Well, the biggest concert announcement this week has come from the Eagles, who will be sharing their “Peaceful Easy Feeling” with audiences at Stagecoach in Indio on May 2. Unfortunately, the press release came in after our deadline, so it’s not in the column, but you can read more about it here and find out more about Stagecoach’s potent Friday-night lineup, which the Eagles are headlining, here.

So, what are the highlights of the actual column, then?

If you’re a country fan (who can’t stand the Empire Polo Fields in Indio or something), that’d be George Strait, who’ll be playing at the Home Depot Center on March 29 (tickets available now).

If you’re an indie rock fan, Ladytron and Datarock will be teaming up for a two-night dancefest at the Music Box @ Fonda on May 29-30 (get tickets now); Louis XIV will be making eyes at the young girls at the Avalon on April 4 (tickets Saturday); and the Kills will be at the El Rey on May 21 (tickets Thursday).

But the biggest bang comes from the hip-hop universe this week. Mary J. Blige will share the stage at the Hollywood Bowl with Jay-Z on April 16 (get tickets Saturday). And in any other week, that would be the high point. But not this week, because Kanye West, Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco are teaming up to appear at L.A. Live’s Nokia Theatre on April 21. Tickets for this show — a part of Kanye’s Glow in the Dark Tour — go on sale Friday, and if you want one, you’d be wise to make the effort the same day. Fresh off his Grammy performance with Daft Punk, West has so much crossover appeal, this bonanza’s sure to sell out instantly.

– Liam Gowing

Photo of Kanye West: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

With the winner listed in the title, there’s no sense beating around the bush: The cowpunk legends of X have the momentum this week. (Why? Because “X marks the spot” is about as creative a title as I can think of right now as I’m suffering from a post-Catalina overdose of Dramamine.) The original lineup will be playing a show on April 10 at the Music Box @ Fonda. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Otherwise, it’s a quiet week with a few explosive exceptions.

In hip-hop, it’s a tossup between GZA from Wu-Tang, who will appearing at the El Rey on March 29 (get your tickets Saturday), and Wyclef Jean, who has added a second show at the House of Blues Sunset Strip on Sunday (get tickets now). Dapper rapper Pigeon John of Inglewood deserves mention too for his March 1 show at the Malibu Inn, which is on sale now.

In indie rock, it’s another knock-down drag-out between Eels at the El Rey on April 16 (tickets Saturday) and the Decemberists’ Colin Meloy at the Music Box @ Fonda on April 28 (both tickets Saturday).

Keeping the dualism thread going, there’s a pair of worthwhile neo-soul singers that MTV fans may actually know who are coming to town as well: Jill Scott will be at the Gibson Amphitheatre on Valentine’s Day (tickets available now),  and Angie Stone will play the Grove of Anaheim on March 28 (get tickets Saturday).

In uncategorizable awesomeness — OK, Cambodian pop meets ska meets klezmer meets Ethiopian jazz — Dengue Fever is worth catching at the Viper Room on Feb. 18 (tickets now).

Finally, honorable mention in the category of good booking this week goes to Spaceland, which has funky, funny Har Mar Superstar on Feb. 17, rising rapper-singer the Gray Kid on Feb. 22, swirling poppers the Helio Sequence on Feb. 26 plus Travis Morrison with Say Hi – no longer to your mom, apparently — on March 21 (all tickets available now). Good work, Spaceland. You get a gold star.

– Liam Gowing

First things first: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers will be playing the Hollywood Bowl on June 25 and Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Aug. 22 with a little help from opening act Steve Winwood. Tickets to both shows go on sale Monday, and if you’re even a petite Petty fan, you should pick one up then.

Scratching a completely different itch among folks in a similar demographic, those time-signature abusing Canadians, Rush, also announced two shows: May 6 at the Nokia Theatre and May 11 at Verizon Wireless. Tickets go on sale Monday, but there’s no, umm, hurry to buy them.

In less geriatric news, the Bamboozle Left is coming to Verizon Wireless on April 5-6. You can pick up passes to see both shows (which include Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, Face to Face and the All-American Rejects the first day and My Chemical Romance, Anti-Flag, Chiodos and Armor for Sleep the second) here right now, or wait ’til Saturday to get one-day tickets.

If neither aging rockers nor cheesy emo bands are your thing, don’t fret. Other options await at Will Call. There are KCRW faves such as Ed Harcourt, March 10 at the Echoplex (tickets available now), and Kaki King, March 26 at the Roxy (tickets available Friday). There are hip-hop artists worth the drive to the Vault 350, including Pitbull and Baby Bash, April 3 (get tickets Saturday), and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Aceyalone, Feb. 20 (get tickets now).

But the winner? That has to be Harptallica, the all-harp tribute to Metallica, which plays the Malibu Inn on May 13 (tickets now). Why? With the possible exception of the Gregorian Masters of Chant, who play the El Rey on April 15 (tickets Saturday), there’s no one else quite like them.

–Liam Gowing

The big Will Call news this week came from Goldenvoice, which announced the lineup for the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, to be held April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio. It’s an interesting crop blooming in the desert this year with surprises right up to the top of the bill, which includes surfer-singer Jack Johnson, a reunited Portishead, and Pink Floyd visionary Roger Waters, who’ll be playing “Dark Side of the Moon” in its entirety.

Surprised by one or two of the headliners and interested in discussing it? Want to know who else is playing the festival??? Go here for the complete lineup and a lively thread on the topic.

In other news, it was a decent week. Bittersweet songstress Cat Power will be playing the Wiltern on Feb. 29 (tickets on sale Saturday). Brooklyn indie rockers Grizzly Bear will be teaming up with the L.A. Philharmonic for a March 1 show at Walt Disney Concert Hall (tickets on sale next Saturday, Feb. 2). And dance-rock acts MSTRKRFT and Z-Trip will be performing with LA Riots and DJ Diabetic at the Music Box at the Fonda on April 18 (tickets on sale Saturday).

Hip-hop fans will be happy to note the Paid Dues concert featuring Book Camp Clik, Sage Francis, Living Legends and Hieroglyphics at the San Bernadino NOS Events Center on March 22, and that Common will be playing the House of Blues West Hollywood on Feb. 12 and Anaheim on Feb. 13 (tickets to both shows go on sale Saturday).

The winner this week? Clearly, it’ s Jack Johnson. (Headlining Coachella’s first night? Seriously, whose board did he wax to attain that honor?) But in the interest of simplicity, let’s give it to the whole of Coachella 2008 for that curveball of a lineup.

–Liam Gowing

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that tickets for Grizzly Bear’s show with the L.A. Philharmonic (March 1 at Walt Disney Concert Hall) would go on sale this Saturday. In fact, tickets for the show will go on sale next Saturday, Feb. 2.

Despite the fact that he hasn’t done his legacy as a great singer-songwriter any favors since, oh, 1983’s “An Innocent Man,” — and has garnered more headlines for driving into trees and houses than writing hit songs in the last few years  –  Billy Joel certainly deserves first mention in this week’s Will Call. Damn the trends (and any objects in the road). He’s a classic artist! The Piano Man will be at the Honda Center on Feb. 23. Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday.

There are a few other shows of note this week, including underappreciated rapper Talib Kweli, who plays the House of Blues Sunset Strip on Jan. 25 and 26 (tickets on sale Thursday); the Gigantour with Megadeth, which touches down at Long Beach Arena on May 21 (tickets available now); and the Hotel Cafe Tour, with up-and-coming singer-songwriters such as Jesca Hoop, Meiko and Jim Bianco at the Music Box @ Fonda on April 12 (tickets on sale Saturday).

But the Will Call Winner is undoubtedly the color black, which brings us to:

The Black Crowes, who will be playing their forthcoming album, “Warpaint,” in its entirety at the Avalon on March 20 (get tickets Friday);

The Black Keys, who will be playing the blues ironically at the Glass House on March 30 and at the Wiltern on April 1 (tickets for both shows Saturday);

The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, who will undoubtedly be dressing in black at the Key Club on Jan. 24 and at Safari Sam’s on Jan. 25 (both shows on sale now);

Black Mountain, who will be playing the Troubadour on Feb. 5 (tickets now).

and Black Pine, who will be opening for the Coral Sea at the Viper Room on Feb. 18 (tickets now).

How much more black could the Will Call column be this week? These guys have the answer.

– Liam Gowing

After weeks of drifting through the doldrums, this is the week Will Call broke out of its Christmukwanzukkah funk. There’s no point in regurgitating the whole thing, but you should definitely check out the column if any of the names in the following non-exhaustive list rings a pleasant bell: the New York Dolls, the Hives, Rufus Wainwright, Wyclef Jean with Lyfe Jennings, Marilyn Manson, the Bravery, Velvet Revolver, Foo Fighters with Serj Tankian, the Album Leaf, the Lovemakers, Tokyo Police Club, Nada Surf with the Little Ones, Bad Religion, Wayne Hancock, the Gourds, Brett Dennen, Linkin Park.

So who sits atop the pile this week? Well, as cheesy as social networking website promotion is, the Myspace Music Tour with Justice, Diplo, Fancy and more to be announced is shaping up for a frothy, fun show at the Mayan on March 31. For those about to dance-rock, we salute you by telling you to get your tickets on Saturday.

But the jewel in this week’s crown is definitely Brian Wilson, who’ll be turning winter into an endless summer, by running through a handful of Beach Boys classics at the lovely Orpheum Theatre on–pause for a long sigh here–Valentine’s Day. If you’re a fan of “Pet Sounds,” it should be well worth the price of admission despite the fact that Wilson (and Kris Kristofferson, incidentally) is actually, shockingly opening the show for the largely irrelevant ’80s studio concoction Was (Not Was).

Run–do not “Walk the Dinosaur”–to get your tickets now.

–Liam Gowing

‘Twas two days after New Year’s Day and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. There were a couple of Will Call notices worth repeating though.

The Meat Puppets were added to the preexisting Built to Spill bill at the Echoplex on Feb. 22 and 23 (tickets on sale now). And Dead Prez will hip-hop onto the Key Club stage on Feb. 29 (on sale now).

But the biggest news came from the Samueli Theater at the Orange County Performing Artscenter. As if just the name of the venue weren’t enough of an announcement, the folks there revealed news of three shows sure to interest indie rock fans: Peter Bjorn and John and Sea Wolf on Jan. 24; the Walkmen and Delta Spirit on Feb. 28; and Cold War Kids on March 27 (all shows now on sale).

The winner? Peter Bjorn and John, of course. Why? You’re whistling it in your head right now. Just try and shake it. Impossible, isn’t it? -Liam Gowing

For the most part, publicists tend to avoid announcing big concerts the week before or after Christmas–unless it’s for a New Year’s Eve show with a last-minute lineup, like the one rapper Nas will headline at the WeHo House of Blues (tickets on sale now)–so it’s a quiet week again at Will Call.

There were a few decent shows popping up among the chirping crickets though, including: The Harry Nilsson Tribute Show with singer-songwriter Ferraby Lionheart and a bunch of other local yokels at Bordello on Jan. 31; the Donnas at Crash Mansion on Feb. 6; Built to Spill and the Meat Puppets at the Glass House on March 22; and Bad Religion at the WeHo House of Blues on March 5 (all tickets on sale now).

But the strangest news comes from the Troubadour, where SNL’s Fred Armisen will appear on Jan. 28–as his drum-playing alter-ego, Jens Hannemann–to give a preview of his new faux-instructional DVD “Fred Armisen Presents: Jens Hannemann Complicated Drumming Technique.” If that weren’t enough of a draw, L.A.-based musician Petra Haden will be accompanying him on stage.

Could be great fun or a total time-waster. Either way, count on it being weird. Get your tickets now.

With the Christmas holidays in full swing, it’s been a pretty quiet week for concert promoters and their minions. There are a few reasons not Grinch out over the results though.

Ska fans will be delighted to note that the Toasters will play the Knitting Factory on Jan. 25 (on sale now). P-Funk fans will be pleased to hear that George Clinton has two local shows lined up: Feb 10 at the Vault 350 in Long Beach; and Feb. 15 at the Malibu Inn (both shows on sale now). And hip-hop fans should be thrilled with the latest news from Crash Mansion. The new downtown venue has Bone Thugs-n-Harmony slated for Feb. 22, the Coup on Feb. 23 and Tech N9ne and E-40 tentatively scheduled for April 15 (all tickets on sale now).

So who’s the winner? Well, the Coup deserves some press after putting out one of the best albums of 2006 and one of my favorite tracks of the year. But I’ve got to go with Brooklyn’s foremost “conscious” rapper, Talib Kweli, who announced two big shows (for which tickets haven’t yet gone on sale so it’s doubly newsworthy): Jan 24 at the Grove of Anaheim (on sale Saturday); and Jan. 25 at the West Hollywood House of Blues (on sale Thursday).

If you can’t wait till January, of course, Kweli will be headlining the Roosevelt Hotel’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball in Hollywood. Thanks to my associate Charlie Amter, you can read all about it in next week’s Guide.

–Liam Gowing

It’s a bit of a slow one this week with a few big-ish names in rock and things rock-like playing unusual venues. To wit, Foo Fighters will appear at the Forum on March 5 (get your tickets Saturday), Lenny Kravitz will play the Santa Monica Civic on Jan. 17 (Saturday), and Ryan Adams will hit UCLA’s Royce Hall Jan. 31 (on sale now) with Steve Earle following him to Westwood on March 25 (Saturday).

As for this week’s winner, no single act really takes the cake. So let’s give it to the venerable old El Rey Theatre for booking a slew of good artists this week, including Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould, who’s appearing March 25 (pick up tickets on Saturday), electro-pop band Hot Chip, slated for Feb. 4, and the moodily rocking Raveonettes, scheduled for March 4 (both on sale now).

-Liam Gowing