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Just yesterday, December 13, Pitchfork ran a story about the efforts to raise money for J.D. "Cast" King, an 81-year-old country singer and songwriter diagnosed with terminal cancer. The same day, King lost his battle with the disease and passed away at home in Old Sand Mountain, Alabama, according to King’s label, Locust Music. King started playing guitar by teaching himself at the age of 10, and in 1955, he and his band the Country Drifters recorded a few tracks at Memphis’ legendary Sun Studio.
(More about Country Singer J.D. “Cast” King R.I.P.…)

As Pitchfork’s Dave Maher aptly pointed out last time we addressed a resurgent college rock fave of yesteryear, lots of bands from the late 80s and early 90s have opted to hop back in the saddle here in the aughts. You might even call it a trend. My Bloody Valentine, the Verve, and Swervedriver are leading the shoegaze charge, while largely unsung heroes of the underground like Big Dipper, Chavez, Polvo, and Versus have poked their heads into this century to say "Hi" and help remind us why we missed them.
(More about Swell Return With New Album, Rarities Collection…)

David Bendeth, a producer who works with rock bands like Hawthorne Heights and Paramore, knows that the albums he makes are often played through tiny computer speakers by fans who are busy surfing the Internet. So he’s not surprised when record labels ask the mastering engineers who work on his CDs to crank up the sound levels so high that even the soft parts sound loud.
(More about The Death of High Fidelity…)

Soul legend James Brown passed away on Christmas Day 2006, and the likes of Ian Brown and Arctic Monkeys have been paying tribute to him a year on from his death on NME.COM. We’ve collected together ten great James Brown videos for you to watch now on the NME Office Blog, so you can remember the Godfather Of Soul now. Head over to see the James Brown videos on the NME Office Blog now.
(More about Watch James Brown videos at Christmas…)

The cover of eleventyseven’s second CD looks like it could be the Beastie Boys dressed up in Daft Punk’s clothes, while the goods inside run the gamut of punkish pop, robot rock and electronic pop. At face value, the amalgamation could be truly ingenious, simultaneously pleasing the skaters and clubbers, though the group’s sugar-coated sounds and watered-down lyrics lack the full-fledged punch needed to fully land on any level.
(More about Galactic Conquest (Flicker)…)

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin had reportedly begun helping out as a plumber at a homeless shelter in London. According to a ‘source’ at the Crisis shelter, which provides temporary accommodation for alcoholics in the city, Martin has been a regular helper there over the years. "Chris has been doing their plumbing for them. He does this every year, for free. Apparently he’s quite a dab hand with it all," a ‘source’ told the Daily Express.
(More about Coldplay’s Chris Martin Starts Plumbing Side Project?…)

Henry Rollins heralded 2008 dates of his North American spoken-word tour. The trek kicks off February 19 in Birmingham (AL), lists 21 dates, and wraps up March 15 in Fargo (ND). Henry will visit Raleigh (NC), Knoxville (TN), Baltimore (MD), Brooklyn (NY), Atlantic City (NJ), Montreal, (QB), Pittsburgh (PA), Indianapolis (IN), Memphis (TN), and other cities. Henry Rollins became known in the begining of 80’s as a frontman of pank outfit Black Flag.
(More about Henry Rollins Announced 2008 Tour Dates…)

The Verve closed their UK Arena tour tonight (December 21) with a triumphant show in Manchester. The Wigan four-piece, who were playing their second night in the city, blasted through a 14 song set featuring tracks from all three of their albums ‘A Storm In Heaven’, ‘A Northern Soul’ and ‘Urban Hymns’. Like their previous low key tour, the band took to the stage to David Axelrod’s ‘Holy Are You’ before singer Richard Ashcroft declared to the crowd: “This is The Verve in Manchester on a Friday night.
(More about The Verve close UK tour by paying tribute to Manchester bands…)

Just in time to fulfill your New Year's resolution to listen to more EWI music comes a new release on the BernUp label from instrumental wizard Bernie Kenerson. Just You & Me, with a planned street date of January 1st, features the talented multi-instrumentalist showcasing his Akai Electronic Wind Instrument 4000 on a mix of his own compositions. The EWI is not something that comes to mind as the featured instrument for a new album, but it's certainly showing up everywhere in the background these days.
(More about Music Review: Bernie Kenerson - Just You & Me…)

Once again Bad Religion made their way to Cleveland to put on a show for punk rock fans young and old. The So-Cal punk rock act had released New Maps Of Hell over the summer. Joining them were England’s hardcore sensation Gallows and Los Angeles punk act The Briggs. This was a show many looked forward to, as many did not get enough of Bad Religion and Gallows at this year’s Warped Tour.

Sometimes my nights do not quite work out the way I would like them to.

(More about Concert Review: Bad Religion - The Agora, Cleveland, OH…)