Mus World

COUNTRY: SUGARLAND Country duo Sugarland — Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush — experimented with headlining dates in 2007 in between opening for Kenny Chesney on the latter's massive Flip Flop summer tour. The pair headlined about 50 dates last year at theaters and downsized arenas, with seven shows reported to Billboard Boxscore totaling nearly $1 million. "Touring for us is the most important thing," Sugarland manager Gail Gelman says. "We feel it's important to do it right, take it slow and make the right decisions along the way." Sugarland will expand its international base by touring Australia in March and Europe in the fall.
(Full article in Five touring acts to watch in 2008 (Reuters)…)

Ad: "We may never fully understand Minor Threat’s ability to take sandwiches, grilled meats, corn chips or eggs to the next level without annihilating your esophagus in the process." Next time you get the urge to reach for the Tabasco, consider reaching for the Minor Threat instead. Yep, the seminal, Ian MacKaye-fronted straight edge hardcore legends– who, on stage and record alike, were anything but mild– have been immortalized as a hot sauce that is, well, something less than hot. "Made from a rare, mild breed of habanero [pepper] grown specifically for us, Minor Threat…mysteriously privileges the pepper’s fruitiness over its notoriously overwhelming heat," reads the product description from Brooklyn-based sauciers (and picklers) Wheelhouse Pickles.
(Full article in Minor Threat Turns Condiment, But Ian Doesn’t Mind…)

Artist: Cascada
Song: ‘Last Christmas’
Why You Should Watch: German dance sensation Cascada is back with a spiced up electronic version of the popular holiday song.

Photos by Sanchez and Kitahara Pictured above: Trans Am Some bands you fall in love with. You catch every single show, memorize the lyrics, decorate your personal items with their buttons, patches, and stickers, and– more often than not– break up with them as your tastes evolve or something new comes along. Other bands are best kept as friends. Your heart may not skip a beat at the mention of their names, a missed show here and there won’t make you cry, and perhaps you haven’t quite gotten around to hearing that latest album, but that’s okay, because you can commit to bands like this for life.
(Full article in Photos: Thrill Jockey 15th Anniversary [Chicago, IL; 12/14-12/15/07]…)

BlogTalkRadio, Talkshoe and Skypecasts are among the Web sites that have become popular for would-be radio jocks, and all it takes is a computer and a telephone. "You can create a show within five minutes and be on the air within 15 minutes," said Alan Levy, the CEO of BlogTalkRadio, a site he started shortly after his father fell ill with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2006. At first, Levy created a blog for his father, allowing him to easily keep in touch with family and friends. Later, Levy decided he wanted something more than a blog. "I wasn't feeling like it was a conversation — it was all text." So he came up with the idea of creating broadcasts for bloggers, and BlogTalkRadio was born.
(Full article in Aspiring radio hosts need only a computer & phone (Reuters)…)