Playlist

Talk about gettin' that hip-hop love; according to The Huffington Post, Jay-Z is helping the Democratic Presidential nominee, Barack Obama, win new voters with a free concert on Saturday in Detroit to promote voter registration.

Monday is the deadline in Michigan to register to vote in the November 4 election, prompting the last-minute push.

The Grammy-winning rapper, whose hits include "99 Problems," "Encore" and "Hard Knock Life," has been promoting Obama for a while, flashing his photo during concerts and telling fans that it's time for a change---one of Obama's mottos. Jay-Z has also designed a T-shirt for sale by Obama's campaign.

Obama has said Jay-Z is one of his favorite musical artists. Get those voters Jigga!

Brave Combo is scheduled to perform for the Texas German Day Council's 46th annual ball. Also, catch a performance by the Frohsinn Kapelle, a Dallas-based choir that traces its Texas roots back to the Dallas' pioneer days in the 1800s. The ball includes a fancy banquet; Monday will be the last day to buy tickets. For info, click here.
Detail: Saturday, Oct.11, at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Grand DFW Hotel, 4440 W. Carpenter Freeway, Irving. $60. 972-241-0884.

File photo/Denton Record Chronicle (2006)

Leave the poor guy alone!

For lovers of acoustic music, this promises to be quite a week in Fort Worth. It all gets started Wednesday night, when a trio of virtuoso guitarists (Tommy Emmanuel, Monte Montgomery and Rhett Butler) team up for a show at Bass Performance Hall at 7:30. It carries with it a special $10 ticket offer for students and faculty. But like a fine wine, the week only gets better with age. The Sarah Palin-Joe Biden debate notwithstanding, John Gorka comes to McDavid Studio (across the street from Bass Hall) for one of his one-of-a-kind shows at 7 p.m. Thursday. And then, one of my personal favorites, the great Gretchen Peters, finishes off the week with a show in McDavid Studio at 8 p.m. Friday. Gretchen will be backed up, as usual, by one of the world's greatest piano players, Barry Walsh. For more information, call 817-212-4280 or visit www.basshall.com.

Photo: Gretchen Peters

Looks like Sheryl Crow spoke a little too soon.
In March, she hinted that she'd be joining Fleetwood Mac, telling the AOL web site spinner.com "we definitely have plans for collaborating in the future."
But now those plans have apparently stalled. Mac main man Lindsey Buckingham tells Rolling Stone "If you're bringing someone in just to do Christine McVie's stuff doesn't that sort of degrade it into kind of a lounge act?"