On Sunday morning Brock Butler kicked off the final day of the 2013 AURA Music Festival with one of his signature “Brockfast” sets. The human jukebox offered a mix of acoustic covers by the likes of Tom Petty, The Lumineers, Dawes, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Eels as well as originals from his solo and Perpetual Groove repertoires.

Brock brought up a few guests to help out over the course of the set, one of which was vocalist/guitarist Emily Carroll. By having Carroll on stage to harmonize with him, Butler was able to debut a cover he’s always wanted to sing – Peter Gabriel’s Come Talk To Me. The song was right in Brock and Emily’s wheelhouse vocally. Thanks to Adam Firtel of Cheesehead Productions, we can share a video of Come Talk To Me from AURA with the added bonus of a performance of The Weather and The Wait from Butler’s Lately Here Though LP. Let’s take a look…

In one of the best uses of a song in film history, John Cusack’s Lloyd Dobler aims to win back the affection of Ione Skye’s Diane Court in 1989′s Say Anything by appearing outside of her bedroom window holding a boombox pumping In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. Last night at the Hollywood Bowl stop of Peter Gabriel’s Back To Front So Live Tour, Cusack emerged from the venue’s wings during In Your Eyes to present Petey with a boombox to a massive ovation from the crowd.

It was a scene that warmed the hearts of ’80s movie buffs such as ourselves and a scene that Say Anything’s director, Cameron Crowe, won’t forget anytime soon.

Peter Gabriel and John Cusack on stage together at the Hollywood Bowl tonight. Won't forget that... ever.

Sunday, October 7, 2012 4:38 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@CameronCrowe

Cameron Crowe

UPDATE: HyperVocal found a video…

Cusack stood side stage all night at the show, which we hear was filmed for a future video release, and tweeted shots from the concert all night. Alright Tom Cruise, you’ve got to up the ante by strolling across a Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band stage in your undies during Old Time Rock and Roll.

In 1986 Peter Gabriel released the nine-track album So to little fanfare. However, once MTV got a hold of his innovative videos for the singles Sledgehammer and Big Time, the LP crossed over into the mainstream and made it to the #2 spot on the Billboard 200. Taking a little liberty with the actual anniversary, Gabriel will embark on a North American Tour with many of the musicians from the So touring band to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album’s release starting on September 16th in Quebec City. Each night the former Genesis front man and his band will perform the album start to finish as well as other hits from his lengthy solo career.

Petey Gabes and his band will play a mix of arenas and beautiful outdoor venues such as Red Rocks, the Hollywood Bowl and Santa Barbara County Bowl as well as Jones Beach in the NYC area. The tour is currently scheduled to run for three weeks.Here’s a look at the tour dates announced today…

Sunday, September 16 Quebec City, QC Colisee Pepsi
Tuesday, September 18 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Wednesday, September 19 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Friday, September 21 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Sunday, September 23 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach
Monday, September 24 Boston, MA TD Garden
Wednesday, September 26 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
Thursday, September 27 Chicago, IL United Center
Sunday, September 30 Denver, CO Red Rocks
Tuesday, October 2 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
Friday, October 5 Las Vegas, NV Planet Hollywood Showroom
Saturday, October 6 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Tuesday, October 9 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara County Bowl

In addition, So will be re-issued on September 18th as a CD, special edition 3-CD set, and Super Deluxe Box Set. Ticketing information and more details about the physical release will be announced soon.

While the act of rock stars performing in front of orchestras has become much more common these days, not every musician can pull if off. Last night during his Live On Letterman webcast taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Peter Gabriel showed that both he and his music were the perfect vehicles to front a 46-piece orchestra. Not only does Petey Gabes have powerful pipes that easily move to the forefront, but his songs are filled with dramatic moments that the orchestra can seize upon.

Over the course of close to an hour, Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra tackled some of the legendary musician’s finest compositions starting with Red Rain and moving on to Wallflower, Intruder, Mercy Street, Rhythm of the Heat, San Jacinto, Solsbury Hill and Biko. During the perfromance Peter showed off his versatility hitting incredibly high notes during some tunes and deep, dark tones in others. If you missed last night’s webcast, we’ve got you covered…

Tomorrow night Peter Gabriel will be the next artist to commandeer the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater for a full set of classics to be broadcast live via webcast, but he won’t be alone. Petey Gabes will be backed by a 46-piece orchestra to perform music from throughout his illustrious career starting on Wednesday night, November 9, at 9PM ET on CBS.com.

Gabriel has worked out new arrangements of original songs such as Red Rain, Biko and In Your Eyes as well as a smattering of choice covers from his Scratch My Back LP including Boy In The Bubble by Paul Simon and Lou Reed’s The Power of the Heart for his New Blood Orchestra that toured the world last year. Don’t expect guitars or drums, but there will be plenty of strings. Besides the performance itself, we’re interested to see how Gabriel plans to fit 46 musicians on that intimate stage. Preview Peter Gabriel’s Live On Letterman set here and come back to watch live at 9PM on Wednesday.

Genesis fans around the globe were getting extremely excited for the band’s upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mainly for the chance to see former lead singer Peter Gabriel with his old mates. Unfortunately, Gabriel has told Rolling Stone that he won’t sing at the ceremony.

In fact, Petey Gabes isn’t even sure he’s going to attend. We sure hope Gabriel reconsiders and embraces the spirit of the ceremony by performing.

Let’s take a quick look at six other stories of note…

• Aerosmith to hold auditions for a replacement lead singer
• Allie Kral sat-in with Umphrey’s in Denver on Saturday
• Gov’t Mule’s Island Exodus in Jamaica looks incredible
• Lucas Samuels interviews Warren Spicer of Plants & Animals
• Pretty Lights offer a free download from their NYE show
• NOLA’s Jeffrey Dupuis shares his Visions of Jam Cruise 8

Finally, Matador Records will release Quarantine The Past: The Best of Pavement on March 9 just in time for the start of the indie-rock legends’ reunion tour. The tracklist includes the most accessible songs from the group’s albums as well as a few random selections such as Unseen Power of the Picket Fence from the No Alternative compilation.

There have been plenty of songs written about nearly every member of the Animal Kingdom, but have you ever noticed that monkeys get an inordinate amount of love? Some of the greatest songs in the history of rock involve primates. Often it’s symbolic as it is in Aerosmith’s Monkey on My Back, which is a song Steven Tyler and Joe Perry wrote about drug addiction.

This week’s B List takes a look at the ten best songs involving monkeys…

10. Theme From The Monkees – The Monkees

The four leads in an NBC sitcom entitled The Monkees were introduced to the world in 1966 through a theme song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Mickey Dolenz was the only one of the four Monkees to actually perform on the track.

9. Proudest Monkey – Dave Matthews Band

Proudest Monkey came out of an impromptu jam the band played as a soundcheck for a gig at Williams College in 1993. The song went through many changes before it was recorded for 1996′s Crash. After being shelved for a number of years, Proudest Monkey has gotten plenty of love from Dave and the band in 2006 and 2008.

8. Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters avoided the sophomore slump in a big way with the release of The Colour and The Shape in 1997. Among the gems on the classic album is the anthemic My Hero, Dave Letterman’s favorite song – Everlong and this quick and catchy rocker that still gets tons of airplay on rock radio 12 years later.

READ ON for the seven best songs regarding monkeys…

When we first heard that Peter Gabriel teamed up with electropop aces Hot Chip to record Vampire Weekend’s Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, we wondered how the track would turn out. Turns out they actually did a fine job of it. I’m sure Petey got a big kick out of singing his own name. [via Abeano]

Here’s a look at what else is happenin’ this week…

• Animal Collective calls for fans to leak their new album
• Stephen Malkmus would be open to a Pavement reunion
• JasonK created this fantastic Caribbean Holidaze montage
• The Who’s Kids Are Alright is getting the reissue treatment
• Warren’s Christmas Jam benefits Ronald McDonald House
• Brooklyn Vegan shares pics from Of Montreal in Williamsburg

Finally, Neil Young absolutely kicked ass at the Garden on Monday night and his voice and guitar are still as powerful today as they were in his peak. Speaking of Neil Young’s peak, the trailer for the long-awaited Archives Volume 1 project came out yesterday. Check it out after the jump…

What? No, Cover Wars doesn’t come out on Tuesdays, you guys are all crazy. Yeah, what can I say, I’m a day late. I enjoyed the return to using just one song so much last week that I’m going to do it again. Let’s take a look at nine renditions of the 1977 single by Peter Gabriel: Solsbury Hill.

In what I consider true slacker-blogger format, why write when you can just copy and paste? Here’s what the folks over at solsburyhill.org have to say…

The first and last Peter Gabriel hit for quite a while, many critics have considered Solsbury Hill to be Peter’s finest moment. While this view clearly fails to take into account many subsequent successes in the catalogue, it does indicate the unusual and extraordinary appeal of this track. Built around a 7/4 time signature in a sprightly B major, the song’s sunny disposition is largely thanks to the acoustic guitar riff, an instrument which has rarely been used in Gabriel’s arrangements since the 1970s. Lyrically the song takes the stress and uncertainty of a future without his former bandmates and twists it into a positively electric excitement (eg. his heart’s “boom boom boom”). The track’s pace quickens as new instruments are added with each additional verse, the final cathartic moment occuring at the last “home” as the crash cymbal darts across the stereo spectrum (a technique applied to many of the songs insturments, so much so that listening to Solsbury Hill in audiophile headphones can create a sense of motion sickness) and the electric guitars groan down to the tonic chord over bristling shouts and odd-ball squeals. Solsbury Hill is one of the few songs in popular music to guarantee goosebumps with every listen and well deserves its place in the Peter Gabriel catalogue.

That about sums it up…I’ll add that Solsbury Hill is an actual place.

We’ve got nine versions this week, and eight of them appear on the playlist below. To hear the covers in their entirety be sure to register/login to Imeem:

READ ON after the jump for the voting, videos, commentary and the announcement of the winner of last week’s Can’t Find My Way Home CW…

I feel kinda awkward dedicating yet another post to Widespread Panic, but they keep making news. Yesterday the band announced the first release under the newly established Widespread Panic Archives moniker, Carbondale 2000.

While you can buy an official recording of every Panic show since 2005, finding soundboards from the early ’00s is much more difficult. It’s nice to see the guys have started putting out shows from the Houser days, and I’m gonna actually throw down for Carbondale 2000 when it gets released on June 10.

Meanwhile, WSP continues to fill their YouTube channel with stupendous videos including a pro-shot clip of Ann Marie Calhoun sitting in on fiddle for Driving Song > Surprise Valley and a blistering version of Wondering from New Year’s Eve.

Enough about Panic, let’s get the show on the road (SHIT!):

• Neil Young’s upcoming archive release will be available on Blu-ray
• Bootsy Collins honors James Brown by putting together a fall tour
• Austin Scaggs talks to Walter Becker about his new album and Dan tour
• The Guardian lists the possible perils of Coldplay’s pretenious album title
• Relive Prince’s 21 shows at London’s O2 Arena via a new book and CD
• Has their ever been a setlist with as many notes as these Mule shows?
• Computers housing Peter Gabriel’s data were stolen on Sunday night

Finally, we’re starting to get really excited for the Jammys tonight. Anyone want to take a guess as to who will be the fifth member of the Fab Faux that the band refers to on their website? Could it possibly be this guy? We’ll find out soon.

While I travel down to Langerado our good friend Sleepy Floyd will keep you occupied with an extra super special edition of The B List:

March 10th will see the evening that Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five, Madonna,John Mellencamp, the Ventures, Little Walter and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff get inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame. Who you might ask? Yes, Little Walter, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Each year there are a few Burt Blylevens in the bunch, artists who contributions to rock and roll are indistinguishable, yet their credentials are always a “bat decapitation via the mouth” or a lengthy “2112/Overture/Temples of Syrinx” from being considered rock and roll royalty.

According to the Hall’s website to be nominated as a performer…

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 500 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes – and more than 50 percent of the vote – are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.

So, forget the Clive Davis’ and the Grammy Award stuffy music industry crowd, who defines rock and roll immortality strictly be album sales. Here we go with Glide/Hidden Track’s Ten most overlooked eligible artists for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Read on to find out which bands made Sleepy Floyd’s list…

With all the talk about Goldenvoice’s foray into the NYC area festival market, it’s easy to forget that their Coachella Festival is just three short months away.

The lineup for this year’s festival in the desert should be announced later today, with the usually reliable URB confirming that Portishead will headline Saturday’s festivities. URB also claims that Radiohead won’t be playing Coachella, but it seconds the notion the band will appear at the east coast version of the event. Advantage: East. So what else are we lookin’ at on this holiday…

• Santana enlists the Derek Trucks Band for a springtime arena tour
• God Save Everything About ‘Em: The Sex Pistols consider heading into the studio together for the first time in 30 years
• Peter Gabriel shares his passion for technology
• Matthew Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces discusses life in the critically acclaimed band [via LHB]
• Indie bands attempt to win over the next generation of music fans
• Outsourcing facemelters: America’s biggest live entertainment companies look to establish a foothold in China
• Mike Patton wouldn’t be opposed to a Faith No More reunion
• Crowded House progeny Liam Finn aims to prove the critics right with the release of his debut solo album on Tuesday
• Neddy runs down the shows of the week in New York City

Let’s close this holiday edition by taking a look at the coolest piece of music gear to come out of the NAMM trade show in Anaheim: Metasonix’s Fucking Fucker G-1000 tube amp. The aptly named Fucking Fucker contains two independent amplifiers labeled “happy” and “angry,” because “one sucks your face, the other gnaws your foreskin off.” That kinda sounds like this girl I met through JDate.

Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell is the rare professional conservationist who spends years of his life traveling on gas-guzzling planes. Leavell, who is best known to us for his monumental piano solo on the studio version of Jessica, visited five continents with the Stones on their recent “A Bigger Bang” tour. Chuck explains how he would pass the time by drafting setlists and arrangements in an article he wrote for the NY Times.

Hopefully this batch of links will help you get over the midweek hump:

• The Felice Brothers’ self-titled debut finally hits stores on March 4th
• Radiohead’s In Rainbows tops the UK album charts this week
• House’s Hugh Laurie gives his best Beatles and Dylan impressions
• Susan Greenbaum got the idea to cover Carole King’s Tapestry from Phish
• Peter Gabriel hands distribution of his Real World record label to Ryko
• Stereogum’s OldStand examines Rolling Stone’s December 1977 edition
• Gongzilla hosts their first NAMM Jam featuring Jim Loughlin, Jeff Pevar and Charlie Hitchcock next Friday
• Willie Nelson does a pretty poor job covering Dave Matthews’ Gravedigger
• Monitor Mix ponders the meaning behind some politician’s campaign music

Finally, stars of baseball and rock ‘n’ roll came together on Sunday night for the eighth annual Hot Stove Cool Music benefit in Boston. Where else can you see Little Feat, Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons all on the same stage? That must’ve been one helluva Dixie Chicken.

Bruce Springsteen loves Joe Torre, so when the former Yankee manager asked him to play a few songs at his Safe At Home benefit on Friday night, The Boss gladly mumbled “Yes.” Bruce started off with a cover of California Sun, complete with lyrics about Torre’s move to the West Coast. The highlight of the night came when former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams join Springsteen for a rockin’ version of Glory Days. Torre may have forgotten how to lead a team out of the first round of the playoffs, but he sure knows how to throw a party. No word on whether Springsteen has been put on the 15-day DL with a “tired arm.”

• XM launched a station dedicated to the music of Led Zeppelin
• Go ‘head, make the jokes: A man was tased in the ass for a prolonged period of time at a Girl Talk concert in St. Louis
• Grace Potter thinks of her band as Slayer with a girl
• The Motown songwriting team puts together a list of their favorite musicals
• If you haven’t seen the “24 in 1994″ video, get on it!
• Jay-Z listens to Arcade Fire and plans to pay Radiohead $50 for In Rainbows
• Lou Reed: Jerk or Nice Guy?
• Everyone’s got a festival: Will Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park be the site of a huge ACL-like music festival next summer?
• Peter Gabriel lays out his vision for net music [via lhb]
• Dave Matthews Band is putting out their recent show in Georgia on both CD and DVD

And if you’ve got anything for us this morning, sound off below…

Six days ago I saw Crowded House deliver an incredible performance at the Masonic Lodge in New York City. The show started me thinking about the stuff I listened to two decades back, when Crowded House first broke. I would listen to the Top 40 radio stations and augment that with the cool shit my older sister Rebecca turned me onto. It was an incredible time for music — alternative was still alternative and smooth pop rock still had some soul.

So this week’s Grousing The Aisles looks back at four legendary shows that happened 20 years ago. This time we’ve provided links to high quality MP3 files for those of you who aren’t into the whole lossless thang.

Peter Gabriel 10/??/1987 SBD (FLAC, MP3):

Petey Gabes was riding a huge wave of success as he finished the So Tour in 1987. Sledgehammer and Big Time were both huge hits, critically and commercially. Gabriel put together an amazing lineup for the extensive world tour: Bass player Tony Levin — the guy who plays with drumsticks — kept the music groovin’, while David Sancious played the keys and David Rhodes handled guitars. Gabriel’s band mixed in material from his five solo albums judiciously. A few of the final shows of the tour were recorded for a radio broadcast, and this week someone uploaded the show to a torrent site: It’s a doozy.

The show opens with a massive version of San Jacinto, which originally was released on Security in 1982. Gabriel played all of his big hits in the set including but not limited to Solsbury Hill, Sledgehammer and Shock The Monkey. My favorite parts of the show are the two beautiful ballads: In Your Eyes and Don’t Give Up. Petey was in fine voice throughout the show, and the band was clearly gellin’ (I’m gellin’ like a felon). If you only have one Peter Gabriel bootleg in your collection, make sure you pick this one.

Read on after the jump for three more incredible shows for download…