PJ Harvey and the Wu-Tang Clan are the latest additions to the inaugural Oxegen Festival, to be held July 10-11 at Punchestown Racecourse in Kildare, Ireland. The event will mark the live Irish debut of the Wu-Tang Clan, although it is unclear which members of the hip-hop collective will appear. Also confirmed for the two-day event are the Darkness, David Bowie, Pink, the Strokes, Kings Of Leon and the Chemical Brothers.The festival is the fourth live date on PJ Harvey's summer schedule, including previously announced appearances set for May 29 at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona and June 23 in Paris. The Polly Jean Harvey-led group is also confirmed to play the Music in My Head Festival June 11 in The Hague, Holland. The group's first new album since 2000 is expected from Island later this year.
-- Nick Kelly, Dublin
The next installment of CMT's "Crossroads" will feature singer/songwriter John Mayer and country star Brad Paisley. The artists will perform solo and in collaboration at a March 30 taping in New York. No airdate has yet been announced. Recent "Crossroads" episodes have paired Dave Matthews with Emmylou Harris, John Mellencamp with Kenny Chesney and Pat Benatar with Martina McBride.Mayer is winding down a U.S. tour, which wraps March 28 in Green Bay, Wis. From there, he will play nine dates in Australia and New Zealand through April 22. Paisley begins an extensive tour April 27 in Arcadia, Fla., with dates booked into October.
-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
An acoustic John Lee Hooker performance captured more than half a century ago in the Detroit home of cartoonist Gene Deitch will be released May 4 by Eagle Rock Entertainment. "Jack O'Diamonds (1949 Recordings)" was recorded by Deitch as the late blues great performed in his dining room during a private gathering. Among the songs is a take on Richard Jones' "Trouble in Mind" and the traditional "Two White Horses," as well as Hooker's own "Catfish Blues" and "Come and See About Me."The latter also serves as the title for a new Hooker video release due May 18 from Eagle Rock. "Come & See About Me - The Definitive DVD" combines interviews and live Hooker performances. The footage begins with his performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival and continues through 1989. Among the many guests captured in performance with Hooker are Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Carlos Santana and the Rolling Stones.
-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
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