Cinematic Orchestra recently played a handful of shows in the States, culminating in a festival performance at Coachella, but the band tells Spinner that those shows were just a break for them from their latest project: scoring a Disney nature film. Bandleader Jason Swinscoe and bassist Phil France have been writing-to-picture, trying to tell a specific narrative through instrumental music while, at the same time, retaining Cinematic Orchestra's own style. The film is about flamingos.

Asked if they watched 'March of the Penguins' as part of their research for the score, Swinscoe tells Spinner, "I saw that in cinema when it came out and there are other films we were asked to reference which we're sort of staying away from." Swinscoe reasons that he doesn't want to get too influenced by typical theatrical scores. "The reason why we were asked to do this is because we have a brand. We have a sound," he says. "We don't want to fall into the world of hit composers."

Guess that rules out that tour with John Williams we were all hoping for.

There's not much behind the name Architecture in Helsinki, besides a relatively nice ring. "I've only been to Helsinki once, so I don't know much about the architecture there," frontman Cameron Bird admitted to Spinner. Bird came up with the name of the band as a "distant, abstract concept." He relocated to Brooklyn last year to record Architecture In Helsinki's latest album, 'Place Like This,' but now spends his time between both Brooklyn and Melbourne, Australia.

"Melbourne is only around 150 years old, so the buildings there are pretty colonial," he says. "There's a lot of sandstone and bluestone but other than that, Melbourne isn't a particularly beautiful architectural city. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has a lot of brownstones and I'm totally into that. It's beautiful."

We agree. It's just that Architecture In Brooklyn doesn't have the same ring to it.

Five years after the start of the Iraq war and following his own visit to the war zone for the filming of his 2004 documentary, 'I Know I'm Not Alone,' Spearhead's Michael Franti remains in the trenches fighting for peace (hey, isn't that an oxymoron?).

"It's never hard to get people to care but it's hard to get them to show up year after year after year," Franti -- who's forthcoming, rasta-fied album, 'All Rebel Rockers,' is dedicated to inspiring people to stay committed to the cause, whatever theirs might be -- tells Spinner. "There's the environmental crisis and wars that seemingly have no end, no budget and no limits and people are feeling unheard."

Franti's personal protest is the human cost of war, as profiled in his film, as well as in the recent 'Body of War,' for which he lent 'Light Up Ya Lighter' to the soundtrack. Meanwhile, Franti's atypically anti-partisan when it comes to the upcoming election. "This year everyone's asking me who I endorse and I say I don't endorse candidates, I endorse ideas," he says. But it's probably a safe bet the anti-war candidate will get his vote come November.

Until then, he's slammed, filming episodes of his info-packed video-shorts, 'FrantiV,' touring, organizing his now worldwide Power to the Peaceful festival, and performing at events like Earth Day L.A. and Common Ground Relief in New Orleans's Ninth Ward. Recently he turned up at L.A.'s Skirball Center (with his friend Zach de la Rocha, Lucinda Williams and others) to pay tribute to the grandpappy of protest, Bob Dylan, part of the museum's program accompanying the exhibit, 'Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966.'

The story of guitarist White Gold is a typical one in rock 'n' roll. As he tells it, White Gold was once a "ragged man [with] frail hair [and] scrawny muscles," until he encountered an angel who gave him a milk-filled guitar. Suddenly this weakling was transformed into a hunky bare-chested rock god with flowing hair. Together with sexy-looking female musicians Wholena and Skimberly, the bassist and drummer known as the Calcium Twins, White Gold extols the healthy virtues and benefits of milk through his bombastic funk rock music. "I consumed [and] transformed -- I went forth into rock history," he says.

But White Gold isn't an actual rock star though he sure plays like one with his macho singing and moves. He is the campy invention of the real-life advertising firm Goodby, Silverstein & Partners as part of the California Milk Processor Board's campaign to get younger people drinking more milk.

"I think we were tossing around ideas, [and] the phrase 'white gold' had been thrown around just as a neat name for milk," Goodby, Silverstein's Paul Charney, who, with Andrew Bancroft and Bryan Houlette, developed the campaign, tells Spinner. "What if there was a guy named White Gold who wanted to spread the word of milk through the power of song?"

The creative team drew inspiration from the movies 'This Is Spinal Tap' and 'Zoolander' in shaping the character. The presentation is as over-the-top as the music. In the video for 'One Gallon Axe,' White Gold levitates while playing his dairy-powered guitar; and in the 'Tame the White Tiger' video, he submerges into a river of milk.

"We wanted to create this guy who embodies the benefits of milk in a funny way," Charney says. "The idea that rock musicians has this beautiful flowing hair, this smile, this Axl Rose-body -- they got all this from milk."

Sara Quin -- one-half of the musical sister duo Tegan and Sara -- admits that she is both excited and nervous about their upcoming string of concert dates, a back-and-forth shuffle between their own headlining shows and stops on the Cyndi Lauper-led True Colors human rights concert tour. "Pretty much for the last three years, all we've done has been playing to our own crowds," she tells Spinner. "That is easy. In a weird way, you become weakened. You come out on stage and everyone loves you, you barely have to do anything. Even though I know the True Colors crowd is going to be amazing, I'm terrified because we haven't done any support stuff in so long. To support the tour and what it represents, though, you can't go wrong."

The band wanted to participate in last year's string of concert dates -- a series designed to raise awareness about discrimination against the gay, lesbian, bi and transgender communities -- but were in the studio recording their latest CD, 'The Con.' Quin admits that she followed the action on tour religiously. "I felt jealous," she jokes, "because I saw [Gossip frontwoman] Beth Ditto hanging out with Rosie and Cyndi Lauper and I wanted that love, I wanted the sunshine on me." Tegan and Sara have made plans to shake their set up significantly for the human rights tour. "We're gonna strip it all down and do pretty much alternative versions of everything. It could end up being really cool or a disaster. I want to give this crowd a different look at us -- to have people hear the songs in a different way."

When their touring dates are finished, Sara jokes that their summer will contain "beverages and bikinis," but in truth, they will be hard at work on other projects. "Tegan and I are both writing furiously for the next record," she says. "I have always felt like I was squeezing songs out of me slowly, but lately I've been writing a lot. We recently played a show with Death Cab For Cutie, where we talked with [guitarist/producer] Chris Walla who worked on our last record. We're pretty much signed up to work on our next record with him again."

Put variations of Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Linkin Park and Guns N' Roses on the same bill and you've got a serious rock show. Last Friday night, about a thousand lucky fans got to see just that as Slash and Cooper were honored for their sobriety by MusiCares.

Steven Tyler, who was on hand to present the From the Heart honor to Slash, talked to Spinner about their friendship before the show. "They opened up for us one night," he recalled. "We were backstage and I said, 'Listen you guys, we got like five years sober, so if you guys got anything on you and you bring it in my dressing room, I'm gonna have to leave. I'm gonna get real pissed off and kick your a--.' But they found their own road." Asked then how proud he was of Slash, Tyler responded, "Forget it, beyond belief. He's been through hell and high water, and he's come out the other side."

During his acceptance speech, Slash, who, in true rock star fashion left his sunglasses and top hat on, thanked his "awesome" wife and two little boys, as well as "music in general since it's been my underlying motivation for survival." Letting his guitar do most of the talking though, he jammed with his mates in Camp Freddy for a ridiculous all-star celebration that started with Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander killing versions of the classic 'Surrender' and 'Gonna Rase Hell,' continued with Chester Bennington crooning Cooper's 'Eighteen' to the icon. The jam ended with Tyler coming out for two songs, including a standing o-inducing version of 'Whole Lotta Love,' that also featured Jerry Cantrell.

Political punks Against Me! have been making noise since the late '90s with their unapologetic power-punk. Picking up where Avail left off, the band -- who've been cited as influences for artists including Ben Lee (who covered Against Me! tunes throughout his 2007 tour) to Tegan and Sara -- hit their stride with their latest album, 'New Wave.'

Against Me! stopped by our Los Angeles studio, leaving most of their gear behind for an acoustic performance.

But let's revisit Ben Lee. It may seem an unlikely cover choice for the singer-songwriter, though flattering for Against Me! nonetheless. However, the band said they had no idea Lee was doing such a thing. "We just got a call one day like, 'Hey, did you know Ben Lee covered your whole record?'" Tom Gabel told Spinner. "We found out at the same time as everyone else did. The whole thing is just completely flattering."

Gabel also informed us of how he'd 'Reinvent Axl Rose' if given the opportunity, and what it's like trying to keep up with the Foo Fighters on an arena tour.

Download the full performance and interview after the jump.

Scar Jo isn't the only actor showing off her music skills. While in L.A. last week for the premiere of 'Iron Man,' Terrence Howard -- best known for his Oscar-nominated work in 'Hustle & Flow' as well as the Best Picture-winning 'Crash' -- held a listening party for his upcoming debut album, 'Shine Through It,' which is scheduled for release in late September.

Howard played the role of gracious host for the intimate gathering of nearly 25 guests at the Sony/BMG offices in Santa Monica, even at one point refilling guests' plastic cups with wine while they enjoyed the music. Before playing the album, Howard, who played air instruments and sang along to the 11 songs, recalled how he grew up listening to Cat Stevens, Carly Simon and Karen Carpenter, and the impact of hearing Louis Armstrong's classic 'It's a Wonderful World.' "I tried to take it back to that in my music," he said.

The album opens with 'Love Makes you Beautiful,' which carries a dramatic '70s feel alongside a folk-tinge, while other selections feature a decidedly pop sound. But 'Shine Through It' goes well beyond that, with the jazz instrumental 'It's all Game,' a song Howard said was done in one take, and 'Mr. Jones' Lawn,' a track that marries Outkast and Cat Stevens, if you can imagine.

Ben Harper returned to school in triumph last Saturday, as he and friends Jackson Browne and Taj Mahal headlined the Claremont Folk Festival at Harper's childhood alma mater, Claremont Elementary School.

Browne, who Harper called a "friend and a hero," opened with a stunning version of 'The Barricades of Heaven,' and continued with an acoustic set that mixed old classics such as 'For Everyman' and 'These Days,' with the rare 'Drums of War.' Browne also performed a new song, which he introduced as having written for his girlfriend. "It doesn't have a title and it might could use another verse," he told the crowd. He then dedicated the final song, an achingly beautiful rendition of 'Something Fine' to Alma, a little girl seated on the bales of hay that provided the makeshift barricade to the stage.

The backdrop brought up nostalgia for Harper as the festival, now in its 28th year, was started by his grandparents, Dorothy and Charles Chase. Before his opening 'Pleasure and Pain,' he spoke of getting his grandmother's approval. "This is the first song I wrote where my grandmother Dot said, 'You might be able to make something of this.'" Grandma and grandpa would've been more than proud that day.

Spiritualized's Jason Pierce nearly died while making 'Songs In A&E,' his band's first studio album in five years. But despite being hospitalized with a lengthy and serious bout with pneumonia, the man that also operates under the nom de rock "J. Spaceman," says the experience didn't really have a profound effect on his life or his music.

"I'd be lying if I said it made me want to get out of bed earlier," Pierce tells Spinner. "I haven't really been able to write about it yet. Which is almost disappointing." Ironically, the new album, which is focuses on themes of death and loss, was written and largely recorded before his hospitalization.

"The most harrowing thing for me is to have to listen to this thing again after what I went through," Pierce admits. "The songs were written more from a point of pride, like you have to face these things. It's almost like life isn't worth living unless death is around, and unless you brush up against it and have these kinds of encounters."

M.I.A. accepted that it would be hard to top her 2005 Coachella debut, just before taking the stage at this year's festival. "It still is my landmark show in my career," she tells Spinner. "The day I performed at Coachella 2005, my life changed overnight. Missy Elliott called me the next day and Jimmy Iovine flew in on his jet and signed me. I could have anything I wanted. It was all so insane and it all happened at Coachella. The tent was really full, and they had me come out for an encore. I was like, 'My album hasn't come out. Who the f--- knows my songs?'"

Whether she topped her 2005 set in 2008 depends on the criteria. If sparking a near-riot amongst the crowd is part of that criteria, then color M.I.A. successful. But that achievement doesn't come without a price. "The cops tried to shut [my show] down," she says. "They were on the backside of the stage and they were trying to shut me down, and I was singing, 'Cops don't work, they just make it worse.' I was really thinking about the situation in New York."

The situation M.I.A. refers to is that of Sean Bell, the 23-year-old who was gunned down in a 50-shot round outside a Queens strip club on November 25, 2006. The officers involved in the shooting were acquitted of criminal charges the day before M.I.A.'s Coachella set. The reference wasn't out of character for the Sri-Lankan born artist, whose politically potent lyrics and artwork have gotten her subsequently banned from MTV. She believes that it's now when she and her fans have the most power for change. "Playing that right now in America, during the election times, I feel more and more connected with my fans," she says. "They cheer when s--- happens or boo when they don't agree. It's amazing getting people to be interactive."

The Feelies, an influential '80s post-punk band, are reuniting after a 17-year hiatus. Known for their distinct dual guitar sound and percussion, the Jersey-based group is marking the occasion by performing two sold-out shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J. on July 1 and 2, before opening for Sonic Youth in New York's Battery Park on July 4.

The Feelies' lineup will feature singers-guitarists Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, percussionist Dave Weckerman, bassist Brenda Sauter and drummer Stanley Demeski. According to Mercer, he had his conversations with Million, who was living in Florida and reportedly became a locksmith, about reforming the band since five years ago.

"[Bill] always expressed the desire to do it," he tells Spinner, "but it was the timing. He had a lot of things he had to deal with, and, being a bit further away, it's not as easy as grabbing your guitar. The fact that it was over the summer [made it] a little bit easier to arrange. So Bill just said, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"

Mercer says the band had already rehearsed 30 songs, and describes the vibe as great. Playing together again didn't feel unusual to Mercer because, with the exception of Million, he had other members of the Feelies appear on his debut solo album from last year, titled 'Wheels in Motion.' "I think for Bill it would probably the hardest or weirdest," he says. "It felt good, natural and easy."

Manchester's emotive rock five piece Elbow kicked off a U.S. tour in support of their fourth album, 'The Seldom Seen Kid,' last week, but getting all the way over here, has had its price.

"There's no way we'll make money on it," frontman Guy Garvey tells Spinner of the tour. "It won't even come close to breaking even."

The U.S. dollar's dropping exchange rate against the British pound is one of the reasons, bands like Elbow and Razorlight, who paid out of their own pockets for their jaunt last fall, aren't being seen as often in the U.S. "It's a changing time," Garvey says. "What will probably have to happen in order to get British bands [in the U.S.] is a British bands festival, where you charter a plane, get the NME involved or get somebody involved stateside, and fly them all across to save money on the record label doing it."

In the meantime, there's always those fun merchandise opportunities, beyond T-shirt sales.

"You could get an Elbow mug," Garvey laughs. "There's a hip flask -- an Elbow hip flask with 'Deep, warm drunk' written across the front. [Merchandise ideas] -- it's a really fun thing. I'm quite good at them. The 'Asleep In the Back' travel pillow has yet to hit the shelves."

Singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons was in Vancouver this past weekend to attend and perform at a three-day academic conference designed to gather together leaders in the world of transgender and intersex research. While Hegarty's been hard at work in the studio, he told Spinner that he came "out of a cave to get to this event. We flew out for this. Other than that, I'm in a kind of sequestered phase."

Performing a half-hour musical set for the enthusiastic audience, the songs chosen were primarily culled from his 2005 album, 'I Am a Bird Now,' and included 'For Today I Am a Boy' -- a track documenting conflicting gender emotions -- and 'Hope There's Someone,' a moving ballad about isolation that had many conference members in tears. Hegarty -- a longtime gender bender and trans advocate -- contributed his time to participate in the event and explained that he was delighted to be in attendance. "Everyone here is donating their time to come here and to learn," he said. "That's why I'm here -- to hear the myriad of experiences and to hear the voices of the transgender experience."

Taking a moment in between conference panels, Hegarty offered up a few pieces of information about his next CD, which he has named 'The Crying Light.' "A crying light is the idea of a kind of sanctuary -- a safe place where you can let go and open into the present without guard, where you can experience your life passing in a vivid, very awake way," he said. "The crying light is about a safe place."