The Dirty Projectors' four-night run in the New York City area ended Sunday evening with some help from their Dark Was the Night compatriot David Byrne and new pals the Roots, who both joined the Brooklyn fivesome on-stage to help kick out some jams.

The Roots complemented the Projectors' sound nicely, lending hard grooves to the band's already large tendency to groove hard, adding some funk to DP's already-dense tracks. "No Intentions" included a long guitar solo by the Roots' "Captain" Kirk Douglas and ?uestlove added some awesome thump to crowd favorite "Stillness Is the Move."

But it was David Byrne's appearance on "Knotty Pine" that drew the largest chorus of praise (just like at Bonnaroo this past summer). The Dirty Projectors have always drawn some comparisons to the Talking Heads' appropriation of Afro-centric influences, and as such, Byrne's support of the Brooklyn natives has always seemed destined. The rusty "Knotty Pine" was a short and sweet way to finish the set which had the crowd losing their minds in the end. Their serendipitous show at the Bowery Ballroom put yet another feather in the cap of the Brooklyn up-and-comers who are already having one heck of a year.

At this stage, a clearer picture is coming together about "Michael Jackson's This Is It." Using a combination of rehearsals, fly-on-the-wall meetings and proper performances, it shows the once-unstoppable pop star gearing up for his big career comeback using some of his most beloved hits (and sending a message about hope and humanity in the process).

A great music doc is made up of a combination of signature moments, incredible performances and an ineffable something that can give the fan sitting on the couch that same twinge of electricity you get standing three feet from a sweaty lead singer in a packed stadium, or that awkward cringe you get seeing your favorite rock star fall apart on film. In his prime, Jackson had that magic (both kinds, unfortunately) when he took the stage, and we'll find out for sure next week if he still had it near the end of his life.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite music documentaries, all of which have one or more of the qualities that could make "Michael Jackson's This Is It" great if producers decided to pull no punches and present the King of Pop in all his complicated glory.

Three Chords And The Truth
The Ramones, "End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones"
How could I not include this bare bones 2003 movie about my favorite band? From their early days at New York's defunct punk ground zero CBGB to massive crowds in South America, this low-budget flick is like the band themselves: Raw, fast and kind of messy. Mixing concert footage, interviews, home movies and classic TV appearances, members talk about their unlikely rise from the New York underground to legendary status, even as they lament their failure to grab the commercial brass ring and make no secret of long-simmering tensions.

Sold Out, Not Sell Out
Nirvana, "Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!"
I will watch anything about Nirvana. Hell, if there was three hours of tape of Kurt Cobain tuning his guitar in a dark room, I'd get two copies on Blu-Ray. In the meantime, this 1994 live DVD will have to do, and considering it has classic takes on some of the band's best and most beloved tunes ("About a Girl," "Come as You Are," "Polly," "Lithium" and, yes, "Smells Like Teen Spirit"). This band had to be experienced live and, unfortunately, this is the closest you can currently get.

Behind The Music
Metallica, "Some Kind of Monster" Read more...

By Cara Alwill

It seems like you can't throw a stone without hitting some kind of supergroup lately. The likes of Chickenfoot (Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony) and the planned Trent Reznor/Gary Numan collaboration have brought together like-minded artists from disparate backgrounds and so far produced some interesting results. The latest marriage of rock royalty sees Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke joining forces with Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, OK Computer producer Nigel Godrich, Beck drummer Joey Waronker and percussionist Mauro Refosco (who has worked with They Might Be Giants and David Byrne). Yorke made the announcement on Radiohead's website earlier today that the group will make its live debut this Sunday and Monday, October 4 and 5, at Los Angeles' venerable Orpheum Theatre.

"In the past couple of weeks I've been getting a band together for fun to play The Eraser stuff live and the new songs to see if it could work," Yorke wrote. "We don't really have a name and the set will not be very long, but come and check it out if you are in the area."

Though Yorke has spent much of his time recently performing solo, and this new musical alliance should satiate his desire to bring The Eraser to the stage with a full band. Considering Yorke recently called his new song "The Hollow Earth" a "bass monster," Flea should be able to put his magical touch on that and other songs on the album.

Baltimore, Maryland has a lot of nicknames. B-More. Charm City. The City That Reads. Bodymore, Murderland. Monument City. The lively city has given the world Baltimore club music, former Vice President Spiro Agnew, David Byrne, Parker Posey, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Upton Sinclair and filmmaker John Waters, and it was officially established on this day in 1729. Perhaps the city's greatest cultural contribution (in this millennium, anyway) was providing a setting and inspiration for "The Wire," the shockingly gritty and realistic HBO series that portrayed the struggle between law enforcement, government and the drug lords who threaten everyday life. It was an incredibly complex, subtle show that built a remarkably deep tapestry of characters and locations that reflected Baltimore better than any piece of fiction has ever depicted a city (for better or worse, of course).

"The Wire" also contributed to the music world, relying a great deal on local musicians and rappers to provide the soundtrack for the show. It also employed a handful of people from the music world, including Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (who played a vaguely fictionalized version of herself) and the Wu-Tang Clan's own Method Man. Meth spent four seasons on the show as Melvin Wagstaff, Prop Joe's nephew who was known on the streets as "Cheese." It was the best performance in an excellent acting career for the rapper, who has also made memorable turns on HBO's "Oz," "CSI" and the Zach Braff film "Garden State." It's no wonder that Meth ended up being an excellent actor, as his rhymes have always been some of the most cinematic and character-driven in the entire Clan. Need proof? Check out his 1995 collaboration with Mary J. Blige "I'll Be There For You/ You're All I Need to Get By."

I envy you ... the unwashed masses, the blissfully unemployed, the bearded and bedraggled. You get to go to Bonnaroo, to revel in four days of unadulterated muck and music and mind-altering substances. I don't, because I am stuck in meetings all week.

And this is most certainly a bummer. See, I love Bonnaroo. I think it's the best fest in America, an experience every music fan must have at least once in their lives (and I'm not just saying this because, back in 2007, I got to fly a helicopter there).

But this year, because of the time constraints due to back-to-back-to-back business meetings (read: impending adulthood), I'm not going to make it down to Manchester, Tennessee. I will probably regret this for the rest of my life, because Bonnaroo 2009 looks like it's going to be a blast.

And, yeah, I know that the weather forecast for Manchester could charitably be described as "cataclysmic" — the phrase "strong storms" is bandied about, which should make camping in an open field with 80,000 other revelers a rather messy affair — but that doesn't change the fact that there are tons of can't-miss moments spread out over the fest's four days. Which means that if you're brave enough to, uh, brave the weather, you're gonna be in for a treat.

So even though I won't be down in Tennessee with you, I figured I could still lend a hand. I've thrown together a Bonnaroo Cheat Sheet, highlighting some of the fest's best acts. These are the bands you probably can't afford to miss, even if you have to trudge through six feet of water to check them out.

» Thursday: A bit of a light schedule, as most of the 80k will still be setting up their tents, but you'd be doing yourself a favor if you checked out Passion Pit, a much-buzzed electro-pop outfit from Massachusetts who just released their debut disc, a dazzler called Manners. If you can get past frontman Michael Angelakos' pinched squeal, there's plenty of goodness.
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By Akshay Bhansali

Curiosity brought me to Le Poisson Rouge in New York City last night for the release of N.A.S.A.'s first album, The Spirit of Apollo. Come to think of it, it brought MTV News correspondent Kim Stolz there as well. Why? Well, the debut album from N.A.S.A. (stands for North America, South America) — made up of DJ Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon — features Chuck D, Spank Rock, M.I.A., Lykke Li, David Byrne, DJ AM, Santogold, Kanye West, Kool Keith, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, Method Man, Sizzla and the Cool Kids ... and yes, the list goes on and on. Not bad for a first record from a yet-unheard-of recording pair.

Based solely on the guest roster of The Spirit of Apollo, one would think the music gods commanded "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" and this record was conjured up. But really, as the duo say on their MySpace page: "The Spirit of Apollo is an ongoing creative collaboration between two lifelong music aficionados, Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon, and their friends, friends of friends and musical heroes."
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Not content with just working with Pharrell and Strokes singer Julian Casablancas in a Converse ad and opening for Coldplay on their current tour, Santogold has her sights set on some major collaborations in the future. The "Lights Out" singer recently revealed to NME that she's working on "something with Jay-Z; it's kind of secret," adding that "it's just 'cos we want to."

Must be nice, right? Santi said she's also working on a project with former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and recording a track with the Beastie Boys for their next record. But don't think she's turning into some hook queen.
 
"It's not like 'insert girl on chorus' or anything," she explained. "We'll figure it out as we go along." While a spokesperson for Santogold had no comment on the Jay-Z hookup, he did confirm that the singer is slated to work with Byrne soon and recently went into the studio with the Beastie Boys to work on a song for their next album, tentatively due out in 2009.

· The release of a D’Angelo greatest hits album makes us think that long-awaited third joint isn’t coming anytime soon.

· Three 6 Mafia are guest-starring on CBS's “Numb3rs,” as “rappers.”

· David Byrne is installing a massive sound-art piece on the long disused second floor of the Battery Maritime Building in NY.

· Lindsay Lohan has a new song. And it has “attitude.”

Today finds Pitchfork, the Daily News, and Stereogum all in a tizzy about David Byrne reuniting with Brian Eno for a new album. Well, media suckas, we actually gave you that scoop last month when Mr. Cindy Sherman played a set of new material with Norah Jones, Damien Rice, and some of the Scissor Sisters crew at this event.

And here's the thing: When MTV News got a listen at that show, it was clear that Byrne's new, Eno-rific tune marked a return to his earlier, world music-crazy days. Producer CJ Smith, who was on the scene, writes in:

That's all I remember thinking when hearing him play it: "Man, this sounds like some African sh-- again." I mean, it's sort of ironic after his public circle jerk of love for Vampire Weekend to return to that vein.

So...what? Would an amazing new, Afro-tinged album from Byrne 'n Eno effectively knock the legs out from under the boys of Vampire Weekend? What do you think?

We’re not going to lie to you. We were kind of holding our breath when an early peek at the lineup for the seventh annual Austin City Limits Festival (September 26-28) mysteriously appeared in our inbox. Please don’t let it be Radiohead and Jack Johnson again -- please, please!

Prayers answered. The headliners for the way-diverse fest include:

Gnarls Barkley
N.E.R.D.
Beck
The Raconteurs
Foo Fighters
The Mars Volta
Erykah Badu
Against Me!
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Vampire Weekend
Yeasayer

Other highlights from the lineup after the jump. Read more...