Teddy Thompson, ''Up Front and Low Down'' (Verve Forecast) That the son of English folk-rock royalty would create an album mostly of country music covers will surprise only those who haven't heard Teddy Thompson's previous work.

Richard Thompson changed the way his audience thinks of death, divorce, motorcycles and Britney Spears, so it's hardly surprising he has written a song about the Iraq war that jars the senses.

Jackson Browne and Richard Thompson were among the musicians who paid tribute to radio host Howard Larman at a memorial service in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. Rockers Loudon Wainwright III and Dave Alvin also performed at the three hour event at Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are proud to announce the initial lineup for the 2007 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The sixth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 14-17 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville.

Writing one perfect album is hard enough. But nine? Come on! Who else in the history of recorded sound has even dared reach such a milestone? Neil Young? Bob Dylan? Herb Alpert? Tiny Tim? Throw out greatest-hits packages, and you've got maybe half a decent album among them! No, the only band to have hit the nine-album mark without so much as a bum note is Denton, Texas' Bowling for Soup. And there's no debating those stats, so don't even try!

Verve Forecast is proud to make its South By Southwest party debut with a showcase on Friday, March 17, 2006. Taking the stage at Eternal (418 East 6th Street) will be Verve Forecast recording artists Brazilian Girls, Jamie Cullum, Jackie Greene, Rhett Miller, Susan Tedeschi and Teddy Thompson. The lineup demonstrates the wealth of talent and diversity on this eclectic label.

Fans of guitarist Richard Thompson will be happy to know that on February 7, Free Reed Records and Music will release the 5-disc box set 'RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson'. Consisting entirely of unreleased and impossible-to-find recordings, 'RT's' five CDs explore all aspects of Richard's career - band member, solo, duo; composer and interpreter of other people's songs; live, studio and home demo.