I realize this has little to do with the NYC music scene but Syd Barrett's music was very important to a lot of musicians.

Daivd Gilmour is releasing a three song tribute to Syd as a digital download on Christmas Day. These songs will also be available as a limited 10" EP (in the USA) and a limited 7" (in Europe) as of Dec. 26th. (Don't sleep on this as the vinyl will likely sell out quickly). Songs on the EP are two versions of Arnold Layne -- one version sung by David Bowie and the other sung by Richard Wright -- and an acoustic version of Dark Globe.

David Gilmour announced on his website that the EP has been released today to BBC radio.

You can hear the very first play of the Arnold Layne single this morning on the Ken Bruce show (BBC Radio 2) between 9.30AM and 12 noon (UK time).You can listen live online or later via the BBC's 'Listen Again' feature. Look out for the great big purple buttons on the Radio 2 site.Do let us know what you think of it and, if you liked it, let your radio stations know that you want them to play it.The single has been added to Radio 2's B list. This means that you can expect to hear it about ten times during the course of the week. The more requests it receives, however, the more chance the single has of making it on to the A list, which means it will be played more often. Tracks on the A list receive the most plays (about 20 a week) compared to the B list's ten and the C list's five.