February 4th, 2008: MLK Weekend This column is kicking off at the top of Black History Month and what better way to usher in February than with a bunch of celebrations in honor of that great orator and organizer, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a student, MLK weekend often means a wave of essays, lectures, symposia and even pageants commemorating his legacy. As an about-town 20-something in NYC it often means spending Sunday night shearing rugs at crowded venues...

Rykodisc turns 25 this year and to commemorate its quarter of a century status, the label is giving away 5 free downloads on the 25th of every month from its extensive back catalogue. Artists as wide ranging as Frank Zappa, Ali Farke Toure, Toumani Diabate, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Taj Mahal, Jimi Hendrix, King Sunny Ade, Medeski, Martin & Wood and John Scofield have calleda Rykodisc home over the past two and half decades. The imprint continues to grow in 2008, extending its open...

Leslie Feist, Brad Paisley and Alicia Keys have been added to the list of performers at the Grammy Awards in LA, Feb. 10, joining Beyonce, Mary J. Blige performing a gospel collaboration with Aretha Franklin, Rihanna and others. Thankfully, last week the Grammy's reached an interim deal with the Writers' Guild of America so that it could move forward with planning the prestigious awards show despite the ongoing strike.

Erykah Badu is back with her first single "Honey" (prod. by 9th Wonder) off the new album New Amerykah out Feb. 26th. The video uses the oh-so-slick superimposed animation technique, recreating famous vinyl cover art - this time starring Ms. Badu. In a previous interview on SOHH.com, Erykah spoke about healing hip hop, and it looks like she's delivering the antidote to its ailments in just one month's time. "Honey"...

One of the largest and longest running purveyers of quality independent music, the European Ninja Tune label is preparing to release a monster compilation of 50 tracks entitled You Don't Know: Ninja Cuts Feb. 25th. It will be available as a 3-CD release and MP3 bundle. Visit the link below to download 10 free songs from the compilation including music by The Cinematic Orchestra, Zero dB, Wiley, Bonobo and more.

J.Rocc of The Beat Junkies has created an exclusive mix from tracks of the Droppin' Science: Greatest Samples From The Blue Note Lab compilation (out Feb. 12th), comprised of 10 classic records sampled by hip hop producers of the 80's, 90's and 00's. J.Rocc deftly juxtaposes the hip hop hits by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre and many more with the Blue Note tracks to which they pay tribute. The mix is streaming now on Giant Step's Weekly...

There has been a change of venue for the MySpace Music Tour Featuring Justice Presented by Discover Card. It is now being held at WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden , a slightly more intimate setting for your D.A.N.C.E.-ing pleasure. Tickets purchased for the Madison Square Garden will be exchanged for the WaMu show. Patrons who purchased tickets with a credit card will have the new ticket mailed to them. If they purchased through an outlet with cash they will have their tickets...

Court jester of the music industry (and actually quite a talented pianist, composer, producer and performer) Gonazales makes a triumphant return with Soft Power out April 7th. Taking a backseat for the last few years to produce for other artists like his friend Feist, Gonzo follows up his introspective 2004 album Solo Piano , aptly contrasting it with upbeat and cheery feel-good melodies. The hairy ex-pat Canadian certainly hasn't lost his sense of humor or wit as you can...

Klaxons are heading back into the studio to create the follow up to their Myths of the Near Future , the Mercury Prize winning record of 2007. The group will collaborate with producers Focus (Dr. Dre, The Game, Destiny's Child) and Tony Visconti (Bowie) in the next couple months before jetting over to Italy to record the bulk of the full-length with James Ford (½ of Simian Mobile Disco), producer of their debut album. Keen to venture out stylistically from their flashy New Rave...

AEG Live/Goldenvoice, the promotion partners responsible for the annual April festival Coachella in Indio, CA, are applying their talents to a summer East coast event at Liberty State Park, NJ (just a ferry ride across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan). While the festival will not be branded with the Coachella label, the event is expected to follow in the footsteps of the Coachella ethos in music. Headliners for the 2008 Coachella Festival (4/25-4/27) will be announced in the...