Kurtis Named KEZE MD

Some of the biggest names in U.K. and American music have joined forces to record an emotive cover of the R.E.M. classic "Everybody Hurts,"to raise money for charities supporting the relief efforts in Haiti. The single will split all proceeds equally between DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) and The Sun newspaper's "Helping Haiti' appeal. Simon Cowell who is organizing the recording and release of the record for Haiti said, "We have a short time to do this but already we are getting some fantastic support. Right now this is an absolute priority for us all, the people of Haiti need as much help as we can give them as soon as possible, every day the situation becomes more desperate"

Macy Gray parlayed a unique voice and an outlandish sense of style into stardom at the turn of the millennium, appealing to audiences of all colors in search of a fresh alternative to mainstream soul. Her popularity has waned little since she first broke onto the scene. She now returns to her musical roots with debut release for Concord called "The Sellout." In her words, "It's about all the mountains I've been climbing to be where I want to be in my personal and professional life. It is most certainly my best work." The album hits stores May 18th.

Although the Wallflowers are still technically an active band, Jakob Dylan has been mostly concentrating on his solo work. His first effort, "Seeing Things," became a critical and airplay success after its release in 2008. He is now gearing up for "Women And Country," again produced by T Bone Burnett. The street date for new album is April 16th. Meanwhile, for those of you headed down to Austin for this year's SXSW festival, be sure to add the Paste/Purevolume.com Music Kick Off Party to your schedule. Jakob Dylan and Three Legs (featuring Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Jon Raunhouse) have been confirmed to play Tuesday's (3/16) show at 504 Trinity Street.

Producer/songwriter Greg Laswell returns with his third full-length release for Vanguard, "Take a Bow." The album features 12 original compositions including a new version of the song "Off I Go," which was featured in the 2009 season finale of Grey's Anatomy (one of over six placements he's had on this show alone), and his new single "Take Everything," which features vocals by Ingrid Michaelson. He returns to the road throughout 2010 in support of "Take a Bow," including solo residency dates and an appearance at this year's SXSW festival.