Jools Holland

Happy Birthday, MTV! You can watch the first four hours of MTV, New Years Eve Balls, hang out with Martha Quinn, check out 120 Minutes and Headbangers Ball and tons more

We lost Hal Willner yesterday. He was a gifted producer whose greatest skill may have been his ability to bring together disparate talents that you might not think would fit together but turned out to be truly inspired. One of the places where you can really see that in action was Night Music, a musical offshoot of Saturday Night Live that lasted two weird wonderful seasons...

Led by Cardiff's Davey Newington, Boy Azooga incorporate a variety of styles into their idiosyncratic style, including '90s alt riff rock, Mac DeMarco-type underwater romanticism and that indescribable Welsh magic...

Wearing an elaborate mask and surrounded by costumed flutists, Bjork's first television performance in eight years included "Courtship" and "The Anchor Song." The Breeders also appeared on the episode, to play "Wait in the Car" and "Cannonball."

The Blue Note run, dubbed "Piano, Vocals and Drum Frenzy at the Blue Note", these shows were Jools' first in NYC in over 15 years.

These days Jools Holland is best known as host of popular musical variety series Later...With Jools Holland which has aired on BBC 2 since 1992. He is, of course, an acclaimed musician in his own right, having been an off-and-on member of Squeeze in the '70s, '80s and '90s and currently leads Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

The National at Mercury Lounge last month (more by Sarah Gainer) Youth Lagoon @ Bell House last month (more by Amanda Hatfield) today in NYC * Lotte Anker @ Barbes * Rakim @ Red Hook Park * Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom * Bugs in the Dark, Gung @ Muchmore's * The Mandingo Ambassadors @ Barbes * Big Terrific Comedy Show @ Cameo Gallery * Walter Jones, Jacuzzihidive @ Cameo Gallery * Dither, Lorna Dune, Philip White @ Silent Barn * The National, Youth Lagoon @ Barclays Center * World's End Press, Selebrities @ Mercury Lounge * Cristina Pato and The Migrations Band @ Joe's Pub * Chimneys, Malcolm, eskimeaux, Told Slant @ Big Snow * The Mountain Goats, The Baptist Generals @ Maxwell's * Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman Quartet @ The Stone * Hard Nips, Potty Mouth, Leda, Pretty Greens @ Cake Shop * Dave Alvin and The Guilty Ones, Sarah Borges @ City Winery * St. Pa...

Moonface in Austin in 2011 (more by Tim Griffin) today in NYC * Little King @ Barbes * ASSSSCAT 3000 @ UCB * Stephane Wrembel @ Barbes * Denitia and Sene @ Ace Hotel * Villalobos Brothers @ Joe's Pub * Moonface, Saltland @ Littlefield * Hannibal Buress @ Knitting Factory * Justin Timberlake @ Roseland Ballroom * Rihanna, A$AP Rocky @ Barclays Center * Cyro Baptista & Ikue Mori Duo @ The Stone * Talib Kweli, Coal, Swag, Sandino @ Union Hall * Free Energy, Deap Vally, Leda @ Bowery Ballroom * Cyro Baptista & Banquet Of The Spirits @ The Stone * Christian Finnegan, MadDog @ Eastville Comedy Club * Silversun Pickups, Bad Books @ The Wellmont Theatre * Nile Rodgers, Tony Visconti, Ken Scott @ New Museum * Flying Lotus, Ultraista, Thundercat, En2ak @ Terminal 5 * Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, Hubble @ Le Poisson Rouge * Body Language, Pegasus Warning, #1 Kid @ Glasslands * Sweethearts, Infinity Hotel, Birthwater, Liz Hogg @ Pianos * The National (playing "Sorrow" for 6 hours) @ MoMA PS1 * End...

Laura Marling at the McKittrick Hotel in 2011 (more by Chris La Putt) As mentioned, the always-impressive UK folk singer Laura Marling is releasing her fourth album, Once I Was an Eagle, on May 28...

Soundgarden in Atlantic City in 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin) As mentioned, Soundgarden are playing three intimate North American shows this year, including one in NYC on November 13 at Irving Plaza...