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Jesse Malin has released the new single “Argentina,” written while the singer-songwriter was rehabbing from his spinal stroke in Buenos Aires. Additionally, actor-comedian Fred Armisen, filmmaker/musician Jim Jarmusch, Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz, and more have been added to one of Malin’s upcoming benefit concerts at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

Malin, a staple of the NYC punk scene over the past three decades as a solo artist and as frontman of D Generation, was paralyzed from the waist down when he suffered the spinal stroke at a restaurant in May of 2023.

He has since started walking with the aid of a walker, but still has a long way to go in his recovery. He returned to perform last month on CBS Saturday Morning, where he gave “Argentina” its live debut. Now, he has released the official studio version.

“This might be one of my most personal songs,...

Bruce Springsteen’s cover of Jesse Malin’s “She Don’t Leave Me Now” has been unveiled in advance of a new tribute album benefitting the latter musician. The track is the latest single from Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin, set for release on September 20th.

As previously announced, proceeds from the tribute album will help pay Malin’s medical bills and rehabilitation costs, after the singer-songwriter suffered a spinal stroke last year that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Previous singles include Bleachers’ take on “Prisoners of Paradise” and Billie Joe Armstrong’s rendition of “Black Haired Girl.”

Malin, known for his solo work and as the frontman of the New York punk band D Generation, was honored to have someone as legendary as Springsteen contribute “She Don’t Love Me Now” to the tribute album. “Bruce gave it that Stax-soul-thing that we were dreaming...

Jason Isbell appeared at night one of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday to perform his song “Something More Than Free.”

Originally appearing as the title track for Isbell’s 2015 album, “Something More Than Free” is a working class anthem that showcases the alt-country singer’s evocative songwriting. “I don’t think on why I’m here or where it hurts/ I’m just lucky to have the work,” Isbell sings in the chorus, expressing gratitude for having work despite it being debilitating.

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Speaking about the song selection in an interview with the New York Times, Isbell explained: “I remember when Bush was running, Jr., I remember seeing back home in Alabama, people would have trailers with cars on blocks, and clearly, people that weren’t doing very well financially, and they had signs in their yard for Bush. And I remember thinking,...

A covers compilation benefitting the relief fund of singer-songwriter Jesse Malin, who suffered a spinal stroke last year, is set for release on September 20th. The latest single to be released from the effort is Billie Joe Armstrong’s cover of Malin’s “Black Haired Girl.”

The full 27-song tracklist for Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin was also unveiled and features many of Malin’s friends and colleagues covering the D Generation frontman’s songs, including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Bleachers, and many more.

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Billie Joe Armstrong’s take on Malin’s “Black Haired Girl” finds the Green Day frontman is fine form, with the cheerful power-pop tune falling right in his wheelhouse.

“Jesse is a dear friend to me,” commented Armstrong in a press release. “I love his songwriting. He is all heart… His passion is endless. We send...

Jesse Malin, the New York punk legend who was left paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a spinal stroke last year, has booked a hometown comeback show December 1st at the Beacon Theatre with an all-star roster of special guests.

The D Generation frontman will be joined on the bill by Lucinda Williams, J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers), Rickie Lee Jones, Adam Duritz and David Immerglück (both of Counting Crows), and Alejandro Escovedo. Actors Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) will serve as hosts, with more guests to be announced.

Tickets will benefit the Sweet Relief fund set up to help Malin out with his medical and rehabilitation bills. Premium and VIP tickets will be available via Sweet Relief beginning Wednesday (June 26th) at 10 a.m Et. A pre-sale for regular tickets launches at the same time via Ticketmaster using the code Patronsaints, before...

Jesse Malin gave his last headlining public performance on March 25, 2023, at Webster Hall in New York. Less than two months later, he suffered a rare spinal stroke that affected the use of his legs. Now, after more than a year of intense and ongoing physical therapy and treatment, Malin will return to the stage with a roster of all-star friends and guests.

Set for Dec. 1 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, the lineup features Lucinda Williams, Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz and David Immerglück, Rickie Lee Jones, Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers,...

In the 15 years between the 1981 release of the Gun Club’s first album and their frontman’s death in 1996, the bleached-blond rock & roll typhoon known as Jeffrey Lee Pierce touched the lives of Nick Cave, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, Lydia Lunch, and countless others. His music could be invigorating and/or mysterious, sometimes at the same time. With the Gun Club and as a solo artist (sometimes billing himself cheekily as Ramblin’ Jeffrey Lee), he recorded revved-up punk, Delta-style blues, brooding folk,...

Punk pioneers MC5 are plotting a big return in 2022, with Wayne Kramer and Co. announcing a handful of tour dates this spring and the band’s first album in over 50 years, set to arrive in October.

MC5 will return to the road May 5 with a hometown show at El Club in Detroit. From there, the band will play shows in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, before heading out to the West Coast for a run that wraps May 15 at Soda Bar in San Diego.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale this Friday,...

Lucinda Williams, Wilco, and Alejandro Escovedo were all inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame back in October. On Saturday, the ceremony premieres on PBS stations with a special episode of the long-running live-music series.

Jason Isbell does the honors of inducting Williams, whom he credits with creating a map for other singer-songwriters to follow. “A lot of my songs wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t spent so much time trying to rip her off,” he says in his speech. Isbell also delivers a cover of Williams’ “I Envy the Wind,...

Because it is indeed the season, Austin City Limits has shared St. Vincent’s performance of “At the Holiday Party” from her upcoming episode in the second half of PBS’ long-running concert show’s 47th season.

The performance of “At the Holiday Party” begins with a light guitar strum and a waiter suddenly appearing on stage to hand out drinks to St. Vincent and her backing band. Before fully launching into the slick rendition of the Daddy’s Home track, St. Vincent proposes a toast to Austin City Limits and, “More than anything,...

James McMurtry wants to make one thing clear: His songs are not about him. “Oh, no, there’s none of that,” the songwriter says, scoffing at the very notion. “I don’t do autobiography. My songs are made up.”

McMurtry is talking about The Horses and The Hounds, his stunning new record, and his first in six years, but he may as well be discussing his entire discography. For the past three-plus decades, the Texas singer has been writing songs that, even in the relatively writerly world of Americana, stand...

Austin City Limits has announced the 2021 inductees into its Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. Lucinda Williams, Wilco, and Alejandro Escovedo make up the new class. There were no 2020 inductees because of the pandemic.

Williams and Wilco have each appeared four times on Acl, the long-running live-music series, while Escovedo has turned in five performances. Williams first appeared on the show in 1990; Wilco made their debut in 2000; and Escovedo took the soundstage in 1983 (with his band Rank and File).

The new members will be inducted in a musical ceremony on...

An upcoming benefit concert, Food for Love, will feature David Byrne, Jackson Browne, the Chicks, Kurt Vile, and dozens of other artists performing to help raise money to feed New Mexico’s hungry. The stream will be broadcast on February 13th via the Food for Love website and on YouTube.

“February 13th (Valentine’s Day Eve), some musician friends of mine, and many I’ve never met, are doing a virtual concert to raise money for meals for New Mexico’s hardest hit,” Byrne wrote in a statement, mailed to his newsletter subscribers.

Bruce Springsteen inducted manager Jon Landau into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rare honor of receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which is reserved for songwriters, producers, record company executives during the virtual ceremony aired on HBO Saturday night).

Springsteen talked about first coming across Landau’s work as a rock critic, years before they met. “One of my first recollections of Jon Landau was his trashing of the Blues Project in Crawdaddy,” Springsteen laughed. “I was thinking, ‘Who does this guy think he is?'”

Springsteen’s segment — which was produced by director Thom Zimny — shone a light on Landau, and included insight from label mogul Jimmy Iovine, who was Springsteen’s engineer in the mid-1970s, Jann Wenner, who published his work for a decade in Rolling Stone, and Jackson Browne, whose “The Pretender” album was produced by Landau.

With this, he becomes one of...

I wrote the song “Shane” for my latest album Sunset Kids while we were taking a break from recording, and producers Lucinda Williams and Tom Overby were back out on the road. We filmed a video with director Joseph Quever running all over Dublin to capture some of Shane’s old haunts, but the song came to me after a trip I’d taken to Dublin to sing at Shane MacGowan’s 60th birthday. Nobody really though that this mythical punk rock poet who was born on Christmas day would ever live this long…...

In 2010, Jesse Malin and Green Day released a one-off collaboration under the name Rodeo Queens. The song was titled “Depression Times” and mixed Malin’s nasally voice with the power-punk of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool.

Nine years later, Malin and Armstrong finally follow it up with the new collaboration “Strangers & Thieves,” a track off the New York singer-songwriter’s upcoming album Sunset Kids, produced by Lucinda Williams. It’s a propulsive song, hurried along by jangly guitars, an unrelenting backbeat and an irresistible chorus. Malin had...

A band you thought you knew; an American rock & roll city with a past that may surprise you: These two reissues come from different lands and eras — Britain just ahead of glitter; a Texas where punk was just getting started — with the same fire and attitude.

Mott the Hoople, Mental Train: The Island Years 1969–1971 (Island/Universal)

For a band lasted a little over five years, the British hard rockers Mott the Hoople managed to squeeze in two golden eras: the one everybody knows, which kicked off in the summer of...

Alejandro Escovedo is the picture of cool as he walks into Grimey’s record shop in Nashville one bright and sunny weekday afternoon in September. Dressed in a black suit and black cowboy boots with a cravat tucked into his shirt collar, he casts a wary glance around the room where he and his band are about to play an in-store performance. In one hand is his guitar case, and at his other arm is his wife Nancy, who sports a matching pair of dark sunglasses.

“My father, he was very strong,...

The 2018 AmericanaFest kicks off in two weeks, bringing more than 500 shows and 60 panels to Nashville.

The festival announced its lineup of panelists, lecturers and interviewees this morning. Included in the mix are k.d. lang, who doubles as this year’s keynote speaker and Americana Trailblazer Award recipient. She’ll also serve as a sort of musical bookend, kicking off AmericanaFest’s special programming with a keynote address — delivered in a Q&A format with NPR critic Ann Powers — before hitting the Ryman Auditorium several days later for the Nashville...

Alejandro Escovedo’s expansive new song suite, The Crossing, is coming to life one track at a time ahead of its September 14th release, with a chugging, streetwise new chapter out in the form of gritty rocker “Outlaw for You.”

As far as love songs go, “Outlaw for You” has style to burn, riffing on Beat writers, Mexican revolutionaries, and even the Stooges’ “street-walking cheetah.” Rather than being directed towards another person, this breathless ode is delivered to a lifestyle and a way of thinking wrought from Escovedo’s own youth spent in south Texas,...

On July 15th, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium kicked off the first show in a series of six called “Americana at the Ryman.” Slated to become an annual event, the series celebrates the best and brightest in Americana and roots music in the city at the epicenter of the rapidly growing genre.

The first show was an all-star celebration billed as Buddy Miller and Friends, featuring Lee Ann Womack, Tony Joe White, the McCrary Sisters, Elizabeth Cook and Parker Millsap. That show was followed by the July 22nd installment, which showcased...

The final group of artists slated to perform during the annual AmericanaFest in Nashville have been revealed, with Amanda Shires, Tyler Childers and Rosanne Cash joining the annual music festival’s lineup.

This year’s edition of the six-day festival will also include showcases by Birdtalker, Buddy Miller, Chris Shiflett, Elizabeth Cook, Paul Cauthen, Richard Thompson, the Lone Bellow and many more. They’ll join a vibrant list of previously announced Americana-friendly singer-songwriters and bands like Brandy Clark, American Aquarium, John Prine, Milk Carton Kids, Ashley Monroe, Jim Lauderdale, Asleep at the Wheel,...

Long-awaited new music from the Chief, a live performance of a country classic and a sun-kissed new single from newcomer Frank Ray are among the country and Americana songs you need to hear right now.

Andrew Combs, “Don’t Tell Our Friends About Me”

A lovely reimagination of the Blake Mills original, shot through with equal parts melody and melancholy. Andrew Combs dresses up the arrangement with horns, harmonies and subdued strings, but it’s his double-tracked voice that truly steals the show, offsetting the song’s guilty conscience – this...

As far as rock & roll goes, Alejandro Escovedo’s new song “Sonica USA” is a true melting pot – which is apt, given that the performer’s career has been about as varied they get. The first song to be released from the Escovedo’s next LP, The Crossing, “Sonica USA” also includes an appearance by one of his musical heroes, Wayne Kramer.

“Sonica USA” serves as a guide of sorts to the trajectory that Escovedo’s music has followed over the past four decades, name-checking everyone from proto-punks the Zeros...

Jewel has a new man in her life - Indianapolis Colts' backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. "They met in Nashville and have been dating for a while - they went to France together," a source close to the singer tells People. "He treats her amazingly well and is a great guy. She's really happy." On Sunday, Jewel, 41, shared a photo of herself with Whitehurst, 33, backstage at the Alejandro Escovedo Experience: The Leonard Cohen Influence in Austin, Texas. @robertpatrickT2 @cwhitey6 and I back stage to see @alescovedo for the Leonard Cohen Experience. Robert is singing! A photo posted by Jewel (@jewel) on...

I've seen so much music over the years it's often difficult for me to find much that is authentic. I have to get off the beaten track and lurk around the fringes of the music scene. Find those pockets of music where the authentic bubbles and boils. Where artists are making authentic art, for themselves, for their small stake in the world; hoping to get some response back from an audience or a scene, hoping to be noticed, hoping to share their art.

I was talking to painter Ron English at lunch in Austin during SXSW and he reminded me how cities use to stake their claim in creating a music scene with an identifiable sound -- San Francisco in the '60s with the psychedelic bands like the Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, et al.; London's punk/new wave scene in the mid/late '70s with the Sex Pistols,...

A long time ago, we used to be friends…

Any true Marshmallow knows the rest of the words. The rousing 2003 Dandy Warhols tune “We Used to Be Friends” underscored the opening credits of Veronica Mars throughout its three seasons on the air. Even though it had a radio life outside of the show (it was even used on an episode of The O.C.!), the song belongs to Veronica Mars. Like all great theme songs, it has become indistinguishable from the show itself.

But Veronica and the rest of the gang have evolved in the past decade, and a new era...

It does not seem long ago when we were merely discussing the possibility of a “Veronica Mars” movie. Its Kickstarter campaign was the subject of much scrutiny and debate, but the TV show’s fans have spoken, and now we’re just one month away from the movie’s theatrical release. Co-written and directed by the show’s creator, Rob Thomas, the movie stars Kristen Bell, Krysten Ritter, Jason Dohring, Ryan Hansen, Francis Capra, Enrico Colantoni, Ken Marino, Martin Starr, and Gaby Hoffman. And if a “Veronica Mars” movie is simply not enough to appease you, then maybe its accompanying soundtrack will do the trick. The “Veronica Mars” motion picture soundtrack, as well as the original score, will get released on March 4th, thanks to WaterTower Music. The album features artists such as Zz Ward, Sufjan Stevens, and Lou Rawls. Meanwhile, the show’s theme song will also be in the album,...

Plowboy Records recently released You Don’t Know Me, an Eddy Arnold tribute album featuring appearances from artists like Frank Black, Bobby Bare, Jr. and Alejandro Escovedo. Produced by Cheetah Chrome, the album celebrates Arnold’s 70-year career. “Eddy Arnold was always a household favorite,” said Escovedo. “My father was a lover of crooners and great voices. My mother loved him, too. He was one of those guys playing in our house all the time, along with Sinatra and Nat King Cole. We heard his voice a lot.” Escovedo chose to record the track “It’s A Sin.” “‘Its A Sin’ is one...

The San Diego Music Thing (Sdmt) conference is now in its fifth year located in balmy San Diego, California. This year's Sdmt will be September 14 and 15 with daytime events including panels, mentoring, demo review sessions and an acoustic pool stage, held at the historic Lafayette Hotel in North Park. Featured speakers for this year.s event include the inimitable Chuck D from Public Enemy, Wayne Kramer (MC5) and Martin Atkins (TourSmart) and more. In the evening, over 170 performers including critically acclaimed artists Alejandro Escovedo, The Stone Foxes, Ben Taylor, Jjamz, Bleeding Rainbow, Ume, Pictureplane, Eternal Summers, Voxhaul Broadcast, Hunx and His Punx, Iamdynamite, No, Nite Jewel, So Many Wizards and White Arrows, will take stage at venues...

Texas singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo is a rock ‘n’ roll musician, plain and simple. The San Antonio native has dabbled in a number of different musical styles over the course of his career—from his time with the San Francisco punk band The Nuns in the ’70s, to his illustrious solo career—but, as Escovedo notes, it all comes back to wanting to make rock records. His latest album, Big Station, was released last Tuesday and might be the best example of Escovedo returning to his roots. It’s his third album working with both writing partner Chuck Prophet and producer Tony Visconti...

With a brazen swagger drawn from Alejandro Escovedo’s punk roots, the 61-year-old songwriter/yowler declares, “I can take a punch, I can take a swing.” on Big Station’s opening “Man of the World”—suggesting his 12th studio release is an action record. Over a dozen songs, the Rank and File founder never disappoints. With strains of “Forever Young”-era Dylan and the acoustic side of Neil Young, “Bottom of the World” paints a sweeping portrait of the dissolute, while the low-riding urgency of artistic consumption “Headstrong Crazy Fool” is laced with one slithering guitar line, a tiny keyboard figure and an unwavering...

Texas singer, songwriter and blues rocker Alejandro Escovedo announced his 11th solo album today, which is titled Big Station. The album is set for a June 5 release on Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group. On the follow-up to 2010’s _Street Songs of Love_, which debuted at the top of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, Escovedo worked with frequent co-writer Chuck Prophet and producer Tony Visconti.

For those of us who survived, another South By Southwest Music Conference has come and gone, with a new slate of happenings for next year's programmers to topple. Check out 2012's biggest happenings below, from the Boss to Weezy. + Bruce Springsteen had some fine guests on the second big date of his "Wrecking Ball" tour. After an afternoon of delivering the keynote address, he was able to finally rock out and see some friends -- like Arcade Fire, Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely, Tom Morello, Jimmy Cliff, the Low Anthem and the lead singer of the Animals. + Rick Ross --...

Bruce Springsteen’s SXSW keynote speech has already been hailed as one of the best of the fest, but last night’s two-and-a-half hour performance at Austin’s Moody Theater might have been even more ridiculous. With 3,000 people packed into venue, The Boss and company tore through dozens of hits with a number of very famous musical guests. The set culminated in a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” featuring Régine Chassagne and Win and Will Butler from Arcade Fire, Tom Morello, Eric Burdon of The Animals, Alejandro Escovedo, Garland Jeffreys, Joe Ely, and members of The Low Anthem....

Austin -- For a man with so many famous friends, it's a wonder that Bruce Springsteen hasn't taken advantage of the talent saturation at the South By Southwest Music Conference before. The Boss not only delivered the festival's keynote address Thursday day, but performed for just shy of two-and-a-half hours with his E Street Band at night, along with a few pals from his collection. Arcade Fire, Alejandro Escovedo, Jimmy Cliff, Tom Morello, Joe Ely, Eric Burdon and more all took the stage at Acl Live, most notably and abundantly on the Boss' frequent cover and closer "This Land Is Your...

Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the Austin Music Awards on Wednesday (March 14). Singer-songwriter Joe Ely was in the middle of his set with Alejandro Escovedo at the Austin Music Hall, when he called his good friend Springsteen onto the stage. "We need one more guitar player," Ely told those in attendance, reports Rolling Stone. Springsteen provided back-up for the remainder of Ely and Escovedo's set and chimed in on vocals for 'Always a Friend' and the Rolling Stones' hit 'Beast (more)...

AudioPlayer.setup("http://www.nerve.com/files/players/audio/player.swf", { width: 350 }); Five Albums You Should Be Listening to Right Now From Providence to Washington Square in this week's Five Albums. by Randy Abramson Each week, titans of the mediasphere give Nerve their music recommendations. This week: time-traveling picks by Randy Abramson of the music blog RockTorch.com, a site “dedicated to bringing you music recommendations from the people who know music best – the artists themselves." 1. Amy Cook, Let the Light In (2010) Cook’s husky voice sounds like she knows she’s on the brink of making it big on this stellar collection of songs, produced by Austin alt-country guru Alejandro Escovedo. Ben Kweller and Patty Griffin are in the credits, but Let the Light In isn’t just about famous friends: “Get It Right” and “Hotel Lights” stand out as two of the most [...]...

It must have occurred to the staffs of many of the late night shows that the summer is nearly over, which is probably why so many vacations are cropping up. "The Late Show with David Letterman" is on hiatus for two weeks, while "The Tonight Show" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" will both be taking next week off. Still, despite the disappearances, there remain a handful of shouldn't-miss guests who will be talking, joking and performing well past your bed time this week.

For example, "The Tonight Show" features the most eclectic cross-section of musical performers that show has seen all year, featuring Mike Posner (Monday, August 9), Meat Loaf (Tuesday, August 10), Los Lobos (Wednesday, August 11), the Whigs (Thursday, August 12) and Alejandro Escovedo (Friday, August 13). Host Jay Leno will also talk to "America's Got Talent" judge Howie Mandel (Monday), "Twilight" and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" star Anna Kendrick...

Bruce Springsteen wowed music fans at a tiny New Jersey club on Saturday, July 24 when he hit the stage with singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo for a trio of tunes. The rock legend was an unannounced guest at the Stone Pony and thrilled Escovedo's fans when he walked out to join his pal.

The duo performed Escovedo's "Always a Friend", a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden" and a new song, titled "Faith", according to Rolling Stone. It was Springsteen's first non-charity show performance at the fabled Asbury Park venue since he performed at a Mike Ness concert in May 2008.

Bruce Springsteen has released 16 studio albums. His latest album, called "Working on a Dream", was outed in the U.S. on January 27, 2009. The record has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

Bruce Springsteen and Alejandro Escovedo:...

So... unlike the Hulk, y'all apparently like me when I'm angry. I'd like to thank everyone for the overwhelmingly positive response to my little rant and offer my apologies to Canadians; I've been to your country many times and everyone I've met has been unfailingly lovely and the maple syrup really is that good. It did feel good to get some of those frustrations off my chest, but now everything is back to normal, where I just insult bad television. At least for the time being. Here's Wednesday night's TV:

8:00pm: "Big Brother" on CBS

"Minute to Win It" on NBC

"PBS Special: Tavis Smiley Reports: New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long" on PBS. Some of the PBS shows I want to start typing in the style of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" just to highlight how unnecessary and ridiculous these title constructions are.

Drake's Thank Me Later holds onto Billboard #2, while 'Eclipse' soundtrack jumps up to #3 with movie's release.

By Gil Kaufman

Eminem

Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

He may not have crossed the platinum plateau in his first week on shelves, but Eminem cruised past it in the second week, as Recovery moved another 313,000 copies to hold on to the #1 spot on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart. Despite a 58 percent sales dip, Slim Shady bested all comers with his latest, as his two-week total went up over 1 million, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

That was more than enough to keep beating Drake's Thank Me Later, which sold 105,000 copies for a three-week total just shy of 709,000 and the #2 slot on the chart. And after "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" smashed box-office records last week, the soundtrack moves up seven spots to #3 (65,000, up 69 percent).

The only newcomers in the top 10 are which lands at...

Before the release of 2008’s Real Animal, 59-year-old singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo signed on with Bruce Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau, a seemingly savvy move that appears to have had at least a subliminal (and not entirely welcome) effect on Escovedo’s music. Following up on the hopped-up, slickly packaged guitar anthems of Real Animal, Street Songs Of Love is a full-fledged stab at crafting the most radio-friendly mainstream rock album of 1984. Escovedo’s gritty snarl and survivor’s spirit are still as vital as ever, but Street Songs Of Love is hindered by dated, bombastic production choices—including ...

John Legend, Mary J. Blige and the 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse' cast are also scheduled to make Independence Day appearances around the country.

By MTV News staff

B.O.B

Photo: MTV News

The Fourth of July weekend. A time for potato salad, backyard barbecues, trips to the ER following fireworks mishaps and patriotic concerts headlined by Canadian tween stars.

Yes, Ontario's own Justin Bieber will headline this year's Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on Sunday. The show will be broadcast on NBC and also feature appearances from Enrique Iglesias, LeAnn Rimes and a few yet-unnamed "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" castmembers. Nick Cannon will host the night's festivities, which will beam out from the deck of the Norwegian Epic cruise liner.

Rapper B.o.B will also be in New York, performing at the third annual Brooklyn Music Festival along with a host of reggae stars, including Shaggy, Shabba Ranks, Barrington Levy,...

The Big Music Machine hits the shuffle button this week with a slate of random releases ready for 4th of July play. New York glam-disco revivalists Scissor Sisters get back on the dirty dance floor, and folk darlings Indigo Girls get back on the road with a double live CD. Meanwhile, rapper The-Dream is stuck in arrested development, while Texas troubadour Alejandro Escovedo makes an album that may finally push him into the mainstream. And American songwriting legend Jimmy Webb revisits his storied songbook with a bunch of his famous friends. You may not want to play them all, but there are some you should definitely not skip. Do artists like Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, and Scissor Sisters push sexuality too far? [Poll] Play: Scissor Sisters, "Night Work" Before Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert, the Scissor Sisters were strutting their flamboyant asses in...

Unassuming excellence From his early work with the Nuns, on through Rank & File, the True Believers and more recently with his stellar solo albums, Alejandro Escovedo has remained a low-key legend. He’s a guy who, on any given night, can take one song and turn it into an orchestral ballad, a Stooges knife-fight or a Faces-flecked scratch-rocker; sometimes he’s David Bowie without the stage dress, sometimes he’s Townes Van Zandt with more easily-tamed ghosts, but he’s been a relentless—if largely unrecognized—presence on the musical landscape over the last few decades....

The tenth solo album by Alejandro Escovedo, Street Songs of Love, will be released on Tuesday, June 29. The same night he'll stride on stage at the first of three shows this week at New York City's City Winery and no doubt blow the roof off the place at the start of his summer tour, taking his music directly to the people once again. "I love touring, I love playing in front of people," Escovedo told me recently. "It's always been about playing in front of people for me." The new album is at once robust and tender, all 13 of its tracks taking on love in its many forms, and dedicated with love to his first record producer, guitarist Stephen Bruton, who died last year. After 2008's autobiographical Real Animal, Escovedo had hoped this time to just record "cool songs...

Lady Gaga's "Alejandro" (and its accompanying video) is fast becoming a hugely iconic song. Not only is the video full of deep-rooted religious meaning and the song brimming with gay-friendly messages, but its title character also becomes the most famous person ever named "Alejandro."

But what other people named Alejandro are on that list? Here are the most famous Alejandros, many of whom are film directors.

Alejandro Jodorowsky: Legendarily freaky Spanish film director most notable for his freaky 1970 psychedelic Western "El Topo," a favorite film of John Lennon. Most recently, he attempted to get a project off the ground that involved the following people: David Lynch, Marilyn Manson, Nick Nolte, Udo Kier and Asia Argento. Had that actually happened, Jodorowsky would have easily been the top Alejandro.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu: Wildly overrated film director responsible for the decent "Amores Perros," the unwatchable "21 Grams" and the utterly incoherent "Babel.

Alejandro Escovedo’s career has taken him from San Antonio to San Francisco to New York, then back to Texas again (Austin this time). But you don’t need to read Escovedo’s liner notes to know he’s been around the block—his punkish twist on rockabilly speaks volumes about the streets he’s walked. On “Street Songs,” off his forthcoming album, Street Songs of Love, Escovedo holds true to his Texas-barroom-scribe foundations, singing, “I saw her in the neighborhood/ she was movin’ sideways, not lookin’ too good/ then I saw her in the parking lot/ wearing blackmail and she was smokin’ pot.” Street Songs of Love, out June 29 on Fantasy/Concord records, is the 12th album from the prolific Escovedo, who borrows as much from rock as he does from Latin jazz. Download “Street Songs” after the jump.

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Alejandro Escovedo has been through a lot over the years, and he’ll be channeling those ups and downs once again into a new album, Street Songs of Love, June 29 on Fantasy Records. The record pairs Escovedo with producer Tony Visconti (T. Rex, Morrissey, David Bowie). Street Songs “ended up being an album about love, the pursuit of a feeling that is forever elusive, mysterious, and addictive,” according to Escovedo, and features a collaboration track with Bruce Sprinsteen (“Faith”)....