Members of Kill Hannah posted on Facebook and Twitter this morning that their van – along with their trailer, gear, and merch – was stolen overnight from their Philadelphia hotel parking lot.   (Update: Official press release for Kill Hannah’s stolen gear, including descriptions.)  While a traumatic experience regardless, this comes little over a year after a bus fire claimed all of the band’s personal possessions while on tour in Europe.  At that time, their trailer was spared.

Philadelphia has hardly shown brotherly love to visiting musicians of late.  Band Mae were also recently victims of a similar crime – likely by the same responsible party, as the thefts occurred at the same hotel.

It seems lately that every month the blogosphere passes around the story of a band whose fifteen-passenger van and white trailer made them a sitting duck for someone trying to make a quick profit: Anberlin,  Poison The Well, A Static Lullaby, Men Women And Children, as well as many lesser-known acts.

Aside from pricey equipment and auto parts, however, these thieves are stealing livelihoods.  Many touring musicians carry literally everything they own with them on tour.  (Surely people who own more than 3 outfits would wear them – right?)  They may not even have a permanent residence, using their parents’ house or crashing with friends in between tours.  It gives one something to think about when debating whether or not to drop $10 on a band’s CD, or if that T-shirt is really worth it.

Bands give up a lot to tour and entertain.  A certain amount of hardship comes with the choice of an artist’s life, but it seems especially unfair when circumstances happen to make things that much more difficult.

Fans are usually the first to leap to action to help their beloved bands.  As they did last October, Kill Hannah fans are collecting donations to help the band replace their gear.  Mae also set up a donation link to help offset costs to replace their van and trailer.

Kill Hannah are still going forward with plans for their annual New Heart For Xmas show as well.

I admire the bands who have pressed on through these calamities, playing on borrowed gear and trusting the generosity of friends, family, and fans to replace the material things.   It’s much harder to replace the security and trust that is broken when something like this happens.

My Chemical Romance have resurfaced from their extended break to release a video for their cover of Bob Dylan’s song “Desolation Row,” to be featured in the upcoming Watchmen movie.

The band announced the pending release on their blog yesterday, along with a link to a 30-second preview.  The full version is now available to download on iTunes for $1.99.

The song is a radical reworking of Dylan’s nine-minute-plus ballad, trimmed to a lean three minutes and given an aggressive, punk-style makeover that hearkens back to MCR’s I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love days.

Arriving at the sound was no accident, as Gerard Way told MTV News: “[It's] punk but not in a modern punk sense. We really went for that Sex Pistols-type sound . . .  In fact, when we did the guitars, we brought in Marshall heads and ’50s Les Paul customs. So basically, relative things set up as the Pistols to get that sound. And the mixing was done accordingly as well. It’s very distorted and it’s very trashy.”

As for the video, Gerard is back in his pale complexioned, red-rimmed eyed glory, looking again to the band’s past.  The entire band is outfitted in gritty punk style, with leather and studs abounding among reds, blacks, and whites and dirty denim.  Guitarist Frank Iero sports a tattered Union Jack on his jacket, another subtle nod to the obvious.

The punk homages don’t stop there, with Iero also rocking a Misfits-inspired hairdo, and even the ever carefully coiffed Mikey Way thrashing his mane into a mess that Sid Vicious could be proud of.

Glimpses of drummer Bob Bryar’s bloody mouth, guitarist Ray Toro’s equally bloody nose, and Gerard Way’s black eye and bandaged brow give a sinister vibe to the already gritty affair — foreshadowing for the video’s chaotic conclusion that set many a fangirl’s heart a flutter.

Despite Gerard and Mikey Way working on their respective comic books, Frank Iero touring with side project Leathermouth, and the others working on their own projects, it’s obvious that My Chemical Romance still have their amazing chemistry.  It’s a small comfort to see that commercial success, marriage, and family haven’t diminished My Chemical Romance’s ambition, or perhaps more importantly their dark sense of humor and flair for the dramatic.

U2 fans (including yours truly) were treated to a one-two punch of their much-missed Irish heroes Sunday and today.

On January 18, HBO broadcast the We Are One Inaugural Celebration, featuring such diverse performers as Beyonce, Usher, Jon Bon Jovi, and U2.

“What a thrill for four Irish boys . . . to honor you, sir.”

U2 have played to some magnificent backdrops–Slane Castle and Red Rocks among them–and the Lincoln Memorial was a fitting location for a moving rendition of “Pride (In The Name of Love).”  You could hear the emotion and the weight of the moment on Bono’s voice, and despite the bitter cold, every member of the band was beaming.  From there, the band segued into the soaring, hopeful “City of Blinding Lights,” which Bono dedicated to the man of the hour, President-elect Barack Obama.  A few creative lyrical changes only made the song more perfect for the moment.

Some have derided the Irishmen’s presence at the most American of celebrations, but I would argue no band has more faithfully and interestedly chronicled the American political and cultural experience of the past quarter-century like U2.  It’s most appropriate that they be present for this unprecedented time of change and rebirth.

If you missed the show, you can catch one of the rebroadcasts on HBO, or hbo.com.  Also, check out this YouTube video of U2’s performance.

Get On Your Boots

U2 followed their spectacular reemergence into the musical spotlight by releasing the first single from their forthcoming album, No Line On The Horizon, online.

You can listen to “Get On Your Boots” (and read the lyrics) for free at U2.com.

Apparently, Barack Obama’s Inauguration.

It’s been three months since Amanda Palmer’s blog about the future of the Dresden Dolls, where she described the issues the Dolls were experiencing and the reasons why partner/drummer Brian Viglione had said the band was “over.”

Despite the relish with which she has embraced her solo project and tour, it is obvious that the separation has been a painful one for Amanda.  She mentions seeing him at shows with the excitement of a kid sister getting a visit from big brother.  The joy with which she talked about playing with Brian on New Year’s Eve was palpable.

I think Amanda is just as excited about this  “reunion” as the most fervent Dolls fans.  Perhaps even more so.  Regardless, it’ll be great to see how the time apart has affected both Brian’s and Amanda’s onstage chemistry, and where (if anywhere) the Dolls will go from there.  Will they continue to move in their separate directions?  Or, will they not be able to stay away from each other?