Weekly music agenda: Florence and the Machine on tour, The Doors on CD

(AFP PHOTO/Ben Stansall)

Beginning April 5, British band Florence and the Machine makes its first full North America tour in support of the 2009 chart-topping album Lungs. Out on April 6 is the soundtrack album for The Doors documentary When You're Strange, featuring the film's narrator Johnny Depp plus interviews and rare live recordings of the band.

Florence and the Machine in North America
April 5-18
USA, Canada

The British indie rock band fronted by singer Florence Welch is set to begin its first major North American tour, ending with an appearance at the Coachella Festival. The dates were added to a jam-packed schedule of performances in Australia and New Zealand, Singapore and Tokyo, and throughout the UK and Europe. Florence and the Machine's debut CD, Lungs, peaked at number one in the UK and held top spots on charts in the US and around Europe. The group won the 2009 BRIT Critics' Choice Award and Lungs won a 2010 BRIT for Best British Album.
http://florenceandthemachine.net

David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: 'Here Lies Love'
April 5/6
International/USA

An unusual collaboration from the minds of Talking Heads' David Byrne and DJ/producer Fatboy Slim, this song cycle about Imelda Marcos on two CDs and a DVD features a range of guest singers including Florence Welch, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Merchant, and Tori Amos.

'When You're Strange' soundtrack
April 6
Worldwide through online outlets

The soundtrack for the Doors documentary When You're Strange, which premiered at South by Southwest, will feature Johnny Depp reciting poetry by Jim Morrison as well as interviews and rare live recordings of the band. When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors, which will see a very limited US release on April 9, is directed by Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp.  When You're Strange: Songs from the Motion Picture will be available at major outlets and at www.whenyourestrangemovie.com, www.rhino.com, and www.thedoors.com.

MGMT's 'Congratulations'
April 12/13
International/USA

Brooklyn-based indie duo MGMT is due to officially release its much-hyped second album, Congratulations, although the entire album can now be streamed for free on the band's website (the artists' response to an album leak). Congratulations is the follow-up to 2008's Oracular Spectacular, which went platinum in the UK and Australia and was named best album of 2008 by NME Magazine. The band has described the new album as "a collection of nine individual musical tours de force sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence."
http://www.whoismgmt.com

Coachella Festival
April 16-18
Indio, California

More than 100,000 music fans head to the Southern California desert for the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In the decade since Coachella launched, the multi-stage event has grown in size and acclaim and is now considered the opener of the summer festival season. The 2010 Festival will feature Jay-Z, Muse, and Gorillaz, as well as Pavement, Vampire Weekend, Them Crooked Vultures, LCD Soundsystem, and Thom Yorke. Three-day weekend passes including camping are available from Ticketmaster or at the Coachella website for $269.00 plus surcharges.
http://www.coachella.com

Record Store Day
April 17
Worldwide

Record Store Day, founded in 2007 in the US, is an annual celebration among musicians and independent record stores that has spread worldwide. In conjunction with the event, which takes place the third Saturday in April, musicians offer vinyl and CD releases exclusively for the day. Among offerings for 2010 are Josh Ritter's new album on vinyl, a 7" by the recently reunited Soundgarden, Muse's Exogenesis: Symphony on a 12", a seafoam green 12" of The Flaming Lips' Dark Side of the Moon cover, and music by Pavement and Sonic Youth. For a list of participating artists, releases, and events, visit http://www.recordstoreday.com.

AC/DC's 'Iron Man 2'
April 19
International

AC/DC's Iron Man 2 album is being released in conjunction with the film of the same name, a sequel to the 2008 blockbuster. The album features 15 AC/DC songs first recorded between 1976 and 2008, including: "Rock ‘N' Roll Damnation," "Guns for Hire," "Thunderstruck," "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)," "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be," "Highway to Hell," and "Back in Black." Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr., opens internationally on April 28 and in the US on May 7.

Green Day's 'American Idiot' opens on Broadway
April 20
New York, NY

Green Day's stage musical American Idiot headed to Broadway in March, beginning with several weeks of previews before an April 20 opening night. Based on Green Day's 2004 album of the same name, the musical features music from both the American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown albums. American Idiot will run at Broadway's St. James Theatre. Tickets are currently available online.
http://www.americanidiotonbroadway.com

'Glee: The Power of Madonna'
April 20/26
US/International

The makers of hit American TV series Glee are releasing a short album of Madonna cover songs, inspired by an all-Madonna episode of the show. The Power Of Madonna is the third official Glee album; the first two sold half a million copies each in the US, and the first, the only one out so far in the UK, reached number one on the UK album chart.


New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
April 23-25 and April 29-May 2
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

The New Orleans Jazz Fest celebrates the indigenous music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana, highlighting Dixieland, jazz, and zydeco music and also presenting world-famous performers of all genres. Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Pearl Jam, and Lionel Richie are all set to play at the 41st annual event, as are Anita Baker, Gipsy Kings, The Levon Helm Band, B.B. King, Allman Brothers Band, and Johnny Lang. Louisiana acts  include The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Dr. John, and Buckwheat Zydeco.
http://www.nojazzfest.com


Hole: 'Nobody's Daughter'
April 27
International

Courtney Love and her new Hole lineup - guitarist/songwriting partner Micko Larkin, bassist Shawn Dailey, and drummer Stu Fischer - made their live debut in London in February, followed by shows in Milan, in Amsterdam, and at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Nobody's Daughter, which includes the singles "Skinny Little Bitch" and "Samantha," is the first released under the Hole name since 1998's chart-topping Celebrity Skin.