundScan record, becoming Billboard's poorest-selling #1 album since Nielsen began tracking record sales back in 1991. After scanning just 66,000 copies, "Dreamgirls" broke the 3-year-old record previously held by Outkast's 2003 LP Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which sold 86,000 copies to top the chart the week of January 25, 2004.

The following week, "Dreamgirls" broke the record once again, generating sales of just 60,000 and remaining at #1.

While Keys' latest victory didn't set any new records, it's certainly a strong indication of just how bad things have gotten. As I Am first debuted on the top 200 in mid-November, opening at #1 with 742,500 scans, and ever since, the album has hovered around the top three, in either the #2 or #3 position.

The rest of the top 10 is filled out by the usual suspects. Radiohead's In Rainbows slips one spot to #2 with 68,800 sold, followed at #3 by the soundtrack to "Juno," which climbs five positions and posted sales of 67,500. Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains finished at #4 with 63,900 scans, while Taylor Swift's self-titled debut claims the chart's #5 position with 34,500-plus sold. The 26th edition of the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series drops two spots to #6 with 33,000 sold, followed by Chris Brown's Exclusive at #7 with 29,800 scans. The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden sits in the #8 slot with 28,700 sold, while Garth Brooks' Ultimate Hits finishes at #9, selling another 28,300 copies. And finally, returning to the top 10 at #10, it's Fergie's The Dutchess, which generated sales of 27,600.

• Alicia Keys
• Radiohead
• Kate Nash
• Fergie

Zac Efron
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Zac Efron is doing fine after having his appendix removed Tuesday (January 15), according to People.com. The star — who recently signed on for "High School Musical 3" — was rushed to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering from appendicitis, TMZ.com reports. "Zac had his appendix removed and is recuperating," the actor's representative, who was not named, reportedly said in a statement. ...

A very revealing photo of Heidi Montag graces the new cover of Maxim, and for the accompanying interview, she also revealed to the mag that she wants to be the next Madonna. "But it's not like with most pop artists, where they have a song sent to them that has nothing to do with their emotions or lives," she insisted about her yet-untitled, in-the-works LP. "It's all about me and my life. I'm taking my time to make sure it's a classic. I don't want to be the next pop person who's in or out. I want to be like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Stevie Wonder — all the greats." Montag also dished on new parents Nicole Richie and Joel Madden recalling that one time they "came up to [Montag's fiance,] Spencer [Pratt,] and me at the Beverly Hills Hotel [in California] and started yelling something Spencer said about Nicole in an interview, like, two years ago. ... Joel was yelling, 'You've been talking sh-- about my girl!' " ...

Madden has blogged on the Web site for his clothing company, DCMA, about arriving home with his and Richie's daughter, who was born on Friday. "Well I am finally home with my beautiful girlfriend and our brand new little daughter," the Good Charlotte frontman wrote. "Harlow Winter Kate Madden was born on January 11th 2008 at 3:13 p.m. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces. She is 19 inches long and growing everyday already! She really is a wonderful addition to the GC/DCMA/DEADEXEC family. We are so blessed to have this beautiful little baby in our lives. I want to thank everyone for all the love and kind words they've sent our way. We apologize we weren't accepting gifts/cards/calls at the hospital, but if you'd like to send something, we'd rather you make a donation to the Richie-Madden Foundation, which we started in Harlow Winter's honor. She looks so much like her mom it's crazy! She eats like a little maniac and she's really sweet. She barely ever cries, even when daddy is changing her diaper, and believe me I suck when it comes to diapers, but I'm learning! I can't wait to show off some pictures, until then, THANKS!! and GOD BLESS... Joel." ...

From an "Umbrella" to a handbag: Rihanna has made a match with Marc Jacobs as she and the fashion designer have partnered to produce a new pair of purses named after the leggy singer. The two models are available as a part of Jacobs' spring line. ... Missy Elliott has stepped up with two new tunes for the February 5 soundtrack to "Step Up 2 the Streets." The MC's "Ching-A-Ling" — which is already sizzling in the streets — and "Shake Your Pom Pom" will appear on the soundtrack, and might resurface on her yet-untitled new LP, due in May. The soundtrack also features Cassie, who stars in "Step Up 2 the Streets," as well as T-Pain, Flo Rida, Trey Songz, Plies and Scarface. ...

Twista has inked a deal with Koch to release a project with his longtime group, the Speedknot Mobstaz. The Mobstaz's forthcoming sophomore album, Mobstability II: Nation Bizness, is set to feature Jim Jones and production by Cuzzo and China White Productions. ... The Grammys will not be getting a free pass from the Writers Guild of America. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Grammys have not asked for a special waiver to allow striking Guild employees to work on the show, but even if they did request one, it would not likely be granted. In addition, a number of top musicians who also have Screen Actors Guild cards, including Justin Timberlake and Queen Latifah, are being lobbied by the WGA not to attend the February 10 show, according to AdAge.com. ...

In a $35 million lawsuit filed on Monday, Victory Records claimed that Virgin/EMI "improperly induced" Hawthorne Heights to disregard their contract with the independent Chicago label. In a news release on the suit, Victory also claimed that Virgin/EMI paid $55,000 to the band, which used the money to fund the initial phase of a 2006 lawsuit against Victory, and helped the bandmembers search for a music-industry lawyer to help them with their legal action. "The facts alleged in this case demonstrate classic interference with contractual and business relations," Victory lawyer Robert Meloni said. "They did more than merely offer a carrot to the band, but also saddled the horse, paid for a rider to take the reins, and led it out of the barn." The suit seeks $10 million in compensation and $25 million in punitive damages for Virgin/EMI's "willful, wanton and deliberate conduct." Victory maintains that HH owe the label two more albums, but the band, which lost guitarist Casey Calvert in November after a fatal drug interaction, has vowed not to record for Victory again. ...

Rancid fans, time to grow those Mohawks back — the band started recording new material in a California studio on Monday. The punks' yet-unnamed follow-up to 2003's Indestructible is due later this year, on guitarist Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph/Hellcat label, of course. ... Tiger Army have welcomed an old comrade back into their ranks. Stand-up-bass player Geoff Kresge, who toured with the psychobilly band from 1999-2004 — and who also has a stint with AFI on his résumé — replaces Jeff Roffredo, who "left the band on good terms to pursue other interests," according to a press release from the band's publicist. Tiger Army hit the road earlier this week and have a heap of shows planned for throughout the year. ...

Now that Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez have reconciled, what better way to celebrate than with some concerts? Manson has tacked on a few more to his upcoming trek, which starts Saturday in Orlando, Florida. The newly added gigs will be staged in Phoenix (February 27); Dallas (February 29); Austin, Texas (March 1); and Houston (March 2). Veteran rock act Ours will be the opening act on the tour, according to Pollstar.com. ... Here's a novel idea: Yellowcard are giving fans who buy the rockers' Live From Las Vegas at the Palms release an early chance at getting tix to one of their upcoming shows. The iTunes exclusive will be available starting January 22, and fans who snatch it up before January 29 will get a Ticketmaster code allowing them to nab up to four tickets for the band's trek, which starts March 7 in Salt Lake City and ends April 12 in Los Angeles. From Las Vegas at the Palms immortalizes Yellowcard's show at the Palms Casino Resort's Pearl venue in October. ...

EMI — home to Coldplay, the Rolling Stones and other acts — will slash a third of its work force, or 1,500-2,000 jobs, over the course of the next months, multiple outlets reported Tuesday. According to the Web site for England's Telegraph, the reunited Verve could be the next major group to withhold its upcoming album in light of the major-label shake-up. The paper reports that the Verve may join Robbie Williams and Coldplay in threatening to hold onto their next albums unless they receive assurances about the company's financial health and how their albums will be marketed. The company's new boss, Guy Hands, was reportedly to be grilled by the managers of some of the label's top acts on Tuesday as he revealed plans for streamlining the company. ...

"American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is known for name-dropping, but his new album, Music Club Vol. 1, might finally back up some of his boasting. Jackson's upcoming solo album, due March 11, will feature pals ranging from Mariah Carey and Joss Stone to Jason Mraz, former "Idol" contestants Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee and country star Travis Tritt. Fellow judge Paula Abdul will be featured on "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," her first new recording in more than a decade. Last week, TVGuide.com reported that Jackson and Abdul had been rehearsing a video for the single, and that she was in talks to perform it at the Super Bowl on February 3. Also included on the album are Van Hunt, Three 6 Mafia, Angie Stone, Richie Sambora and Keb' Mo'. ...

My Morning Jacket are going big time: The longhaired Kentucky rockers will headline a show at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 20. The band's yet-untitled album will drop 10 days earlier. ... Noise Pop just got a bit noisier. The Walkmen, the Dodos, MSTRKRFT, Stellastarr and the Helio Sequence have climbed onto the roster for the San Francisco fest, which is happening February 26-March 2. Jamie Kennedy's comedic documentary "Heckler" — which features George Lucas, Rob Zombie, David Cross and others — will open the Film Festival portion of the event. ... Carla Bruni has been making headlines lately amid her high-profile romance with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Now the chanteuse can parlay that attention into promotion for the wide release of No Promises, an album that is currently only available Stateside on iTunes and at Barnes & Noble stores. The disc — which is being issued through Downtown Records, home to Gnarls Barkley and Spank Rock, and pays tribute to English-language literary legends — will hit retail stores nationwide February 19.

1.14.08

Nearly six years after the alleged sex tape first surfaced, the court proceedings in the R. Kelly case continue to move at a snail's pace. The prosecutors originally sought to have testimony from one expert witness, Dr. Sharon Cooper, cover several different areas — the age of the girl on the tape based on forensic pediatrics, the identification of the man on the tape based on the vein pattern on his hands, and the behavior profile of the girl based on the psychology of child sex-abuse victims. Judge Vincent Gaughan had previously ruled that Dr. Cooper could testify about the victim's age, but not the behavior profile, so prosecutors had asked him to reconsider. At a hearing on Monday (January 14), Gaughan ruled once again that Dr. Cooper would not be able to testify about why the girl in the case would deny that she was a victim, or how common denial is in sex-abuse cases. Kelly is due back in court March 12 for another pre-trial hearing, while the trial itself is slated to start on May 9. ...

And the Wu-Tang Clan infighting goes on. U-God — who complained about RZA being callous toward him in the studio nearly four years ago — is now suing Wu's label, alleging that he is owed $170,000, according to TMZ.com. U-God (born Lamont Hawkins) reportedly filed papers in a New York district court, alleging that Wu Music owes him money for services rendered dating back to March of last year. Wu Music is licensed to Universal Music. ...

Paula Abdul doesn't just have the seventh season of "American Idol" on her mind these days. "I want kids!" the singer recently told Ladies' Home Journal for its February issue. "If it doesn't happen naturally, I can always adopt." The 45-year-old Abdul opened up even more about her personal life, saying of 32-year-old boyfriend J.T. Torregiani, "I've experienced real loneliness, so I love knowing there's someone I can share the good and the not-so-good with." ... Everyone's wondering how the seventh season of "Idol" is going to fare in light of some retooling and the writers' strike, but if you ask Chris Daughtry, the show is "in a state of decline." The Daughtry frontman recently spoke with RollingStone.com about the show, adding that if it doesn't right itself, "it's probably not gonna last too much longer. I'm sure that'll be used against me, but that's the truth, you know?" He also said the show is "definitely lacking some credibility at this point." ...

White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Mark Ronson, Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Cheifs and recent MTV Artist of the Week Kate Nash have all landed Brit Award nominations, although Leona Lewis, Mika and Take That have scored the most, with four apiece. Rihanna, Ronson, Kaiser Chiefs, Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney are slated to perform at the February 20 ceremony. ... R.E.M. have pulled the curtains back on a new Web site surrounding the April 1 release of their 14th studio album, Accelerate. Their NinetyNights.com Web site has daily high-definition-video snippets shot by Arcade Fire collaborator Vincent Moon ...

Björk attacked a newspaper photographer who was attempting to take her picture at the Auckland International Airport on Sunday, according to reports in the New Zealand press. The singer, who was flying in to perform at the Big Day Out concert on Friday, reportedly ripped New Zealand Herald photographer Glenn Jeffrey's shirt after he snapped a photo of her. Jeffrey told the New Zealand Press Association that he was warned by a man traveling with Björk not to take her picture, and once he did, the singer came up behind him, grabbed the back of his shirt and tore it before tumbling to the ground. In 1996, Björk attacked a reporter in an airport in Bangkok, Thailand, after she objected to being photographed. ... The Walkmen and White Rabbits will hop along the U.S. this month for nine shows. On the itinerary are Pittsburgh (Wednesday); Detroit (Thursday); Milwaukee (Friday); Madison, Wisconsin (Saturday); Chicago (Sunday); St. Louis (January 21); Columbus, Ohio (January 22); Philadelphia (January 23); and Baltimore (January 24). ...

For the first time in 25 years, former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon reportedly shared the same stage at a gig by Jones' new band, Carbon/Silicon. The duo performed "Train in Vain" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" during the set. ... Megadeth have recruited Chris Broderick (Nevermore, Jag Panzer) to be their newest guitarist, following the recent departure of Glen Drover. Broderick will make his live debut with the band on February 4, at a gig in Finland. ...

Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said the band will not be revived following the late November death of frontman Kevin DuBrow. In an online statement, Banali claims he had been "approached to see if I would be interested in contacting Rudy Sarzo and Carlos Cavazo and to audition singers for Quiet Riot." He said that he's even fielded an offer to re-form "the version of Quiet Riot that included Paul Shortino, Carlos Cavazo and Sean McNabb." But Banali rejected any suggestions of the band performing live. "My friendship, love and respect for Kevin DuBrow, as well as my personal love and affection for Kevin's mother and his family, makes it inconceivable for me to ever entertain any ovation to re-form or to continue Quiet Riot," he wrote. "It would also be a disrespect to the fans who have supported [the band] for nearly 25 years." ...

Roger Avary, the Oscar-winning co-writer of "Pulp Fiction," was arrested on Sunday after a fatal single-car crash in Ojai, California. According to a Reuters report, Avary, 42, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence, and was released from jail after posting $50,000 bail. Andreas Zedini, a 34-year-old passenger in the car, died of his injuries at a local hospital. Avary's wife, Gretchen, 40, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries after being thrown from the car.

• Heidi Montag Poses For Maxim

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T-Pain and DJ RPM's <i>No Love Without Pain</i>
Photo: 101 Distribution

So, take a look below at this week's list of new releases. Notice something odd? No, not the dearth of discs — it's early in the year, so that's a given. There's another trend: Almost all this week's releases begin with artists whose appellations — or surnames, in the case of individuals who go by their real names — are in the second half of the alphabet. Even crazier, 20 of this week's 27 new releases begin with the letter R or one that comes later in the alphabet. That means 74.1 percent of the releases are falling within 30.8 percent of the alphabet!

So what does this all mean? Are record-label A&R departments conducting some sort of experiment? Is this part of J.J. Abrams' "Cloverfield" mystery? Does this writer need to get a life?

Before your brain gets too tired considering the possibilities, here's some information about this week's releases that actually might be useful to you.

More Pain-Ful: T-Pain had a pretty sweet 2007. He graced tracks by Kanye West, R. Kelly, DJ Khaled and others, delivered his own smash hits, polished his songwriting skills and made sure every shawty out there got her drank on. Now Pain is making sure he's a force to be reckoned with this year as well, courtesy a new collection co-crafted by DJ RPM, who calls himself "The Frank Lucas of the Mixtape Game." No Love Without Pain is loaded with new songs and remixes by the Tallahassee, Florida, singer, who lassoed Ciara and Field Mob for "So What," and T.I. and Governor for "The Good Life." Remixes include new versions of "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" and "I'm Sprung," his big hits from 2005's Rappa Ternt Sanga, with Paul Wall, Too Short, Trick Daddy, Bun B and the late Pimp C.

Soundtrack Face-Off: You know it's a slow week when two of the biggest new releases are soundtracks, but that be the case this week.

It's the beginning of the end of "The Wire" — the first episode from the final season aired Sunday — but surprisingly, a soundtrack hasn't been made available yet for the show, despite it entering its fifth season. ... And All the Pieces Matter: Five Years of Music From "The Wire" rectifies that problem, pulling together "Way Down in the Hole," a Tom Waits song performed by the Blind Boys of Alabama; tunes by veteran artists like the Neville Brothers, Solomon Burke, the Pogues and Steve Earle; and a heap of underground cuts by artists from Baltimore, the city around which the show revolves. Perhaps making up for the long wait for the soundtrack, there's a second musical accompaniment dropping this week: Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Tracks From "The Wire," which is littered with even more songs by B-more artists.

There's another late "arrival" this week too, in terms of soundtracks — the one for "Juno," a movie that has been racking up critics' praises since it was released early last month. The disc bristles with songs delivered by Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Belle and Sebastian, the Velvet Underground, as well as multiple tracks by Kimya Dawson and her groups the Moldy Peaches and Antsy Pants. The film's star had something to do with Dawson's inclusion, according to a quote from director Jason Reitman that appears in the film's press notes: "At one point, I asked Ellen Page before we started shooting, 'What do you think Juno listens to?' And she said, 'The Moldy Peaches.' She went on my computer, played the songs, and I fell in love with it." Fittingly, the soundtrack closes with a cover of the Peaches' "Anyone Else but You" sung as a duet between Page and co-star Michael Cera.

Femme Cabal: This week isn't just disproportionate when it comes to that weird alphabet phenomenon — most of this week's biggest releases are by female singer/songwriters. Kate Nash, who is part of MTV's 52/52 campaign, leads the pack with her debut, Made of Bricks. Produced by Bloc Party collaborator Paul Epworth, the British starlet's album — which has risen to great heights in her U.K. homeland and garnered her Artist of the Week honors on MTV's Buzzworthy blog — includes "Mouthwash," "Pumpkin Song," "Nicest Thing" and the saltier-titled "Di--head" and "Sh-- Song."

While Nash is waiting to see if Americans gush over her, Australian pop and Zero 7 singer Sia knows she already has two friends in Perez Hilton and, er, Beck. The gossipy blogger posted on his site the video for "Buttons," a song that appears as a hidden track on Sia's new disc, Some People Have Real Problems, which also features a guest-vocal contribution from Beck on "Academia." The "Buttons" clip has been making the rounds online in a big way, and expect Sia to be circulated even more thanks to her Problems release partnership with Hear Music, Starbucks' record label.

Also staying on the cutting edge is Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith, the latest artist to cough up an exclusive EP for iTunes. Featured are new versions of Smith classics; the original 1978 recording of "Because the Night"; and covers of songs by Nirvana, the Doors and the Allman Brothers. Clocking in at 90 minutes, the effort must be one of the longest EPs ever — the songs are fleshed out with interviews.

Speaking of Smith, a new group called the Shondes has been drawing a lot of comparisons to the legendary punk poet. The Brooklyn, New York, group — which has shared stages with Joe Lalli of Fugazi and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls — features a violinist, guitarist, bassist and drummer, three of whom sing. Its debut, The Red Sea, was produced by Tony Maimone (They Might Be Giants, Pere Ubu) and solidifies the group as probably the only Yiddish queercore act out there.

Song Title of the Week:

"A Vague Notion of Nothing Much" from Chris Robley's The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love

Album Cover of the Week:

Wisely's Wisely

Other Notables:

Reverend Organdrum's Hi-Fi Stereo
What do Jim Heath from the Reverend Horton Heat and Asleep at the Wheel keyboardist Tim Alexander have in common? Well, beyond the previous times Alexander gave the Reverend a boost in the studio, a new project. The trio is more laid-back than most of Heath's previous psychobilly freakouts and delves deeper into roots music. "There's a million trios in Texas, nearly all are guitar, bass and drums. With our lineup of guitar, organ and drums, we've got a fuller, unique sound with a lot more possibilities," Alexander said in a statement. Expect to hear lounge, blues, soul, funk and other sounds on tracks like "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," "Black and Crazy Blues" and "Honky Tonk (Side A & B)."

Frank Turner's Campfire Punkrock
Ever heard of a punk band called Million Dead? Yeah, we haven't either, but the group's frontman is stepping out with a notable solo disc this week. Turner kicked off his solo career by playing folk versions of songs by his band — as well as covers of songs by Weezer, Johnny Cash and Counting Crows (oof) — and wound up getting even deeper into country and folk. Songs include the politically charged "Thatcher F---ed the Kids," as well as "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the One of Me" and "I Really Don't Care What You Did in Your Gap Year."

Ringfinger's Decimal
Another punk-rock band you probably haven't heard of, Dahlia Seed, made a strong mark in the underground thanks to frontman Tracy Wilson, who is putting out her first recorded material in 10 years. "[I] chose to make a solo record after nearly a decade of musical nothingness in hopes of channeling a difficult and emotional decade into something productive and positive," she said in a statement. For the endeavor, she enlisted current and former members of Cave In, Jawbox, Isis, Sunn0))), Film School and Dälek. Check out "(I) Miss Me," "Viking Fun" and "Typewriter Tourist."

New Releases:

· Chase Frank - Midnight Manor (EP; available in select indie stores and on iTunes; self-released)
· Creepy - The Triple EP (Teeno) [Buy Now]
· Marah - Angels of Destruction! (Yep Roc)
· Rachel McGoye - Beautiful Disaster (10 Spot)
· Medeski Martin & Wood - Let's Go Everywhere (digipak; Megaforce)
· Kate Nash - Made of Bricks (Geffen)
· Olivia the Band - Where We Come From It Never Snows (Up at Nite)
· Reverend Organdrum - Hi-Fi Stereo (Yep Roc)
· Chris Robley - The Drunken Dance of Modern Man in Love (In Music We Trust)
· Rock Steady Crew - 30 Years to the Day (101 Distribution)
· Amanda Shaw - Pretty Runs Out (Rounder)
· The Shondes - The Red Sea (self-released)
· Sia - Some People Have Real Problems (Hear Music/ Monkey Puzzle) [Buy Now]
· Silence Is Safety - Silence Is Safety (Teeno)
· T-Pain and DJ RPM - No Love Without Pain (101 Distribution) [Buy Now]
· Robin Trower and Jack Bruce - Seven Moons (V-12)
· Frank Turner - Campfire Punkrock (EP; Welcome Home)
· Rhonda Vincent - Good Thing Going (Rounder)
· Wisely - Wisely (Oglio)
· Various artists - Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country, Classic Pop, Classic R&B, Contemporary Country and Contemporary Rock (Shout! Factory/ Grammy Recordings)
· Various artists - ... And All the Pieces Matter: Five Years of Music From "The Wire" (Nonesuch)
· Various artists - Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Tracks From "The Wire" (Nonesuch)
· Various artists - "Juno" soundtrack (Rhino)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· IIIrd Tyme Out - Footprints: A IIIrd Tyme Out Collection (Rounder)
· Blue Öyster Cult - Imaginos (American Beat)
· Jim Brickman - Valentine (Savoy Jazz)
· Johnny Cash - The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show: 1969-1971 (Columbia/Legacy) [Buy Now]
· Wynton Marsalis - Standards (Columbia/Legacy)
· Rush - Permanent Waves (gold CD; Mobile Fidelity) [Buy Now]
· Testament - Demonic and Hammer of the Gods (Prosthetic) [Buy Now]
· ZZ Top - Eliminator (with DVD; Warner Bros.)
· Various artists - The #1 Guitar Album (two CDs; Decca)
· Various artists - Puccini Gold (Decca)
· Various artists - The Ultimate Most Relaxing Guitar Music in the Universe (two CDs; Denon)
· Various artists - Total Dance 2008 (Thrive)

Music DVDs:

· Randy Bachman & Burton Cummings - "First Time Around" (DPTV)

Digital Releases:

· Realistic Crew - Overcome (Kitty-Yo)
· Ringfinger - Decimal (Magic Bullet)
· Patti Smith - Originals (exclusive iTunes EP) [Buy Now]

Coming Attractions:

January 15:
· Eels - Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. 1, 1996-2006 (CD and DVD; Dreamworks/Geffen/UMe); and Eels Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased - 1996-2006 (two CDs and one DVD; Dreamworks/Geffen/UMe) [Preorder]
· Marilyn Manson - "Lord of Darkness: The Early Years" DVD (Candlelight) [Preorder]
· Spice Girls - Greatest Hits (enhanced; two discs; Virgin) [Preorder]

January 22:
· Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine (Epic)
· Cat Power - Jukebox (deluxe edition with bonus CD due same day; Matador) [Preorder]
· Matt Costa - Unfamiliar Faces (Brushfire) [Preorder]

January 29:
· Beck - Odelay - Deluxe Edition (two CDs; Geffen/UMe) [Preorder]
· The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath (Universal)
· Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)

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Lindsay Lohan, T.I., M.I.A., More Come Out For Diesel's Rock 'N Roll Circus In NYC

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T In The Park Festival 2008 In Kinross, Scotland

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MTV.com Exclusive: Kate Nash

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