Michigan native Brendan Benson has been making compelling and charming power-pop records since 1996's One Mississippi, but for better or worse he's best known as being one half of the singing/songwriting part of The Raconteurs along with better-known Michiganite-by-way-of-Nashville Jack White. "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" is an adorable song with an adorable video.

Every Monday night, C&L's Late Nite Music Club showcases an act from every state, alphabetically by state, as part of LNMC's 50 State Strategy. Know a band or artist that you think is the best in their state? Email suggestions to latenitemusicclub [at] gmail.com. Next week: Minnesota.

Leonard Cohen played his first show in America in over 15 years earlier this year, and followed it up with a hugely successful tour. He's currently in Europe supporting his new live disc Live in London, but will be coming back stateside in the fall. Insert my customary "Where is the LA show?!"

Looks like a Vegas trip is in order.

Dates:

Oct. 17: Sunrise, Fla. (BankAtlantic Center)
Oct. 19: Tampa, Fla. (St. Pete Times Forum)
Oct. 20: Atlanta (Fox Theatre)
Oct. 22: Philadelphia (The Wachovia Spectrum)
Oct. 23: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Oct. 25: Cleveland (Allen Theatre)
Oct. 27: Columbus, Ohio (Palace Theatre)
Oct. 29: Chicago (Rosemont Theatre)
Nov. 1: Asheville, N.C. (Thomas Wolfe Auditorium)
Nov. 3: Durham, N.C. (Durham Performing Arts Center)
Nov. 5: Nashville (Tennessee Performing Arts Center)
Nov. 7: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
Nov. 9: Kansas City, Mo. (The Midland by AMC)
Nov. 12: Las Vegas (The Colosseum at Caesars Palace)
Nov. 13: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)

Martin Tallstrom is a country and fingerstyle guitar master who shares all his techniques and tips to less accomplished guitar players (e.g. me) for free at his website. I was raiding his site very late last night to bone up on my Nashville chops, and stumbled across this elegant rendering of the Twin Peaks theme.

I'm something of a Twin Peaks geek, and every couple years I take a long weekend and watch the whole series front to back. I'm blown away by Angelo Badalamenti's score -- alternately warm, menacing and spunky, every time.

Tallstrom also has a fine version of Laura Palmer's theme here.

Be forewarned, aspiring young pedal-steel virtuoso with your sights set on the the Nashville skyline -- you just might end up becoming a politician.

Well, not quite... but the Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has tapped Emmylou Harris, Kix Brooks and Jack White (the Michigan native with a million bands has lived in Nashville for years) to join Nashville's Music Business Council, designed to help the city maintain both the reputation and tax base it enjoys as a result of being the epicenter of the country music world.

The council, a 46-member body consisting of people from all parts of the music industry (musicians, managers, producers, even an owner of a tour bus company) is working on a host of programs to make Nashville continue to attract and accommodate creative people. A songwriters' hostel, a new amphitheater, and the creation of a new non-country music festival are all on the table. Presumably, tax incentives for creative endeavors, common in places like Los Angeles and Vancouver, BC, will be as well.

Music is the necessary ingredient to Nashville's allure, as anyone who's been there for more than fifteen minutes can attest to. It's great that they have a mayor who recognize that it's equally necessary to its fiscal health, and is making bold moves to preserve both. Props!

Crossposted at Headcount.org