Questo from the Roots was at an LA Grammy party this past weekend where Radiohead performed. It looks like the band’s front man was having lots of fun up on stage as Questo was quoted in saying “haaaaaaaa! thom yorke is jammin! he dancin like a muppet on acid. i love it. how he got more soul than 10 of post modern rnb artists?” If that was the case, I bet everyone at that party had just as much fun as those two rockers. Radiohead performed at the 2009 Annual Grammy Awards the next night with the USC marching band.

The creative force behind the rise of rock band Evanescence, with hits “Bring Me to Life” and “The Fallen”, songwriter Ben Moody has taken his love for the music in a new direction; as head of the new, artist-centered label, FNR Records.

Since his departure from Evanescence in 2003, Moody has collaborated with some of the hottest stars in the music business; the established and the up-and-comers. His song-writing and producing credits include working with Avril Lavigne on her second release Under My Skin, penning “Nobody’s Home”, “This Time” with Celine Dion, “What About Now” from Chris Daughtry, and Moody co-wrote and produced the smash hit, “Because of You” with David Hodges for Kelly Clarkson. The reason for Moody’s new direction, FNR Records, is simple, he states, “after going to such great lengths to protect the integrity of a project during the creative process, it seemed almost sinful to let the major label monster destroy it.”

In order to live up to its credo of protecting the creative artists, FNR Records first client is a young, Montana native, Hana Pestle; an alternative rock/acoustic solo artist. Pestle’s sound carries a unique blend of influences as diverse as Radiohead, Sarah Mclachlan, and the Cranberries. Hana Pestle is now touring the Midwest, performing her songs, “These Two Hands”, “Just a Phase” and her own haunting rendition of “Hallelujah”.

Moody was instantly taken in by Pestle’s voice, “It only took Hana singing one song and I was sold . . . I have never in my life been more in awe of such a breathtaking natural talent.”

Radiohead may not be getting much support from the big name record labels right now but they sure are getting a lot of support from the big name Hollywood actors. Brad Pitt met up with his ?Fight Club? co-star Edward Norton to catch the band in concert together at Civica Arena in Milan, Italy last Wednesday night. Norton commented on their support for the band saying ?Brad and I had a mutual fixation on the second two Radiohead albums.? Marianne Pearl, a friend of Brad and Angelina Jolie?s, was also at the concert. Angelina played Pearl in 2007?s ?A Mighty Heart?.

Ashlee Simpson recently sat down for an interview for a celebrity news website where she talks about her new hair color, the latest fashions, her song obsessions and other topics of conversation. The singer/actress is said to be in love with Radiohead these days saying ?I love the new Radiohead record. I listen to it all the time.?

Ashlee also has plans to continue her acting career saying ?I?m definitely interested in going back to acting but it?s all about choosing the right roles. I don?t want to take on a lead character right now or anything. The cool thing about being an actress is you can be a chameleon and you can choose all of these interesting roles.?

In Rainbows, as a title, implies a sense of comfort and delightfulness. Symbolically, rainbows are more likely to be associated with kittens and warm blankets than the grim and glum circumstances Radiohead are known for sound tracking.

Surprisingly, some of the album?s lyrics are even more personal/universal and straightforward than anything on The Eraser, the album made by Thom Yorke and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. ?I?m an animal trapped in your hot car,? from ?All I Need,? has to be one of the saddest, most open-hearted metaphors used to express unrequited love.

This effective weaving of disparate elements ? lyrical expressions commonly associated with the band, mixed in with ones suited for everyday love ballads ? goes for the music as well. The album is very song-oriented, with each track constantly moving forward and developing, yet there are abstract electronic layers and studio-as-instrument elements to prevent it from sounding like a regression.