Miami-based hip-hop/pop duo Mayday! will be performing at various venus in the Big Apple during CMJ week , Nov 1 through Nov 4. Check out their website for updates. In other news, they have also been added to the Rokout Festival in San Bernardino, CA on Nov 25 alongside The Prodigy, Q-Bert, Z-Trip and Souls Of Mischief .

Okay, so we have seen Gnarls Barkley dress up as characters from The Wizard Of Oz, School of Rock, Back To Feature etc. but nothing really beats this vampire flick featuring the hilarious Mario Van Peebles strolling the streets of NY looking for his next prey. Peep Gnarls Barkley's video for "Who Cares?" below - just in time for Halloween!

CMJ is just around the corner folks. If you are wondering how to clone yourself to attend multiple shows in one night, don't sweat it: Apple's Soho store has a few exciting in-store performances lined up for those who want to spend their lunch break with the likes of CSS, Cut Chemist and others. Here's a quick list to start off with. Make sure to check the CMJ and Apple website for updates: Monday, October 30th, 3pm - Tokyo Police Club Tuesday, October 31st, 3pm - CSS Wednesday,...

Bloc Party is not the type of band to rest on their laurels. Only a year after releasing their debut Silent Alarm , the Brit rockers have announced that their second studio album, A Weekend in the City , will be out on February 6, 2006 on Vice Records. The album was produced by Jacknife Lee and is said to be inspired by the music of Philip Glass, Timbaland, Aaliyah and Bela Bartok. The quartet also announced a North American tour with Panic! at the Disco and...

Rooted deep in American songwriting tradition, Amos Lee's new album Supply And Demand was released recently to critical acclaim. The singer/songwriter talks about life on the road and performs songs ("Shout Out Loud," "Sympathize" and "Careless") from his latest CD on NPR's Talk of the Nation, which you can listen now by clicking here .

One of our favorite nu-groove/soul artists, the wonderful Malena Perez , is performing at downtown hotspot Nublu this Sunday, Oct 29th . Word has it that she'll be doing two live sets of material from her debut album, 'STARS,' and some new vibes too. Sole Channel's Alix Alvarez will be spinning throughout the night and the show starts at 11 PM. Considering how rare Ms. Perez performs, this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to hear the songstress play live at...

Since 2004 Waxploitation, home to Gnarls Barkley, Danger Mouse among other artists, has been active raising money and awareness for the victims of the Genocide taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. They are now putting together their 3rd charity auction, with the money raised going to Oxfam and Human Rights Watch. In the last 2 years they have auctioned off items from System of a Down, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Beastie Boys and more. The date for the auction has...

Our good friends over at The Brooklyn Bodega have teamed up with The Brooklyn Brewery to host a fundraiser/celebration for Jay Dee and the recently formed Dilla Foundation. The event will take place on Wednesday, November 1st at The Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, and attendees will be able to request Dilla produced tracks all night long. Check the links to the right and below for more info. Suggested donation is 10 beans, so show your respect and love to one of hip-hop's...

Famed photographer Janette Beckman, who started her career working for UK music bibles Melody Makers and Face and shot seminal bands like Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Specials and The Police, have published some of the photos she took at Giant Step's fundraising event for Tom Terrell on 9/11 on the glossy online magazine Zoom Zoom. Great stuff indeed - view pictures here . If you would like to donate money to Tom...

October/November means CMJ Week in NYC. Every year our good friends at CMJ are putting on this mammoth festival of talented and up-and-coming local and national talent with a few big names thrown in for good measure. Now in its 26th year, this year's line up includes bands like the The Knife, The Black Keys, Madlib, Hot Chip, MMW, The Decemberists, The Cardigans, Gang Gang Dance among dozens of others. With advance screenings of movies like "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for...