Prior to its official release this month on February 16, Myspace Music are exclusively previewing the forthcoming War Child album ‘Heroes (Vol 1)’.

Marking the 15th Anniversary of War Child, the album sees music legends select a favourite track from their back catalogue and nominate a contemporary artist to perform a cover version. It includes Beck covering Bob Dylan’s “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”, Duffy performing Wings’ “Live And Let Die” and Elbow tackling U2’s “Running To Stand Still”.

Listen here: www.myspace.com/warchildheroes

War Child was set up in 1994 to support children and young people who have to live with the brutal effects of war. “War Child do exactly what it says on the tin,” said Elbow’s Guy Garvey. “These kids shouldn’t be in such circumstances in the first place, but they are, so thank god someone’s doing something about it.

The album was originally due to be released last year but due to the overwhelming number of artists who asked to take part the release date had to be postponed. “I have been supporting War Child since 1995,” said Sir Paul McCartney. “I think Duffy’s version of “Live and Let Die” is great – I was really impressed. The breadth of talent on this project is amazing; it’s great that so many people gave their time, energy and support to this initiative. I urge everyone to support War Child.”

In addition to the record, Coldplay will be performing a one-off show with The Killers at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on February 18. In a statement the band said: “In our eyes, War Child is one of the world’s most important charities, and The Killers are one of our favourite bands, so playing this concert is an absolute pleasure for us.”

The art work for the project was designed by former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire, who previously designed the cover for War Child’s 1995 album ‘Help’.

The tracklisting in full:

1. Beck (Bob Dylan: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat)

15. Franz Ferdinand (Blondie: Call Me)

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The Prodigy, Slipknot, Motley Crue, Pendulum and Korn have been confirmed to play this year’s Download Festival at Donington Park.

Taking place between June 12 and 14 , the renowned rock festival is now in its seventh year.

“This year more than ever before, Download Festival celebrates the history of Donington and all that is rock,” said festival promoter Andy Copping. “With acts such as Slipnot, The Prodigy and Motley Crue already confirmed to play, this just shows how varied and diverse the rock genre can be and we are delighted to reflect this with our 2009 line-up.”

Tickets for Download go on sale at 9am on Friday (February 13).

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Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine have announced they will play their first four albums in full at concerts at two London venues in November.

Entitled ‘The Drum Machine Years’, the first night will take place at the Kentish Town Forum on November 13 where the band will play ‘1992: The Love Album’ and 1994’s ‘Post Historic Monsters’.

The second show at Brixton Academy will see performances of their debut ‘101 Damnations’ and the follow-up, 1991’s ’30 Something’.

“We will be playing songs that we have never played live before and I am really looking forward to that challenge,” says guitarist Fruitbat. “If Sparks can learn twenty or so albums then we can do this. These sets should be marathons so I’m going to get in training. I think the audience should too as we’re all going to need to be fit for this!”

Carter USM reformed after a ten year break in 2007 for two shows at Brixton Academy and Glasgow Barrowlands. They returned the following year for a couple of gigs at Birmingham and Brixton Academy.

“We really enjoyed playing the reunion gigs,” says frontman Jim Bob. “They were fantastic life affirming celebrations and turned out to be some of the best ever Carter shows. We decided that if we did it again it had to be something different, for both the audience and for us. Performing out first four albums in full, first track to last is something we’ve never done. We might even chuck in a cheeky Take That style costume change.”

Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday (February 13).

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Label mates with Fleet Foxes on Bella Union, the band are about to release their second album ‘Radio Wars’. Part of the chat today will discuss the importance of independent music.

The Howling Bells toured Europe last year with The Killers, so they have plenty of tips for new starters in the industry.

The band are to be joined by music trends expert Andy Perry, so you can also pitch your questions about what music is likely to rock your world this year.

The band will also treat fans to a taste of the new songs.

Click here to log on and chat to the band at 2pm.

You can submit your questions now! It’s simple.

More information about how to get started in music, see the Emusic site here: www.emusic.com/webtv

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Dewey Martin, drummer for Buffalo Springfield has died aged 68, Uncut has learnt today.

He died on January 31, of as yet unknown causes.

Martin – along with Neil Young and Stephen Stills, one of three Canadians in the Springfield – was born on September 30, 1940 as Walter Dwayne Midkiff in Chesterfield, Ontario. Leaving Canada, he’d found his way to Nashville, where he’d earned his stripes playing for Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, the Everly Brothers and Faron Young. Moving to LA, he even fronted his own band, British Invasion-copyists Sir Walter Raleigh And The Coupons, in between stints with the Standells, the Modern Folk Quarter and The Dillards.

In Spring, 1966, he was invited to audition for the Springfield by Stephen Stills. Arguably a more accomplished musician than the others, he later grumbled to Young’s biographer Jimmy McDonough: “I didn’t have to audition for Orbison or Pasty.”

Young, speaking to McDonough, was clearly impressed with Martin: “We started tryin’ drummers. I liked Dewey. He’s a sensitive drummer. You get harder, he gets harder. You pull back, he pulls back. He can feel the music – you don’t have to tell him. Eye contact. Signals. All natural. To me, that’s worth its weight in gold.”

After the Springfield collapsed in 1968, Martin attempted to put together a second line up, the New Buffalo Springfield; later, New Buffalo after a legal dispute with Stills and Young. But Martin was eventually fired from the band, and went on to work first as a solo artist then in Medicine Ball until 1971, when he retired from music to become a mechanic.

But Martin, it seems, could never quite shake the Springfield. In the mid-Eighties, he reunited with bassist Bruce Palmer for Buffalo Springfield Revisited, and they toured the chicken-in-a-basket circuit through to the early Nineties. In fact, Martin and Palmer briefly reunited with Young in 1987, when Young was assembling a backing band for his This Note’s For You album, but the sessions didn’t work.

In 1997, the members of Buffalo Springfield (without Young) were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame. On the song “Buffalo Springfield Again”, from his Silver & Gold album [2000], Young sang of how he’d “Like to see those guys again/And give it another shot.” With Palmer’s death in October 2004, and now Martin’s, that, sadly, will now never happen.