Ear on TV: The Week of July 14

The Hold Steady are one of the most unlikely of indie rock bands to be on the verge of stardom. They pretty much mirror a lot of their fans, they're paunch, balding, pushing 40 and are excited about the free beer. When The Hold Steady come to town, there's inevitably a babysitter shortage that night, and a lot of us pushing-40-professionals showing up for work hungover the next day. Tomorrow sees the release of their latest album, Stay Positive, which continues their upward trend toward mass acceptance, mining even more classic rock licks than the album's predecessors. Led Zeppelin, Boston, and, of course, The E Street Band all come to mind listening to it now. When they play Letterman Tuesday night, Neil Young will also be a guest, and it's not hard to see the band and Neil hitting it off, as there's just enough Crazy Horse in there as well to give 'ol Neil some ideas.

Another band that The Hold Steady hold in high estimation will get the red carpet treatment from VH1 Thursday night, as they honor The Who with their VH1 Rock Honors series. Besides The Who, other bands that performed songs from the legends catalogue include Pearl Jam, The Flaming Lips, Tenacious D and Supergrass -- who filled in at the last moment when Foo Fighter Dave Grohl fell ill. Of course VH1 never thought to call Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices,) the current artist performing today who's music best embodies Pete Townshend's songwriting prowess. Instead we get Incubus (wtf?)

And finally, for those who've checked out BBCAmerica's The Graham Norton Show and wondered, like me, how to watch previous seasons of the funny talk show, they're airing reruns from the first season all week, featuring live music each night. Of note is The Zimmers, a UK band of senior citizens that's a bit like Young@Heart, in that they're really old and sing rock songs that illustrate the loneliness and marginalization of today's elderly. This performance of "My Generation" was taped over a year ago, featuring their single that was a minor hit in the UK:



Playlist: Picks for the Week
Monday, July 14
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Billy Idol (REPEAT)
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Tori Amos
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Jason Mraz
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Fratellis
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: James Hunter
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lupe Fiasco (REPEAT)
Tuesday, July 15
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Ben's Brother
CBS: The Early Show: Donna Summer
Wednesday, July 16
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Nas
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: The Zimmers
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Hold Steady, Neil Young
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Gavin Rossdale
Thursday, July 17
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Cool Kids
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Sinéad O'Connor
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: John Mellencamp
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Early Man
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Coldplay
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Dr. Dog
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Serj Tankian (REPEAT)
OVATION: Live From the Artist's Den: Fountains of Wayne (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Live From Abbey Road: Sheryl Crow, Hard-Fi, Diana Krall
VH1: VH1 Rock Honors The Who: The Who, Pearl Jam, Supergrass, Incubus, The Flaming Lips, Tenacious D
Friday, July 18
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Minus the Bear
FUEL: The Daily Habit: T.J. Lavin
NBC: The Today Show: Natasha Bedingfield
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: One Republic
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: The SteelDrivers
Saturday, July 19
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Sharleen Spiteri
PBS: Austin City Limits: Death Cab For Cutie, My Morning Jacket