One of the more unlikely rock records of last year was Ukelele Songs, a collection of tunes played on the titular instrument by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. While some dismissed Ukelele Songs as little more than a novelty record, it ended up getting a nomination for Best Folk Album at next month's Grammys, and in a couple months Vedder will take to the road to play some solo dates.

The tour kicks off April 11 in Las Vegas, and he'll be joined by Oscar-winner Glen Hansard (the star of Once) as his opening act. Once these dates are over, Vedder will lay down the ukelele for a bit to tour Europe with Pearl Jam over the summer.

Eddie Vedder Tour Dates:

• Apr. 11 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
• Apr. 13 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theater
• Apr. 16 - Albuquerque, NM - Kiva Audotorium
• Apr. 19 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
• Apr. 22 - Houston, TX - Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
• Apr. 25 - San Antonio, TX - Lila Cockrell Theatre
• Apr. 27 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
• Apr. 30 - Dallas, TX - The Music Hall at Fair Park
• May 3 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
• May 8 - Jacksonville, FL - Moran Theater
• May 10 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
• May 13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Performing Arts
• May 16 - Orlando, FL - Bob Carr Performing Arts Center

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At last year's Oscars, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor joined the likes of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen in the ranks of rock artists who have won an Oscar. Honored for his score (with longtime collaborator Atticus Ross) for The Social Network, Reznor had a chance to go 2-for-2 with his and Ross's score for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which award prognosticators thought had a decent shot at getting serious consideration for this year's Academy Awards. Well, you can forget that: The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and Reznor and Ross didn't make the cut for Best Score.

This is all the more surprising since the two men had received a Golden Globe nomination for Dragon Tattoo at the end of last year, although they didn't win. The guys will just have to settle for their Social Network Oscar for now.

In other rock-related Oscar news, Chris Cornell's song from Machine Gun Preacher, "The Keeper," failed to get an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. It too had received a Golden Globe nomination but failed to win. So none of these guys will have to worry about busting out their tux February 26, which is when the Oscars will be held in Los Angeles.

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Part of the inspiration for the Black Keys' latest hit single, "Lonely Boy," came from a song that's over 50 years old. In their Rolling Stone interview, they mention that the Johnny Burnette Trio's "The Train Kept ­A-Rollin'" -- which came out in 1956 -- helped kick-start the group's lead single from El Camino. Well, wherever the inspiration came, it worked: "Lonely Boy" is No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart for a sixth consecutive week. Check out my rundown of this week's Rock Songs chart to see where your favorite tunes ranked.

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Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for AG Adriano Goldschmied.

Craig Finn is putting the Hold Steady on the shelf for a bit to focus on his first solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes, which will be hitting stores January 24. You can check out the album right now thanks to NPR, who are streaming the album in full, or you can wait until next month, when he'll be playing cuts from the record during a quick U.S. tour.

By the way, you shouldn't be alarmed that this solo album means the death of the Hold Steady. In announcing these tour dates, Finn made it clear that the band remains a huge priority for him, writing, "we're making great progress writing the next Hold Steady record." And once you hear Clear Heart Full Eyes, you'll notice that it is indeed a very different beast than, say, Heaven Is Whenever. Finn's solo disc, although flexing his usual lyrical skill, finds the frontman venturing into country-ish tunes and other material that seems like a determined break from the garage-rock energy of the Hold Steady.

Craig Finn Tour Dates:

• Feb. 1 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada
• Feb. 2 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory
• Feb. 3 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
• Feb. 4 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
• Feb. 6 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill
• Feb. 7 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
• Feb. 8 - Detroit, MI - The Lager House
• Feb. 9 - Columbus, OH - The Basement
• Feb. 10 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
• Feb. 11 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
• Feb. 13 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
• Feb. 19 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
• Feb. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
• Feb. 21 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
• Feb. 23 - Portland, OR - The Doug Fir Lounge
• Feb. 24 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
• Feb. 27 - Ringwood, NJ - Live at Drew's House
• Feb. 28 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
• Feb. 29 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
• Mar. 1 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
• Mar. 2 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
• Mar. 3 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
• Mar. 5 - Atlanta, GA - Earl

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Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Heineken.