Common Ground News Update - January 20th

Listen up folks – literally. The Coachella Festival slated for April 15-17 in Indio, CA has released its lineup. The directors of the three-day extravaganza again seem to be attempting to cater to both indie and mainstream audiences, a trend becoming increasingly evident over the past few years. Check out the list which includes Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Cold War Kids, The National, Morning Benders, Nas, Black Joe Lewis, Sleigh Bells, Titus Andronicus, and more Common Ground favorites. Also included...Cee Lo Green.

As you may already know, the indie-rock super stars, Arcade Fire, have been nominated for three Grammys this year. Their 2010 album, The Suburbs, faces competition from Katy Perry, Lady Gaga,  Eminem, and Lady Antebellum in the Album of the Year category.  The Suburbs is also up for Best Alternative Music Album while the track "Ready To Start" has been nominated for Best Rock Performance by A Duo or Group With Vocal.  On top of these honors, the band has also been given the nod to perform at 53rd Grammys (February 13th, 8pm).

In other Arcade Fire news, the band will debut Scenes From the Suburbs, a short film directed by Spike Jonez at the Berlin International Film Festival, taking place February 10-20. The film has been referred to as "a science-fiction B-movie companion piece for the record" and in an interview with Pitchfork, lead vocalist Win Butler said "my brother [William Butler] and I and Spike wrote it together, which was really fun– it was like total amateur hour.” Enjoy a clip from the film:

What do you get when you cross Bob Dylan, Wanda Jackson, and Jack White? An innovative combination of vintage old and vibrant new - classic black with a splash of girly pink – a marriage evident in Wanda Jackson’s new music video released on Tuesday. Covering Dylan’s 2006 “Thunder on the Mountain”, the rockabilly star joined forces with Jack White and his Third Man Record team to produce The Party Ain’t Over out January 25^th. Take a look at the rip-roaring fun here: 

Back on the 11th of December the Cold War Kids played a few songs over at Jack White's Third Man Records in Tennessee. Now, a few videos of the act making their way to the band's Youtube/Vevo page. Here's the unreleased "Skip The Charades." You can also check out a performance of "Louder Than Ever" from that show. Also check out the new "Louder Than Ever" music video.

Gregg Allman, famed founder of the band that bears his name, released his latest album Low Country Blues on Tuesday, his first in fourteen years. Produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett, the album consists of eleven covers and one original. Mostly blues interpretations, the tracks seem to connect Allman again to his Nashville roots, albeit in more relaxed arrangements than those he always played with his “brothers”. You can listen to the album on Rolling Stone. 

The Denver based DeVotchKa releases 100 Lovers March 1st on Anti- Records. The diverse band achieved some acclaim in 2004 with "How It Ends." They also provided the majority of the music for the Little Miss Sunshine Soundtrack which was nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack at the Grammys in 2006. Anyway, the band once again draws from an eclectic mixture of musical influences on their new track "100 Other Lovers." Listen to it here on Stereogum.

~ More News and Notes ~ 

- The energetic funk revival band, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears is set to release Scandalous on March 15th. . This is Sugarfoot, off their 2009 debut, Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!

- In an odd turn of event, The Dire Straits' classic radio anthem, "Money For Nothing" has been banned in its uncensored form in Canada. Read more about it at Rolling Stone.

- A Grateful Dead videogame in which "players will explore a Grateful Dead-themed world." Read about it at Rolling Stone.

- Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes tweeted that their second LP "is done and mastered."  He later went on to tweet, "that happened a little while ago. Announcements soon, but no turning back now I guess.”

- The Strokes are set to release their first album since 2006 later this year. Angles will drop March 22nd in the USA  

- Common Ground writer, Lucien Flores has begun contributing to the Daily Free Press' new blog. Here he weighs in on the three bands that he most wants to see live at Coachella.

Cheers,
Michela Smith & Lucien Flores