Last night Joanna Newsom and Josh T. Pearson closed out Ferrara Sotto Le Stelle 2011, the Italian festival we covered earlier this month when PJ Harvey performed. The show was moved from the “cortile del castello” (castle’s courtyard) to the teatro comunale because of bad weather. Joanna remarked that the venue remi...

“Sprout And Bean”‘s b-side (“What We Have Known”) is getting its own slab of single-sided vinyl (well, only one side is playable; the other has an etching and it all comes in a “Civil War styled jacket” because obviously it does) thanks to Mrs. Drag City and her fine record la...

Best Coast and Lykke Li also join Dorset festival's line up

Joanna Newsom brought her harp and two taxidermy peacocks to The Late Show last night. Before she played, Letterman joked that the set looked like “… Sarah Palin’s den” and asked Newsom if she did her own taxidermy. She laughed. Here’s her performance:Have One On Me is out now via Drag City.

M. Ward’s cover of “Sadie” appears on Versions Of Joanna, a 22-track Dylan-punning compilation that also features Billy Bragg, Owen Pallett, and Ben Sollee remaking songs by Joanna Newsom. Ward’s Ward-like take doesn’t have the charm or energy of the original, but it did remind me to pull out Mil...