Warner Brothers hard rock band Mastodon recently sold out a US headlining tour and were nominated for a Grammy. The band will celebrate it’s #1 status on metal radio and charting on active rock radio by playing a few more US dates before heading to Australia in April. US dates are as follows:

March 17: Austin, TX @ Auditorium Shores
March 19: San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
March 20: Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
March 21: Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
March 23: Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
March 24: Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon
March 26: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
March 27: Spokane, WA @ Big Easy
March 28: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre

Genesis will officially reunite for the Turn It On Again tour. There are European dates shaping up for June and July with plans to come to North America as well. Dates are at www.genesis-music.com

The Rock The Bells hip-hop festival has announced that Rage Against The Machine will perform three exclusive shows, two of them on the west coast with the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. The third is Rock The Bells inaugural venture into New York City on July 28 at Randall’s Island.

UK band Art Brut will return to North America for a small tour previewing material from its new album, the follow up to Bang Bang Rock and Roll. The new album is due out in June, but for those in the states who can’t wait that long, check them out at:

April 17: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
April 18: Brooklyn, NY @ Studio B
April 19: Toronto, ONT @ The Mod Club
April 20: Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
April 21: Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

Minnesota musician Wain McFarlane is dying from kidney disease, and several musical acts are banding together in an effort to raise money for Wain’s health care and living expenses. Lifehouse, Cyndi Lauper, Soul Asylum and Mint Condition will play at The Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota on March 10 for the benefit.

Just like the summer days are long, there is no shortage of classic rock bands playing warm-weather shows so the older generations can rock out too. It was just announced that Def Leppard and Aerosmith will headline Bayfestin Sarnia, Ontario in July. Tickets are available at www.sarniabayfest.com.

Sire recording artists Armor For Sleep hit the road last week supporting Taking Back Sunday and Underoath. The band was signed to Sire after their indie label release sold 200,000 copies and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers. Not too shabby. The dates are:

March 2: St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
March 4: Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
March 6: Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
March 7: Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
March 8: Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
March 9: Magna, UT @ Salt Air Theatre
March 10: Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
March 11: San Bernardino, CA @ Orange Pavilion
March 13: Irvine, CA @ UCI Bren Events Center Arena
March 14: San Francisco, CA @ Concourse
March 15: Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 17: Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena

Singer/songwriter Josh Rouse is back in the states again. Not only is this dude prolific as hell, but he seems to give his fans plenty of opportunities to see him live, even though he now lives in Spain. Dates just announced are:

April 13 Louisville, KY @ Headliners
April 15 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
April 16 Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theatre
April 17 Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag
April 19 Norfolk, VA @ Attucks Theatre
April 20 Charlottesville, VA @ Star Hill
April 21 Easton, MD @ Avalon Theater
April 23 Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
April 25 Boston, MA @ Paradise
April 26 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
April 27 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw

Birdman recording artists The Nice Boys are being termed “electric warriors for the now glam aesthetic.” Okay, whatever. If that’s what you’re into, and if you’re going to SXSW, you can pound PBRs with these guys for four shows:

March 14: Austin, TX @ Club Deville
March 15: Austin, TX @ Sonny’s Vintage
March 16: Austin, TX @ Big Red Sun Nursery & Gifts
March 17: Austin, TX @ Longbranch Inn

Fueled By Ramen artist Paramore is hitting the road for a spring headlining tour, to introduce fans to music from its much-anticipated new album. The tour kicks off April 20 in Fort Lauderdale and the new album is due out June 12. Dates are:

APRIL
20 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution
21 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre
23 Orlando, FL The Social
24 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
26 Norfolk, VA The Norva
27 Towson, MD The Recher Theatre
28 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
30 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts
MAY
1 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
3 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
4 Toronto, ONT Phoenix
5 East Rutherford, NJ Meadowlands – The Bamboozle 2007
7 Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
8 Chicago, IL House of Blues
9 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
11 Dallas, TX The Door
12 Houston, TX Meridian
14 Phoenix, AZ Marquee
15 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
17 Los Angeles, CA Avalon
18 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
19 San Francisco, CA Slim’s

Five For Fighting is another group (okay, it’s one dude, John Ondrasik) that always seems to be working. FFF hits the road again for a tour that runs from April 17 in Bakersfield, CA to May 19 in Minneapolis. More dates will be announced soon at www.fiveforfighting.com

Regina Spektor will be touring in Sweden and Israel before heading back to the US beginning March 28 in Purchase, NY. She will then head across the country and back, including stops at Coachella in Indio, CA on April 28 and at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN on June 17. All dates are at www.reginaspektor.com

Bestival is setting up its lineup for what it calls “three days and three nights of music and merry mayhem” and that you can expect “hoe downs, high times, tea cakes, techno, folk and everything in between.” Sounds like a few days of music, smelly people and drugs to me. Announced headliners for the September 7-9 festival are The Chemical Brothers and the Beastie Boys.