Smashing Pumpkins are hiring… again.  The band’s bassist Ginger Pooley recently split so that she may raise her child with her husband.  Lead singer Billy Corgan says, “Although I am heartbroken that Ginger is leaving the group, I really respect her decision to put family first. I appreciate everything that she has contributed to The Smashing Pumpkins, and I’m proud of her for being such a great musician and friend.”  The group is also on the hunt for a new keyboardist who says Corgan, “is a fan of — and can play in the prog-rock style of — Jon Lord and Rick Wakeman.”  If you want in, email your information including your age, previous band exeperince as well as any photos or performance web links to pumpkinsbass@gmail.com or pumpkinskeys@gmail.com. Only musicians with video clips will be considered. The deadline for submissions is March 31st.

The new video from She & Him In the Sun is absolutely precious.  Singer and actress Zooey Deschanel provesow delightful she is again as she dances her way through the clip.  The vid is an obvious nod to High School Musical and Glee but is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Is Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos heading to musicals? According to NME, the Scottish singer hopes to write a musical. He wants the theatrical piece to be about a modern day celebrity, but kept his dream celeb subject for the musical mum. Franz Ferdinand is currently on tour in Australia.  But he now says in a Twitter posting, quote, “I’m not writing a bloody musical. I was talking about an idea I had for one. Doesn’t mean I’m going to write it.” In another tweet Kapranos adds, quote, “I had an idea for a Sit-Com in a Russian abattoir. I’m not writing that either. Or the Sci-Fi movie script “Time Bin.”"

Beastie Boys are set to release Hot Sauce Committee, Pt 1 this September.  The album was originally set to be released in 2009 but was put on hiatus when Adam “MCA” Yauch was diagnosed with cancer last summer.  Yauch told EW.com, It was touch and go there for a while, but I am finally getting my energy back.” MCA also noted that the group may re-examine the album prior to release to ensure they are still satisfied with the end product.

There were rumors about Phish putting out a concert film and now, those reports have been confirmed.  The band made it official that Phish 3D: The Movie will come out next month.  It will feature concert footage shot during all eight of the group’s Festival 8 sets from last October.  Trailers for the flick will air before Alice in Wonderland 3D screenings and you can learn more at Phish3DMovie.com.

Dave Grohl has told BBC 6 Music that the Foo Fighters will begin recording their new album in September. The Foo frontman says the band has begun the writing process and will enter the studio this fall. Grohl is also set to record a new Them Crooked Vultures album by the end of summer. Stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, Radiohead is setting the record straight on an email circulated to fans claiming to have the title and track listing for the band’s upcoming album. The band said in a statement, “Most of it is made up and there is no album title.”

Mark Linkous, the front man for the band Sparklehorse has committed suicide.  Rolling Stone reports that his family has confirmed the death and its’ cause.  The family said, “We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a start for you.”  Linkous was briefly pronounced dead in 1996 after ingesting a mix of Valium and antidepressants, but he recovered crippled from the incident. He continued to record music over the years, and most recently teamed with Danger Mouse and David Lynch on the “Dark Night Of The Soul” album. The disc was shelved last year due to legalities, but last week it was revealed that Danger Mouse and EMI had worked out the issues and the CD would finally arrive later this year. Linkous had reportedly been wrapping up a new album at the time of his death

The group Broken Bells is a great experiment according to the group’s collaborators.  Broken Bells member Danger Mouse told ChartAttack.com that their debut album came along in a logical manner.  Danger Mouse said, “We didn’t go into the studio thinking, ‘We’re going to make this kind of record.’ It was definitely more of us just going around and seeing what felt right. We went in without any songs, we just went in, discussed and within an hour or so we had the skeleton of our first song.”  The self-titled debut from Broken Bells hits stores on March 9^th.

CMT, MTV and VH1 are bringing back the award-winning music series Unplugged with eight new episodes, which will begin rolling out online on March 10^th with VH1’s Unplugged: Adam Lambert.  Upcoming Unplugged episodes include sets from Phoenix, The Script and Reba McEntire.

The British act Mumford & Sons are coming back to the states.  The band has just unveiled a North American tour.  The group will start things off in Montreal on May 13^th and wrap up at Bonnaroo 2010.  You can also catch Mumford & Sons in Washington DC at the 9:30 club on May 20^th.  Their album Sigh No More is also the Acoustic Sunrise CD of the Month.

Fans of the White Stripes can head over to RollingStone.com now to see a clip from the band’s new tour doc. The video features the duo blazing through “Death Letter.” The tour documentary, Under the Great White Northern Lights, is being screened at cinemas across the world this week. Visit WhiteStripes.com for details.

On Tuesday, Weezer will make an unusual appearance on the kids show Yo Gabba Gabba. The band will be performing a track titled All My Friends Are Insects on the “Bug” episode. The show will also feature a special remix from Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker. Details are at YoGabbaGabba.com now

Smashing Pumpkins released “A Stitch in Time” on SmashingPumpkins.com this week.  The track is the latest from Billy Corgan’s Teargarden By Kaleidyscope project. It’s the third song from the series, which features 44 tunes, all of which will be released for free. Corgan said of the track, “The song came in during a stream of consciousness moment while sitting backstage at a Pumpkins concert.”

Next Tuesday an album of never released tracks from Jimi Hendrix hits stores.  Valleys of Neptune is being released by Legacy Recordings on behalf of Experience Hendrix.  You can stream the album online here for free.  Experience Hendrix is also re-releasing the entire Jimi Hendrix catalog in deluxe CD/DVD and 180 gram vinyl editions this month.

Alice In Chains now have a complete comic book, compiled from fan-generated chapters that continue the story from the “Your Decision” video. The five winning chapters can be viewed as a PDF download by clicking here. As part of a contest, fans were able to submit ideas that extended the plot — and the debauchery — from the video, and the five most chosen picks were then turned into the comic. The grand prize winner is also receiving a trip to meet the band and watch their New York performance next Tuesday.

It seems Jane’s Addiction bassist Eric Avery has quit the band. Avery posted on Twitter saying, “That’s it. With equal parts regret and relief, the Jane’s Addiction experiment is at an end.” Avery was reluctant to reunite with the band in 2008 and didn’t take part in their 1997 and 2001 reunions. Reports from Spinner claim that the three remaining members of the group are working on new material with a mystery bassist who is rumored to be Velvet Revolver and ex-Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan.

Bonnaroo 2010 might be months away but you can experience music from the festival’s past for free.  The event is teaming up with HeadCount, and the NRDC Action Fund to pass upcoming climate change legislation in the U.S. Senate.  When you sign up to support the bill you can receive the Best of Bonnaroo compilation.  Check out the track listing, sign-up, download, then enjoy!

Best of Bonnaroo:

01 Wilco: “Bull Black Nova”
02 Pearl Jam: “Animal”
03 Jack Johnson: “Inaudible Melodies”
04 Dave Matthews Band: “Rapunzel”
05 Death Cab for Cutie: “Cath…”
06 Ani DiFranco: “Fuel”
07 Phish: “Kill Devil Falls”
08 Gov’t Mule: “Banks of the Deep End”
09 O.A.R.: “Delicate Few”
10 moe.: “Not Coming Down”
11 Raphael Saadiq: “100 Yard Dash”
12 Bob Weir & RatDog: “Throwing Stones”
13 The Disco Biscuits: “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night”
14 The Decemberists: “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid”
15 My Morning Jacket: “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” (Velvet Underground cover)
16 Guster: “Happier”
17 Phil Lesh and Friends: “Box of Rain”

Rooney bassist Matt Winter is leaving the band and heading to school.  Winter posted on the Rooney Web Site why he’s quitting the group to, “continue my education and become a doctor. Whereas I once wanted nothing more than to tune-out the world and play with my friends, I now feel an obligation to move on and tackle new goals.  I have a huge amount of time that needs to be made-up, but that is a tiny price to pay for the experiences I’ve had. To all the people who have supported my band, I appreciate your loyalty and passion for music more than you could ever understand.  The band will go on without me, and I am on the path to great happiness.”

Tonight, UK band Muse plays the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.  The opening band is Silversun Pickups.  Their drummer Christopher Guanlao tells Spinner.com that the band is ready for the challenge. He says, quote, “The bottom line is we want to play to as many people as we can play to. It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 people or 50-thousand. We want to do the best we possibly can and take the band as far as we could. If we can take it further, why not?”

Thom Yorke of Radiohead unveiled three new songs last week.  Yorke performed at Green Party candidate benefit in England.  The songs are titled, The Daily Mail, Give Up the Ghost, and Mouse Dog Bird.  The entire set was 19 songs long.