Radiohead

Radiohead keeps adding dates to their new tour. Among the just-announced latest batch is the Verizon Center. The band will hit the Washington D.C. stage June 3. They've been touring in support of their latest album "The King of Limbs. " Tickets, at $69.50, go on sale March 10. The band Caribou will open. The fan club gets first dibs on March 8. The band's new tour dates start May 29 in Mansfield, Massachusetts and includes two shows at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Here's a round-up of our week at Midnight Sun: •••• Very. Important. Band. Radiohead added dates to its upcoming tour, including a stop at Verizon Center on June 3. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. More details here . •••• Canadian country star Terri Clark performs Saturday and Sunday at Rams Head on Stage. She and I talked about losing her mother to cancer, leaving her major label and more, which you can read here . If you don't make it to Clark's shows, I recommend the Lemonheads show at the Ottobar, where you can hear Evan Dando and Co. perform "It's a Shame About Ray" in its entirety.

OXFORD, ENGLAND -- It's funny how sometimes a single will seem to take on a life of its own.When Radiohead's "Creep" first crept onto the airwaves back in 1993, it took radio listeners completely by surprise. It wasn't just the dry, self-deprecating chorus ("I'm a creep, I'm a loser . . .") that did it; it was also the blast of overdriven guitar that went with each self-flagellating admission. In no time at all, this British quintet began to be known as the "Creep" band.That was fine at the time, but over the years, things have gotten a little, well, creepy.

Radiohead keeps adding dates to their new tour. Among the just-announced latest batch is the Verizon Center. The band will hit the Washington D.C. stage June 3. They've been touring in support of their latest album "The King of Limbs. " Tickets, at $69.50, go on sale March 10. The band Caribou will open. The fan club gets first dibs on March 8. The band's new tour dates start May 29 in Mansfield, Massachusetts and includes two shows at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

That the recording industry runs on hype is not news. Obsessed with trends and desperately seeking the Next Big Whatever, its denizens are forever listening for the latest buzz -- something that almost always has to do with fashion, cool or perceived profitability.Musical value, needless to say, usually ends up being the last thing these folks consider. If an album requires close attention and multiple hearings to make its mark, of course it's going to get ignored. Hey, who has time for that sort of thing anymore?

It's hard not to feel betrayed by expectations, particularly when they're as high as they were for Radiohead's new album, "Kid A" (arriving in stores today). After all, Radiohead's last release, 1998's "OK Computer," was pretty much perfect. Clever, well-crafted and exquisitely tuneful, it possessed depths even a hundred hearings couldn't plumb. Even better, there was a beauty and emotional clarity to Thom Yorke's singing that seemed to put the music on a completely different plane from most rock.

The consensus seems to be that it's a risky move but a brilliant one nonetheless. Radiohead, the multiplatinum British rock band, bucks conventional "record" industry wisdom today by releasing its new album, In Rainbows, exclusively on the group's Web site. But the really audacious part is that Radiohead, which is not under contract with a record company, is allowing fans to pay whatever they want for the music: 1 cent, $1, $10, whatever. Since the critically acclaimed quintet made the announcement a week ago, music circles have been buzzing about the unprecedented move.

It's the biggest hip-hop show this summer with artists who have been dominating urban airwaves all year. Rock the Mic Tour, which stops at 1st Mariner Arena tonight, features 50 Cent (Mr. It in hip-hop right now), Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul and Fabolous. Tickets are $39.50-$49.50 and the heat is on at 6:30. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 410-481-SEAT or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Radiohead / Merriweather Radiohead is one of the most exciting alternative rock outfits to emerge in the past 10 years with its eerie brand of grand rock and angst-ridden lyrics.

For his appearance this week with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Christopher O'Riley will perform works by 20th-century French composer Maurice Ravel and Radiohead, the British alternative rock band - a perfectly normal juxtaposition for this pianist. "There never was a plan," O'Riley says of his emergence from traditional classical artist to multimedia celebrity to crossover success story, acclaimed for brilliant arrangements of rock songs. "It was just a matter of willingness, and doing what I like doing, and playing what I like playing."

SATURDAY PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE: The Ed Wood-directed cult classic is revered and reviled for its low production values, lackluster acting and generally shoddy film work. It has been considered such an awful film, the Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave., offers prizes to folks who can sit through it in its entirety. The film begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. This screening is free. Call 410-396-1580 or go to prattlibrary.org. NIGHTLIFE '09: Raise your glass to celebrate Moveable Feast's anniversary at Grand Central, The Hippo, Club 1722, The Depot, The Drinkery, George's, Idle Hour and Leon's.

I can't get enough covers; I even follow Coverville  which is a great podcast if you are a cover-junkie like me. Anyways, check out Stereogum.com to download up to 20 of Radiohead's best covers. Includes:  

SATURDAY PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE: The Ed Wood-directed cult classic is revered and reviled for its low production values, lackluster acting and generally shoddy film work. It has been considered such an awful film, the Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave., offers prizes to folks who can sit through it in its entirety. The film begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. This screening is free. Call 410-396-1580 or go to prattlibrary.org. NIGHTLIFE '09: Raise your glass to celebrate Moveable Feast's anniversary at Grand Central, The Hippo, Club 1722, The Depot, The Drinkery, George's, Idle Hour and Leon's.

For his appearance this week with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Christopher O'Riley will perform works by 20th-century French composer Maurice Ravel and Radiohead, the British alternative rock band - a perfectly normal juxtaposition for this pianist. "There never was a plan," O'Riley says of his emergence from traditional classical artist to multimedia celebrity to crossover success story, acclaimed for brilliant arrangements of rock songs. "It was just a matter of willingness, and doing what I like doing, and playing what I like playing."

Just announced Heart of the City Tour -- starring Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z, 1st Mariner Arena on March 26. Tour makes a stop at Verizon Center in Washington on April 6. Tickets for both go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Radiohead -- Nissan Pavilion on May 11. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Tony Bennett -- Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on March 22. Also, comedian George Carlin is there March 29. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.

The consensus seems to be that it's a risky move but a brilliant one nonetheless. Radiohead, the multiplatinum British rock band, bucks conventional "record" industry wisdom today by releasing its new album, In Rainbows, exclusively on the group's Web site. But the really audacious part is that Radiohead, which is not under contract with a record company, is allowing fans to pay whatever they want for the music: 1 cent, $1, $10, whatever. Since the critically acclaimed quintet made the announcement a week ago, music circles have been buzzing about the unprecedented move.

It's the biggest hip-hop show this summer with artists who have been dominating urban airwaves all year. Rock the Mic Tour, which stops at 1st Mariner Arena tonight, features 50 Cent (Mr. It in hip-hop right now), Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul and Fabolous. Tickets are $39.50-$49.50 and the heat is on at 6:30. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 410-481-SEAT or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Radiohead / Merriweather Radiohead is one of the most exciting alternative rock outfits to emerge in the past 10 years with its eerie brand of grand rock and angst-ridden lyrics.

Just announced Heart of the City Tour -- starring Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z, 1st Mariner Arena on March 26. Tour makes a stop at Verizon Center in Washington on April 6. Tickets for both go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Radiohead -- Nissan Pavilion on May 11. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Tony Bennett -- Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on March 22. Also, comedian George Carlin is there March 29. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.

In the days before he became Kid Rock, little Bob Ritchie used to stand in front of a mirror pretending he was Michael Jackson in sequins and a white glove, working out his dance routine to "Beat It." "Everybody has their little corny stage, and that was mine," Rock says with a laugh. "Now I realize what really got me was that beat, and it was an 808 drum machine - the most prominent instrument in rap music during the '80s. It was on everything from the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill, the Run-D.

In the days before he became Kid Rock, little Bob Ritchie used to stand in front of a mirror pretending he was Michael Jackson in sequins and a white glove, working out his dance routine to "Beat It." "Everybody has their little corny stage, and that was mine," Rock says with a laugh. "Now I realize what really got me was that beat, and it was an 808 drum machine - the most prominent instrument in rap music during the '80s. It was on everything from the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill, the Run-D.

It's hard not to feel betrayed by expectations, particularly when they're as high as they were for Radiohead's new album, "Kid A" (arriving in stores today). After all, Radiohead's last release, 1998's "OK Computer," was pretty much perfect. Clever, well-crafted and exquisitely tuneful, it possessed depths even a hundred hearings couldn't plumb. Even better, there was a beauty and emotional clarity to Thom Yorke's singing that seemed to put the music on a completely different plane from most rock.