SXSW has announced via official mailing that there are a few bands confirmed for the festival aside from those we've mentioned already: R.E.M., My Morning Jacket, Daniel Lanois, The Black Keys, The Kills, My Brightest Diamond, Pato Banton, Vampire Weekend, Joe Lean + The Jing Jang Jong, Jens Lekman, Sia, $olal, Tech N9ne, and Mala Rodriguez have received the official nod. A couple of those names will look familiar to those of you following our ongoing coverage, but the big names are news to us as well. more ›

If you've never heard Jolie Holland, here are some things you should know. Tom Waits thinks she's fantastic, and nominated her first album for the Shortlist prize. AllMusic puts her sound somewhere between Nina Nastasia and Andrew Bird. And along with Waits, she's recording on the Anti- label along with Neko Case and Daniel Lanois. Now that we have your attention, perhaps you'll download some free MP3's from her site and see why it... more ›