Blame it on Eyjafjallajokull.

Of course we mean Eyjafjallajokull the Icelandic volcano not the Marty Eyjafjallajokull that plays minor league hockey in Poughkeepsie.

Last spring, the Icelandic volcano spewed ash all over the European continent. It inconvenienced thousands of travelers and cost the airline industry millions of Euros, but by far the most serious damage it wreaked was screwing up the Gorillaz’s appearance at the Coachella Music Festival.

“We lost loads of people to the volcano—we didn’t lose them; they couldn’t get on their flight—we were missing Kano and Bashy, Mos Def was in London. The Hypnotic Brass couldn’t get there,” explained Jamie Hewlett.

Hopefully Eyjafjallajokull will cooperate and not affect the Gorillaz upcoming plans to tour North America. The recently announced 17-date excursion across the U.S. and Canada are part of the band’s first ever world tour.

Artists That Have Appeared With Gorillaz in 2010
Bashy
Bootie Brown
De La Soul
Snoop Dogg
Gruff Rhys
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Mick Jones (of The Clash)
Kano
Little Dragon
Mos Def
Lou Reed
Shaun Ryder
Mark E Smith
Paul Simonon (of The Clash)
Bobby Womack

Their North American leg kicks off Oct. 3 in Montreal, Quebec and concludes exactly one month later when the virtual band plays the actual Vancouver, British Columbia on Nov. 3.

Highlights of the band’s itinerary include Boston, Massachusetts on Oct. 6; Chicago, Illinois on Oct. 16; and Los Angeles, California on Oct. 27.

Gorillaz tickets go on sale starting Aug. 8.

After wrapping up in America and Canada, the Gorillaz play 10 more dates in Europe. Among the cities they’ll be visiting in the Old World are Dublin, London, Paris, and Berlin.

In December, the band travels down under for half a dozen concerts in Australia.

Before coming to America and Canada, the Gorillaz will spend September playing a string of dates in the U.K. and Ireland. Recently the band rocked Byblos, Lebanon and the Citadel of Damascus in Syria.

Gorillaz Live Band
Damon Albarn – Vocals
MIke Smith – Keyboards
Cass Browne – Drums
Gabriel Wallace – Drums
Jeff Wotton – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass
Mick Jones – Guitar
Jesse Hackett – Sampling

The aforementioned Coachella gig—in front of 70,000 fans all of whom were going ape— wasn’t the only Gorillaz show of the spring it was just the one most affected by Eyjafjallajokull. The band also appeared at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, at Spain’s Benicassim Festival, and they headlined the Glastonbury Festival after Bono’s bad back forced U2 to cancel.

Fans can expect a show similar to one at Coachella. However, expect more human interaction as Damon Albarn complained about the lack of it after playing Glastonbury. Forget about seeing any of the 3-D elements the band used in the past. This time around they’re sticking to their usual 2-D multi-media elements.

The Gorillaz consist of front man Damon Albarn (formerly of Blur) and cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl). They created the world’s most successful virtual band in 1998. Albarn sings and creates all the music while Hewlett handles all the visuals.

The band is currently touring to support its third studio album, Plastic Beach. The 16-track opus dropped in March and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.

Gorillaz Discography
Gorillaz (2001)
G-Sides (2002)
Laika Come Home (2002)
Demon Days (2005)
D-Sides (2007)
Plastic Beach (2010)

Recently, Land of Punt read an article about legendary punk rock band Social Distortion.

LOP aren’t huge Social Distortion fans but even before perusing the tome we had heard of the band and were familiar with a couple of their songs.

Needless to say, Land of Punt was shocked to learn that a band as popular and influential as Social Distortion had released just six studio albums (the seventh due out later this year) in their 30-plus-year career.

In a string of events that can only be blamed on serendipity, LOP learned just a few hours later about American rock band O.A.R.—they had just announced plans to add a string of 15-dates to their 2010 touring itinerary.

Now, Land of Punt had heard the name “O.A.R.” maybe once or twice in passing, but we hadn’t the foggiest idea what they sounded like or what the acronym stood for (Of a Revolution).

As LOP researched their sound, as well as their history, we came across a rather fascinating discovery. This band that we had barely even heard of—a band that’s less than 15-years-old—had released six albums as well with a seventh on the way.

In the course of a single afternoon, we confronted a well-known punk band that achieved legendary status while releasing music at glacial speed and a rather obscure alternative jam band that released the same amount of albums in half the time.

Land of Punt is not trying to besmirch either band. All LOP is trying to do is enumerate the music business’s mind boggling peculiarities. We’re trying to dissect the fickle phenomenon of success.

Social Distortion is a well known band, a house hold name in the punk genre, but there’s a lot about them that would turn music fans off (like Mike Ness’ rampant drug use). Meanwhile, O.A.R. has a sound your grandmother would appreciate and they’ve sold nary two million records.

Social Distortion Discography Mommy’s Little Monster (1983) Prison Bound (1988) Social Distortion (1990) Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992) White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996) Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004) Untitled Studio Album (Early 2011)

O.A.R. Discography The Wanderer (1997) Soul’s Aflame (2000) Risen (2001) In Between Now and Then (2003) Stories of a Stranger (2005) All Sides (2008) Untitled Studio Album (Early 2011)

One would think that Social Distortion’s pace would make remaining relevant after three decades nearly impossible. Meanwhile, one would think that O.A.R.’s prolificacy in releasing six albums (soon to be seven) in less than a decade-and-a-half meant the public had an insatiable appetite for their music.

The reverse seems to be true.

Music is perhaps the only arena where such odd perceptions and bizarre hierarchies can exist. It’s utterly fascinating how two such diverse bands can have such disparate legacies that equally defy assumptions (and logic).

Oddly enough both bands are touring extensively this summer and fall.

Social Distortion’s summer tour gets underway July 27 in Poughkeepsie, New York. The leg’s final show is Aug. 14 in Medford, Oregon. However, the band plays the Outside Lands Festival the next night in San Francisco, California.

O.A.R. kicks off their summer jaunt on July 22 in Cleveland, Ohio. It wraps Aug. 15 in Alpharetta, Georgia with a show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park. Their summer schedule is highlighted by a two-night O.A.R. stand in Boston, Massachusetts. The band is set to rock the Bank of America Pavilion on July 29 and 30.

Social Distortion’s fall leg commences Oct. 14 in Salt Lake City, Utah at The Complex. Ness and the boys will be on the road until Nov. 23. That’s when the band plays the tour’s final show set for the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona.

O.A.R. has exactly one month off between summer and fall legs. Their string of autumn concerts gets underway Sept. 15 in Tampa, Florida at the Ruth Eckerd Hall.

The band from Rockville, Maryland will sell O.A.R. tickets for shows in such cities as Orlando, New Orleans, Dallas, and Seattle. Their fall fun ends Oct. 9 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California.

In yet another similarity, both bands are expected to release albums in the near future. Social Distortion’s seventh studio album will probably be out later this year. O.A.R.’s septenary offering is more than likely to drop in early 2011.

Neither band has yet to name their forthcoming albums.

O.A.R.’s Fall Dates
September 15 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
September 16 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
September 18 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
September 20 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
September 21 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
September 22 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
September 23 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
September 25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park at North Shore
September 30 – Anaheim, CA @ Grove of Anaheim

October 2 – Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
October 3 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
October 6 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
October 7 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
October 8 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
October 9 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater

Nickelback is one of Land of Punt’s favorite bands. Of course, the reason we like them so much has little to do with their catchy rock songs or Chad Kroeger’s distinctive voice.

LOP likes Nickelback because they are insanely successful despite being universally derided by critics. Nickelback is the scourge of rock snobs everywhere yet the foursome is ten times more popular than any independent-alternative-quirky-garbage band they pretend to listen too.

So just how successful is Nickelback?

Well, the boys from Hanna, Alberta, Canada were named Billboard’s “Group of the Decade.” The band has retailed more than 30 million records worldwide and they’ve sold out every show on their current “Dark Horse World Tour.”

Since 2009 Nickelback has sold in excess of 1.6 million concert tickets to more than 120 shows.

“Our fans have been amazing all over the world from Japan to New Zealand, Australia, Dubai, the UK and North America,” gushed Kroeger in a press release.

The band has added another leg to their historic world tour. Nickelback is still on the road in support of their 2008 mega-hit, Dark Horse (84 weeks and counting on the Billboard 200).

“Our fans keep us going and we are excited to play 25 more dates in the US with Three Days Grace and Buckcherry,” explains Kroeger.

The first date is scheduled for Sept. 14 in Nashville, Tennessee. The leg’s final concert is a doozy. Nickelback, Three Days Grace, and Buckcherry take to Las Vegas on Oct. 30 for a show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Other Highlights of their itinerary include a Sept. 18 concert in Detroit, Michigan; an Oct. 2 concert in Cleveland, Ohio; and an Oct. 22 concert in Anaheim, California.

“America’s a big place!” Kroeger told Web site Noisecreep. “And there’s just so many places. There’s a bunch of places that we haven’t been to and we’re going to hit on this next run. We like to try to give everybody out there in the world who wants to come and see Nickelback perform live, a chance to do so. And if the demand is there, we’re going to go.”

Additional tour dates isn’t the only thing Nickelback fans have to look forward too. Just recently Harmonix and MTV Games made Nickelback a part of the Rock Band universe. Six Nickelback songs are now available for download via the video game’s music store: “Burn It to the Ground,” “This Afternoon,” “Photograph,” “Rockstar,” “Figured You Out,” and “Never Again.”

Nickelback has joined the more than 400 artists and added to the more than 1,500 songs now available for download by Rock Band gamers.

>>September 14 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
>>September 15 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
>>September 17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
>>September 18 – Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
>>September 21 – Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
>>September 22 – Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
>>September 24 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center for the Performing Arts
>>September 25 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
>>September 28 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
>>September 29 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center

>>October 01 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
>>October 02 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
>>October 08 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
>>October 10 – Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
>>October 12 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
>>October 15 – Spring, TX @ Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion
>>October 16 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center
>>October 18 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
>>October 20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Energy Solution Arena
>>October 22 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
>>October 23 – Sacramento, CA @ Arco Arena
>>October 26 – Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion
>>October 27 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
>>October 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
>>October 30 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena

“‘Stuck Like Glue’ is just plain, unashamed, Sugar-fun. It sticks in your brain, no pun intended. To me, it feels young, hip and, of course, sassy! I can’t wait for it to get out there so we can play it live in our show. We’ve been sitting on our hands to not play it live till it was released!”

Those exquisite prose are from Sugarland’s lead singer Jennifer Nettles. The 35-year-old songstress is promoting her band’s upcoming opus, The Incredible Machine. Their fourth studio album is set to drop Oct. 19.

Since Land of Punt is such a huge fan of Nettles we will over look the fact that she plagiarized, almost word for word, what Frank Zappa said about Weasels Ripped My Flesh back in 1970.

The album’s first single, “Stuck Like Glue” is set to debut on radio (apparently that medium is still around) on July 26. Make sure you avoid getting “Stuck Like Glue” mixed up with Lionel Richie’s “Stuck on You” or Huey Lewis and the News’ “Stuck with You.”

Sugarland’s 2008 release, Love on the Inside, went to number one on both the Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200. The Multi-Platinum release sent three singles to the top of the Hot Country Songs chart: “All I Want to Do,” “Already Gone,” and “It Happens.”

The Incredible Machine, not to be confused with Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine, was written by Nettles and her Sugarland cohort, Kristian Bush—although “Stuck on Glue” features the additional songwriting talents of Kevin Griffin and Shy Carter.

Even though their next album isn’t due out until mid-October, Sugarland is currently out on the road with their The Incredible Machine Tour.

The outing began July 10 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and after a two weeks respite it will pick up again on July 23 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.

Sugarland tickets are on sale now for several dates including stops in St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Charlottesville.

A couple of other big shows on the band’s itinerary include an Oct. 1 Sugarland show in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre; and an Oct. 8 Sugarland show in Dallas, Texas at the SuperPages Amphitheatre.

The duo’s tour is scheduled to conclude Oct. 16 when West Palm Beach welcomes Sugarland to the Cruzan Amphitheatre.

Sugarland is pure pop country. They offer an easily digestible brand of Nashville music that’s neither too country one way or the other. Their live shows, like their studio albums, are upbeat, perky, and witty. Whether you’re listening to them via iTunes or at your local arena, you’re guaranteed to have a great time and to move your feet.

Billboard Magazine named George Strait their top country artist of the past 25 years (1985-2010).

Strait, who’s sent 44 songs to the top of the Hot Country Songs chart, beat out Garth Brooks, who has sold more than 68 million albums (and another 12 as Chris Gaines).

A Country Music Hall of Famer, Strait owns several Billboard records. He has 82 top 10 singles and is the only artists in the publication’s history to notch a top 10 single in 30 consecutive years (1981-2010).

Using the time frame of Jan. 5 1985 through May 29, 2010, the magazine looked at how well artists performed on two charts: Hot Country Songs and Top Country Albums. Then they used some complicated formula, ironically devised by mathematicians so geeky they don’t even listen to music, to create their list.

Coming in at third is Reba McEntire (who is now just “Reba”). She is responsible for 23 number one’s on the Hot Country Songs chart. The only female country artist with more is Dolly Parton (25).

Traditional country music singer Alan Jackson came in at number four. He’s seen 25 of his singles reach number one on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Rounding out the top five is 23-time Hot Country Songs chart-topper, Tim McGraw.

Apparently Billboard has a chart called Hot Country Songs.

Surprisingly, Ray Stevens did not make the list.

This list, which was quantitatively constructed, has irked some country music fans. Billboard, who is highly regarded as fair and unbiased, basically just counted an artist’s time on the charts to create the list. Still, some are not happy with their tabulation.

Billboard’s Top 25 Country Artists of Past 25 Years (1985-2010)
1. George Strait
2. Garth Brooks
3. Reba McEntire
4. Alan Jackson
5. Tim McGraw
6. Randy Travis
7. Toby Keith
8. Kenny Chesney
9. Alabama
10. Brooks & Dunn
11. Rascal Flatts
12. Clint Black
13. Hank Williams Jr.
14. Shania Twain
15. The Judds
16. Faith Hill
17. Vince Gill
18. Dixie Chicks
19. Keith Urban
20. Brad Paisley
21. Ricky Van Shelton
22. Dwight Yoakam
23. Martina McBride
24. Travis Tritt
25. LeAnn Rimes

One such complaint is with Rascal Flatts coming in at number 11. Some feel that may be a bit too high since they’ve only been around for a decade or so. Still, the “Flatts” have scored 10 number-one hits, sold nearly 20 million albums, and used over 350 cans of mousse during their career.

Also stirring debate is the omission or Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.

Yes, Swift and Underwood are relative newbies, but they’ve dominated the last one-fifth of list’s timeframe and they’re pretty hot. Maybe they should have deserved inclusion in the 20′s.

Some fans are grumbling because they believe several artists on the list don’t even perform country music.

Land of Punt settles that argument in the same way it settles whether or not an activity is a sport. If it’s shown on ESPN then it’s a sport. If it’s played on country music radio stations then its country music.

Oddly enough, country music fans will be able to see two of the top five artists of the past quarter-century out on tour together later this year.

Strait and Reba launch the fall leg of their “Twang Tour” Sept. 9 in Columbus, Ohio. It concludes Oct. 22 in Fargo, North Dakota.

The highlight of their 11-date excursion is a Sept. 11 concert in Nashville, Tennessee. That event, held at the Bridgestone Arena, was originally scheduled for April 28. It was pushed back when the tour was extended into autumn.

If you bought tickets to see George Strait and Reba in Nashville for the original date in April you will be able to use them for the upcoming September concert.

Joining the “King” and “Queen” of country music on their upcoming outing is Lee Ann Womack. She also opened for the legends when they were out on tour earlier this year from late-January through mid-April.

The duo’s first go around was an overwhelming success grossing $28.2 million.

George Strait & Reba Tour Itinerary
>>September 9 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
>>September 10 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
>>September 11 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
>>September 16 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
>>September 17 – Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Arena
>>September 18 – Bossier City, LA @ CenturyTel Center

>>October 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Consol Energy Center
>>October 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Wachovia Center
>>October 16 – Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
>>October 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
>>October 22 – Fargo, ND@ Fargodome

The ad agency responsible for the latest Kia Soul hamster advert is David&Goliath. They also did the other commercials featuring the Kia Soul and hamsters.

The song, “The Choice is Yours,” is provided by Black Sheep, a hip hop duo from Queens, New York.

The clothes, worn by the hamsters, are available at hamstarclothing.com. LOP wants a hat.

This spot makes the next possible progression in the hamster-Kia mythology. It does so in tremendous fine fashion.

In fact, this terrific commercial works on four distinct levels.

Level one: The hamsters are cool and cute at the same time. That’s difficult to do. The little critters simultaneous resemble the mis-en-scene of the inner city while still maintaining a high level of cuddliness.

Level two: The hamsters not only move like humans, but their fingers are highly articulate. That’s quite different from other works featuring anthropomorphism and draws the viewers in.

Level three: The commercial is extremely well layered. There are hamsters walking in the background and appearing on billboards. The detail put into this sixty-second advert is quite impressive.

Level four: The Black Sheep song is a forgotten gem. Land of Punt always wondered why Black Sheep didn’t achieve greater success and notoriety.

:60 Version

:30 Version

A few years ago, Land of Punt was listening to a morning sports talk radio show. At the conclusion of that day’s show, the radio hosts performed a song parody.

Song parodies are a staple on morning radio but this particular one stayed with LOP. Not because it was funny (it wasn’t) but because it revealed the power of great music.

The radio hosts rewrote the lyrics to one of popular music’s most famous songs and then, if memory serves, sang their version a capella.

The song they were parodying was The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”

Now, neither one of these dopes could carry a tune, but it didn’t seem to affect the song. The melody of “Yesterday,” even at the mercy of two discordant throated imbeciles, still retained its emotional veracity, its potency, and its impact.

How great of a song is “Yesterday” that even when it’s being butchered it still has the power to inspire and stir the spirit.

Amazingly, The Beatles have a lot of songs like that.

That’s why after four decades, their music is still being explored and rediscovered through a variety of media. One such entity that’s keeping The Beatles music alive and well is the band RAIN.

Rain is a Beatles tribute band, or should we say THE Beatles tribute band.

They began in the 1970′s performing Beatles songs in various clubs on the West Coast. Then in 1979, they were used by Dick Clark for his film Birth of The Beatles.

In 1982, cast members of the Broadway show Beatlemania began to join the band and soon RAIN became an official offshoot of that production.

The lineup has changed a bit over the years, but the one constant is RAIN co-founder Mark Lewis. As the creative force behind the band, Lewis doesn’t actually portray a Beatle, instead he plays the keyboards off stage.

The members of Rain tour the country performing as The Beatles. They not only look like the Fab Four but they act like them too, copying their mannerisms and their style of performing.

The band goes through every stage of the Beatles’ mythology, from their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show all the way to their concert on the roof of Abbey Road studios–making the necessary costume and hair changes along the way.

Rain Lineup
Steve Landes as John Lennon
Joey Curatolo as Paul McCartney
Joe Bithorn as George Harrison
Ralph Castelli as Ringo Starr

Other Members
Graham Alexander
Mark Beyer
Joe Bologna
Doug Cox
Jim Irizarry
David Leon
Jimmy Pou
Mac Ruffing
Tom Teeley

The band prides itself on authenticity. They strive for perfect note-for-note duplication of every Beatle song they perform. RAIN is not just a bunch of actors holding instruments and sporting English accents. They are accomplished musicians and performers.

Furthermore, RAIN’s elaborate, multi-media concerts use no pre-recorded tracks.

Needless to say, they are billed as the “next best thing to seeing the Beatles live.” That may seem like a ridiculous statement since The Beatles have been defunct for 40 years, but there is some merit to this endeavor beyond the opportunity for pitiful baby-boomers to relive their youth.

The Beatles stopped touring halfway through their career and even when they were performing concerts, technology was so bad you could barely hear them. RAIN offer fans a chance to imagine what The Beatles might have been like as a touring band had conditions been more favorable.

While currently touring North America and selling tickets to a show called Rain: The Beatles Experience, the most successful tribute band in the world has recently announced plans for an 11-week run on Broadway.

Previews begin Oct. 18 with opening night scheduled for Oct. 26. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles will run at the Neil Simon Theatre.

There will be no shows on Wednesdays but matinees on both Saturday and Sunday.

Songs Featured in RAIN

Canada’s best independent rock band, Arcade Fire, recently unveiled several songs from their forthcoming LP at a live show as well as announced plans for a six-date U.S. tour.

The intimate performance took place June 7, 2010 at the Granada Theatre in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The gig was the band’s first “official public” concert in more than three years.

The 1,200 fans bought tickets to hear Arcade Fire play new material from their upcoming third studio album, The Suburbs, set to drop Aug. 3.

The new tunes were part of a 16-song set that finished with an acoustic version of their classic “Wake Up.” The band also played material from their 2004 masterpiece Funeral and 2007′s Neon Bible which peaked at number two on Billboard 200.

Set List From June 7th
Songs from “The Suburbs” are in bold
The Suburbs
Ready To Start
Keep The Car Running
We Used To Wait
No Cars Go
Haiti
Intervention
Rococo
Empty Room
Modern Man
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Month Of May
Rebellion (Lies)
Wake Up

“Thank you very much for coming,” said frontman Win Butler at the concert’s conclusion. “We were fools not to come sooner. We beg your forgiveness. We’ll see you soon, like tomorrow or something.”

The band’s U.S. tour begins Aug. 1 in Boston at the Bank of America Pavilion. The next day, the septet travels to Philadelphia for a show at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.

On Aug. 4, Arcade Fire plays Madison Square Garden in New York City. That performance is followed by a trio to Columbia, Maryland and a show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 6.

While not an official tour stop, on Aug. 8 Arcade Fire performs at Lollalooza in Chicago, Illinois.

Their tour resumes the following night, Aug. 9, in Nashville. The outing concludes Aug. 11 with a show at Atlanta’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.

For the Philly, New York, Columbia and Atlanta show, indie rock band, Spoon will open.

Arcade Fire will donate $1 of every ticket sold on their U.S. tour to Partners in Health, a charity that provides health care options for the poor.

Arcade Fire’s Festival Appearances For 2010
See tour schedule for exact dates and location

• Hove Festival
• Oexgen
• Festival d’ete de Quebec
• Ottawa Bluesfest
• Osheaga Music Festival
• Lollapalooza
• Leeds Festival
• Reading Festival
• Rock en Seine
• I-Day Festival

Both before and after their U.S. trek, Arcade Fire is scheduled to be out on the road. Their first series of European dates begins June 28 in Helsinki.

Then, after a concert in Toronto on Aug. 12, the band heads back across the pond for shows in the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

Arcade Fire put a solid six months worth of effort into The Suburbs. The opus was produced by Markus Dravs who engineered the band’s previous release, Neon Bible.

There have been rumors that Canuck composer Owen Pallett, from Final Fantasy (the band not the game) did the album’s string arrangements. He recently posted on his Twitter account: “just completed 10 days on the best album I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on.” Pallett has worked with the band before.

The album, set for release by Merge Records, was recorded over the past two years in Montreal, Quebec, and New York City. The title and songs were inspired by Win and William Butler growing up in a Houston, Texas suburb.

Arcade Fire Tour Schedule
* = w/ Spoon
>> 06/28 – Helsinki, FI @ Senaatintori
>> 06/30 – Rättvik, SE @ Dalhalla
>> 07/02 – Arendal, NO @ Hove Festival
>> 07/04 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
>> 07/05 – Paris, FR @ Le Casino De Paris
>> 07/09 – Eadestown, IE @ Oxegen
>> 07/12 – Quebec City, QC @ Festival d’ete de Quebec
>> 07/13 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Bluesfest
>> 07/31 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music Festival
>> 08/01 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
>> 08/02 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center *
>> 08/04 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
>> 08/06 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
>> 08/08 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
>> 08/09 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
>> 08/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre*
>> 08/12 – Toronto, ON @ Toronto Centre Island
>> 08/27 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
>> 08/28 – Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
>> 08/29 – Saint-Cloud, FR @ Rock en Seine
>> 08/31 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
>> 09/02 – Bologna, IT @ I-Day Festival

Rococo

Ready to Start

Empty Room

We Used To Wait

The Suburbs

Month of May

Top of Page

There is no way to quantify if a band or artist is overrated. It’s more of a feeling than anything else.

There exists in popular music a hierarchy. It’s been created, and is constantly altered, by both natural and artificial means. At the top sits The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Michael Jackson, U2, and Madonna. At the bottom rests the 8th place American Idol contestant. Everyone else fall somewhere in between.

Determining which artists are overrated and which are correctly rated is not a science. It’s not even an art. It’s just an exercise to start a conversation. It’s a lot like asking the question who is the greatest guitarist of all-time or what rocker, if still alive, would be a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice.

For this article, Land of Punt will throw out five artists we think are overrated and why we think that way. Hopefully our choices will elicit a response other than apathy. Maybe you’ll cheer, maybe you’ll purse your lips in anger, or maybe you’ll do a little of both.

LOP’s intention with this list isn’t to denigrate the five artists enumerated below, but to examine the machinations and politics of music and the music industry. The hierarchy of artists we refer to is that of the macrocosm not the pecking order of your own personal microcosm.

Bob Dylan

Before you freak out and delete our bookmark from your favorites, hear LOP out. When we say Bob Dylan is overrated we are not disparaging his contributions to popular music. What we are saying is if Dylan is rated a 9 (for example) Land of Punt believes his rating should actually be an 8.3. He’s just a bit overrated but overrated nonetheless.

First of all, the dude has released over 60 albums in his career but has only sold 70 million units. Almost assuredly if you own one Dylan album you own them all. So if you do the math there are about 1.16 million Dylan fans in the world.

By the way, only five of his albums have reached number one. To put that in perspective, Dylan has the same amount of number one albums as Metallica and less than half the amount of Jay-Z.

Dylan has probably composed a gazillion songs in his life, but not once has he charted a number one single or written a bridge.

The reason why Dylan is so highly rated is Rolling Stone Magazine. They absolutely love the guy. Sure, he’s influenced a bunch of artists but the number of people who actually say “Hey, let’s listen to some Dylan” is rather small. Dylan is not synonymous with fun.

Of course, if you’re a songwriter or a poet you’re a big Dylan fan. But to most of us he’s like a Socratic dialogue. You know that it’s brilliant but you don’t want to experience it unless you’re getting college credit.

To prove our points, in 2004 Rolling Stone Magazine named Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” the number one song of all-time. That’s just Rolling Stone being sycophantic about a song that most people only need to listen to once in their life.

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac could launch an arena tour of America right now and sell out every show. They are one of the biggest bands from the 1970′s, they’ve sold over 100 million albums throughout their career, and the lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood is legendary.

Yet, they are a one album band. Rumors. 1977. That’s it!

Okay, their self-titled 1975 album was pretty good and 1982′s Mirage went number one, but most people drive to a Fleetwood Mac concert with Rumors blaring in the CD player.

The band has been around since 1968, and with the exception of a few years in the 1970′s, Fleetwood Mac has mediocre at best.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are members of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame as both a group and as individuals.

How in the heck did they swing that?

For one, they are beloved by Rolling Stone Magazine. Secondly, they epitomize the bleeding heart liberalism of the 1960′s. Ignorant baby boomers, with their free love and ridiculous peacenik attitudes, love them some CSN&Y.

But the main reason CSN&Y are rated so highly is the guys were well-liked. They knew everyone. If rock and roll in the late 1960′s and throughout the 1970′s was a high school, then Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was the popular kid who always wore the fashionable jacket.

That has to be it because how else would they have joined the immortals of rock and roll?

In more than 40 years as band they’ve released just 16 albums. That includes studio, live and compilations. They’ve only seen one of their studio albums reach number one and most of their stuff is just downright awful.

Their highest charting single is “Just a Song Before I Go” which reached #7 in 1977. Their only other top ten hit was “Wasted on the Way” which peaked at #9 in 1982.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded some good stuff but certainly not enough to warrant a place in the hall of fame.

Tom Petty

This one is easy. Is Tom Petty a big enough star to perform at a Super Bowl halftime show? The answer is no. But he did as much in 2008 at Super Bowl XLII.

Now, Petty has been extremely successful throughout his career. He’s sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and Tom Petty concerts continue to sell out year after year.

But, he’s never had a number one album or a number one single.

One of the reasons why he’s on our list is because ever since his 1981 album, Hard Promises, all his stuff sounds the same.

Another reason why he’s overrated is he doesn’t elicit much enthusiasm. He’s not very exciting. Yes, LOP likes him and you probably do too, but when you hear the name Tom Petty your eyes don’t light up and your heart doesn’t flutter. More than likely you just shrug your shoulders and say “meh.”

Green Day

Green Day is an unmitigated success. They have sold over 22 million albums in their career and won four Grammy Awards. Recently their albums American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown were used to score a Tony Nominated jukebox musical.

Furthermore, the Bay Area punk trio is often credited with ushering in the 1990′s wave of punk-pop bands. Music critics often cite them as progenitors of a whole new generation of punk.

And that’s why they are on our list–their association with punk music. For as we all know, they’re not punk rockers they’re pop stars. They write catchy tunes that feature whining lyrics about contrived political oppression.

Yet, they have more in common with Burt Bacharach than they do in Johnny Lydon.

If they lost the ridiculous eye makeup, dropped the bogus teenage angst, and shopped at the Banana Republic they’d make one heck of a pop band.

Only two types of people think Green Day is actually punk. The first type is record executives who want a safe, accessible brand of pop/rock music they can label and sell as punk. The second type is kids who want to listen to punk music as they drive around in their parents BMW.

In the shopping mall of popular music, Green Day is the store “Hot Topic.”

After all, what do a bunch of American kids born in 1972 have to rebel against? Not having cable? No Goonies 2? Sega Dreamcast not given enough of a chance to succeed?

Bottom line, the last thing any punk band would ever want is their music used in a Broadway musical. If punks thought mainstream music was commercial and corporate (both anathema to their world view), they should know Broadway is ten-times worse.

Paul McCartney’s Up and Coming Tour has a mission statement. Not many tours have a mission statement but when you’re Paul McCartney you can pretty much do what you want.

The mission statement for the Up and Coming Tour is to visit “new cities he’s never played and familiar markets he’s not visited for a while.”

That was certainly true of his concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California this past March. The Beatles played there in 1964 and 1965. The band released an album commemorating those historic shows in 1977.

Then in April, McCartney played his first ever concert in Puerto Rico at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.

But those shows have come and gone.

Recently, Macca has announced plans to add two more historic shows to his Up and Coming Tour this summer: a July 10 Paul McCartney concert in San Francisco at AT&T Park, and a July 13 Paul McCartney concert in Salt Lake City at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The last time Paul played San Fran was Aug. 29, 1966 as a member of The Beatles. That concert was The Beatles’ last concert tour appearance (remember The Beatles did perform live on the rooftop of the Apple Building in January of 1969).

That Beatles 1966 concert in San Francisco took place at Candlestick Park. Of the 42,500 tickets available only 25,000 were sold. Ticket prices were between, get ready for this, $4.50 and $6.50 (nowadays that’s barely half of a surcharge).

As for Sir Paul’s show in Utah, well McCartney has never played in the Beehive State. Sure, Utah has a reputation for eschewing things like rock and roll but you’d figure someone who has been in the music business as long as McCartney has would have played there at least once… apparently not.

While McCartney is doling out tour stops with an eye-dropper he’s not skimping on his set list. His shows are nearly-three hours long and he plays songs from every aspect of his career.

There are only a handful of things Paul McCartney hasn’t accomplished during his 50-year career, and performing in the state of Utah is one of them. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone Magazine

Now, even Paul McCartney has to deal with the rigors of traveling from Jolly Old England to the New World (unless he’s procured alien technology that allows for instant molecule transportation). In other words, LOP doubts these will be the only two McCartney shows in North America this summer.

Also feeding our conspiracy theory, a reissue of 1974′s Band on the Run is set to drop in August. Seems like a prime occasion to perform the album in its entirety.

Tickets for both the San Francisco and Salt Lake City concerts go on sale May 24.

>>May 27 – Foro Sol, México
>>May 28 – Foro Sol, México
>>June 11 – Isle of Wight, Newport
>>June 12 – RDS, Dublin City, Dublin
>>June 20 – Hampden Park, Glasgow
>>June 26 – Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
>>June 27 – Hyde Park, London
>>July 10 – AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
>>July 13 – Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT