MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Pete Yorn

(Credit: Gregg Delman/MTV)

+ Ever the smart businessman, Snoop Dogg has just released some sick headphones (the only ones available with in-ear subwoofers), in partnership with music accessory outfit Skullcandy. Gotta make that meezy, fo' sheezy. (HipHop Wired)

+ Lady Gaga does the cover of OUT magazine (along with an amazing photo spread and accompanying article), and when we say "does it," we mean she blows it out. of the effing. water. Don't walk... RUN! (OUT)

+ Guitar god Les Paul passed away today, leaving tons of musicians and music lovers worldwide mourning the loss of a genius inventor and performer. (E! Online)

+ Electro duo La Roux announced today that their next single will be "I'm Not Your Toy." We're kind of in love with this band, and my boyfriend hates me because of it. Overshare? Oh, you just WAIT... (NME)

+ Remind us again why Scarlett Johansson is trying to have a singing career? Probably the same reason Beyonce is trying to have an acting career. Watch this just-released video in which, regardless of whether or not she can sing she looks insanely hot, for "Relator" with Pete Yorn to refresh your memory. (PopSugar)

+ We love Fefe Dobson (remember "Take Me Away?"). Evidently she put on a smoldering show at NYC's Mercury Lounge (performing new tracks like "I Want You" mixed with some old favorites) last night. We love what this girl stands for: sticking it to the man and doing things her way. Let's hope this time around her label will keep her on the payroll for a while. (Neon Limelight)

Tags Fefe Dobson, La Roux, Lady Gaga, Les Paul, Pete Yorn, Scarlett Johansson, Snoop Dogg

Personas are important, but they're distracting. I'm thinking of Pink, in particular, who has done so much to define herself as a wild-haired rocker bad-ass, that it's easy to totally overlook the fact that she's also super talented. In other words, it can be hard to hear -- over all the hollering and snarling she's rightfully famous for -- that Pink can sing like nobody's business.

Butch Walker looks real tough, too, but he's another story altogether. He's been chipping away at the music industry since the mid '80s, working as a songwriter, producer and a member of several successful bands. He's played pop metal, glam, and straight up rock with bands like SouthGang and Marvelous 3, never restricting himself to any particular genre. Between gigs he's made records for artists as diverse as Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan, Hot Hot Heat, Pete Yorn, The Academy Is..., The Cab and, wouldn't you know it, Pink.

Outside of the studio, Butch and Pink (who share a motorcycle obsession, among other things) have been drinking buddies for ages. He played her "Here Comes The..." way back, when he first wrote it, and she was instantly smitten. Told Butch that if and when he ever recorded it, she wanted to take care of the harmonies for him. When the time came, that's exactly what she did.

In his latest effort, a solo stint that's produced a record called Sycamore Meadows, Butch Walker plays boozy, drawling rock, true to his Georgia roots. "Here Comes The...," the album's second single, is a rollicking bar room reel. And, although Pink doesn't appear in the hilariously weird mannequin-love video below, she carries the tune with backing vocals that ooze old-country soul. By checking her persona at the door, Pink lets previously overshadowed talent shine through, possibly ushering in a new direction for her music and a more solid identity for Butch Walker's.

Tags Avril Lavigne, Butch Walker, Hot Hot Heat, Lindsay Lohan, Marvelous 3, Pete Yorn, Pink, SouthGang, The Academy Is, The Cab

Are you getting tired of all the music headlines going to new Brooklyn bands? I bet you the players in Los Angeles' thriving scene are way over it. Why's everybody always talking about Brooklyn when the West Coast boasts a dream team of new talent, turning out a steady stream of polished, moody rock?

Although the rap game gets L.A. plenty of love, lackadaisical, harmony-laden smog-pop hasn't had a true moment since The Beach Boys and The Mamas And Papas ruled the late '60s. But that has been changing, slowly but surely, thanks to the radio dominance of a new class of sun-bleached bands.

Get acquainted with the new L.A. sound in the video playlist below, featuring laid back, perma-tan jams from Jenny Lewis, Earlimart, Silversun Pickups, Pete Yorn, Beck, The Watson Twins, Cold War Kids, The Mars Volta, Incubus, Brett Dennen and many more. It's mellow. Whatever.

Tags Beck, Brett Dennen, Cold War Kids, Earlimart, Incubus, Jenny Lewis, Pete Yorn, Silversun Pickups, The Beach Boys, The Mamas And Papas, The Mars Volta, The Watson Twins