The Jonas Brothers are sure looking like the next big thing in pop. Scratch that. They're already big and, based on the reaction of all those 12-year-old gals that nearly drove me deaf with their screaming last month at the Tacoma Dome, they could get Back Street Boys big.

Their first headlining arena tour kicks off tonight and will make its way to the Comcast Arena at the Everett Events Center on Tuesday. Their third album is due in stores this summer. And "Camp Rock," the Disney flick they shot last fall, will also see light of day in the coming months, and some folks are already speculating that it could be the next "High School Musical." You think?

Anyway, the Jo Bros held a conference call on Tuesday to discuss all of the above, and I rolled some tape. Here are the first couple of clips I was able to edit together. FYI, Nick is the most soft spoken of the three. Joe's tone is a bit more upbeat, and Kevin's voice is the one with the slight nasal quality. Got it? Got it. So just click on the links to hear what they had to say, and stay tuned for more.

Part one: Headlining their first big tour

Part two: Their tour bus recording studio, influences on the new album and new cuts they're playing on tour

The Bob Marley Fest? Black Lips? North Mississippi Allstars? The Cops? Wow! Look’s like Neumo’s is the place to be through next week. But before you call in sick to work and go crash with your buddy on Capitol Hill, there’s a few things closer to home, too, starting with …

South 11th (Friday, Hell’s Kitchen): A night of RAWK! Alos with Everything Must Go, Johnny Babalouie & the Master of Bation and a band whose name my editors would want me to post even less than that last one. You’ll just have to click the link and read it on Hell’s Kitchen’s site.

Bob Marley Festival (Saturday, Neumo’s): Nyahbingi Rastaman, Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus Band and Clinton Fearon & The Boogie Band are among the musical acts that will come together to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday, which is Tuesday.

Black Lips (Monday, Neumo’s): This Atlanta outfit has developed quite the reputation for debauchery and mayhem. Wonder if there will be a showroom left for …

The Cops (Tuesday, Neumo’s): I’ve been diggin’ the Seattle band’s latest “Free Electricity.” Kinski adds support.

Jill Scott (Tuesday, Paramount Theatre): The Queen of Neo Soul is out in support of her latest, “The Real Thing.”

Ron Jeremy’s Three Ring Circus (Wednesday, Club Vertigo): I reluctantly add the man who's arguably the most famous adult film star of all time to my list this time around. For starters, last time I interviewed the guy, I had little old ladies calling and scolding me about my loose morals for two months. Then there’s the time I blogged about another Jeremy appearance at Maggie O'Toole's, which prompted some guy to write an angry letter to my boss about how all I write about is “grunge and porn.” (I am not making this up.) But morbid curiosity will likely draw me out to see ol' Ron's band, which I heard about one some TV show or another. Plus Vertigo’s Web site promises “a surprise a national band.” Oooh, ahhhh.

North Mississippi Allstars (Wednesday, Neumo’s): A night of hot Southern rock, also with Alvin Youngblood Hart.

Tim McGraw's just released 2008 tour itinerary includes a June 24 date in Seattle. But it doesn't say where. (This time he's leaving wife Faith Hill at home, in case you're wondering. Or rather, she's staying backstage unlike the 2006-2007 Soul 2 Soul tour, which featured them both.)

I checked in with his Nashville-based publicist Jessie Schmidt, and she said the venue had yet to be finalized. And an itinerary that seems to include both arenas and amphitheaters doesn't help narrow things down. I'm thinkin' White River maybe? The June 25 date at Vancouver's Clark County Amphitheatre is a done deal, though, apparently.

Jason Aldean and Halfway to Hazard will add support. More as I find it out. Meanwhile, here are all the cities and most of the venues where the guy is stoppin'.

Tim McGraw's 2008 tour dates

May 9: Ford Amphitheatre (Tampa, Florida)
May 10: Sound Advice Amphitheatre (West Palm Beach, Florida)
May 11: TD Waterhouse (Orlando, Florida)
May 15: Verizon Wireless Music Center (Birmingham, Alabama)
May 16: Verizon Wireless Music Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)
May 17: Walnut Creek Amphitheatre (Raleigh, North Carolina)
May 21: Riverbend Amphitheatre (Cincinnati, Ohio)
May 22: DTE Energy Music Theatre (Detroit, Michigan)
May 23: Verizon Wireless Music Center (Indianapolis, Indiana)
May 24: First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (Chicago, Illinois)
May 29: Wichita, Kansas
May 30: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May 31: Waxahachie, Texas
June 1: Houston, Texas
June 3: Charleston, West Virginia
June 5: PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmden, New Jersey)
June 6: Darien Lake PAC (Darien Center, New York)
June 7: Bank of America Pavilion (Boston, Massachussetts)
June 8: New England Dodge Music Center (Hartford, Connecticut)
June 11: HiFi Buys Amphitheatre (Atlanta, Georgia)
June 13: Verizon Wireless (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
June 14: Post Gazette Pavilion (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
June 15: Nissan Pavilion (Washington, D.C.)
June 17: Sprint Center (Kansas City, Missouri)
June 19: Journal Pavilion (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
June 20: Cricket Pavilion (Phoenix, Arizona)
June 21: Las Vegas, Nevada
June 24: Seattle (or perhaps Tacoma, Auburn or George?)
June 25: Clark County Amphitheatre (Vancouver, Washington)
June 27: SANA Amphitheatre (Salt Lake City, Utah)
June 28: Country Jam USA (Grand Junction, Colorado)
June 29: Greeley Stampede (Greeley, Colorado)
July 3: Summerfest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
July 4: Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (St. Louis, Missouri)
July 5: Blossom Music Center (Cleveland, Ohio)
July 6: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Last time I dropped in at Rocket Records, owner Steve Gaydich mentioned he was working on an in store with Blue Cheer. And he just called to say it was a done deal. The power trio -- known for "Just a Little Bit" and their proto-metal remake of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" -- will drop in to sign some records and possible play a few songs around 1 p.m. on Valentine's Day. That's the day after they're scheduled to rock El Corazon up in Seattle.

Avril Lavigne will perform that song that sounds dubiously like Tony Basil and the Rubinoos -- plus a whole lot of other stuff that's been in heavy rotation on "TRL" -- on May 10 in Everett. That's the day the pop princess is scheduled to perform at the Comcast Arena at the Everett Events Center, Live Nation announced this morning.

Tickets will go for $35 to $47.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. on Feb. 9. Boys Like Girls will open. Check here for more details.

I was goofing off for a sec, surfing around Digg.com (you know, like every shock jock in America does for "research") when I came across the headline "Six musicians with pasts they'll hope you forget." Of course I had to read it. And most of it wasn't news. I already knew about Tori Amos' butt rock roots in Y Can't Tori Read and Dr. Dre's less-than-gangsta appreciation of eyeliner in his pre-NWA days. But while I'd read about Alice in Chains' glammy, pre-grunge period, I wasn't quite ready for the picture I found ...

To quote Flavor Flav, "Woooooooooooooooooooooooow!" And if anyone has a bootleg with early Alice numbers "Fat Girls" and "Lip Lock Rock" on it, drop me a line. I wanna hear it.

As usual, click here if you want to take the quiz, sans spoilers. Otherwise, check yesterday's answers below:

1. "Nevermind" (H. Garbage man Butch Vig)
2. "Reign in Blood" (K. Super producer Rick Rubin)
3. "Los Angeles" (A. Doors keyboard guy Ray Mazarek)
4. "It Takes a Nation of Millions ..." (M. The Bomb Squad)
5. "Unknown Pleasures" (I. Martin Hannett ... what a beautifully produced record!)
6. "Abbey Road" (G. George Martin)
7. "Thriller" (B. Seattle Garfield High guy Quincy Jones)
8. "The Joshua Tree" (J. Eno & Lanois)
9. "OK Computer" (E. Nigel Godrich)
10. "Chocolate City" (C. George Clinton -- like, duh)
11. "Master of Puppets" (L. Flemming Rasmussen ... and now I've got "MASTER! MASTER!" stuck in my head)
12. "Q: Are We Not Men? ..." (N. Eno without that Lanois guy)
13. "Paul's Boutique" (F. Dust Brothers and Caldato, back when you could get away with layering that many samples in a song without getting sued for all your profits)
14. "Dreamboat Annie" (D. Mike Flicker)
15. "Pet Sounds" (P. Brian Wilson ... Like, did I mention, duh?)
16. "The Downward Spiral" (O. Trent Reznor & Flood ... Think it says that on his birth certificate?)

That's it. Tune in Tuesday for another one.

Are you ready for this week's quiz, y'all? It's kinda tough. Your task: Match the classic album to the guys who produced 'em:

The classics

1. Nirvana’s “Nevermind”
2. Slayer’s “Reign in Blood”
3. X’s “Los Angeles”
4. Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions ..."
5. Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures”
6. The Beatles “Abbey Road”
7. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
8. U2’s “The Joshua Tree”
9. Radiohead’s “OK Computer”
10. Parliament’s “Chocolate City”
11. Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”
12. Devo’s “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo?”
13. Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique”
14. Heart’s “Dreamboat Annie”
15. The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds”
16. Nine Inch Nails’ “The Downward Spiral”

The producers:

A. Ray Manzarek
B. Quincy Jones
C. George Clinton
D. Mike Flicker
E. Nigel Godrich
F. Dust Brothers & Mario Caldato Jr.
G. George Martin
H. Butch Vig
I. Martin Hannett
J. Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois
K. Rick Rubin
L. Flemming Rasmussen
M. Hank Shocklee & Carl Ryder (aka the Bomb Squad)
N. Brian Eno
O. Trent Reznor & Flood
P. Brian Wilson

Another cross section of songs I'm obsessed with at the moment ...

"One Hundred Days" Mark Lanegan

As much as I've dug Mark Lanegan’s output with the Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age, I've been guilty of sleeping on his solo stuff. But I revisited 2004’s "Bubblegum" recently, and this song is so sublime. Yet another disc that makes me want to kick myself for not putting it on that year’s best albums list.

"Beyond and Back" X

I'd started craving X again – especially watching the excellent documentary about them, “The Unheard Music" – right before the L.A. punk veterans’ headlining dates at the Showbox at the Market were announced. Can't wait, and can't get this song out of my head lately. I prefer this live mix from "Make the Music Go Bang" to the more subdued original from "Wild Gift." Exene’s tortured howl gives me chills.

"Mistaken for Strangers" The National

It took me longer than other critics to latch onto this moody band from my old stompin' grounds in the 'Natti. I'm really likin' this song at the moment.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are the first headliner to be announced for the Gorge Amphitheatre's 2008 season. The veteran outfit – known for “American Girl,” “Refugee,” “Free Fallin’” and other classics – is scheduled to appear Aug. 15 and 16, Live Nation announced just a little while ago.

Tickets are set at $45.00 to $95.00, and they'll go on sale at 10 a.m. on Feb. 4. Check in with Ticketmaster or Live Nation for further details.

Of course, broke and cheap fans can just stay home and check ‘em out during halftime at the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.

Oy! I'm way behind schedule. But here are a few of the clips I promised from my interview with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla last week. And you can also click here to go back and listen to the clip I posted a few days ago about the new Death Cab record, which is due this spring. Enjoy.

Part One: Remember that blog post and subsequent news stories about the Department of Homeland Security nabbing his hard drive?

Part Two: Everybody's doin' their solo thing.

Part Three: Challenging himself as a writer.

Part Four: Talkin' Wallatics

Part Five: Hittin' the road solo.

I was a huge Portishead fan in the '90s. But until this morning, I was this close to believing the British trip-hop band's third album would go the way of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" -- as in it would never see the light of day after more than 11 years of speculation.

But then I read the news the band recently posted on its Web site.

REAL NEWS

23 Jan 2008

We're pleased to announce that we'll be releasing our album, titled THIRD. on April 14th 2008.

The album has 11 tracks and is 49 minutes 13 seconds long.

Yeah, I know. That doesn't tell you a whole hell of a lot. But a CMJ report fills in some of the blanks. Apparently, "Wicca," "Hunter," "Peaches," "Mystic" and "Machine Gun" are among the new songs U.S. fans might hear on April 26, when Portishead headlines California's Coachella Festival. And did I mention it's about frickin' time?

And as I did last time I brought this up, I'll refer you to an an interview I did with Massive Attack's Daddy G nearly two years ago in which he gave his take on some of his homies' new songs that he'd just heard.

There! I found a YouTube link for Girl Trouble's "My Hometown" video that works this time. Woo hoo!

Anyway, click here if you don't want spoilers to yesterday's trivia challenge. Otherwise, you can check your answers below. And, yes, I had to slip my own hometown in there. I'll give the first person who posts which one a prize. Haven't figured out what yet, but I'll think o' somethin':

Home sweet home trivia answers

1. Bakersfield, California
2. Oxford, England
3. Louisville, Kentucky
4. Searcy, Arkansas
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
6. Freehold, New Jersey (he moves to Asbury Park later)
7. Atlanta, Georgia
8. Duluth, Minnesota
9. Jackson, Mississippi
10. Dallas, Texas
11. Long Beach, California
12. London, England
13. Liverpool, England
14. Tupelo, Mississippi
15. Seattle
16. Vancouver, British Columbia
17. Chicago, Illinois
18. Gary, Indiana
19. Minneapolis, Minnesota
20. Issaquah

How you scored:

18 to 20: Sweeeet hooome, Alabama!
15 to 17: I’m on my waaaay, I'm on my waaaaay, home sweeeeet home!
12 to 14: Mama, I'm comin' hoooooome
11 or less: Just close your eyes to the heaven above, I'm coming home ....

I had a nice chat with Death Cab for Cutie guitarist/producer Chris Walla last week, during which we mostly talked about his new solo album "Field Manual" (due from Barsuk next week), politics and his plans to fit a quick solo tour in before the Death Cab machine fires back up. I'm working on a related story for GO this Friday, and I should have bunch of sound bites from the interview uploaded by then.

Meanwhile, Death Cab fans will be interested to hear what Walla had to say about the band's new album, which he's in the process of mixing down to a final edit. The follow up to "Plans" is due this , and just click the link below to hear what he said about the new direction the band is going in.

Time to put those useless trivia muscles to work, kids. Use 'em or lose 'em. Name the following acts' hometowns. Then check back tomorrow for answers:

1. Korn
2. Radiohead
3. My Morning Jacket
4. The Gossip
5. The Shins
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Outkast
8. Bob Dylan
9. Faith Hill
10. Jessica Simpson
11. Snoop Dogg
12. The Kinks
13. The Beatles
14. Elvis
15. Duff McKagan
16. Nickelback
17. R. Kelly
18. Michael Jackson
19. Prince
20. Modest Mouse

This spring started shaping up quite nicely for Puget Sound comedy lovers as of this morning. I received Live Nation announcements that Chris Rock will appear at the Paramount Theatre on April 10 and 11 and that Margaret Cho will appear there on May 10. Now all we need is for Dave Chappelle to come back and for Dennis Leary to quit playin' fireman and get back on stage. You think?

Margaret Cho tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, while Chris Rock tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. You should be able to find more info through Ticketmaster.

Many bands have represented Tacoma well over the years. You've got the Sonics, the Wailers and soon-to-be-Rock-Hall-of-famers, the Ventures. You've got Girl Trouble and Seaweed carryin' the torch for the alt-rock era. Hell, you could even go way back to Bing Crosby if you wanna. We've got a rich musical history here.

But who would be on your list of the absolutely, positively most definite Tacoma bands? And is there anyone holdin' it down now that you would say represents Tacoma more than the rest?

Leave your picks in the comments section -- as many as you want with arguments about what makes them "definitive" if you so choose. Cheers.

Looks like the Fabulous Firwood may be open next weekend. At least Jan. 25 or 26 was the tentative target given by GM Hyon Kil when I spoke to him earlier this week.

The club – located at 8014 Valley Ave. E. in Fire – was shut down a month ago pending needed septic repairs.

“We inherited a (system) that’s been obsolete for a while,” Kil said. “It’s taken a little while to get this thing going because the weather hasn’t given us much of a break at all.”

Kil said the repairs could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $90,000 when it's all said and done. Yikes! They'll have to keep packin' 'em in for ladies night for a long, long time to settle that tab.

Rush announced dates for it's 2008 world tour this morning, including a May 31 stop at the Gorge Ampitheatre.

It'll be the the classic rock trio's second stop in Washington to promote last year's "Snakes & Arrows" album after last summer's appearance at Auburn's White River Amphitheatre. Click here if you missed that show.

Fanclub presale details will be provided at Rush.com Confirmed tour dates are below.

Rush's Snakes & Arrows tour 2008

April 11: San Juan, Puerto Rico (Coliseo de Puerto Rico)
April 13: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Bank Atlantic Center)
April 15: Orlando, Florida (Amway Center)
April 17: Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena)
April 19: New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans Arena)
April 20: Houston, Texas (Woodlands Pavilion)
April 23: Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center)
April 25: Dallas, Texas (The Music Center at Fair Park)
April 26: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Ford Center)
April 29: Albuquerque, New Mexico (Journal Pavilion)
May 1: Phoenix, Arizona (Cricket Pavilion)
May 3: Reno, Nevada (Reno Events Center)
May 4: Concord, California (Sleep Train Pavilion)
May 6: Los Angeles, California (Nokia Theatre)
May 10: Las Vegas, Nevada (Mandalay Bay Events Center)
May 11: Irvine, California (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
May 20: Moline, Illinois (iWireless Center)
May 22: St Paul, Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center)
May 24: Winnipeg, Manitoba (MTS Center)
May 25: Regina, Saskatchewan (Brandt Center)
May 27: Edmonton, Alberta (Rexall Place)
May 29: Vancouver, British Columbia (GM Place)
May 31: George, WA (The Gorge Amphitheatre)
June 1: Portland, Oregon (Clark County Amphitheatre)
June 3: Boise, Idaho (Idaho Center)
June 5: Denver, Colorado (Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
June 7: Kansas City, Missouri (Starlight Theatre)
June 9: Chicago, Illinois (United Center)
June 10: Detroit, Michigan (Joe Louis Arena)
June 12: Montreal, Quebec (Bell Center)
June 14: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wachovia Center)
June 15: Boston, Massachusetts (Tweeter Center)
June 25: Indianapolis, Indiana (Verizon Amphitheatre)
June 27: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Summerfest)
June 28: St Louis, Missouri (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
June 30: Cincinnati, Ohio (Riverbend Music Center)
July 2: Pittsburgh, Pennsyvania (Post Gazette Amphitheatre)
July 4: Atlantic City, New Jersey (Marc Etess Arena)
July 5: Saratoga, New York (SPAC)
July 7: Uncasville, Connecticut (Mohegan Sun)
July 9: Toronto, Ontario (The Molson Amphitheatre)
July 11: Manchester, Massachusetts (Verizon Arena)
July 12: Holmdel, New Jersey (PNC Bank Arts Center)
July 14: Wantagh, New York (Jones Beach)
July 17: Hershey, Pennsylvania (Hershey Stadium)
July 19: Washington, D.C. (Nissan Pavilion)
July 20: Charlotte, North Carolina
July 22: Atlanta, Georgia (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park)

What to do for the next week? Hmmmm.

Oh yeah! Here’s some stuff:

Severus (Friday, Hell’s Kitchen): With Killing Roots, Dying to Bleed, De-Krepit and Killing Roots.

Kem (Friday, Emerald Queen Casino): The R&B crooner brings his smooth sounds to the EQ.

Clumsy Lovers (Friday, Jazzbones): The Clever Bastards open. (I'm sensing a pattern.)

Pierce County Executive’s Excellence in Hip-Hop Awards (Saturday, Tacoma Art Museum): Performance, panel discussion and awards ceremonies tied in to the South Sound’s hip-hop scene. Check Music Entertainment’s Web site for details.

Harrold Gomez (Tuesday, Jazzbones): This guy's hilarious. And I think I’ll be judging karaoke with Colin afterward.

Blue Man Group (Thursday, KeyArena):Post-modern pop at its finest. I liked the piano smasher and those jedi swisher stick things last time I saw BMG. Wonder what kind of cool toys they’ll break out on the How to Be a Megastar Tour 2.1.

Bought it from a friend who bought it at some rock charity auction long before she moved to the Dubai. And as I started to put the sucker together, I was tempted to call Mark and ask him what all these mysterious splotches are all about. Ewwwww! No, really. Touch me, I'm sick. Note to self: Buy new futon cover this weekend.

Remember last month when I was marveling at how freakishly huge Timbaland has gotten? You know, how you could slap some green paint on that bruh and have him play the title role in the next Incredible Hulk movie? Well, a story in the New York Times suggests that more than just a few extra hours in the gym may have gone into that physique. Can you say 'roids? 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean and Mary J. Blige are also mentioned.

Wait, Wyclef and Mary J? Huh?

Say it ain't so! Just say no, kids. Just say no.

Today, Rascal Flatts announced dates for the next leg of the band's Still Feels Good Tour, including an April 4 stop at the Tacoma Dome. Perky "American Idol" alumnus Kellie Pickler, who appeared at the Puyallup Fair in September, will open what's being billed as the Still Feels Good Tour.

Rascal Flatts has been one of the biggest deals in pop these past few years. The country-pop trio has sold more than 15 million records, debuted at No. 1 last year with its latest album "Still Feels Good" and, according to Pollstar magazine, scored the 10th best-selling tour in America last year. The band last performed at the Tacoma Dome in March.

Here's a list of the band's 2008 tour dates in case you wanna check 'em out in another town:

Thursday: Manchester, New Hampshire (Verizon Center)
Friday: New York City (Madison Square Garden)
Jan. 24: Albany, New York (Times Union Center)
Jan. 25:Buffalo, New York (HSBC Arena)
Jan. 26: State College, Pennsylvania (Bryce Jordan Center)
Feb. 7: Toronto, Ontario (Air Canada Centre)
Feb. 8: Ottawa, Ontario (Scotia Bank Place)
Feb. 15: Moline, Illinois (I Wireless Center)
Feb. 16: Fort Wayne, Indiana (Allen Co. War Memorial Coliseum)
Feb. 17: Dayton, Ohio (Nutter Center)
Feb. 21: Orlando, Florida (Amway Arena)
Feb. 22: Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Coliseum)
Feb. 28: New Orleans, Lousiana (New Orleans Arena)
Feb. 29: Memphis, Tennessee (FedEx Forum)
March 1: Little Rock, Arkansas (Alltell Arena)
March 7: Salt Lake City, Utah (Energy Solutions Arena)
March 8: Las Vegas, Nevada (Mandalay Bay)
March 11: Houston, Texas (Reliant Stadium)
March 24: Calgary, Alberta (Penngrowth Saddledome)
March 25: Edmonton, Alberta (Rexall Place)
March 26: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Credit Union Centre)
March 28: Winnipeg, Manitoba (MTS Centre)
April 2: Vancouver, British Columbia (General Motors Place)
April 4: Portland, Oregon (Rose Garden)
April 5: Tacoma Dome
April 9: Fresno, California (Save Mart Center)
April 10: Sacramento, California (Arco Arena)
April 11: San Jose, California (HP Pavilion)

Click here if you haven’t taken the Useless Trivia Tuesdays quiz, click here to avoid spoilers. Otherwise, here’s the answers, y’all. Peace!

1. f
2. m
3. a
4. g
5. o
6. c
7. n
8. b
9. e
10. k
11. d
12. i
13. l
14. h
15. j

After yesterday's Mudhoney post, I came up with a great quiz topic. Let's see how much you guys know about where your favorite bands' names come from. Match the band with the origin below. Check back for answers later:

1. Radiohead
2. Black Sabbath
3. Motorhead
4. Joy Division
5. Duran Duran
6. The Melvins
7. Portishead
8. Rolling Stones
9. Death Cab for Cutie
10. Steely Dan
11. Toad the Wet Sprocket
12. Veruca Salt
13. Pedro the Lion
14. Suicide Girls
15. Meshuggah

a. Slang for “speed freak.”
b. Reference to a Howlin’ Wolf song.
c. The name of band members’ supervisor at Thriftway.
d. Taken from a Monty Python sketch about absurd band names.
e. From a song the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band performs in the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour.”
f. It's a Talking Heads song.
g. Women forced to work in Nazi brothels in Karol Cetinsky’s novel “The House of Dolls.”
h. Taken from a line in Chuck Palahniuk’s novel “Survivor.”
i. Named after a character from “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.”
j. The Hebrew term for “crazy.”
k. A raunchy reference from William S. Burroughs’ novel, “Naked Lunch”
l. The name of a kids book character the lead singer thought up.
m. Name of a 1963 horror flick, starring Boris Karloff
n. The band’s English hometown.
o. A villain from the Jane Fonda flick, “Barbarella.”

I never knew where Mudhoney's name came from in spite of all the years of listening to the Seattle grunge godfathers. And it never came up any of the times I interviewed front man Mark Arm. I just figured it was some kind of gross euphemism. Then my editor, who has a weird obsession with Russ Meyer films, directed me to this hilarious trailer. And suddenly I feel a topic for Useless Trivia Tuesday coming on. Enjoy.

Here’s a few things to keep y’all busy this weekend and beyond, And now that I'm over my case of the ol' ebola, I may have to join you at a couple of these:

Lupe Fiasco (Friday, Showbox at the Market): Kanye West’s protégé will be performing tracks from his new disc, “The Cool.”

The Apex Theory (Saturday, Hell’s Kitchen): Local favorites Utterance, In Lunar Blue and Wide Eyed Panic add support.

Jeremy Enigk (Wednesday, Chop Suey): The Seattle singer-songwriter’s rescheduled gig is yet another sad reminder that the Crocodile is toast.

Karaoke contest (Tuesday, Jazzbones): Laugh it up at Ha Ha Tuesday (Riggs and Sharon Lacey deliver the laughs) and then test your karaoke skills for prizes. Trust me, you don’t have to be Jordan Sparks. I think I may wind up judgin’ again, and I’m a big softie compared to all those mean British @#%@%@^@@ they find to judge all those TV reality shows. (What are they putting in the water over there, anyway?)

Gallagher (Saturday, Emerald Queen Casino): What? You say this is actually Gallagher and not Black Gallagher? Uh, never mind, y'all. Huh huh, huh huh. Black Gallagher rules.

Ed Taylor

Home base: Tacoma

Style: Smooth jazz, funk, fusion

Discography: “Good Is Good” (2004), “Taylor Made” (2005), “Songs from a Taylor” (2007)

Influences: Taylor describes the evolution of his style from being more flashy, flamboyant and rock-influenced in his younger days to the more refined smooth jazz approach fans hear today. “When I was younger, I loved the Beatles, Chuck berry and Wes Montgomery. … As I got older and I got into my 20s and 30s, I got bored with certain types of music, and that lead me into the George Benson, Wes Montgomery territory.”

Listen up: "Do What You've Got to Do" (feat. Peter White); "Ronny's Daily Flash" (from his newest album, “Songs from a Taylor”)

Hear more at: www.edtaylormusic.com

See him next: 7 p.m. Saturday at Jazzbones. Taylor’s supporting cast this weekend will include Dennis Blackmon on keys, Kevin England on trumpet and flugelhorn, Keith Klawwitte on tenor saxophone, Derek Nelson on baritone sax, John Roberts on bass and Brian Smith on drums.

Rolling Stone's interview with John Paul Jones should more than pique your interest.

This morning, Radiohead announced that Seattle will be among the cities visited on its upcoming U.S. tour. The critically acclaimed British alt-rock band will also visit Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Vancouver on the West Coast, according to a released statement. See the other cities here.

Today the band also debuted at No. 1 with the tangible version of it's new album "In Rainbows," its first time topping the charts since "Kid A" in 2000. Radiohead made headlines as '07 came to a close by letting fans pay a sliding scale fee (basically whatever they wanted) for digital downloads of the album.

Click here to go straight to yesterday's Name That Rapper quiz and avoid spoilers. Otherwise, the answers are below. Out:

1. 50 Cent
2. Ice T
3. Ludacris
4. Ol’ Dirty Bastard
5. Ghostface Killa
6. The Streets
7. Lady Sovereign
8. MF Doom
9. Ice Cube
10. T.I.
11. Timbaland
12. Snoop Dogg
13. Queen Latifah
14. Ad Rock
15. Rakim
16. Eazy E
17. Flavor Flav
18. Chamillionaire
19. Mike Jones
20. Paul Wall

How you scored:
19-20: Yeah, boyeeeeeeeee!!!!! Flavor Flaaaaavv!!!
17-18: Straight outta compton!
14-16: You came to bring the pain!
11 -13: Your lumps, your lumps, your lovely lady lumps!
10 or less: Vanilla Ice Ice, baby.

Below are the names listed on a few rappers’ birth certificates. But are you a big enough fan (or a big enough pop music geek) that you also know their stage names? Remember, if you just go look it up on some other Web site, you’re only cheating yourself. But since some of these are pretty hard, I won't gripe if any posts hints or clues in the comments section. For my part, I’ll post the answers toward the end of the day.

1. Curtis Jackson
2. Tracy Marrow
3. Christopher Bridges
4. Russell Jones
5. Dennis Jones
6. Mike Skinner
7. Louise Harman
8. Daniel Dumile
9. O’Shea Jackson
10. Clifford Harris
11. Tim Mosley
12. Calvin Broadus
13. Dana Owens
14. Adam Horovitz
15. William Griffin Jr.
16. Eric Wright
17. William Drayton
18. Hakeem Seriki
19. Mike Jones
20. Paul Slayton

Sorry to get your hopes up. But this will have to do until the real deal announces the U.S. tour.

Seattle, WA – Live Nation welcomes The Music of Led Zeppelin to The Paramount on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.

Bridging the gulf between rock n’ roll and classical music, conductor/arranger Brent Havens takes the podium to present The Music of Led Zeppelin, a program he scored to extend the listening experience of Led Zeppelin’s timeless tunes. Performed by an orchestra and amplified with a full rock band and screaming vocals, Havens and his ensemble capture Led Zeppelin’s “sheer blast and power” riff for riff while cranking out new musical colors

[snip]

Tickets go on sale for $25 to $65 beginning 10 a.m. Saturday through Ticketmaster. One can only wonder what fraction of the cost of real Zeppelin tickets that is.

Cough! Hack! Sniffle!

The 'Tussin ain't workin'. So much for Chris Rock's miracle cure. It's made me pleasantly loopy, though. And hopefully I'll be well enough to join you at one or more of these shows. Cheers.

Carrie Akre (Saturday at Club Vertigo): Carrie's last show before she goes on maternity leave.

Devin the Dude (Saturday at Chop Suey): D the D headlines the Second Annual Freestyle Championships, with Cool Nutz, Mr. D.O.G., etc.

Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour (Wednesday at Washington Center for the Performing Arts): Featuring Kendrick Scott, Nnenna Freelon and Terence Blanchard.

I'm at home, sick, sippin' on some 'Tussin. But I did at least manage to sit upright long enough to read this on the Rolling Stone site.

Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder will unveil his first solo music video for “Guaranteed,” taken from his Into the Wild soundtrack. The video, shot by director Marc Rocco and featuring “striking silhouettes of Vedder with translit still frames from the film in a powerful and simple way,” will premiere on VH1 on January 7th. The song has already been nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe, and is a frontrunner for an Oscar nod.