• Killers, M.I.A., Mastodon Rock Coachella
• McCartney Honors Beatles at Coachella
• 13 Things You Didn’t Know: Kings of Leon
• Marilyn Manson Courts Controversy on New LP
• Fall Out Boy Tour Diary: Stump’s Fan Art
• Record Store Day: A Guide
• Seeger, Baez Set for Newport Folk Fest
• Random Notes: Week in Rock Photos
• Mandy Moore Talks Ryan Adams, Fleet Foxes
• Weekend Rock List: Sun Songs
• Pirate Bay Founders Found Guilty
• Singles: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Remix, KOL Cover
• Kings of Leon at Home: Exclusive Video
• Hulk Hogan: Ruined By Reality TV
• In the Studio: Slayer
• Dave Matthews Band Reveal Track List
• Beatles: Rock Band Announces Bundle Info
• Behind All-American Rejects’ New Clip
• Green Day Rock Stunning Hometown Gig
• Jack White’s Dead Weather Debut in NYC
• Breaking: Tinted Windows

Scroll down for full news stories, commentary and much more in Rock Daily.

Photo: Winter/Getty

“Hello, Planet Earth!”

Brandon Flowers of the Killers wasn’t addressing the entire globe as he paused onstage Saturday at the Coachella Music and Arts festival, but as he watched over a desert landscape of thousands of bouncing, singing, happy fans, it must have felt like the band’s own celestial body. As the mainstage’s headlining act on Day Two of the epic SoCal fest, the Killers steered the party for two danceable hours.

(Check out photos of all the Coachella action.)

The Killers represented just one of many disparate musical flavors in a full day of rock, folk, hip-hop and DJ sounds, with stirring sets by M.I.A. and TV On the Radio. For the Killers, the festival was an opportunity to deliver their euphoric pop on a massive scale, opening with “Human” (from last year’s Day & Age), before moving on to such breakthrough hits as the pleading “Somebody Told Me” and a storm of fireworks and flashing lights.

Just as celebratory, but a thousand times more confrontational, the hour-long set by M.I.A. began with news footage of protests against the singer for her outspoken lyrics on Sri Lankan politics. (more…)

Photo: Kravitz/FilmMagic

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos was the first to point them out, as he overlooked the many thousands gathered Friday for the opening of this year’s Coachella Music and Arts Festival. There in the crush was a young Morrissey fan with “a perfect quiff” pompadour. And front row and center were three older ladies holding up a Beatles banner. Kapranos wondered: “Are they playing tonight?”

(Check out photos from the scorching Coachella fest.)

Call it the Paul McCartney Effect, as Beatlemania invaded the 10-year-old Southern California modern rock and dance music festival in celebration of the pop icon’s headlining set. Young fans wore T-shirts and carried signs expressing endless love for the former Beatle, but the trio up front set a high standard in endurance and commitment, as they had since they were teenagers, seeing the Beatles in ‘64, ‘65 and ‘66. “We’re twice the age of anyone here, but we have more stamina and experience,” said Dale Tevere, 59, of Surprise, Arizona. They got in front of the stage at 11 a.m. and remained through nearly a dozen hours of acts they’d never heard of, but said they did like Franz Ferdinand and Airborne Toxic Event.

It’s unlikely McCartney’s 10:15 p.m. show disappointed fans young or old , with a two-and-a-half-hour performance of solo hits from the ’70s, new songs released by his alter-ego the Fireman, plus 20 Beatles classics, including “Drive My Car,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “A Day in the Life” (which he melded into John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”). He spent his time mainly behind an acoustic guitar, a piano or his old Hofner bass. (more…)

Photograph by Max Vadukul

• After a three-year legal odyssey, a Los Angeles jury finally found Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder. From “Be My Baby” to Let It Be to handcuffs, Rock Daily looked back at the rise and fall of Spector in pictures.

• Kings of Leon appeared on their first cover of Rolling Stone and we got personal with America’s hottest band as the brothers Followill gave us a tour of their Nashville homes, went behind the scenes at their cover shoot, shared family photographs, showcased their 10 must-hear songs and revealed 13 things you didn’t know about Kings of Leon. Get all that plus much more over at our new issue hub.
• We prepared for the 20 hours of standing per day we’ll be doing at Coachella by checking out concerts like Green Day debuting 21st Century Breakdown in San Francisco, the Dead Weather’s first public performance in New York, Dave Matthews Band sharing Big Whiskey with Gregg Allman and the Dead’s tour-opening jam bonanza in North Carolina.
• Speaking of Coachella, Rolling Stone is in Indio, California, all weekend long with reports from all the biggest sets including Paul McCartney (tonight!), Leonard Cohen, the Cure, My Bloody Valentine, the Killers and hundreds more under the desert sun, so keep it tuned to Rock Daily for the scoop.

Photo: Dowling/Getty

Just a reminder from your Rolling Stone team: we’re on the ground in Indio, California for the Coachella Festival (which has already begun!) and will be hitting you with reports, photos and Tweets all weekend long. Stick right here to read about Paul McCartney, the Killers, M.I.A., the Cure, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Leonard Cohen and much more.

If you want to re-live last year’s coverage, just ’cause, head over here: Coachella 2008 at Rolling Stone

Photo:KanyeUnivercity.com

This week marked a historic meeting of the creative minds: as you can see by the photo above that Kanye West kindly posted on his blog, ‘Ye was joined in the studio by Jared Leto and the Killers’ Brandon Flowers for some hang time and collaboration. What will this yield? We can only guess (or ask one of the trio — stay tuned!).

Also this week: Jay-Z tried out the Yankees’ new stadium, Karen O swallowed a microphone at the band’s secret New York show, George Harrison finally got his star on the Walk of Fame, Jack White’s Dead Weather debuted and much more. Check out what you missed in our roundup of the week’s best shots:

• Random Notes: Green Day, Jay-Z, John Mayer and the Week in Rock

After the Phil Spector murder retrial ended with a guilty verdict, the “Wall of Sound” producer looking at the prospect of life in prison and the culmination of a three-year-long chapter in Rock Daily’s life, our readers both celebrated and bemoaned the trial’s outcome. Still, reader Anonymous feels like Spector committed one crime back in 1970 that has still gone unpunished:

“Phil Spector should have been given the death penalty…. not for the murder of Lana Clarkson…

…but for what he did to the Beatles’ Let It Be album. (more…)

Photo: COP/FilmMagic

Mandy Moore, or Mrs. Adams as we refer to her now that she has married Ryan Adams, sat down with EW’s Music Mix to talk about her new husband, new album Amanda Leigh and what artists — besides her hubby — she’d like to work with.

According to Moore, one of the perks about living with Adams is that she’s learning a lot about the different genres of heavy metal. As for when she might collaborate with Adams on some music, Moore tells EW, “I’m sure in due time something will probably come about in terms of collaborating. We certainly have done that at home, writing together — it just organically happens.” As Adams is currently taking a hiatus from music, Moore joked that she’d hire her hubby as a guitarist for her tour if necessary. (more…)

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Because it’s Spring-like in New York, it’s sweltering at Coachella — which is happening right now! — and we’re obsessed with Bat For Lashes’ Two Suns, this week’s Rock List is dedicated to Sun Songs. Tell us your favorite heliocentric tunes and on Monday, we’ll return from the Indio, California festival — where Paul McCartney, My Bloody Valentine, Leonard Cohen and dozens more will rock the desert — with the Readers’ list. Before you start applying the suntan lotion and humming Sheryl Crow, check out our picks:

• Cream – “Sunshine of Your Love”
• The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”
• Velvet Underground – “Who Loves the Sun”
• The Kinks – “Sunny Afternoon”
• The Doors – “Waiting For the Sun”

Tomorrow, April 18th, music lovers worldwide will descend on local independent music shops to celebrate the second annual Record Store Day by picking up some of the hundreds of rare CDs and vinyl exclusives that will be available in 1,000-plus locations. Highlights include limited-edition 7′’ vinyl from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, the Dead Weather, Modest Mouse and Sonic Youth. There’s also a new live disc from My Morning Jacket, the reissue of Queen’s first EP on compact disc, Radiohead’s 12′’ singles, the Misfits’ Walk Among Us on vinyl and the opportunity to buy Wilco’s upcoming DVD Ashes of American Flags before its release date.

With music sales down and indie stores struggling to keep pace with the remaining chains, Walmart and iTunes, Record Store Day is stocked with big names reminding fans of the significance of brick-and-mortar shops this year (it will be regularly celebrated on the third Saturday of April). Per the event’s official Website, participating stores sell at least 50 percent music retail, aren’t publicly traded and have ownership at least 70 percent located in the state it’s operated in.

Last year’s inaugural event featured an appearance by Metallica at San Francisco’s Rasputin Music, and there’s no shortage of special gigs and DJ sets in ‘09. (more…)

This week’s Flashback takes us to June 1981, when the Clash visited the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. The bandmembers were up to their usual antics, combing their greased-back hair mid-interview, rough-housing with a teddy bear, putting plastic bags over Joe Strummer’s head and placing pins and stickers on Snyder’s blazer to give him more flair. Still, for a punk band, the Clash are quite reserved, answering questions about why they keep their record prices down and overcrowding at their New York club shows. At one point, mindful of the TV censors, Mick Jones even answers a question with, “We don’t want to poo-poo on the fans.” Check out the London quartet’s performance of “Radio Clash” from the Snyder show after the jump. (more…)

Photo: Forrest/WireImage

Bat For Lashes, “Use Somebody” [Kings of Leon Cover]
There aren’t enough superlatives in the world to adequately describe how much S-M loves Natasha Kahn. This week, she pays homage to Rolling Stone’s cover with a version that makes us starry-eyed and weak-kneed.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Zero” [MSTRKRFT Remix]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are fresh off a particularly noteworthy victory: managing to sound good on Saturday Night Live. This hyperkenetic MSTRKRFT remix feels like a suitable reward. (more…)

Photo: Stawiarz/Getty

For its 50th anniversary, the Newport Folk Festival has recruited two artists who took the stage at the inaugural 1959 event: Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. Newer acts like Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, the Decemberists, Neko Case and Breaking artists the Low Anthem will also take part in “George Wein’s Folk Festival 50,” scheduled for July 31st-August 2nd at Newport’s Fort Adams State Park. Tickets go on sale May 6th.

“The whole concept of the folk festival is a reunion of the old people to celebrate 50 years of folk music in Newport — and to show how many young people are involved with folk music,” George Wein, who founded both the Folk Festival and the annual Newport Jazz Festival, told the AP. Wein indicated the recession threatened this year’s celebrations — their long-running sponsor JVC was forced pull its support — but he kept the concerts alive by bankrolling the shows himself. “This is my life. To me, it’s not business anymore I’m not doing this to make money,” Wein said. “I have to put on my festival. It has to be a quality event. It has to take care of the crowd.” (more…)

Video: Pete Maiden

When Rolling Stone visited Caleb, Jared, Matthew and Nathan Followill at their Tennessee homes, we learned a bit about how Kings of Leon like to live (watch our video tours, above). But Austin Scaggs got the real dirt while traveling with the Southern rockers for his cover story in the new issue — and he’s sharing his new knowledge with you now. Find out the Kings’ real names, who’s obsessed with Chris Farley, how to clear a room with jalapeños and Nathan’s favorite sexual position right here:

• Kings of Leon Revealed: 13 Things You Didn’t Know About Rock’s Hottest Band

And to hear a playlist of the Kings’ 10 best tracks, see photos from their family album and our cover shoot, and go behind the shoot in an exclusive video, click the button right here.

Photo:Ericson/AFP/Getty

A Swedish court found four men behind popular torrent hub the Pirate Bay guilty of breaking copyright law today, and sentenced them to a year in prison and fines of roughly $3 million to be dispersed among entertainment companies like Warner Bros. and Sony, BBC News reports. The four defendants — Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde — said they’d file an appeal and refuse to pay the fine. “We can’t pay and we wouldn’t pay. Even if I had the money I would rather burn everything I owned, and I wouldn’t even give them the ashes,” a defiant Sunde reportedly said.

The Pirate Bay is perhaps the Internet’s most popular file-sharing Website, with more than a million users a day downloading torrents featuring illegally distributed music, movies and computer programs. The Pirate Bay is so popular, even Prince tried to sue the Website in 2007. While the four men vehemently denied the charges throughout the trial, saying they didn’t actually host any illegal content, an assistant judge in the trial told Swedish radio, “The court first tried whether there was any question of breach of copyright by the file-sharing application and that has been proved, that the offense was committed. The court then moved on to look at those who acted as a team to operate the Pirate Bay file-sharing service, and the court found that they knew that material which was protected by copyright but continued to operate the service.” (more…)