W♥M

Cat Attack

Taylor Swift: Beautiful Ghosts (From The Motion Picture "Cats") Read More Taylor Swift Artists and digital music sites: U2 uploading new album Songs of Innocence to all iTunes users, Morrissey's music is not online, Taylor Swift pulls hers from Spotify, …

Read more When Animals Attack.

CATS
universalpictures.com

Tom Hooper’s Cats (based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running Broadway play) is coming out in theaters this December 20th. Universal Pictures announced that global music icon Taylor Swift (who will also play Bombalurina in Cats) and legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber have collaborated on a new, original song “Beautiful Ghosts”.

The new song was created especially for the film, as composer Lloyd Webber mentioned, “When I first read the screenplay, the first thing I said was, ‘We have to have a song for Victoria.’ [Beautiful Ghosts] is an incredibly important and central part of the whole film.”

Director Tom Hooper reacts, “What I couldn’t believe was the extraordinary beauty of these lyrics that Taylor had written. It was as if someone had come into the film I was in the middle of making and … had reflected back to me a profound understanding of what we are trying to do with the movie. It was utterly thrilling.”

Synopsis

Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl) transforms Andrew Lloyd Webber's record-shattering stage musical into a breakthrough cinematic event. Featuring Lloyd Webber's iconic music, an all-star cast and world-class dancers under the guidance of Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In the Heights), the film reimagines the musical for a new generation with spectacular production design, state-of-the-art technology, and dance styles ranging from classical ballet to contemporary, hip-hop to jazz, street dance to tap.

Shopping: All Or Nothing Read More Shopping One of the opener was London's Shopping. Their music did not mesh well with Shannon & the Clams' beachy music. Shopping was more dance art, post-punk, as described by all the popular critics (Pitchfork, Stereogum, etc.) …

SHOPPING
fat-cat.co.uk/artist/shopping

FatCat Records announced that UK band Shopping will be releasing All Or Nothing on February 7, 2020.

Currently, Shopping features guitarist Rachel Aggs (Trash Kit, Sacred Paws), drummer Andrew Milk (Current Affairs) and Billy Easter (Wet Dog). With the new album, there’ll be a promotional tour… starting in February:

Feb. 7 - London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Feb. 9 - Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol
Feb. 10 - Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade
March 5 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
March 6 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern *
March 7 - Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore *
March 9 - Reno, NV @ Holland Project *
March 10 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop *
March 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 *
March 12 - San Diego, CA @ UCSD *
March 14 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress *
March 16 - March 21 - Austin, TX @SXSW
March 23 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark *
March 24 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
March 25 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
March 26 - Washington, DC @ DC9 *
March 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
March 28 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere *
March 29 - Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room *
March 31 - Toronto, ON @ The Monarch *
April 2 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
April 3 - Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail *
April 4 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean *
April 5 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
April 7 - St. Louis, MO @ Sinkhole *
April 8 - Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse *
April 9 - Denver, CO @ Hi Dive *
April 10 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
May 5 - London, UK @ The Lexington
May 6 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic
May 8 - Utrecht, NL @ ACU
May 9 - Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
May 10 - Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Ideal Bar
May 11 - Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree
May 14 - Vienna, AT @ Fluc Café
May 15 - Prague, CZ @ Meetfactory
May 16 - Munich, DE @ Milla
May 17 - Bern, CH @ Reitschule
May 19 - Winterhur, CH @ Albani
May 21 - Luxembourg, LU @ De Gudde Wellen
May 23 - Offenbach, DE @ Hafen 2

* = w/ Automatic

Cashmere Cat: PRINCESS CATGIRL Read More Cashmere Cat Norwegian producer Magnus August Hoiberg performs under the name Cashmere Cat. He is releasing his four track Wedding Bells EP this January 2014 on Lukyme Records. ...

CASHMERE CAT
cashmerecat.com

Globally acclaimed artist and producer Cashmere Cat recently released Princess Catgirl, via Mad Love/Interscope Records

Since the release of his debut album 9 in 2017, Cashmere Cat has worked with several pop stars (including Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello on their current smash hit “Señorita”, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Halsey, etc.)

Tour dates:

12/7 A.I Washington, DC
12/10 Danforth Toronto, ON
12/11 Skully’s Columbus, OH
12/12 The Majestic Detroit, MI
12/13 Concord Chicago, IL
12/14 Liquid Room Madison, WI
12/17 Ready Room St. Louis, MO
12/19 Gothic Theatre Denver, CO
12/20 Meow Wolf Santa Fe, NM
12/21 Van Buren Phoenix, AZ
12/27 Yost Santa Ana, CA
12/28 Warfield San Francisco, CA
01/2 Fortune Sound Club Vancouver, BC
01/3 Wonder Portland, OR
01/4 Showbox Seattle, WA
01/7 The Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA
01/8 Fremont Theater San Luis Obispo, CA
01/9 Soho Music Club Santa Barbara, CA
01/10 SOMA San Diego, CA
01/11 1720 Los Angeles, CA

Thundercat Tour Read More Thundercat Grammy-winning bassist & singer Thundercat (not to be confused with the cartoon ThunderCats) is touring in support of his new album Drunk. The sold is show at …

THUNDERCAT
ninjatune.net

Los Angeles’ Thundercat (not to be confused with Thundera’s Thundercats) will be heading out on his biggest North American tour to date, this Spring 2020.

If you didn’t know, GRAMMY Award winner Thundercat is the alter ego of virtuosic bassist / singer Stephen Bruner. He took the name Thundercat based on the beloved animated series ThunderCats.

He’s worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, N.E.R.D., Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, Anderson .Paak, Janelle Monáe, Travis Scott, BADBADNOTGOOD, Moses Sumney, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Wiz Khalifa, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, Little Simz, Louis Cole, Shabazz Palaces … but importantly has worked with longtime writing partner Flying Lotus (who we caught in August 2019).

Thundercat 2020 tour dates:

02/28/20 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
02/29/20 – Portland, OR – PDX Jazz Festival
03/01/20 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
03/03/20 – Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theatre
03/04/20 – Chico, CA – Senator Theatre
03/06/20 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
03/07/20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
03/08/20 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
03/10/20 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
03/12/20 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
03/13/20 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
03/14/20 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore
03/15/20 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
03/17/20 – Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
03/18/19 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
03/19/20 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
03/21/20 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
03/22/20 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
03/24/20 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
03/28/20 – Silver Springs, MD – Fillmore Silver Springs
03/29/20 – Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
03/31/20 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
04/01/20 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
04/02/20 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
04/04/20 – New Orleans, LA – The Joy Theater
04/05/20 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
04/06/20 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas

Pussy Riot 2020 Tour Read More Pussy Riot A similar story happened with Russian punk group Pussy Riot being jailed for performing "Virgin Mary, Please Drive Putin Away" song in front of a church…

PUSSY RIOT
xxpussyriotxx.com

Our favorite Russian protest art collective Pussy Riot announced a new 19-date headlining tour across American starting this March 2020.

One dollar of each ticket sold will go directly to the local Planned Parenthood affiliate in each tour market. Pussy Riot first worked with the Planned Parenthood organization after staging a sold-out benefit show in Birmingham, Alabama to protest the anti-abortion legislation in that state.

We saw the group at a rare appearance in St Paul in March 2018 and said, “… the main Pussy Riot show started. Nadya is joined on stage by another Pussy Riot member. Both, in their icon Pussy Riot homemade masks. Their show is more of an art performance, rather than a traditional rock show.”

Pussy Riot North American tour:

3.13 - Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 LA
3.14 - Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
3.18 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
3.19 - Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
3.20 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
3.24 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
3.26 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
3.27 - Detroit, MI @ El Club
3.28 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
3.31 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
4.3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
4.4 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4.8 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
4.10 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music
4.11 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
4.12 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
4.14 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
4.15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
5.19 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre

Kid Nobody: discretion Read More Wildcat! Wildcat! Los Angeles trio Wildcat! Wildcat! started the evening with a well-received set of chilled, harmonic indie pop. Bassist Jesse Taylor and keyboardist Michael Wilson backed …

KID NOBODY
kidnobody.com

From the ashes of Wildcat! Wildcat!, bandmates Michael Wilson and Jesse Carmichael have formed Kid Nobody. The debut album discretion will be coming out February 28, 2020.

We caught Wildcat! Wildcat! in Sep 2013 and wrote, “Los Angeles trio Wildcat! Wildcat! started the evening with a well-received set of chilled, harmonic indie pop. Bassist Jesse Taylor and keyboardist Michael Wilson backed by drummer Jesse Carmichael, used their tenor voices and bristling melodies to incite the receptive crowd to songs from their just released self-titled ep (Downtown Records). Mentioning it was their “first trip east” and wisely postponing their own dates to act as tour opener, expect the band to return and headline on their own sometime next spring.”

Hear the first two songs on soundcloud.com

Tracklisting

1. ms. stress (4:55)
2. watch the world as its ending (4:25)
3. ready or not (4:22)
4. fantasy (4:21)
5. indiscretion (dream soundtrack) (22:46)

Meow Meow: Vamp Read More Meow Meow My favorite of the night was clearly Meow Meow and her crazy comedy cabaret. I think she's quite famous in Australia, and I can see why, she's absolutely mesmerizing to watch. …

MEOW MEOW
meowmeowrevolution.com

Meow Meow and Thomas Lauderdale (founder of Pink Martini) teamed up for their album Hotel Amour.

Talking about Hotel Amour, Meow Meow says, “The sound will be both familiar and exotic to both my fans and those of Pink Martini—a true collaboration between two passionate artists with converging and diverging inspirations, but above all an obsession with the joy of sharing special music. I think it really is a collection of songs—both originals and covers—that range from little historical gems we have polished to others that we have written our hearts and souls into.”

We actually accidentally caught Meow Meow in June 2011 and said, “My favorite of the night was clearly Meow Meow and her crazy comedy cabaret. I think she's quite famous in Australia, and I can see why, she's absolutely mesmerizing to watch. The highlight of her show was when she asked for three volunteers to help her do "the greatest love song".”

Upcoming Meow Meow shows:

12/27/2019 Hult Center Eugene, OR
12/28/2019 Newmark Theatre Portland, OR
02/20/2020 Perth Concert Hall Perth, WA, Australia
04/04/2020 The Washington Center Olympia, WA
04/09/2020 Montalvo Arts Center Saratoga, CA
04/17/2020 UCCS Presents Colorado Springs, CO
04/24/2020 Hering Auditorium Fairbanks, AK
04/25/2020 Alaska Center Anchorage, AK
05/08/2020 Koerner Hall Toronto, ON, Canada
05/28/2020 Virginia Arts Festival Norfolk, VA

Pussycat Dolls 2020 UK Tour

PUSSYCAT DOLLS
pcdmusic.com

Global megastars Pussycat Dolls have reunited and will be touring the UK and Australia (starts 22 April 2020) for the first time in 10 years.

Having sold more than 54 Million records worldwide and streamed over 1 Billion times, the Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger is excited to be back: “I love all my girls so much and cannot wait to show you what we've got in store for you. It’s been a long time coming but this feels like the perfect time to remind the world what it means to be a Pussycat Doll”.

The Pussycat Dolls 2020 Tour

05 April 2020 Dublin, IR 3 Arena
06 April 2020 Cardiff, U.K. Motorpoint Arena
08 April 2002 Birmingham, U.K. Resorts World Arena
09 April 2020 Nottingham, U.K. Motorpoint Arena
11 April 2020 Glasgow, U.K. The SSE Hydro
12 April 2020 Newcastle, U.K. Utilita Arena
14 April 2020 Manchester, U.K. Manchester Arena
15 April 2020 Leeds, U.K. First Direct Arena
17 April 2020 London, U.K. The O2

Doja Cat: Hot Pink

DOJA CAT
dojacat.com

Los Angeles producer / songwriter / rapper Doja Cat recently released her sophomore album Hot Pink via Kemosabe/RCA Records.

Hot Pink features plenty of collaborations with other superstars, like Tyga (“Juicy”) and Gucci Mane. The former is permanently on Elle’s “Best Songs of 2019 (so far)”, citing, “it’s three minutes of pure magic…The airy, bubbly synths and Doja’s flirty lyrics about her, well, booty, have the power to make me shake what the good Lord gave me.”

Hot Pink Tracklisting

1. Cyber Sex
2. Won’t Bite feat. Smino
3. Rules
4. Bottom Bitch
5. Say So
6. Like That feat. Gucci Mane
7. Talk Dirty
8. Addiction
9. Streets
10. Shine
11. Better Than Me
12. Juicy with Tyga

PURR purrband.com New York’s Purr (featuring songwriting partners Eliza Barry Callahan and Jack Staffen) will be releasing their debut album Like New on February 21, 2020 via ANTI-. Like New was written in the band’s basement studio in downtown Manhattan, a repurposed storage space beneath a restaurant in the building where Callahan once lived as a young child.

MADCAT soundcloud.com Parisian producer Madcat (formerly known as Cheshire Cat) recently released Queens of Sand, a 4-track EP. If you’re in Paris on January 4th, you can check him out at Rex Club for Madcat’s EP release party with DJ Gregory.

CAT BURNS twitter.com Emerging British pop artist Cat Burns recently released her single track “I Don't Blame You” on RAW Records Label. The song is a follow-up to her EP Naïve. The 19 year old singer describes the song as, “‘I Don't Blame You’ is about my childhood and the strained relationship with my Dad. I had a lot of resentment mixed with anger and hurt. I found that it was stunting my mental growth and emotional maturity. I needed a way to say exactly what I was thinking to him in an honest yet vulnerable way. This song is my way of healing, and I hope it can help others who are in similar situations find peace within their own lives & relationships.”

BAMBARA wharfcatrecords.com Wharf Cat Records will be releasing post-punk Bambara’s Stray on February 14th, 2020. Formed in Athens, Georgia, the band features the Bateh brothers, Reid and Blaze, singer / guitarist and drummer respectively, and bassist William Brookshire. We saw the trio in November 2016 … but it appears that currently the band is based in New York. When the new album comes out in 2020, expect the band to do a world tour. For live shows, the trio will add Bryan Keller Jr. and Sammy Zalta on additional guitars.

Minneapolis: March 1 - March 3, 2015

Here are some shows taking place in Minneapolis/St Paul on March 1 to March 3, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Ariana Grande Ariana Grande's all new original holiday single, "Santa Tell Me" is out now and also is compiled on Target Presents iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Hits 2014 (in all Target stores now). ... Rixton Manchester pop is alive and well again, in the form of UK Pop/R&B foursome, Rixton. After breaking through to radio with single “Me and My Broken Heart” and stints opening for Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande ... Cashmere Cat Norwegian producer Magnus August Hoiberg performs under the name Cashmere Cat. He is releasing his four track Wedding Bells EP this January 2014 on Lukyme Records. ...

ARIANA GRANDE
at Xcel Energy Center
Sunday 03/01/15, 6:30pm ($29.50-$69.50)
xcelenergycenter.com

Platinum-selling pop artist Ariana Grande is about to kick off her very first arena headlining tour, The Honeymoon Tour, next week, starting on February 25 in Kansas City, Missouri at the Independence Event Center.

According to the tour poster, Manchester's Rixton set to open.

Also, be sure to show up early to check out rising Norwegian producer Cashmere Cat.

The Honeymoon Tour:

02/25/15 Kansas City, MO Independence Event
02/28/15 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley
03/01/15 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy
03/03/15 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
03/05/15 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
03/07/15 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
03/08/15 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
03/10/15 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Event
03/12/15 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
03/14/15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
03/15/15 Boston, MA DCU Center
03/17/15 Houston, TX NRG Stadium
03/20/15 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
03/21/15 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
03/24/15 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
03/26/15 Orlando, FL Amway Center
03/28/15 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
03/31/15 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
04/01/15 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
04/03/15 Oklahoma City, OK Cheseapeake Energy
04/06/15 Phoenix, AZ US Airways
04/08/15 Los Angeles, CA TheForum
04/10/15 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
04/12/15 San Jose, CA SAP Center
04/14/15 Seattle, WA KeyArena

Read More Twilight Sad We like and have written about Twilight Sad many times here. The Scottish band will be in the States to promote Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave (FatCat) and ...

THE TWILIGHT SAD
at 7th Street Entry
Monday 03/02/15, 8pm ($12)
first-avenue.com

There are a couple of good shows on this March 2nd. We'll get to Ed Kowalczyk (remember Live?) at the Cedar Cultural Center later...

In the meantime, Scottish band The Twilight Sad will be returning to the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis with Port St. Willow to open the show.

The Twilight Sad is currently on tour in support of Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave, which garnered praises from critics calling it #1 Album of the Year and the Best Scottish Album of 2014.

2015 North American Tour Dates

Feb 23 Boston, MA - Great Scott+
Feb 24 Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right+
Feb 25 Philadelphia, PA - The Boot & Saddle+
Feb 26 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel+
Feb 27 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox+
Feb 28 Chicago IL - Beat Kitchen+
Mar 02 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry+
Mar 03 Fargo, ND - Aquarium (Upstairs) +
Mar 05 Missoula, MT - Stage 112+
Mar 06 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern+
Mar 07 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge+
Mar 08 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret+
Mar 10 Sacramento, CA – Blue Lamp+
Mar 11 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill+
Mar 12 Costa Mesa, CA – The Wayfarer+
Mar 13 San Diego, CA - The Merrow+
Mar 14 Phoenix, AZ - VivaPHX
Mar 17 - Mar 20 Austin, TX – SXSW

+ Port St Willow to Support

Read More The Lone Bellow Brooklyn trio The Lone Bellow then took the stage for an abbreviated, but no less spirited 70 min. set of songs drawn from their debut self-titled full-length (on Descendent/Sony BMG). ... Odessa When I first heard her voice I knew I would love her music. I see big, bright things for this artist. Her sound is both unique and familiar. Soft, tender, soulful...yet mixed with ...

THE LONE BELLOW
at Turf Club
Tuesday 03/03/15, 7pm ($16/Sold Out)
turfclub.net

Brooklyn based country trio The Lone Bellow are returning to a sold out show in Minnesota's The Turf Club. The band are touring in support of their second album Then Came The Morning, which came out January 27th via Descendant Records. The record was produced by Aaron Dessner from The National.

Opening up for all US tour dates will be Odessa (not to be confused with Odesza), who will be supporting her self-titled EP which is out now on Chop Shop/Republic Record.

Feb 23 - Port City Music Hall - Portland, ME
Feb 24 - ArtsRiot - Burlington, VT
Feb 26 - Petit Campus - Montreal, QC
Feb 27 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
Feb 28 - Club @ Stage AE - Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 1 - Radio Radio - Indianapolis, IN
Mar 3 - Turf Club - St. Paul, MN
Mar 4 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
Mar 6 - Exit In - Nashville, TN
Mar 7 - Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY
Mar 8 - Old Rock House - St. Louis, MO
Mar 10 - WorkPlay Theatre - Birmingham, AL
Mar 11 - Terminal West - Atlanta, GA
Mar 13 - The Hamilton - Washington, DC
Mar 14 - The Southern - Charlottesville, VA
Mar 15 - MusicNOW Festival - Cincinnati, OH
Mar 24 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Mar 25 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Mar 26 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
May 15 - Hang Out Festival - Gulf Shores, AL
May 22 - Boston Calling - Boston, MA

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Cat Came Back

But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back. They thought he was goner
But the cat came back. He just wouldn't stay away.

-- Harry S Miller

Read more Cat Fantastic, A Dream of a Thousand Cats, and When Animals Attack!.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova released from Krasnoyarsk prison camp photo credit: voiceproject.org Read More Pussy Riot A similar story happened with Russian punk group Pussy Riot being jailed for performing "Virgin Mary, Please Drive Putin Away" song in front of a church…

PUSSY RIOT
freepussyriot.org

As of Monday, December 23rd, 2013, with the release of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, that all imprisoned Pussy Riot members have now been released from prison.

This is a statement regarding the release of Pussy Riot's Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, from Hunter Heaney, Executive Director of The Voice Project:

"We all recognize that the whole amnesty program is a PR move by [Vladimir] Putin, likely of course a bit of image clean up prior to the Olympics. Amnesty being "granted" to two women put in prison for a 40 second song performance, who would have been released in a mere couple of months, after missing nearly two years with their young children and loved ones is, of course, absurd. Last minute amnesty does not make up for that or the rule of law denied to so many others by the Putin regime and our thoughts are with them today. However, we are so happy that Nadya and Masha are safe, have come through this ordeal healthy and strong, and two young mothers will now be getting to see their children. A very large community of activists and donors around the world have worked hard to help to see that happen."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum photo credit: rockhall.com Read More Cat Stevens i agree with vu that harry chapin's 'cat's in the cradle' is perhaps the best father-song ever, but i thought i'd add two more that i like almost as much: cat stevens' 'father and son' and paul simon's 'st. judy's comet'.…

CAT STEVENS
yusufislam.com

Cat Stevens currently perform under the name Yusuf Islam since his conversion to Islam in late 1977 (his last album using the name Cat Stevens was 1978's Back to Earth).

The British singer/songwriter was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2014, along with Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, KISS, Nirvana, Andrew Loog Oldham, Brian Epstein, Linda Ronstadt, and The E Street Band.

Yusuf Islam remarked, "It will certainly bring happiness to a lot of my loyal fans, and fulfillment to all those who have long-campaigned for it—not to mention how kinda embarrassingly good it makes me feel too. The sleepy Peace Train is beginning to chug its way slowly uphill, again."

What's interesting to note is that the 2014 induction ceremony (to be held at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on April 10th) will be the first ever to be open to the public. You still have to buy a ticket to witness this, but if you have HBO, they will be broadcasting it in May 2014.

Trivia: Sheryl Crow, who recently stopped by Cottage Grove (12/14/13), uses Cat Stevens' "The First Cut is the Deepest" on her setlist.

Almost Home photo credit: youtube.com Read More Moby His latest single is "The Poison Tree", so he will be performing that song. The song is from Moby's 2011 Destroyed album. In the meantime, the double disc Destroyed Remixed album will be out May 1st (digital) and June 19th .…

MOBY
moby.com

Just in time for the holidays, our friend Moby released a music video called "Almost Home" to benefit the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay & Neuter Center in Los Angeles (Best Friends Animal Society). The lyric video, featuring beautiful dogs and cats, is a collaboration with Damien Jurado, taken from his recently released 11th album Innocents. You can watch the video at youtube.com

As described by Moby costs "roughly, $0, and it features a whole bunch of the dogs and cats who are available for adoption."

Marc Peralta, director of Best Friends Animal Society, adds this grim fact, "The sad truth is that more than 9,000 dogs and cats are killed every day in U.S. shelters simply because they have no safe place to call home. By showcasing shelter pets to such a vast national and international audience, Moby is an amazing voice for these wonderful dogs and cats. He beautifully illustrates how, as a community of animal lovers, we can work together to Save Them All."

Moby hopes you will adopt an animal at your local animal shelter, "(1) I hope you like the video, and (2) I hope you're able to provide a home for a dog or cat (or gerbil or snake or any other shelter animal) this season."

As a cat owner, I couldn't agree more.

Badillac Harvest Records Read More Together Pangea together Pangea is that Raw Punky California Burger (a personal favorite). …

TOGETHER PANGEA
togetherpangea.com

Together Pangea (they prefer to spell it as "together PANGEA"), but is a Los Angeles-based trio with a third album called Badillac on Harvest Records. Jimi caught the band in Austin as part of the Burgerama Caravan of Stars tour earlier this year.

Cat Man (video) Harvest Records

Badillac actually doesn't come out until January 21st, but you can get a glimpse of their music with a video of "Cat Man" on YouTube. The track is taken from Badillac, and the video featuring a go-go dancer flanked cat-devil is "not safe for work".

If you were expecting Badillac to sound garage/psych/punk, singer/guitarist William Keegan tries to explain, "It might be confusing for people, assuming we're like this garage punk band and then hearing this record, but we really don't want to get trapped at all. To me, the album is so obviously influenced by the shit that I was listening to when I was 16. Growing up in the 90s, all that stuff – Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer. It wasn't conscious, the album just sounds like that."

BRIEFLY:

CASHMERE CAT cvshmerecvt.com Norwegian producer Magnus August Hoiberg performs under the name Cashmere Cat. He is releasing his four track Wedding Bells EP this January 2014 on Lukyme Records. Cashmere Cat just previewed the new track "With Me", taken from Wedding Bells:

KEV LA KAT soundcloud.com I asked for a biography, but Kev La Kat didn't really provide me with one. So I have no idea where he (or she) is from and what type of music he makes. All I know is that his record label is Love Our Records and they release free downloads.

NIGHTMARE AND THE CAT nightmareandthecat.com Los Angeles-based Nightmare and the Cat is a five-piece band, with an EP called Simple (released September 17, 2013) and a debut LP for 2014 on Capitol Records. The band recently premiered "Blackbird Smile" on Rolling Stone, who describes the song as "sharp guitar lines, forceful percussion and distinct, soulful vocals."

SLEEPY KITTY sleepykittyarts.com Remember Harvey Danger? St. Louis-based Sleepy Kitty is a duo by Harvey Danger's drummer Evan Sult and all-girl band Stiletto Attack's Paige Brubeck. What's interesting to note is that Sleepy Kitty is actually a graphic arts and music project. They design and print posters for bands, so expect an art project when their new album Projection Room hits stores on January 14th, 2014, via Euclid Records.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com