The 11th annual Bonnaroo Music Festival runs June 7-10th in Manchester, Tennessee. This year’s bill is headlined by Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phish, and the reunited Beach Boys, with Bon Iver, The Shins, Dispatch, Foster the People, The Avett Brothers, Skrillex, Feist, and Aziz Ansari among the other heavyweights.

Other notables include The Roots, Ben Folds Five, Black Star, Alice Cooper, St. Vincent, Mogwai, Major Lazer, Flying Lotus, Alabama Shakes, Dawes, Flogging Molly, Childish Gambino, Ludacris, tUnE-yArDs, SBTRKT, Battles, Black Lips, Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, The Joy Formidable, Young the Giant, Kurt Vile and The Violators, EMA, The Antlers, Delta Spirit, Das Racist, The War on Drugs, Laura Marling, Here We Go Magic,  Yelawolf, and Mac Miller.

Also playing are Umphey’s McGee, The Word (featuring Robert Randolph, John Medeski, and North Mississippi Allstars), Bad Brains, Mariachi El Bronx, The Devil Makes Three, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Gary Clark Jr., Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Kathleen Edwards, Phantogram, Two Door Cinema Club, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Civil Wars, City and Colour, The Kooks, Big Freedia, K-Flay, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Grouplove, White Denim, SOJA, Big Gigantic, Fruit Bats, Moon Taxi, The Soul Rebels, The Lonely Forest, ALO, Blind Pilot, Ben Howard, Trampled By Turtles, Mimosa, and Spectrum Road (featuring Santana, John Medeski, Jack Bruce, Cindy Blackman, and Vernon Reid.)

This year also promises another one of Bonnaroo’s trademark superjams; however, the participating artists have yet to be announced.

In all, over 125 bands and 20 comedians will perform across 13 stages during the four-day event. Additional artists and comedians will be revealed in the coming weeks. Below, you can watch the lineup announced by ESPN’s John Anderson.

Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, February 18th at Noon ET via the festival’s website.

Update: Here’s the poster:

Primavera Sound returns to Barcelona, Spain from May 30th to June 3rd. Acts like The Cure, Björk, Jeff Mangum, Wilco, Justice, Death Cab For Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, Spiritualized, The Afghan Whigs, The xx, Mazzy Star, Yo La Tengo, Beach House, ASAP Rocky, araabMUZIK, and Neon Indian have already been announced.

Today, the festival revealed the rest of its 2012 bill and new highlights include Refused, Rufus Wainwright, Beirut, Chavez, The Pop Group, Atlas Sound, Laura Marling, Sharon Van Etten, The Rapture, Wavves, Danny Brown, Black Lips, Lee Ranaldo, Hype Williams, Kings of Convenience, Archers of Loaf, Dirty Three, The Wedding Present (performing Seamonsters) Girls, Real Estate, The War on Drugs, Saint Etienne, Richard Hawley, Iceage, Japandroids, Thee Oh Sees, Death Grips, Trash Talk, Bleached, Friends, Dirty Beaches, Lower Dens, The Field, Field Music, and Obits. In addition, Big Star’s Jody Stephens, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and others will come together for a special performance of Big Star’s Third. Check out our Festival Outlook to see the complete lineup.

Festival tickets are now on sale for 180 € (+ booking fee), however, the price will increase to 190 € beginning February 4th. Visit the festival’s website for complete ticketing information.

As previously reported, the organizers of Primavera Sound are also launching a sister festival in Porto, Portugal called Optimus Primavera Sound. Acts include Björk, Jeff Mangum, Death Cab For Cutie, Spiritualized, Explosions in the Sky, The Afghan Whigs, The xx, The Walkmen, and more. Check out our Festival Outlook for additional info.

Other notables include St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Justice, Mazzy Star, M83, Explosions in the Sky, Childish Gambino, Flying Lotus, Destroyer, Cat Power, Madness, SBTRKT, Beirut, Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, fIREHOSE, Miike Snow, The Rapture, M. Ward, Jimmy Cliff with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, The Horrors, Buzzcocks, James, EMA, Girls, tUnE-yArDs, and more.

The lineup also packs Wild Flag, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Neon Indian, Santigold, Modeselektor, The Big Pink, Wu Lyf, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Head and the Heart, Laura Marling, Company Flow, AraabMUZIK, Kaskade, Le Butcherettes, Real Estate, Wild Beasts, La Roux, Thundercat, Azealia Banks, Kasabian, Goyte, Manchester Orchestra, Black Lips, Atari Teenage Riot, and more. Check out the full lineup below or at our Festival Outlook.

Update: Tickets go on sale Friday, January 13th at 10:00 AM PT. According to Pop & Hiss, three-day passes are $285, three-day with shuttle are $335, and VIP are $665.

It’s been a long year. Scratch that, it’s been a veeerrrry long year. From social revolutions to the end of our occupation of Iraq, from the death of celebrities and dictators to a man who sneezes bullets and the mystery of planking, the world experienced a slew of emotions and all sorts of cultural and political upheaval in 2011. And that’s not even counting the plethora of music news that had the blogosphere abuzz this year.

So, as the question begs, what comes next? Well, 2012. If you were to believe certain factions, it’ll be the end of days. A more likely scenario, though, is that it will be another busy year, with people to meet, triumphs to celebrate, disasters to mourn, and a whole other set of memories to file away as we march perpetually onward toward the Great Unknown. A dreary prospect for sure, one that almost makes the impending Apocalypse sound warm and fuzzy. However, there is temporary respite in the form of New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve is that magic night where one year is all but over. It’s the chance to stop worrying for a moment. It’s an opportunity to celebrate surviving the last 364. It’s the start of a whole new scheme or design for the upcoming 365. Rather than chugging cheap champagne and letting off fireworks, NYE should be commemorated with the one thing that makes any year bearable: music.

As we have for every other major celebratory occasion, CoS has your back with our handy-dandy New Year’s Eve 2011 Concert Guide. From the beaches of Miami to life in the City of Angels, and everywhere between, our guide has everything you’ll need to know to see your favorite bands live. Whether you’re planning to rock out with Patti Smith at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, get freaky with The Flaming Lips and Yoko Ono in Oklahoma City, or hit up BOTH of Kaskade’s NYE shows (in two different state mind you), our guide is the only New Year’s Eve accessory you need (save for maybe a noisemaker). Plus, if you’re not one to brave the weather and the sea of drunks, we’ll tell you what you should be watching on the old boob tube. The point is, if it’s happening on NYE, it’s in this guide. Your only concern will be how to get home and/or where to pass out at the end of the night.

If we’ve missed any gathering or shindig, please let us know in the comments below. Call this a cliché bit of writing, but we’d like to leave you with some parting words from the immortal Benjamin Franklin to guide you into what lies ahead: “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”

See ya in 2012.

-Chris Coplan
News Editor

New York City

– AarabMUZIK, Balam Acab: 285 Kent

– Assembly of Dust: Mercury Lounge

– Avicii: Pier 34

– The Bad Plus: The Village Vanguard

– Charles Bradley, The Budos Band: Music Hall of Williamsburg

– Chuck Berry: B.B. King Blues Club

– Dark Star Orchestra: Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ)

– Deadmau5: Pier 36

– Deer Tick, J. Roddy Watson and the Business, Dead Confederate: Brooklyn Bowl

– Fitz and the Tantrums: The Gramercy Theatre

– Gogol Bordello: Terminal 5

– Gov’t Mule: Beacon Theatre

– Infected Mushroom: Best Buy Theater

– The Knocks: Gansevoort Park Avenue

– Laidback Luke: Pacha

– Lee Fields & The Expressions: The Bell House

– Los Lobos: City Winery

– Matt and Kim, Super Mash Bros., Body Language: Hammerstein Ballroom

– Neru: Webster Hall

– The New Deal: B.B. King Blues Club

– New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men: Roseland Ballroom

– Nick Catchdubs: Loreley

– Nosaj Thing: Glasslands

– O’Death: Spike Hill

– Patti Smith: Bowery Ballroom

– Phish: Madison Square Garden

– Steve Lawler: District 36

– Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Maxwells (Hoboken, NJ)

Chicago

– Alkaline Trio: Metro

– Big Gigantic: Riviera Theatre

– Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears: Double Door

– Cage the Elephant, Sleeper Agent: Aragon Ballroom

– Cave: The Hideout

– Disco Biscuits, Future Rock: Auditorium Theatre

– The Hood Internet: Lincoln Hall

– Keys N Krates: Chicago Urban Art Society

– Local H: Bottom Lounge

– Murder By Death: Subterranean

– Old 97s: Intercontinental Hotel Grand Ballroom

– Rusko, Sinden, Switch: Congress Theater

– The Spits: Cobra Lounge

Los Angeles

– The Aggrolites: Alex’s Bar

– Benny Benassi, Paul Van Dyk, Kaskade, Dada Life: Anaheim Convention Center (White Wonderland)

– DJ Quik: Key Club

– Duck Sauce, Diplo, Chromeo, Felix da Housecat, The Bloody Beetroots, LA Riots: Oak Canyon Park (Together As One)

– The Henry Clay People, Races: The Satellite

– Give Up the Ghost: Ukrainian Culture Center

– Jenny and Johnny, Cults: The Standard Hollywood

– John Digweed: The Avalon

– Junkie XL: Detroit Bar

– L.A. Guns: Whisky A Go Go

– Lupe Fiasco: Hollywood & Highland Center

– Musiq Soulchild: House of Blues

– Wanda Jackson, Best Coast, Dan Sartain: Club Nokia

San Francisco

– The Fresh & Onlys, Thee Oh Sees: Brick and Mortar Music Hall

– Furthur: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

– Kreayshawn: The Regency Ballroom

– The Limousines: Rickshaw Stop

– Maceo Parker: Yoshi’s

– Santigold, Amon Tobin Islam Live, Beats Antique, Claude Von Stroke,: Concourse Exhibition Center (Sea of Dreams)

– Primus: Great American Music Hall

– The Slip: Cafe du Nord

– Sonny & The Sunsets: Amnesia

– Talib Kweli: Sloane Squared

– Tedeschi Trucks Band, The New Mastersounds: The Warfield

– Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: The Fillmore

– X: Slim’s

– Yeasayer (DJ Set): W Hotel

– DJ Z-Trip: Fort Mason Center

London

– The 2 Bears: XOYO

– Adam Beyer: Fabric

– Ferry Corsten: Brixton Academy

– Gabby Young and Other Animals: Royal Festival Hall

– Gary Numan: All Star Lanes

– Gross Magic: The Victoria

– Joker, Brekage, Roska, Plastician, Sigma: Electric Brixon

– Kasabian, Chase & Status, Zane Lowe: The O2

– Toddla T: The Nest

– The Wedding Present: Dingwalls

Elsewhere

Aspen

– Jane’s Addiction: Belly Up

Athens (Georgia)

– MartyParty, Dubconscious: New Earth Music Hall

– of Montreal: Go Bar

– Reptar: Georgia Theatre

Atlanta

– Against Me!, Fake Problems, Franz Nicolay: The Masquerade

– Cake: Fox Theatre

– JJ Grey & Mofro: Variety Playhouse

– Kylesa: The Earl

– Naughty By Nature, Ed Kowalczyk: Hyatt Regency

– Perpetual Groove: Center Stage

– STS9: The Tabernacle

– Zac Brown Band: Philips Arena

Atlantic City

– Brand New: House of Blues

Austin

– Big Freedia: The Mohawk

– The Black Angels, Wooden Shjips, Ume: Emo’s East

– Bob Schneider, Quiet Company: Paramount Theatre

– Designer Drugs: Austin Music Hall

– Gary Clark Jr.: Antone’s

– Groupo Fantasma: Beauty Bar

– Hayes Carll: La Zona Rosa

– Penguin Prison: American Legion Hall

– Russian Circles: Red 7

– White Denim, Royal Bangs: The Empire Space

– Willie Nelson: Moody Theater

Australia

– Arctic Monkeys, Crystal Castles, Dan Deacon, The Naked and Famous: The Falls Festival (Lorne)

– Fleet Foxes, Beirut, CSS, CANT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra: The Falls Festival (Marion Bay)

Baltimore

– Carbon Leaf: Hyatt Regency

– SOJA: Baltimore Soundstage

Boston

– David Wax Museum: Lizard Lounge (Cambridge, MA)

– Lucero: Paradise

– New York Dolls: New England Conservatory

Charlotte (North Carolina)

– Widespread Panic: Time Warner Cable Arena

Dallas

– Girl Talk, Ghostland Observatory, MSTRKRFT, Neon Indian, Pendulum (DJ Set): Lights All Night

– The Polyphonic Spree, Centro-matic: House of Blues

– Quinton and Miss Pussycat: Zubar

Denver

– Flux Pavilion, Doctor P: Colorado Convention Center

– Gauntlet Hair, Pictureplane: The Larmier Lounge

– Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad: Cervantes’ Other Side

– Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Orgone: Cervatnes Ballroom

– Ladytron (DJ Set): City Hall

– Pretty Lights: 1stBANK Center (Broomfield, CO)

– Railroad Earth: Ogden Theatre

– Truckasauras: The Summit

– Ween: The Fillmore

Detroit

– The Detroit Cobras: Magic Stick

– Greensky Bluegrass, The Macpodz: Majestic Theatre

– Maze featuring Frankie Beverly: Masonic Temple

Greenville (South Carolina)

– The Avett Brothers: Bi-Lo Center

Houston

– Blue October: House of Blues

– Christopher Lawrence: Stereo Live

– Young Jeezy: Reliant Arena

Lake Tahoe

– Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Thievery Corporation, The Glitch Mob, Childish Cambino, A-Trak, Theophilus London, YACHT: Snowglobe Music Festival

Las Vegas

– Chris Brown: Pure Nightclub

– Guns N’ Roses, Sebastian Bach: The Joint

– John Legend: Pearl Concert Theater

– Kaskade: Marquee

– NOFX, Lagwagon: House of Blues

– Paul Oakenfold: Rain

– Steve Angello: XS Nightclub

– Stevie Wonder: Cosmopolitan

Louisville (Kentucky)

– The Pass: Butchertown Pub Studios

Miami

– The Heavy Pets: Tobacco Road

– Spam All-Stars: The Catalina Hotel

Minneapolis

– Dawes: Varsity Theater

– EOTO: Skyway Theater

Milwaukee

– Skrillex, Dillon Francis: The Rave

Nashville

– Bassnectar: Bridgestone Arena

– Moon Taxi, Apache Relay: Exit/In

New Orleans

– Big Sam’s Funky Nation: The Joy Theater

– Black Lips: One Eyed Jacks

– Dr. John: House of Blues

– Funky Meters: Tipitina’s French Quarter

– Galactic, Anders Osborne: Tipitina’s Uptown

— Rebirth Brass Band: Howlin’ Wolf

Northampton (Massachusetts)

– Josh Ritter: Calvin Theater

– Rubblebucket: Pearl Street Nightclub

Oklahoma City

– The Flaming Lips, Yoko Ono: Brickstown Events Center

Orlando

– Trivium, Sevendust, Black Tide: House of Blues

– Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables: Hard Rock Live

Ottawa

– Electric Six: Mavericks

Philadelphia

– Clutch: Trocadero

– Eternal Summers, Bleeding Rainbow: Level Room

– Good Old War, River City Extension: Theatre of Living Arts

– Lotus: Festival Pier

– Man Man (DJ Set), Dr. Dog (DJ Set), Sun Airway (DJ Set): Johnny Brenda’s

– Smoking Popes: North Star Bar

Phoenix

– Meat Puppets: Clubhouse Music Venue

Portland (Maine)

– moe.: State Theatre

Portland (Oregon)

– Leftover Salmon: Roseland Theater

– Nurses, Radiation City: Mississippi Studios

– Pierced Arrows: Ash Street Saloon

– Red Fang: Star Theater

– Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers: The Crystal Ballroom

– Talkdemonic: Misson Theater

San Diego

– Fedde Le Grand, Porter Robinson, Hardwell, Bart B More: Valley View Casino Center (OMFG! NYE)

– Kinky: 4th & B

Seattle

– Mustard Pimp: King Cat Theatre

– Starfucker, Champagne Champagne: The Crocodile

St. Louis (Missouri):

– Cowboy Mouth: Old Rock House

– Devon Allman’s Honeytribe: Blueberry Hill

– Excision: Koken Art Factory

– Umphrey’s McGee: The Pageant

Toronto

– Elliot Brood: Lee’s Palace

– Kyuss! Lives: Cherry Cola’s Rock N’ Rolla Cabaret & Lounge

– The Sadies: Horseshoe Tavern

– Steve Aoki, Thomas Gold: Kool Haus

Vancouver

– Tiësto: Pacific Coliseum

Washington, DC

– Animal Collective (DJ Set), Le Tigre (DJ Set), ANR (DJ Set): 1800 L Street NW (BYT NYE)

– Drive-By Truckers, Booker T, Alabama Shakes: 9:30 Club

– Gucci Mane: Love Night Club

– Morgan Page: Fur Nightclub

– Painted Face: Rock and Roll Hotel

On TV

– Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (ABC): Lady Gaga, Florence and the Machine, Blink-182, Nicki Minaj

– New Year’s Eve with Carson Daily (NBC): Drake, The Roots, Cee-Lo Green

– NYE in NYC (MTV): J. Cole

– Coldplay New Year’s Eve: An Austin City Limits Special (PBS)

John McCauley and Robbie Crowell of Deer Tick, Ian Saint Pé of Black Lips, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate, and Bryan Dufresne of Six Finger Satellite have come together to form Diamond Rugs, as The AV Club points out. The drunk-punk super group will perform their first gig on December 29th in Atlanta, GA (ticket info here), with their debut album scheduled to drop sometime this spring via Partisan Records.

To preview what yuletide magic these six men can make together, the band has debuted the cheer-inducing “Christmas In A Chinese Restaurant”. Powered by a distinctly sharp piano and very little else, the track would be hilarious if the man’s tale of being lonely on Xmas wasn’t so darn believable and gut-wrenching in a black comedy sort of way. Plus, McCauley’s vocals are at their most emotionally vulnerable and cynical, which only worsens our guilt. Check it out below.

McCauley also recently performed a solo rendition of the song for Rollo & Grady , which you can watch below.

It seems the Black Lips really didn’t like being called adorable. After the blasphemous video for “Family Tree”, the Atlanta-bred psychedelic rockers return as corrupt cops in “Raw Meat”. Abusing their power, the band wave their guns around and harass random citizens (including poor Johnny Weeks from The Wire) between rolling around in their ’70s-era cop car. It’s like a punk version of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”, but with way less awesome facial hair.

The band’s latest album, Arabia Mountain, is out now.

The Black Lips, Atlanta’s self-described “flower punks,” are notorious for their live show theatrics, which have been noted to feature nudity, pyro, the release of multiple bodily fluids, and a general raucous punk mentality. While we imagine the X-rated content will be saved for a more appropriate theater, the four-piece will plug in this afternoon for a special hour-long webcast on SPIN.com. The broadcast kicks off at 2 p.m. ET with a 10-minute interview, followed by a live performance sure to feature cuts off of June’s Arabia Mountain. Tell any teachers or bosses that you’ve contacted a three-hour bug, prep some snacks, and then watch the stream below or via SPIN.

The polished punk that the Black Lips offered up on this year’s Arabia Mountain was possible, in part, thanks to the work of UK super producer Mark Ronson. Now, Ronson is reworking his Frankenstein with a dub-y remix of “New Direction”. The slick track is the sonic equivalent of giving the hyperactive Lips a giant-sized dose of Adderall. Check out a sample below; to hear the whole thing, register for a free trial with Rdio here.

Then, check out the fantastical and adorable music video for the original “New Direction” below.

As wonderful and wholesome as the Black Lips were in the video for “New Direction”, it’s nice to see them get back to basics in the clip for “Family Tree”. And by “basics” we mean offending people’s religious beliefs and lighting stuff on fire only to chop it up with a chainsaw. Welcome back, boys!

Black Lips’ latest album, Arabia Mountain, is out now.

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 goes down from November 4-6 at Auditorium Shores, and tickets remain available through the festival’s website.

For the latest album from the Black Lips, the Atlanta four-piece added some polished studio magic and Mark Ronson-facilitated pop sheen to their sound and came up with Arabia Mountain. Despite how nicely they’ve cleaned up, the band haven’t forgotten that they used to drink piss on stage. Adjusting accordingly, the video for “New Direction” (available above via Listen Before You Buy) is a slice of cuteness served up with a heaping of DIY ethos. Flying around the world, jamming out with all their might in a clip done purposefully to look cheap and goofy, those good old boys are reassuring their public that they’re still wild and crazy punks at heart. Message received loud and clear.

You can peep the whole list of shows below, but here are some “must sees” in our book: Death From Above 1979 at the Metro on Thursday, The Vaccines/Tennis at Schubas on Friday, and Titus Andronicus/Fences hitting up Reggie’s on Saturday. If you’re willing to brave the House of Blues, you can catch more of Lykke Li (who wouldn’t?) and the Arctic Monkeys, performing their new brilliant LP. It should be noted that there are no planned performances at the Vic Theatre, where Soundgarden and Pearl Jam both performed pre-weekend sets in previous years. Could there be something in the works? Maybe a Foo Fighters gig? Speculation, sure, but you never know. We’ll have to play the waiting game.

In the meantime, here are your shows and check out Do312.com for ticket information!

Lollapalooza 2011 Aftershows
08/03 – Cold War Kids w/ Gold Motel, Carbon Tigers, Katz Company @ Metro
08/04 – Death From Above 1979 w/ Metz @ Metro
08/04 – Crystal Castles w/ The Naked and Famous @ House of Blues
08/04 – Smith Westerns @ Schubas
08/04 – Delta Spirit w/ Reptar @ Lincoln Hall
08/04 – Cults w/ Guards, Riter @ Empty Bottle
08/04 – Feed Me w/ Savoy @ Logan Square Auditorium
08/05 – Black Lips w/ Night Beats @ Empty Bottle
08/05 – Atmosphere w/ Prof, Evidence, Blueprint @ Metro
08/05 – Lykke Li w/ Foster The People @ House of Blues
08/05 – Portugal. The Man w/ Wye Oak @ Double Door
08/05 – The Vaccines w/ Tennis @ Schubas
08/05 – Afrojack w/ Perry Farrell @ The Mid
08/05 – Tinie Tempah & Young the Giant @ Subterranean
08/05 – Local Natives w/ Walk the Moon @ Lincoln Hall
08/05 – Sam Adams w/ Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite @ Bottom Lounge
08/05 – Pretty Lights & Skrillex @ The Congress Theater
08/06 – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart w/ Young Man @ Empty Bottle
08/06 – Arctic Monkeys w/ Disappears @ House of Blues
08/06 – White Lies w/ Rival Schools @ Double Door
08/06 – Fitz & the Tantrums w/ Christina Perri @ Schubas
08/06 – MSTRKRFT w/ Midnight Conspiracy, Nathan Scott, Compact Disco @ The Mid
08/06 – Dom w/ Typhoon @ Subterranean
08/06 – Two Door Cinema Club w/ Grouplove @ Lincoln Hall
08/06 – Titus Andronicus w/ Fences @ Reggie’s
08/06 – Daedelus w/ Eskmo, Lorn @ Bottom Lounge
08/06 – 12th Planet w/ 16bit, Richie August, Mega Mike @ Logan Square Auditorium

Ronson’s presence stays true to the Black Lips’ psychedelic and “flower punk” influences while giving Arabia Mountain the feel of wafting out of a crackly FM radio. Roaring opener “Family Tree” entices the listener into a raucous and energetic trip that doesn’t let up until the fuzzy “You Keep on Running” emits its last foggy note blended with fading beat-boxing. Arabia is framed with warped surf-rock and woven in with dirty hooks—Ronson’s signature throwback sound that makes this album gleam and move faster than its 16 tracks let on. Chiming guitars on Peter Parker ode “Spider’s Curse” complement experimental studio sounds like the band’s alleged use of a human skull with a microphone inside.

“Bicentennial Man”, “Go Out and Get It”, and “New Direction” offer blissed-out, handclap-driven summer tunes with gritty smirks in tow. Arabia Mountain’s unifying thread of bleary guitar and blissed-out beach vibe floats throughout every track without sounding overdone or stale. Touches of sax (“Mad Dog”) and floating piano (“Dumpster Diving”) help support the album’s wandering groove, trademarked by the Lips’ snarky songwriting. Recent live gigs have seen a more mature Black Lips, and with Ronson’s influence, their latest effort makes for an album worthy of several spins this summer and numerous re-visits.

Mark Ronson is best known for being a producer to a number of great, albeit specific set of artists. His long list of clients, which dates back to 1998, includes recent big-names like rapper Wale, songbirds Lily Allen and Adele, and pop overlords Duran Duran. So, when it was first announced that Ronson would be working with grimy rockers Black Lips on their new album Arabia Mountain, some people might have wondered what he’d do to the sound of the Atlanta four-piece.

For our third sneak peak off the forthcoming LP, the band has dropped a decidedly British Invasion-esque offering titled “New Direction”. The track, available for sampling below (via RollingStone.com), is a concise, high-energy affair the takes the band’s extraneous tendencies and hones them to their most fun and effective. Perhaps odd couples really can live happily ever after.

Arabia Mountain hits stores June 7th through Vice Records. Two other early previews are available in the form of “Go Out and Get It!” and the video for “Modern Art”.

Update: The Black Lips have also announced another round of U.S. tour dates leading up to their appearance at Lollapalooza. Find their complete itinerary below.

Check Out:
“New Direction”

Black Lips 2011 Tour Dates:
05/17 – Paris, FR @ 104
05/18 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
05/19 – London, UK @ The Garage
05/20 – Liverpool, IK @ Sound City Festival
05/21 – Cheshire, UK @ Friends of Mine Festival
05/22 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
05/24 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
05/25 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory
05/26 – Cork, IE @ Cypress Avenue
05/27 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
05/31 – Zurich, C @ Exil
06/01 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
06/02 – Vienna, AT @ Flex
06/09 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
06/10 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones *
06/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/14 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
06/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
06/16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
06/17 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory *
06/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
06/19 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
06/21 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush *
06/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room *
06/23 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar *
06/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box *
06/25 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House *
07/27 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
07/28 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
07/29 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
07/30 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
08/01 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre
08/02 – Lexington, KY @ Buster’s
08/04 – St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
08/05-07 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
09/08 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopsctoch Festival

* = w/ Cerebal Ballzy

Other heavyweights include A Perfect Circle, Bright Eyes, The Cars, Big Audio Dynamite, Ween, Arctic Monkeys, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas, Explosions in the Sky, Death From Above 1979, Deftones, Cee-Lo Green, Beirut, Flogging Molly, OK Go, The Kills, and Cold War Kids.

A number of indie favorites are confirmed, including The Mountain Goats, Atmosphere, Titus Andronicus, Ratatat, Best Coast, Crystal Castles, White Lies, Lykke Li, Local Natives, Black Lips, Delta Spirit, Sleigh Bells, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Wye Oak, The Drums, Smith Westerns, The Naked and Famous, Phantogram, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Joy Formidable, Young the Giant, and Cults.

If that weren’t enough, Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Cage the Elephant, Rival Schools, The Chain Gang of 1974, Friendly Fires, Portugal. The Man, Manchester Orchestra, Two Door Cinema Club, Noah & The Whale, Lissie, Foster the People, Mayer Hawthorne & the County, Fences, City and Colour, and Gold Motel are also confirmed.

This year’s edition will also feature an expansion of Perry’s Place, the festival’s electronic-oriented stage. Designed to accommodate a crowd of 15,000, the area will host the likes of Girl Talk, Kid Cudi, Pretty Lights, Skrillex, The Glitch Mob, Jay Electronica, Modeselektor, Daedulus, Feed Me, Busy P, and Joachim Garraud.

Find a complete list of confirmed acts at our Festival Outlook.

Three day and VIP passes are priced at $215.00 and $850.00, respectively, and are now available via the festival’s website.

September in North Carolina is already a pretty spectacular time of the year, but it just got a little better for residents of Raleigh as the second installment of the Hopscotch Festival has just announced the complete lineup for 2011.

In just its second year, the three-day festival (Sept. 8-10) has tapped The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Superchunk, Drive-By Truckers, The Dodos, and The Light Pines to play shows in Raleigh City Plaza, while more than 130 acts like Swans, Yelawolf, Japandroids, and Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis will spread their performances across 11 clubs that are all within walking distance of each other.

Other notable acts include Twin Shadow, The Black Lips, Rhys Chatham G3, Cold Cave, John Vaderslice, Xiu Xiu, Royal Bangs, and Julianna Barwick. The Budos Band, Little Scream, Toro Y Moi, The Love Language, and Beach Fossils. But the coolest thing about it all is the festival’s flexible ticketing scheme.

Fans who don’t want to commit to three-day passes, which are modestly priced at just $105 ($155 for VIP), can spring for a $65, three-day wristband that gets them into just club shows, or even purchase tickets to individual City Plaza shows on Friday and Saturday for only $32 and $34, respectively. Hopscotch’s official website says that organizers are committed to making all the shows accessible and have made only a limited amount of wristbands and single day City Plaza tickets available for purchase. “Fan experience has been a priority from the beginning,” they wrote, “we don’t enjoy waiting in line anymore than you do, [so] we are not overselling the festival.”

City Plaza shows are all ages, but younger festival goers should be aware that a few clubs do have age requirements including a handful that are 21 & up. A complete list of those clubs and more details are available at the website, and the full lineup is available here. Detailed ticketing information is available here.

The Black Lips’ latest album, Arabia Mountain, isn’t available for another two months (June 7th via Vice), but the band has already offered our second early taste in the form of the music video for “Modern Art”. Whereas “Go Out and Get It” was all about summertime binge drinking, “Modern Art” packs some weird-as-fuck imagery, ranging from trippy animations to Williamsburg, NY dive bars. Also of note is the appearance of a human skull, which may or may not be the same one the band used when recording the 16-track album with producers Mark Ronson and Lockett Pundt (of Deerhunter fame) at at Brooklyn, NY’s MetroSonic. Peep the video above, then scroll down for every other piece of info you might need.

Arabia Mountain Tracklist:
01. Family Tree
02. Modern Art
03. Spidey’s Curse
04. Mad Dog
05. Mr. Driver
06. Bicentennial Man
07. Go Out And Get It
08. Raw Meat
09. Bone Marrow
10. The Lie
11. Time
12. Dumpster Dive
13. New Direction
14. Nock-A-Homa
15. Don’t Mess Up My Baby
16. You Keep On Running

Black Lips 2011 Tour Dates:
04/06 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle #
04/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar #
04/08 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat #
04/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero #
04/12 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall #
04/13 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met #
04/14 – Boston, MA @ Paradise #
04/15 – Montreal, QC @ Le National #
04/16 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix #
04/17 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick #
04/19 – Columbus, OH @ Outland Live #
04/20 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House #
04/21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird #
04/22 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium #
04/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater #
04/25 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room #
04/27 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft #
04/28 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s #
04/29 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s #
04/30 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon #
05/06 – Barcelona, ES @ Bikini
05/07 – Santiago de Compostela, ES @ Sala Capitol
05/08 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Heineken
05/09 – Montpelier, FR @ Rockstore
05/11 – Strasbourg, FR @ La Laterie
05/12 – Hamburg, DE @ Grunspan
05/13 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
05/14 – Munich, DE @ Garage Fest
05/16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Trouw Amsterdam
05/17 – Paris, FR @ 104
05/18 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
05/19 – London, UK @ The Garage
05/20 – Liverpool, IK @ Sound City Festival
05/21 – Cheshire, UK @ Friends of Mine Festival
05/22 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
05/24 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
05/25 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory
05/26 – Cork, IE @ Cypress Avenue
05/27 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
05/31 – Zurich, CH @ Exil
06/01 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
06/02 – Vienna, CH @ Flex
06/09 – San Diego, CA @ Cashbah *
06/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/14 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
06/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
06/16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
06/17 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory *
06/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
06/19 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
06/21 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush *
06/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room *
06/23 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar *
06/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box *
06/25 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House *

# = w/ Vivian Girls
* = w/ Cerebal Ballzy

If the first taste from the Black Lips‘ upcoming album Arabia Mountain hit the right spot for you, then you’ll be equally pleased to learn that the other 15 tracks aren’t far off. Via RollingStone.com, the follow-up to 2009′s 200 Million Thousand will be available June 7th through Vice Records. Recorded at Brooklyn, NY’s MetroSonic, the album features the production work of Mark Ronson and Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt, marking the first time the band used outside producers.

In support of the release, Black Lips have mapped out a whole slew of tour dates, including two legs in the U.S. Find out when and where below:

Arabia Mountain Tracklist:
01. Family Tree
02. Modern Art
03. Spidey’s Curse
04. Mad Dog
05. Mr. Driver
06. Bicentennial Man
07. Go Out And Get It
08. Raw Meat
09. Bone Marrow
10. The Lie
11. Time
12. Dumpster Dive
13. New Direction
14. Nock-A-Homa
15. Don’t Mess Up My Baby
16. You Keep On Running

Black Lips 2011 Tour Dates:
04/06 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle #
04/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar #
04/08 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat #
04/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero #
04/12 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall #
04/13 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met #
04/14 – Boston, MA @ Paradise #
04/15 – Montreal, QC @ Le National #
04/16 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix #
04/17 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick #
04/19 – Columbus, OH @ Outland Live #
04/20 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House #
04/21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird #
04/22 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium #
04/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater #
04/25 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room #
04/27 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft #
04/28 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s #
04/29 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s #
04/30 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon #
05/06 – Barcelona, ES @ Bikini
05/07 – Santiago de Compostela, ES @ Sala Capitol
05/08 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Heineken
05/09 – Montpelier, FR @ Rockstore
05/11 – Strasbourg, FR @ La Laterie
05/12 – Hamburg, DE @ Grunspan
05/13 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
05/14 – Munich, DE @ Garage Fest
05/16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Trouw Amsterdam
05/17 – Paris, FR @ 104
05/18 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
05/19 – London, UK @ The Garage
05/20 – Liverpool, IK @ Sound City Festival
05/21 – Cheshire, UK @ Friends of Mine Festival
05/22 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
05/24 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
05/25 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory
05/26 – Cork, IE @ Cypress Avenue
05/27 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
05/31 – Zurich, C @ Exil
06/01 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair
06/11 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/14 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
06/15 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
06/16 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
06/17 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory *
06/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
06/19 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
06/21 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush *
06/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room *
06/23 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar *
06/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box *
06/25 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House *

# = w/ Vivian Girls
* = w/ Cerebal Ballzy

The Black Lips’ forthcoming LP, Arabia Mountain, due for release this June via Vice, marks the first time ever the band hit the studio with a producer. Mark Ronson was the man who had the honors, and the end result is described as “less muddy” than 2009′s 200 Million Thousand. Another fun fact: a human skull was brought in to serve as an echo chamber.

Above, you can get an early taste of Arabia Mountain in the form of the video for “Go Out and Get It!”. The clip was filmed during last month’s Bruise Cruise, and it makes us totally jealous that it’s not summer yet.

The four piece pysch-dreamers Deerhunter became a sextet on Letterman last night, temporarily adding to their lineup Cole Alexander from Black Lips and Adam Bruneau from The Back Pockets on the guitar and keys, respectively. The six ATLiens charged into “Memory Boy” from last year’s masterpiece Halcyon Digest and augmented the brief song by inserting an accelerando interlude utilizing the two ringers’ talents and amping up the song. It’s not often you get to say “Deerhunter rocked!”, but it’s more appropriate here than ever before.

Deerhunter will be playing a set in Austin at South by Southwest next month, and then set out on a European tour. Check out all the dates for the tour on the band’s MySpace.

Of the 14 gazillion acts that will end up playing South by Southwest 2011, here are some more to consider:

Widespread Panic, Emmylou Harris, Black Lips, and Okkervil River head the latest batch additions to this year’s lineup. Other newly confirmed notables include Diplo, Kylesa, Wavves, Times New Viking, Cold War Kids, Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam, Greenhornes, The Raveonettes, Friendly Fires, The Chain Gang of 1974, OFF!, Boys Noize, Richie Hawtin, Esben and the Witch, The Chapin Sisters, Cults, Tennis, and Tech N9ne.

Still going: Raphael Saadiq, The Moondoggies, Edwyn Collins, Deer Tick, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Fake Problems, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, Fang Island, Twin Shadow, Memoryhouse, April Smith and the Great Picture Show, and Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band are also set to play, as are Dirty Ghosts, Ear Pwr, Emmure, Gold Panda, Ha Ha Tonka, The Hood Internet, Shabazz Palaces, Tape Deck Mountain, Denison Witmer, The Octopus Project, and Royal Bangs.

And while we’re on the subject, it’s also worth mentioning that Foo Fighters have announced that they will premiere their forthcoming documentary at this year’s festival. Hopefully we’ll get a show at Stubb’s, too.

For an exhaustive look at all of this year’s confirmed participants, head on over to Festival Outlook.

The music portion of South by Southwest 2011 runs from March 16-20 in Austin, Texas. For ticket information and all other necessary details, visit sxsw.com.

Between Wavves and Best Coast, Twin Shadow and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Trail of Dead and Surfer Blood, there’s already quit a few 2-for-1 deals this Spring. Here’s another: the ferocious Black Lips and indie-pop trio Vivian Girls have mapped out a joint trek for this April. Following a one-off with Surfer Blood in Miami and a trip on the Bruise Cruise in February, the two outfits will hit the road starting April 6th in Carrboro, North Carolina. Stops along the east coast and Canada follow before the bus makes its way out west and ultimate down into Texas. Find all confirmed dates below.

Along with the tour, Back Lips are also gearing up for their next studio album. The outfit recently hit the studio with acclaimed producer Mark Ronson and you can watch some in-studio footage here.

Black Lips/Vivian Girls 2011 Tour Dates:
02/24 – Miami, FL @ Grand Centreal *#
02/25-28 – Miami, FL @ Bruise Cruise
04/06 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
04/08 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
04/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
04/12 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
04/13 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
04/14 – Boston, MA @ Paradise
04/15 – Montreal, QC @ Le National
04/16 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
04/17 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
04/19 – Columbus, OH @ Outland Live
04/20 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House
04/21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
04/22 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium
04/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
04/25 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
04/27 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft
04/28 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
04/29 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
04/30 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon

* = w/ Surfer Blood
# = w/ Thee Oh Sees

After all, several of the festivals biggest hitters are scheduled for late night sets: Spoon and Pat Green play Thursday, Deadmau5, The Black Keys (w/ Foals), and the Black Lips have gigs on Friday, and Sonic Youth, Monsters of Folk, and Gayngs (w/ Bear in Heaven) will close out Saturday. Plus, legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold — who isn’t even on the ACL bill — will play an after show with Die Antwoord on Thursday night. Oh, and The Strokes — as in the same Strokes who will be headlining Stubbs night — will kick things off on Wednesday night with a special pre-festival show at Stubbs. Damn, indeed.

You can find a complete list of this year’s aftershows here. Tickets for all this year’s after shows go on sale Friday, August 27th at 10:00 AM CT. Click here for more information.

The album starts off with a loud yell, “We Are Sex Bob-omb”, announcing the name of Scott Pilgrim’s band before breaking into a fast, three-chord garage punk ditty. In total, there are four different Sex Bob-omb tracks on the Scott Pilgrim OST, all penned and performed by Beck, and all of which flirt with post-punk and stick to fast, three-chord riffage with lyrics about girls, summertime, and other typical slacker subject matter, except for the old 1980’s Nintendo/arcade-throwback, “Threshold (8 Bit).” Unfortunately, none of the Sex Bob-omb songs really breach the surface; they’re fun a time or two, but aren’t any more than what you’d expect from a fictional-movie-band. Although, “Garbage Truck” with its thumping, bluesy verses and catchy chorus may be the best fictional-movie-band song since “That Thing You Do” by The Wonders. Regardless, the tunes play an important part in the movie and do a fine job at making the soundtrack gel.

Cohesiveness is a necessary quality to any soundtrack – it’s crucial to have great individual songs and string them together in a way that makes sense. The Scott Pilgrim OST does a fine job at stringing the songs together, for instance, leading into the T. Rex classic “Teenage Dream”, with its large orchestration and bombastic choruses works really well after “Garbage Truck”, as does the transition from “Scott Pilgrim” by Plumtree into Frank Black’s classic “I Heard Ramona Sing”. Plumtree is a 90’s teenage band from Nova Scotia, who are credited for coining the Scott Pilgrim name, and after listening to their track, it’s easy to discern why O’Malley equated the song with his comic book – the track exudes teenage powerlessness, confusion and most all, a happy go lucky brand of naivety that the movie will surely bear.

Where the soundtrack fails is in its song selection. The lo-fi surf punk of the Black Lips’ “O Katrina!” is nothing special, and the songs from Sex Bob-omb rival band Crash and the Boys, written and performed by Broken Social Scene, serves as filler to an album that already has plenty of it. The Beck track “Ramona” is pleasant, with its swelling orchestration and Beck’s lovely, arching croon – it would work great as a Sea Changes B-side – but its overly repetitive and wobbly chorus bogs it down. Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl”, shows potential early on with a soporific melody and a delicately picked banjo, but the track goes into a repetitive chorus for about two-minutes too long, and ultimately ends up as a neatly placed side note.

Not so surprisingly, the best parts of the soundtrack come from the old guys. The Led Zeppelin meets The Stone Roses track, “Sleazy Bed Track” from the 90’s Britpop band The Bluetones, is a distinctive and exceptional track, “Under My Thumb” from The Rolling Stones, with its depiction of sexual struggle and head-bobbing marimba taps, fits perfectly on the soundtrack, while both of the Frank Black songs are wonderfully blissful – the twangy rock ballad “By Your Side” is easily the album’s highlight. That goes without mentioning, the Metric song “Black Sheep”, performed numerous times live in the past couple years but not officially released until now, is a definite highlight – a distorted new wave track with a catchy-as-hell chorus and a sprawling guitar-heavy ending.

So the soundtrack doesn’t live up to the hype of the movie. Beck, Broken Social Scene, Black Lips, and Metric all add tunes that fans will enjoy, but they don’t produce anything better than you’ll get listening to their own albums. However, there’s enough blistering, heavily distorted garage punk and requisite classic rock, to keep even the most angst-ridden, slacker teen satisfied until the end of summer.

Starting May 17th, Adult Swim will host a new single weekly until July 12th. Kicking off the series will be Superwolf (Will Oldham and Matt Sweeney). From then on, it’s Madvillain, Killer Mike, Washed Out (featuring Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek), High on Fire, Black Lips, LCD Soundsystem, Cults, and Freddie Gibbs. Just an FYI, LCD Soundsystem’s contribution is the previously released Holy Ghost remix of “Drunk Girls”, along with a video. And if that weren’t enough, the Cults will also have a video premiere. That and television featuring stop-motion animation; what a company.

Enjoy the full schedule below. Check out the Adult Swim site for the releases and more info.

Adult Swim Singles Program Schedule:
05/17 – Superwolf (Will Oldham and Matt Sweeney)
05/24 – Madvillain
05/31 – Killer Mike
06/07 – Washed Out [ft. Chairlift's Caroline Polachek]
06/14 – High on Fire
06/21 – Black Lips
06/28 – LCD Soundsystem: “Drunk Girls” (Holy Ghost! remix) (video)
07/05 – Cults (new song and video)
07/12 – Freddie Gibbs (produced by Phaseone)

As Billboard reports, the band has thus far held one session “a little more fine-tuned” session at it studio in Decatur, GA and another one featuring both Bradford Cox and Lockett Pundt (Deerhunter) as its producers. According to Saint Pe, “They’ve been focused sessions. I’m already digging what we’ve got. I’ve read reviews where people say we haven’t changed, but, man, the wheel ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We do what we do. It’ll sound like a Black Lips record; I can’t say much more than that. It’s just who we are. I think it sounds good.”

Another session is currently being scheduled at the Distillery in Costa Mesa, CA (where they recorded 2005’s Let It Bloom), but as of right now the album’s title and official release date have yet to be determined. “When will we be done? I’m hoping by June. I’m hoping we can get the record out by the end of summer, September-October, when school gets back in. That’s my prediction,” Pe went on to note.

In other Black Lips news, the flower punks are still touring the U.S. and have recently booked two shows in Spain along with an appearance at the Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria. And if you’re lucky enough to catch them you just might hear a new song title “Raw Meat” that’s “like a punk song, and the hook’s a whistle.” Or, you could just check it out below!

Pe has also revealed a few more potential song titles, including “So Lone to Carolina”, “Wildest Dreams”, and “This is My World”, along with the possibility for adding some more European dates. So yeah, pretty exciting stuff.

The Black Lips 2010 Tour Dates:
03/26 – Montreal, QC @ Le Studio Juste Pour Rire *
03/28 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
03/30 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick *
03/31 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
04/01 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium *
04/02 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon *
04/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater *
04/05 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr. *
04/06 – Columbia, MD @ Mojo’s *
04/07 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
04/08 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall *
04/09 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe *
04/10 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club *
05/13 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique ^
05/15 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg ^
05/18 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich ^
05/21 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee ^
05/22 – Munster, DE @ Gleis 22 ^
05/26 – Paris, FR @ La Machine du Moulin Rouge ^
05/27 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
05/30 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo
06/24 – Victoria, ES @ Azkena Rock Festival

* = w/ Box Elders
^ = w/ The King Khan & BBQ Show and The Almighty Defenders

In addition, the drinks were surprisingly affordable and the festival featured some of the most delicious New Orleans eats, everything from gator claws to crawfish pies and all the gumbo you’d ever want. Given the weekend, each day the festival grounds were packed with ghouls and goblins, and following the Saturday shows, festival goers were asked to compete in a zombie costume contest, which ended with the destruction of one giant piñata. Unfortunately, below is now all that remains of the wild and magnificent festivities from this past weekend. Think you can handle it?

Friday, October 30th

The Black Keys:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 5:40-6:40 p.m.

As the sun set and a thick black cloud cast its shadow over the Playstation Billboard.com Stage, The Black Keys hit us with a wave of intensely satisfying blues-rock material. The duo proceeded to run through an assortment of old and new tracks including “Thickfreakness”, “I Got Mine” and “Your Touch” with vigor and a fierce attitude. Unfortunately, midway through their performance, it began to rain so violently that it was difficult to keep our eyes open. However, their ferocious energy shined through and it became obvious almost immediately that these dudes weren’t going to let a little bit of rain set them back. Patrick Carney (on drums) went particularly wild during all this; pounding away and violently shaking his body to the beat while using his own cymbals to assist him in playing the tambourine simultaneously. Meanwhile, Dan Auerbach (guitar/vocals) wowed us with bluesy vocals and some serious guitar playing on numbers like “10 A.M. Automatic” and “Set You Free”. Overall, the audience was so wrapped up in their performance you could hardly tell it was raining anymore. It was just as if all of that simply didn’t matter any more. -A.F.

Silversun Pickups:
Voodoo Stage: 6:40-8:00 p.m.

As the cold, wet rain continued to soak through our t-shirts, Silversun Pickups brought our attention towards the main stage. Choosing to heavily play through tired numbers from their latest record, Swoon, such as “There’s No Secrets This Year”, “The Royal We” and “Panic Switch”, lead singer Brian Aubert strung us along for yet another lukewarm performance racking up to just shy of two hours in length. Thankfully, our ears were momentarily perked, as the group finally decided to run through an edgy rendition of “Well Thought Out Twinkles” and a few other older hits such as “Lazy Eye” and “Little Lover’s Polite”. All things considered, however, between the bad weather and the band’s pathetic approach to gloomy indie-rock music this was certainly a concert to keep walking past. -A.F.

Justice:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 8:00-9:30 p.m.

From behind the thick, billowing clouds of heavy fog emanating from around their stage equipment, the French duo Justice appeared and quickly proceeded to give their audience an extremely exciting performance filled with dancing, thick smoke and flashing lights. Making sure to play some of their more important hits, including “Genesis”, “D.A.N.C.E.”, and “DVNO”, the duo plowed through their limited repertoire while also adding a few unexpected surprises along the way. Mixing in tracks by other artists such as Daft Punk, Skeetaz and Crystal Method, Justice managed to wholly spice up the evening with a 50/50 mix of their own original tracks and others’. Then, about halfway through their performance the rain picked back up again, this time bringing along with it heavy winds and lightning. And as a result, with the wind blowing out from behind the stage and the smoke swirling out from the multiple fog machines, we raised are arms, clenched our fists and jerked our torso’s so maniacally we could have caused a panic. All the while Xavier and Gaspard remained completely silent; only breaking to gain the praise and applause they were so eagerly awaiting by continuously halting the music and thus, causing the crowd to scream and shout for more. And by the time their spicy DJ set neared its end we were hardly ready to leave, but before we could protest Eminem took to the neighboring Voodoo stage and made an encore from Justice near impossible. -A.F.

Fischerspooner:
Bingo! Parlour: 8:50-10:50 p.m.

From inside the gigantic circus tent venue, Bingo! Parlour, Fischerspooner gave a wonderfully fitting and unique performance involving an interesting array of costumes, drag queen make-up, expressive videos, and synchronized dancing. With a stage full of extra props and costumes just waiting to be used, Fischerspooner took us on a wild ride; changing costumes almost every other song and constantly spicing up the atmosphere with new and awkward stage antics. From crotch thrusting to ballet, the back-up dancers lit up the stage with their skin-colored spandex outfits, colorful make-up and marionette meets gothic cheerleader dance numbers.

You could tell the duo were softies for theatrics, however the numerous occasions when vocalist Warren Fischer stopped the audio to watch and comment harshly on his behavior in various tidbits of recorded footage, including past performances, interviews and music videos, were needless to say awkward. At least the man’s not afraid to show that he’s an egocentric ass, right? Honestly, they were continuously sending us mixed messages between the self-absorbed hatred of their own image and the annoyance of having to play their hits like “Emerge”, “Just Let Go” and “Never Win”. Fischer commented on this multiple times remarking, “Is this seriously what you guys want to hear? These songs are so old!” As the performance trudged on, images from Show Girls and All That Jazz flashed behind us and after a few more mind-numbing tracks the band went through their thank yous and bows and then slowly disappeared behind the stage. Albeit a strange one, Fischerspooner was certainly not a show to miss this weekend. -A.F.

Eminem:
Voodoo Stage: 9:30-11:00 p.m.

By the time Eminem took to the main stage we were all extremely exhausted, completely drenched and freezing, however, that didn’t keep our excitement out of reach for the “Real Slim Shady”. Performing in front of a giant image of himself, Eminem shimmied up to the front asking fans, “Did you miss me? I missed you too, man. It’s been a minute, huh, New Orleans?” — hinting back to his last performance in the city nine years ago. Dressed in a white t-shirt and black hoodie, Eminem opened with the homicidal “3 A.M.” as crackling gun shots were fired continuously into the air; an exhausted stage effect by the end of his performance. Playing through a bevy of his biggest hits including “The Real Slim Shady”, “Kill You”, and “The Way I Am”, Eminem wowed his audience with a solid performance through and through. Also, his D12 crew made various cameos for songs like “Purple Pills” and “My Band”, including a tribute to their late bandmate DeShaun “Proof” Holton. Even his harder to spot back-up band made cameos as glow in the dark skeletons during the performance! Then, he opened into a freestylin’ version of “Stan”; transforming the song into something about an obsessed fan he’d met in New Orleans. The dynamic and fast-paced 75 minute set ended with a ear-shattering sea of gunfire and of course the 8 Mile wonder track, “Lose Yourself”. -A.F.

Saturday, October 31

Black Lips:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 12:50-1:50 p.m.

The self-described “flower-punks” from Atlanta, Georgia, put on a powerful performance early on in Saturday’s lineup. The Black Lips have quite an intense history of shocking stage antics – including vomiting, urination, flaming guitars, and a number of other no-no’s. Though this performance wasn’t as crazy, it was still a bone-shaking show! No matter where you were in (and even outside) the grounds at Voodoo –- you probably heard at least a little bit, if not all, of The Black Lips. Joe Bradley’s crashing drums kept a fast and intense pace along with Jared Swilley’s bass and Cole Alexander’s rhythm guitar. All the while, Ian Saint Pé’s mad tangents on lead guitar howled out with the crazed screams from Alexander, Swilley, and Bradley. They filled the airwaves with an sound. The young group blasted out strong hits, such as “It Feels Alright” and “Lock and Key” –- getting the crowd into the right mood for dancing and singing, carousing and merriment. This was made even more impressive by how early in the day they were playing; and after an exciting and long Friday at Voodoo, too!

Possibly one of the most fun songs to come up was “Bad Kids”, from the 2007 album Good Bad Not Evil. This song instantly strikes a chord with anyone who can remember being a sneaky trouble maker for at least a little bit in their life –- and filled us with the need to dance and shout. Best dressed of the group (it was Halloween, after all) would have to have been Swilley, who appeared as something of a well-mustached bandito in a pilgrim hat. The shining sun kept the audience from getting that crazy-lost, drugged-up atmosphere that the group seems to carry with them. A good amount of smoke and lights were put to use; but really, it would have been better suited for a nighttime performance. Even so, the sound and energy were what we came for –- and The Black Lips brought it! If sound could have a visual form, I’d say they dished out something that looked like Salvador Dali’s painting “Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee”, printed on a fast-melting candle, shrouded in green smoke. -W.K.

Zydepunks:
Bingo! Parlour: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

New Orleans’ own Zydepunks put on an exhilarating performance collecting Cajun, Irish, German and Klezmer influences into one festive clusterfuck of music alongside violins and accordions. Keeping the audience on their feet for fast-paced numbers such as “La vie est courte et cruelle” and “One More Chance”, Zydepunks continuously broke off into impressive and rip-roaring instrumental solos every chance they could snag. In fact, through all of this, our eyes were so intensely glued to the stage that we didn’t even notice the bass player exit the stage; appearing moments later in the center of the pit and still playing along with the band. Truly a wonderful and astounding performance, showcasing songs sung in at least four different languages, Zydepunks were the perfect early afternoon show to get the Halloween festivities in check. Besides their apparel was magnificent! The group sent out several dedications via song including a ballad in memorandum of Hurricane Katrina and its survivors entitled “Dear Molly”. As the band cleared the stage, they made a brief anticipatory remark in regards to the Gogol Bordello show later that afternoon shouting, “We’ll see you all there!” -A.F.

Gogol Bordello:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 4:50-6:20 p.m.

When Gogol Bordello opened up their show with “Ultimate”, it was as if a great Tsar had stepped onto the Playstation Billboard.com stage! Wait –- no. It was as if a Tyrannosaurus Rex had risen up out of the swamps of New Orleans to reign in as ultimate king of all festivities! With the first few pounding chords of the song, the crowd was called to absolute attention: Tommy T’s heavy bass with Oren’s solid guitar, Sergey’s crying violin, and Yuri’s accordion marched along a strong and steady pace to Eliot’s crashing drums, as Eugene Hütz led us into what quickly became a trashing maelstrom of sound and excitement –- and the crowd followed suit –- becoming a raging whirl of dancing bodies! Little to no words were shared with the wild and ecstatic audience as the band quickly careened from one song to the next. This kept the show moving constantly at maximum rock-out for several gypsy punk hits from both the Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike and Super Taranta albums.

Things did slow down just a little bit (and only temporarily) with the song “Tribal Connection”, at which point Eugene lost his shirt and gained a bottle of wine. Roughly four songs later, that bottle was already empty. This seemed to cue the mad gypsies into a song that everyone immediately recognized. The bum-didle-bump of Eugene’s acoustic guitar was joined by Pedro’s Spanish version of the words we all knew -– and an electricity shot through the crowd as everyone cried out in unison: “SO – YEAH – AAH! START WEARIN’ PURPLE WEARIN’ PURPLE!” This, of course, created a whirlpool of humanity; dancing even more than what we had ever thought possible! All of our sanity and wits vanished for a time; and though our bodies grew steadily more tired and bruised with every crazy song, we never, not for one second, wanted it to stop.

A new song came up during the show, not yet released on any Gogol album. It’s called “Educate Thy Neighbor”, and has something of a Brazilian taste to it –- which made for fantastic dancing (but that’s to be expected with Gogol Bordello). The party did draw to a close, and the band stepped out as if they were done –- but anyone familiar with this group should know they wouldn’t leave without having played one of their fantastic gypsy anthems such as “Baro Foro” or “Mishto”. And sure enough, they came back for a wild encore mash-up of not only those two songs, but also “Sally”, “Undestructable”, and “When the Trickster Starts A-Poking”, in what was an unbeatable, truly satisfying performance. -W.K.

Wolfmother:
Voodoo Stage: 6:20-7:35 p.m.

With the sun setting and the heat still rising, Wolfmother hit the main stage with roaring guitars, heavy-pedaled drums and high pitched screams. Playing a high energy set showcasing many a song from their recent Cosmic Egg release, Wolfmother rocked out the stage and kept the crowd yearning for more. The band kept things simple this Halloween with minimal stage props and no costume attire. And halfway through the set, when their more famous hit “Woman” (thank you Guitar Hero) came on, the crowd burst into screams and went berserk for the speedy guitar riffs and pounding drums showcased on the track. Lasting just over an hour, Wolfmother’s epic set kept things a-rollin’ with fast-paced heavy rock and was just the thing we needed to get the Halloween evening started in third gear. -A.F.

Drive-by Truckers:
Soco/Wwoz Stage: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Battling the pounding heavy rock music coming from the main stage, Drive-By Truckers retaliated with a solid set of alternative southern rock music. Despite the condition of the ground around the stage, Drive-By Truckers drew in a medium sized crowd to the thick, swampy muck surrounding the Soco/Wwoz Stage. And in the celebratory spirit of Halloween, the band donned the painted faces of Kiss and briefly mentioned their eagerness to catch the rock legends later that evening. Newcomers and long time fans, were lassoed in to the family friendly event featuring twangy guitar riffs, honky-tonk rhythms and the sweet wavering vocals of Mike “The Stroker Ace” Cooley. -A.F.

Jane’s Addiction:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 7:35-9:00 p.m.

With the winds picking up and the weather spiraling downwards, Jane’s Addiction swiftly switched our heat levels back up to maximum with the addition of some sexy naked girls (showcased on their stage display), wondrous capes and some hot-bodied dancing between vocalist Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro. Dressed to impress in an obscure shimmery black cape and tight body suit, Farrell led his audience on a wild rock adventure with his tongue and cheek vocals and overall sexy demeanor. Whether humping Navarro or getting rubbed down by some elaborately dressed Harajuku style girls on stage Farrell’s message to his audience was clear, “Our music is hot, so let’s get frisky together”. And you know what? The crowd dove in head first for it; bouncing up and down and cheering for the overzealous sexual acts performed on stage as Farrell thrust his maracas violently and sexually assaulted his guitar. -A.F.

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic:
Soco/Wwoz Stage: 8:15-11:00 p.m.

After a 30-40 minute delay, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic finally came onto the Soco/Wwoz stage (you know what that means, folks). Just as expected Clinton came out on stage in a bright yellow jacket and a giant white diaper, followed by his more traditionally dressed bandmates to the muddy Soco/Wwoz stage. Fans gathered in closely, but surprisingly the crowd did not break into song and dance. Instead, the rather tame ground bobbed quietly to the raucous music, which Clinton seemed to be completely strung out and out of his mind for anyway. Overall the Parliament Funkadelic put on a great show, but it felt that it wasn’t appreciated to its full extent since such a large part of the audience seemed torn between this performance and Kiss’ on the main stage. Seriously, Voodoo what were you thinking when you made this schedule? -A.F.

KISS:
Voodoo Stage: 9:00-11:00 p.m.

If you’ve ever wondered what a KISS show would be like without large explosions and fireworks, then you’ve obviously missed the entire point of seeing a KISS show. The theatrics and the stage antics of these four rock legends are the show and the secret behind their outrageous and outlandish shows over the last 36 years! Clad in their traditional heavy metal garb and painted faces, Kiss performed all of our favorite songs plus some, including “Detroit Rock City”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “Strutter”, and “Love Gun” behind a huge glowing neon “KISS” sign. The crowd was in love; shouting and jumping around to these uber famous songs and day-dreaming of blissful heavy rock adventures alongside the band. Before we knew it however, the show came to a triumphant end with fireworks, confetti and loud bangs that made our ears ring for minutes afterwards. KISS was a sight to see as always and the perfect end to a spectacular Halloween night! -A.F.

Sunday, November 1

All Time Low:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 12:25-1:25 p.m.

Once the members of All Time Low appeared from behind the stage, the air was immediately filled with deafening screams from the hundreds of young teenage girls present on the grassy fields surrounding the Playstation Billboard.com stage. The trend pop punk band proceeded to feed off this, eating it up like wildfire while responding to the young girls’ swooning sounds with wailing guitars and whiny vocals. Although the majority of their audience was underage, however, vocalist Alex Gaskarth proceeded to ask awkwardly, “Y’all still drunk from last night?” which erupted a wave of silent childish giggling across the audience. Strange enough the young girls experienced overwhelming glee for songs like “Stella” and “Break Your Little Heart”, while raising handmade signs in the air featuring stuff like Blink-182 lyrics or messages of endearment like “Will You Marry Me?”. Unfortunately for some, however, as the band’s die hard fans were having the time of their lives, the rest of the nearby crowd purchasing drinks or food stood around impatiently waiting for the next show to start. -A.F.

The Pogues:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 2:15-3:15 p.m.

“Ello, cunts!” shouted Peter “Spider” Stacy marking the beginning of by far the most hilarious show of the weekend. Donned in the expected Irish attire, The Pogues wowed the audience during their first few songs including “Streams of Whiskey” and “Gartloney Rats”. However, by the four or fifth number vocalist Shane MacGowan stumbled onto the stage while finishing a beer. Shortly after, MacGowan and Stacy got into a bit of a tiff, which Stacy later confessed was because his sunglasses had been swiped from him by MacGowan, however, by the end of their performance it became quite obvious what the argument had actually been about.

The performance trudged on and with each song MacGowan’s drunkenness slowly caught up with him; eventually making him completely unable to stand up or focus on the performance at all. Twirling his microphone around violently and inadvertently hitting some of his band mates in the process, MacGowan proceeded to slowly loose it and three-fourths of the way through the show became completely incapable of singing at all. This didn’t stop him, however, as he sang muffled and garbled words (non-existent in any English dictionary) along to the remaining songs from their set, including “Dirty ‘ol Town” and “Sally Maclennane”. Surprisingly, the crowd just laughed all of this off and continued dancing and singing along to the performance, as a few towards the front of the stage waved Irish flags high in the air. When the time came, The Pogues bowed and then deserted the stage, except for MacGowan; who despite his condition refused to believe the show was finished. Once everyone else had cleared the stage MacGowan got back up on stage and proceeded to sing into the mic which had already been turned off. He continued like this for a couple of minutes before being politely escorted off the stage by the security who had to help him walk away from the mic. Needless to say, this ordeal was completely hilarious, but at the same time our feeling of sadness couldn’t be held back upon seeing him in this pathetic state of drunkenness. – A.F.

Widespread Panic:
Voodoo Stage: 3:15-5:45 p.m.

During the hot hours of the afternoon, Widespread Panic drew in flocks of drugged out hippies and drunken buffoons for their two hour and fifteen minute jam session on the main stage. As a first time listener, it was hard to tell where the songs began or ended, but that has always appeared to be an important aspect of their popularity as a jam band. Overall, the performance was well received by the audience who laid out their blankets and sat enjoying the music or dancing wildly (and often off beat) to the jazz/blues rock fiesta taking place on stage. -A.F.

Squirrel Nut Zippers:
Bingo! Parlour: 4:15-5:15 p.m.

The jazzy undertones of the outrageous swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers filled the circus tent and drew in a crowd so large that their entire audience was unable to squeeze in. By far one of the most packed shows at the Bingo! Parlour during the entire weekend, Squirrel Nut Zippers surprised their crowd with goofy dancing, impressive solos and an overwhelming energy that intoxicated the air and rushed through our bloodstream and forced our limbs into motion. The chemistry between the well dressed vocalists James “Jimbo” Mathus and Katharine Whalen was irreplaceable and kept our spirits high throughout their wondrous set of fast-paced swing numbers and equally pleasant slower ballads including “The Ghost of Stephen Foster” and “In The Afterlife”. This was a performance worth catching even though Whalen’s vocals were slightly off key on the last song. Besides, Whalen’s matador getup was amazing! -A.F.

The Flaming Lips:
Playstation Billboard.com Stage: 5:45-7:00 p.m

Displayed on a giant screen, was a naked woman (shown in trippy 70’s style visualizations meets heat vision) who began to seductively dance. Then, her vaginal region began to glow and a strange aura started to emanate from this highly delicate and private region of her body. She laid down and her vagina was slowly zoomed in on and as it came closer a deep humming began to surface. By this point we were all envisioning this vagina as some kind of portal, and then suddenly members of The Flaming Lips popped out of the screen and slid down a conveniently placed ladder to take their spots on stage. Vocalist Wayne Coyne then appeared in a giant plastic bubble which he rolled out into the crowd and surfed atop the hands of many eager and exhilarated fans.

Thus, began of the craziest and most beautiful concerts I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The band cast out giant orange and yellow balloons into the crowd and filled the air with thousands of matching confetti pieces; which came out of giant canisters on the sides of the stage and from a shiny silver cane which Coyne cocked time and again to the beat, each time letting out a big “BOOM”. Meanwhile on both sides of the stage men and women dressed as sheep danced and wiggled about to the music, creating an even stranger atmosphere for the already cosmic psychedelic rock music that has made The Flaming Lips so popular.

Coyne was extremely talkative during the performance stopping several times to thank the audience and Voodoo for allowing them to play in New Orleans; which he also noted had improved significantly since Katrina. Then, one of the female “sheep” stripped down and briefly danced wildly about the stage before being escorted off to which Coyne asked, “Is that crazy girl over there all right?” and when she re-appeared, fully clothed, moments later they hugged briefly. The show carried on and The Flaming Lips ripped through an amazing set including the hits “Convinced of the Hex”, “Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung” and an acoustic version of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1”. Of course the iconic “bubble” guitar made its appearance, Coyne was caught violently pounding his maracas on the ground and at some point attached a flashing light to his neck as he sung through a megaphone. Coyne later commented on a brief chat he’d had the night before with Gene Simmons stating, “He’s not usually nice, but he said to me that the crowd would be like five times more freaked out at Flaming Lips” and he couldn’t have been more accurate in his statement. Ending with “Do You Realize”, The Flaming Lips closed out their magnificent performance as confetti trinkled down onto the audience transforming the sky into a sea of figures reminiscent of glittering lightening bugs. -A.F.

Lenny Kravitz:
Voodoo Stage: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

The final event of the festival was none other than the famous Lenny Kravitz who put on a surprisingly enjoyable show for everyone. It wasn’t necessary to be a fan of the jazz/funk/reggae solo superstar as a nearby spectator proved when remarking on the event claiming, “Man, I hate Lenny Kravitz, but this is awesome!” Mixing up the old and new, Kravitz made sure to play a majority of his hits such as “American Woman”, “Fly Away”, “Mr. Cab Driver” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way”, while also incorporating a good amount of lesser unknowns into the equation. Lasting just over 2 hours, Kravitz’s unexpectedly remarkable performance slowly weaned festival goers off from the intoxicating fun festival atmosphere and officially put an end to the amazing and exciting Voodoo experience of 2009. While many member of the audience left early in attempts to beat some of the traffic, those that stayed witnessed the magic of Lenny Kravitz which we weren’t so sure he actually had in him until Sunday evening. -A.F.

Then, there was Lady Sovereign‘s trip to Australia this past weekend. As Billboard reports, just seven hours after getting off the plane, the singer/songwriter  was charged with assault after spitting in the face of a doorman for the Beat, a popular gay nightclub in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. “Brisbane police need to go catch some real criminals… what a waste,” she wrote on her Twitter. “Spitting in someone’s face is nasty, but how about a guy dressed up as a girl running at you in the toilets and punching you in the head?” Unfortunately (or fortunately), Brisbane police did not agree with her assessment and had her spend the night in jail.

Fun, indeed.

Oh, and did we mention the whole shindig is free? Just hit up scion.com to RSVP and get all the other necessary info.