One of the most unfortunately named bands since caveman started slapping woolly mammoth skins and strumming saber tooth cat guts has to be the Goo Goo Dolls. But they’re rectifying said situation with good deeds: they’re asking for eats in exchange for beats.

(Not for themselves, mind you. They’re a little beyond that now.)

At all upcoming shows this summer on their “Let Love In” tour, the band is asking concert-goers to bring non-perishable food items for USA Harvest and Blessings in a Backpack.

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Frightened Rabbit launch an international tour next week that takes them from their native Scotland to Australia, the U.S. and across Europe through the end of the year. There are stops at several festivals including Lollapalooza, Pukkelpop and a final show at ATP. Full listing of tour dates on their MySpace page.

The Scots are on tour in support of their latest album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat), released back in March. We’ve chatted with the band on a couple different occasions, and the last time we got together they told us about the new record. It’s like the more mature, non-slow brother of the fam.

When the stock market crashed in the face of many a would-be-restaurateur’s would-be success, most shuttered shop and schlepped back to their cubicles to quietly, desperately bemoan their existence. Such retreat was anathema to The Robicellis, who decided to close their physical mom and pop gourmet shop in 2009 and open their metaphysical cupcake factory.

Matt and Allison Robicelli now crank out crazy-ass punch-you-in-your-taste-buds flavors like the “The Elvis” (banana cake with peanut butter buttercream and candied bacon), then deliver them to local New York City shops (Blue Apron Foods, the Cake Shop and many others).

Unsurprisingly, Allison tells Uncensored that she and Matt live a lot like indie musicians on tour–in the van, schlepping their creations hither and thither to perform before screaming masses of fans who have dubbed their cupcakes “infamous.”

“I like to think of cupcakes as a gateway drug,” she says.

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Never mind private jets and sipping champagne, how are musicians supposed to pay the bills these days? In a post-MTV world, how should musicians go about building a fan base and letting the masses hear their work in a way that allows them to earn a sustainable living?

For our readers in NYC, next week there’s a panel discussing the resurrection of the music video. Matt Graham of Brnd Mgmt, Dan Navetta of aPk Media and Zone4/Interscope artist Jared Evan will discuss strategies musicians can use to grow as an artist while growing their bank account. And yep, it’s free–just register here to attend.

So many festivals to keep track of! The next installment is the seventh annual all-ages FYF Fest in downtown LA on September 4. The Rapture, Panda Bear, !!!, Man Man, The Mountain Goats, Screaming Females, Titus Andronicus, School of Seven Bells, The Soft Pack, Abe Vigoda and many more will take the stage at the Los Angeles State Historic Park.

Advance tickets are available for $25 at the FYF Fest website, where you can also find full lineup details and directions.

Rick Bayless is one of the few gringos who gets almost universal props for his sizzling takes on Mexican cuisine. In his oven-scarred hands, the seemingly humblest ingredients of the putzy backyard garden–maize, tomatoes, peppers, onions–are magically transformed and elevated into cuisine to appease the most capricious Mayan king.

The Chicago chef is, unsurprisingly, beloved by foodies-in-chief President Barack Obama and Michelle. He recently cast his uber-locavore, arriba arriba! culinary spell at a state dinner feting Mexican President Felipe Calderon, his wife Margarita Zavala and a few-hundred D.C. and West coast celebrity movers and shakers.

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Starting this Friday, headlining bands like Pavement, Modest Mouse and LCD Soundsystem will dominate Chicago’s Union Park for the annual Pitchfork Music Festival. The three-day fest also includes Big Boi, Surfer Blood, Panda Bear, Broken Social Scene, Here We Go Magic, El-P, Neon Indian, WHY?, Real Estate and dozens more.

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