For the last week we've been back in our hometown, San Francisco. 

Photo: Adam Macchia

Let the SS be the first to tell you that Brooklyn Bowl is one of the most incredible places on Earth!

Not only is it a 16-lane bowling alley, but the 23,000 square foot venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, also features a massive stage, with a state-of-the-art sound system, and room for 600 fans! (Looking at the photo above, the performance area would be just to the left of those plush couches.)

Our buddy Pete Shapiro -- one of the owners of Brooklyn Bowl, who used to run the Wetlands, the epicenter for jam bands in NYC -- recently invited the SS and twenty of our friends out to roadtest Brooklyn Bowl. While throwing rocks, Pete turned down the lights, cued up the Last Waltz on those TV screens at the end of the lanes, cranked the volume to 11, and tapped a fresh keg from the Brooklyn Brewery, which is next door. What ensued was a surreal rock & bowl experience!

The alley will open pretty soon, and while the only thing booked now is a Lebowski Fest in September, expect a slew of your favorite acts to pass through the doors.

Trust us, it's gonna be sick!

For more info, click here.

As you all probably know, Paul McCartney will be the first artist to headline New York City's brand new stadium, Citi Field, with a three-gig engagement beginning July 17th. Of course, McCartney and the Beatles shook the world when they played at the former home of the Mets, Shea Stadium, on August 15th, 1965.

But it's McCartney's opening act, the Script, who will have the honor of being the first band to perform at Citi Field. The Irish trio -- Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power -- have alreaady conquered Europe with their blend of soul and rock, and are planning their own U.S. invasion. And obviously they were beyond stoked to get the nod from Sir Paul. "Finding out that we were opening was like an out of body experience," Danny told the SS. "I was introduced to music through him, or a band he was in." 

This is where it gets crazy, though. A handful of the songs on the Script's self-titled debut deal with mortality. In the last few years, Mark lost his mother, and Danny's father passed away, as well. "I'd say three or four songs are a direct reflection on that period," says Danny. 

But while his Danny's father won't be able to see the Script at Citi Field, he'll certainly be there in spirit.

"That's the most bizarre part about this," says Danny. "My dad used to play in a band called the Debonairs, and a long time ago they were the headliners, and the Beatles were a support act. One night, my dad walked into their dressing room and asked, 'Is everybody treating you right?', like you do with a support act. And John Lennon said, "No mate, can you get us a couple of chips and burgers?' So my dad took care of them that night."

And get this: Danny's late father's name was... Shea.

Below, check out the Script's "The Man Who Can't Be Moved."

What do ya think? Do they have a chance on this side of the pond?

The Script — "The Man Who Can't Be Moved"

Photo: Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

In the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone, out next week, we profile the Meat Puppets, who are currently kicking ass on the road, supporting their new album, Sewn Together. We spoke with the heart of the trio, brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood, and we promise you, the story will blow your mind.

You all remember the Puppets, most likely from their star turn on Nirvana's Unplugged in New York. They were the long-haired dudes backing up Cobain and Grohl on "Oh Me," "Plateau" and "Lake of Fire." (All of those cuts were culled from the Puppets' 1984 masterpiece, Meat Puppets II.) Soon after sitting in on Unplugged, they released Too High To Die, and scored a big hit with "Backwater." Everything was cool.

But what seemed like good old rock & roll decadence turned dark very quickly, as bassist Cris Kirkwood descended into a hellish, decade-long bout to heroin. It probably should have killed him.

The Meat Puppets new album, Sewn Together, is a testament to the healing powers of rock. 

It is truly amazing.

Please take a sec to check out the title track, below. If you listen to it three times we guarantee you'll be hooked.

Meat Puppets - "Sewn Together"

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Little Joy's self-titled debut of 2008 is one of our favorite albums of the past year. It just puts you in a good mood.

A few months ago we had the pleasure of hanging out in S.S. headquarters with Little Joy, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti's new band, featuring Fab, Los Hermanos frontman Rodrigo Amarante and singer Binki Shapiro. Our good buddy Matt Romano plays drums.

LJ are on tour in the U.S. right now! Click here to check out the dates!

Photo: Strauss/WireImage

Iggy Pop is the coolest motherfucker ever. Yesterday, he released a killer album called Preliminaires, and we rang him up at his pad down in the Cayman Islands.  

"Did you ever spend time in the real life smoking section in the airplane?" was the first thing he said to us. "It was cool, right? Whenever I see your little logo, I always remember how the ashtrays used to look."

We're flattered!

After melting faces on 2007's Stooges reunion album and tour, Iggy is heading in a completely different direction with Preliminaires, a collection of moody ballads. The disc is inspired by French writer Michel Houellebecq's The Possibility of Island. "I would describe it as a 'fucking good read,'" Iggy told us of the post-apocalyptic story of a man and his dog. "It was thought-provoking, it had soul, and it spoke to me."

In 2007, Pop was commissioned to write a few mellower songs for a documentary about Houellebecq. Working in solitude -- "I have a basic hatred of producers, products and being produced," he says -- Pop ended up with enough material for an entire record.

Iggy's a national hero in France, and he croons en francais on the standard "Les Feuilles Mortes" ("Autumn Leaves"). Says Iggy, "Finally, I can say, 'Thank God for that junior-high French class.'"

In other Pop news, Iggy has said the Stooges are talking about playing shows to celebrate the 1973 masterpiece, Raw Power. Founding guitarist Ron Asheton died in January, so the idea is contingent on the return of ex-strummer James Williamson. "We've been talking," Iggy says. "It would have to involve James."

Check out "King of the Dogs," off Preliminaires, below, and click the jump for our full interview with Pop.

Iggy Pop - "King of the Dogs"

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Photo: Loud/FilmMagic

So we're a little late to the party -- the record came out in April -- but we've seriously been digging Yonder is the Clock, the newest effort from mountain boys the Felice Brothers.

The Felice Brothers are made up of brothers Ian (vocals and guitar), James (accordion, piano, vocals) and Simone Felice (percussion, vocals) and family friends Christmas (bass) and Farley (fiddle). They've been playing music together for years, starting at backyard BBQs in upstate New York before moving to Brooklyn to try their hand at busking in the streets and subway stations.

The Bros have been a staple at folk and jam festivals over the past few years and are about to embark on an extensive tour across the country. "We're looking forward to heading out west, it's always fun," James Felice tells us. "Touring with my brothers and close friends, it's pretty laid back. Every now and then there's a moment of violence, but it's very few and far between. And now we have XM radio so we can listen to Yankee games while we're on the road."

Onstage, the Felice Brothers ar super-high energy. There's a story about the brothers playing at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival during a wicked thunderstorm. The power was cut, so the guys jumped off stage and played an impromptu acoustic gig in the mud with their fans. "That energy came about when we started playing in the streets and in the subways," James says. "We just had to be as loud and obnoxious as possible to get people's attention. To play in a dour sort of way, especially our music, would be ridiculous."

Check out two tracks below, "Penn Station," which James tells us he wrote about architect Louis Kahn, and "Run Chicken Run," which is "just a wacky, fucked up tune."

The Felice Brothers - "Penn Station"

The Felice Brothers - "Run Chicken Run"