Following appearances by Peter Gabriel and Jane’s Addiction earlier this fall, satellite provider DirecTV’s new performance and Q&A show ‘Guitar Center Sessions’ this month spotlights The Cult.

R.E.M. today released a free MP3 of ‘Discoverer,’ the opening track off its new album ‘Collapse Into Now’ — which will be released March 7 in the U.K. and March 8 in the U.K. via Warner Bros. Download it here.

Today we mark the birthday of Paul Simonon — he’s turning 55 — with this performance of The Clash bassist’s signature tune, ‘The Guns of Brixton,’ filmed April 25, 1980, for the band’s second-ever U.S. television appearance on ABC’s late-night comedy show ‘Fridays.’

Electronic-music guru Jack Dangers will take his long-running alter ego Meat Beat Manifesto out on the road in February for a short North American tour in support of the just-released ‘Answers Come in Dreams.’

Exploring the legacy of ’80s college rock, Slicing Up Eyeballs airs every Tuesday at 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific on Strangeways Radio.

Former Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins this week released a video for ‘Do It Again,’ the latest single off ‘Losing Sleep,’ his seventh solo album and first in three years. The song features guest turns from Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand.

Depeche Mode Andrew Fletcher will head out on the road in late January for more than a dozen DJ dates in Eastern Europe, Australia and the Far East — including a gig in Beijing.