Music on Television | 3.11-3.15

Once again, we’re bringing you our roundup of the best live music on television for the week. The amount of great performances can be hard to keep track of, so every Monday I’ll recap the best and most interesting of what’s coming up. I’ll be sure to give you one essential pick for each night, as well as a runner up or two when a lot of great bands are playing. Also, lots of artists performing on TV have upcoming shows in Nashville, so I’ve added ticket links and dates below.

Here are the best performances I think you should set your DVR (or check Hulu the next day) for:

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MONDAY (3/11)

DON’T MISS: Depeche Mode on Late Show with David Letterman [CBS; 11:35PM/10:35c]: Depeche Mode are in full comeback mode. The legendary British elecropop group have a new album, Delta Machine, set to release in just a few weeks, and they’ve just announced a world tour. Considering they’re over 3 decades into their career, it’s amazing how well they can still deliver and their performances are always fantastic!

Depeche Mode will be performing at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta on 9/12/13. You can find more info here. Check out the music video for the band’s new single, “Heaven:”

Bonus: Justin Timberlake on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon [NBC; 12:35AM/11:35c]: Justin’s got his first record in 7 years dropping on Friday and, in order to promote it, he’s appearing as the musical guest on Fallon every single night this week! If he’s half as good as his other recent TV appearances, we’re in for a treat! He’s also the guest Monday and Friday.

Bonus: Snoop Lion on Conan [TBS; 11PM/10c]: It’s unclear whether the rap legend turned reggae artist is just a guest, or also performing (probably the latter). It’s also unclear whether this whole Rastafarian rebirth is for real, or just a gimmick. Either way, it’ll be interesting!

Bonus: Ashley Monroe on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno [NBC; 11:35PM/10:35c]: At first glance, Ashely Monroe might seem like just another cookie-cutter Nashville country pop artist. Her associations with Third Man, The Raconteurs, Brendan Benson, and Wanda Jackson would beg to differ.

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TUESDAY (3/12)

DON’T MISS: Justin Timberlake on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon [NBC; 12:35AM/11:35c]: Night two of Justin’s Fallon residency. If you’re eager to hear his amazing new album before Friday’s release, you can stream it right now.

Here’s Timberlake’s David Fincher-directed video for “Suit & Tie:”

Bonus: Buddy Guy & The Hendrix Experience All-Star Band on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno [NBC; 11:35PM/10:35c]: The Hendrix Experience Tour has been running for several years now, and features and incredibly talented revolving group of esteemed and, sometimes, legendary musicians. They’ve currently got blues guitar legend Buddy Guy doing Jimi justice.

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WEDNESDAY (3/13)

DON’T MISS: Richard Thompson on Late Show with David Letterman [CBS; 11:35PM/10:35c]: Richard Thompson is one of those classic artists with more critical acclaim and musical influence than actual fame. But man, is his reach sprawling. Even if you’re not familiar with the English singer-songwriter by name, you’ve inevitably heard several songs he’s written.

Richard Thompson will be performing at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville on 4/6/13. You can find more info here. Here’s a live performance of Thompson’s “Beeswing:”

Bonus: Aimee Mann on Conan [TBS; 11PM/10c]: Indie pop darling Aimee Mann has been putting out charming, unpretentious and off-the-beaten path releases for years. She’s also always a delight to watch perform.

Bonus: Justin Timberlake on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon [NBC; 12:35AM/11:35c]: By now, JT is either going to seem like a really bad idea, or the best idea Fallon‘s ever had.

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THURSDAY (3/14)

DON’T MISS: Justin Timberlake on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon [NBC; 12:35AM/11:35c]: Your best bet is another night of Timberlake. I wonder if he’s debuting tracks from 20/20 all week, or digging into some classic hits?

Check out Justin’s recent performance of “Mirrors” at the BRIT Awards:

http://youtu.be/NXtEnURrlBY

Bonus: Owl City with Yuna on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno [NBC; 11:35PM/10:35c]: Even though Owl City is WAY overplayed, he’s still a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine (along with “Good Time” collaborator Carly Rae Jepsen). I’m curious to see what he’s got cooking with soulful Malaysian singer Yuna.

Owl City will be performing with Maroon 5 at Bridgestone in Nashville on 3/24/13. You can find more info here.

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FRIDAY (3/15)

DON’T MISS: Justin Timberlake on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon [NBC; 12:35AM/11:35c]: It’s record release day for Timberlake, and the last night of his weeklong residency on Fallon. I have a feeling he’s going to go all out for this one!

Another one (or two or three) of these is probably inevitable this week:

http://youtu.be/2EPl0OGz2Cg

Bonus: Dropkick Murphys on Late Show with David Letterman [CBS; 11:35PM/10:35c]: The Bostonian celtic punks put out a pretty solid, but mostly overlooked, new record back in January called Signed and Sealed in Blood. It’s worth a revisit if it passed you by!