Brooklyn Vegan — Join the legendary Billy Bragg for a triplex of club shows in the intimate setting of City Winery in late Spring. Bragg, the much loved and highly regarded folk master songwriter, returns to New York City for the series -"At... more info

Guardian Music — Tom Waits, Billy Bragg and Zola Jesus are among those to salute Don Van Vliet, who died last week aged 69Following the death of Don Van Vliet last week, musicians have united to praise the man who performed as Captain Beefheart. Tom Waits, Zola Jesus... more info

Totally Fuzzy — Jeffrey Siegel said... Straight No Chaser's "A Very Jazzy Christmas" continues with Alexis Cole, and a Podcast interview with Dr. Lonnie Smith, the Hammond B-3 Organ master. http://www.straightnochaserjazz.libsyn.com And many happy returns of the sea... more info

Starpulse — Happy Birthday to: Actor Jonah Hill (1983) Teen singer JoJo (1990) British model Lucy Pinder (1983) Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson (1966) British folk singer Billy Bragg (1957) "The Pract... more info

NME — Plus Billy Bragg and The Zutons also give Don Van Vliet a shoutout more info

Guardian Music — Cage Against the Machine can do far more than bring Radio 1 a silent night this Christmas. 4'33" is a living aural experienceIt was just a day after the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death that Nick Clegg, seemingly without a flicker of irony, ch... more info

Guardian Music — You can hate The X Factor's chart dominance without hating pop, which is why I'm backing these Cage fighters to bring some silence to the festive top spotLast Monday, a group of musicians gathered in the intimate surroundings of Soho's Dean Street st... more info

Stereogum — M. Ward’s cover of “Sadie” appears on Versions Of Joanna, a 22-track Dylan-punning compilation that also features Billy Bragg, Owen Pallett, and Ben Sollee remaking songs by Joanna Newsom. Ward’s Ward-like take doesn’t have the charm or ene... more info

melophobe — I’ve been humming “Sprout and the Bean” ever since I saw this news pop up on blogs, that news being that Joanna Newsom’s tribute album, Versions of Joanna, is free for streaming and available for purchasing with profits going to Oxfam Interna... more info

Guardian Music — In a season in which we are bombarded with noise, a bit of silence is more than desirable; it is necessaryAs the title warns, John Cage's 4'33" is four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence. Soundlessness. Nothing. And yet it is the piece that ... more info