Homegrown house concerts bring intimacy back to Victoria music scene

Guitar in hand, Shaun Verreault, frontman for popular Canadian band, Wide Mouth Mason, sits on a stool in Andy Briggs’ living room

Bruno Mars heads back to Grammys with Smeezingtons (AP)

AP - A whiteboard hangs on the wall of the tiny Hollywood studio used by the Smeezingtons, Bruno Mars' production and songwriting team. It's filled with doodles, including a picture of Alf and a joking note that producer-engineer Ari Levine "hangs out with Jamaican drug lords on the reg."

UPCOMING CONCERTS

Cartoons Bar & Grill, 1614 S. Glenstone Ave., 889-6500; 849-1009: Blues Down Under Concert Series with Trampled Under Foot, 8 p.m. March 2, $10 advance; $12.50 door (on sale at Kaleidoscope and Cartoons) The Creamery Arts Center, 411 N.

Riff House concerts and 'Double-Duty'

If you haven't been to the Riff House concerts (a series of shows organized in the living room of Tim Slusher's house), let the living room come to you. This Friday, the series celebrate two years by uniting Riff House veterans ( Chris Taylor Band, the Rosedale Highs, the Canvas Waiting, Mobley , and Little Brave ) with a well-established local band new to the series, Pop Pistol. The event ...

Christina Aguilera re-ups for "The Voice" (Reuters)

Reuters - "The Voice" has signed Christina Aguilera for a third season as NBC considers launching that season in the fall instead of waiting until 2013, TheWrap has learned.

Chris Brown returns to Grammys; Rihanna also to perform (Reuters)

Reuters - Chris Brown will perform at this Sunday's Grammy Awards for the first time since beating his then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 on the eve of the music industry's biggest night, which threatened to derail his music career.

Review: Harrelson rages in weary LA noir 'Rampart' (AP)

AP - The crazy eyes and idiosyncratic drawl of Woody Harrelson are enough to carry the dirty cop study "Rampart," but even such powers as those can't make engaging this weary L.A. noir.

rock, etc.

ArcticA A rock venue mostly featuring heavy metal concerts. 38 Ulitsa Beringa. Metro Primorskaya +7 (812) 952 4696 www.arctica-club.spb.ru

Rep says Lana Del Rey did not have a tour to postpone (Reuters)

Reuters - Lana Del Rey has not postponed her spring tour -- because she didn't even have one planned, says a representative for the "Video Games" singer.

Choir Games to provide free concerts

The World Choir Games are looking for venues for up to 40 free concerts across the Tri-State.

The Fray display "Scars" with confidence on new album (Reuters)

Reuters - Of all the people impacted over the years by the lovable Muppets -- singing frog Kermit, sassy Miss Piggy and their friends -- perhaps the most unlikely is rock band, The Fray.

Music reseller ReDigi will remain up and running â for now (Digital Trends)

Digital Trends - ReDigi lives to see another day. The digital music reseller site has been facing a copyright lawsuit from Capitol Records, which alleged that ReDigi was copying music it held the rights to and reselling it. ReDigi denied those claims, saying it made no copies and even built its software to identify and reject any pirated music that users tried to sell.

Coroner rules Don Cornelius' death a suicide (AP)

AP - Coroner's officials on Tuesday ruled Don Cornelius' death a suicide, nearly a week after the "Soul Train" creator and host killed himself with a gunshot to the head.

Grammys to feature first dance music segment (AP)

AP - Grammy show producer Ken Ehrlich had considered putting dancing/electronica music into the ceremony in the past, but could never quite figure out how to incorporate the high-energy club feel in front of a sometimes staid audience.

Dierks Bentley new album brings country fans "Home" (Reuters)

Reuters - If the single "Home" is the cornerstone of Dierks Bentley's latest album of the same name, then the song "Thinking of You" is the CD's hearth because the fire within it warms both body and soul.

Review: Paul McCartney's "Kisses" a Valentine's Day Treat (Reuters)

Reuters - There's a new Diana Krall album out, though it has Paul McCartney on vocals and his name on the cover. This is all a good thing. All right, so that's a severely reductive way to describe McCartney's fine new album of old standards, "Kisses on the Bottom."

Personal concerts streamed to hospitalized kids

The Melodic Caring Project, a nonprofit startup, was founded with the mission of using music and technology to help kids heal. It's good medicine.

Classical Concerts: HSO Performs 'Romeo And Juliet'

Follow CT Lifestyle & Entertainment News On The Courant's Features Buzz Facebook Page Guest conductor Alexander Mickelthwate leads the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Feb. 9-12 in a program that includes Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Wagner's Prelude to Die Meistersinger and soloist Gilad Karni (viola) is featured in Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

Madonna's first tour since '09 to start in Israel (AP)

AP - Madonna's not finished with stadiums.

The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store (AP)

AP - iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Feb. 6, 2012:

The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store (AP)

AP - iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Feb. 6, 2012:

Review: McCartney's first disc of standards (AP)

AP - Paul McCartney, "Kisses on the Bottom," (Hear Music)

Chris Brown set to take the stage at the Grammys (AP)

AP - Chris Brown will perform at this year's Grammy Awards, the event where his career almost ended three years ago.

“Friendship Concerts” will bring song to streetcorners, malls

This July during the 2012 World Choir Games, Cincinnati will become a city that sings — just about everywhere. Organizations wishing to host a “Friendship Concert” during the World Choir Games this summer may now apply for the opportunity. “Friendship Concerts” are free public concerts performed by World Choir Games participants in city squares, public [...]

Sir Paul, Elton, other stars to perform for queen (AP)

AP - Some of the world's biggest pop stars will perform in front of Buckingham Palace on June 4 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, palace officials said Tuesday.

Cash's 80th birthday, legacy to be celebrated (AP)

AP - Johnny Cash is still cool.

Pandora vs. Spotify: Who Will Win the Battle for Streaming Music? (Mashable)

Mashable - Matthew Bryan Beck is an NYC-based singer-songwriter, producer, editor, graphic designer and photographer. He writes the tech/social media blog Sludgr. Follow him on Twitter and Subscribe on Facebook. Once upon a time, the future of streaming music rested squarely on the shoulders of Pandora Radio.

MANCHESTER: 115 House Concerts offering more shows in 2012

After hosting several performances last year, the 115 House Concerts in Manchester are back for a 2012 season.

Madonna world tour to start on May 29 (Reuters)

Reuters - Madonna will go on tour from May for the first time in three years, starting in Israel before moving on to Europe, with legs in South America and Australia, where she has not performed for 20 years, tour promotion company Live Nation said on Tuesday.

February Travel Calendar: The World’s Best Festivals, Concerts & Celebrations

From the stoic to the bizarre, here's a look at the world's best festivals, concerts, and celebrations for the month of February.

Kanye West plans a movie in the Persian Gulf (Reuters)

Reuters - Kanye West is taking his talents to the Middle East.

Madonna dazzles with slick Super Bowl halftime show (Reuters)

Reuters - Pop superstar Madonna dazzled football fans and more than 100 million television viewers on Sunday when she performed during a glittery, spectacular Super Bowl halftime show.

Madonna says she never planned "Wild" performance at Super Bowl (Reuters)

Reuters - Sorry, Joe Francis; Madonna won't give you a chance to rake in a Super Bowl payday.

CEO: Vevo made $150 million in revenue last year (AP)

AP - Vevo, the online music video service launched by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in late 2009, pulled in $150 million in revenue last year, chief executive Rio Caraeff revealed on Tuesday.

Ukraine shutters top file-sharing site (Digital Trends)

Digital Trends - In the wake of the takedown of file-sharing site MegaUpload (and the ripple effect to sites like FileSonic and Uploaded.to), another popular file-sharing site has gone dark. Ukrainian police today shut down the countryâs most popular file sharing site, Ex.ua, on grounds that it was illegally distributing copyrighted material, including music, videos, and movies.

Bronfman: UMG, Sony purchase of EMI 'dangerous' (AP)

AP - Outgoing Warner Music chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr. says the proposed purchase of British recording company EMI by recording rivals Universal Music Group and Sony/ATV is "dangerous" and must be stopped by regulators.

Neil Young building digital music device for downloading (Reuters)

Reuters - Neil Young said Tuesday that he is picking up where Steve Jobs left off, working on a device that can offer digital music without sacrificing quality as iTunes, Amazon and others have done.

Vevo Made $150 Million Last Year (Mashable)

Mashable - Vevo generated $150 million in revenue last year, President and CEO Rio D. Caraeff revealed at AllThingsD's media conference on Tuesday. The two-year-old music video platform, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media, has paid out $100 million to content owners over the past two years, he added.

Ukraine shuts down top file sharing website (Reuters)

Reuters - Ukrainian police on Tuesday shut down the former Soviet republic's most popular file sharing website, Ex.ua, accusing its owners of illegally distributing copyright-protected software, music and videos.

Paul McCartney says he's working on music for a new video game (Digital Trends)

Digital Trends - Sir Paul McCartney is bringing his music to yet another video game, and from what we can tell, itâs not a sequel to Beatles Rock Band.