On a perfect summer night in Manhattan, the Smoking Section hoofed it up to Central Park to check out our hero Fiona Apple, backed by bluegrass prodigies Nickel Creek. “They are such good musicians,” Apple told us. “And they have such a strong work ethic — I was hoping it would rub off on me.” Two of the Creekers — Sean and Sarah Watkins — regularly host a jam session, the Watkins Family Hour, at L.A. club Largo, where Apple has been known to sit in on ancient murder ballads like “Knoxville Girl.” “We have a lot of fun,” she says. Apple brought that exuberance with her on her fourteen-date run, singing and dancing and smiling (shocker!) through a review of her catalog, some Patsy Cline and other tasty nuggets. “I usually associate being onstage with turmoil and angst,” Apple says. “But onstage with them is like family fun time. My whole perspective has changed about the job. I kind of feel like, ‘Oh, this is where I belong.’ ”

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The S.S. jetted to London for this issue’s interview with Kanye West. After his set at the V Fest in Staffordshire, Kanye and the S.S. hopped in a Mercedes for a three-hour drive to the equally muddy V Fest in Chelmsford (check out West’s sneaker protection) to catch the Killers. “They’re my absolute favorite band,” said Kanye. Days later, in New York, we caught up with Brandon Flowers at Sears Sound. “Kanye is amazing,” a flattered Flowers responds. “I can’t wait to hear his new stuff.” In the studio we witnessed Flowers and Lou Reed put the finishing touches on a sick new tune called “Tranquilize,” which will be featured on Sawdust, the Killers’ compilation of outtakes, B sides, remixes and covers (like one of Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet”), out in November. “I was a big fan of the Smiths’ Hatful of Hollow and Oasis’ The Masterplan, so it’s nice to put all this stuff into one package,” says Flowers. After a well-deserved rest, the Killers will kick-start their third studio album in January back home in Vegas.

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In 1974, in Gainesville, Florida, Tom Petty hopped into a van to L.A. to pursue his dreams of rock & roll stardom. Ten miles outside of town, the van broke down. Captured on video, these moments of never-seen footage are a blip in the amazing four-hour documentary “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” in which director Peter Bogdanovich tells the Heartbreakers’ story. The doc also features Eddie Vedder, Stevie Nicks, Dave Grohl and others talking about Petty’s legacy. It hits in October, but the S.S. got a sneak preview. If you’re a Petty fan (and who isn’t?), prepare to wet yourself.