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While you might think the various members of Gym Class Heroes have enough on their plate, what with being rock's foremost rap group (or rap's foremost rock group), not to mention their summer stint on the Warped Tour, you'd be wrong. More.

SANTA BARBARA, California – Last night I had the pleasure and very great honor of seeing Death Cab for Cutie live at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Though I've been a fan for years, this was my first time attending one of their concerts, and after seeing their performance, I'm kind of annoyed I waited so long. For some reason I thought their mellow sound wouldn't be entertaining live, but I was very wrong. More.

VENTURA, California - If you happen to be a lover of alternative music, Warped Tour is inevitably destined to be part of your summer. The festival needs no introduction; with over 150 bands ranging from the relatively unknown to the best-loved artists in the independent scene, if you haven't heard of Warped, you've clearly been living under a rock. More.

Following the announcement of several late-summer festival appearances by the Dresden Dolls, the duo's singer/keyboardist/songwriter Amanda Palmer has another announcement to make. Yes, Virginia, she's releasing a solo album! More.

Just days after finishing the nationwide Honda Civic Tour, Panic at the Disco have announced several new live performances. Most of them will take place in the U.K. as the Pretty. Odd. rockers make the rounds of our British friends' festival circuit, after already committing to many European fests. More.

A man of many talents, Pete Wentz isn't just known for playing bass in Fall Out Boy, running Clandestine Industries and ruling the music world with Decaydance Records. Mainly, he's known for being Pete Wentz ... as shown by his most recent television project. Whaaat?

It's been three years since Jack's Mannequin released their debut album, Everything in Transit. But there is finally good news for loyal fans of JM's mellow sound; Andrew McMahon says a new album (The Glass Passenger) is in the final stages of the mixing process and ought to be available in September. More deets.

For the last month, rumors have been swirling about the romantic connection between Hayley Williams and Chad Gilbert. Their relationship could be seen as something of an open secret, with Williams singing a duet with Gilbert at some recent shows and fans witnessing some mild PDA. However, there is finally a more public confirmation of the link between the two. What happened?

There's a saying among independent musicians: If you're in it for the money, you're better off working 9 to 5 at McDonald's. While it's possible to make a modest living making music, most artists go through periods of financial uncertainty and extreme debt. That's the point Arizona rockers The Bled are at right now. However, instead of giving into poverty, they're relying on their most dedicated fans to help them through.



The Bled formed in Tucson, Arizona, in 2001, and supported themselves through much of their career. Like many bands, this "support" came in the form of credit card debt, not an alternate income. Arguably, the gamble paid off: The band is fresh off the Take Action Tour as well as some dates with the Dillinger Escape Plan, and their third album, Silent Treatment, was quite successful by independent standards. But while the gamble may have paid off, the debt itself has yet to be, as the band revealed to Buzznet on Monday.

This is where the fans come in. "Piss poor and in debt," the band took the creative tack of offering bribes in exchange for donations. For a $10 contribution, fans scored a personal phone call from singer James Muñoz. "For anything more," he joked (we hope), "[I] will call you and send you an erotic photo." Other incentives include autographed photos and CDs, and even a weekend partying with James "for $500 and the cost of airfare."

Since the donation drive launched, almost 50 Bled fans have contributed, surprising everyone and making a significant dent in the "monumental credit card debt" the band is dealing with. Overall, fans are viewing the situation as nothing more than an extension of the typical relationship between musicians and music lovers. "I'd pay $10 for a CD, and I'd pay more than that to talk to James," said one fan who donated. "They're in this position because they wanted to make music I love. Why shouldn't I support them like this?"

Other fans have speculated about the unseen factors leading to the donation drive, wondering if it's an indication of problems between The Bled and their label, Vagrant. The band's initial plea, asking for help in their "continuing struggle against sh---y music [and] sh---y record labels," combined with the fact that they've announced a summer hiatus, only seems to confirm the speculation. But the band is keeping mum on the subject. The most James will say is, "We appreciate the tremendous amount of support we've received during these hard times we're facing. It would be great if we could be musicians and not worry about the serious business side. There is so much bullsh-- going on right now, it's really hard to stay focused and do your main job, which is your passion."

If you'd like to help The Bled through these hard times, you can send money via PayPal to IsaiahRose1@yahoo.com. Don't forget to include your phone number to receive your call from the band!

Motion City Soundtrack are the most recent band to dabble in interactive Internet technology. The band will be playing a show for the Pepsi Free Concert Series in Las Vegas on Wednesday ... with a twist. Do tell.

The album New York post-hardcore quartet Glassjaw have been promising since 2008 is nearing completion and might be available "well before the end of the year." Read more.

Pop-punk’s favorite cover supergroup, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, are preparing to release their newest album, entitled Have Another Ball. “Newest” may be the wrong word to describe the album, however. The covers of the 60’s and 70’s that will comprise Have Another Ball were actually recorded for their 1997 debut. Many of them were previously released separately on out-of-print vinyl singles or compilations. In that respect, this album could be seen as a collection of rare songs or B-Sides.

In case you don’t have access to the out-of-print vinyls or compilations, Fat Wreck Cords has made one of the songs, John Denver’s “Country Roads”, available for download on the band’s MySpace. Have Another Ball is due to be released on July 8th, 2008. Several California dates have been scheduled for August, but it is not yet known if more will be added in support of the new album.

This album is a “follow-up” to 2006’s Love Their Country, which featured their take on country and western hits. In the past they’ve also covered Broadway musical standards for women (Are A Drag) as well as R&B songs (Take A Break). Each different album genre has lead to some interesting costume decisions in the past, including fezes, cheerleader uniforms and their ever-popular matching Hawaiian shirts. They once performed at Warped Tour dressed, for some unknown reason, as AFI.

When they’re not dressing like Davey Havok and covering Cat Stevens, the individual members of Me First (Spike Slawson, Joey Cape, Chris Shiflett, Fat Mike and Dave Raun) focus on their main projects, which include Lagwagon, NOFX, The Foo Fighters, Swingin’ Utters and No Use for a Name.

Tracklist

1. "Rich Girl" (Hall & Oates)
2. "The Boxer" (Simon & Garfunkel)
3. "Country Roads" (John Denver)
4. "I Write the Songs" (Bruce Johnston (writer))
5. "Sodomy" (from Hair)
6. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King (writer))
7. "Mahogany" (Diana Ross)
8. "Mother and Child Reunion" (Paul Simon)
9. "Only the Good Die Young" (Billy Joel)
10. "Coming To America" (Neil Diamond)
11. "The Harder They Come" (Jimmy Cliff)
12. "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Elton John and Bernie Taupin)
 
 

In case you don't think Fall Out Boy love what they do, frontman Patrick Stump has revealed that the bandmembers were even talking about their next album at Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson's recent wedding. More.

John Mayer has a new love in his life, and contrary to most gossip sites, it isn't (just) Jennifer Aniston. No, he has what may be termed as a man-crush on Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. More.