Buy tickets here!

Mr. Salinger’s literary reputation rests on a slender but enormously influential body of published work: the novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” the collection “Nine Stories” and two compilations, each with two long stories about the fictional Glass family: “Franny and Zooey” and “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction.”

“Catcher” was published in 1951, and its very first sentence, distantly echoing Mark Twain, struck a brash new note in American literature: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

Read the full New York Times obituary here.

Required reading.

Howard Zinn, an author, teacher and political activist whose book “A People’s History of the United States” became a million-selling leftist alternative to mainstream texts, died Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 87 and lived in Auburndale, Mass.

The cause was a heart attack, his daughter Myla Kabat-Zinn said.

Published in 1980 with little promotion and a first printing of 5,000, “A People’s History” was, fittingly, a people’s best-seller, attracting a wide audience through word of mouth and reaching 1 million sales in 2003. Although Professor Zinn was writing for a general readership, his book was taught in high schools and colleges throughout the country, and numerous companion editions were published, including “Voices of a People’s History,” a volume for young people and a graphic novel.

“A People’s History” told an openly left-wing story. Professor Zinn accused Christopher Columbus and other explorers of committing genocide, picked apart presidents from Andrew Jackson to Franklin D. Roosevelt and celebrated workers, feminists and war resisters.

This week, the Village Voice published their annual Pazz & Jop issue.

Album of the year goes to Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective. Single of the Year goes to "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z (ft. Alicia Keys).

"Devil's Spoke" is the second track to be released from Laura Marling's forthcoming sophomore album, I Speak Because I Can.

DOWNLOAD: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim (w/ Santigold) - "Please Don't"

The first taste of Here Lies Love, the collaboration between Fatboy Slim and David Byrne, has been released. The track, "Please Don't" features vocals from Santigold. Here's what David has to say about the song:

I think Santi did a perfect version of this song, which describes, pretty much in her own words, Imelda Marcos' adventures in what she called "handbag diplomacy."

You can pre-order the album in various forms here.

Don't forget that David Byrne is among the participants in the next Stories in High Fidelity event at the Bowery Ballroom on February 3rd. You can get tickets here.

Sad news for the Wainwright family.

Canadian folk singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle, best known for performing with her sister Anna, has died of cancer. She was 63.

McGarrigle's brother-in-law, Dane Lanken, said the singer died at her Montreal home Monday night surrounded by her sisters, Jane and Anna, and her children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also singers.

He said McGarrigle had been battling cancer since the summer of 2006. He said the cancer started in her small intestine and spread to her liver.

Kate and Anna, known as the McGarrigle Sisters, began their careers performing at Montreal coffeehouses in the 1960s with a group called the Mountain City Four. They got their break in the 1970s, when their songs were covered by numerous artists, including Linda Ronstadt, who used "Heart Like a Wheel" as the title song to one of her albums.

In 1975 they made their first record, "Kate and Anna McGarrigle," which brought them critical acclaim and additional famous covers by artists including Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins and Billy Bragg.

Their own well-known releases included "The Work Song," "Cool River" and "Lying Song."

Kate McGarrigle received the Order of Canada in 1994, one of the country's highest honors.

McGarrigle was once married to American singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Her son, Rufus Wainwright, recently canceled an upcoming tour, citing an illness in the family.

Born in Montreal, the famous singing duo grew up in the Laurentian Mountains village of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec. There, they learned the piano from the village nuns.

Continue reading "Kate McGarrigle dies at 63" »

Lots of people are confused by the ????'s following Thom Yorke's name on the official Coachella poster. Well, here's the explanation, via the Coachella message board:

The marquee for the Thom Yorke shows in LA in October didn't have Thom Yorke's name or a name for the band he put together, just '????? October 5th!' So I guess he must think that ????? is a good enough name for his backing band.

DOWNLOAD: ECHOecho - "Subway Song"

Tickets are now on sale for STORIES IN HIGH FIDELITY at the Bowery Ballroom on February 3rd. The show will feature speakers David Byrne, Alan Light, Dan Kennedy and Jason Gordon, as well as special music performances from Nicole Atkins and ECHOecho.

What's with the question marks after Thom Yorke's name????

Full press release after the jump....

Continue reading "Coachella announces 2010 line-up, poster" »

Joanna Newsom has added a March 18th show at Town Hall in New York City to her previously announced tour. Tickets are $35 and go on AmEx presale Wednesday at 11am and general sale Thursday at noon.

Her new album, Have One on Me, is out February 23rd.

This just in from The Desert Sun...

Hip-hop star Jay-Z will headline the opening night of the 11th Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, it was announced today, with the British alternative band, Muse, and the animated Gorillaz headlining subsequent nights of the internationally acclaimed April 16-18 event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Individual tickets go on sale Friday, but layaway tickets for three-day passes and camping are available through Feb. 15.

Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett said this year’s lineup will have more “new breed” acts than past years, especially the last two years when 1960s-era rockers Paul McCartney and Roger Waters were headliners. But the lineup also will feature an appearance by ‘60s funk legends Sly & the Family Stone and the ‘80s ska band, the Specials

Sunday night, which has generated more Coachella highlights than any other evening with acts such as Waters, Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails in the final slot, will feature Pavement, the Grammy-nominated French band Phoenix and a solo act by Radiohead’s front man Thom Yorke before Gorillaz puts on a highly sophisticated virtual reality multi-media show.

The full line-up is expected to be announced this afternoon.

Here's information on two more benefit shows for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Tonight at 7:00 PM at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (236 East 3rd Street between Avenues B + C), we have a night of great music by performers including ASE DANCE THEATER COLLECTIVE, RETUMBA, WELFARE POETS, SEKONSA, DIVISION X, HAITIAN-DOMINICAN PERCUSSION JAM and others. The suggested donation is $20, but organizers ask you to please pay generously what you can. Proceeds of this show will benefit Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres http://www.msf.org/. Then on Tuesday, January 19th at 8:00 PM at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street),

the New York-based Grammy nominated jazz artists, Groove Collective are putting together an impromptu benefit concert. Le Poisson Rouge has donated their venue for the event. DJ Logic, Bernie Worrell and Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio will perform and will feature various other special guests TBA. Again, suggested donation for this show is $20. Those wishing to donate to the concert fundraising effort who cannot attend or who wish to donate more than the suggested ticket price may do so here: http://lepoissonrouge.inticketing.com/events/72222. Proceeds will benefit Haiti Action and Hands Together, both of which are working on the ground in Haiti.

The Bell House is hosting a benefit for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Here's the information:

STRENGTH THROUGH UNITY: A BENEFIT FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

100% of the proceeds will be split between Save The Children and Partners In Health.

All performers will be playing abbreviated and stripped down sets. Scheduled to appear:

JIMMY FALLON
New York State Senator DIANE SAVINO
COLD WAR KIDS
TED LEO
EUGENE MIRMAN
THE WRENS
SONDRE LERCHE
TODD BARRY
PAT KIERNAN of NY 1
AC NEWMAN of NEW PORNOGRAPHERS with RHETT MILLER of OLD 97s and NICOLE ATKINS as THE SEEKERS.
HERE WE GO MAGIC
THE WAHOO SKIFFLE CRAZIES

The benefit show takes place on Wednesday, January 27, at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Tickets are $50 and now on sale.

I thought the Unearthed box set was supposed to be the completion of the American series to be posthumously released. I guess I - and the Unearthed press releases - were wrong

The final studio album by Johnny Cash is set to be released next month.

Called 'American VI: Ain't No Grave', the Rick Rubin produced album was recorded in 2002, a year before Cash died in 2003.

Featuring covers of artists such as Sheryl Crow and Kris Kristofferson, the album will be released on February 22 to coincide with what would have been Cash's 78th birthday on February 26.

The tracklisting for 'American VI: Ain't No Grave' is as follows:

'Aint No Grave'
'Redemption Day'
'For The Good Times'
'First Corinthians'
'Where I'm Bound'
'Satisfied Mind'
'It Don't Hurt Anymore'
'Cool Clear Water'
'Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream'
'Aloha'

This is being reported by various sources:

Memphis Police are treating the death of garage rocker Jay Reatard as a homicide and are calling for anyone with information for the investigation.

29-year old Jay Reatard (real name Jay Lindsay) was found dead at around 3.30am Sunday at his home in Cooper-Young, Tennessee.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at (901) 528-CASH or submit a tip to the website www.528cash.org. Information leading to an arrest has a $1000 bounty attached to it.

The following is a statement by Wyclef Jean on Tuesday's magnitude 7.0 earthquake outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti:

“Haiti yesterday faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince.

I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.

President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

Many people have already reached out to see what they can do right now. We are asking those interested to please do one of two things: Either you can use your cell phone to text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can visit www.yele.org and click on DONATE.

Matador just released this shocking statement.

"We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we've ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We're honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly."

Jay-Z will return to Madison Square Garden on March 2, 2010. Young Jeezy and Trey Songz will open. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am.

This is turning into one hell of a festival....

The lineup for BIG EARS 2010 continues to grow, with the National, Dirty Projectors, Bang On A Can All-Stars, Iva Bittova, Ben Frost, Tim Hecker, Tracy Silverman, and Buke & Gass now announcing their participation in the groundbreaking weekend of music, art, and film.

They join an already extraordinary array of artists playing the second incarnation of the festival. Vampire Weekend, the Calder Quartet, 802 Tour (Nico Muhly / Doveman / Sam Amidon with Nadia Sirota), Joanna Newsom, St. Vincent, Andrew WK, The Ex, Gang Gang Dance, Clogs, The xx, Javelin, DJ/rupture (solo), DJ/rupture and Andy Moor, My Brightest Diamond, Gyan Riley, and jj were announced in early December.