TAKING A PERSONAL DAY, mostly because yesterday was a slooow news day, so a good day to take off. I should be back for the usual Friday festivities.

PERCY SLEDGE, the R&B belter whose biggest hit, "When a Man Loves a Woman," became a cornerstone of soul music, died Tuesday. He was 73. The Guardian collects four more of his…

MIKAL CRONIN covers Big Star's “The Ballad Of El Goodo.” MAVIS STAPLES advance streams her Your Good Fortune EP. WILL BUTLER stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. DEATH CAB…

THE REPLACEMENTS make an entrance on their reunion tour. ALABAMA SHAKES advance stream Sound & Color. BUILT TO SPILL advance streams Untethered Moon. SAM FERMIN advance streams Jackrabbit. SPEEDY ORTIZ advance streams…

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: … with GARAGE ROCK! It's the time of year when I bring out The Standells – "Dirty Water/ Why Pick On Me", but I couldn't stop there. Let's…

ST VINCENT: Annie Clark busts out "Teenage Talk" for Fallon, and explains how she wrote it. FATHER JOHN MISTY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. OK GO goes acoustic…

ANDREW BIRD covers the New Pronographers' "Fake Headlines." KATHRYN CALDER (the youngest member of New Pronographers) advance streams her self-titled solo LP. THE LEISURE SOCIETY advance streams The Fine Art of Hanging…

DAWES drops a video for "Things Happen" ahead of All Your Favorite Bands. CHRIS FARREN advance streams the Where U Are EP. TELEPATHIC POWERS advance streams heir debut EP, Powers Of Ten.…

BECK played "Country Down" — and hide-and-seek —  at a fan's house on The Late Late Show. CALEXICO advance streams Edge Of The Sun. WIRE advance streams Wire. VILLAGERS advance streams Darling…

THE EASTER WEEKEND STARTS HERE: … with THE B-52s!  Live at the Capitol Theater, circa 1980.  Your setlist includes: Lava, Give Me Back My Man, 6060-842, Devil In My Car, 52 Girls,…