In a somewhat unexpected move, the Beastie Boys'Next studio album,The Mix-Up, will be completely instrumental. The rap-rock heroes began as a guitar-slinging punk-rock group before putting down their instruments in favor of more straightforward hip-hop sounds. Beginning with 1992’s Check Your Head, principle Beastie Boys Mike "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Adrock" Horovitz began using their instruments once again. In 1996, the group released a compilation of instrumental tracks documented during past recording sessions, The In Sound From Way Out! and, ever since, has incorporated instrumental jam segments into its live show. The Mix-Up will feature 12 new, wordless, sample-less, scratch-less originals. While the Beastie Boys longtime DJs are noticeably absent, The Mix-Up does feature longtime auxiliary keyboard Money Mark and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz. The group will open its world tour with a pair of performances at George, WA’s Sasquatch! Festival. At the gig, the group will offer both an instrumental set and a vocal set.

Though Pearl Jam no longer releases each and every one of its performances on CD, the group still occasionally releases a choice archival performance. The latest installment in the group’s live series captures a series of appearances at George, WA’s Gorge Amphitheater from 2005 and 2006. The seven-disc box set, Pearl Jam Live at the Gorge 05/06, finds the band playing to over 75,000 fans just a short drive from its Seattle hometown.

 Pearl Jam chose to release these performances for several reasons: the group’s September 1, 2005 show at the Gorge is the most downloaded show in Pearl Jam history and includes a selection of acoustic songs and rarities like “Hard to Imagine” (performed for the first time since 9/6/1998) and Pearl Jam precursor Mother Love Bone’s “Low Light, Sad, Crown of Thorns.” The group’s 2005 and 2006 appearances at the Gorge also document group’s year-and-a-half world tour. The set, which includes over seven hours of live Peal Jam, will be officially released on June 26.

For the first time in its 33 year history, Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic will be held outside Texas this summer. On July 4, George, WA’s Gorge Amphitheatre will play guest host to Nelson’s annual festival, which will boast appearances from Son Volt, Old 97’s, Drive By Truckers, Amos Lee, and, of course, Nelson and his Family Band.

Over the year’s Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic has drawn over a quarter-million music fans and welcomed a striking mix of artists, including Bob Dylan, the Los Lonely Boys, and Neil Young.  Originally held in Dripping Springs, TX in 1973, the event has relocated to various cities throughout Texas over the past thee decades. The event was most recently held in Luckenbach, from 1995-1999, and Austin, from 2000-2006.

The Gorge Amphitheater is no stranger to the festival scene. In addition to hosting multi-day events by arena-rockers like Dave Matthews Band and Phish, the Gorge plays host to the indie-centric Sasquatch! Music Festival each May. The scenic amphitheater also offers a camping option adjacent to its concert fields. Willie Nelson will appear at Indio, CA’s inaugural Stagecoach Music Festival this weekend.

Indio, CA’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival concluded last night with reunion performances by a pair of long dormant bands: Rage Against the Machine and Crowded House. Rage Against the Machine parted ways in 2000, but were coaxed out of retirement earlier this year by longtime Coachella promoters Goldenvoice. The group’s decision to headline Coachella was particularly special since Rage Against the Machine headlined the festival in its inaugural year The politically-charged rock band will headline the rap/rock mash-up Rock the Bells later this summer. Australian stars Crowded House disbanded in 1996 and were welcomed back by a rowdy crowd, including one fan who threw a bottle which knocked over singer Neil Finn's microphone stand during the group’s second song.

Throughout the weekend, Indio, CA’s temperatures hovered around the 100-degree mark, causing many fans to seek refuge in the festival’s multiple tents. As expected, several intriguing collaborations took place throughout the weekend. Perhaps most intriguing, actor Scarlett Johansson sang backup vocals with Jesus and Mary Chain, confirming numerous rumors circulating throughout the blog world the weeks before Coachella. In addition, the Coup’s Boots and Perry Farrell played with Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello during his solo set as the Nightwatchman. System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian also sang with Fair to Midland.

Also of note, alt-country couple David Rawlings and Gillian Welch performed in Flying Burrito Brothers costumes as a nod to Gram Parsons, who was cremated a few miles from the Coachella site in Joshua Tree National Park. The Roots ran through their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” which the collective performed at a recent Dylan tribute held at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Arena-size alt-rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers drew one of the festival’s largest crowds and included the Frames’ Glen Hansard, who joined the group onstage with a towel over his head during “Give it Away” (his towel quickly fell off). Flea, in turn, gave a shout-out to Ghostface Killah onstage and sat through Willie Nelson’s performance. As a treat, the group opened its set with an entirely instrumental composition.

Other standout performances include co-headliner Bjork, British stars the Kooks, punk-folk heroes Against Me and the Fratellis, a group whose profile has increased since jamming with Pete Townsend at SXSW.

Coachella promoter’s Goldenvoice will remain onsite throughout the week as the company gears up for its new country festival, Stagecoach. The only act currently confirmed for both events is Willie Nelson, who agreed to play Stagecoach only if he also played Coachella. The country-rock star peppered his Coachella set with standards like “Whisky River” and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." He also joked about his recent arrest and recent physical problems in a joke song which includes the line “too many pain pills / too much pot / I tried to be something I'm not.”

Reporting by Wes Orshoski