Here & There …

An Internet tax for music? – The Globe And Mail

Eddie Vedder goes Into The Wild – Los Angeles Times / Calendar Live (registration may be required)

Lori McKenna does the dog & pony circuit – San Jose Mercury News (registration may be required)

Billy Joel’s “Christmas in Fallujah” – Boston Herald

My Chemical Romance – “Being underdogs is part of our DNA” – The Age

Behind the Grammy curtain – Los Angeles Times / Calendar Live (registration may be required)

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

207 dates have been researched, tested and added to the mighty Pollstar.com data machine within the last two hours. Dates encompassing the hopes and dreams of music fans the world over. Dates that could change the world, change your life, or at least change your upcoming social agenda.

Let’s get started, shall we?When he’s not fronting Poison or starring in his own date-a-rock-star reality TV program, Bret Michaels often hits the road for solo outings. Mostly casino dates, the new schedule includes stops in Milwaukee, WI, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and a New Year’s Eve gig in Saint Paul, MN.

New U.K. shows for David Gray include just about every stage one can play in the British Empire. Look for Mr. Gray in towns like Brighton, Manchester, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge and London.

Look for Eels all over Europe in places like Vienna, Berlin, London, Zurich, Rome and Munich. So far the Euro tour starts with a Paris gig on February 18 and ends two months later in Dublin; Lila Downs adds April dates for NY, WI, MI, NC, TN, NY, MA, NH and WI and a May date for CA; Midge Ure plays the U.K. in February and Germany in April and Plain White T’s add Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich and Milan to the February itinerary.

During the past two hours we also updated the schedules for David Allan Coe, Earth, Wind & Fire, From Autumn To Ashes, Jimmy Eat World, Jack Johnson, Joe Bonamassa, Robben Ford, Spyro Gyra, Toto and Yip-Yip.

But it doesn’t stop here. Heck, the day is only half over and we still have kilos of data to grind out before that final whistle blows. Don’t forget to check out Your Latest Update, coming up around 3 PM (PST) from Pollstar.com!

This Day In Music History … (from Associated Press)

In 1968, Graham Nash quit The Hollies because he disagreed with the group’s plans to record an album of Bob Dylan songs. Nash also was reported to be upset that the Hollies refused to record several of his own songs, including “Marrakesh Express.” The tune would become the first hit for Nash’s next group – Crosby, Stills & Nash. Nash’s replacement with the Hollies was Terry Sylvester.

Also on this date in 1968, The Rolling Stones LP Beggar’s Banquet was released in a plain white jacket. The Stones held a launching party in London, during which custard pies were thrown at the guests.

In 1975, the self-titled Fleetwood Mac LP was certified gold – 500-thousand copies sold – in the U.S. Sales would eventually top four million. It was the first Fleetwood Mac album with new group members Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

In 1991, Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson agreed to stay away from his longtime psychologist, Eugene Landy, and submit his finances to a conservator. The agreement settled a lawsuit filed by Wilson’s brother, Carl, and their cousins, Mike and Stan Love. They portrayed Landy, Wilson’s live-in psychologist and business partner, as an opportunist who brainwashed Wilson and used him as a cash cow.