Officials have announced the nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards and Kanye West leads the pack with eight nods, as Amy Winehouse trails with six, and the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and T-Pain follow closely with five nominations each. The ballot, featuring Winehouse as a contender for the Album of the Year Award, Artist of the Year, and Song of Year, among others, pits Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, and the Foo Fighters against each other for the sought-after Rock Album of the Year award. Beck, Feist, Jack White, Justice, and the Beastie Boys also received nominations in an assortment of categories.
"This year's nominations truly reflect a diverse and talented community of artists and creators who represent some of the most exceptional music of the year," Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, said in a statement. "The Grammy Awards process once again has yielded a comprehensive group of excellent nominees and coupled with the fact that it's our milestone 50th year, this year's telecast promises music fans a spectacular show filled with stellar performances and unique 'Grammy Moments' for which Music's Biggest Night has come to be renowned."
The awards ceremony, to held at Los Angeles' Staples Center, will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 P.M. Feb. 10.
Wilco Map Spring '08 Tour
In Wilco's near endless quest to spread Sky Blue Sky the world over, the Chicago-based rockers will treat the U.S. to a spattering of shows in the New Year. Wilco, which has been on the road for much of the past year supporting the record, will hit an assortment of major cities, including Cleveland, Nashville, and New Orleans before dispersing the clouds over Australia and beaming Sky Blue Sky down under.
Wilco tour dates:
2/22, Cleveland, OH (Lakewood Civic Auditorium)
2/23, Philadelphia, PA (Tower Theatre)
2/24, New Haven, CT (Schubert Theater)
3/2, Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium)
3/3, Mobile, AL (Mobile Civic Center)
3/4, New Orleans, LA (Tipitina's)
3/5, New Orleans, LA (Tipitina's)
3/7, Houston, TX (Verizon Theater)
3/8, Tulsa, OK (Cain's Ballroom)
3/9, Des Moines, IA (Val Air Ballroom)
Radiohead in Talks with iTunes for 'Rainbows' Release
Possibly related to the closure of the band's pay-what-you-want download site, or simply to further shun Paul McCartney and beat the Beatles to the punch, Radiohead is currently in talks with Apple's iTunes music store to release In Rainbows digitally, manager Bryce Edge told Billboard.com. But unfortunately, the band's steadfast stance on keeping past albums complete, and, you know, that outstanding tiff with old label EMI, keeps the remainder of Radiohead's catalog from hitting the outlet.
Former Drive-By Trucker Guitarist Jason Isbell Plots Solo Tour
Do you know what you're doing two months from now? Well, Jason Isbell, former guitarist of country rockers the Drive-By Truckers, certainly does, in fact, on that precise day, he'll be performing in Minneapolis, just one of the many stops on his freshly minted, exhaustive tour in support of solo debut Sirens of the Ditch. The outing, set to cap 2007 with a handful of shows throughout the southern U.S., will hit every nook and cranny across the nation from Athens, GA to Boise, ID in early 2008.
Jason Isbell tour dates:
12/14, Asheville, NC (Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam Pre-Jam)
12/15, Asheville, NC (Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam)
12/21, Baton Rouge, LA (Spanish Moon)
12/22, Houston, TX (Walter's on Washington)
12/27, Huntsville, AL (Crossroads)
12/28, Birmingham, AL (Workplay)
12/29, Chattanooga, TN (Rhythm and Brews)
12/30, Raleigh, NC (Lincoln Theatre)
12/31, Charleston, SC (Music Fam)
1/12, New York, NY (WFC Winter Garden/New York Guitar Festival)
1/16, Memphis, TN (The Hi-Tone)
1/17, Little Rock, AR (Sticky Fingerz)
1/18, Dallas, TX (Granada Theater)
1/19, Austin, TX (Antone's)
1/22, Tucson, AZ (Club Congress)
1/23, San Diego, CA (Casbah)
1/24, Long Beach, CA (Vault)
1/25, Los Angeles, CA (Spaceland)
1/26, San Francisco, CA (Slim's)
1/28, Sacramento, CA (Harlow's)
1/30, Portland, OR (Mission Theater)
1/31, Seattle, WA (Tractor Tavern)
2/1, Boise, ID (Neurolux)
2/2, Park City, UT (Suede)
2/4, Boulder, CO (The Fox Theatre)
2/6, Minneapolis, MN (Varsity Theater)
2/7, Madison, WI (High Noon Saloon)
2/8, Chicago, IL (Double Door)
2/9, Indianapolis, IN (Music Mill)
2/14, Detroit, MI (Magic Stick)
2/15, Cleveland, OH (Beachland Ballroom)
2/16, Buffalo, NY (Tralf Music Hall)
2/17, Philadelphia, PA (World Cafe Live)
2/20, Boston, MA (Paradise)
2/21, New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom)
2/22, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
2/23, Charlottesville, VA (Satellite Ballroom)
2/24, Wilmington, NC (Soapbox)
2/26, Columbia, SC (Headliners)
2/27, Athens, GA (Georgia Theatre)
2/28, Knoxville, TN (Blue Cats)
2/29, Louisville, KY (Headliners)
3/1, Nashville, TN (Cannery Ballroom)
