Wilco Tributes Woody One More Time

 One of my favorite releases last year was the Billy Bragg and Wilco tribute to Woody Guthrie, Mermaid Avenue. Woody's old lyrics were put to new music written by punk-folkie Brit Billy and the Wilco boys, and they somehow managed to stay true to the master's spare, unflinching vision. Despite some well-known unpleasantness between Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Bragg, a reteaming is planned for a second Guthrie tribute--and a summer tour to boot. Hooray! Wilco's version of Steely Dan's "Any Major Dude" will be featured on the Me, Myself and Irene soundtrack. In fact, all the tracks for the Jim Carrey film will be Steely Dan covers.

Tattoo You

 People who love to headbang in the sun will get theiropportunity late this summer, when heavies Sevendust, Coal Chamber and Slipknot join forces for the first-ever Tattoo the Earth tour. More bands will be added, and organizers of the 30-date jaunt plan on filling two stages with heavy-duty rock--as well as an array of body-painters, henna artists, body-piercers and several renowned tattoo artists to decorate your sweaty bodies.

Joni Mitchell Goes Symphonic

 Looking to reproduce the lavish sound of her March 21 release, Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell is hiring several local symphonic orchestras to support her on the road this May. She calls the album, which includes standards ("At Last") and her own classics ("A Case of You"), an "arc of a romantic relationship." On April 16, the introspective chanteuse will be revered by her peers when TNT airs An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell, hosted by Ashley Judd and featuring performances by Wynonna, Elton John, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, k.d. lang, Shawn Colvin and more. Besides her own upcoming Christmas album--she plans to pen her own Christmas carols-- Elvis Costello and Björk have expressed interest in a Joni tribute record.

Springtime Releases to Tickle Your Fancy

 Out April 4: the late Big Punisher's Yeeeah Baby; Chumbawumba's WYSIWYG; Lou Reed's Ecstasy; one of my fave British boy bands with the self-titled Supergrass; and rockabilly/country-flavored BR5-49's Coast to Coast.

Out of the Vaults

 Comes Surfin' by the Beach Boys; Tighter and Tighter by Tommy James; The Very Best of Deep Purple; Rock and Roll Heart, a classic by Lou Reed; and the very cool Blues at Sunrise by Stevie Ray Vaughan on Legacy.

Methods of Mayhem Madness

 I was fortunate enough to catch TommyLee's new slam-bam, hip-hop, reckless, raucous Methods of Mayhem at their very first U.S. date in Seattle last week. (The tour continues through April 12, concluding in New York City.) Big, beefy boys with backward baseball caps shouted along with Tommy's surprisingly cool rap-rock roar, as hundreds of middle fingers were triumphantly raised for the song "Proposition Fuck You"--surely an anthem in the making.

Tommy only spent two numbers battering his drum kit mercilessly, and he actually makes a pretty charismatic frontman when he gets in the rowdy trenches with his up-front cohort, TiLo.

After the show, a sweat-drenched Tommy prowled and paced, a slap-happy grin on his face. I asked how he was feeling about his first show, and he told me his blood was on fire. Mmmm, I bet that feels good.

Next week, dolls!