Rock Band and Rock Band 2 owners with a taste for twang should count their money, then decide if new downloadable tunes from Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Martina McBride and more are in the cards. These seven new country hits will be dealin' out as of December 29 on the Xbox 360 and Wii and January 7 for the PlayStation 3.

The entire "Going Country Pack 02" will cost $10.99, £4.99 UK, €7.99 EU or 880 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360, depending on your currency of choice. That works out to $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU or 160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 per track.

• Alan Jackson – "Good Time"
• Cross Canadian Ragweed – "Cry Lonely"
• Jason Aldean – "She's Country"
• Keith Urban – "I Told You So"
• Kenny Rogers – "The Gambler"
• Martina McBride – "This One's For the Girls"
• Shania Twain – "Any Man of Mine"

Old Navy isn't known for its video game deals, but they'll be handing out copies of LEGO Rock Band on Black Friday nonetheless, along with free guitar controllers with any purchase of Rock Band 2. It's all part of the Black Friday event the chain is calling Gobblepalooza, with "3 days of rockin' deals" for fans of Harmonix music games and affordable yet fashionable clothing for adults and teens.

It's a bizarre little promotion, really. So odd that you might actually have a chance of scoring a copy on Black Friday, if you can avoid being trampled. Old Navy is a scary place on Black Friday.

Old Navy Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info - Thanks Nikki!]

GameStop lists it for shipment Nov. 4 at $19.99 - of course, less than the $29.99 to $39.99 it sold for when it debuted a year ago. The tracks can be transferred to your hard drive for Rock Band or Rock Band 2, but just for the 360 and PS3 version; not the PS2 or Wii.

Rock Band: AC/DC Pack to Hit non-Walmart Shelves Soon [Destructoid via VG247]

Ümloud! is round two of Child's Play's annual charity benefiting sick kids in hospitals across the country. It's going down at the DNA Lounge at 375 Eleventh Street in downtown. There will be Rock Band 2, a ton of prizes and a suggested $10 donation gets you in on it. (Note: I think it's 21 and up, given the full bar.)

ETA: Ümloud! says it's an all ages event.

Regrettably, the DNA Lounge is a bit of a walk from Civic Center BART, but the Muni should get you there and back in one piece if you're coming in from the South or East Bay. And on the bright side, I already sent three cubic feet of swag (which weighed 25 lbs. at the post office) to Brian Crecente for the Denver party. So at least I won't have to lug that through SOMA on public transit.

See you there!

The official Rock Band web site is selling the Rock Band Special Edition Bundle, including the game, drums, microphone and guitar, plus a copy of Rock Band 2 for a combined $79 USD. That's shipped. Shipped! Obviously, you're getting first gen instrument controllers, but you're also getting 140 songs for under 80 bucks.

The deal is limited to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, better known as the ones you should be getting anyway.

Rock Band $79 [Official Site]

Additionally the update enables support for wireless microphones and lays down an "audition" feature you may use when the Rock Band Network enters its open beta.

When "Audition Mode" goes live, RBN members will be able to "upload songs from their PCs and audition their songs using our suite of song audition and testing tools," according to the official Rock Band Forums. Currently, Rock Band Network is in closed beta and the game will tell you 'To enter Audition Mode, you must be signed into an Xbox Live enabled gamer profile that is a member of the XNA Creators Club and connected to Xbox Live." Harmonix says the open beta will commence in the coming weeks.

Meantime, gamers will find improvements to the hammer on/pull off tricks in guitar play. The forum says these improvements were brought over from The Beatles: Rock Band, which featured "much more robust handling" of hammer-on and pull-off.

Other upgrades: In the sort menu, you may now arrange songs according to the star rating you've achieved in each of them. Unplayed songs will be grouped accordingly. This helps players chart their progress toward five-starring every song they own.

The game will also support wireless mikes, such as the Lips microphone. Ion Drum Kits now have velocity sensitivity in both drum fills and freestyle mode. And most conveniently, background downloading in the Music Store has been enabled, so you no longer have to wait for the complete download of a purchased song before moving on to another.

As for the PS3, Harmonix' Sean Baptiste explained that patch is being worked on and awaiting its certification process with Sony.

Rock Band 2 Software Update Notes [Rock Band Forums via Joystiq]

New additions from Blind Melon, Blur, and the Dropkick Murphys head to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band next week. Old additions from the Gorillaz and Red Hot Chili Peppers keep Wii owners of Rock Band 2 musically well fed. It's a long list, filled with variety, when you add in Rock Band Unplugged, which seems to be dealt the shortest straw once again.

The full list of tracks, most priced at two bucks, is after this.

Rock Band/Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Blind Melon - "No Rain"
• Blur - "There's No Other Way"
• Dropkick Murphys - "I'm Shipping Up to Boston"
• Eve 6 - "Inside Out"
• Foo Fighters - "All My Life"
• Foo Fighters - "I'll Stick Around"
• Foo Fighters - "Lonely as You"
• Kaiser Chiefs - "I Predict a Riot"

Rock Band 2 (Wii)

• Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood"
• Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."
• Gorillaz - "Re-Hash"
• Janis Joplin - "Piece of My Heart"
• Jefferson Airplane - "White Rabbit"
• The Band - "Chest Fever (Live)"
• The Who - "Magic Bus (Live at Leeds)"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Apache Rose Peacock"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Blood Sugar Sex Magik"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Breaking The Girl"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Funky Monks"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "I Could Have Lied"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "If You Have to Ask"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Mellowship Slinky in B Major"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "My Lovely Man"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Naked in the Rain"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Sir Psycho Sexy"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Suck My Kiss"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "The Greeting Song"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "The Power of Equality"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "The Righteous & the Wicked"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "They're Red Hot"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Under the Bridge"
• Megasus - "Megasus"
• Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives - "Entangled"

Rock Band Unplugged (PSP)

• Pat Benatar - "Heart Breaker"
• Coheed and Cambria - "A Favor House Atlantic"

According to a report from Billboard, that service will launch sometime this year for the Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band, with plans to bring those "popular tracks" to the PlayStation 3 and Wii versions "eventually." Artists can submit their songs to a group of "Harmonix-trained freelance game developers" who will prep the tracks for use in game.

Artists can price their songs between 50 cents and $3, netting 30% of track sales. Rock Band owners will be able to preview Rock Band Network songs before they purchase.

MTV Games senior VP Paul DeGooyer says the Rock Band Network features a "set of serious professional tools to allow people on the front line of writing and recording songs to completely control their destiny with respect to interactive products and then giving them direct access to the download store."

Those tools are expected to enter a public beta program in August. A preview web site for creators has just been launched.

There's a good reason the Rock Band Network will be initially available only to Xbox 360 users. Harmonix and MTV Games are relying on Microsoft's Creators Club and the company's XNA development platform to handle the development of artist uploaded track to something that's playable in Rock Band.

The new artist network is Harmonix's answer to Activision's "GH Tunes," the music creation and marketplace tools that launched with Guitar Hero World Tour. Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said that his company would take a "radically different approach" to user song uploads.

It's different, that's for sure. And it'll likely go a long way to helping Harmonix reach those 5,000 downloadable tracks in Rock Band this year... or eventually.

MTV To Launch New Track Upload Program For 'Rock Band' [Billboard]
Rock Band Network [Official Preview Site]

Not only do we get the regular Friday update on what's new and forthcoming for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band, we get the weekly Wii library catch up, and the latest additions to Rock Band Unplugged. Huzzah!

First out of the gate are new Rock Band and Rock Band 2 tracks, a triple shot of track packs from Judas Priest, Big Dipper and The Dead Weather. Sure, Jack White may find it "sad" that the kids are experiencing new music in music games, but apparently has no qualms about selling his band's music to Rock Band owners.

The Wii version of Rock Band 2 adds a slew of tracks from The Pixies, Spinal Tap, Foreigner and more. And Unplugged for the PSP gets a deuce from Radiohead and Killswitch Engage.

Platforms, release dates and prices are cataloged below.

Rock Band & Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)
Available July 14/16 for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track or $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track pack
Big Dipper "All Going Out Together"
Big Dipper "She's Fetching"
Big Dipper "Younger Bums"
Judas Priest "Dissident Aggressor (Live)"
Judas Priest "Eat Me Alive (Live)"
Judas Priest "Prophecy (Live)"
The Dead Weather "Hang You From the Heavens"
The Dead Weather "No Hassle Night"
The Dead Weather "Treat Me Like Your Mother"

Rock Band 2 (Wii)
Available July 14 for 200 Wii Points per track
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club "Weapon of Choice"
Dear and the Headlights "Sweet Talk"
The Devil Wears Prada "Hey John, What's Your Name Again?"
Evanescence "Bring Me to Life"
Evanescence "Call Me When You're Sober"
Foreigner "Blue Morning, Blue Day"
Foreigner "Feels Like the First Time"
Foreigner "Headknocker"
The Killers "Mr. Brightside"
The Killers "Smile Like You Mean It"
The Killers "Spaceman"
Maroon 5 "Little of Your Time"
Maroon 5 "Makes Me Wonder"
Maroon 5 "Wake Up Call"
The Pixies "Crackity Jones"
The Pixies "Dead"
The Pixies "Debaser"
The Pixies "Gouge Away"
The Pixies "Here Comes Your Man"
The Pixies "Hey"
The Pixies "I Bleed"
The Pixies "La La Love You"
The Pixies "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
The Pixies "Mr. Grieves"
The Pixies "No 13 Baby"
The Pixies "Silver"
The Pixies "Tame"
The Pixies "There Goes My Gun"
Spinal Tap "Back From the Dead"
Spinal Tap "Rock ‘n' Roll Nightmare"
Spinal Tap "Saucy Jack"
Spinal Tap "Warmer Than Hell"
Thrice "Image of the Invisible"

Rock Band Unplugged (PSP)
Available July 16 fpr $1.99 per track
Radiohead"My Iron Lung"
Killswitch Engage "My Curse"

Also potentially fascinating for Wii owners is the addition of Cannibal Corpse's "Hammer Smashed Face." We're sure we'll look back on this week as the moment that the ESRB began work on the inevitable content rating of downloadable music tracks.

For the more budget conscious Wii Rock Band 2 owner, a quartet of budget priced songs (just 100 Wii Points!) from The Darkest of the Hillside, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot and Crooked X will also be available. For the full 28, read on.

• Green Day "21 Guns"
• Green Day "East Jesus Nowhere"
• Green Day "Know Your Enemy"
• The Presidents of the USA "Dune Buggy"
• The Presidents of the USA "Feather Pluckn"
• The Presidents of the USA "Ladybug"
• Behemoth "Conquer All"
• Black Dahlia Murder "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse"
• Cannibal Corpse "Hammer Smashed Face"
• God Forbid "Empire of the Gun"
• Job for a Cowboy "Embedded"
• Marilyn Manson "Disposable Teens"
• Slayer "Black Magic"
• Whitechapel "This Is Exile"
• The Offspring "Self Esteem"
• Screaming Trees "Nearly Lost You"
• Static-X "Push It"
• Plain White T's "Natural Disaster"
• Hot Hot Heat "Bandages"
• Kasabian "Shoot the Runner"
• Sleater-Kinney "You're No Rock N' Roll Fun"
• The Stone Roses "Love Spreads"
• Against Me! "Stop!"
• Lamb of God "Laid to Rest"

• The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets "Shhh…."
• Jonathan Coulton "Skullcrusher Mountain"
• MC Frontalot "Livin' at the Corner of Dude Catastrophe"
• Crooked X "Gone"

Sixteen new tracks will be available for download via Rock Band 2's in-game music store starting tomorrow, including new singles from Harvey Danger, Panic at the Disco, Snow Patrol and George Thorogood. The highlight for me, is the availability of Deep Purple's "Space Truckin'."

Each of the following songs are $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track.

• Deep Purple "Space Truckin'"
• George Thorogood "Bad to the Bone"
• Harvey Danger "Cream and Bastards Rise"
• In This Moment "Forever"
• Lacuna Coil "Closer"
• Lacuna Coil "Swamped"
• Mission of Burma "Mica"
• Mission of Burma "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate"
• Mission of Burma "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
• The Offspring "Gone Away"
• The Offspring "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
• Panic at the Disco "She's a Handsome Woman"
• Pearl Jam "Brother"
• Pearl Jam "Alive (Live: Drop in the Park)"
• Pearl Jam "State of Love and Trust (Live: Drop in the Park)"
• Snow Patrol "Take Back the City"

With support recently introduced for both Guitar Hero: Metallica and Rock Band 2, the wireless microphone double-packed with copies of Microsoft's karaoke game Lips are rather conveniently little devices, and they'll be much more convenient this fall, when they are released as standalone products. The fall release has them hitting store shelves just in time for Lips: Number One Hits and The Beatles: Rock Band, both of which will support the wireless device.

Great news for music game lovers, but the price isn't all that nice. With the current Lips bundled retailing at $49.99 with two microphones, the standalone product's $50 price tag really only means one thing...you should probably run out and buy that Lips bundle.

A Jagged Gorgeous Winter - The Main Drag from Main Drag on Vimeo.

The Main Drag, one of many bands to come out Rock Band developers Harmonix Music Systems, is kicking off a summer tour with a winter music video.

The new music video for A Jagged Gorgeous Winter, Rock Band 2 Remix, is a live-action homage to Calvin and Hobbes' Attack of teh Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons.

If you're into The Main Drag's music, or just want to see John Drake drop a mic again, here's their tour sched:

June 20th - Boston, MA (Great Scott)
June 22nd - Chicago, IL (Schubas)
June 23rd - Minneapolis, MN (Fine Line Music Cafe)
June 24th - Winnipeg, MB (The Lo Pub)
June 26th - Lethbrige, AB (Henotic Lounge)
June 27th - Calgary, AB (SLED ISLAND FESTIVAL - Lord Nelson Bar)
June 29th - Milwaukee, WI (Dino's)
July 1st - Philadelphia, PA (The M-Room)
July 3rd - Brooklyn, NY (TBA)

While details about just how much of the band's back catalog are still to be revealed, the partnership will kick off on July 7th with three downloadable tracks from the bands new album are made available for Rock Band and Rock Band 2. The three tracks from 21st Century Breakdown include "21 Guns," "Know Your Enemy," and "East Jesus Nowhere."

While maybe not "a whole Green Day Rock Band" as singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong hinted at during a radio interview this week, MTV Games notes that "additional Green Day songs and projects will be announced at a later date."

Any requests? Besides the obvious option of being able to play "Longview" in LEGO Rock Band, that is.

A half-dozen tunes will comprise the "Bonnaroo Pack," due for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 for $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points. Each of the six master tracks will run you $1.99 or 160 Microsoft Points individually. Careful not to blow your load, folks, as the week after brings with it new Iron Maiden DLC.

And those tracks are...

• Ben Harper and Relentless7 "Shimmer & Shine"
• Coheed and Cambria "A Favor House Atlantic"
• Coheed and Cambria "The Running Free"
• Phish "Wilson (live)"
• Shooter Jennings "Steady at the Wheel"
• TV on the Radio "Wolf Like Me"

The Iron Maiden track pack brings 12 classic tracks and new live concert performances to Rock Band and Rock Band 2, all of which are master recordings. The live stuff is from Iron Maiden's tour documentary Flight 666, but it may be the old school metal tracks that are most drool-worthy to fans.

For the full list of Iron Maiden downloadables planned to arrive the week of June 9th, read on.

• Aces High (live)
• 2 Minutes to Midnight
• The Trooper
• Wasted Years
• The Number of the Beast
• Run to the Hills
• Can I Play With Madness
• The Clairvoyant
• Powerslave
• Fear of the Dark (live)
• Hallowed Be Thy Name (live)
• Iron Maiden (live)

Thanks to the many 'zine subscribers who sent this in! Really! Thanks.

Al Jourgensen may have retired Ministry last year, but you can keep the dream alive next week with three songs from the band that laid the foundation for American industrial metal. The Ministry Pack 01 consists of "The Great Satan" and "LiesLiesLies" from the album Rio Grande Blood, as well as "Cuz U R Next," from The Wicked Soundtrack by Al Jourgensen.

Balancing out next week's offerings in the Rock Band store are two tracks from 60's band The Zombies - "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No", and The Cranberries' "Let it Linger", a song that regularly gets stuck in my head, as it just did.

Look for the new tracks on May 26th for the Xbox 360 and Wii, and May 28th for the PlayStation 3.

A huge batch of Wii-specific updates hit Rock Band 2 tomorrow, from Alien Ant Farm to the Buzzcocks to T-Rex. A mix of both new and old arrives, including a half-dozen from The Grateful Dead. It's a lot like this previous update, but, you know, for the Wii. This week, the Wii edges ever closer to the 670 songs already released for Harmonix and MTV Games' band game with one of its biggest updates ever.

Each of the following 25 tracks is $2.00 (or 200 Wii Points). Some songs, denoted with an asterisk, are not master tracks.

• Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out"
• Franz Ferdinand "Do You Want To"
• Franz Ferdinand "Lucid Dreams"
• Alien Ant Farm "Smooth Criminal"
• The Allman Brothers Band "Blue Sky"
• The Allman Brothers Band "Midnight Rider"
• The Distillers "Drain the Blood"
• Luscious Jackson "Naked Eye"
• Prong "Idealistic Types"
• Prong "The Banishment"
• The Knack "My Sharona"*
• Coheed & Cambria "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood & Burial)"*
• The B-52s "Roam"
• Buzzcocks "Ever Fallen in Love"*
• The Runaways "Cherry Bomb"*
• T-Rex "Bang a Gong"*
• Grateful Dead "Casey Jones"
• Grateful Dead "China Cat Sunflower"
• Grateful Dead "Franklin's Tower"
• Grateful Dead "I Need A Miracle"
• Grateful Dead "Sugar Magnolia"
• Grateful Dead "Truckin'"
• At the Gates "Blinded by Fear"
• Evile "Thraser"
• The Haunted "D.O.A."

Six tracks from Alice Cooper will join new songs from Taking Back Sunday in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Rock Band. Four of those Alice Cooper songs are live performances, including well-known hits like "I'm Eighteen" and "Billion Dollar Babies."

Three tracks from Taking Back Sunday's 2006 album Louder Now, including the band's best performer "MakeDamnSure."

The new additions demand that thick layers of black eyeliner be applied, no matter which act you're a fan of. Details follow. (And thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

Alice Cooper
"Vengeance Is Mine"
"Poison"
"School's Out" (live)
"Billion Dollar Babies" (live)
"I'm Eighteen" (live)
"Under My Wheels" (live)

Taking Back Sunday
"Liar (It Takes One To Know One)"
"Makedamnsure"
"What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?"

American punk band Social Distortion headlines next week's offerings with the Social Distortion Pack 01, adding three more tracks to the band's game Rock Band lineup. "Bad Luck", "Ring of Fire", and "Story of my Life" join "I Was Wrong", which was included on the disc for Rock Band 2.

Jazzy-rock band Steely Dan and Chicago-based metal band Disturbed both deliver two tracks to the store next week, with the former's "Black Friday" and "My Old School" clashing wonderfully with the latter's "Stricken" and "Stupify".

Rounding out next week's releases is one track each from Elvis Costello and The Replacements. Costello brings 1978's "Radio Radio", while The Replacements are pretty sure that "Kids Don't Follow".

The new tracks will be available on May 12th for the Xbox 360 and Wii and May 14th for the PlayStation 3. So what looks good to you folks?