Carrie Underwood

Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor launched a YouTube channel yesterday that will host a film festival of fan-made movies that feature tracks from Ghosts I-IV, insuring the fans’ films will be reduced to compressed, blotchy, out-of-sync YouTube clips. Reznor himself will judge the competition, along with “special guests.” Fans can upload their videos onto the YouTube page now, but Reznor insists you take your time, since the whole process is going to take a few months. And as the rules state, “Please don’t just submit simple image slideshows.”

In other Reznor news, he criticized Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want release of In Rainbows, calling it “insincere” and “a bait and switch to get you to pay for a MySpace-quality stream as a way to promote a very traditional record sale.” “What they did right: they surprised the world with a new record, and it was available digitally first,” Reznor said of his possible Lollapalooza co-headliners. “What they did wrong: by making it such a low quality thing, not even including artwork … to me that feels insincere.” Reznor’s comments come one day after he revealed his self-released instrumental album Ghosts I-IV raked in $1.6 million in first week label-free sales.

Every Tuesday Single Minded highlights new tracks hitting stores (or the Web) this week. On Fridays, come back for rarities, remixes, mash-ups and more.

50 Cent featuring Prodigy & Tony Yayo, “Fully Loaded” [Official Mixtape]
The album-long takedown of Fat Joe is a little juvenile even by G-Unit standards, but this slow-burning death march about (what else?) drug slinging reminds everybody why we liked 50 in the first place (for reasons that had nothing to do with his abs).

Midnight Movies, “Nights in White Satin” [MySpace]
Southern California dream poppers take the Moody Blues’ overblown classic and turn it into a sexy, dramatic statement of purpose.

Freeky Zekey, “Big Brother” [Bootleg]
Isn’t it amazing how a good (jacked) Kanye West beat can turn a sixth-string Dipset mumbler into a guy who sounds like he knows what he’s doing?

Rev Theory, “Light It Up” [MySpace]
This hard-hitting track about “whiskey running through my veins” (ouch!) sounds like the entrance music to the meanest pro wrestler in history. Not coincidentally, it’s also the official theme song of this year’s Wrestlemania. Synergy!

Lupe Fiasco featuring T.I. and Young Jeezy, “Superstar” [Remix]
Lupe has never been a rapper who has played well with others, but his team up with these two titans of the South is an impressive twist on his tepid single from The Cool. Jeezy sounds especially sharp — at times, it sounds like he’s gargling with the beat, which should give him minty fresh breath.

For Iraq War vet Tomas Young, Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello and Bright Eyes aren’t just rock stars — they’re his lifelines. “They keep me going everyday to continue in this struggle,” says Young, who was paralyzed from the chest down when his Humvee was ambushed in Baghdad in 2004. “They remind me that there are things bigger than myself.”

Young, whose story is chronicled in the documentary Body of War, hasn’t met all of his musical heroes — just Vedder, who penned an original track for the film — but that didn’t stop him from soliciting favors. “Eddie asked if there was anything he could do for me,” says the twenty-six-year-old Missouri native. “It dawned on me that there was the possibility of making an album with songs that inspired me to keep going through the antiwar movement.”

The result is Body of War: Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran. The two-disc set — out March 18th — features Vedder’s “No More War,” as well as likeminded cuts by Neil Young, Serj Tankian, Ben Harper and Kimya Dawson. Young — who scoured iTunes for tracks that moved him — co-curated the collection with Vedder, who hit up his musical buddies. “Rage Against the Machine wanted to contribute and so did Roger Waters,” says Young. “If you’re an antiwar activist — or a music fan — how do you turn that down?”

Artists handed over their tunes, pro-bono, with proceeds going to Iraq Veterans Against the War. “Too often, acts of resistance against this war are tepid,” says Tom Morello, who lent the Nightwatchman’s “Battle Hymns” to the album. He will perform the song at the film’s premiere screening at the South By Southwest festival on March 13th, where Harper and Tankian are also set to play. “When veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice speak out, it can have a very galvanizing effect.”

Related Stories:

• Vedder, Young, Springsteen, Rage Feature on “Body of War” Soundtrack
• Exclusive: Eddie Vedder Contributes Live “No More” to “Body of War” Soundtrack
• Eddie Vedder on Jack Johnson: “What He’s Doing Is Real”

[Photo: Getty]

Dave Matthews Band chart out their entire summer, Crosby, Stills & Nash leave Young at home for their tour and Ambulance LTD search for a new record label during their six-date jaunt. The big list of dates is after the jump.

Dave Matthews Band
May 30 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
May 31 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
June 3 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 4 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 6 - Bridgeview, IL @ Toyota Park
June 7 - St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium
June 9 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 10 - Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
June 13 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
June 14 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
June 17 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
June 18 - Toronto, ONT @ Molson Amphitheatre
June 20 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 21 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 24 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
June 25 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
June 27 - Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
June 28 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
July 1 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 2 - Raleigh, NC @ Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
July 4 - Charleston, SC @ Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park
July 5 - Rothbury, MI @ ROTHBURY
July 7 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
July 9 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre
July 11 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 12 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 22 - Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
July 25 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 26 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 29 - Columbus, OH @ Crew Stadium
July 30 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
August 1 - Louisville, KY @ Louisville Slugger Field
August 2 - Memphis, TN @ AutoZone Park
August 5 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
August 7 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless VA Beach Amphitheater
August 9 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 10 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 13 - Oklahoma City, OK @ AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
August 15 - The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 16 - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
August 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
August 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
August 22 - Chula Vista, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
August 23 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
August 25 - West Sacramento, CA @ Raley Field
August 27 - West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
August 29 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
August 30 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
August 31 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
September 5 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
September 6 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
September 7 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre

Crosby, Stills & Nash
May 31 - Santa Rosa, CA @ Wells Fargo Center For The Arts
June 1 - Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion
June 3 - Victoria, BC @ Royal Theatre
June 4 - Vancouver, BC @ Centre In Vancouver For Perf. Arts
June 6 - Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
June 7 - Goldendale, WA @ Maryhill Winery Amphitheater
June 9 - Livermore, CA @ The Concerts At Wente Vineyards
June 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
June 15 - Valley Center, CA @ Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort
June 17 - San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
June 18 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
June 20 - Las Vegas, NV @ Red Rock Casino Resort
June 21 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
June 23 - Tucson, AZ @ Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheatre
June 24 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sandia Casino Amphitheater
June 26 - Denver, CO @ Wells Fargo Theatre
June 28 - Wendover, NV @ Peppermill Concert Hall
June 29 - Reno, NV @ Silver Legacy Resort Casino
July 14 - Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Theatre
July 19 - Rochester, MI @ Meadow Brook Music Festival
July 23 - Rochester, MI @ Meadow Brook Music Festival
July 25 - Boston, MA @ Bank Of America Pavilion
July 28 - Vienna, VA @ Filene Center At Wolf Trap
July 29 - New York, NY @ Rumsey Playfield / Central Park

Ambulance Ltd
April 2 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
April 4 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
April 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
April 6 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
April 7 - Washington, D.C. @ Rock and Roll Hotel
April 11 - New York City, NY @ Mercury Lounge

[Photo: Getty]

• A new “best of” compilation of Joy Division songs will be released on March 25th, the same day the Anton Corbijn-directed Ian Curtis biopic Control comes out on DVD. The collection will feature fourteen of the band’s greatest hits, plus a second disc of Peel Sessions recordings and interviews with Curtis.
• Beyonce has signed on to star in the film Obsessed. Knowles will play the wife of an asset manager who is stalked by one of his temp workers, played by Heroes’ Ali Larter.
• Lionel Richie and Steve Miller will receive lifetime achievement awards at this year’s ASCAP awards ceremony. Past recipients of the Golden Note include Tom Petty, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder.
• Famed rap group the Juice Crew will reunite at this year’s A3C Festival in Atlanta. Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Roxanne Shante, MC Shan and Craig G are all confirmed for the event.

[Photo: Slattery/Retna]

Last night’s American Idol demonstrated its awesome power by wasting an hour of our collective lives on one big, irritating inside joke. While Christian Siriano — who we can only presume is Danny Noriega’s idol — was winning Project Runway a few networks over (sass is having the Best Week Ever!), the eight remaining ladies of Idol were diving into the Eighties catalogs of Phil Collins (Ramiele Malubay’s so-so “Against All Odds”) and Pat Benatar (Brooke White’s appealing acoustic “Love Is a Battlefield”). But for the best moments, watch these quick clips:

5. Okay, Carly Smithson, we get it. You drink. Let’s hope this song won’t soundtrack your first PSA.

4. Asia’h Epperson’s “second-rate Whitney Houston” is more like “fourth-rate waitress from Houston.”

3. Kady Malloy’s lack of personality is about two seconds away from punching Ryan Seacrest in the nose.

2. Kristy Lee Cook’s “embarrassing” story is actually “psycho.” Thankfully, she covered a Journey song that gives us an excuse to post footage of Arnel Pineda again.

1. Amanda Overmyer covers a Joan Jett song with the word “hate” in the title, so it’s no surprise that Simon adores it.

From October 2006 to November 2007, the Hold Steady played nearly 250 shows behind their third album, Boys and Girls in America. Along the way, the quintet saw their crowds mushroom in size, heard their music featured on a Super Bowl telecast and got to jam with Bruce Springsteen at a Carnegie Hall benefit concert. “Bruce said, ‘Does anyone know the lyrics to ‘Rosalita’?” frontman Craig Finn recalls. “I said, ‘I do!’ I sang the first verse, then finished with him. It was surreal.”

The band celebrated its success by going right back to work. The Hold Steady have nearly finished their new album, tentatively titled Stay Positive, and it’s full of their trademark sweaty grooves, visceral riffs and slightly soused shout-along choruses. But there are a few changes. For one, Stay Positive is more tuneful than the previous three discs: “Ask Her for Some Adderall” is one of the catchiest things the Hold Steady have ever done, and the slow-burning “Discouraged” evokes the Stones. This increased tunefulness is thanks largely to Finn: The gruff-voiced vocalist recently started taking singing lessons. “It helped ensure my voice doesn’t run out of gas so quickly,” he says. “And they made me less afraid to try new things.”

The album is also more expansive: The fivesome tossed in mandolin and talk-box solos, and spent more time layering guitar parts. On “Constructive Summer,” they built a rip-roaring groove around harpsichord lines. Whether or not Stay Positive pushes the Hold Steady to greater success, the guys seem happy to be where they are, especially since they’ve been able to cut down on part-time work while not on tour. “Right now, we’re able to live off the band — or get close,” says lead guitarist Tad Kubler. “But we have to work at it. In order to be good, you can’t half-ass it.”

[Photograph by Lucy Hamblin]

• Rock Daily delivered the Grammy Awards from every angle: a live blog, a behind the scenes report, a photo gallery, a full recap of the winners, some video highlights and even some suggestions for the future.

• Taking a cue from John Mellencamp, Tom Scholz of Boston asked Mike Huckabee to stop using “More Than A Feeling” at his rallies.

• We pointed a video camera at Sheryl Crow, and she answered your questions in addition to a few of our own.

• Scarlett Johansson talked about her album of Tom Waits covers and how David Bowie got involved, and we also previewed a handful of tracks from the highly anticipated new record from Madonna.

• RollingStone.com took the time machine back to 1988 to take a look at fifteen albums that made hip-hop explode.

Clive Davis’ Grammy party always attracts the coolest crowd, and this year was no different, as perpetually top-hatted guitarist Slash hung out with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and looked good doing it. In case you missed Madonna at the Berlinale, Bono at Fashion Week or Paul McCartney at the mercy of the court, check out this week’s Random Notes here.