We were super-excited when we got the chance to talk with Alex Ross, the New Yorker's resident classical music critic (and blogger). Ross's writing has profoundly affected the way we think about music and music writing in all its genres and forms, and his twin enthusiasm for new classical music of the 21st century along with his deep love of the profoundly musical Icelandic pixie that is Björk always liven up our weekly periodicals reading......

Last year's phenomenal lineup of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival earned it one of our esteemed 'Fistie Awards for Best Musical Event, for being both amazing and free of charge. They've just announced the line-up for this year's fest, taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 6, 7 & 8 in Golden Gate Park. Highlights include Elvis Costello, Alejandro Escovedo, Linda Ronstadt, Drive-By Truckers, Emmylou Harris and many, many more. Check out the full......

The irrepressible Mr. P.J. Corkery asks the question on everyone's mind -- what's on Gavin Newsom's iPod? Well, after some hemming and hawing ("I don't have time to download 99 cent tunes," "this iPod is just like being a mayor -- lots of diverse music!", "the acoustics in my mayor's office are great! I don't like earphones"), Newsom coyly reveals the following:

So I've got Andrea Bocelli ... Sade ... Jerry Garcia, of course ... Emmylou Harris ... Alanis Morissette ... AC/DC ... Prince ... John Mayer ... Gosh, there's a lot of country music here... John Mellencamp ... Linda Ronstadt ... John Denver ... Placido Domingo ... Rascal Flatts. ... Jane's Addiction. Lots of Jane's Addiction. ...

Maybe Nancy Pelosi is getting a little too comfortable with the support in her district. Seems that while on the congressional delegation to attend the funeral for the Pope, she made nice with Democratic Party uber-villain Tom DeLay. The Hill reports that she even presented him with a cake for his 58th birthday on the flight back from Rome (in the same piece they note that Linda Ronstadt is invited to the wedding of......

We're a little late on this, but mazel tov to newly-affianced Mayor Jerry Brown of Oakland and his girlfriend of 15 years, Gap executive Anne Gust! (We apologize for using the picture of Jerry Brown with ex Linda Ronstadt, but Linda is apparently getting an invitation to the wedding so we figure it's all good.) Brown proposed on Gust's birthday two weeks ago, in their loft on Telegraph Avenue, after he cooked her a romantic dinner of BBQ chicken and peas. He was so excited he hadn't even bought a ring yet! Awwwwwww. It's a first wedding for them both. They're tentatively planning for a June 2005 wedding. Guess if you're the mayor, you don't have to worry so much about the year-long wait lists at popular Oaktown wedding spots like the rest of us. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will officiate (here's hoping she doesn't accidentally sell Brown and Gust out to the right wing in the process). And no registry -- all gifts should be sent to the Oakland School of the Arts. Cynics may say that this may have something to do with the fact that Jerry's planning on running for attorney general next year -- but we're choosing to see it solely as a move for love! Most importantly, though, Jerry! Are you going to go the route of all engaged bloggers and fill up your blogspot account with long accounts of trying on shoes and cake tastings and ofotos of fabric swatches? We can't wait! ...