Eddie Vedder recently revealed to Rolling Stone that Pearl Jam are ready to hit the studio and record a ninth album. Vedder called the new material "really strong and uptempo." [www.rollingstone.com]
Blink-182 confirmed reunion plans last night at the Grammy Awards. Mark Hoppus simply stated "Blink-182 is back." The band's website has been updated with a "Summer 2009" banner. [www.mtv.com]
According to Ed Droste, Grizzly Bear has completed their new album, reportedly titled Veckatimest. Droste also revealed some album details to Stereogum last week. [stereogum.com]
Pink Mountaintops (aka Stephen McBean) will release Outside Love on May 5th through Jagjaguwar. The album features collaborations with members of McBean's other band Black Mountain, A Silver Mt. Zion and Jesse Sykes. [www.punknews.org]
Coldplay have announced a North American summer tour in continued support of Viva La Vida. Elbow and Amadou & Mariam will open respective legs of the tour. [coldplay.com]
According to VH1, Blink-182 will reunite at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards as presenters (not for a performance). However, M.I.A. has been added to the performance roster. This year's Grammy Awards are looking to be halfway decent. [www.vh1.com]
Manchester Orchestra will return on April 21st with Mean Everything To Nothing through Canvasback. You can download the album track "I've Got Friends" over on spinner.com.
311 are currently in the studio with producer Bob Rock (Metallica) and finishing up work on their new album, Uplifter. The album is expected in late spring, which will coincide with spring and summer tours.
Sub Pop is currently prepping an unreleased rarities compilation from Iron & Wine. There aren't a lot of details, but a late spring release is tentative. [www.mbvmusic.com]
John Vanderslice will release Romanian Names on May 19th through Dead Oceans, instead of the usual Barsuk. [www.mbvmusic.com]
Vetiver is set to hit the road in support of its Sub Pop debut Tight Knit, now due on February 17th. The East Coast tour kicks off March 10th in Philadelphia, PA.
According to Billboard, Silversun Pickups will return with Swoon late this spring. Brian Aubert describes the new album as "almost bizarrely big." The band will hit the road later this year. [www.billboard.com]
In a blog post on MySpace, Rancid revealed that their long-awaited, new album is mixed and will be released this spring. The album was recorded with long-time producer Brett Gurewitz. Rancid will hit the road with Rise Against this summer. [blogs.myspace.com]
The Kills have announced North American tour dates around the release of their Black Balloon EP, due April 14th. The Horrors and Magic Wands will support. [angryape.com]
Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes has launched a pseudo-solo project, White Antelope, on MySpace. As his profile claims, it's "covers and assorted stuff, nothing serious." [www.myspace.com]
Team Love will release a new full-length, Yonder Is The Clock, from New York's The Felice Brothers on April 7th. Check out the Brothers' tour dates on MySpace. [www.myspace.com]
Vagrant will release A Positive Rage from The Hold Steady on April 7th. The CD/DVD includes a live set recorded on Halloween 2007 and a 53-minute documentary shot during the release of 2006's Boys and Girls in America. [tinymixtapes.com]
Bonnaroo has released the 2009 festival lineup (June 11th-14th). Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Beastie Boys and Nine Inch Nails will headline the event, with a slew of other artists performing. Head over to bonnaroo.com for complete details. [www.bonnaroo.com]
The lineup for Coachella 2009 (April 17th-19th) has been revealed. Paul McCartney, The Killers and The Cure will headline each night, respectively. Of course, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Head over to coachella.com for the full rundown. [www.coachella.com]
Arts & Crafts will issue the fourth full-length, Jet Black, from Toronto's Gentleman Reg on February 24th. Stream a few album songs and find the track list on MySpace. [www.myspace.com]
