We all by know by the horrible earthquake that essentially leveled Haiti. But, within the devastation comes the outpouring of support from the music community.

There was of course the Hope for Haiti telethon, and a ton of acts, like Radiohead, that have put on special benefit gigs.

Well, here’s one that I wouldn’t have missed. It’s Eddie Vedder covering Bruce Springsteen’s “My City of Ruins”. Sales from the single will be benefiting Artists for Peace and Justice Haiti Relief.

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I’ll be completely honest here, I’m a sucker for this time of year. Especially, when it comes to holiday music.

If you’ve been a regular visitor around here, then you’re already well aware of my affinity towards 90′s bands, and their take on the whole December 25 shin ding.

For the last couple of years I’ve been raving about Scott Weiland’s rendition of the classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” which he performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 18, 2007.

To make my spirit bright, the track has finally been officially recorded and put up for sale at iTunes.

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Up-and-coming rockers Sugar Red Drive want to offer their fans a free download of their single “One More Time.” To get the song, simply click “Download Mp3” inside the band’s new widget, which also showcases the “One More Time” music video, and fill in the prompts.

Sugar Red Drive’s self-titled album is in stores now and is also available for purchase on iTunes.

Visit the band’s official MySpace page for updates and additional information.

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Ah, the art of music in movie trailers. It’s not as easy as you think.

Think about all the trailers that you see. How many times do you hear familiar those instrumental pieces from Hans Zimmer (“Rain Man,” “The Dark Knight,” “Gladiator”) or Graeme Revell (“The Crow,” “Sin City, “From Duck Till Dawn”)? Then of course there are the lazy editors. Like the ones that use The Who’s “Baba O’ Riley”, or whatever past or current hit is on the airwaves.

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For some unexplained reason I’ve been listening to Scott Weiland’s second solo album “Happy in Galoshes” a lot lately.

I think the album as a whole is pretty sweet. Puts me in a very relaxed mood. But one track has been sticking out like no other, which would be “Killing Me Sweetly”.

Musically, it kind of reminds me of the track “Son” from Weiland’s solo debut “12 Bar Blues”, but with a semi -tropical feel. Lyrically, it deals with his divorce, which this album deals with in great detail.

Anyways, I really dig this tune.

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If you just so happen to still listen to alternative stations, whether on FM or satellite, you’ve probably heard “Sometime Around Midnight” by Airborne Toxic Event. Not a revolutionary song, but it’s catchy and a breath of fresh air on radio. And, it gets stuck in your head.

What I really like about this song, and band for that matter, is how they came out of basically nowhere.

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So I finally got a copy of Radiohead‘s In Rainbows for Christmas, and after a few spins I can say that I’m utterly addicted to the track “Nude”.

While the song may not blow people’s minds at first, it’s one of the band’s best because of it’s simplistic sweetness. Thom Yorke’s vocals are stellar as he utters “Don’t get any big ideas…they’re not gonna happen”. Meanwhile, the rest of the band backs Yorke up brilliantly with some smooth bass and drum work behind a hypnotic guitar, proving that they are the best band around. Let’s face it, these guys are our generations Beatles. Oh yeah, the song is flawless live as well, see for yourself

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2009 has the potential to be an historic year, especially with the inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20. However, I’m sure that a lot of people will look back and celebrate the fortieth anniversaries of the moon landing, Woodstock, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and the end of The Beatles. There will also be a look back at the Vietnam War and the anti-war demonstrations, which would include John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s bed-in and “Give Peace A Chance”.

1969 was also the debut of David Bowie with “Space Oddity” and album debuts from Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and The Stooges.

Since December 24 is here in a week, wow where did the time go? I decided to do an extended song of the week, or should I say songs of the week.

For some unknown reason Christmas time just makes me feel all tingly inside, just a good 90′s track. So here’s a glimpse of some classic Christmas tunes done 90′s style.

Pearl Jam – “Someday At Christmas”: I know I’m biased, but the guys absolutely kick ass on this Stevie Wonder track. You can listen, and even download, the song right here.

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I’ve been a bum and haven’t done a “song of the week” for sometime. But, since it’s December, which means Christmas time, I’m making sure to keep up with it. So, for the next few weeks I’m going to share some of my favorite Christmas tunes.

This week I’m gonna share one of the silliest Christmas songs out there, “Don’t Shoot Me Santa”. What else could we expect from a band like the Killers?

The song was released as single in November of 2007 as a digital download, with proceeds going to AIDS charities. The song is about a dude pleading with Santa not to kill him. Pretty odd take on a beloved character like old St. Nick.

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About a good five years ago I stumbled upon five unreleased tracks from Stone Temple Pilots on the great STP fansite Below Empty.

The tracks were outtakes from the band’s last two albums, No. 4 and Shangri-La Dee Da, which I immediately dug.

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Holy shit! A new Guns N’ Roses song!

Yup, it’s true. It looks like Hell is about to freeze over, as Axl officially released a new song from the decade plus in the making Chinese Democracy.

The self-titled track was just released to radio stations, and after giving it few listens, I can simply say that it rocks.

While it may not be one of his best tracks, it’s not horrible. It’s a straight ahead rock track that’s been lacking in mainstream rock as of late. “Chinese Democracy” features classic Axl vocals, blazing guitar work and a pretty catchy chorus. It’s good enough to please Guns N’ Roses fans, and it makes me pretty amped about the album’s release, which is reportedly going to be November 23 via a Best Buy exclusive.

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Somewhere in between my current rotation of Radiohead, The Killers, Bruce Springsteen and of course my Pearl Jam fix, the Kings of Leon have snuck in with “Sex on Fire”.

“Sex on Fire” is the first single from the band’s upcoming fourth studio album Only By The Night, which comes out this Tuesday (September, 23). The song is currently enjoying the top spot on the UK singles charts. And, it’s getting some decent play on alternative stations here in the States.

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Back on August 2 I saw The Killers put on a, well I guess I’ll say it, killer show. The Vegas natives opened up with “For Reasons Unknown” and for the last month I’ve been addicted to this song.

But, this week the song popped back up after I let it rest for just a tad. And guess what? I’m still in love with song.

“For Reasons Unknown” was the fourth single from the 2006 album Sam’s Town . The song may have not enjoyed the success of the band’s previous singles, but chart positions aren’t everything.

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