Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele sure did steam up The Hotbox during last week’s CMJ events. We knew this guy was a charmer, but honestly who else can pull off a rhyme like “I’m going to love you for all time/ I’ll kiss you and I’ll hug you, that’s no lie?” Prettttty smooth. If we had a chance to make this video all over again, we would place lead-singer Dent May in the bathtub, make bubbles with the available conditioners, light some candles, and give him a tropical drink adorned with a little umbrella from which he might  leisurely sip. And the ukulele? Well, that would just play itself in a corner safe from water and fire damage.

Which aging rock star is willing to lend a hand to the guy who played music on the front lawn of Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete? Evidently every person who ever touched a guitar in the 1990’s. Many big name indie rock stars have signed up for the Ciao, To My Shining Star tribute album for Mark Mulcahy, lead singer of Miracle Legion and Polaris, so that he can continute to make music and feed his family (as a single dad after his wife’s death a year ago). Amongst the contributors are Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, and Dinosaur Jr—all playing covers of original Mark Mulcahy songs. The track list looks sweet, and for those of us who remember Michael Stipe as the ice cream man on that one episode of Pete & Pete, this all feels like some good karma in the making.

01 Thom Yorke – “All For The Best”
02 The National – “Ashamed Of The Story I Told”
03 Michael Stipe – “Everything’s Coming Undone”
04 David Berkeley – “Loves The Only Thing That Shuts Me Up”
05 Dinosaur Jr. – “The Backyard”
06 Chris Harford & Mr Ray Neal – “Micon The Icon”
07 Frank Black – “Bill Jocko”
08 Vic Chesnutt – “Little Man”
09 Unbelievable Truth – “Ciao My Shining Star”
10 Butterflies Of Love – “I Have Patience”
11 Chris Collingwood (Fountains Of Wayne) – “Cookie Jar”
12 Frank Turner – “The Quiet One”
13 Rocket From The Tombs – “In Pursuit Of Your Happiness”
14 Ben Kweller – “Wake Up Whispering”
15 Josh Rouse – “I Woke Up In The Mayflower”
16 Autumn Defense – “Paradise”
17 Hayden -”Happy Birthday Yesterday”
18 Juliana Hatfield – “We’re Not In Charleston Anymore”
19 Mercury Rev – “Sailors And Animals”
20 Elvis Perkins – “She Watches Over Me”
21 Sean Watkins – “A World Away From This One”

To listen to the original title track, go to Mulcahy’s myspace.

Extreme skaters/bikers/walkers/livers-of-life get stoked! Pearl Jam is teaming up with Fuel TV to grant die-hard fans the chance to shred some boardage in a fan-created music video for “Porch,” off of the re-issued Ten. Angsty middle-schoolers across the country have a remarkable opportunity to get creative and discover a benchmark in the history of rock and roll music. However, the majority of entries will probably come from 30- year-old white dudes who finally have an excuse to dust off their grinding plates and wear even more flannel than they already do. All Pearl Jam asks is that you send them some video footage of you doing something extreme. TEN winners will be featured in the video alongside pros like Chris Martin, Brad Harper, and Nolan Lee. And for the bros who are not selected, the booby prize is Rockband for XBox 360, which for us aging Pearl Jam fans, may turn out to be easier on the ole’ knees than sk8ing.

Get your tricks into Fuel TV before July 18th!