There are some days on the calendar that are simply loaded down with celebrity birthdays, as though some days lend more cosmic fame than others. September 25 is just such a day, as there are a number of fantastically talented, awesomely dynamic personalities who will be blowing out the candles today. Some will obviously be more festive than others. It's unlikely that T.I. (who is currently serving a 10 month prison sentence for illegal weapons possession) will have as big a party as, say, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones (she could buy an awful lot of cake with that T-Mobile money). Former UFC champion and current star of "The Ultimate Fighter" Rashad Evans is probably having a bittersweet birthday, especially considering his grudge match with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson won't be happening any time soon. Ryan Leslie can probably get himself an extra cupcake, as his hotly-anticipated second album is sure to make a splash when it hits in November. And how will Will Smith celebrate turning 41? I'm not sure how he spends his birthday, but I do know that I play "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" at my party every year.

But despite all the high-profile birthdays today, this morning's Wake-Up Video nod goes to Santigold, who is now 33 years old. Even though her debut album came out well over a year ago (and she's been putting out singles since 2007), her tunes remained ubiquitous throughout the summer, mostly thanks to that Bud Light Lime commercial that borrowed "Lights Out." It's an excellent song with a super-cool video, but now it just makes me crave a citrus-flavored lager.

By Steven Roberts and Rich Sancho

CHICAGO -- I met up with a friend to catch the tail end of No Age's performance yesterday afternoon. Afterwards, we decided to head over the Playstation Stage to catch the second half of Santigold's performance. Her stage is on the other side of the park, so we figured we better hurry.

Now by the other side of the park, I don't mean just over yonder. Grant Park is 319 acres in total. I don't know the exact distance between stages, but it was a long walk, not to mention the grueling heat, and thousands of other people walking.

We pass Buckingham Fountain, the fountain in the opening credits of "Married... with Children," but as we cross E. Jackson Drive, we started to notice that things where getting tighter.

There was a massive amount of people there to see Santigold, and we went from a brisk walk to a snail's pace. We knew we were getting closer, because we could hear her perform her song "Anne." We looked in the direction of Santi's stage and couldn't see it. We only saw what looked like an endless amount of people.

After a while, it became obvious that the wall of Santigold fans was impossible to break through, so we decided to go back towards Citi Stage to catch Lykke Li. I guess there's always a bright side, because Lykke Li killed, but judging by the video below, there was a clear reason for the impenetrable mob at Santigold's end of the park.

Perry Farrell does it to us every year. Yes, his brainchild Lollapalooza is one of the best rock deals for the money every summer, with more than 100 bands playing right on the Chicago lakefront in beautiful Grant Park. But whoever maps out the schedule grid must be a masochist, because this year's lineup has more than its share of conflicts that are going to force some serious musical Sophie's choices. I have already begun stewing over the ones that are trying to break my heart.

Friday is not so bad. Yes, I'd like to see White Lies, but I'll probably choose Jersey punk outfit the Gaslight Anthem. And as much as I've always wanted to check out nutso electronic duo Crystal Castles, by evening I'll probably need to be soothed by the dulcet tones of Fleet Foxes. The headliner spot is an easy one for me, since I just caught Kings of Leon but haven't seen Depeche Mode in six years, and I know their show will have a bit more flash than the Followill brothers' more straight-ahead set.
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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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By Daniela Capistrano

U.K. television star, fashionista and Afro-Punk-embracing songstress Ebony Thomas, a.k.a. Ebony Bones, is no stranger to the movement's DIY aesthetic, having crafted all the songs on her upcoming Spring '09 debut album — tentatively titled Bone Idle — in her bedroom.

"Different people wanted to be involved," Ebony explained. "Major labels were excited and driven by all the positive press, but the only way I could keep to my set ideas for sound and inspiration was to be the main producer myself."

Influenced by the punk credo of "Do It Yourself," Bones described the album as "schizo-sounding" and "like me, a collection of contradictions and subjects close to my heart."

During our phone interview, Ebony was working on the album art herself and described her creative process.

"The one thing about taking my time and not rushing into anything is I've been able to have so much more control creatively of the whole project, and that's the real magic for me. I love bands like Funkadelic who made their costumes in their own van and put them on the same night — very DIY."

(You can watch Ebony in our Afro-Punk news brief below.)

(More from Ebony Bones PLUS exclusive video from her recent shoot, after the jump!)
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By Daniela Capistrano

The Noisettes want Afro-Punk to come to England.

"We'll look after the lot," frontwoman Shingai winked when we last spoke to the band in October, backstage at the Afro-Punk showcase at the CMJ Festival in New York.

"[Afro-Punks] are such an amazing group of people who are doing something unbelievable," Shingai gushed. "I mean, the standard's good, man. All the events that we've been involved with have had great bands. They put on really interesting, eclectic, amazing events. It's like Earl Greyhound, Santogold, it's great. [Afro-Punk] knows how to show kids a good time. There's nothing like it in England. Nothing."

Guitarist Dan Smith sees the festival as a catalyst, helping to eradicate some old notions. "The [punk] music movement in America has always been perceived as being a white thing, and [Afro-Punk] is making it more inclusive," he said. "It's about people getting a wider understanding of rock and roll and its history and its roots, where it comes from and that anyone can do it. And it can be loads of fun, yeah?"

The CMJ crowd loved the Noisettes' live show (see some of it in the Afro-Punk video below), so we got on the phone with them Wednesday to talk about their new video for "Wild Young Hearts," their spring '09 album of the same name and their list of the artists they fell for in 2008.

We've got the goods on the Noisettes after the jump!
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By Tami Katzoff

The Beastie Boys (along with Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Santogold, Ben Harper, Tenacious D, and Crosby & Nash) are about to bring their music and their message to some key battleground states leading up to the big election on November 4. The Get Out and Vote Tour kicks off on Monday and wraps just a day before the election. The Boys said, "This is the most important election of our lives," so they want young people to know that every vote matters.
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Bruce has done it. Jay-Z and John Legend have done it. Now, it's the Beastie Boys' turn to hit the road for some election-year shows in battleground states. The veteran hip-hop trio have announced Get Out & Vote '08, a tour which will drop into Virginia (October 28), Minnesota (November 1) and Milwaukee (November 2) with a gang of bold-faced support acts in tow.

The Richmond, Virginia, date at the Richmond Coliseum will find the Boys joined by Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones and Santogold; while Ben Harper and Tenacious D will share the stage in St. Paul, Minnesota at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The D and Harper will also be along in Milwaukee at the US Cellular Arena, in addition to a pair of folk icons, David Crosby and Graham Nash. According to a press release announcing the trek, more shows will be added soon.

Representatives of Rock the Vote will be distributing information at the gigs on local polling sites and early voting locations.

By Joseph Patel
Fashion Week here in New York is almost more about the parties, the bold-faced shenanigans in gossip pages and, well, more parties than it is about the actual clothing on the runway. My favorite part, though, is all the music that gets played at different designers' shows. It's kind of a way to tell what's hot right now, what's clicking, what seems to be cutting through the noise. Whatever the hot young models and designers are digging is often a lot different from what I'm digesting on the music blogs, and I enjoy that sort of dichotomy.
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