As an addendum to my recent column, “Traveling to see music without losing your money (or your mind),” I’ve put together this small group of shows and fests that provide some good selections for music-motivated travel. If you haven’t already made travel plans this summer, here are some of your best bets.

Grizzly Bear and TV on the Radio
Saturday, June 13, The Tabernacle, Atlanta
If you wanna go, get your tickets now — it’s a Saturday night co-headlining bill featuring of two of Brooklyn’s most hip and beloved bands, both with recent albums — Grizzly’s just-released Veckatimest, TVOTR’s fantastic Dear Science from last year — so the show will most definitely sell out. I would be at this show, front row, if I wasn’t just returning from a music-motivated vacation that same Thursday.

The Decemberists (pictured) with Andrew Bird and Blind Pilot
July 18-19, Edgefield, Portland, Oregon
The chamber rock quintet only comes as close as Atlanta and plays that date on Wednesday, June 3 — not at all convenient for a road trip unless you plan on taking that week off. But the tour also includes this appealing Saturday-Sunday run in Portland, and with whistling singer/songwriter Andrew Bird, and Portland’s own indie pop duo, Blind Pilot.

All Points West Festival Music & Arts Festival
July 31-Aug. 2, Jersey City, New Jersey
The rather fatty fest lineup makes up for the unsavory setting, and you can always take a ride six miles over to NYC if you get tired of the obnoxious accents. Or the smell.
Music highlights: Tool (pictured), Coldplay, Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Bloody Valentine, Echo & The Bunnymen, Vampire Weekend, The National, MGMT, the Ting Tings, Gogol Bordello, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Q-Tip, the Pharcyde, Ra Ra Riot, Arctic Monkeys, Neko Case, Crystal Castles, Kool Keith, The Black Keys, Elbow, Telepathe, Tokyo Police Club, White Rabbits, the Postelles, Silversun Pickups, the Gaslight Anthem, Steel Train, Heartless Bastards, Mogwai, Ghostland Observatory, Lykke Li, Akron/Family and others.

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival
August 28-30, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
San Francisco is fun to visit, fog and all — there are literally dozens upon dozens of things to do aside from the music; the Ghirardelli Square (free chocolate!), Chinatown, Amoeba Music, Haight-Ashbury, City Lights … And this eco-friendly fest boasts a bevy of awesome acts with more TBA.
Music highlights: Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, M.I.A., Ween, The Mars Volta, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band, Lucinda Williams, Thievery Corporation, Tom Jones, Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Mastodon, Raphael Saadiq, Band of Horses, TV on the Radio, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Bat for Lashes, The Avett Brothers, Silversun Pickups, Calexico, Os Mutantes, Tea Leaf Green, Deerhunter, The National, Q-tip, Calexico, Kinky, The Dodos, Lila Downs, Bettye Lavette, Los Campesinos!, Lenka, Akron/Family John Vanderslice, The Morning Benders, West Indian Girl, Portugal. The Man, and Extra Golden.

My “Top 20 Songs of 2008″ feature is in the Creative Loafing that streets today. Here are my honorable mentions:

“All Nightmare Long,” Metallica
Metal masters are back – with a fierceness.

“Anyone Who had a Heart,” Shelby Lynne
Dusty would be proud.

“Be Mine!” Robyn (pictured)
Britney with brains.

“Better Get to Livin,’” Dolly Parton
Feel-good country pop from everyone’s favorite drag queen.

“Chemtrails,” Beck
Trippy dude.

“Discipline,” Nine Inch Nails
More Reznor industrial wickedness of the highest order.

“Don’t Change,” Lyrics Born
Positive alternative rap with a disco beat.

“Dust My Broom,” Cassandra Wilson
Greatest vocalist alive lends her sublimely smokey contralto to this Robert Johnson blues classic.

“Furr,” Blitzen Trapper
A splendid Dylan rip-off.

“Getting’ Up,” Q-Tip
Rap word master is back with a smooth, mellow, masterstroke.

“I Wish I Knew,” Hank Williams III
Hellbilly renegade turns in a high, lonesome, first-rate tearjerker.

“Juliet of the Spirits,” The B-52s
Original college rockers return with a clubby cool ode to Fellini – and fallen women.

“Just Us Kids,” James McMurtry
Moving tale of a couple blue-collar guys reflecting on their real-life working man blues.

“Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs,” Raul Malo
Former Maverick faithfully and wonderfully updates this countrypolitan, Charlie Rich chestnut.

“Lonely Me, Lonely You,” The Gibson Brothers
Gorgeous close-harmonies that teem with hillbilly charm – and genuine heartache.

“A Lot of Days Are Gone,” The Hacienda Brothers
A fitting farewell to underground alt-country standout Chris Gaffney.

“Outlaw Shit,” Waylon Jennings
The late, great honky tonk hero says goodbye – his way.

“Pretty Runs Out,” Amanda Shaw
Catchy Cajun pop from precocious teen fiddling sensation.

“Salute Your Solution,” The Raconteurs
Awesomely gritty garage rock with ample swagger.

“She Loves the Sunset,” Old 97’s
Steel guitar and sweet vocals celebrate the joys of romance.

“Stay with Me,” Al Green
The reverend’s best cut in years, sounds like something criminally left off that Green’s greatest hits CD we all have – or should have!

“Street of Dreams,” Guns N’ Roses
“November Rain” rewrite still ranks as best power ballad to be issued in years, by anyone.

“Supernatural Superserious,” R.E.M.
Athens allstars bring back the blazing guitars and elate fans with a song that recalls the band’s glory, I.R.S. days.

“Waitin’ For Some Girl,” Ry Cooder
Slide-guitar-ace-turned storyteller offers another amazingly literate character study.

“When I Still had You,” Sonny Landreth
Reigning king of the slide guitar Sonny Landreth displays his melody-writing chops.

For years, rock and rap had largely forged an unholy alliance thanks to such clown acts as Limp Bizkit. But that’s changed (thanks God!) with forward-thinking young groups like Gym Class Heroes and the most brilliant new hip-hop act of 2008, The Knux. Comprised of brothers Krispy Kream and Rah Al Millio, the sibling duo was born and raised in New Orleans but their sound, style and ethos has more in common with Atlanta stalwarts Outkast than anything to emerge from under the Cash Money umbrella.

On their debut disc Remind Me in 3 Days…, The Knux alternate between odes to everyday pleasures (”Cappuccino”) and the reality of living in a city as famous for its murder rate as it is for good times (”Bang! Bang!”). Those two songs are blowing up on MySpace thanks to their use of big beats, awesomely wacky synths and glossy guitars, the latter of which figure even more prominently on other numbers like “Roxanne” (no, it’s not a Police cover) and reportedly in the duo’s live shows, which featured a band when The Knux first created a buzz opening for Common in late 2007. When The Knux came through Florida recently and played Orlando, they supported Q-Tip. Yeah, Krispy Kream and Rah Al Millio are two extremely talented MCs/musicians who are smartly associating themselves with the upper crust of the old guard. 3.5 stars.

The Knux: “Bang! Bang!”

In the years eight years since Q-Tip dropped his last offering, Amplified, a lot has changed in hip-hop — and, to my ears, not a whole lot of it for the good.

So now Q-Tip, formerly of the progressive rap act A Tribe Called Quest, has dropped a new one, The Renaissance, and, uh, it’s some seriously good shit.

OK, I’ve only listened to two mp3s — “Trade” and “Believe” — but I’m amped to hear the rest. Look for a full review soon. In the meantime, check out the two songs, a winning mix of rap flow and silky R&B production. D’Angelo is featured on “Believe.”