John Legend will begin a short fall tour Nov. 19 in Minneapolis in support of his upcoming album,
"Evolver," due Oct. 28. Columbia labelmate Raphael Saadiq will support on the trek, which wraps Dec. 13 in Durham, N.C.The singer's current single, "Green Light" featuring Andre 3000, is No. 32 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week. "Evolver" also features appearances from Kanye West, Estelle and Brandy."This album doesn't sound like me," Legend tells Billboard. "The tempo is faster than I've done before. It will be different for people, because 'Evolver' has a bit more instrumentation than I've used before. But it's not like you won't recognize the artist-it's still me."

Rapper T.I. says he bought the firearms stash that led to his conviction and impending prison sentence because he "got paranoid" after the May 2006 shooting death of his assistant Philant Johnson. "Let me try to explain," he tells Giant magazine, out next week. "Someone pulls up to your car and — pop, pop, pop! If you were without weapons at the time, you would probably want to be with weapons for every other time."

Rocks Off: Did the band think you had a hit record when you wrapped the album?

Billy Gibbons: Yeah. We were fairly confident we had stumbled into something that was really solid. In the middle of the disco craze, this was our solid rock music message, and it couldn’t have been stronger at the time. I don’t know, the Stones had gotten away with “Miss You” and Rod Stewart [sings], “Do ya think I’m sexy,” whatever that thing was.

RO: But this actually proved pretty dance-floor-friendly as well, with the “Legs” remixes and such, right?

BG: Yes. And it was only made possible because we had remained focused toward good timing, and the tempo that was present on the first eight bars was still there on the 128th bar and they could do their dance magic with it as they would. The bass drum figure was four on the floor for a lot of that stuff. It was really simple.

We weren’t the first rock band to do it. AC/DC, they had broken ground to keep things on the ultra-simple. So we were taking the messaging matters from a lot of diverse places, but to answer your question, yeah. There was a sense of confidence, and we genuinely liked it.

Many times we don’t go back to listen to a lot of ZZ Top songs, because we’re on to listening to what everybody else has done. This was different. We actually enjoyed listening to it, and the subsequent live performances to this day.

ZZ Top live in Fresno, 2005

RO: You still play about half the record live, right?

BG: I guess the number that would be closest to the blues from Eliminator is “I Need You Tonight.”

RO: I love that song. That’s deep blues.

BG: Yeah, and it’s coming off on the live stage. Just last night we had an extended version of it, and it’s funny. It’s a good feeling.

RO: Let me ask you a little bit of alternative history. How do you think the record would have done without the videos?

RO: What do you remember thinking the first time or two you saw MTV?

BG: Well, I’ll tell you exactly. Frank called me, and then he called Dusty, and we thought we were tuning into a late-night concert channel. After about four or five hours, I called Frank back and said “When is this concert over?” Not knowing we were watching the first 24-hour music channel. But it was really something, man. It was exciting, and it was, you know, sonic meets cinema. It was really cool.

RO: Who came up with the idea to use the car?

BG: Our director, Tim Newman, really put the disparate elements together into a form-fitting puzzle. He found the girls. We said, “Tim, we passed up millions of dollars with a razor-blade company because we’re too ugly under these beards. Find another place to aim the camera.” He said, “OK – we’ll take the red car and I’ve got some pretty girls.”

RO: Doesn’t sound like you had to think about it too hard.

BG: Yeah. It made for a good combination, and it’s something that has tagged us. I think the present perception lingers on. ZZ Top is about good times, fast cars, pretty girls, hot rods…

RO: How many copies of those keychains you reckon have been manufactured?

RO: With the reissue, how do you think the album holds up today?

BG: Well, hindsight’s 20/20, but musically, because of the stridency of maintaining a good groove, it still plays good. The compositions are entertaining. By and large, in a world where CDs have nearly evaporated, the sales figures reported for the first week indicate that somebody out there must like something about it, because it’s selling hard product. - Chris Gray

San Francisco's Girls are a duo composed of JR White and Christopher Owens (of Holy Shit fame). Their only album out so far, charmingly named "Lust for Life," arrived last March on True Panther Sounds. In a time when overcomplicated, artsy and painfully unique music receives all the critical acclaim it's nice to have a band like Girls. They may not play anything revolutionary, but they're one of the most enjoyable and classically appealing bands around.

Their instrumentals are simple, yet well-played and their vocals are absolutely beautiful. They make songs about love: falling in love, losing love, loving life. Their songs are romantic and reminiscent of the 60s. Plus, there are hand claps! And tambourines! In my mind they're a modern version of the Beach Boys living in San Francisco and serenading me in my bedroom with sweet and sad pop songs every night. Girls conjure up images of hand-holding and slow dancing and sitting in the car after a really terrible fight feeling angsty. With girls, every day feels like summertime.

If you like the guys in Girls, be sure to vote for them in the Indie Pop/Rock category of this year's SF Weekly Music Awards.--Melissa Baron

Lenny was backstage in a greenroom in Vienna, and a little old lady approached him.  She introduced herself as the widow of Alban Berg, and Bernstein told her how honored he was to meet her.  Now Berg, as you will recall, died without completing his opera Lulu, and there was some question about who would finish it.  Helene Berg, Alban’s widow, initially offered the job to Schoenberg, who accepted but then decided it was too time-consuming, and the opera wasn’t completed until after her death in 1976.

Back in the greenroom, Helene told Lenny “I sink zat maybe you should finish Lulu.  I vill go home and ask Alban.”  Helene would apparently hold seances to speak with her dead husband.  A few nights later, backstage, this Helene Berg approached Leonard Bernstein again, and Bernstein again professed his admiration for her husband and his honor at meeting her.  Helene Berg said to Lenny “I asked Alban about Lulu.  Alban sagte nein.”  That line, “Alban sagte nein,” apparently became a running joke in the Bernstein household.

That’s the story as I remember it from the other night on WNYC.  The recording isn’t available on the website, but maybe somebody out there heard it too.  Opera Today tells the story slightly differently, saying that Bernstein himself sought permisson, but confirming that he was declined after Frau Berg consulted with Alban in a seance.  An article in the New York Times last year also describes Bernstein as approaching Helene Berg, but sets the scene at two breakfasts at the Berg home.

How ever it went down (and I’m inclined to believe that Bernstein approached Helene Berg) it’s a great story.  And I intend to make that my new excuse for turning people down.  You want me to come to your solo contrabasoon recital?  No can do–Alban sagte nein.  Want me to do an arrangement of “My Heart Will Go On” for flute and acoustic guitar?  Ooh, I’d love to, but Alban sagte nein.