At noon Eastern today, “Weird Al” Yankovic will address a very serious manner — the lineup for the 2013 Bonnaroo festival, which will be held June 13-16 in Manchester, Tennessee. You can watch the whole thing unfold in the video below (click here for our real-time updates). To whet your appetite, there will be a [...]

In conjunction with our September/October issue, American Songwriter proudly presents The Muse September Sampler, featuring 12 must-hear tracks from some of our favorite artists. And the best thing about it? It’s free! You can download the sampler by going to this url: http://americansongwriter.bandcamp.com/ Turbo Fruits, “Sweet Thang” “Sugar, why are you leaving?” So begins “Sweet [...]

First, fanfare that Lana Del Rey would gladly swipe for a hip-hop boat. Then the spat-opening lyric is “Don’t know what the fuck they talk about/ Maybe blowing kisses,” intoned by the one-of-a-kind Kurt Wagner at the beginning of this meta-account of possibly itself: “the strings sound good/ Maybe add some flute?” From there Wagner [...]

Over the past few years, we’ve had some amazing talent take part in our American Songwriter Sessions. These intimate live performances are performed as stripped-down, acoustic, and off the cuff as possible, and it’s been awe-inspiring to watch these artists rise to the challenge. Our Best of Sessions Sampler features artists ranging from roots music [...]

American Songwriter is proud to present the The Muse October Sampler, a hand-picked selection of ten new tracks from some of our favorite artists. And best of all, it’s free! You can download the sampler by going to this URL: http://americansongwriter-october11.bandcamp.com/album/american-songwriter-october-music-sampler Alabama Shakes – “I Found You” The four-piece Alabama Shakes are purveyors of trad-soul [...]

American Songwriter is proud to present the The Muse August Sampler, a hand-picked selection of ten new tracks from some of our favorite artists.  And best of all, it’s free! You can download the sampler by going to this URL: http://americansongwriter-august11.bandcamp.com/ Check out the playlist below. Track reviews by Dan Weiss and Lucian Crockett. Beirut [...]

I tend to compare every festival to Bonnaroo. It’s not a conscious thing, nor is it particularly fair, but it’s impossible to stop. For example, Rothbury is a smaller Bonnaroo, with less heat and more Midwesterners. CMJ is like a spread-out Bonnaroo, stretched wide over a week’s worth of gigs and a whole city’s worth [...]

Good news for couch potatoes, and people who can’t afford concert tickets and the cost of gas or a flight. YouTube has announced that they will stream performances from this year’s Lollapalooza (August 5-7) and Austin City Limits Festivals (September 16-18). The channel plans to offer live music coverage, as well as a bonus feed [...]

On last night’s American Idol, high-note rocking rocker James Durbin blended art with commerce with his hair-raising rendition of Muses’ “Uprising.” It was the first time anyone attempted the Brit rock group’s music on the program, and with good reason; very few could pull it off, and fewer still would want to. Muse’s sound is [...]

According to The Chicago Tribune, Eminem, Muse, and Foo Fighters are among the big-name acts headlining this year’s Lollapalooza. All three are known for their over-sized, bombastic live shows. The Tribune mentions that Eminem is favored to take Album Of The Year at this year’s Grammy Awards for The Recovery, the top-selling album of 2010. [...]

Weezer band member Patrick Wilson has responded to disgruntled music fan James Burns, who has launched an online petition in an effort to raise 10 million dollars, the sum he wants to offer the band to break up. Wilson responded via Twitter that they’d do a “deluxe breakup”’ for $20 million. Well played, sir. Catch [...]