IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Agualung was in L.A. this week, performing at the Bootleg theatre as well as the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. If you missed it, check out his performance on Leno.

Aqualung’s Matt Hales thought he had it all figured out. In 2007, the British singer/songwriter told a London audience that he was retiring. “I’d had enough of it at that point and thought I might just be a teacher or do something else.”

However, the stellar batch of tunes that make up his new Verve album, Magnetic North, came calling and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. “The songs were like ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, C’mon dad, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,’ Hales laughs. “I’m still ever so slightly reluctant, but I don’t have any choice. I’m like the guy in the park with 12 giant puppies being pulled along; I didn’t want to come out. Well, I made these puppies so I guess I must have secretly wanted to get out there.”

Magnetic North's songs range from the impossibly upbeat and joyous Beck-like opening track “New Friend” and the exuberant “Fingertip” to the bleak sorrow of “Sundowning.”

“The common theme is mature relationships in various degrees of difficulty,” says Hales of the Verve release. “The thing that is common to all these relationships, whether they last or not, is there was a point when the other person was everything.”

Magnetic North includes many guests including Sara Bareilles on the haunting “Remember Us” and “New Friend,” as well as A Fine Frenzy’s Alison Sudol on “Time Moves Slow,” and Kelly Sweet on “Fingertip” and “Sundowning.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Ben Harper and Relentless 7 performed "Lay There and Hate Me" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I happened to be in the audience that day too! I had a friend in town and she wanted to check out the show.

It was cool to hear him live...he has such an amazing voice. It sucks they only perform one song, but nonetheless it was good.

IN CASE YOU MISSED EM...

Silversun Pickups performed "Substitution" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Matisyahu performed "One Day" on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.