April 8, 2013 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs have spoken, and they'd like you to experience their live show in real time rather than through the microscopic screen of your iPhone. Last night SPIN spotted the above sign posted on the door of Webster Hall, where SPIN's latest cover stars were playing a homecoming concert before heading off to Coachella supporting their April 16 album Mosquito.

April 6, 2013 – David Letterman has been thrilled by SPIN's latest cover stars Yeah Yeah Yeahs before, but the late-night host was undeniably delighted by Karen O and Co.'s performance on his show tonight. The group recreated their April 16 LP Mosquito's opening track "Sacrilege," complete with its gospel choir, on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater.Karen — sporting a Christian Joy power-jumpsuit with "Violent Fuzz" (a lyric from the new album's "Area 52") on the back — nails the track's vocal line almost as precisely as it appears on the record, which, as coproducer Dave Sitek tells us, is not uncommon for the frontwoman. "Karen is the most consistent person I know with singing," he said. "She can sing a part and duplicate it 1,000 times and it's identical. I've never seen anything like it.

April 3, 2013 – Festival season is about to kick off, which means it's time to start booking those plane tickets, battling for hotel rooms, and agonizing over set-time conflicts. SPIN is always here to offer you guides to all the major fests' must-see bands, and this year Levi's® is going to help you with the rest.Yes, it's true: Levi's® is offering one lucky winner a trip for two to the season's hottest festival. Enter by uploading a photo of your best Levi's® 501 look to Instagram or Twitter and tagging them #SPINVIP and #501. Two secondary-prize winners will score Levi's® gift cards, too.For more details and entry info, head to www.spin.com/levis501. Good luck!

April 3, 2013 – If you enjoyed the SPIN House experience in Austin during SXSW, you will certainly dig the SPIN House in Palm Springs next weekend! We'll be chilling (to whatever extent possible, because it is damn hot there) poolside on Saturday, April 13 between noon and 5 p.m. while enjoying sets by ANTWON, King Tuff, and Nite Jewel. And Chrome Sparks will be DJ-ing!The price of admission? Nothing, it's free! BUT, you must RSVP here. And you must be 21+. Admission is based on capacity, but you gotta get your name on the list to get in, so RSVP! Now!

April 1, 2013 – When the Yeah Yeah Yeahs got down the business of making their April 16 album, Mosquito, "I had some serious nostalgia for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in the early 2000s," Karen O says. "I had some nostalgia for why I fell in love with the idea of performing in the first place. Frontmen like Jon Spencer and Lux Interior, and PJ Harvey. Strong, fun people who ignite some sort of fantasy with their charisma and the sexuality."In our March cover story, arriving online and via iPad this week, Karen O, Brian Chase, and Nick Zinner take SPIN from New York to New Orleans to Texas, from a Brooklyn-bound "Subway" to "Under the Earth," explaining the journey that's led them to their fourth album. The band tells us how Kool Keith, James Murphy, and a 24-piece gospel choir landed on the disc. They bitch about their lyrics constantly appearing wrong in online aggregators.

March 22, 2013 – After 12 years and four studio albums, My Chemical Romance announced they're splitting up in a surprise blog post published on their official site tonight.The message to fans, simply titled "My Chemical Romance," reads:Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We've gotten to go places we never knew we would. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.

March 21, 2013 – Last week in Austin, in between a marathon of SXSW gigs, Cloud Nothings stopped by the SPIN House and turned in an unhinged performance of "Our Plans," a standout from their 2012 SPIN Essential Attack on Memory. Baldi also sat down at the Sonos Studio down in Austin to chat with us about his utilitarian predilection for pop radio on the road, as well as his affinity for Wipers and how he's been mumbling his way through new songs likely to appear on the band's next LP. Watch on for Baldi's opinions on They Might Be Giants, Taylor Swift, and more.

March 18, 2013 – We asked you to share your best snapshots of the Austin music scene for a chance to win passes to SPIN's annual SXSW party at Stubb's (and an iPad mini!) and you delivered! Congrats to the 10 finalists, whose excellent pics can be seen right here:

March 18, 2013 – Hannibal Buress, one of our favorite comedians, and Machinedrum, one of our favorite DJs, apparantly did not get along when we invited them to our little party this weekend. While the DJ was roasting out in the sun, spinning rap and R&B at our amazing SPIN at Stubb's SXSW party, Buress decided to hold a one man Friar's Club Roast of Machinedrum's baggy T-shirt. The Twitter war that ensued was ugly, petty, and totally fucking hilarious. You two are totally welcome to drop by the SPIN office for a beer summit. See all our best SXSW '13 photos here!Djing spin magazine sxsw party (at Stubb's Bar-B-Q - @stubbsaustin w/ 91 others) 4sq.com/1573joQ— Machinedrum (@Machine_Drum) March 15, 2013Worst shirt ever? #SXSW #THENEXTBIGTHING twitter.com/hannibalburess…— Hannibal Buress (@hannibalburess) March 15, 2013This dudes shirt lost a fight with a stronger shirt.

March 17, 2013 – See all our best live photos from SXSW 2013 here5. Samantha Crain Bungalow, Thirty Tigers Showcase, 8:00 p.m. Samantha Crain will do what it takes to win new fans — including get into car accidents. Speaking from the small outdoor stage at Bungalow, the Oklahama singer-songwriter told a story about having a minor collision while she and her guitarist, bassist, and drummer were driving to Austin. Turns out that the woman in the other vehicle had the same destination, and wound up waving and cheering for Crain at a SXSW show earlier in the week. Thankfully, the silvery-voiced, raven-tressed singer has some more uplifting, less stressful methods for audience-building.Singing songs taken mostly from this year's Kid Face, Crain delivered a raft of warm, homespun melodies, her voice glinting and gliding over her bandmates' acoustic guitar leads, upright bass thump, and ambling drums.