Grinderman Break Up: Nick Cave Announces 'It's Over' at Festival Gig

Deirdre O Callaghan

Nick Cave never struck us as the sentimental type, but it was still surprising to hear how abruptly he announced that his Bad Seeds side project Grinderman are finished.

The singer broke the news at the end of the group's performance at the Meredith Music Festival in Victoria, Australia: "That's it for Grinderman. It's over," Cave said. "See you all in another 10 years when we'll be even older and uglier."

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Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino Clears the Air About Drummer's Firing

Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Global Green

Last week, drummer Ali Koehler announced via Twitter that she was no longer a part of grunge-pop outfit Best Coast. "Cat's outta the bag, I'm not in Best Coast anymore," she wrote before linking out to a Hipsterrunoff post detailing the split.

Koehler, who left Vivian Girls to join Best Coast, added that the departure was "not my choice." In response to a fan query as to why she was terminated, Koehler replied, "Your guess is as good as mine."

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Deadmau5 Mocks Latest Death Hoax: 'Thought We Had All Agreed on Acid...'

Mark Davis, Getty Images

Deadmau5 is not dead. Again. He is dead funny, though.

The superstar DJ also known as Joel Zimmerman woke up Monday morning to yet another death hoax making its way through the twittersphere (and one gullible Australian music news site) after pranksters altered his Wikipedia page to read: "On December 11, 2011, a day after performing at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards Joel collapsed in his hotel room in Los Angeles due to exhaustion and apparent Alcohol intoxication."

Whomever edited this wiki got pretty darn detailed, considering it allegedly happened only hours earlier, writing: "After friends attempted to enter his room but were unable to get a response, they reportedly called his phone, then asked management to open the door after he didn't answer. They found him on the floor, not breathing. He was subsequently rushed to the emergency room and pronounced dead on arrival."

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Meaghan Smith Is Wishing for a 'Christmas Kiss' This Holiday Season

Nettwerk Records

On stage at the Rivoli, a tiny club on Toronto's hip Queen St. strip, Halifax, NS, singer-songwriter Meaghan Smith does her best to inject Yuletide spirit into a room full of big-city hipsters. With only a single guitarist as accompaniment, Smith -- looking more Zooey Deschanel than Mrs. Claus in her high black boots and vintage lace dress -- serves up modern renditions of holiday classic and self-penned contemporary Christmas tunes from her latest release, 'It Snowed.'

Smith's 2010 debut, 'The Crickets Orchestra,' won accolades from old-time jazz aficionados and electro-pop fans alike, and helped her snag a Juno Award for Best New Artist. A holiday-themed record might seem like a strange follow-up, but if you love the holidays as much as Smith, it's a no-brainer.

"I try not to be annoying, but I'm one of those people that start thinking about Christmas in January," she tells Spinner.

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10 Hilarious Tour-Rider Demands

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Rock stars have needs, too. But when you're used to getting pretty much everything you want, your needs might get a bit weird.

Below, you can find some of the funniest, most bizarre concert-rider demands, ranging from condoms and bacon to toy robots and something referred to as "fish ice." Find out who wants what in Spinner's gallery of tour demands!

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Adele Named Artist of the Year by iTunes + Billboard, Says She's Ready to Find Love

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Adele can't lose. After a year of dominating our hearts, minds and charts, the ubiquitous singer has moved on to topping year-end lists all over the place. As The Insider reports, her latest coup comes courtesy of iTunes and Billboard, whose album and singles charts she led with '21' and 'Rolling in the Deep,' respectively. Making it even clearer that 2011 is the year Adele will not be denied, both iTunes and Billboard named her Artist of the Year.

The singer, who has been rendered temporarily mute while convalescing from throat surgery, has cancelled all touring engagements for the remainder of the year. "I'm thrilled to top the iTunes album and song charts for 2011 and to be iTunes Artist of the Year is just amazing," she said in a statement.

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Sinead O'Connor Posts Raunchy Wedding Announcement -- Read It Here

Splash News

As Spinner previously reported, Sinead O'Connor married for the fourth time at a Las Vegas chapel. The 'Nothing Compares 2 U' singer and her boyfriend Barry Herridge were hitched in a quickie ceremony on the Strip, and left in a pink Cadillac (check out all the photos courtesy of Huffington Post Weddings). Now O'Connor is letting her fans know just how the couple are doing since proclaiming their touching nuptials -- and it's probably exactly what you'd expect from her.

"Dear friends ... amongst whom I include whomever may be reading this with a view to writing about the glorious marriage," the newly wed writes on her website. "Am blogging this cus media people are naturally seeking me. On Sunday I will put up blog on whole day. Too glorious for words. For now though, as you will appreciate, it's a bit of a 'Can't. Talk. C--k. In. Mouth'. Situation. Xxx."

If that isn't raunchy enough, O'Connor's full update on Sunday will probably end up being NSFW. The singer has swung back into the spotlight this year after a series of manic tweets that covered everything from sex solicitation to suicide. O'Connor is reportedly feeling much better and is quite enthralled with her new beau.

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The Tea Party on Auctioning Teaparty.com to Ideological Foes for $500K Minimum

Courtesy of the Tea Party

When Stuart Chatwood, bassist/keyboardist/webmaster for Canadian rockers the Tea Party, registered the band's domain name back in 1993 -- so deep into the past that Google didn't exist -- there's no way he could have foreseen the controversy that now surrounds www.TeaParty.com.

Nowadays sought-after domain names can sell for small fortunes -- and Chatwood and his newly reunited band are sitting on a potential goldmine as America's Tea Party movement tries to acquire the URL. The band's asking price: a minimum bid of US$500,000.

"Since we separated I've had a very successful solo career so I'm quite comfortable financially," frontman Jeff Martin tells Spinner, insisting the decision to sell off the site isn't a cash grab despite, of course, hiring online broker Sedo to field potential offers.

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Karen O Married: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Singer Weds Director Barnaby Clay

Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images

The term "settled down" probably isn't quite right, but ever-excitable, unpredictable rock 'n' roll high priestess Karen O has married longtime boyfriend Barnaby Clay, Us Weekly reports.

Appearing earlier this week at a launch party for an art exhibition in New York City, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer revealed the big news, later confirmed by her rep.

"I'm a married woman," said O, whose real name is Karen Lee Orzolek.

A noted film and music-video director, Clay was behind the camera for Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan's 'Saw Something,' Gnarles Barkley's 'Who Cares' and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Zero,' among other high-profile clips.

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Gaslight Anthem Rock with Bruce Springsteen in Asbury Park, N.J.

Cory Schwartz, Getty Images

The "Bruuuce" birds flocked to the boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J., on Friday night (Dec. 9), calling for the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, to rear his head after each of the first 18 songs the Gaslight Anthem played at Convention Hall in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.

And as the roadie appeared from the shadowy wings of the stage, microphone stand in hand, a sudden hush fell over the sold-out congregation. The moment they'd been calling for since the punk collective opened with 'Great Expectations' more than 60-minutes prior was unfolding before them -- the silence before the storm.

"We didn't forget where we came from," said Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon, addressing the assemblage in a fashion reminiscent of Springsteen's holiday-themed playfulness in the E Street Band's famed live rendition of 'Santa Clause Is Coming Town.' "Want me to me see if he's back there? Alright, I'll check it out."

Clad in brown leather bomber jacket, Springsteen emerged from the backstage area and, like a rock 'n' roll Saint Nicholas with a six-string strapped to his back in place of a toy sack, he shouted two words: "Merry Christmas!"

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Robyn on 'SNL': Mesmerizing Mix of Singing, Dancing and Spandex

Jon Kopaloff, FilmMagic

Katy Perry has been getting plenty of Internet love for her hosting turn last night (Dec. 10) on 'Saturday Night Live,' but she wasn't the only female pop star who threw down on the broadcast. Joining her as musical guest was Robyn, and in her pair of performances, the Swedish diva sang and danced up a storm, reminding the world why sparkly spandex pants aren't just for Olympic figure skaters and bobsledders.

Robyn offered up two songs: the Grammy-nominated 'Call Your Girlfriend' and 'Dancing On My Own.' On the former, she showed why she's the rare dance-pop artist that indie peeps can get behind. Backed by two drummers, she worked it in stretch pants and platform boots, at one point following a backward tumble with a quick series of floor-humping pelvic thrusts.

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