Ben Harper & Relentless 7 - "Shimmer & Shine" [Video: Pete Maiden/Tim Tregonig; Editing by Pete Maiden]

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Back in 2007, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger allegedly busted the face of furniture sales representative Noah Morse outside of a Vancouver bar. Morse is now suing Kroeger for loss of income and medical expenses.

Apparently Kroeger packs a punch. Morse claims he got a concussion, was knocked out cold and suffered "one deadened front tooth, dislodged upper front teeth and permanent discoloration of more front teeth."

(If we got beat up by a member of Nickelback we'd probably keep it to ourselves.) 

In other news, the Kings of Leon ought to sue Nickelback for their shit-laden cover, "Use Somebody."

Just try to watch the clip below of guitarist Ryan Peake butchering the tune! We dare you!

It's so awful. Do they even rehearse?

We've been digging this Deer Tick track, "Easy," off their upcoming album, Born on Flag Day. 

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne on the recent honor of having their tune "Do You Realize?" named the official rock song for the state of Oklahoma. During the interview, Coyne was questioned on the disparaging remarks he made to the Smoking Section about the dudes in Arcade Fire. You know, when Coyne told us, "They really treat people like shit. Whenever I've been around them, I've found that they not only treated their crew like shit, they treated the audience like shit. They're pricks, so fuck 'em."

The feud started an all out war between fans and bloggers prompting Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler to post his own response to Coyne on his band's website.

Now, Coyne wants to clarify and apologize.

"I wish that had never happened," Coyne said. "I didn’t necessarily mean it about the people in the Arcade Fire. I meant it about the guys that were running their stages at a couple of festivals. I wish whatever had been said wouldn’t have been taken as such a defiant statement from the Flaming Lips, because it wasn’t.

"I really feel bad about it. I like enough of their music. The idea that I’m somehow against them… I’m not!"

We're heading down to the Mexican jungle today, so the S.S. will be off the map for the next week or so. 

When we come back we'll have tons of good stuff. We've had some amazing bands come up and play in the S.S., like Elvis Perkins in Dearland, the Moondoggies, Of Montreal, Daniel Merriweather and Sara Watkins. So stay tuned. 

Meanwhile, enjoy Mungo Jerry's 1970 classic, "In the Summertime."   

Check out Billy Corgan in this commercial for the recent TNA pay-per-view wrestling event, Lockdown.

Warning: fans of the Pumpkins' '95 hit "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" may want to avoid watching this clip, as Corgan defiles the spirit of the song to promote a steel-cage match.

Is anything sacred?

Does Billy Corgan have the worst instincts of any musician on the planet?

What is the matter with him?  

Slowly but surely, Bob Dylan's summer tour of minor league ballparks is taking shape. Joining Bob on the trek (estimated at 40 dates) will be Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.

We saw one of those ballpark gigs with Willie and Bob a few years back, in Wappinger Falls, New York. It was a beautiful thing.

The first few dates have leaked.

Jul. 04 - Coveleski Stadium - South Bend, IN
Jul. 05 - Rothbury Festival - Rothbury, MI (festival appearance by Dylan and Nelson only)
Jul. ?? - GMC Stadium - Sauget, IL
Jul. 24 - Ripkin Stadium - Aberdeen, MD

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A few weeks ago, we acted on tips from our loyal SS readers to check out the LA-based trio Wake Up Lucid. We were impressed, tracked 'em down and talked to frontman Ryan Baca about their music and their rapid rise since hitting the SoCal circuit just a few months ago.

Now, we'd like to pass on a little more good news.

Ryan Baca just sent us a note saying that Wake Up Lucid will be hitting the legendary Village Studios in Los Angeles to track their first EP. No word on when it will be finished, but if their demos are any indication of what's in store, we're expecting raunchy rock at it's best.

Also, if you dig the band and have a spare thirty seconds, head here to vote for Wake Up Lucid in the Urban Outfitters "Your Band Here" contest. 

The winning band will receive a slot at next years South by Southwest.

Wake Up Lucid - "Broke Down House"

Attention achievers! The Lebowski Fest is back, and this year's tour takes the two-day, screening and bowling parties through the west coast with dates in Los Angeles, Louisville, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego and Las Vegas.

Lebowski Fest is a special time when super-fans of The Big Lebowski dress up as their favorite characters. In addition to the bowling, there will be games such as the Marmot Fling, where "Achievers" catapult a stuffed ferret into a small bath tub, or the Ringer Toss, which involves tossing a bag of tightie-whitie underwear out of a '72 Plymouth Fury III toward a Nihilist dummy target. There's also live music, scene reenactments and art exhibits.

The Lebowski Fest kicks off in LA on May 7th and 8th, where fans will get to meet the original Dude, Jeff Dowd, as well as a bunch of actors from the film, including the two jerks who soiled the Dude's rug. Louisville's fest will have a special stand-up performance from the Daily Show's Rob Riggle and music by the Black Diamond Heavies and Whistle Peak.

Click the jump for the dates, and go here for more information.

Mark it.

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