The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the roster of nominees who could be inducted next year. The list includes Nirvana, Kiss, the Replacements, Hall and Oates, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, LL Cool J, N.W.A., Link Wray, the Meters, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, Yes and the Zombies. Fans can vote on the nominees — although the public’s top vote-getters will be compiled into a single ballot and tallied alongside the 600 others submitted by mysterious group consisting of “artists, historians and music industry insiders.” That’s one crazy Electoral College. The top five acts will be inducted in April. (Read the report)
Pop star Taylor Swift talks about the art of songwriting (and drops a few hints about her next album) in a Q-and-A interview with the Associated Press. (Read the report)
Kanye West has pulled yet another surprise by getting hip-hop legends A Tribe Called Quest to reunite and open for him during a few of his Manhattan and Brooklyn concerts next month. West’s “Yeezus” tour will feature Kendrick Lamar opening when the tour moves through the rest of the country. A Tribe Called Quest disbanded in 1998 but briefly reunited in 2006. Rumors of a new album never materialized. (Read the report)
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In additional reunion news, Billboard magazine has an interview with the members of alternative-rock band Luscious Jackson, who have rejoined forces and are releasing a fan-funded new album. The critically-acclaimed, all-woman band was long viewed as protégés of the Beastie Boys and were signed to the group’s now-defunct vanity label. The trio got a lot of buzz in the mid-’90s but never scored a major hit. The group broke up in 1999. (Read the report)
Consequence of Sound interviews LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy about his latest activities, including a short film and production work on the new Arcade Fire album. (Read the report)
Harry Belafonte is engaged in a lawsuit with the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over a few historic documents. (Read the report)
The Quietus interviewed Metallica’s Lars Ulrich last week about the group’s new concert film. (Read the report)
Mojo Magazine covers the release of the new, all-star compilation album, “Red Hot + Fela ,” to mark what would have been the 75th birthday of Afrobeat innovator Fela Kuti. The article features a few YouTube clips of Kuti performing and some remembrances by Paul McCartney and others about Kuti’s contributions to music. (Read the report)
In a new “Funny Or Die” video, former “Saturday Night Live” player Fred Armisen dons the garb of his British punk character “Ian Rubbish” and mock interviews Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of the Clash. Jones and Simonon look like aged extras from “Boardwalk Empire” who patiently indulge Armisen’s unsubtle caricatures of their accent and history. They even jam with Armsien a little. (Read the report)
Yahoo Music offers a stream of Motorhead’s new album, “Aftershock.” (Read the report)
