The 2012 Grammy Awards already promise on-stage collaborations between Foo Fighters and Deadmau5, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and David Guetta, and Coldplay and Rihanna. Now, as an issued press release confirms, you can also expect to see the recently reunited Beach Boys sharing the stage with Foster the People and Maroon 5.

Other scheduled performers at this year’s Grammys include Adele, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj among others. Tune in Sunday, February 12th at 8:00pm ET to see it all unfold.

Whether you chose to remember it or not, New Year’s Eve always becomes an event – be it a swanky party full of beautiful people, or a sad, lonely remembrance of 2010 alone in your darkened apartment. But save yourself the embarrassment of either and get out to a club and see a band. Below we’ve listed some of the major events happening in cities around the US. Do yourself a favor: go.

There are few things I regret more than not going to see Girl Talk last year in 2009, so don’t make the same mistake I did. Spend NYE with your most favorite band. Whether you know it or not, you’ll be surrounded by new friends. Oh, and you can get tumultuously drunk and rage to some amazing music. Happy New Year from CoS!

– Jeremy Larson
Senior Staff Writer

P.S. If we’re missing something, please let us know in the comments below.

New York City

– Ariel Pink (solo): 234 Starr Street

– The Bloody Beetroots (DJ Set): The Wellmont Theatre

– The Butthole Surfers: Music Hall of Williamsburg

– Class Actress: Spike Hill

– Chuck Berry: B.B. King Blues Club

– Drive-By Truckers: Terminal 5

– Gov’t Mule: The Beacon Theatre

– Guided By Voices: Irving Plaza

– Har Mar Superstar: Littlefield

– Holy Ghost!: Standard

– Infected Mushroom, Shpongle: Hammerstein Ballroom

– Patti Smith & Her Band: Bowery Ballroom

– Passion Pit, Slick Rick: Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ)

– Phish: Madison Square Garden

– The Roots: Brooklyn Bowl

– Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings: Best Buy Theater

– Steve Angello: Roseland Ballroom

– Titus Andronicus, Real Estate, Julian Lynch: Ridgewood Temple

– We Are Scientists: Mercury Lounge

– Zach Deputy: City Winery

Chicago

– Big Freedia, Nobunny: Empty Bottle

– The Black Keys, Greenhornes: Aragon Ballroom

– Cave: The Hideout

– Cursive performing Domestica: Subterranean

– Flosstradamus, Gemini Club: Lincoln Hall

– Future Rock: Kinetic Playground

– Japandroids, Light Pollution: Schubas

– Local H: Bottom Lounge

– Mannequin Men, Pegboy: Abbey Pub

– Mucca Pazza: Logan Square Auditorium

– Pretty Lights, Holy Fuck, Tobacco: Congress Theatre

– Robert Randolph & The Family Band, North Mississippi Allstars: House of Blues

– Smoking Popes: Reggie’s Rock Club

– Sublime with Rome, AM Taxi, The Dirty Heads: Navy Pier Ballroom

– Umphrey’s McGee: The Riviera Theatre

– Yeasayer, HEALTH: Metro

Los Angeles

– ATB: Hollywood Palladium

– HARD NYE (Mr. Oizo, Brodinski, DJ Falcon): The Music Box

– John Digweed: The Avalon

– Lucinda Williams: The Viper Room

– Mayer Hawthorne, Classix: Viceroy Hotel

– Nite Jewel: The Echo

– NOFX, Dead To Me: The Wiltern

– The Pharcyde: Key Club

– The Raveonettes, Autolux: The Standard

– Steel Panther: House of Blues

– Together As One (Major Lazer, Diplo, Rusko, Laidback Luke): Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & Sports Arena

– Yard Dogs Road Show: Edison

London, UK

– British Sea Power: Koko

– Caribou: The Flowerpot

– Carl Barât (DJ Set): All Star Lanes Brick Lane

– Eastern Electrics NYE (Matthew Dear, Joker, Roska): The Tunnels

– Foals: HMV Forum

– Four Tet, James Holden, Jamie XX: Corsica Studios

– Friendly Fires (DJ Set): XOYO

– Sonic Youth, Factory Floor, Shellac: Hammersmith Apollo

– Together (Mark Ronson, Annie Mac, Katy B, Fake Blood): O2 Academy

Elsewhere:

Atlanta:

– Bassnectar, Ana Sia: The Tabernacle

– Charlie Wilson, Chrisette Michele: Atlanta Civic Center

– Coolio: Hyatt Regency

– The Glitch Mob: New Earth Music Hall

– Perpetual Groove: Variety Playhouse

– Zac Brown Band: Philips Arena

Atlantic City:

– B.B. King: Harrah’s Atlantic City

– Maroon 5: House of Blues

– Sarah McLachlan: Caesars Atlantic City

Aspen:

– Jane’s Addiction: Belly Up

Athens, GA:

– The Glitch Mob: New Earth Music Hall

– of Montreal: 40 Watt Club

Austin:

– Adolescents: Red 7

– Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Grupo Fantasma: La Zona Rosa

– Cake: Austin Music Hall

– N.A.S.A., Ladytron: Seaholm Power Plant

– The Sword: The Mohawk

Boston:

– Bettye LaVette: First Night Boston–Copley Square

– Cass McCombs: The Modern

– Dean & Britta, Nina Nastasia: Paramount Center

– moe.: House of Blues

– Soulive: Paradise Rock Club

– Third Eye Blind: Wilbur Theatre

Boulder:

– Crystal Castles, The Chain Gang of 1974: Boulder Theater

Dallas:

– Ghostland Observatory: Plaza of the Americas

– Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights: Granada Theater

– Old 97′s: House of Blues

Denver:

– Big Head Todd and The Monsters: Paramount Theatre

– Impact NYE (EOTO, Dieselboy, Freddy Todd): City Hall Events Center

– Nosaj Thing: Casselman’s

– Railroad Earth, Great American Taxi: Ogden Theatre

– STS9, Tipper: The Fillmore Auditorium

– Widespread Panic, G. Love & Special Sauce: Pepsi Center

Dublin, Ireland:

– Les Savy Fav: The Button Factory

Edmonton, AB:

– deadmau5: Shaw Conference Centre

Houston:

– Warpaint: Ground Hall

Las Vegas:

– 30 Seconds To Mars: Pearl Concert Theater

– Erick Morillo: Marquee Nightclub

– Jamie Lidell: Book & Stage – The Cosmopolitan

– Jay-Z, Coldplay: Cosmopolitan

– Paul Oakenfold, LMAFO: Palms Hotel & Casino

– Pitbull: House of Blues

– Santana: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

Louisville, KY:

– The Pass: Headliners Music Hall

Miami:

– Nicki Minaj: The Mansion

– Tiësto: Fontainebleau Resort

– Usher, Trey Songz: American Airlines Arena

Milwaukee:

– Girl Talk: The Rave

– The Hold Steady: Riverside Theater

Minneapolis:

– Brother Ali, The Hood Internet: Marriott City Center Grand Ballroom

New Orleans:

– Better Than Ezra: House of Blues

– Bonerama: 12 Bar on Fulton Street

– Galactic, Tea Leaf Green: Tipitina’s Uptown

– Tab Benoit: Mid City Lanes “Rock ‘N’ Bowl”

Oakland:

– Primus, The Dead Kenny Gs, Les Claypool: Fox Theater

Oklahoma City:

– The Flaming Lips performing The Soft Bulletin: Cox Convention Center

Philadelphia:

– Dada: North Star

– Lotus: Electric Factory

– Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: World Cafe

Portland, OR:

– Crooked Fingers, Heligoats: Bunk Bar

– The Helio Sequence, Ramona Falls: Mississippi Studios

– Japanther: Artistery

– Langhorne Slim: Mission Theater

– Lazer Sword, Eliot Lipp: Branx

– The Shaky Hands: Backspace

Rome, Italy:

– Aphex Twin: Palazzo dei Congressi

San Diego:

– Crocodiles: Soda Bar

– Designer Drugs: Voyeur

– Dirty South: 4th & B

San Francisco:

– The Dresden Dolls, Pomplamoose: The Warfield

– Furthur, Phil Lesh: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

– The Growlers: Hemlock Tavern

– John Lee Hooker Jr.: Biscuits and Blues

– Mike Posner: The Regency Ballroom

– Sea of Dreams (Thievery Corporation, Balkan Beat Box, Modeselektor, Beats Antique): Concourse Exhibition Center

– The Slackers: Great American Music Hall

– Steve Aoki: Fort Mason Festival Pavillion

Seattle:

– AC Slater: King Cat Theatre

– Lissie: Snoqualmie Casino

– Reverend Horton Heat, The Dwarves: El Corazon

– Z-Trip: Cirque Event Center

St. Louis, MO:

– The Crystal Method: Nightclub Europe

– Yonder Mountain String Band: The Pageant

St. Petersburg, FL:

– Cope: The Local 662

– Dead Kennedys: State Theatre

Washington, DC:

– Gogol Bordello: 9:30 Club

The whole shebang goes down on December 9th on the Ellipse at President’s Park in Washington, D.C., and B.B. King, Sara Bareilles, and Maroon 5 are also set to play. If you can’t make it to the official ceremony, then you can always stream it online beginning 5 p.m. EST. The lighting will also air on public television throughout the rest of the month (details here).

Between this and the Gift Wrapped compilation, and Xmas 2010 has apparently gone indie. Fa la la la. Or whatever.

Among the tickets on sale Saturday include Of Montreal and Janelle Monáe, Ratatat, Drake, Interpol, and Maroon 5.

Drake:

What: NYC date, Radio City Music Hall

When: September 29th

Tixs: $44.25 – $95.25

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM EDT

Interpol:

What: North American Tour, second Chicago date

When: August 16th

Tixs: $31.50

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM CDT

Maroon 5:

What: North American Tour

When: October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Of Montreal & Janelle Monáe:

What: North American tour

When: September – November

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Ratatat:

What: North American tour

When: September – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Are we missing anything? Let us know below! Also, if you’re looking for shows for an already sold-out show, try our partner site Seatgeek.com.

The 36-date trek runs through October, and while September sees the Los Angelenos taking a month-long break to promote the new LP (out September 21st), keyboardist Jesse Carmichael told Billboard.com that as far as he knows, “the next two years are already pretty much booked – around the world, several times.” He added that the quintet is busy re-arranging older songs and trying to find “new musical moments for people who have seen [the band] a lot in the last eight years.”

Highlights include a televised benefit show at New York’s Beacon Theatre, and openers on the journey range from American Idol Kris Allen to Minnesota electro-pop whiz kid Owl City. Despite having other big names like OneRepublic and Guster opening select dates, Maroon 5 have vowed to be the most entertaining act on the bill.

Lead singer Adam Levine recently said that his band needed to show everyone that they’re “a great live band,” adding that “after releasing Hands All Over, all I care about is playing concerts for people that want to see us play all over the world, regardless of where it is. All the other stuff comes and goes – the radio, television, fame, and all that nonsense.  I think we’ve grown up enough to know that that’s what we do best – play live.”

While the show may be good, don’t expect to hear many new songs besides their new single – “Misery” – since Carmichael feels that an audience can connect more when they’ve heard the recording first. “Even when Radiohead plays new songs,” he said, “it’s a little hard to hear exactly whats’s going on in a live setting.”

Check out the miserable single here, then catch the band at one of the dates listed below. Presale tickets are available through Maroon 5’s fan club, and tickets for select dates (including $251 meet and greet VIP packages) are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.

UPDATE: Fans who bought tickets to the canceled shows in Noblesville, Ind. on Aug. 6th and Mansfield, Mass. on Aug. 10th, can receive specific instructions regarding refunds/exchanges by clicking on the linked dates.

Maroon 5 2010 Tour Dates:
07/27 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre (Benefit Show)
07/30 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center @*
07/31 – Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion @*
08/01 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena @*
08/04 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre ^*
08/05 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre ^%
08/06 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
08/07 – Canandaigua, NY @ Constellation Brands Performing Arts Center ^%
08/09 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion ^%
08/10 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
08/11 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater ^%
08/13 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live ^%
08/14 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center ^%
08/15 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center ^%
08/17 – Raleigh, NC @ Raleigh Amphitheatre and Festival Site %&
08/19 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Amphitheater %&
08/21 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater %&
08/24 – Davidson, NC @ Belk Arena %&
08/26 – Chattanooga, TN @ McKenzie Arena %&
08/29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Trib Total Media Amphitheater %&
08/31 – Dayton, OH @ Fifth Third Field %&
09/01 – Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Theatre
10/06 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl $#
10/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre  $#
10/10 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre $#
10/12 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome $#
10/14 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center $#
10/15 – Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena $#
10/16 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena $#
10/19 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center $#
10/21 – Dallas, TX @ SuperPages.com Center $*
10/22 – Houston, TX @ The Woodlands $*
10/23 – Biloxi, MS @ Hard Rock Casino $*
10/27 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion $*
10/28 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target  Center $*
10/29 – Mahnomen, MN @ Shooting Star Casino  $*

* = w/ Ry Cummings
& = w/ Kris Allen
^ = w/ Owl City
% = w/ V.V. Brown
$ = w/ OneRepublic
# = w/ Bruno Mars
@ = w/ Guster

The writer has been quoted as saying that “this film is nothing without the music,” and unless you’re in the camp that thinks the film is nothing even with the music, he’s pretty spot on. Once you’ve seen the movie, it is hard not to think of Hugh Grant dancing every time you hear “Jump”. It’s The Pointer Sisters’ song covered by Girls Aloud on the soundtrack but confusingly the original Grant dances to, not the Van Halen tune. With Van Halen, of course, it’s hard to think of anything other than hair conditioner. Grant is cast as a bachelor British Prime Minister who has an implausible crush on his young cockney sparrow of a tea lady, while Billy Bob Thornton’s cameo as his US counterpart blends the worst sides of Bill and George.

The film is a true ensemble piece, which pulls together a whole lotta love stories via mildly interconnecting characters and events. The soundtrack plays a fairly straight bat too, with a raft of songs you’ll know, and mostly love, peppered with a few imaginative choices, like the late Lynden David Hall’s version of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”, Otis Redding’s take on “White Christmas”, and UK soul sister Gabrielle’s “Sometimes”.

Movie and music come together in Love Actually as aging rocker Billy Mack, played by the excellent Bill Nighy, is at the centre of everything. Mack is on the comeback trail via a Christmas take on The Troggs’ classic hit, “Love Is All Around”. The singer may call it “a festering turd of a record” but at the same time is aiming to be Christmas Number One. Fans of Rage against the Machine might get that one too. Famously, Mack vows to perform the song naked on TV should it hit the top spot, which he goes on to achieve with the aid of a strategically placed axe. Though he may get the girls in a Robert Palmer-style video, Mack’s love interest is really a platonic one, as he leaves Elton John’s Christmas Party early to spend Christmas Eve with his hapless manager, suggesting the two of them celebrate by getting pissed and watching porn.

There are 20 songs on the soundtrack album if you buy the UK version. For some reason, Americans are not deemed worthy of hearing two of the three Love Themes by Craig Armstong, nor Gabrielle’s “Sometimes”, so the US copy has just 17. For some other reason, the tracks are in a different order on each version and, frustratingly for people who care about such things, neither is sequential to the film itself. As mentioned earlier, Curtis is mostly playing safe with his choice of songs, which range from pure background to providing some kind of commentary on the action. There’s a poignant moment, for instance, when Joni Mitchell’s remake of “Both Sides Now” provides the soundtrack to Emma Thompson’s character confirming that her husband is cheating on her.

Olivia Olson’s version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is pretty impressive, given that she was just 10 when she appeared in the film and sang this set piece number. She allegedly had singing lessons to make her pitch perfect vocal slightly more believable for a 10-year-old. If Olson’s Joanna seems precocious in the movie, then her would-be boyfriend, Sam, is immediately up against it as he looks about six. Still, Sam gets to play drums for Joanna’s scratch band, inspired by Billy Mack, no less. After all, musicians always seem to get the girls, no matter how they look.

One guy who doesn’t get the gal but provides probably the most touching moment in the movie is Andrew Lincoln’s Mark, whose real-life Juliet, played by Keira Knightley, is serenaded by “Silent Night” on a portable CD player and a set of storyboards. A great scene, but no trace found on the soundtrack.

More highlights are provided by the storyline concerning two of the most unlikeliest porn star stand-ins, played by Martin Freeman and Joanna Page. The couple spend most of their time nude and in all manner of positions, yet maintain a sweet innocence throughout. These are genuinely funny and touching (sic) scenes that don’t require a musical commentary! Back to the soundtrack; female vocals dominate proceedings with turns by Norah Jones, Dido, Eva Cassidy, Kelly Clarkson, Sugababes, Texas, and Sharissa featured more than Wyclef Jean on “Take Me As I Am”. Maroon 5 and The Calling hardly equal things up for the boys. That’s left to The Beach Boys, whose glorious “God Only Knows” plays over the final scene at Heathrow Airport Arrivals, which pulls together a number of loose ends from the preceding love stories.

The film then closes with a montage of people greeting their loved ones at the terminal, which echoes the sentiments made in the opening voice-over by Hugh Grant’s character. Call it schmaltzy if you like, but we can all do with a little more love in our lives, not least at Christmas.

Dirty Projectors:

What: Tour dates for Los Angeles, CA w/ Los Angeles Philharmonic

When: February 27, 2010

Tixs: $32 – $60

Buy: Laphil.com at 10:00 PM PST

Flogging Molly:

What: Tour dates for North American tour

When: February – March 2010

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 PM EST

Jay-Z:

What: Tour dates for North American tour

When: February – March 2010

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 PM EST

Mariah Carey:

What: Tour date for New Years Eve performance in New York, NY

When: December 31st, 2009

Tixs: Price varies

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 11:00 AM EST

Maroon 5:

What: Tour date for Las Vegas, NV

When: December 31st, 2009

Tixs: Price varies

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 12:00 PM PST

Miike Snow:

What: Tour date for Vancouver, BC

When: April 12th, 2010

Tixs: CA $20.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM PST

New Kids on the Block:

What: Tour date for Boston, MA

When: December 20th, 2009

Tixs: $75.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Utada Hikaru:

What: Tour dates for North American tour

Tixs: Price unavailable

Buy: Livenation.com at 12:00 PM EST

Whether doing swinging Sinatra singles like “I’ve Got You Under my Skin” (covered by Seether) and “Fly Me to the Moon” (handled by Joshua Radin) or sticking to his more somber recordings (“Stormy Weather” by The Kooks, The Morning Benders doing “Strangers in the Night”), most of these niftily-reimagined if not entirely necessary numbers vie for a slow tempos, heartbroken vocals and stripped-down musicality.

A great example: The Kills’ acoustic rendering of “Willow Weep for Me“, one of the few tracks available for listening in its entirety online.

An anomaly: Maroon 5 covering “The Way You Look Tonight,” which adheres to an old-fashioned, big-band style. Happily, though, Adam Levine’s honey-dipped vocals do service to the Sinatra canon.

Under the band title Operation Aloha, some of the music industry’s hottest acts are coming together for what is essentially the biggest supergroup in music history, outside USA for Africa, of course. So, what’s the story? Who’s in it? Of the fourteen members (list after the jump) that contributed musically, there are some certain names that stand out. There’s Dajon Everett, Olly Peacock and Ian Ball of Gomez, James Valentine and Jesse Carmichael of Maroon 5, and Sam Farrar of Phantom Planet.

Why they all came together has a lot to do with the islands itself. As if the band name didn’t hint at that already, the project came to fruition when each respected member found time between touring to escape and live in the islands, where together they spent a month focusing their thoughts musically. Whoa, must be pretty good to be a successful musician, huh? Oh, but we’re not jealous! For the specifics, let’s refer to the press release:

Allowing themselves to step away from their usual roles and be inspired by bohemian living and a no-constraints approach to songwriting and recording, OPERATION ALOHA experiments with a love of blues inspired rock and Hawaiian folk music, to create a clever collection of songs that draws from the fantasy of escape.

While early press has already pegged the new sound as “naturalistic pop”, it’s still a bit too early to gauge what the end result may be. However, based on that curt description, one can assume the sound will be natural, organic, and altogether a beautiful blend of harmonies, intricate guitar work, and poppy sensibilities. But hey, that’s one man’s estimation. For all we know, it could be a sappy Beach Boys-rip off or a slow, depressing burner.

One thing’s for sure, fans of either acts will make a decision come May 12th, when the band’s self-titled debut is released. For now, head on over to Christopher Wray-McCann’s website for some photos, a short bio, and some more information. McCann, a collaborator of the project, documented the band’s work and there are a few photos already up (many of which we used).

Oh well. You know the drill…we’ll keep you updated….yadda, yadda, yadda.

Operation Aloha Musicians:
Dajon Everett (Gomez)
Ian Ball (Gomez)
James Valentine (Maroon 5)
Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5)
Olly Peacock (Gomez)
Sam Farrar (Phantom Planet)
Christopher Wray-McCann (Photographer)
Charles Danek
Fil Krohnengold (All Spots To Black)
Mathew Chaney
Maureen Wray-McCann
Nadav Kahn (Kahn Brothers)
Saam Gabbay
Will Nash