We here at "Sound Effects" just want to take a moment and tip our caps to the Dropkick Murphys who provided the soundtrack to yesterday's Red Sox rolling rally and for much of the championship season.

The Dropkick Murphys own season is rolling merrily along as well. The group has had plenty to jig about in the last month. Their latest album "The Meanest of Times" debuted in the top 20 and has garnered rave reviews. They got a backstage visit from Bruce Springsteen. They became the house band for Jonathan Papelbon's wacky antics and were recently nominated for a Boston Music Award. And anyone who watched the games knows that "Shipping Up to Boston" is also the background music for a new Reebok ad starring former New Kid Donnie Wahlberg.

For now the band is headed west for a few weeks of dates and then overseas for the winter, but they are looking ahead as they search for a new home for the St. Patrick's Day shows in March '08 after closing down Avalon last month.

When we last spoke with bassist-singer Ken Casey he wasn't sure where the band would go. (They had played Avalon, in his estimation, close to thirty times.) "It won't be open in time so we're exploring our possibilities," he said. If they do play the Agganis Arena again, Casey says he hopes it is in a mix with other smaller venues like last time. "We will probably diversify once again and play a multitude of different places."

As for the picture of the band with Bruuuuuce above, Casey said it was amazing meeting the Boss, who turned up at the Murphys recent New York show on the advice of his teenage son.

"He walked into the dressing room five minutes before we went on, introduced himself, said he was a fan of the band," said Casey. "I told our tour manager, 'from now on if anyone like a Bruce Springsteen is ever coming to the show again I need to not find out until after we're done playing because that was the most nerve-wracking night of my life playing knowing Bruce was there.' It's cool, he's playing Boston the night after our tour ends so we'll all be there"

Jay-Z has taped an episode of VH1's "Storytellers" to coincide with the release of his new album "American Gangster," out next Tuesday. (The disc is not a soundtrack to the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film out this Friday but was inspired by a sneak preview of it.)

The show, airing Nov. 8 at 9 p.m., finds Jigga waxing lyrical about his lyrical waxing on "Gangster" and a few of his previous hits complete with a horn section and a dj.

Country music lassoed the top three spots on the Billboard album charts this week in a first for the genre. "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood claimed number one with her sophomore album "Carnival Ride," the amazing match-up of Led Zep main man Robert Plant and newgrass sweetheart Alison Krauss clocked in at number two and hat act Gary Allan rounded out the top trio.

While the Plant/Krauss collab isn't technically just country, c&w is definitely in the mix on "Raising Sand," which is every bit as good as you've heard it is.

Other notable, non-country debuts include the first solo set from System of a Down leader Serj Tankian at number four and rockers Coheed & Cambria's latest "No World for Tomorrow" at number 6.

Sounds Effects' music-savvy neighbor, the Exhibitionist, has posted a perversely gripping clip of the Sex Pistols' performance on Leno last night. Whoever booked the Pistols and Congressman Ron Paul on the same night deserves an Emmy. While you watch, remember what Joni says: laughing and crying are the same release.

You've heard about the Hannah Montana concert tour that's smashing box office records nationwide? The kids must have heard what a kickass harmony singer she has in none other than Kay Hanley, who ditched Beantown for La La a few years ago and is now touring the country in the Disney tween star's band. Hanley was no doubt hired by former Letters to Cleo drummer and American Hi-Fi frontman Stacy Jones, the tour's music director, who also enlisted the services of American Hi-Fi guitarist Jamie Arentzen. Hanley is blogging enthusiastically about the sweet tour bus, shopping at Barneys (that's Hanley and her employer in matching Marc Jacobs coats), and finding a bar to watch her "foxy boyfriend" Jonathan Papelbon pitch. Not to worry. Last we heard the devoted Sox fan was still happily hitched to guitarist hubby Mike Eisenstein, who's playing stay-at-home dad while Hanley gets her fill of sold-out arenas and high-end hotels. You go girl.

Hear Music, the Starbucks-affilliated record label that's been a haven for established rock vets like Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, and James Taylor, has signed it's first "developing" artist: 21-year-old Berklee College of Music grad Hilary McRae. The young singer-songwriter's debut album won't be out until next spring, but you can download an R&B-flavored track called "Consider Me Gone" Nov. 1 for free at Starbucks as part of the coffee chain's "Download of the Day" program, and you can see McRae perform it live here.

Sri Lankan sensation M.I.A. is coming to the Palladium in Worcester Nov. 28. Tickets for the all-ages show are on sale now.

Following in the footsteps of Radiohead, Paste magazine is offering one-year subscriptions for however much your little rock 'n' roll heart wants to pony up. For the record, Sound Effects subscribes to Paste. It's neither agressively hip nor egregiously commercial. They cover new weirdos and beloved veterans (e.g. Beck, not Eric Clapton). Each month's issue comes with a most excellent compilation CD. So search your soul and open your wallet accordingly.

The country music legend passed away yesterday in Nashville from lung cancer. He was 80.

Joe Pernice has commandeered the Powell's Books blog to post about....well, you decide.

Nominations for the 20th Annual Boston Music Awards (BMAs) were announced today and it was good year for Massachusetts metal.

Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and the Berklee-linked prog veterans of Dream Theater all scored multiple nominations. Killswitch led the field with seven.

All three acts will vie for the top prize, Act of the Year, against emo sensations Boys Like Girls (five nominations) and singer-songwriter Lori McKenna (four), who got a national profile boost this year following a tour with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Reunited alt-rock trio Dinosaur, Jr. is also in the running.

Others receiving more than one nomination include singer-songwriters Matt Nathanson and Josh Ritter with four apiece, power popsters The Click Five, rockers Buffalo Tom and the Slip with three each.

Awards will be handed out in 27 different categories on Dec. 1 at the Orpheum Theatre. Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer will serve as the BMAs honorary chairman.

Proceeds from tickets and an accompanying online auction will benefit Music Drives Us and the Berklee City Music Program.

Fans can see the entire nominee list and vote online here. Voting concludes on November 16. Tickets are $35-$100 and are on sale now here.

Garth Brooks may only be playing in Kansas City to promote his upcoming "Ultimate Hits" package, out November 6, but Brooks fans can check out one of the shows via the big screen.

Brooks is making the November 14 performance of his nine night stand available live to movie theatres across the country and then offering a replay on November 15.

These theatres will be hosting the live show/replay:

Fenway 13 Boston
AMC Framingham 15
Hampshire Mall 12 Hadley
Lowell Showcase Cinemas
Solomon Pond 15 Marlborough
Blackstone Valley Millbury
Randolph Showcase Cinemas
Revere Showcase Cinemas
Swansea 12
West Springfield Showcase Cinemas

And here's a link to buy tickets for any of the above. (And Connecticut and Rhode Island.)

Apparently the Clan that spaces out their release dates is the Clan that stays together.

RZA told MTV.com, that the Wu-Tang Clan have decided to push back the release of their comeback album "The 8 Diagrams" to December 11 out of deference to member Ghostface Killah.

Ghostface's new album "Big Dough Rehab" is out December 4, which was the same day that the Wu album was scheduled to drop, after having been pushed back several times. He was not happy. RZA assures Ghostface and MTV viewers that with the new date, now everyone involved can make "mad cream."

"It's nice to be back," said Jakob Dylan Sunday night at the Somerville Theatre. It's nice to have him back. Although Dylan is now the sole original member of the Wallflowers, the reconstituted band sounded strong last night on their first tour in a couple of years.

(Bassist Greg Richling is the longest term 'flower appearing on everything from 1996's "Bringing Down the Horse" forward, followed by drummer Fred Eltringham who signed on for 2005's "Rebel Sweetheart" and guitarist Stuart Mathis joined up earlier this year.)

They ran through tunes from all five of their highly underrated albums. Dylan's voice is getting even more interesting as he ages, although weariness could've been a factor as well, and he put new rust on old gems like "Three Marlenas," the still cutting "Hand Me Down" and the truly rocking "Everybody Out of the Water." Keyboardist Rami Jaffee was missed (as was personal fave "Sleepwalker") but Dylan's current crew proved solid.

The normally reticent frontman also chatted a bit with the crowd, thanking them for coming considering Game 7 of the ALCS was happening as they played. (Many, many fans kept abreast of the doings at Fenway Park via cell phone and had the score at the ready when asked). He even joked after hearing that the Sox were ahead that "I have faith the Twins will pull through."

Now that they're back, how about a new album Jakob?

Nas has announced that his next album, due Dec. 11, will be called "Nigger," raising the ire of Jesse Jackson and representatives of the NAACP, who were quoted on Foxnews.com admonishing the rappers' choice of album title.

"Stay out of our business. You ain't got no business worrying about what the word 'nigger' is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me," the rapper told MTV.com. "Whether you in the NAACP or you Jesse Jackson. I respect all of them ... I just want them to know: Never fall victim to Fox. Never fall victim to the sh-- they do. What they do is try to hurry up and get you on the phone and try to get you to talk about something you might not know about yet."

South African reggae star Lucky Dube, an outspoken voice for peace and social justice, was killed in Johannesburg last night in what police are calling a botched hijacking. Click here for details.

Weezer frontman and recent Harvard grad Rivers Cuomo is putting out a collection of solo demos, he announced on his MySpace blog. "Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo 1992-2007" is due Dec. 11 and will include, according to Rolling Stone, the original demo of the Weezer classic "Buddy Holly" as well as a cover of Ice Cube's "The Bomb."

“The paradigm in the music business has shifted and as an artist and a business woman, I have to move with that shift. For the first time in my career, the way that my music can reach my fans is unlimited. I’ve never wanted to think in a limited way and with this new partnership, the possibilities are endless. Who knows how my albums will be distributed in the future? That’s what’s exciting about this deal — everything is possible. Live Nation has offered me a true partnership and after 25 years in the business, I feel that I deserve that.”

So says Madonna, in a statement released today announcing her departure from longtime record label Warner Bros. for entertainment behemoth Live Nation.

With record sales in the toilet, musicians are looking for new ways to make money. Those wacky kids in the White Stripes have teamed up with incredibly cool camera manufacturer Lomography on a pair of custom cameras dubbed the JACK Holga and the MEG Diana.

Here's the official pitch: "Together the White Stripes and Lomography are taking a plastic analog look at life in the digital age. The band’s distinctive, colorful aesthetic and penchant for classic design makes them the perfect collaborators for this high caliber, affordable brand."

Basically, Lomography has renamed a couple of their grooviest vintage cameras after Jack and Meg, thrown in some peppermint filters and gels, and started selling them on the White Stripes website. And why not.

Bye-bye record stores, hello cleavage. The Spice Girls are going to sell their forthcoming album -- a collection of greatest hits plus two new tracks -- in Victoria's Secret stores. "They do great bras, and every girl wears a bra. And they should -- at some point in their life. Unless they don't need to wear one," Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown explained to People magazine. Whatever. The Spice Girls are geniuses. The songs will be available digitally, natch. But if you want to get your hot little hands on a physical copy, due Nov. 13, we're guessing they'll be past the V-strings, just left of the Demi Cups.

Led Zeppelin is finally lumbering into the digital age.

Starting November 13 the entire Zep catalog will be available at all digital retailers. According to Billboard.com the timing is meant to highlight the same day release of "Mothership" a 24-track, two-CD compilation.

Sadly, The Tube Music Network, a most excellent channel that played nothing but music videos (and for some reason nature programming on weekend mornings), is no more.

At first we here at "Sound Effects" just thought it was a change by our cable provider and then we did a little digging on the Internets. Here's why we won't be getting our fix of classic videos and newer live performance clips of bands like the Moody Blues.

Reportedly the last video to air was A3's "Woke Up This Morning" and then the screen went black. At least they had a sense of humor about it.

As the only rock critic on the face of the earth who liked the Killers' last album, "Sam's Town," Sound Effects is proud to link to a brand new song, "Tranquilize," a collaboration with Lou Reed. The track will appear on the Killers' upcoming B-sides collection, "Sawdust."

Break out your scally caps and your plaid pants The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are coming back! For the first time in four years Dickie and the gang return for a five night "Hometown Throwdown" at the Middle East December 26-30. Tickets go on sale next Friday October 19 through Ticketmaster.

Looks like Madonna is making the big leap: from longtime record label Warner Bros. to a wide-ranging 10-year deal with Live Nation, which would pay the 49-year-old superstar $120 million for three albums, all of her touring and merchandise, corporate sponsorships, and the right to license her name and image. What a relief. Sounds Effects can finally stop fretting about Lourdes' and Rocco's college tuition.

"Magic," Bruce Springsteen's first album with the E Street Band in five years, landed atop the Billboard 200 in its first week with sales of 335,000.

Other notable debuts: Soulja Boy, whose inescapable "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" is number one on the Hot 100, came in at number 4, erstwhile Eurythmic Annie Lennox locked up number nine with "Songs of Mass Destruction" and Dashboard Confessional's "The Shade of Poison Trees" managed to make the top 20 at number 18.

Due to Internet leaks Britney Spears is moving up the release date for her new album. "Blacklight" will now drop on October 30, two weeks ahead of its originally scheduled bow.

A new R.E.M. song, "Until the Day is Done," will have its premiere tomorrow night on the CNN show "Anderson Cooper 360." The song will be synced to clips from the forthcoming CNN special, "Planet in Peril," to air Oct. 23-24. The band has been playing the song live, but won't confirm whether or not it will appear on the next R.E.M. disc, due out in the spring. This isn't the first time R.E.M. has unveiled work on Cooper's show; in 2002 the band debuted the video for "Bad Day" on the program.

Programming note forBruce Springsteen fanatics:

Starting tonight at 9 p.m. VH1 Classic will be airing 24 hours of the Boss, beginning with a new interview by Dave Marsh for its "Inside Track" series. The all-Bruce marathon - including replays of "Storytellers" and "Live at the Hammersmith Odeon"- will culminate with a live broadcast of the first two tunes from his show with the E Street Band tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in East Rutherford, N.J.

The British press is reporting that Oasis, Jamiroquai, the Charlatans, and Madness are considering releasing albums for free in the wake of Radiohead's pay-what-you-like goodwill gesture. While Radiohead won't confirm how many pre-orders have been taken for "In Rainbows," which will be released digitally tonight at 7pm (midnight in London), the band's website has gone from number 43 to number one among UK music sites, and global buzz is positively glowing.

Fans of inventive musical hybrids will want to head to the Regattabar tonight for what should prove to be a monster of an instrumental show.

First up is Club d’Elf, a collective of stunning locals who play a mix of, as they put it, "Moroccan-dosed, trance-funk." Led by bassist Mike Rivard they throw electronica,jazz, hip-hop and just about everything else into their mesmerizing brew. d’Elf will be followed by electro-jazzers Rudder (above) from New York. The quartet has an impressive pedigree with individual members playing with everyone from Sting to Charlie Haden to Bill Evans to Dennis Chambers. Impossibly gifted Keith Carlock holds down the drum throne. Steely Dan fans have wisely been singing his praises for years.

The show is at 7:30 and tix are $15. Click here for more info.

Anyone who goes a little crazy reading the overwrought, underthought reviews on Pitchfork will enjoy this spoof from the Onion.

Today's music tip comes from a reliable colleague who admits, "I think the Foo Fighters are dreadful, really bad, but this Wings cover is fairly tasty."

He's right. In addition to the FF, the new "Radio 1 Established 1967" two-disc compilation features covers from the likes of Kylie Minogue ("Love Is the Drug"), Robbie Williams ("Lola"), Lily Allen ("Don't Get Me Wrong"), and the Gossip ("Careless Whisper").

The album will be released on amazon.com in this country Oct. 15.

If the major labels wanted to set an example, they have set a pricey one. In the first case against a single downloader, the industry has won $220,000 in damages.

According to the AP the jury in the civil case in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota on Thursday found Jammie Thomas infringed copyrighted song recordings, and awarded damages of $9,250 for each of the 24 recordings cited.

Britney's new single "Gimme More" may have drawn scorn on the MTV Video Music Awards last month but radio is making it happen. The song tops the iTunes songs chart with over 179,000 digital download sales and jumps from #68 to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On Monday the video debuts on VH1 at 3:30 pm and her new album has a title. "Blacklight" is due out November 13. According to a press release from her record company the title refers to "blocking out negativity and embracing life fully and captures the dance-friendly nature of the songs."

Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis and his girlfriend, 21-year-old model Heather Christie, are the proud parents of a brand new baby boy, born early this morning in Los Angeles. The wee lad doesn't have a name yet, but with parents like these we're sure he's hot.

Radiohead is releasing its seventh album "In Rainbows" in early 2008.

But starting today diehard, Internet-equipped fans can pre-order the album and hear it as soon as October 10 exclusively at the band's website in what amounts to a fully sanctioned leak.

There are two options:

1. Pre-order a DRM-free MP3 download and you will be sent an activation code and instructions in an email that allow you to download the album. Pricetag: As the website says "it's up to you." All you have to do is a plug a figure in British pounds and pence (1 pound roughly equals 2 U.S. dollars) into the price box and the download is yours. That includes O pounds and O pence. Gratis. Free. (If you actually want to compensate the band for its work and you're a fan of round numbers, know that there is .45 pence debit card charge.)

2. You can also order the Discbox, a special edition box set which includes the album MP3 and double vinyl and CD versions of the record and a second, enhanced CD with additional new songs, artwork, and photographs of the band, all exclusive to the box. Anyone purchasing the deluxe edition will automatically receive the bundled MP3 album on October 10. The Discboxes will be made to order and begin shipping December 3. Pricetag: 40 pounds, or roughly 80 bucks.

Longtime producer Nigel Godrich is back at the helm and the complete tracklisting is as follows:

15 Step
Bodysnatchers
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
All I Need (We're guessing it's not the Jack Wagner song of the same name).
Faust Arp
Reckoner
House of Cards
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Videotape

The extra songs on the second CD of the Discbox are:

MK1
Down is the New Up
Go Slowly
MK2
Last Flowers
Up On the Ladder
Bangers and Mash
4 Minute Warning

All the digital details can be had here.