Kanye West announced via his blog that he and Killers frontman Brandon Flowers have spontaneously recorded a track together. The collaboration went down after Flowers and Frozen Embryos/Residue singer Jared Leto stopped by 'Ye's studio while he was working up some new material. 

From West's blog:

"I WAS WORKING ON THIS DOPE ASS SONG WHEN JARED AND BRANDON STOPPED BY. I PLAYED THEM SOME OF THE NEW JEEZY BEATS AND BEFORE EVERYBODY BOUNCED BRANDON HOPPED ON THE KEYBOARD AND I HOPPED ON THE MPC. SHIT WAS DOPE."

Let's hope that Leto didn't touch anything in the studio, or this shit's doomed.

On April 18th, we'll all be celebrating the third-annual Record Store Day, where indie stores around the country will offer high-profile in-store appearances and sell some rare and exclusive releases.

With all that this year's event promises to offer, we thought we'd give you a quick run-down of what we're looking forward to catching on April 18th.

Wilco's new concert DVD, Ashes from American Flags, will be available, but as an added bonus, those who purchase the DVD on Record Store Day will be able to download one full concert of the five club shows featured on the DVD.

The Mars Volta's mastermind Omar Rodriguez has put together a new supergroup called El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez featuring members of noise group Hella and the Mars Volta. Their first album, titled Cryptomnesia, will see an exclusive vinyl release on Record Store Day. Get to the store early if you want this "decidedly heavier than the Volta" album.

We're also looking forward to...

• Ben Harper's 10" vinyl release, Shimmer and Shine, which will feature the unreleased track "Spanish Red Wine."
• Bob Dylan's 7" vinyl of two tracks from his 2004 Bonnaroo performance, "Dreaming of You" and "Down Along the Cove."
• The Cold War Kids' live album, Live at Fingerprints, taped during a performance at Fingerprints Record Store in Long Beach, CA.
• Bruce Springsteen will cut a 7" that includes his Halloween song, "A Night with the Jersey Devil."
• The Dead Weather, Jack White's new band, will release a 7" vinyl of their single, "Hang You From the Heavens."
• Derek Trucks cutting a few unreleased live tracks from his 2008 tour.
• The Flaming Lips/Black Keys split 7", including "Borderline" and "Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles."
  
• Jane's Addiction vinyl reissue of "Mountain Song" and "Standing in the Shower...Thinking."
• MC5's classic "Kick Out the Jams" single reissued on 7" vinyl in original packaging, first time available since 1969.
• My Morning Jacket's super-exclusive Live at Louisville double LP, vinyl edition is a one-time pressing.
• Neil Young's Sugar Mountain Live at Canterbury House 1969 special double LP vinyl addition.
• Radiohead reissuing a ton of 10" vinyl EPs, some of which are already available, including Karma Police, Creep, Fake Plastic Trees and more.
  
• Sonic Youth/Beck split 7". Sonic Youth will also put out a split with Jay Reatard on RSD.
  
• Sublime single featuring two live tracks, "April 29, 1992" and "Superstar Punani," first time on vinyl!
  
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs' It's Blitz LP, a vinyl version of the upcoming album.

The Dead Weather, the new supergroup comprised of drummer Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, vocalist Alison Mosshart of the Kills, guitarist Dean Fertita from the Queens of the Stone Age and bassist Jack Lawrence from the Raconteurs, will play their first full-set gig on April 14th at New York's Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for the event will go on sale on April 8th at 10 am.

The Dead Weather will release their debut album, Horehound, on June 9th. A limited edition 7" vinyl single, "Hang You Up From The Heavens" b/w a cover of Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?" will be available on April 18th, Record Store Day!

Prayers were answered over the weekend when ex-Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunited on stage for the first time the George Harrison tribute concert in 2002. McCartney and Starr performed for the "Change Begins Within" charity concert at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday evening. The event was an all-star benefit concert for the David Lynch Foundation, which teaches  meditation techniques to troubled kids.

McCartney called Starr to the stage using his Sgt. Peppers character name, Billy Shears, before busting into "A Little Help from my Friends." Starr then took his throne behind the drum kit and worked through "Cosmically Conscious," a song McCartney had written when the Beatles were visiting India in 1968. The pair were joined by  Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, Donovan, and Mike Love for their closer, "I Saw Her Standing There."

Check it out. It was a beautiful thing.

The dudes from Metallica have reconciled their differences with ex-bassist Jason Newsted, and Newsted will join the band for their performance this Sunday at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Newsted was hired by Metallica in 1986 after original bassist Cliff Burton died in a tour bus accident. He worked with the band until 2001, when he quit to play with Ozzy Osbourne, Echobrain and Voivod. Robert Trujillo replaced Newsted and remains Metallica's current bassist. Trujillo will also perform at the Induction Ceremony.

When we spoke with James Hetfield while ago, he agreed that the band and Newsted were ready to bury the hatchet. 

"Obviously, Jason, who played on quite a few records and was in the band fourteen years, and Robert, who is in the band now [will be there]. And Cliff, unfortunately, won’t be able to be there, but hopefully his father or someone from his family will be able to represent him."

When asked if it would be weird for the band to be onstage with an ex-member, Hetfield said no.

"There’s no reason for it to be weird, not at all. The thing we don’t want to be a part of is the soap opera, the drama of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I know nowadays, everyone wants to see the trainwreck happen. But we saw it, we saw Blondie onstage arguing over crap – it’s like, 'Come on. You guys have so much history, so much inspired by you guys, don’t let this get in the way.' It really cheapens the moment, so we’re very into just opening our arms and enjoying this moment with who deserves to be up there with us."

That's awesome!

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

After years of failed preservation attempts, the Seattle-area home where Jimi Hendrix lived -- at 2010 S. Jackson St. in Renton -- for part of his childhood has been demolished by a real estate developer. Condominiums are planned to replace the legendary building.

The house, which was a paltry 900 square feet, is said to be the place where Hendrix discovered music while he lived there from ages 10 to 13. Hendrix is buried across the street from the now-empty lot.

The developer is said to have saved parts of the house which may be sold later. "Can you imagine a guitar made out of wood from Jimi's house?" he asked. "Who wouldn't want that?"

Let's hope he makes tons of money on that endeavor.

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British gossip rag the Sun is reporting that super-producer Mark Ronson has been persuaded to once again hit the studio with Amy Winehouse. Ronson is, of course, the man behind Winehouse's stellar Back to Black, but things went sour when the pair tried to record a James Bond theme song last year. 

He apparently canceled the project due to Winehouse's drug problem, saying the singer just "wasn't ready" to record. Now, Winehouse seems to have cleaned up just a wee bit and Ronson is ready to saddle up and give it another go.

We texted Ronson and here's what he had to say when we asked about working again with Wino:

"Maybe... Trying. Working with Duran Duran right now. It sounds fucking amazing!"

Photo: Fusco/Getty

OK. Here's how it all breaks down.

The Stubbs schedule for the South by Southwest festival was republished this morning with some interesting changes. On Friday, March 20th, at 10:00 pm there will be a Guitar Hero Metallica challenge -- not all that exciting. 

But the 10:30 slot is filled by a band called Volsung, hailing from "Somewhere, Norway." Volsung, a band no one has ever heard of, has a two hour, prime-time slot at one of the best venues in Austin, during one of the best music festivals in America.

Is Volsung a cover-up for Metallica? According to Norwegian mythology, Volsung was killed by a Geatish king, and then avenged by one of his sons, named Sigmund. More importantly, though, is that in the English story of Beowulf, after Beowulf slays Grendel, a Danish bard sings about Sigmund and his father.

Lars Ulrich is Danish!

Coincidence?

Photo: Kravitx/FilmMagic

Photo: Walter/Getty; Johnston/Getty

Black Keys guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach has recently released a killer solo disc, Keep It Hid, and he's just days away from embarking on a 10-city solo tour!

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