+ The Music Now Festival is happening in Cincinnati March 11 and 12 and will feature Kronos Quartet (playing two sets, including a new piece by Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry), the Books, and Toumani Diabate. The fest will once again take place at the lovely-looking Memorial Hall Theater-- check out our photos from last year's Music Now here. + MIA soul star D'Angelo: Still alive...and making music! With Prince!! (Maybe.) According to a press release, the two funk freaks are "expected to create pure alchemy" together; the results are expected to show up on D's new album, supposedly due this summer on RCA/J and called James River, according to Billboard.com. The press release also notes that Raphael Saadiq, Mark Ronson, and Roy Hargrove have all lined up appearances on the album, and a Cee-Lo collab is in the works. If the album actually comes out, it'll be the first new D'Angelo record since 2000's Voodoo. + Aspiring music video directors now have a little more time to make their masterpiece for M83's new single, "We Own the Sky". The YouTube contest deadline is now February 20, moved back from yesterday, January 20. Winner gets their clip played on Pitchfork.tv (which is like normal Pitchfork except for the fact that you can see it move). More details here. + My first thought after hearing about a band called "Extra Life": Finally, the "Contra" cover band of my dreams! Alas, Brooklyn's Extra Life, featuring Charlie Looker of Zs, have nothing to do with Nintendo. Even so, the group-- think Robert Wyatt-meets-Tool-meets-Morrissey (seriously)-- will bring their New York noize to places other than New York starting February 5. + James Blackshaw can finger pick the shit out of an acoustic guitar. Real talk. He's usually picking so fast you need to tape him playing and then rewatch it in slow motion to pick up the exact movements. He so fast hummingbirds take one look and say, "You do you, James Blackshaw." Fast. Picking. Guitar. The man, whose new album The Glass Bead God will be released on Young God this Spring, is heading out on tour next month. Feel that sweet finger-pick breeze.