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Of all the storytelling rock ’n’ roll frontmen out there, Craig Finn and Patterson Hood probably spend more time than anyone singing and talking about the bands they love. Finn’s New York-based, Minneapolis-rooted quintet the Hold Steady has issued a flood of songs with rock-referencing lyrics, including the Joe Strummer-toasting anthem “Constructive Summer” and the Zeppelin-roasting “Joke About Jamaica” on their new album “Stay Positive.” Hood, meanwhile, made his mark along with fellow singer/guitarist Mike Cooley on the Drive-By Truckers’ 2001 two-disc masterpiece “Southern Rock Opera,” ostensibly a concept album about Lynyrd Skynyrd but really an ode to rock’s high place among blue-collar Southern boys.

Harmless as a puppy, “Bolt” comes bounding into theaters, stumbling over its big, goofy paws, wagging its fluffy tail and begging to play ball. It’s sweet and eager to please but, sadly, nothing terribly special: Girl finds dog, girl loses dog, girl gets dog back. You’ve seen this sort of thing many times before, namely in any movie with the word “Lassie” in the title.

The Tangled Roots don’t want you to get it twisted. There’s a big difference between hip-hop and rap. Rap is the music, one of the four essential elements of hip-hop culture; the other three are deejaying, graffiti, and breakdancing.

Music Brandon Heath:

News reports estimated the crowd at about 150 protesters in front of Spokane City Hall last Saturday morning. My family and I hung toward the back, didn’t carry any signs and didn’t chant. But it felt good to be visible, to be united with so many others who dared to come out. The rally was one of dozens held simultaneously around the country as a show of protest for the passage of Proposition 8 in California, a law that revokes a court decision to legalize gay marriage.