On Friday night I had the privilege of attending the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year benefit at the Los Angeles Convention Center, with that Person being Sir Paul McCartney.

MusiCares is a charity that provides a safety net for music people in times of need, and McCartney was named Person of the Year for his lifetime of philanthropy and humanitarianism. The POY gala, which was sold out long ago and was hosted in one of the largest ballrooms I've ever seen, hosted about 2,500 people who paid about $1,500 per seat to see a memorable concert headlined by none other than Sir Paul himself.

In the afternoon, I attended the red carpet, and here is a list of just some of the peop...

On Thursday evening, I attended the red carpet and the Grammy Foundation's "One Night Only: A Celebration of the Live Music Experience," the foundation's 14th annual music preservation project.

The show was held at the Saban Theatre on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, right next to the home of Larry Flynt Publications. I was directed to park my car in Mr. Flynt's office building, thought I felt shady about it and nervously searched for hand sanitizer after handing the valet $16. As I walked out of the parking garage, I looked for porn stars, but didn't see any. Darn. I needed a date for the evening. (My wife was in Salt Lake City at the time.) Just kidding, sweetie.

The red...

This morning I talked to Taliah Johnson, a senior at SUU, one of two SUU students who have been nominated for Best Choral Peformance in the Classical Music division for "Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem."

The duo were part of the Professional Choral Institute held at the University of South Florida, a two-week program that included recording that CD with acclaimed Florida group Seraphic Fire.

Johnson, a senior who plans on graduating with a degree in music education, said she had never heard of the Brahms composition before rehearsing it during the program. And while she knew the recording session was professional, she had no idea it was "Grammy material," she said.

...

In 2011, Grammy Awards were awarded in 109 categories. This year, that number has been slashed to 78.

Paradoxically, the televised length of the program will stay the same.

Many of the changes to the music awards elicit head-scratching.

In the Classical music category, the main award, Best Classical Album, has been discontinued. Classical recordings are now eligible to be nominated for the overall Album of the Year category — like that will ever happen.

Since last year, the distinction between male and female soloists in various pop, rock, R&B, country and rap has been eliminated. Which would make sense, if we could all agree that music fans have become...

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 12 from 2 – 4:30 p.m. MT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally at www.grammy.com/live and www.cbs.com.

Attended by nominees and industry VIPs, the star-studded ceremony with be co-hosted by current GRAMMY nominee Dave Koz and Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter President and rapper MC Lyte.

The pre-telecast will feature performances by current nominees Kim Burrell, Le'Andria Johnson, Kelly Price, and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 in a "Ladies of Gospel" segment as well as current nominees mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, singer/songwriter Steve Earle and New Orleans' ...

The Beach Boys — Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks, who have not performed together live in more than two decades — will reunite on the GRAMMY stage and join with current GRAMMY nominees Foster The People and Maroon 5 for a special performance on Sunday's CBS telecast.

The Civil Wars, Diana Krall, funk artist Maceo Parker, and six-time GRAMMY winner Joe Walsh have been added to the lineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Two-time GRAMMY winner Common, actor Taraji P. Henson, two-time GRAMMY winner Reba McEntire, and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Diana Ross will appear as presenters, it has just been announced. Wil...

Just announced: Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band will perform at Usana Amphithatre on July 11.

This will be the twelfth incarnation of Ringo’s “All Starr Band."

This time out Ringo will be joined by guitarist Steve Lukather (Toto), keyboardist Gregg Rolie (Santana & Journey), bassist Richard Page (Mr. Mister), sax player Mark Rivera, drummer Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth band, among others) and Todd Rundgren also on guitar.

...

I am in Los Angeles for "Grammy Week," and Wednesday was devoted to the Grammy Foundation's education outreach programs, with hundreds of high-schoolers from around the area visiting the School of Music at the University of Southern California. Music veterans like Jimmy Jam were there to impart wisdom.

I had a conversation with Rickey Minor, now the bandleader of Jay Leno's "Tonight" show band, and formerly the music director of the Grammys as well as "American Idol." He brought along with him a percussionist, saxophone player and guitar player from that band to talk to the students about songwriting. Accompanying his band was Lacey Brown and Didi Benami, both season 9 contestants o...

On Wednesday morning, I attended the Grammy Camp: Basic Training event sponsored by the Grammy Foundation at the University of Southern California.

The event, and accompanying activities held Wednesday, are meant to reinforce the Foundation's commitment to arts education, with high school students from around the area having the chance to interact with musicians, songwriters, producers, and other veterans of the music industry.

During the morning session, I jumped at the chance to have a one-on-one interview with songwriter and producer Eman (full name: Emanuel Kiriakou), whose hit singles include Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight," Selena Gomez's "Who Says," and, most impo...

Current GRAMMY nominees Chris Brown, deadmau5, Foo Fighters, David Guetta, and Lil Wayne will join for a special performance highlighting dance and electronica music for the first time ever on the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

The unique performance will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on the CBS.

The performance will take place in a special outdoor tent adjacent to STAPLES Center on the Nokia Plaza at L.A. LIVE.

Four-time GRAMMY winner Lil Wayne has five nominations: Best Rap Performance for "Look At Me Now" (with Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes); two nods in Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "I'm On One" (with DJ ...

On Wednesday, I will be leaving the small Ventura County burg of Camarillo to go to the University of Southern Caifornia, the home of Tommy Trohan, to attend Grammy Camp in the morning and then a gala called "Grammy in the Schools Live!" in the evening.

Grammy Camp begins at 8:30 a.m., so although Camarillo is only about 50 or 60 miles away from USC, I will be starting my drive shortly after 6 a.m. to brave the L.A. traffic on Highway 101 and the Harbor Freeway.

I am looking forward to te evening gala. It was just announced that last year's surprise Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Esperanza Spalding, will perform, in addition to current G...

Neal Middleton auditioned on NBC''s "The Voice" on Monday, and despite an awesome rendition of "I Heard It From the Grapevine," was not selected by ANY of the judges to move on to the next part of the competition.

I couldn't believe my eyes, as I and my family coulldn't fathom why the Royal Bliss singer was cut. The judges told him essentially that he over-sang it, but that's what people who are auditioning for reality TV shows are supposed to do. It's not a time to be nuanced or be subtle. You bring your best voice, and Neal did. He was screwed.

Here is my appraisment of the judges:

Blake Shelton: Your wife is much more talented than you. Do not ever try to sing a Pr...

Maestro Thierry Fischer will conduct the Mendelssohn symphony cycle, commission his econd world premiere and welcome back popular guest artists in his third full season as Music Director, the Utah Symphony announed today.

Excerpt from US | UO press release:

MAESTRO FISCHER’S SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Each of Mendelssohn’s five symphonies, including his Symphony No. 3 “Scottish” and Symphony No. 4 “Italian,” the Ravel orchestration of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, Ravel’s “Boléro,” Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter,” Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” a return collaboration with violinist Hilary Hahn, a new ...

The Shins with The Head and the Heart and Blind Pilot are the first acts announced for this summer's Red Butte Garden series, slated to perform Monday, May 28, 2012 (Memorial Day)

Tickets for this show only go on sale February 20, 2012.

Info:

Garden Members $40

General Public $45

www.redbuttegarden.org

...

Once upon a time, Kristen Madsen was much like the rest of us.

"I thought the Grammy Awards was a TV show one night a year," she said in a Tribune interview.

But after time spent in arts organizations in Utah and California, the Salt Lake City native has learned that the Grammys are much more than an awards show. Rather, The Recording Academy is a year-round group dedicated to raising the awareness of music in schools and the general consciousness, spurring activism in music preservation, and helping musicians in need.

Madsen is Senior Vice President of the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares, two charities founded by the Recording Academy. Right now, she and her st...

As I am in the Los Angeles area getting ready for Grammy Week to commence, I took the time to watch "The Voice" Sunday night after the Super Bowl because Christina Aguilera's cleavage is interesting. In addition, a Salt Lake City resident was scheduled to show up and audition.

Besides coming to the realization that the show is incredibly tiresome, I did not see Neal Middleton, the lead singer of local band Royal Bliss, audition Sunday night, but in promos for Monday's two-hour episode, he is clearly shown auditioning. So good luck, Neal! May you be as ominpresent on NBC over the nect few months as ads for "Smash."

I will be leaving for Los Angeles in a few minutes, as I will be attending plenty of Grammy Week events leading up to the Grammy Awards at The STAPLES Center on Sunday, Feb. 12, which will be aired on CBS.

I will be blogging and tweeting about the week's experiences, which in earnest begin on Wednesday.

...

Music Director Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony will present the world premiere of Swiss composer Michael Jarrell’s "Émergences – Nachlese VI" this weekend.

Fischer plans to commission one new work with the Utah Symphony each season, beginning with this one, a cello concerto featuring guest artist Jean-Guihen Queyras on Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4 at 8 p.m. in Abravanel Hall.

From a US | UO press release:

“I am reintroducing commissions into the Utah Symphony’s repertoire to show t...

Young fledging musicians from high schools across the region are coming to Southern Utah University as SUU’s Department of Music will host the region's High School Honor Band.

The visit culminates with a free concert at Cedar City’s Heritage Center Theatre on Saturday, February 18.

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. and the public is invited to attend.

The band features outstanding students from over 20 high schools in Utah, Arizona and Nevada. The students are nominated by their band directors and selected by SUU’s Dr. Thomas Herb, Associate Professor of Music Education, and Dr. Douglas Harris, Director of Bands at SUU.

The student musicians come to campus for...

In the following recent "30 Rock" webisode, Madonna has to pull out of performing during the Super Bowl half-time show and Alec Baldwin's character tries to enlist Ryan Adams, Donald Glover, a Doobie Brother and ulitmately Cee-Lo Green to fill in — only they are only allowed to sing a limited amount of songs that NBC owns. It's not bad:

http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_with_kristin/watch_now_30_rock_webisode_tries_find/291185

...

Actor and comic Kevin Pollak will be performing stand-up this Friday and Saturday at Wiseguys West Valley City (2194 West 3500 South, West Valley City).

We all know him best for "A Few Good Men" and "The Usual Suspects."

He will perform Feb. 3 at 7 and 9 p.m., and at the same times on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Tickets are $20 at www.wiseguyscomedy.com.

...

Making its first appearance in the United States, NCM Fathom will present Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "Love Never Dies," the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera," in a fully-staged production pre-recorded at The Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia.

This exclusive showing of Love Never Dies will be broadcast to select U.S. movie theaters for two nights only beginning with the premiere event on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. local time; followed by an encore presentation on Wednesday, March 7.

This event will include an in-depth interview with Andrew Lloyd...

Comedian Kevin Hart is one of the most popular comics to visit Utah — he quickly sold out all of his Wiseguys appearances recently — and his film "Laugh At My Pain" will be airing on Comedy Central on Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. (though check local llstings for MT), with an uncensored version airing later the same night.

The film was release on DVD on Jan. 17. In September, it was released in theaters, and within 3 months, surpassed $7.7 million at the box office becoming the most successful film of the year that ran in under 300 theaters.

To purchase "Laugh at My Pain" or any of Kevin's films or apps visit www.iTunes.com/KevinHart

...

The tabloid TV show "Extra" is reporting that Demi Moore "may be seeking treatment at the famed Cirque Lodge in Sundance, Utah, according to multiple "Extra" sources."

Here is an excerpt from their report, which they sent to me, allowing me to post:

Demi has not been seen since her friends made the frantic 911 call last week that lead to Moore's hospitalization. Her location has been the subject of wild speculation, some reports saying she's seeking "spiritual counseling", and now "Extra" has learned she may be getting it at Cirque.

The Lodge is a celebrity mecca of sorts. It's famous rehab alumni reportedly include Lindsay Lohan, Melanie Gri...

Here are great shows for the weekend ...

Great Basin Street Band

Show of the week • The Great Basin Street Band will bring its unique yet reverent take on Dixieland jazz at the next installment of the Gallivan Center’s collaboration with the local Excellence in the Community concert series, presented free Saturday night inside the center’s indoor venue adjacent to the lawn. Last month’s concert, featuring the great Utah pianist Josh Wright, drew a packed house, complete with a Steinway piano brought in by Daynes Music, one of the sponsors of the show. Jerry Floor, w...

Prior to the start of the Utah Symphony's performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony performance in Park City's Eccles Center on Thursday, Feb. 9, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President & CEO Melia Tourangeau will announce the 2012 Deer Valley Music Festival Line-up.

Season, group and VIP tickets to the festival will go on sale the following morning and can be purchased by calling (801) 355-ARTS or by visiting www.deervalleymusicfestival.org.

The evening, Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony will present the second performance of th...

Bakersfield metal band KORN are returning to the road for the second leg of the "Path of Totality Tour" and coming to Salt Lake City on Tuesday, February 28 at The Complex.

The show will feature support from Kill the Noise, while KORN frontman Jonathan Davis will also debut his new DJ set as his J Devil alter-ego.

KORN—Jonathan Davis [Vocals], James “Munky” Shaffer [Guitar], Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu [Bass] and Ray Luzier [Drums]—were recently profiled in the New York Times' Sunday section. Hell is cold.

...

NPR Music and partner public radio stations will present the opening night of the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference on Wednesday, March 14 at Stubbs.

The official showcase will be available on-air, online and on mobile to everyone, everywhere, in a live broadcast on NPR Member stations across the country, and live video stream at www.npr.org/music and NPR Music apps.

NPR Music continues its SXSW tradition of bringing to the stage current favorites, and musicians on the rise. This year’s showcase, with special guests to be announced, include (with descriptions provided from NPR):

Andrew Bird
...

Here are some recent show announcements from The State Room:

2/27 Poor Man's Whiskey & Tony Holiday
3/11 Josh Rosenthal
3/27 Head For The Hills & Dead Winter Carpenters
3/31 Amy Ray [of Indigo Girls]
4/5 The Lumineers
4/24 Todd Snider (above)
5/12 Katie Herzig

BTW, tonight's show by Alabama Shakes is sold-out.

...

Twenty-time Grammy winner Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have been added to the ineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Jack Black, Fergie, Amir "?uestlove" Thompson (The Roots), and Ringo Starr will appear as presenters, it was also just announced.

The Grammys are Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS.

...

In anticipation of what is expected to be one of this year’s hottest album releases, it was announced today that Carrie Underwood’s new CD will be released on Tuesday, May 1.

Produced by Mark Bright, the forthcoming album was featured in Entertainment Weekly’s recent “10 albums we can’t wait for.”

This will be the fourth studio album on 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville for the five-time Grammy winner.

The debut single co-written by Underwood, “Good Girl,” will be released to country radio on February 23.

...

Alabama Shakes performs tonight.

The much buzzed-about blues and rock band Alabama Shakes will perform its Muscle Shoals-inspired soul music.

When • Thursday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m.
Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $12 at The State Room

Check them out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HxNtWEIKhQ

...

A complaint was filed today in Salt Lake County District Court against Utah resident and country singer Collin Raye.

TMA, a management service which provided their services to Raye between December 2004 and March 2009, alleges that Raye owes his management more than $130,000 in unpaid commissions.

TMA also wants interest at the maximum rate allowed under Utah law (7.10 percent), plus a minimum of $5,000 in attorney fees and court costs.

Calls made to the plaintiff's lawyer and Raye's publicist weren't answered as of 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The Arkansas native Raye charted 40 singles in the U.S. country charts between 1991 and 2007, and four of Raye's singles have ...

The Salt Lake Symphony’s 26th Annual Vienna Ball will be held Feb. 11 from 8 p.m. until midnight.

The University of Utah Union Ballroom will be full of dancers swaying to the music of the Salt Lake Symphony and the Mark Chaney Jazz Trio.

Guests will also enjoy floor shows by the BYU Ballroom Dance Team, a full sit-down dinner, and a silent auction.

If you need to brush up on your ballroom dance steps, or are ready to learn the basics, Margene Anderson from DanceScene will lead a ballroom dance class beginning at 6:30 before the Ball begins.

KUER’s Steve Williams will emcee.

Admission is $85 for reserved seating (closest to the dance floor), and $60 fo...

A little-known piece of trivia is that the Osmond Brothers only began performing so that they could raise money to help their deaf brothers, Virl and Tom Osmond.

More than a half-century later, the lead singer of the Osmond Brothers, Merrill Osmond, is using his talents to once again raise money to help those with hearing loss, while entertaining Utahns from throughout the Salt Lake valley.

Merrill, with support from his sons Justin and Shane, has written and will produce the Youth Pioneer Pageant on July 20, 21, 23 and 24, with proceeds earmarked for the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund.

The Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund is a non-profit founded in late 2010,...

"Soul Train" officials released these two official statements about the death of host Don Cornelius earlier this morning:

"We are overwhelmed with the news regarding the passing of Don Cornelius. Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with his family at this time. He was a true television visionary and his contributions to African American culture, music, and entertainment are incomparable. The outpouring of affection and tributes to his legacy are a true testament to the profound impact that his life’s work had on many generations.” — Kenard Gibbs, CEO of Soul Train Holdings

“Don Cornelius was a pioneer, an innovator, and a trailblazer. He was the first African-Ameri...

Utah Chamber Artists will presents one of Igor Stravinsky’s most respected works, "Symphony of Psalms," on February 27.

The concert, at Libby Gardner Concert Hall at 7:30 PM, focuses on various choral settings from the Bible’s “Book of Psalms," according to program notes from Patrick Gardner of Riverside Choral Society.

More program notes:

The Psalms have been a rich resource for composers for centuries and during the first half of the program the Utah Chamber Artists choir will explore musical interpretations of these sacred texts. Composers Purcell, Rachmaninov, and Chesnokov, who chose to set writings for a cappella choirs, are featured. In addition organist...

On Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11, the American West Heritage Center will offer a special dinner for two, prepared by Logan's historic Blue Bird Restaurant, followed by a vaudeville-style program of magic and music in the opera house.

The night will include wagon rides to and from the venue, historically attired staff, and "spontaneous" gunfights.

Seating for dinner will begin at 6 p.m. with the performance in the opera house to follow.

The performance will feature repertoire from the Richard Hatch family's acclaimed ensemble ...

“After it’s Gone”, a new single just released by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13 (including R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Widespread Panic’s John Bell and Todd Nance), was inspired by the threat of a Walmart in the heart of the downtown Athens, Georgia.

Hood, singer, writer and guitarist for the band Drive-By Truckers, assembled The Downtown 13, a musical collective to protest a developer's proposed building of a massive mixed use development in downtown Athens, anchored by a 94,000 sq. foot Walmart.

The Recording Academy (which hands out Grammys) released this statement about Don Cornelius, 75, who died early Wednesday of an apparent suicide:

Recording Academy Trustees Award recipient Don Cornelius created a cultural phenomenon with "Soul Train," providing a platform for recording artists to showcase their talents to a wider, more diverse audience. He made an indelible impact on American television, one that will continue to be appreciated for generations to come. His beautiful, deep voice and measured pace always sounded warm and familiar to the millions who admired and followed his broadcasts. The music industry has lost a true visionary and trailblazer, and our dee...

Katy Perry has been added to the lineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, to be broadcast on Feb. 12 on CBS.

Country artist Dierks Bentley, nominee Drake, Miranda Lambert, and Gwyneth Paltrow were just announced as presenters.

Katy Perry is up for two awards: Record Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Firework."

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele; Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighte...

Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer, Principal Pops Conductor Jerry Steichen and Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President and CEO Melia Tourangeau will announce programming for the Utah Symphony’s 2012-13 season at a press conference on Feb. 6 at 10:30 a.m..

The conference will be at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City.

Fischer has has reportedly programmed another ambitious symphony cycle for next year and commissioned a second world premiere for the Utah Symphony.

The Tribune will publish shortly after...

Here are two high-profile shows tonight in Utah:

Los Campesinos!
This seven-piece indie-pop band came together at a Wales university in 2006 and is touring behind its most recent album, “Hello Sadness.”
When • Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m.
Where • In The Venue, 219 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $15.50 at 24Tix

Terence Blanchard Quintet
The accomplished jazz trumpeter, bandleader, arranger and film-score composer is making his first trip to the JazzSLC series in a de...

One of the most memorable films at this year's Sundance Film Festival was the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," which documented the search for a Detroit rocker who most assumed was dead.

But, a funny thing happened.

He didn't die, and he showed up at the Festival and performed a set at the ASCAP Music Café.

Here is Rodriguez singing his signature song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22typkUzEzA&list=UUTt8QI13P6YCtnDdZgZZM_w&index=2&feature=plpp_video

...

On February 7 Epic Records will release Grammy-nominated The Fray’s much-anticipated third album "Scars & Stories."

The band will join Lenny Kravitz to help kick off Super Bowl XLVI as part of the pregame festivities at Lucas Oil Stadium.

In addition, the new album is now available for live streaming on iTunes now: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-fray/id31239777

Utah audiences remember The Fray for opening f...

Hip-hop duo Lam & Grins’ album “The Lam & Grins Collection” will have an album release party at Liquid Joe’s in Salt Lake City tonight.

Timmy Grins is an up-and0coming underground hip-hop artist who is currently making waves through his humanitarian efforts, as well as building a solid buzz for his hip-hop career with his collaborator Lam, the second half of Lam & Grins.

Lam, from Salt Lake City, and Timmy Grins, from Sussex, New Jersey met while selling CDs on the Vans Warped Tour. They began recording and releasing music together in 2010.

Over the course ...

Miranda Lambert will be in Utah on Friday, March 16 with Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann at Energy olutions Arena, and tickets go onsale February 3 at 10 a.m. and start at $28.75.

They are available at EnergySolutions Arena Box Office, online at www.smithstix.com, or by phone at (801) 355-SEAT.

Miranda’s highly anticipated new CD ‘Four the Record’ is in stores now. “I'm looking forward to the tour and playing some new music from ‘Four The Record’ and kicking some attitude,” said Miranda in a press release. “Chris a...

Blake Shelton will take the stage with his wife Miranda Lambert at Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, opening the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful”.

Blake and Miranda’s version of “America the Beautiful” will be available on iTunes beginning today, January 31. To purchase this song, visit http://www.smarturl.it/thebeautiful.

Does that mean they will be lip-synching?

Shelton will be returning to the second season of the hit show “The Voice” premiering after the Super Bow...

To hear NPR's free stream of Paul McCartney's forthcoming album "Kisses on the Bottom" (a collection of pop standards), go here:

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/29/145758948/first-listen-paul-mccartney-kisses-on-the-bottom?ft=3&f=114113159&sc=nl&cc=mn-20120130

...

Here is a reason to stay tuned after the Super Bowl:

Neal Middleton (lead vox of local rock band Royal Bliss) made a posting yesterday and said: “So yes the rumors are true, I've auditioned for 'The Voice' so tune in Feb 5th after the Super Bowl to see how I do. Crazy”

As we all know, "The Voice" is returning for its second season, and its premiere is immediately after the Super Bowl; both are on NBC. Utah's Dia Frampton finished in second-place last season.

The band will be performing Feb. 17 at Liquid Joe’s, in support of their Jan. 24 a...