Landing a slot as a support act for a hot artist can be a huge deal for a new-and-developing act, but it's not always a pleasurable experience. Sure you get a chance to expose your act to a potentially large crowd of music lovers, but there's no guarantee that they'll give you the time or day. Sometimes they can even get hostile. If you thought former President George W. Bush received a bad reception during his last visit to Iraq when an Iraqi journalist chucked his shoes at him, you definitely didn't want to be in Prince's high-heeled boots when he opened for the Rolling Stones at the Los Angeles Coliseum way back in 1981. The future Purple One had cans and other projectiles thrown his general direction before he was unceremoniously booed off the stage. Apparently Stones fans didn't dig his outfit--bikini briefs, leg warmers, high-heeled boots and a trench coat.

The Los Angeles-based trio known as the Daylights didn't have any such an experience on Saturday night when it opened Katy

In the inaugural Who's Next blog I joked that the fact I own multiple copies of the Who's acclaimed 1971 album, Who's Next, makes me qualified to write this very Who's Next blog. You probably thought that was just some lame joke — and you were right — but believe it or not, there is a connection between a hot new act and the Who. The hot new act I write of is She & Him.

Who are they, you ask? She & Him is a duo consisting of actress/singer Zooey Deschanel and indie alt-country/folk artist M. Ward. And how are She & Him related to the Who, you ask? Well, late last year I had the pleasure of attending a date at the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif., billed as Rachel Fuller In The Attic With Pete Townshend And Friends. As some of you may know, Townshend is the guitarist and chief songwriter in the Who. Fuller is his girlfriend, partner, and artist in her own right. The so-called "Friends" that night included Deschanel and Ward, who performed as She & Him, and even did a Who

If you think about it, this thing called the Internet in truly amazing. Right now as I type there are thousands of music fans checking out thousands of bands at the annual South By Southwest Music Festival in beautiful Austin, Texas. Yet there are millions of more music fans stuck at home, work or their local coffee joint surfing the Internet in search of a thrill, perhaps wishing they were at SXSW, too. For those of you in that predicament, I dedicate this blog to you and offer a suggestion on how you can virtually enjoy SXSW in the privacy of your own home, workplace or local coffee shop.

The Decemberists premiered songs from their new album, The Hazards Of Love, at Stubb's Bar-B-Que in Austin last night (March 18). Through the wonder of the Internet and hardcore fans that post this stuff on video-sharing sites, you can watch some clips of the performance--or if you just want to hear the show, close your eyes and listen to the it courtesy of NPR--and it'll almost be like you're

Mainstream rock often doesn't go over well with rock-critic types. They complain that it's derivative, cliché-filled, and lacking any sort of an edge that would make it challenging and/or interesting for anything more than a casual listen. It's for some of those very reasons that bands like Nickelback are incredibly popular. They're like the rock 'n' roll equivalent of comfort food. If you don't think too much about what you're consuming, you'll find that it warms your soul and makes you feel good. Never mind what the cool kids say. Millions of people in Middle America love comfort food and their mainstream rock.

Mississippi-spawned quintet Saving Abel is one of those incredibly successful mainstream rock acts and wouldn't you know it, they're touring right now with Nickelback and Seether. They'll do a string of headline dates March 21-29 before heading out again with Nickelback and Seether for most of April, and will hook up again with Nickelback--as well as Papa Roach and Hinder--for