Happy 70th Birthday to Steve Cropper..an amazing guitar player, songwriter..and a guy who has an interesting connection to Madison.

When Otis Redding’s plane went down in Lake Monona in 1967, one of Cropper’s beloved guitars (I believe a Telecaster) went down with it. And he has said he never wrote another hit song after that.

Now I doubt there’s much left of it after all these years…but it sure would be cool if a diver could find it.

Cropper co-wrote “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay,” “In the Midnight Hour,” among others, and as a founding member of Booker T and The MG’s was involved in the recording of pretty much every record Stax Records ever put out.

And don’t forget he’s the “Steve” of “Play it Steve” on the song “Soul Man”…the Sam & Dave and Blues Brothers Versions.

He’s still making records too..most recently putting  out a great album called “Dedicated” features duets with B.B. King, Lucinda Williams, John Popper and Steve Winwood.

Find out more about Cropper’s amazing career on his website at www.playitsteve.com.

Atlas Sound is the solo project from Bradford Cox of indie buzz band Deerhunter. Cox’s first solo record, Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel was released in ‘08.

After reading a Beck interview while in the sixth grade, Cox learned he could use the family’s karaoke machine as a multi-track device.

Atlas Sound is Cox continuing to explore the process, his way of using “ideas I can’t make work with a five piece band.”  On this new record he’s created an intimate space you’ll keep going back to.

Parallax the third release from Atlas Sound is out November 8th on 4AD. Grab a free download of Flagstaff here.

There’s a report out today that Mick Jagger is getting together with Martin Scorsese to produce a new TV show that will air on HBO.

It reportedly will track the exploits of a “cocaine-fueled record executive in New York City circa 1977,” at a time “when punk, disco and a new form of music called hip-hop collided.”

Okay, I guess he might have some experience in that area, although his buddy Keith Richards may be a bit more qualified.

Now before they settled on that premise for the show, my sources tell me there were others that were rejected. Here are a few of them.

1. “Three’s Company: The Next Generation” Mick Jagger would star as the new Mr. Roper.

2. “Ego Wars” This would pit Mick’s ego against others who also think a whole lot of themselves. Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Palin and Brett Favre were all being considered as possible guest stars.

3. “Let’s Rob Mick Jagger.” Some down and out New Yorkers conspire to rob Mick Jagger’s apartment.

4. “Extreme Makeover: Lips Edition” Mick would host a behind the scenes reality program involving the best and the worst from the world of collagen.

5. “Moves Like Jagger” Inspired by the Maroon-5 song, celebrities would try their best to dance like Mick Jagger without falling over laughing.

I just ran across an article about the world’s oldest sports manual.  Columbia University researchers found a wrestling  instructional manual in Egypt dating back to 200 A.D.  It  mentions some of the moves still used in wrestling today like a headlock and underhooks.  However, I don’t think researchers took a close enough look at the document.

I think it is missing several key elements that makes wrestling great:

1) Ring girls.  Let’s be honest.  One of the main reasons to watch wrestling is to see the girls in bathing suits holding up numbers telling us what round we’re about to watch.

2) Costumes.  Whether it’s a crazy mask or a boa or shorts that are just a little too tight, every good wrestler has an outfit.

3) Swagger.  Hulk Hogan is not great because he can wrestle.  He’s awesome because he can rip his own shirt off his chest quickly.

4) Endorsements.  I would have never had the urge to buy a Slim Jim at the gas station without the help of the late Macho Man Randy Savage.  This commercial has to make the original creators of wrestling proud.

Did you catch Fitz and the Tantrums when they played that show at Willow Island last weekend?

They’re still on the road in support of their album “Pickin’ Up the Pieces,” and their momentum continues to build. They say their recipe for success is “six killer musicians, five dapper suits, irresistible songs, some serendipity and one vintage organ.”

Fitz and the Tantrums will be back in the Midwest in late November, playing three shows at the Metro (two are already sold out).

In the meantime, here’s a free download of a live version of the song “Don’t Gotta Work it Out.” Enjoy!

Frightened Rabbit are a Scottish band lead by Scott Hutchison. They released their debut Sing The Greys in 2006 and have created some pretty amazing music ever since. The band’s 2008 release The Midnight Organ Fight even scored “Album of the Year” votes from some music critics.

Nobody does a love song better than Frightened Rabbit. They’ve grown since ‘06 adding more complex layered arrangements into the mix.

Hutchison’s strong Scottish vocals and huge choruses have become his signature. The band seem poised for a breakthrough. The Ep includes the song “The Work” featuring vocals from veteran Scottish folksinger Archie Fisher.

Grab the new Frightened Rabbit Ep here in exchange for your email address. It’s also streaming here if you want to check it out first.

Tom Petty will drop a live record November 25th in conjunction with Record Store Day’s Black Friday. The vinyl only release, Kiss My Amps Live, will be a limited-edition pressing of 5000 numbered albums available exclusively through independent retailers.

The record features 6 songs from Mojo recorded live during Petty’s 2010 North American tour, and Sweet William a b-side recorded in 2008.

Each copy purchased will include a unique code that will allow the buyer to also download the album in a hi-fi digital format for free.

Side One
1. ‘Takin’ My Time’ — July 22, 2010 — The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Mich.
2. ‘I Should Have Known It’ — June 16, 2010 — Rexall Place, Edmonton, Canada
3. ‘Sweet William’ — June 14, 2008 — Comcast Center, Mansfield, Mass.
4. ‘Jefferson Jericho Blues’ — Aug 1, 2010 — Wachovia Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.

Side Two
1. ‘First Flash of Freedom’ — Aug 1, 2010 — Wachovia Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
2. ‘Running Man’s Bible” — Sep 18, 2010 — Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion, Raleigh, N.C.
3. ‘Good Enough’ — July 31, 2010 — Wachovia Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.

What do you call a Beanie baby dressed like a pumpkin? A Pumpkiney, of course. NO? Just me?

Well, that’s one of this week’s prizes in the Caption Contest.

The winner this week will receive a CD of their choice from our prize closet, as well as the Pumpkiney which is all decked out with a button that reads: People who think they know it all really annoy those of us who do. A button that I feel is very appropriate for the caption winner.                                                                                          

 Your deadline is Friday at 4 PM. GOOD LUCK!

After almost a decade The Cranberries are releasing Roses, a new studio album in February. The band worked on much of the new record in Limerick and Toronto with producer Stephen Street.

Lead singer Dolores O’Riordan tells Billboard, “It’s kind of picking up where we left off… The whole thing was very lovely. It really came together really nicely. A lot of the tracks were written without really thinking about it. They just came.”

“It’s really cool, the chemistry,” O’Riordan continued. “It’s really just right. There’s something there when we’re together that’s really good. It’s not something that money can buy. It’s not really something anyone can really emulate. It’s got to do with energy and chemistry and that kind of thing. It’s like putting on a perfect pair of shoes. It just fits.”

Expect Roses to drop on Valentines Day 2012. Grab a free download of the first single Show Me The Way below.

Do you like to cook?

Do you like to eat?

Then the Madison Food & Wine Show is something you need to check out this weekend. Happening Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, this is one of my favorite parts of the fall.

Here’s how it works. When you go into the Exhibition Hall, you’ll be given a wine glass (that you can take home), and a bag to hold goodies in, as well as info about all the exhibitors. It’s going to seem overwhelming at first..but give yourself a chance to get your bearings, and then start wandering.

You’ll find delicious foods from a wide variety of restaurants, caterers, and other food producers (think cheese!) Everything from entrees to desserts. You can pick up lots of great ideas along the way, meet awesome people who know all about the food or other product that they have for you to try.

Ooh..I almost forgot the wine!  So many wines to sample! It’s a great way to discover new wines without having to risk spending a lot of money on something you don’t like.

Not big into wines? No big deal. I’m not a real wine person, but I still find plenty of items to try..and yes, there’s beer there too.

Throughout the three days, there will be plenty of demonstrations..and the Dueling Chefs competition is always entertaining.

Look for Triple M at the show. We’ll be handing out suggestions for great Triple M Triple combos featuring entree, beverage, and album.

Here are the ones I came up with:

British Invasion Picnic
LP:  The Who Sell Out
Entree: Good Old American Hamburger with beans on the side
Drink: Newcastle Beer

Breakfast in America
LP: Supertramp’s Breakfast in America
Entree: Omelette with spinach, mushrooms and Wisconsin colby cheese
Drink: Mimosa with California sparkling wine and Florida orange juice

A Texican treat
LP:  Los Lonely Boys debut
Entree: Texas Tamale Pie and
Drink: Chameleon El Rey Beer

Find out more about the Food & Wine Show here.