• John Mellencamp has begun recording his 22nd album in a studio outside Bloomington, Ind., with producer T Bone Burnett (Roy Orbison, k.d. lang). Mellencamp will perform a pre-game show Thursday, Sept. 6 at the RCA Dome to kick off the 2007 NFL season for Super Bowl champions the Indianapolis Colts.

• Live Nation has taken the Verizon Wireless Music Center off the market. In December 2006, the property was put up for sale. The asking price of more than $40 million did not garner sufficient buyer bids. You can expect a 2008 season to ensue.

• Indiana’s DaFilled (pictured above) presented the “Most Exciting Hip-Hop Performance” award to Joel Ortiz at the Underground Music Awards in New York City this month (www.hiphoppalace.com). New York’s Power 105.1 FM DJ Chuck Dogg interviewed the band backstage at the awards show. Find out more about DaFilled at www.myspace.com/dafilledtrip.