Gary Clark, Jr. Helps Kick Off New Sundance Channel Series

Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Every American city has its thriving music scene, whether that's salacious bounce in New Orleans, spiritual rap in Brooklyn or Portland's dreamy psych-rock. At Los Angeles' Soho House on Thursday, previews of three short films attempted to capture musicians on the make in each city. The new film series, created by Nokia Music and the Sundance Channel, will air in January with Gary Clark Jr.'s "Bright Lights" as its signature song.

The Texas guitarist, whose genre-hopping debut Blak and Blu has impressed critics as well as high-profile fans Alicia Keys and President Obama, sees his song about resisting the big city's empty thrills as a natural fit for the project.

"The story of my song runs parallel to the underground music scene in any city," he said. "It's about staying true to yourself while still showing love to people."

In a Q&A session after the sneak peeks, the young directors culled from the fashion and music video worlds offered up tales and observations from each of their locales.

"New York is a city of samples," director Emily Kai Bock said. Tracking rising talent such as the Underachievers and T'Nah Apex, a teenage rapper inspired by Lauryn Hill, Bock cited the city's constant commotion as not only a soundtrack for her film but inspiration for one of the bedrock techniques in rap.

All of her subjects have loftier concerns than getting rich. In the film, one of the Underachievers accuses mainstream rap of "keeping capitalism going."

"These are amazingly self-aware people," she said. "They want social change."

In a separate interview, Bock said she shot her film on the eve of Hurricane Sandy – and ended up trapped in the city for more than a week. A resident of Montreal, she also couldn't retrieve her film, which was locked away in a production house without power.

"I was sleeping on my producer's couch," she said, "because the budget only allowed a hotel for a few days. My train home got canceled twice."

Eventually she got her footage back and had to quickly edit three hours down to eight minutes – all while jetting off to London for the U.K. Music Video Awards. "Oblivion," her testosterone-soaked video for her old friend Claire Boucher (a.k.a. Grimes), snagged a nomination, but not a win.

In New Orleans, Abteen Bagheri immersed himself in the bounce scene with the help of ass-shaking ambassador Big Freedia. Bagheri waved aside the idea that the music is simplistic. "These are good rappers with crazy lyrical dexterity," he said during his introduction to a clip of the Diplo-approved rapper Nicky Da B. maniacally freestyling in a barbershop.

If a "hustler's attitude" might prevail in New Orleans, Portland could not be more different. "They're happy just making music for their friends," Bagheri said. Cue lots of slo-mo shots of overcast skies and vintage-clad rockers on mopeds.

The film series will eventually include segments on Los Angeles' electronica scene and the ties between strip clubs and Southern rap in Atlanta. All of the adventures are designed to highlight musical discoveries waiting in every American city.

"Music is the biggest passion for people," Nokia Entertainment vice president Jyrki Rosenberg said before the screening. "We'll travel all over the U.S. to learn about everyone's taste in music."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Gary Clark, Jr. Helps Kick Off New Sundance Channel Series

Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Every American city has its thriving music scene, whether that's salacious bounce in New Orleans, spiritual rap in Brooklyn or Portland's dreamy psych-rock. At Los Angeles' Soho House on Thursday, previews of three short films attempted to capture musicians on the make in each city. The new film series, created by Nokia Music and the Sundance Channel, will air in January with Gary Clark Jr.'s "Bright Lights" as its signature song.

The Texas guitarist, whose genre-hopping debut Blak and Blu has impressed critics as well as high-profile fans Alicia Keys and President Obama, sees his song about resisting the big city's empty thrills as a natural fit for the project.

"The story of my song runs parallel to the underground music scene in any city," he said. "It's about staying true to yourself while still showing love to people."

In a Q&A session after the sneak peeks, the young directors culled from the fashion and music video worlds offered up tales and observations from each of their locales.

"New York is a city of samples," director Emily Kai Bock said. Tracking rising talent such as the Underachievers and T'Nah Apex, a teenage rapper inspired by Lauryn Hill, Bock cited the city's constant commotion as not only a soundtrack for her film but inspiration for one of the bedrock techniques in rap.

All of her subjects have loftier concerns than getting rich. In the film, one of the Underachievers accuses mainstream rap of "keeping capitalism going."

"These are amazingly self-aware people," she said. "They want social change."

In a separate interview, Bock said she shot her film on the eve of Hurricane Sandy – and ended up trapped in the city for more than a week. A resident of Montreal, she also couldn't retrieve her film, which was locked away in a production house without power.

"I was sleeping on my producer's couch," she said, "because the budget only allowed a hotel for a few days. My train home got canceled twice."

Eventually she got her footage back and had to quickly edit three hours down to eight minutes – all while jetting off to London for the U.K. Music Video Awards. "Oblivion," her testosterone-soaked video for her old friend Claire Boucher (a.k.a. Grimes), snagged a nomination, but not a win.

In New Orleans, Abteen Bagheri immersed himself in the bounce scene with the help of ass-shaking ambassador Big Freedia. Bagheri waved aside the idea that the music is simplistic. "These are good rappers with crazy lyrical dexterity," he said during his introduction to a clip of the Diplo-approved rapper Nicky Da B. maniacally freestyling in a barbershop.

If a "hustler's attitude" might prevail in New Orleans, Portland could not be more different. "They're happy just making music for their friends," Bagheri said. Cue lots of slo-mo shots of overcast skies and vintage-clad rockers on mopeds.

The film series will eventually include segments on Los Angeles' electronica scene and the ties between strip clubs and Southern rap in Atlanta. All of the adventures are designed to highlight musical discoveries waiting in every American city.

"Music is the biggest passion for people," Nokia Entertainment vice president Jyrki Rosenberg said before the screening. "We'll travel all over the U.S. to learn about everyone's taste in music."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

High and Tight: World Series Predictions

The Detroit Tigers take on the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.Patrick McDermott/Getty Images; Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants are two of the most venerable and venerated franchises in major league history; the Tigers have been around since 1894, while the Giants can trace their lineage back to the New York Gothams of 1883. But while the two clubs are certainly no strangers to October glory – the Giants have won six World Series rings, and the Tigers four – these two behemoths have never actually faced off against each other in the Fall Classic. Until now . . .

While the 108th World Series doesn't pack the geographical or historical animosity of, say, a Tigers-Cardinals or Giants-Yankees matchup, this San Francisco-Detroit pairing still packs one helluva cultural clash. Think Mission burritos versus Coney dogs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti versus Elmore Leonard, the Fillmore West versus the Grande Ballroom, the Grateful Dead versus the Stooges, Sly & the Family Stone versus Parliament-Funkadelic, the City by the Bay versus the City of Impending Zombie Apocalypse.

Not to mention there's the showdown between two strong MVP candidates, AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera vs. NL Comeback Player of the Year Buster Posey, along with the intriguing possibility of a post-game pie-eating contest between Prince Fielder and Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval. And for once, the All-Star Game's determination of World Series home field advantage actually makes some kind of poetic sense: Giants ace Matt Cain was the ASG's winning pitcher (and now-disgraced Giants PED-popper Melky Cabrera was the MVP), while Tigers ace Justin Verlander served up the first-inning bombs that put the AL in a 5-0 hole.

But mostly, the 2012 World Series should be a dogfight between two very good teams with excellent pitching – you know, the thing that's supposed to trump hitting when the postseason chips are down. The Tigers would seem to have the advantage, at least in that their rotation (which has posted an otherworldly 1.02 ERA thus far in October) is well-rested and leading with Verlander against the inscrutable Barry Zito in Game 1, while the Giants are scrambling to reset their rotation after Monday's NLCS win, and we won't see Cain until at least Game 3. But the Giants have a stronger bullpen, and if Tigers skipper Jim Leyland (who often acts as if he's sending Strat-O-Matic cards in to pitch, rather than running-on-fumes relievers) reverts to his previous reliance upon Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde for the 8th and 9th innings, the Giants could easily head to Detroit with two walk-off wins in their back pockets.

There's also the "rest versus momentum" sub-plot: The Tigers, who finally got hot in mid-September after a season of underachieving, have now been off for five days, while the Giants are coming in fresh from a three-game win streak. Hardcore Tigers fans (full disclosure: I am one) still gag at the memory of the steaming, stinking dump Leyland's well-rested (and heavily favored) team laid against the Cardinals in the 2006 World Series. But Verlander and Omar Infante aside, this is an entirely different Detroit team than that '06 squad; and if Leyland's figured out a way to keep his players sharp, loose and motivated during their break – and if Posey continues to perfect the A-Rod impression that he unexpectedly unveiled against the Cardinals – the Giants could suddenly find themselves in deep trouble.

Either way, this is shaping up to be a great – maybe even truly epic – World Series between two immensely talented teams populated by some very memorable characters. If you can't get excited about it, you simply don't deserve baseball. My prognostication? Tigers, in seven very tough games. Now, let's see what our esteemed panel of rock & roll seamheads are predicting.

Name: Alice Cooper
Position: Vocals

A team has got to peak at the right time to win the series, and at this point, Detroit is peaking at just the right moment. I think they will win in six games. In fact, I think they will be tough to beat. And if it comes down to a Game Seven, they'd have Verlander. Maybe I'm biased – there's still a little kid from Detroit living inside me. Go Tigers!

Name: Scott McCaughey
Band: The Baseball Project, The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows
Position: Guitar, Vocals

I certainly can't pick against my Giants again, the way this topsy-turvy postseason is going. Though with Verlander on the hill two or three games for the Tigers, Los Gigantes have yet another uphill battle. More miracles, bad hops and clutch performances from unlikely sources ensue. San Francisco in six, celebrating in their appropriate colors on Halloween night.

Name: Ken Casey
Band: Dropkick Murphys
Position: Bass guitar, Vocals

The advantage goes to a rested Tigers rotation of Verlander, Fister, Sanchez and Scherzer. But the home field goes to the Giants. The postseason magic of guys like Zito, Scutero and Lincecum will fade here to the Triple Crown winner Cabrera and his accompanying cast of proven veterans, as well as their proven skipper in Jim Leyland. Tigers in five or six.

Name: Handsome Dick Manitoba
Band: Manitoba
Position: Vocals

The Manhattan Giants in six. With a team hitting on all cylinders, and a very good pitching staff top to bottom, the Tigers that looked like Christy Mathewson was throwing everyday versus the Yankees will be mauled. 

Name: Vinnie Paul
Band: Hellyeah, Pantera
Position: Drums

I predict the Detroit Tigers will win the World Series. I've been wrong about everything else this post-season, but I believe the Tigers have the mojo! Oh, and Verlander too! Tigers Roar!

Name: Scott Ian
Band: Anthrax
Position: Guitar

Well, since the Yankees played like the Bad News Bears without Kelly Leak, I'm backing Detroit. Cabrera deserves a ring for his Triple Crown season.

Name: George Thorogood
Band: George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Position: Vocals, Guitar

I'm going with the Tigers all the way. They have the pitching, and pitching wins World Series.

Name: Steve Earle
Position: Vocals, Guitar

It's finally Jim Leyland's year. Tigers in five.

Name: Ben Gibbard
Band: Death Cab for Cutie
Position: Vocals, Guitar

Tigers over Giants in six.

Name: Joshua Epstein
Band: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Position: Vocals, Keyboards

I have been watching the Tigers all season, and I must say that they finally look like the team we all expected to see. It is impossible for me to answer this impartially, as I have a dog in the fight, but I can't see the Giants beating the Tigers unless the long layoff has killed their momentum. The Tigers have the best hitter and the best pitching in the playoffs. This could be an exciting season in Detroit!

Name: Joe Pernice
Band: Pernice Brothers
Position: Vocals, Guitar

I'd say Tigers in five. Very happy to see the Tigers in the Series.

Name: Tom Morello
Band: The Nightwatchman, Street Sweeper Social Club, Rage Against the Machine
Position: Guitar, Vocals

Very much looking forward to the Tigers-Giants World Series. If it can't be the Cubs, then those are two fine teams to slug it out.

Name: Steve Wynn
Band: The Baseball Project
Position: Vocals, Guitar

Well, if the last few weeks are any indication, the Series will go the distance, and that's just fine with me. The day after the end of the World Series is always such a drag – it brings on those long three-plus months before pitchers and catchers arrive in Florida and Arizona. Nah, let's play seven. All logic would seem to favor the Tigers, but this is no time for logic. I pick the Giants in seven, winning on a shocking, unscheduled start – and complete game shutout – by Tim Lincecum. Again, logic – who needs it?

Dan Epstein's book, Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s, is now available in paperback.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

High and Tight: World Series Predictions

The Detroit Tigers take on the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.Patrick McDermott/Getty Images; Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants are two of the most venerable and venerated franchises in major league history; the Tigers have been around since 1894, while the Giants can trace their lineage back to the New York Gothams of 1883. But while the two clubs are certainly no strangers to October glory – the Giants have won six World Series rings, and the Tigers four – these two behemoths have never actually faced off against each other in the Fall Classic. Until now . . .

While the 108th World Series doesn't pack the geographical or historical animosity of, say, a Tigers-Cardinals or Giants-Yankees matchup, this San Francisco-Detroit pairing still packs one helluva cultural clash. Think Mission burritos versus Coney dogs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti versus Elmore Leonard, the Fillmore West versus the Grande Ballroom, the Grateful Dead versus the Stooges, Sly & the Family Stone versus Parliament-Funkadelic, the City by the Bay versus the City of Impending Zombie Apocalypse.

Not to mention there's the showdown between two strong MVP candidates, AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera vs. NL Comeback Player of the Year Buster Posey, along with the intriguing possibility of a post-game pie-eating contest between Prince Fielder and Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval. And for once, the All-Star Game's determination of World Series home field advantage actually makes some kind of poetic sense: Giants ace Matt Cain was the ASG's winning pitcher (and now-disgraced Giants PED-popper Melky Cabrera was the MVP), while Tigers ace Justin Verlander served up the first-inning bombs that put the AL in a 5-0 hole.

But mostly, the 2012 World Series should be a dogfight between two very good teams with excellent pitching – you know, the thing that's supposed to trump hitting when the postseason chips are down. The Tigers would seem to have the advantage, at least in that their rotation (which has posted an otherworldly 1.02 ERA thus far in October) is well-rested and leading with Verlander against the inscrutable Barry Zito in Game 1, while the Giants are scrambling to reset their rotation after Monday's NLCS win, and we won't see Cain until at least Game 3. But the Giants have a stronger bullpen, and if Tigers skipper Jim Leyland (who often acts as if he's sending Strat-O-Matic cards in to pitch, rather than running-on-fumes relievers) reverts to his previous reliance upon Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde for the 8th and 9th innings, the Giants could easily head to Detroit with two walk-off wins in their back pockets.

There's also the "rest versus momentum" sub-plot: The Tigers, who finally got hot in mid-September after a season of underachieving, have now been off for five days, while the Giants are coming in fresh from a three-game win streak. Hardcore Tigers fans (full disclosure: I am one) still gag at the memory of the steaming, stinking dump Leyland's well-rested (and heavily favored) team laid against the Cardinals in the 2006 World Series. But Verlander and Omar Infante aside, this is an entirely different Detroit team than that '06 squad; and if Leyland's figured out a way to keep his players sharp, loose and motivated during their break – and if Posey continues to perfect the A-Rod impression that he unexpectedly unveiled against the Cardinals – the Giants could suddenly find themselves in deep trouble.

Either way, this is shaping up to be a great – maybe even truly epic – World Series between two immensely talented teams populated by some very memorable characters. If you can't get excited about it, you simply don't deserve baseball. My prognostication? Tigers, in seven very tough games. Now, let's see what our esteemed panel of rock & roll seamheads are predicting.

Name: Alice Cooper
Position: Vocals

A team has got to peak at the right time to win the series, and at this point, Detroit is peaking at just the right moment. I think they will win in six games. In fact, I think they will be tough to beat. And if it comes down to a Game Seven, they'd have Verlander. Maybe I'm biased – there's still a little kid from Detroit living inside me. Go Tigers!

Name: Scott McCaughey
Band: The Baseball Project, The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows
Position: Guitar, Vocals

I certainly can't pick against my Giants again, the way this topsy-turvy postseason is going. Though with Verlander on the hill two or three games for the Tigers, Los Gigantes have yet another uphill battle. More miracles, bad hops and clutch performances from unlikely sources ensue. San Francisco in six, celebrating in their appropriate colors on Halloween night.

Name: Ken Casey
Band: Dropkick Murphys
Position: Bass guitar, Vocals

The advantage goes to a rested Tigers rotation of Verlander, Fister, Sanchez and Scherzer. But the home field goes to the Giants. The postseason magic of guys like Zito, Scutero and Lincecum will fade here to the Triple Crown winner Cabrera and his accompanying cast of proven veterans, as well as their proven skipper in Jim Leyland. Tigers in five or six.

Name: Handsome Dick Manitoba
Band: Manitoba
Position: Vocals

The Manhattan Giants in six. With a team hitting on all cylinders, and a very good pitching staff top to bottom, the Tigers that looked like Christy Mathewson was throwing everyday versus the Yankees will be mauled. 

Name: Vinnie Paul
Band: Hellyeah, Pantera
Position: Drums

I predict the Detroit Tigers will win the World Series. I've been wrong about everything else this post-season, but I believe the Tigers have the mojo! Oh, and Verlander too! Tigers Roar!

Name: Scott Ian
Band: Anthrax
Position: Guitar

Well, since the Yankees played like the Bad News Bears without Kelly Leak, I'm backing Detroit. Cabrera deserves a ring for his Triple Crown season.

Name: George Thorogood
Band: George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Position: Vocals, Guitar

I'm going with the Tigers all the way. They have the pitching, and pitching wins World Series.

Name: Steve Earle
Position: Vocals, Guitar

It's finally Jim Leyland's year. Tigers in five.

Name: Ben Gibbard
Band: Death Cab for Cutie
Position: Vocals, Guitar

Tigers over Giants in six.

Name: Joshua Epstein
Band: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Position: Vocals, Keyboards

I have been watching the Tigers all season, and I must say that they finally look like the team we all expected to see. It is impossible for me to answer this impartially, as I have a dog in the fight, but I can't see the Giants beating the Tigers unless the long layoff has killed their momentum. The Tigers have the best hitter and the best pitching in the playoffs. This could be an exciting season in Detroit!

Name: Joe Pernice
Band: Pernice Brothers
Position: Vocals, Guitar

I'd say Tigers in five. Very happy to see the Tigers in the Series.

Name: Tom Morello
Band: The Nightwatchman, Street Sweeper Social Club, Rage Against the Machine
Position: Guitar, Vocals

Very much looking forward to the Tigers-Giants World Series. If it can't be the Cubs, then those are two fine teams to slug it out.

Name: Steve Wynn
Band: The Baseball Project
Position: Vocals, Guitar

Well, if the last few weeks are any indication, the Series will go the distance, and that's just fine with me. The day after the end of the World Series is always such a drag – it brings on those long three-plus months before pitchers and catchers arrive in Florida and Arizona. Nah, let's play seven. All logic would seem to favor the Tigers, but this is no time for logic. I pick the Giants in seven, winning on a shocking, unscheduled start – and complete game shutout – by Tim Lincecum. Again, logic – who needs it?

Dan Epstein's book, Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s, is now available in paperback.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Animated Osbournes Series in the Works

A Toronto animation studio is shopping a new series, The F'n Osbournes, based on the life of Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Cuppa Coffee Studios, who previously produced MTV's Celebrity Death Match and Comedy Central's Ugly Americans, is hoping to sell 20 episodes of the stop-motion series at the Cannes International Television Market in April.

Photos: Random Notes
The F'n Osbournes would be produced by Sharon and Jack Osbourne along with Cuppa Coffee founder and show creator Adam Shaheen. The family, of course, were previously the stars of MTV's reality show The Osbournes from 2002 until 2005, so in a way, this animated series could be seen as a reboot of that franchise.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Animated Osbournes Series in the Works

A Toronto animation studio is shopping a new series, The F'n Osbournes, based on the life of Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Cuppa Coffee Studios, who previously produced MTV's Celebrity Death Match and Comedy Central's Ugly Americans, is hoping to sell 20 episodes of the stop-motion series at the Cannes International Television Market in April.

Photos: Random Notes
The F'n Osbournes would be produced by Sharon and Jack Osbourne along with Cuppa Coffee founder and show creator Adam Shaheen. The family, of course, were previously the stars of MTV's reality show The Osbournes from 2002 until 2005, so in a way, this animated series could be seen as a reboot of that franchise.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Kraftwerk to Perform 3D Concert Series at Museum of Modern Art

Kraftwerk performs at Bestival 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight.

Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk will perform each of their eight albums at a special retrospective exhibition at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art in April. The series, Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, will be held over eight consecutive nights, with the group focusing on one record per night along with other original compositions intended to showcase their influence on contemporary culture. The concerts will include 3D projected images and other visual elements.

Kraftwerk's first show in the series, in which they will perform their debut release, Autobahn, will be held at the Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium at the museum on April 10th. Only one member of the band's classic Seventies lineup, Ralf Hütter, will be taking part in this series of performances.

Photos: Random Notes
Kraftwerk's residency at the Museum of Modern Art is the centerpiece of their plans for 2012, but the group has other concerts planned. They are set to perform alongside Tiësto, Skrillex, Avicii, Justice and David Guetta at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami on March 23rd and will play another string of 3D concerts at Alte Kongresshalle in Munich, Germany in October. They will also be part of a 3D video installation at the Kunstbau in Munich in late October through November.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

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Kraftwerk to Perform 3D Concert Series at Museum of Modern Art

Kraftwerk performs at Bestival 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight.

Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk will perform each of their eight albums at a special retrospective exhibition at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art in April. The series, Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, will be held over eight consecutive nights, with the group focusing on one record per night along with other original compositions intended to showcase their influence on contemporary culture. The concerts will include 3D projected images and other visual elements.

Kraftwerk's first show in the series, in which they will perform their debut release, Autobahn, will be held at the Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium at the museum on April 10th. Only one member of the band's classic Seventies lineup, Ralf Hütter, will be taking part in this series of performances.

Photos: Random Notes
Kraftwerk's residency at the Museum of Modern Art is the centerpiece of their plans for 2012, but the group has other concerts planned. They are set to perform alongside Tiësto, Skrillex, Avicii, Justice and David Guetta at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami on March 23rd and will play another string of 3D concerts at Alte Kongresshalle in Munich, Germany in October. They will also be part of a 3D video installation at the Kunstbau in Munich in late October through November.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Civil Wars to Headline Google Music Series at Sundance

Civil Wars perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Folk-pop duo the Civil Wars will headline the T-Mobile Presents Google Music Series, a string of gigs at the TAO Nightclub in Park City, Utah during this year's Sundance Film Festival. The Civil Wars will perform on Monday, January 23rd with support from Feather and Belle. Bad Rabbits and Fort Lean will play on January 20th, Vintage Trouble and the Whigs on January 21st and G-Side and Chancellor Warhol on January 22nd.

This won't be the Civil Wars' first experience playing at the prestigious film festival. "We had a wonderful time [at Sundance] last year," singer and guitarist John Paul White tells Rolling Stone. "We saw some great movies and old friends, met some new friends and whiskeys. We thoroughly enjoyed playing the ASCAP stage with other artists we really dig. It makes sense that we would enjoy the festival – there's a certain kinship to what we do as independent artists. The perspectives are the same. It's inspiring."

The duo, who recently recorded a song with Taylor Swift for the forthcoming Hunger Games soundtrack, have a longstanding interest in film music. "I had – and still have – a lot of favorite soundtracks," says White. "I fell asleep almost every night as a kid to the Sense and Sensibility soundtrack. I also owned the Braveheart soundtrack, and I remember being moved by how the music blended so perfectly with the film. It made me want to score a film one day."

White was also a big fan of the soundtracks for Empire Records, Forrest Gump, Reality Bites and Garden State. "All of those soundtracks were on steady rotation after seeing the films," he says. "Nowadays, The Hours soundtrack by Philip Glass and Yann Tiersen's soundtrack for Amelie, as well as Clint Mansell's soundtrack for The Fountain, have been playing often in my house."

Though Civil Wars are still promoting their debut, Barton Hollow, White has his mind on recording a follow-up soon. "Hopefully we stick to our guns and make a record with one criteria – pleasing ourselves," he says. "The only thing we can control is whether we like it or not. We have to let the chips fall where they may when it comes to other opinions of it."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

View from Amazon here

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Civil Wars to Headline Google Music Series at Sundance

Civil Wars perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Folk-pop duo the Civil Wars will headline the T-Mobile Presents Google Music Series, a string of gigs at the TAO Nightclub in Park City, Utah during this year's Sundance Film Festival. The Civil Wars will perform on Monday, January 23rd with support from Feather and Belle. Bad Rabbits and Fort Lean will play on January 20th, Vintage Trouble and the Whigs on January 21st and G-Side and Chancellor Warhol on January 22nd.

This won't be the Civil Wars' first experience playing at the prestigious film festival. "We had a wonderful time [at Sundance] last year," singer and guitarist John Paul White tells Rolling Stone. "We saw some great movies and old friends, met some new friends and whiskeys. We thoroughly enjoyed playing the ASCAP stage with other artists we really dig. It makes sense that we would enjoy the festival – there's a certain kinship to what we do as independent artists. The perspectives are the same. It's inspiring."

The duo, who recently recorded a song with Taylor Swift for the forthcoming Hunger Games soundtrack, have a longstanding interest in film music. "I had – and still have – a lot of favorite soundtracks," says White. "I fell asleep almost every night as a kid to the Sense and Sensibility soundtrack. I also owned the Braveheart soundtrack, and I remember being moved by how the music blended so perfectly with the film. It made me want to score a film one day."

White was also a big fan of the soundtracks for Empire Records, Forrest Gump, Reality Bites and Garden State. "All of those soundtracks were on steady rotation after seeing the films," he says. "Nowadays, The Hours soundtrack by Philip Glass and Yann Tiersen's soundtrack for Amelie, as well as Clint Mansell's soundtrack for The Fountain, have been playing often in my house."

Though Civil Wars are still promoting their debut, Barton Hollow, White has his mind on recording a follow-up soon. "Hopefully we stick to our guns and make a record with one criteria – pleasing ourselves," he says. "The only thing we can control is whether we like it or not. We have to let the chips fall where they may when it comes to other opinions of it."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Find music selection in Amazon here

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