So this is a pretty neat behind-the-scenes video of the recent Smashing Pumpkins "Artist Confidential" appearance on XM Satellite Radio. (Email/RSS peeps will probably need to click-through to view.)

Blue Man Group recently visited XM's NYC studios at Jazz at Lincoln Center for the taping of an especially offbeat episode of "Artist Confidential."
 
The founding members talked about how the group came into being, and brought along some well-oiled members of the NYC team to partake in the enjoyment. Blue Man performed on some highly modified musical instruments, combined with a good dose of electronics and added in some vocals from Tracy Bonham as icing to the cake. The show was apparently a Vegas-quality show (which is actually a good designation nowadays), and I’m curious to hear how it translates to the radio.

Fun fact:  Members of the Blue Man Group were among the first XM subscribers.

The airdate is TBA, but I've got some photos featuring the Blue Men themselves with Lee Abrams (who talks about the show at length in a recent blog post) and the always lovable Lou Brutus who also hosted the show. Both Lee and Lou are making some hilarious faces, well worth checking out after the jump...
 
Photo credit: Larry Busacca/Wire Image © 2007

Living legend Dave Brubeck received the BBC Jazz "Lifetime Achievement Award" yesterday. And in a historic live simulcast, The Dave Brubeck Quartet performed "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo" from the Sirius Satellite Radio's studios in Rockefeller Plaza New York accompanied by the BBC Orchestra at The Mermaid Theatre in London.

Dave Brubeck, regarded by many as a pure genius in his field, is one of the most well known jazz pianists of all time. Brubeck employs a wide range of style and much of his music is known for its unusual time signatures. Well into his 80's, Brubeck continues to write new works and explore new avenues in composition and performance.

The award was presented by Sir John Dankworth to Brubeck’s Son, Darius Brubeck, in London. Previous BBC Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award recipients have included Quincy Jones, Oscar Peterson, George Melly and George Shearing.

Highlights of the event will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3's Jazz Line-Up on Saturday and BBC Radio 2 on Monday. I'm still trying to find specific airdates on Sirius.

Sirius Satellite Radio's action sports/music channel, Faction (28), is giving full behind the scenes coverage of America's music and extreme sports touring festival: the Vans Warped Tour.

The 13th annual Vans Warped Tour line-up this year includes Bad Religion, Coheed and Cambria, Paramore, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Circa Survive, Hawthorn Heights, Pennywise among many others.

Pro skater and musician Mike V will be Faction's onsite reporter with daily updates and weekly wrap-ups. He'll also be skating in a custom-built half-pipe and performing with his band Revolution Mother in his spare time.

"Warped Weekly" airs Sunday's at 7pm ET and "Warped Weekly" airs... everyday. Tully (Faction's daily afternoon host) is also broadcasting live backstage from select cities.

Coverage airs all summer long through August 25th.

• Seattle on July 12th
• Los Angeles on July 21st
• St. Louis on August 6th
• New Jersey on August 16th
• Philadelphia on August 22nd

The Smashing Pumpkins have been busy making the rounds in the satellite radio circles. Not only did they take over Sirius' Alt Nation, but yesterday they played for a live audience at XM’s D.C. studios.

Yesterday (7/10) was also the same day that the band’s new album "Zeitgeist" hit the shelves.

Smashing Pumpkins taped an episode of the XM show "Artist Confidential" at the XM Performance Theater. Billy Corgan and company played XM in advance of their sold-out show at the 9:30 Club, the renowned rock venue which located is about a mile north of the Eck.

The "Artist Confidential" featuring the Smashing Pumpkins will air, uhm, sometime in the future. (I don't have broadcast times yet.)

But I do have photos from the band's performance at XM. Check 'em out after the jump...

There's an interesting article in Radio & Records today about the Live Earth coverage on XM Satellite Radio, but what struck me the most was that XM fed its stream direct to Sirius.

"XM had more than 60 people stationed at Wembly Stadium in London and Giant’s Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., collecting sound and producing interviews for seven XM music channels carrying various concerts from Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hamburg, London, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro and New York. XM took sound from the Intelsat pool and fed it to competitors Sirius Satellite Radio and Premiere Radio Networks along with World Space, Italy’s RDS and Radio Express."

What's interesting about this is that it clearly demonstrates that XM and Sirius can share streams with ease, and in real time. I'm not sure if this was the first time they've done this, but it's interesting nonetheless. If you're curious how Sirius/XM would be able to share content across platforms in a post-merger world... well, this is it.

(Read the R&R article for more on the Live Earth coverage. There's a funny bit in there involving Spinal Tap.)

Oh by the way, Premiere is radio syndication company in the U.S. with over 5,000 stations worldwide, and on the Internet, picking up their stream. They're owned by Clear Channel of course, which is the largest radio corporation in the U.S. to boot.

But yet, "they" say terrestrial radio doesn't compete with satellite radio on the nationwide basis.

[Radio & Records]
Thanks Tim!