WEAKEND PLANNER IS DONE WITH BARBECUING AND READY TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS

The Memorial Day three-day weekend caused our overall traffic to totally suck, so we’re rerunning blurbs on some of the worthy bands we featured last week, along with a couple of new ones. But now that the festivities are over and everyone’s sobered up (well, most of you), it’s time to start sending in more great music! Hit me up at [email protected].

THE HOTTEST SHOWS OF THE WEAKEND
Fri., May 30th
Flight of the Conchords @ The Orpheum Theatre, L.A.
Ladytron & Datarock @ The Music Box at The Fonda, Hollywood
Saving Abel @ The Machine Shop, Flint, MI
Sick Puppies @ Grand Sierra Resort Theater, Reno

Sat., May 31^st
Coheed and Cambria @ Sound Academy, Toronto
The Kooks @ Fine Line Music Café, Minneapolis
Iron Maiden @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine
The Dresden Dolls @ Palladium Ballroom, N.Y.

Sun., June 1^st
B.B. King w/Ronnie Baker Brooks @ House of Blues Chicago
Stone Temple Pilots w/Filter, Everlast & Pennywise @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts, Mansfield, MA

JE-C’S NEW-MOVIE WEAKEND SPOTLIGHT
Sex and the City is the big movie of the weekend, but I’m hearing bad word-of-mouth and could care less about it anyway. Therefore, this is as much ink as this movie will get from me. (Unless, of course, the wife makes me go—and in that case I’m glad it’s rated R for graphic nudity.)

JE-C’S HOT NEW BANDS TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
Year Long Disaster: L.A. rock band signed to Volcom records and led by Daniel Davies, son of The Kinks’ Dave Davies. They currently have an ultra-hip animated video on the adultswim site; watch it at www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a25c3921a006d1d011a01b019db0003. And be sure to check their MySpace page (www.myspace.com/yearlongdisaster) for upcoming shows and music. Their debut album is available on iTunes now.

The Ruse: Of all the submissions we’ve gotten up to now, this band has been by far the most impressive, at least in my opinion. They have an amazingly polished sound for an unsigned band—imagine a hybrid of U2 and Coldplay. They rocked the El Rey this past Saturday night, and although the sound at the venue wasn't up to par, they still put on an amazing show that convinced me this band could be the next U2. Interestingly, their still-unreleased new album, Midnight in the City, was produced by Jorge Vivo, one of David Foster's engineers. If they aren't on your radar yet, they should be. For all you folks on the East Coast, don't worry, they'll be playing the Bowery Ballroom next month. Hear them and check upcoming dates at www.myspace.com/rusemusic.

Lisa Bouchelle: This up-and-coming singer/songwriter, in the mold of Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat, and Sara Bareilles, is garnering a lot of buzz and has been deemed a “superstar” by renowned radio promoter Michele Clark. Her album, completed last year at Jon Bon Jovi’s home studio, was released on her own label and distributed by Fontana. Additionally, it has been picked up for the new Starbucks download kiosk program. Lisa just finished recording a duet with John Popper of Blues Traveler, as the two did a national tour last fall. Written with Lost Highway Records recording artist John Eddie, the song is a late-night, hook-up-at-the-bar song, similar in feel to the Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow duet "Picture." It's being co-produced by Tony Black, who has a Grammy for the album Diary of Alicia Keys. Lisa is a seasoned performer who has sung backup for Rob Thomas, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. She’s truly an amazing artist; check her out at www.myspace.com/lisabouchelle

J Rice: This guy truly has as an amazing voice that is definitely worth checking out. Is he the next big star? I think if he gets hooked up with the right sitch, he could very well be. Check out the link, and you be the judge: www.myspace.com/jrice

Here are some other cool bands/artists to check out:
Boyce Avenue: www.myspace.com/boyceavenue
Woven: www.myspace.com/woven
The Head Set: www.myspace.com/theheadset
The Shackeltons: www.myspace.com/theshackeltons
Sharon Little: www.sharonlittle.com

Science & Fiction is a modern-rock group based in Hollywood, FL, with worldwide ambitions and a uniquely refined sound. The band is rapidly making a name for itself by fusing the best elements of alternative, mainstream rock, industrial, classic rock and pop; all while winning the hearts and ears of listeners around the world by means of Internet promotion, radio play, independent distribution and word-of- mouth. To sum them up, they’re an Alice in Chains for a new generation; lead singer Rick Bauer has been described as Layne Staley reborn. The band currently has endorsement deals with Line 6 and Peavey amps. Their forthcoming album's 12 tracks were produced and recorded entirely independently, in a privately owned commercial recording facility (C5 Studios). The weasels have started sniffing around for good reason, and the group definitely warrants keeping an eye on. Check them out: www.myspace.com/scienceandfiction.

Your Black Star is a rock group from Kentucky with a killer sound. Along with their last two releases, Beasts and Sound From the Ground, the group has a batch of newly recorded tracks. Upcoming tour dates and music can be found at www.myspace.com/yourblackstar.

The Airborne Toxic Event: I was privy to some of their music, and I must say it’s quite sensational. They’re more of an artsy band, which is right up my alley, and I think they could be around for a while. They just signed to Shout! Factory and were lucky enough not to have to sign a 360 deal. The single “Sometime Around Midnight” is spinning on the radio now, and if you haven’t had the privilege to check them out, you should. http://www.myspace.com/theairbornetoxicevent.

16 Frames: The L.A. -based group is quite similar to The Fray, and after listening to the whole album several times, I’ve gotta say that it’s one of the best I’ve heard in ages. Loaded with really good songs, the album has a great feel to it, and I think it will appeal to people who like all different genres of music. You can sample some tracks at www.myspace.com/16frames, and the album is available at the iTunes Store.