Blink-182 Announces Return

If you watched the Grammy's on Sunday night you may have seen Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, and Tom DeLonge on stage together announcing that their band, Blink-182 was back together and making music. From the mid '90s until their hiatus in 2005 Blink-182 was probably the most popular pop-punk band on the scene. Personally, I preferred their early music (Buddha, Chesire Cat, Dude Ranch) more than their music from this decade. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this reunion.

Grammy Predictions Gone Wrong

Well, it is safe to say that my Grammy predictions were terrible and completely wrong. I only had one correct prediction and that was ADELE for best new artist. Oh well, better luck next year. I think it is great that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant came away as the big winners. Also, U2's opening performance was strong and set the tone for the evening. A complete list of the Grammy winners can be found here.

Grammy Predictions

Here are my Grammy predictions for this evening. Tomorrow I will go over how I did and also provide a small review of the awards show.

Album of the Year: "In Rainbows" - Radiohead
Record of the Year: "Paper Planes" - M.I.A.
Song of the Year: "Chasing Pavements" - ADELE
Best New Artist: ADELE
Best Rock Album: "Only By Night" - Kings of Leon
Best Alternative Album: "In Rainbows" - Radiohead
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group: "Violet Hill" - Coldplay
Best Rock Song: "House of Cards" - Radiohead
Best Rap Album: "American Gangster" - Jay-Z
Best Rap Song: "Swagga Like Us" - Jay-Z & T.I. feat. Kanye West & Lil' Wayne

Pearl Jam hitting the studio for new '09 album

Pearl Jam is set to start recording tracks for their '09 album and without record label backing. According to RollingStone.com, Pearl Jam's self-release album is set to hit shelves sometime in the fall. The new album may have a more optimistic feel with short powerful rock songs. Producing the album is Brendan O'Brien who also produced Pearl Jam's 1998 album "Yield". This could be a big year for the band as not only are they releasing the new album, but they are also re-releasing "Ten" as I mentioned in a previous post.

The Day the Music Died

Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Many credit Holly as being the most influential musician of early rock and roll even though his success lasted only a year and a half. The Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, praise Holly as one of the main reasons they ever got into music. Below is a live performance of Buddy Holly and the Crickets singing "Peggy Sue".

Notorious

I have seen a trend in my postings so far, and that trend is the 1990s. So sticking with that trend I thought I would bring up the new movie chronicling the life of the Notorious B.I.G. simply titled "Notorious". Overall the movie has been well received, with The Hollywood Reporter saying it is the first gotta-see movie of 2009. Rolling Stone gave it 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Below is the movie trailer.

Ten - Reissue

If you haven't heard already, Pearl Jam will be reissuing their debut album "Ten" this year. Not only will it be remastered and remixed, but it will also include demos of "Alive" and "Once". There will be four editions, which will all be released on March 24. A Super Delux Edition will feature a DVD of their Unplugged session, as well as four vinyl LPs. The LPs will consist of the original "Ten", a remixed "Ten", and two LP live set from their 1992 concert "Drop in the Park". The reissue is part of a buildup to the band's 20th Anniversary in 2011. Here is the official press release.

Let's revisit the original (Released August 27, 1991):

* Once
* Even Flow
* Alive (Live performance video below)
* Why Go
* Black
* Jeremy
* Oceans
* Porch
* Garden
* Deep
* Release