A press release from ANTI:

Renowned soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples will be performing at this year's Grammy Award Ceremony on Sunday in Los Angeles. Staples will be singing with Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes, T. Bone Burnett, Zac Brown and others in a performance honoring the late singer/drummer Levon Helm of The Band with a performance of the the group's beloved song "The Weight."

Staples will also be appearing on Friday at a benefit concert for MusiCares honoring the charity's "Person Of The Year" Bruce Springsteen. She will be singing with Zac Brown. Additional performers that night will include Neil Young, Jackson Brown, Elton John, Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and a host of other prominent musicians.

Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and Staples are currently in the studio working on her upcoming 2013 release. The album will be the highly anticipated follow up to her critically lauded album You Are Not Alone which was also produced by Tweedy and won a Grammy Award in the Best Americana Album vocal or Instrumental category. The record was described by Time Magazine as "Gorgeous" and by Spin as "Inspired." Mavis Staples is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Mavis Staples plays a show at Lincoln Center in NYC on 2/14, and also took part in a Levon Helm tribute show in the NYC-area in 2012.

Syl Johnson (more by Andrew St. Clair)

"...Ken Shipley has hunted down some of the rarest records in existence as one of the founders of the Numero Group, a Chicago record label that specializes in painstakingly researched reissues of music from the obscure margins of pop. But on Friday evening he was zooming through Amoeba Records, the giant music store in Hollywood, looking for the Neil Diamond section. "I want to see what we're up against," he said.

Numero is nominated for two Grammy Awards this year for "Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology," a monolith of a boxed set tracking the works of one of soul music's semi-forgotten figures, who is best known for singing on Hi Records, Al Green's label, in the 1970s, and for his 1967 song "Different Strokes," which has been sampled by hip-hop acts dozens of times.

Mr. Shipley is nominated in the best album notes category (against Mr. Diamond, for his collection "The Bang Years 1966-1968?), and the label is also nominated in the best historical album category..." [NY Times]

Meanwhile, the telecast hasn't even started yet, but as of this post, Skrillex has already won three Grammys in the pre-show. Louis CK won one. Tinariwen and Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters (who beat TV on the Radio) too.

UPDATE: Kanye West takes home three already too (and all just in the pre-show).

UPDATE 2: More at BrooklynVegan.

As the LA Times reports, Chicago's Jennifer Hudson is going to do the honors Sunday night at the Grammys:

Whitney Houston, who found fame as one of pop's biggest voices, has died. She was 48.

Grammy executive producer Ken Erhlich and his team were scrambling Saturday night to find a poignant and proper way to mark the passing of Whitney Houston and their plan was to have Jennifer Hudson perform a "respectful musical tribute" on the CBS broadcast on Sunday night.

"It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognize Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years," said Ehrlich, a key figure in the Grammys since the early 1980s.

R.I.P. Whitney

Matt & Kim @ Deluna Fest in Florida (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

today in Chicago
* Matt & Kim @ Congress Theater
* Watch the Throne @ United Center
* G.B. Leighton, Tony S @ Double Door
* Brandi Carlile, The Secret Sisters @ Park West
* White Wives, Koji, Stay Golden @ Beat Kitchen
* Two Door Cinema Club, Scattered Trees @ the Vic
* The Gorilla Press, Rodeo, The Avantist @ Schubas
* Filligar, Paper Thick Walls, Rogue Valley @ Hideout
* Cars For Miles, Hindu Salon, Le Tour @ Ultra Lounge
* The Mutts, Sleep Kitty, Glittermouse, Hemmingbirds @ Subterranean
* Dax Riggs, Bully In The Hallway, My Cold Dead Hand @ Empty Bottle
* Street Dogs, Off With Their Heads, Murder The Stout, The Arrivals @ Reggie's
* The Steepwater Band, Blane Fonda, Bright White, The Kickback, Hawley Shoffner @ Lincoln Hall

Matt & Kim play a FREE (21+) show tonight (12/1), at the Congress Theater.

Bon Iver, Mastodon, The Decemberists, Adele, and more were nominated for Grammys.

My Morning Jacket played Kimmel. Footage below.

Still Corners have a new video for "Into The Trees." Check it out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

'Hooligans In Wondaland' tour poster

Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe have announced their 'Hooligans in Wondaland' tour. Some dates will feature Plan B, while others will have Mayer Hawthorne & The County. She'll play Aragon Ballroom on May 27th with Bruno Mars, and Plan B.

Local presale begins on Monday 2/21 at 10AM CST, and tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday 2/26 at 11AM CST.

All 2011 tour dates, and a video of Janelle Monáe's Grammy performance below...

Continue reading "Janelle Monáe playing Aragon Ballroom, & other 2011 tour dates"

The Black Keys @ Central Park Summerstage (more by Jessica Amaya)

The Black Keys are playing Conan tonight at 11PM/10PM CST on TBS.

They took home three Grammys last night for...
Best Alternative Music Album - Brothers
Best Recording Package - Brothers (Michael Carney)
Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals - "Tighten Up"

They also have a new video for "Howlin' For You" which can be viewed below...

Continue reading "The Black Keys playing Conan (tonight), took home 3 Grammys (last night)"

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. Thank you EVERYONE. - arcadefire

Arcade Fire Grammy Awards ad

Arcade Fire just won "Album of The Year" at the Grammys. STRANGE.

The Black Keys also took home a Grammy (to Akron, OH) for best alt-album.

Arcade Fire & The National play the UIC Pavilion April 22, 24, and 25. The 24th and 25th are now SOLD OUT. Tickets are still available for the 22nd, get them asap it will sell out.

today in Chicago
* Peter Mulvey, JT Nero @ SPACE
* Linsey Alexander @ Kingston Mines
* David Garrett @ The Chicago Theatre
* The Retar Crew @ Double Door (Free Show)
* InnerPartySystem, The Passing @ Subterranean
* Slash, The Fabulous Miss Wendy @ House of Blues
* Morgue Supplier, Emeticide, They Die Screaming @ Empty Bottle
* Carrie Rodriguez, Erin McKeown, Mary Gauthier @ Old Town School of Folk Music

"An Acoustic Café Evening" tour teams up some of the most unique singer songwriters pushing the boundaries today. Austin songstress Carrie Rodriguez, independent lit/pop darling Erin McKeown, and troubadour Mary Gauthier team up for a night of amazing songs, stories, and spirit. [Old Town School of Folk Music]

Tonight is the 53rd GRAMMY Awards airing on CBS at 7PM CST
This is who is performing:

Avett Brothers, Dr. Dre., Bob Dylan, Adam Levine, and Mumford & Sons, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, Muse, Katy Perry, and Barbra Streisand; Yolanda Adams, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and current nominee Florence Welch in a special Aretha Franklin segment; nominees Justin Bieber and Usher, with Jaden Smith; nominees B.o.B, Bruno Mars, and Janelle Monáe; nominees Drake and Rihanna; nominee Cee Lo Green, with Gwyneth Paltrow and the Jim Henson Company Puppets; Mick Jagger with Raphael Saadiq; and Esperanza Spalding performing with members of the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles and GRAMMY Camp.

GRAMMY®-nominated R&B/pop singer/songwriter Keri Hilson,GRAMMY-winning and current GRAMMY nominee hip-hop/neo-soul band the Roots, and DJ Wayne G are scheduled to perform at the 2011 GRAMMYCelebration® -- The Recording Academy®'s official after-party.

The 2011 GRAMMY Celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13 immediately following the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. [The Recording Academy]

What else?