If you checked out today’s GO section, you’ve read some of my picks for touring bands you should check out at Bumbershoot. And to that I add seven more must see acts from around the Sound:

1. Seaweed (9:30 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): The Tacoma grunge stars' comeback trail actually begins tonight at the High Dive. (Now if I can only just sort out the technical issues that have been kept me from posting audio lately. Check back later and hopefully I'll have some clips from my interview with Wade Neal and new drummer Jesse Fox.)

2. Gabriel Teodros (4 p.m. Sunday, Fisher Green): One of the most promising new voices in Seattle hip-hop. His “Lovework” album is one of my favorite regional recordings this year.

3. Mono in VCF (2 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): Tacoma’s moodiest rockers have gone in a more cinematic direction with new singer Kim Miller.

4. Schoolyard Heroes (3:15 p.m. Monday, Exhibition Hall): Yeah, they’re technically a Seattle band. But Schoolyard Heroes' roots go back to singer Ryann Donnelly and guitarist Steve Bonnell meeting at Tacoma’s Charles Wright Academy. Expect to hear songs from the screamo outfit's forthcoming disc, “Abominations” – their first to be distributed by Island Def Jam Music Group.

5. The F-ing Eages (3:30 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): Rowdy garage from Tacoma’s rockinest “Big Lebowski” fans.

6. The Saturday Knights (4 p.m. Saturday, Fisher Green): This Seattle hip-hop crew's beats are chock full of rock and organ samples that kinda sorta recall the Beasties.

7. Bloodhag (8 p.m. Sunday, EMP Sky Church): Never have songs about Isaac Asimov and H.P. Lovecraft inspired so many devil horn salutes. Keep an eye peeled for flying books.

As always, the full schedule is here.

Good Charlotte is Justin Timberlake's opening act for the Sept. 8 show at the Tacoma Dome. But I also recently learned that Benji and Joel Madden will also appear at the Verizon Wireless store at 2125 South 320th St., in Federal Way, between 1:30 and 3 p.m. that day for a brief acoustic performance and autograph session.

Also, stay tuned for audio clips from my interview with GC's Benji. Among other things, he told me a funny story about getting sucked into the tabloid frenzy that's followed his twin brother and his last couple of girlfriends. Hint: It involves accusations of cheating.

I was just writing up my interview with Chicago singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, the guy I'm more excited to see this weekend at Bumbershoot than anyone else. And since a lot of you haven't heard of him, I thought I'd share the performance on "Late Night with David Letterman" that caught my attention. "Plasticities" is one of my favorite songs of '07, and that whistling thing Bird does is just haunting.

He goes on at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on the Mural Amphitheatre stage. Find a full Bumbershoot lineup here.

Also, check back in over the weekend. Like last year, I'll be wandering around Seattle Center with a camera, documenting the sights and sounds of the grandaddy of Northwest music festivals.

God, I can't wait for Anton Corbijn's Joy Division flick, "Control," based on that clip. (Sorry about the titles, but the English version wouldn't let me embed.) It stars Sam Riley, who had a bit part in "24 Hour Party People," a flick about Joy Division's label, Factory Records. And early reports are that he's spot on as tortured lead singer Ian Curtis, who hung himself in 1980.

Regarding the authenticity of the forthcoming (due in October) Joy Division and New Order's Bernard Sumner tells Rolling Stone, "I think Peter [bassist Hook] smokes in the movie, but he didn't do that. Everything else was pretty accurate."

Remember that American Idiot contest I mentioned a while back? The one that KISW is hosting? Well, guess what? Tacoma's own Top Heavy Crush is in the final three, going up against Siren's Sister and the Wright Brothers.

Find details on voting and the finale concert here.

The Cure concert that was set for Oct. 8 at KeyArena has been postponed until spring 2008, promoter Live Nation announced today.

The legendary alt-rock band also released this statement:

"With all apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment it may cause, we have made a decision to move the September/October 2007 North American Cure shows to April/May 2008.

The schedule as it stands only gives us a couple of weeks to finish our new double album before we hit the road again, and we know this just isn't enough time to complete the project to our genuine satisfaction.

We also want to create a new live show for North America, and incorporate new songs... and we need time and focus to do this.

So although we can agree it is a great shame to move these dates - believe us we have been looking forward to them more than anyone! We honestly feel that in the bigger picture we are making the right decision.

Tickets purchased for the canceled October show will be honored at next year's show. Other refund details will be announced soon.

Maybe you thought you'd heard your last from the Decemberists, at least for a while after the critically acclaimed indie pop band played the Paramount in May. But not so!

Capitol Records, the label that issued the band's major label debut "The Crane Wife" last year, will release a new disc called "The Perfect Crime #2," featuring remixes of that song on Sept. 25.

Capitol Records also announced the Decemberists' winter tour, which will wind down with two dates at Seattle's Moore Theatre on Dec. 8 and 9.

Learn more here. Or listen to my interview with the Decemberists' Nate Query here.

Just got word from the folks at Jazzbones that George Clinton, aka the Prime Minister of of Funk, is coming back. This time he and the 420 Funk Mob will be there on Nov. 16, two days short of his last appearance at the Sixth Avenue nightclub.

Click here and here to listen to the two-part interview I posted back then. And I'm still waitin' for his tour with the Wu-Tang Clan to materialize.

Max Roach - one of the last living legends of bebop and perhaps the greatest drummer of all time - died Wednesday. He was 83.

I was fortunate enough to see him perform at Western Washington University a few years ago, and his skills were still considerable well into his late '70s. I also got to meet him briefly afterward. And while I don't remember exactly what we talked about, I remember Mr. Roach as being charming, humble and disarmingly nice. My condolences to his family and friends.

Check out the clips below and then click here to learn more.

If you tuned into this blog the past few days, you know I've been angst-ridden about the likelihood of Amy Winehouse's upcoming Seattle show being called off after her recent bout of "exhaustion." But now another British crooner - sometime rival Lily Allen - has beaten her to the punch.

Allen has called off next month's U.S. tour dates, including a scheduled Sept. 15 stop at Seattle's Paramount Theatre. The reason given in a press release issued by show promoter Live Nation is that it's taken Allen longer than expected to obtain a new work visa after U.S. authorities revoked her previous one. (Stupid labor laws!)

Refunds are available at point of purchase. Of course, that doesn't help me since it looks likely I won't be able to catch either of my favorite British exports of '07 live this year. Man! I knew I shoulda gone to Coachella!

Amy Winehouse is best known for singing "they tried to send me down to rehab, I said no no no" – you know, the lushes' anthem of 2007.

So is this good or bad for her image?

And forget her image. Is she still coming to Seattle next month? Anyway, hope she gets well if she's really in rehab.

I've heard of a few Nick Lachey sightings since the former boy bander bought the Tacoma Rainiers. (Word has it he's even stopped at my neighborhood Thriftway.) But now he's finally making an official appearance at the Aug. 25 Rainiers game vs. the Portland Beavers.

He'll also play in the Richard Karn Celebrity Softball game to benefit Tacoma General Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, according to a release issued by the Rainiers this morning.

You've heard about shows being called off because of "vocal problems" and "exhaustion." But I bet you've never heard of the plug getting pulled for this.

How old is Nels Cline? Five?

It's been an eventful year for Chris Cornell. First, the guy freed himself from Audioslavery. Then he released a new solo album called "Carry On." And now he's all set to play some of them spiffy new songs (and surely a few old favorites from his Soundgarden/Temple of the Dog days) on Oct. 3 at Seattle's Paramount Theatre.

Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Saturday, and you'll be able to find more info here.

Just received this announcement from the folks at the Showbox in Seattle:

THE SHOWBOX ACQUIRES SECOND LOCATION

The Showbox is excited to announce the addition of a 22,000-square-foot concert and event facility to its ranks, located at 1700 1st Avenue South. The 1511-capacity venue, previously named The Premier and The Fenix, will be called Showbox SoDo and is slated to open in September for 21+ and all-ages events, as well as corporate events and private parties.

The Showbox will continue to operate in its downtown location, to be re-named Showbox at the Market, and the venues will run concurrently. A major renovation is planned at Showbox SoDo for early 2008 that will enhance the overall concert/event experience through improved sightlines and interior design.

Booking and promotions for both venues will continue to be managed by Chad Queirolo and Brian McFadin. Holds for Fall 2007 and beyond are currently being accepted.

Showbox SoDo has confirmed the following events for this fall:

Wed Oct 10 – UNDEROATH with special guests EVERY TIME I DIE, POISON THE WELL, and MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER - All Ages!

Wed Oct 17 – THE POGUES – All Ages!

Sun Oct 21 – DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL (solo) with special guests AUGUSTANA and JOHN RALSTON – All Ages!

Mon Oct 29 and Tue Oct 30 – BRAND NEW with special guests THRICE and MEWITHOUT YOU – All Ages!

Thu Nov 1 – THE HIVES – All Ages!

The Police. Genesis. Rage Against the Machine. Bad Brains. Half of Smashing Pumpkins. Yep, 2007 has definitely shaped up as the Year of the Reunion Tour.

And Van Halen ain't about to be outdone. Fans have heard that how the legendary hard rock band was flirting with a reunion tour all year. And we're not talking about getting back together with Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone. We're talking a bona fide reunion with one David Lee Roth!

And now it's official. The Van Halen bros will team back up with Roth for their first tour together since the "1984" era. And that trek will drop in on Seattle's KeyArena on Dec. 3 – you know, assuming everyone can get along for that long and this isn't false start number three.

Read more on Pollstar.

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KISW-FM (99.9) revived its popular Pain in the Grass series Saturday at Cheney Stadium with a lineup that included Godsmack, Buckcherry, Candlebox and more. But while there was plenty of “pain” – as in the pain of standing on line for an hour for hot dogs and beer – the “grass” was sadly missing.

Well, there was plenty of that kind of grass, by the smell of it. But instead of putting the show on the actual field – as KBKS-FM (“Kiss,” 106.1) did with its Big Freakin’ Deal show a few years back, with padding to protect the Rainiers’ turf - a few thousand fans were sent to grimy, peanut shell and crushed bottle littered back parking lot.

How grimy was it? Well, I watched a group of kids standing in a circle entertaining themselves between sets by kicking garbage at each other. Yes, ghetto hackey sack, coming to a parking lot near you.

But even if the accomodations were lacking, the rock faithful enjoyed the musical part of the equation. Godsmack’s headlining performance was pretty similar to the set the band delivered last year at the White River Amphitheatre, down to the staging and videos. Buckcherry galvanized with its explosive Aerosmith-meets-AC/DC vibe. Lead singer Josh Todd was the consummate rock star, pumping his fists, shaking his skinny badonkadonk and sneering his way through addictively catchy numbers like “Everything” and “Crazy Bitch.” The latter was the evening’s high point, as it grew into a funky sing-along jam with snippets of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” and the Ohio Players’ “Fire” thrown into the mix just for fun.

“You know why you liked that song?” asked Todd. “It brings out the animal in you.” Sure, we’ll go with that. And, by the way, I haven’t followed Buckcherry that closely over the years and didn’t realize they were such a killer live band. I am now a believer.

And why did hipsters hate Candlebox so much during their ‘90s heyday? Did being signed to Madonna’s Maverick label totally kill their grunge street cred? Was it the usual mindless backlash against anything successful?

Yeah, you could blame them for ushering in the reign of formulaic post-grunge bands like Godsmack, Creed and Nickelback. But I don’t think the poseur tag is fair when applied to the Seattle rock band. They ain't Soundgarden, but those boys have some nice tunes, i.e. “You” and set closing power ballad “Far Behind.” Also noteworthy were a couple of new songs and a performance of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe/Speak to Me” with guitarist Peter Klett singing lead.

Main mouth piece Kevin Martin left the stage for the Floyd number. But most of the time he was out there amping up the crowd, climbing the amps and high fiving every fan within reach during “Change.”

I was a straggler and missed early bands Finger Eleven, Operator and Black Light Burns. I was especially curious about BLB, the group led by Wes Borland, aka that guy in Limp Bizkit who looked like he should be playing for Marilyn Manson. I actually kind of like the band’s debut, “Cruel Melody,” even with its aesthetic obviously borrowed from Nine Inch Nails. (Hey, Nails’ Danny Lohner produced the record. Whaddaya expect?) Anyone have a report on how those guys did?

Club Vertigo is opening as scheduled tonight, according to the venue's Web site. I'm headed down to Oly to see Mirah and Rocky Votolato this evening. But I'm curious about the former 54's makeover. So anyone who's going this weekend wanna share your first impressions in the comments section?

Anyone who's followed Pearl Jam these past few years knows that the Seattle rock heavyweights are no fans of that George W. Bush guy. So when I read about AT&T censoring political content from the webcast of Pearl Jam’s recent performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago I wondered what the big deal was. Is Eddie Vedder stomping on a George Dubya mask still controversial five years later? Who hasn't bashed Bush at this point?

I wasn’t at the Chicago performance. But my homie, co-worker and favorite Pearl Jam fanatic, Elysia Smith was. So I turned to her for clarification, and she said that Pearl Jam dialed its usual political content way up.

On top of the usual Bush bashing, she said Eddie Vedder sang a song called “Say NO to BP Amoco" that he made up on the spot. It was related to BP dumping pollutants into Lake Michigan, and a petition also circulated.

And in a "Born on the Fourth of July" moment, the band invited a paralyzed Iraq war veteran onstage to deliver an emotional speech (the highlight of the show, Elysia said.) Vedder sang a song he wrote about the guy, who will apparently appear in a forthcoming documentary called “Body of War.”

A more detailed report of the show can also be found on the Rolling Stone site. But you'll have to use your imagination to fill in the gaps if you were relying on the AT&T webcast.

So were the folks at AT&T being toadies for Bush and BP? Let's see if a company spokeswoman's response, quoted from the Chicago Tribune article I link to above, sheds any light:

"We don't have a policy in place to censor," said AT&T's Tiffany Nels. "We have a policy on excessive profanity. This was an honest mistake. There was no censorship intended."

Not really. But you can find the band’s take on the whole debacle here. And after you read it, I'm interested in knowing what you all think about this whole thing.

I tune out most of the TMZ e-mails that flood my inbox every day. But the latest one, about the gossip site's report on Amy Winehouse being treated for "exhaustion," has me worried.

According to the report, the "Rehab" singer checked into a London hospital and was discharged after her doctor prescribed "complete rest." "Back to Black" is my favorite album of '07, and I'm hoping that prescription doesn't mean calling off her Sept. 25 date at the Paramount.

This announcement comes from Russ Heaton over at Doyle's Public House:

Eddie Spaghetti of The Supersuckers & Guests will play Doyle’s parking lot August 11th. Doyle’s is located at 208 Saint Helens Avenue, Tacoma 98402. Show starts at 8pm. As always no cover and great drink features with Jim Beam. Must be 21 to attend.

I've heard that Tacoma's own F---- Eagles (think "Big Lebowski" reference for the uncut version of that name) may be involved as well.

Yeah, you missed an awesome performance if you weren't at the Gorge's Sasquatch festival to catch the Arcade Fire – one of the best of the year. But at least you'll get a chance to catch the Montreal-bred art-rock band again – granted without all the breathtaking scenery.

The Arcade Fire will be back in the area on Sept. 24 when they will headline the Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington in Seattle. The show will start at 7:30 p.m., and LCD Soundsystem – arguably the hippest electronic/dance band of ’07 – will open the show.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, and you’ll be able to find details here.

If you're like me, you didn't make it to Lollapalooza this weekend, which means you also didn't catch Pearl Jam's warm up show at Chicago's Vic Theatre. But through the magic of the Internet, we can all read Rolling Stone's report, which mentions a couple of new songs.

I'm working on a story about Elvis's 1957 show at the Lincoln Bowl. And one of the reoccurring images fans have mentioned is a bunch of girls that dug up dirt that the King had walked on and kept it. And while I was browsing through our photo archives, I found this shot from that day. Does anyone know who this is, by chance? Leave a comment, or drop me a line at ernest.jasmin@thenewstribune.com.

Metro Parks' Summer Sounds Cinema concert serieskicks off Saturday with a movie and local band performing weekly at various local parks. All shows are free. Here's the sched:

Alex Duncan (reggae) and "Yours, Mine and Ours" (rated PG), Saturday at Thea's Park, 405 Dock St.

Jonathan Harris (country) and "Everyone's Hero" (G), Aug. 11 at Heidelberg Field, 2502 S. Tyler St.

The Disco Ballz (disco hits) and "Charlotte's Web" (G), Aug. 18 at Stewart Height's Park, 402 E. 56th St.

Bochinche (Latin, Caribbean), Tacoma Idol semi-finals and "Night at the Museum" (PG), Aug. 25 at SERA, 6002 Adams St.

Michael Powers (jazz) and "Eragon" (PG), Sept. 1 at Vassault Park, N. 37th and Vassault streets