Jet worked with one of rock's eight great wonders, Iggy Pop, when the pair teamed up in 2008 to record a version of the classic 'Wild One.' But having recently gone through some personal issues, the band found inspiration for staying together from other rock stalwarts. "Something that's sort of closer to us in terms of a band going through a lot of their own problems and staying together would be the Rolling Stones," Jet drummer Chris Cester tells Spinner.

As proof, he looks no further than the band's most resilient member. "You've got Keith Richards -- how is he still alive? He's like a cat, it's just insane, I don't understand," Cester says. "But that's what a band is. It just has to keep going."

Cultural nostalgia has a 15-year-cycle for a reason -- it takes about that long for teenagers to grow up and create art that reflects their youth. Not to say that Billy Talent's ferocious new album 'Billy Talent III' sounds dated, but both the record and the rockers behind it are heavily influenced by the "alternative" revolution that roared through the early 1990s.

"It was a beautiful time to be a teenager," says Billy Talent's lead singer Ben Kowalewicz. "To look at all the bands -- Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Green Day -- that's pretty insane to think about. Those are still the bands that everyone turns to now. They set the precedent."

For their third major release, Billy Talent (which includes guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk) didn't just pay lip service to their past. They actually hired legendary producer Brendan O'Brien, the man behind the boards for countless alt-era classics by bands like Rage, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Pearl Jam has confirmed reports that the band will team with Target to assist in the distribution of their upcoming studio album, which is expected this fall and rumored to be titled 'Backspacer.' Last week, the band -- who are no longer under contract to Sony -- filmed a commercial for the big box retailer at Seattle's Showbox Theatre with director Cameron Crowe.

In addition to Target, deals are signed or pending with an online retailer, mobile partner, a gaming company and a network of independent record stores.

"Target ended up allowing us to have other partners," Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis told Billboard. "We'll be able to take care of all levels of the Pearl Jam fan," says Curtis. "We wish we could tell the whole story right now, but all the deals aren't done. Target was cool enough to realize that little independent record stores are not their competition."

Austin City Limits has announced the line-up for their eighth annual shindig in, you guessed it, Austin, TX. And the headliners are (you guessed it): Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and the Beastie Boys. If you're feeling deja vu, we're with you on that one -- San Francisco's Outside Lands recently announced those exact three headliners. Additionally, the Beastie Boys are headed to this year's Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza (while Pearl Jam has anchored both of those in the recent past).

What separates all of these festivals are the mid-level bands and that's where ACL stays true to its beginnings as an outgrowth from the PBS television series of the same name. In addition to the ubiquitous festival heavy-hitters -- Thievery Corp., Michael Franti and Spearhead, Kings of Leon, Ben Harper and the Relentless7, Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) -- ACL boasts more than 100 "other" bands, including non-commercial radio favorites such as Medeski, Martin and Wood, Andrew Bird, the Avett Brothers, DeVotchKa and Dr. Dog. Singer-songwriters are again in full force, and this time include Bon Iver, Brett Dennen, Todd Snider and John Vanderslice. Local favorites Ghostland Observatory return, alongside first timers Dead Weather (Jack White's latest) and John Legend. Other acts of particular note: the Levon Helm Band, the B-52's, Lily Allen, the Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys and Sonic Youth.

Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and the Beastie Boys will headline the second annual Outside Lands, which returns to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, for three days beginning August 28. Other notable performers include Incubus, M.I.A., Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, Black Eyed Peas and a highly-anticipated set by Jack White's newest band Dead Weather (featuring members of the Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age and the Kills).

In addition to the music and the historic setting, Outside Lands will expand upon last year's ancillary installations, all of which showcase Northern California's specialties (via a wine-tasting barn, an eco-village and a technology corridor, err, tent.)

Although Kurt Cobain trashed Pearl Jam when he was alive – blaming them in 1992 for "pioneering a corporate, alternative and cock-rock fusion" – singer Eddie Vedder thinks that the late Nirvana frontman would have changed his tune.

"I don't think Kurt understood us at the time, but we became friends and I'm glad we had some of the great conversations we had," Vedder told The Sun while promoting expanded reissues of the band's 1991 debut 'Ten.' "I don't talk too much about him in respect to Krist [Novoselic] and Dave [Grohl] and I know he said that early stuff about not liking us."

Nearly 20 years out from the heyday of grunge, Vedder looks back at the Nirvana-Pearl Jam rivalry with a different twist. "There's a couple of complimentary things that he said in public about me as a human being, which I'm proud exist," he explains. "If Kurt were around today, I know he'd say to me, 'Well, you turned out OK.'"

Vedder also revealed that Pearl Jam is halfway through making its ninth studio album. "It's taken two weeks to get halfway there and that's writing it from the bottom up, so we'll see how long it takes to finish it," the singer says. "We will be playing shows. One of us is having a baby next year, so there'll be no touring then, so we have to get it done this year."

The Rules for Battle: Each week, we pit versions of the same song by two different artists in a head-to-head death match for musical supremacy. (Sometimes it will be the original recording vs. a cover version; other times it will be two different covers.) Then it's up to you to decide: Listen to and vote on which version you think should emerge victorious and which should be sent packing. May the best band win!



The Song: 'Can't Help Falling in Love' (original version by Elvis Presley)

The Contestants: Ingrid Michaelson vs. Pearl Jam

In This Corner -- Ingrid Michaelson: There's a good chance you'll have heard this flame-haired Staten Islander's clear and pleasant voice on TV shows like 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'One Tree Hill.' But don't be fooled, she's not just a background sound hound, she's a hardened Hotel Cafe veteran and recently supported Mr. Jason Mraz
on his fall 2008 tour. Have a listen and see if she sets your heartstrings aflutter.

Ingrid Michaelson, 'Can't Help Falling in Love (Live at Daytrotter)'


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