On the heels of penning the soundtrack to film project Into the Wild, alt-rock stalwart Eddie Vedder will now contribute to The People Speak, a documentary miniseries based on Howard Zinn's 1980 book A People's History of the United States, and its companion piece, Voices of a People's History of the United States, Billboard.com reports. The project, also featuring contributions from John Legend, among others, will feature onscreen performances from the likes of Matt Damon, Marisa Tomei, and Danny Glover, plus Viggo Mortensen and Josh Brolin, and will showcase readings based on America's struggles with war, class, race, and women's rights.

"It's going to be a great piece of entertainment but more importantly something people can watch and learn and remember how great this country has been and how individual people have changed the course of history," executive producer Chris Moore said. "It's going to make them think, laugh, and cry and be proud to be American."

Production for the series will begin in January in Boston, though a network has yet-to-be attached to the project.

Cold War Kids Offer Free EP Download

Merry Christmas Cold War Kids fans! While you determine what to purchase for each of the four boys this holiday, they've already got your present wrapped and under the tree. And guess what? You can open it early! Starting today, the Cold War Kids are offering a free download of their rare, 2005 EP Mulberry Street over at RCRD LBL. The six-song release, which was recorded in one day in a garage/studio, will be released two songs per day between now and Friday (Dec. 14).

Sigur Rós Plot Theatrical 'Heima' Screenings

Remember Heima? Sigur Rós' live DVD, which dropped late last month, documenting a series of free performances in Iceland while on tour behind 2006's acclaimed LP Takk? Well, turns out the band have slated a handful of theatrical screenings for the film and fans in San Francisco, Denver, Boston, Austin, and Seattle will have the chance to check out the documentary on the silver screen next week.

Tickets for each screening are available for purchase here.

Heima screenings:

12/18, San Francisco, CA (Embarcadero Center Cinema / 7:30 P.M.)
12/18, Denver, CO (Chez Artiste / 7:30 P.M.)
12/19, Boston, MA (Kendall Square Cinema / 8 P.M.)
12/19, Atlanta, GA (Midtown Art Center / 8 P.M.)
12/20, Austin, TX (Dobie Theatre / 8 P.M.)
12/20, Seattle, WA (Metro Cinemas / 8 P.M.)

Silent Years Offer Free LP Download, Detail 'Globe'

Thoroughly embracing the holiday spirit, and giving fans a little musical fodder as the band wrap efforts on their forthcoming LP, The Globe, Detroit-bred indie rockers the Silent Years have unveiled a free download of 2006's self-titled debut. The download is up now and available here until Dec. 26.

As for The Globe, the Silent Years -- alums of SPIN.com's Artist of the Year competition -- are channeling a grandeur and ambitious musical mindset. A statement explains: "We were watching the film Powers of 10, which they used to show in middle school science classes. In the film, the camera starts out, framed on a couple having a picnic. Every 10 seconds, the field of view expands by a power of ten -- the picnic becomes Chicago, Chicago becomes North America, and soon you're seeing the Earth in the context of its solar system. This got us thinking about the similarities between mankind and all other components of the universe. An atom is to a cell, as a cell is to a man, as man is to the Earth, as the Earth is to the universe, etc." Heavy.

Though a definitive release date has yet-to-be set, The Globe is expected to drop in spring or summer of 2008.