311's Nick Hexum
Photo: Getty Images/ Scott Gries

For a band that hasn't released a shred of new material in over three years, funk-rock outfit 311 are certainly busy. They'll be spending much of this summer crisscrossing the U.S. with Snoop Dogg, co-headlining a tour that runs through August 16 in Waikiki, Hawaii, and not surprisingly, tickets are selling fast.

In a world where attention spans are rapidly shrinking, how does a band like 311 — who have successfully toured the states every summer since 2005's Don't Tread on Me — still pack arenas while staying musically dormant? Drummer Chad Sexton thinks he's got the answer.

Sexton said that, over the course of 10 albums, they've managed to assemble a rabid fanbase who've supported the band through thick and thin. They're a loyal bunch, and their devotion rivals that of even the most die-hard Deadhead.

"I think we have the same appeal as a band like the Grateful Dead," he explained. "We have some Deadheads in the band, and when they stopped touring, Phish kind of took over for them, and maybe Dave Matthews Band has some of that same appeal as well. We can jam on our [songs] like those bands, but I'd say we're kind of a band between — and I'm not comparing us to these bands, but just in the level of status and accomplishment, and that they're still together — U2 and Phish. It's somewhere in the middle of that, and we're hoping to define that a little better over the next couple of years. It's a weird phenomenon: We keep playing, and kids are having a great time every summer.

"We've picked up a comparable following, I guess," Sexton continued. "We wanted to make sure we tour every summer, regardless of our records, because we're here to play live music. We don't want to spend a summer getting away from the people."

But 311's fans will wait just so long for a new record, which Sexton said the boys have been working on for the last year, with former Metallica producer Bob Rock at their side. 311 are recording a number of new tunes and, following this tour, will return to their Hive Studios to finish tracking the rest of the LP — which they'd like to release early next year.

"I don't know about other bands, but we get tunnel vision if we just sit around and keep writing and keep recording, so it's very healthy for us to get out and play in front of people," Sexton said. "So far, [the record is] sounding like 311, just with Bob Rock helping us get the roadmaps and the energy of the songs down, in how he's recording it. We've experimented a lot in recent years and shifted this way and that way, and with the current climate out there, with record sales, it could be a coincidence that [our sales] just went down, down, down because of the Internet, or maybe we've been too experimental. Maybe we should get back to the basics — the 311 basics."

To that end, Sexton said the new material's got a Music and Grassroots feel.

"I would think that the last three records were our growing pains," he added. "We figured, 'Why not get back to basics?' We can experiment further with our sound, but we've been doing that for a while now. We forgot to take a look back and say, 'Let's do that again,' because all of a sudden, going back to that original 311 sound is new to us again. Some characteristically 311 sounds come out when we do get back to basics, and we're probably putting our best foot forward with this album. Sometimes it's important to see where you came from. We went back and explored what we did [on those albums], and we're concentrating on that energy."

Before 311 began writing this album, Sexton said they created a list of producers they wanted to work with, and the one name they could always all agree on was Rock.

"We remembered how we felt when we first heard [Metallica's self-titled LP, a.k.a. The Black Album], and he's just so smart," Sexton said, adding that Rock has helped the band be a better band. "One of the things he's helped us improve, and it's hard to put a finger on how it will affect the music, is our communication as a band. And so I would say, if I were to pick — and I'm not being hard on us — but the last three records, maybe the communication wasn't as solid. ... Recording has been a lot easier this time. It's always challenging, but I'm loving what we're getting."

Sexton said 311 hope this summer's trip with Snoop yields some kind of collaboration, either onstage or perhaps recording a cover in the studio. Teaming up with the D-O-double-G would work best on this summer's tour, Sexton said, because 311's forthcoming LP will be the band's most mature effort to date.

"I think people will be surprised by how nice and solid it will sound," he said. "There's something you can't really vocalize or explain about the experience behind what's going on. But I'm thinking people will think it sounds really solid, which comes from being in a band for 18 years."

• 311

Lil' Kim
Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Nearly 2 million viewers tuned in last week to catch the premiere episode of "Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown," making it the most-watched series debut for BET. The six-episode show — which airs Thursday nights — captures Kim's final two weeks of freedom before entering prison to serve 12 months behind bars for perjury. ...

50 Cent, G-Unit, Mike Jones, Nick Cannon, RZA, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, DJ AM, Gabrielle Union, Jeremy Piven, Trina, Raekwon, Sleepy Brown and Timbaland are among the hip-hop elite slated to tee off for charity in a celebrity-golf tournament taking place in Arizona March 20-21. The event is part of the three-day Scion Release Invitational, a celebration to kick off the launch of Scion's new Release sportswear collection. All of the proceeds from the game will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of America. ... Wal-Mart's about to open its 2,000th Supercenter, and it'll celebrate the momentous occasion with a free concert featuring Ryan Cabrera. He'll perform March 18 in the parking lot of said store — located in Beaumont, California. The show is open to the public and starts at 4 p.m. ...

Rivers Cuomo is engaged to Kyoko Ito, whom he met when he performed solo at the Middle East club in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1997. The Weezer singer's spokesperson told Boston magazine the two will wed in the summer after Cuomo graduates from Harvard. ... A week after performing a five-hour, 66-song set in Memphis, Tennessee, for 311 Day (March 11), Nick Hexum is taking on another marathon. The 311 singer is running in the Los Angeles Marathon XXI on Sunday for his pro-environmental cause, Liberal Hexum. ...

Journalist, author, poet and activist Kevin Powell — whom you'll remember from the first season of MTV's "The Real World" — is running for higher office. Powell's seeking a seat in Brooklyn, New York's 10th Congressional District. Powell, who's running on a platform that includes education reform, better access to health care, economic development, financial literacy and "job training instead of jail sentencing in poorer neighborhoods," said the events of 9/11, as well as the war in Iraq and the government's shortsighted response to Hurricane Katrina, encouraged the move. "I want to use my voice, in Washington, D.C., on a national stage, in a way that affirms our humanity, not denies it," he said. "It is time for new leadership, a new generation, to push us forward, and I want to be a part of that wave of fresh ideas, of new visions, for these times, for the 21st century." For more on Powell's campaign, check out KevinPowell2006.com. ...

Hoobastank's forthcoming Every Man for Himself will now hit stores May 16. The disc was originally slated for release April 18. The band's also booked a series of television appearances: "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (May 12), "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (May 16), "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (May 18) and "Last Call With Carson Daly" (May 25). ... It's going to be a busy May for Mogwai, who've just lined up 20 North American dates to chase the band's appearance April 30 at this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The first is set for May 2 in Salt Lake City, and dates run through May 27 in San Francisco. The Scottish indie-rockers' most recent record, Mr. Beast, came out earlier this month.

03.14.2006

A dark-haired Lindsay Lohan graces the April cover of Cosmopolitan, and within its pages the singer/actress gets personal about family problems, body-image issues and guys. Lohan talks about her first onscreen love scene — with Elijah Wood in the upcoming "Bobby" — and says she hopes she'll have time for a real boyfriend when she's done shooting "Chapter 27" in New York. (Successful candidates need to be confident, loyal and have a good sense of humor, "because I come with a lot of baggage.") The 19-year-old, who says sleeping around doesn't appeal to her, admits she's harboring her fair share of crushes. And in a multiple-choice questionnaire, she skips over Orlando Bloom, Jude Law and Brad Pitt to write in votes for favorite heartthrobs Johnny Depp and scruffy indie-rocker Devendra Banhart. ...

California authorities have granted Michael Jackson a 24-hour extension to settle an unpaid-wages dispute at his Neverland Valley Ranch. A spokesperson for the California Department of Industrial Relations said the singer's representatives have been in touch with the office and they are "trying to get the money together" to pay the more than $500,000 in fines Jackson was ordered to shell out by Tuesday (March 14). Authorities shut down Neverland March 9, alleging that Jackson failed to pay his employees and maintain workers'-compensation insurance. Jackson owes $69,000 for allowing his insurance policy to lapse two months ago, as well as $306,000 in back wages and $100,000 in fines. If he does not pay up by the end of Wednesday, department spokesperson Renee Bacchini said her office will file a civil action in court seeking the funds and the singer could face contempt charges. A spokesperson for Jackson did not return calls for comment. ...

Banking on the massive appeal of "American Idol," the TV Guide Channel is launching a live pre-show called "Idol Tonight" that will take viewers behind the scenes of each week's competition until this season's winner is announced in May. The one-hour show premieres Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will be hosted by former-"Idol"-finalist-turned-entertainment-correspondent Kimberly Caldwell. ... Yellowcard, Simple Plan and "X-Men" Iceman Shawn Ashmore are just some of the celebrity gamers who have customized Xbox 360 faceplates for charity. Starting Friday fans will be able to bid on the faceplates over at eBay.ca/XboxCelebrityFaces, with all proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network of Canada. ... Sorry ladies: Jack Black is reportedly off the market. The Tenacious D frontman and "Nacho Libre" actor eloped with his girlfriend, musician Tanya Haden, according to People magazine. The pair met at a private high school in Santa Monica, California, but only began dating recently. "They love each other very much. We're thrilled," the bride's father, noted jazz saxophonist Charlie Haden, told the mag of his daughter's recent nuptials. Black's publicist would neither confirm nor deny the story. ...

The Dave Matthews Band will perform two nights at Boston's historic home of the Red Sox, Fenway Park, as part of their summer tour. Sheryl Crow will open up both gigs, scheduled for July 7 and 8. ... On Tuesday morning Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. set a trial date for one of the two owners of the Station — the Warwick, Rhode Island, nightclub where 100 people died in a 2003 blaze during a Great White concert. According to The Associated Press, Michael Derderian's case will begin July 31 in Rhode Island's Kent County. Derderian and his brother, Jeffrey, are facing 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter — two for each of the 100 lives lost in the fire, which was sparked when Great White's pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing foam inside the venue. Jeffrey Derderian will be tried following the conclusion of his brother's trial. ... British rockers Hard-Fi are crashing the U.S. in style. To celebrate the Stateside release of their debut album, Stars of CCTV, the band will play a free show at Tower Records in Sherman Oaks, California, Tuesday at 7 p.m. for fans who buy the LP that same day. The gig marks the beginning of the quartet's North American headlining tour, which will include four more back-to-back in-store appearances in San Francisco, San Diego, Portland and Seattle. ...

Seventeen years after their last tour, the members of pioneering new-wave band the Cars — well, a couple of them anyway — are gearing up for a major U.S. summer tour with fellow new wavers Blondie. The New Cars, featuring original members Elliot Easton (guitar) and Greg Hawkes (keyboards), will be joined on the Road Rage Tour 2006 by singer/guitarist Todd Rundgren and his old Utopia bandmate, bassist Kasim Sulton, as well as former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. Each online ticket purchase for the tour will come with a free download of a disc with five songs each from the New Cars and Blondie. The tour kicks off May 12 at the Grand Casino Tunica Event Center in Robinsonville, Mississippi, and is slated to wrap July 1 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. ...

OK Go frontman Damian Kulash was booked on resisting-arrest charges by police in Orlando, Florida, after ignoring an officer's orders to head inside the local House of Blues where the band was performing. Instead Kulash insisted on loitering outside with several of the group's fans. According to the band's Web site, Kulash was "locked up for about nine hours, during which time he ate corn flakes and made friends with a couple of guys." He was released Tuesday morning — which means OK Go's gig Tuesday night in Jacksonville, Florida, will go on as scheduled. ... Also in trouble is Less Than Jake frontman Chris Demakes, who was arrested last week while the Gainesville, Florida, ska band was filming a video in Los Angeles for the track "Overrated" — the first single off In With the Out Crowd, due May 23. According to a label spokesperson, the band was in the Topanga Plaza shopping mall, performing for people chowing down in the food court. Security guards asked the band to hit the bricks, and when that took a little too long Demakes was hauled off by police for trespassing.

• Lil' Kim
• 50 Cent
• Timbaland
• Ryan Cabrera
• Weezer

Kelly Clarkson
Photo: Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson, Chris Brown, Common and MTV News' Sway will discuss the state of the music industry with high school students on February 6 as part of Grammy week. The What's the Download Rap Session, sponsored by the Recording Academy, will be held at Newman Hall on the University of Southern California campus. ...

Eminem's Shady Records isn't throwing Detroit's only pre-Super Bowl bash. Lil Jon will host a party at hot spot Agave on Friday, and at the same venue the following night, Ludacris and actor Anthony Anderson will be the main attractions for a soiree dubbed Hustle & Flow: Detroit Style. Luda will also be performing at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday with Young Jeezy, Juvenile, Twista and Juelz Santana. R. Kelly, meanwhile, will perform on Sunday at the Glass House, and Diddy has three shindigs booked: his Diddy's Cashmere Luxe Party at the Elysium Lounge on Friday; the 5th Player's Ball on Saturday and the Diamonds and Furs party on Sunday — both being held at Captain's Bar & Grille in Detroit. Former Detroit Pistons player Derrick Coleman is hosting the Platinum Party, which will feature Nelly, Murphy Lee, Ali and Gipp; that party's happening on Saturday at the Detroit Opera House. Nelly will join Jamie Foxx, John Legend, the Four Tops and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas for the Motown Music Fest at the Masonic Temple on Saturday. And lastly, Kanye West, Nickelback, Train and the Goo Goo Dolls will perform during the Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash on Thursday inside the city's State Theatre. ...

It may still be lacking a release date, but now at least there's a trailer available for "Idlewild," the much-delayed feature-film debut from Outkast. Currently streaming over at the movie's official site, IdlewildMovie.net, the trailer shows 'Kast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi as Percival and Rooster, two lifelong friends who open up a speakeasy called Church in the 1930s South. Several new Outkast songs are played throughout, and at the end of the trailer we're told that the soundtrack to the film is due in stores on February 14 — though Outkast's label says that information is no longer true, and that the album has no firm release date. ... Slip-N-Slide Records was awarded an injunction last week in its legal battle with TVT Records over the rights to an album's worth of material Pitbull recorded in 2001 — before he signed with TVT Records, which released his debut, M.I.A.M.I., in 2004. The injunction, granted by a U.S. District Court magistrate judge, bars TVT Records' efforts to thwart the release of the disc, Welcome to the 305. The record was slated for release last May but TVT obtained a cease-and-desist order, which scared off Slip-N-Slide's distributors. TVT's action, the judge determined, damaged Slip-N-Slide's business dealings with potential buyers. The injunction clears the way for the label to release the album, but there's no word yet on when Slip-N-Slide might do that. ...

Jennifer Garner, Scarlett Johansson and Teri Hatcher are among the actors who sing on a new album of lullabies and ballads called Unexpected Dreams: Songs From the Stars. Due March 28 and benefiting Music Matters, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's music-education program, the album also includes Ewan McGregor, Eric McCormack, Nia Vardalos, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lucy Lawless. ... Dinosaur Jr. seem to be getting along just fine. The reunited indie-rock heroes have announced dates for an upcoming spring tour that will take the band to a number of cities for the first time since the original trio joined forces again last year. The spate of 23 announced dates kicks off on March 29 in Dallas and includes stops in New Orleans, Nashville, Salt Lake City and a two-night stand in San Francisco April 19-20. Even better for hard-core fans, the bandmembers are in guitarist/singer J Mascis' home studio recording new material, but they're not saying what it's for just yet. In the meantime, look for the release of their first-ever live concert DVD this summer. ...

Need more Joy Division in your Easter Mass? The BBC will air a live Passion parade from the streets of Northern England's musical mecca, Manchester, on Good Friday. While the BBC is keeping mum about who will play Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate, it has announced that Jesus will belt out tunes from some of your favorite Manchester bands, including Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" during the Last Supper, and a duet with Pontius Pilate on the Oasis hit "Wonderwall." ... Manchester music fans witnessed an early resurrection on Saturday when former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke joined his ex-bandmate Johnny Marr onstage. The surprise reunion took place at a Manchester versus Cancer benefit with Morrissey-free renditions of "How Soon Is Now?" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," according to the BBC. The duo have not played together in public since the Smiths broke up in 1987. ...

Fans of Beenie Man put a new spin on the term "crowd participation" on Tuesday in London. A man made off with Beenie's $180,000 watch, but several fans who witnessed the crime, which took place at a record store, pursued the robber and got the toaster's watch back. ... Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots will give a talk about the relationship between jazz and hip-hop Wednesday at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Irene Diamond Education Center. ...

311 will move the 2006 edition of their 3-11 Day concert (held, of course, on March 11) from Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, which is still damaged from Hurricane Katrina, to the MidSouth Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee. At the 3-11 Day concert in 2004, 311 played a five-hour set of 68 songs. ... Manowar guitarist Karl Logan was injured last week in a motorcycle accident, from which he sustained severe injuries to his left arm. According to the band's Web site, the mishap "will prevent [Logan] from performing for an as-yet-unknown period of time," and will also delay the release of the band's forthcoming, still-untitled album. Bassist Joey DeMaio assured fans that the accident will not debilitate the 'War. "Nothing ever has, or ever will, stop Manowar," he wrote on the site.

1.27.2006

Missy Elliott is collaborating with Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers to score the upcoming film "Stick It," which stars Missy Peregrym as a reluctant gymnast and Jeff Bridges as her coach. Elliott's third single from The Cookbook, "We Run This," will be the film's theme song. She shot a video for it with director Dave Meyers earlier this month in Los Angeles, with Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Dawes making a cameo as Elliott's gymnastics coach, making her do the balance beam, uneven bars and a floor routine. "Stick It" is due in theaters in April. ...

(Click for photos from the set of "We Run This.")

Dave Grohl is calling his unborn child "The Karate Kid" because of how much kicking she's already doing. "All I know is right now my baby is one of the most hyperactive children," the Foo Fighters frontman told MTV Europe. "I mean, she's not born, but I don't even have to feel my wife's stomach anymore. I just have to watch her shirt." The littlest Foo is due in March, but she's not the only Foo baby on the way — guitarist Chris Shiflett and his wife are expecting their second child, Shiflett revealed to MTV Europe before drummer Taylor Hawkins could break the news once again (Hawkins had let it slip to MTV about Grohl's baby earlier this month). "Thanks, Taylor," Grohl said. "We were trying to keep that private!" ... The recording academy announced earlier this week that a special tribute to legendary soul artists Sly and the Family Stone will take place during next month's Grammy Awards — but a report in Friday's (January 27) Washington Post said that the group's original lineup may be re-forming for the event as well. Notoriously reclusive bandleader Sly Stone has not made a major public appearance since 1993 and last performed publicly in 1987; the group's original lineup, which sources cited in the Post said is slated to begin rehearsals next week, has not performed together since 1971. The sources also warned that, owing to Stone's well-documented erratic behavior (he has been arrested on drug charges numerous times), the whole thing could fall apart at any moment. Grammy spokesperson Ron Roecker called the reports "rumor" in the Post but noted that Stone was expected to attend. A different spokesperson told MTV News that the group's contribution has not been confirmed "yet." ...

Kristin Cavallari's tried cocaine, she reveals in the March issue of Teen People. "It was fun for, like, 20 minutes, but the next day, I just didn't feel good about myself," she told the mag. "It's a dirty drug. I find people who do coke to be very shady, that they're doing it makes them lie about things. I wouldn't want to date someone who's into it." Instead, she's dating drug-free Brody Jenner of "The Princes of Malibu," which she calls her "first mature relationship." "With Stephen [Colletti], it was like high school fun." That is, except for when he two-timed her with fellow "Laguna Beach" star Lauren "LC" Conrad. "I saw what happened when I watched the season-one DVD," Cavallari said. "I cried for days." This, of course, didn't stop Cavallari from doing something similar to Lindsay Lohan, who she says flipped out when she walked in on Talan Torriero and her in bed together. "She was never nice to me until the story about the fight came out," Cavallari said. "But she was so nice once that went public." ...

Want to celebrate this year's Super Bowl, Slim Shady-style? Well, if you're going to be in Detroit next weekend and have some extra cash to burn, you can. Tickets went on sale Friday morning for "Shady Bowl Super Party," a pre-Super Bowl bash being thrown by Eminem's label, Shady Records. Set for February 4, the event will go down inside Detroit's State Theatre and will feature performances from several artists on Shady's roster, including Obie Trice and Stat Quo. Biz Markie, meanwhile, has been tapped to man the DJ booth all evening long. There's no official word yet on whether the real Slim Shady will be standing up to take the mic during the shindig. ... Avril Lavigne is performing at a ceremony to honor the United States' greatest hometown hero at the fourth annual Volvo for Life Awards, which will be held in New York on April 12. Nominations for everyday heroes are being accepted through Tuesday at volvoforlifeawards.com, and will be judged by Caroline Kennedy, Hank Aaron and Bill Bradley. ...

Warren G's new single, "I Need a Light" featuring Nate Dogg, is on MySpace.com. He's planning to release the video next week. " 'I Need a Light' is a song to listen to if you are stressing over something," Warren G said. "The hook makes you feel good. In the lyrics I'm talking about growing up in Long Beach and some of the things I went through." The 1940s-style video opens with a look at Long Beach, California, during Warren's childhood, focusing on a young Warren, Snoop Dogg and Nate. "The tone of the video shows the classic side of Warren," director Paul Hunter said, "how he built his empire from the streets and expanded it to the world. He is showing everyone that it's all about class and treating people right. It's about the classy style of hip-hop." ... Tom Morello, Talib Kweli, the Roots' Black Thought and Jello Biafra are among the guests on the new Coup album, Pick a Bigger Weapon, due April 22. The band's last album, Party Music, caused some controversy because it came out shortly after 9/11 and the cover originally featured the crew setting off an explosion in the World Trade Center (though the cover art was completed three months prior to the actual bombing). "As far as the record industry was concerned, it was the end of my career," frontman Boots Riley said. "I always think my next album is gonna be my last, like it may not sell and I'll have to do something else." ...

Modesto, California, avant-rockers Grandaddy are calling it quits after more than a decade together, according to a spokesperson for their label, V2 Records. The band rose to prominence with its 2000 album, The Sophtware Slump, which topped year-end lists and earned the group the admiration of artists like Radiohead and the Flaming Lips. Grandaddy decided to split while recording their fifth full-length, Just Like the Fambly Cat, which will hit stores on May 9. There are no plans to launch a farewell tour in support of the album. ... Norah Jones has good cause to sing the blues — her former accountant and manager is suing her for unpaid royalties. Shell White claims in a lawsuit filed this week in New York that Jones owes her nearly half a million dollars in royalties from her albums Come Away With Me and Feels Like Home. ...

A new track from the Vines, called "Don't Listen to the Radio," has surfaced on the band's Web site. The song should appear on the Aussie rockers' forthcoming, as-yet-untitled album, which they've been mixing in recent weeks with producer Wayne Connolly. The album's scheduled for an April 4 release, according to the band's manager. Working song titles include "Nothing's Coming," "Any Sound" and "Take Me Back." ...

• Kelly Clarkson
• Chris Brown
• Young Jeezy
• OutKast
• 311

Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump
Photo: Dan Higgins

Fall Out Boy, LL Cool J, the Goo Goo Dolls and Bonnie Raitt are doing a series of pre-Grammy shows at the House of Blues in Hollywood called "Signature Sounds Live on the Sunset Strip." The Goo Goo Dolls kick off the series February 4, Raitt follows on February 5, Fall Out Boy perform February 6 and LL Cool J with special guests Ciara and Ne-Yo finishes things off on February 7. Both Fall Out Boy and Ciara are up for Best New Artist. ...

Ginuwine's dropping his second single from Back II Da Basics, called "I'm in Love," just in time for Valentine's Day and his Ladies Night Out Tour with Jagged Edge, Donell Jones, Case and Ne-Yo. The trek begins February 8 in Norfolk, Virginia, and wraps March 5 in Miami. Ginuwine is also gearing up to launch a clothing line (Genuine Clothes and Genuine Jeans) and start shooting his next movie, "Rhythm Night," co-starring Whoopi Goldberg. ... Jagged Edge's new, self-titled album is due March 28, and features tracks produced by Jermaine Dupri and a guest spot from John Legend (on "Season's Change"). ...

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have hired a teen expert who herself has recovered from an eating disorder to write an advice column for their Web site, mary-kateandashley.com. Jessica Weiner, the author of "A Very Hungry Girl" as well as the new book "Do I Look Fat in This? Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds From Now," will write a column called "Real Girls, Real Advice," which will address the many queries the twins' fans have sent to the site regarding such issues as self-esteem, boys, popularity, friendship, family, and body image. ... 311 have unveiled dates for their upcoming spring tour, which kicks off February 26 in Santa Cruz, California. Dates run through March 26 in Kahului, Hawaii. An opening act for the trek has not yet been announced. ...

Saves the Day and Circa Survive will be hitting the road together starting March 8 in Santa Cruz. The 24-date trek winds down April 6 in Cleveland. ... OK Go are hitting the road on Monday for a few months' worth of headlining dates and supporting slots with Motion City Soundtrack. The outing, which includes a "Jimmy Kimmel Live" stop on March 1, ends March 12 in Orlando, Florida. ...

Sparta, the band that features the members of At the Drive-In who didn't go on to form Mars Volta, have signed a deal with Hollywood Records. The band's third album, the follow-up to 2004's Porcelain, will be released this summer. ... The Sugarcubes are putting out their first DVD collection in the form of two discs, "The Sugarcubes Live Zabor DVD," featuring 15 live performances from 1988 and 1989, and "Sugarcubes the DVD," which compiles the band's biggest videos. The live disc also includes commentary and the band's hit singles "Birthday," "Motorcrash" and "Delicious Demon," while the video comp has three bonus clips, for "Hit," "Walkabout" and "Vitamin." Both discs are due February 7. ...

Live will release their Jim Wirt-produced seventh album, Songs From Black Mountain, on April 11. The first single, "The River," is available online now. ... UB40 get political once again on their new album, Who You Fighting For?, which includes such state-of-the-world tracks as "Plenty More" and "Sins of the Fathers." "You can't help but be influenced by what's going on around you," guitarist/vocalist Robin Campbell said. "We have some very strong topics to fire us up but we are not trying to provide answers. We would never presume to offer solutions. There's a propaganda machine that swings into action during a war. Young recruits are told they are fighting for freedom, so Who You Fighting For? is our small attempt to counteract that." The album is due Tuesday. ...

01.17.2006

Axl Rose made a rare appearance Friday at a party at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to announce Korn's upcoming See You on the Other Side tour. The reclusive Guns N' Roses frontman mingled with Korn as well as fellow musicians from Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, the Black Eyed Peas, Avenged Sevenfold, the Used, Puddle of Mudd, Papa Roach, Alkaline Trio and 10 Years. Jessica Alba, Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody were also in attendance. ...

Avril Lavigne has been tapped to perform during the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. She's part of an eight-minute production that's previewing the next Olympic Winter Games, taking place in her native Canada in 2010. This year's games start February 10 and wrap February 26. ... Paris Hilton didn't have to show up in court on Tuesday (January 17) after all — one case against her, for harassment, was continued until February 7, when a judge will consider an event promoter's request for a restraining order against the heiress/actress. The other case against Hilton, for slander, had a little bit more movement, since the judge in that case granted four of her motions for more information as part of the discovery process. The slander case will resume in Santa Monica, California, on February 24. ...

Juvenile was arrested in Ocala, Florida, on Friday hours before he was to perform at a local nightclub. He was released on his own recognizance that same evening, and made it just in time for the gig. According to The Associated Press, the New Orleans rapper was picked up on a warrant relating to an active child-support case. Juvenile's new disc, Reality Check, drops March 7. ... Ashanti performed Friday night at what's commonly referred to as Detroit's prom — an annual black-tie charity gala that counted Aretha Franklin and Steve Harvey among its 17,000 guests (most of whom paid $400 per ticket for the privilege of mingling amid the latest concept cars). The North American International Auto Show raised $6.8 million for 11 Detroit-based nonprofit organizations, including children's charities, education funds and police athletic leagues. ...

Nick Lachey isn't an underwear model (yet), but he'll play one on TV, when he guests on the sitcom "Twins." Lachey's episode, called "Himbo," finds Jessica Simpson's ex playing Charlie Solik, an underwear-model-turned-underwear-mogul. The episode airs February 24 at 9:30 p.m. on the WB. ... Just weeks after fellow "American Idol" third-season finalist Jennifer Hudson was cast in an upcoming movie adaptation of the musical "Dreamgirls," runner-up Diana DeGarmo is going straight to Broadway. The singer has signed on to play Penny Pingleton in "Hairspray," and will begin her run on February 7. ...

Lil Jon and Lil Scrappy will appear in E-40's video for his new single, "Tell Me When," which showcases the Bay Area's "hyphy" movement. Jon executive produced E's new album, My Ghetto Report Card, due in March and featuring production from Jon and Kanye West and guest appearances from Mike Jones, Juelz Santana, 8Ball and UGK. E-40 is also releasing a book called "E-40's Dictionary Book of Slang, Vol. 1" and a liquor called Cloud 9 this spring. ... Chamillionaire is shooting a video in Dallas on Thursday for his next single, "Ridin," which features Krayzie Bone. Life Garland, who helmed Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's "Get Low" clip, is directing. ...

Michael Jackson's been busy in Bahrain — he's in talks to help develop entertainment projects in that country — but he's allegedly been neglecting Neverland in the process. PETA accuses the singer of animal cruelty for abandoning the animals in residence at his Neverland Ranch, keeping them in "little more than holding cells" while he's away, instead of relocating them to zoos or sanctuaries where they can be taken care of properly. The animal-rights group is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate. ... Beatmaker Scott Storch — who owned the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for half of 2005 with hits from Mario ("Let Me Love You"), 50 Cent ("Candy Shop") and Chris Brown ("Run It!") — is crabby that he's getting no love from the Grammy committee, which snubbed the 32-year-old for Producer of the Year. "I was extremely disappointed to find I was not nominated ... and even more so when I saw the list of nominees," Storch said in a statement, claiming that the shutout was a result of politics within the committee. Instead, nods went to Danger Mouse, Nigel Godrich, Steve Lillywhite, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. ...

Andrew W.K., David Lee Roth and Ace Frehley, as well as members of Queens of the Stone Age, Guns N' Roses, Warrant, Tiger Army, Dio and many more metal bands, will take the stage Thursday at the second annual Raven's Heart Benefit at the Fais Do-Do in Los Angeles. The all-star jam is a benefit for the Raven's Heart Foundation, launched last year for Raven Nicole Robinson, who is still living with a large hole in her heart. ...

• Fall Out Boy
• Ciara
• LL Cool J
• Ginuwine
• 311

Scott Stapp
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

When Scott Stapp and members of 311 got together in a Baltimore hotel on Thanksgiving, it wasn't exactly a cordial holiday celebration. In fact, according to 311's Doug "SA" Martinez, it was quite the opposite.

On Thursday night, Martinez, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton were sitting in the lounge of the Harbor Court Hotel with their wives, watching a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game. Suddenly an "out of his mind" Stapp entered the lounge, and from there things got ugly.

"He was acting out of control, looking for attention and being loud and obnoxious. He walked up to the bar, took a shot of whiskey and then slammed the shot glass down on the bar, and it shattered everywhere," Martinez told MTV News. "Then he got into it with some patrons and all of a sudden he's walking up to us and telling us how much of an inspiration we were to him. And it was nice, but we had all just eaten our Thanksgiving dinner, and he was drunk, so it got really annoying really quickly.

"After a while he went back to the bar and was looking for attention. And then a few minutes later, he came back to the table where my wife was, sat down across from us and wanted attention," Martinez continued. "So eventually, since [no one] was forthcoming, he said some disrespectful things towards my wife and I set my glass down and asked him what he said, and then Chad came over and said, 'Don't talk to her that way,' and Scott got up and Chad followed him."

Martinez said things quickly escalated from there, as Stapp turned and "sucker-punched" Sexton in the face — inadvertently hitting Martinez's wife in the process.

"And all of a sudden it was on. I threw a punch and hit Scott. He went down. Then Chad came over and hit Scott too," Martinez said. "At that point we held Scott down until hotel security came to break it up. Then the police arrived, escorted Scott to his room and then told him to get out of the hotel."

A spokesperson for Stapp did not return MTV News' requests for comment on the altercation, and according to the Baltimore police department, no charges have been filed. The melee left Martinez with a fractured knuckle on his right hand, which he fitted with a soft cast the following day. P-Nut reopened a surgery scar in the fight, though Martinez isn't exactly sure how that happened.

"Everything happened so quickly, man. Like stuff was getting knocked over, and that's maybe how P-Nut got hurt," he said. "I mean, I haven't been in a fight since probably third grade, so the whole thing was pretty surreal. It was out of control. Scott was enraged. And as we were holding him down, I felt really bad for him. I was concerned for him ... But at least the Lakers won."

• Scott Stapp
• 311

Eve
Photo: MTV News

Eve is four songs away from finishing her as-yet-untitled fourth album, due in February. "Swizz Beatz did a lot of stuff," Eve said Wednesday. "I'm now with Aftermath again, but Swizz is like my brother. Dre hasn't come in yet, but he will, he's the captain of the ship. It's definitely gonna sound different than anything anybody's ever heard [from me], but not in a scary way. It's just in a more mature way." ...

Eve was one of the many celebrities who hit Rock & Republic's fashion show as part of Los Angeles Fashion Week. Paris Hilton, Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham also caught the sultry show, which featured a Madonna/ Britney Spears-inspired kiss between two models. DJ AM spun at the afterparty. Also in attendance were several castmembers from "Laguna Beach," including Kristin Cavalleri, who revealed she's taking acting classes. "I like both comedy and drama, so we'll see," she said. "I've had a lot of meetings trying to decide my next career move. There's things we're talking about, but I don't want to jinx it." ... Nicole Richie doesn't think there's much hope for her and Paris Hilton to ever become friends again. Richie, who's on the cover of the November issue of Jane, told the magazine that the rift has been going on for much longer than has been reported. "We really haven't been friends in probably about two years," she said. Could there ever be a reconciliation? "No, not at this point. I know that Paris loves to talk about it and that stuff, but that's just not my style." ...

Madonna's done surprise club gigs in the past to promote her new albums, and Confessions on a Dance Floor will be no different, she promised during a recent sitdown with MTV News. She's already lining up gigs in London at G-A-Y and Camden Palace, where she played "a hundred years ago" (actually 1983, but who's counting?). But what about hitting a club in, say, New York or Los Angeles? "There could be, but I'm not going to say anything," she teased. "Shh!" ... Meanwhile, Madonna will presumably be more open when she celebrates the 60th anniversary of the United Nations on Saturday in Pasadena, California. Morgan Freeman is the honorary chairman of the event (for which Madonna sits on the committee), which is being billed as "supporting the U.N. vision" including "keeping peace throughout the world" and "encouraging respect for each other's rights and freedoms." ...

Bono rubbed elbows with President Bush during lunch at the White House on Wednesday. The U2 frontman was in town for a concert at Washington, D.C.'s MCI Center, and Bush invited the philanthropic rocker over for lunch to further discuss debt relief, AIDS, malaria and world trade, Bush's spokesperson, Scott McClellan, said. The two-hour meeting was a follow-up to the talks the duo had during the G8 Summit in Scotland this summer before the Live 8 shows. Bono and Bush ate in a private dining area off the Oval Office and the rocker received a tour of the grounds before he left. ... Michael Jackson, who was acquitted of child-molestation charges in June, has been called in for jury duty in Santa Barbara, California. A request for deferment has been filed on the superstar's behalf, his attorney Thomas Mesereau told The Associated Press, and he will most likely be let off from serving jury duty since he no longer lives in the United States. "All he has to do is show he has legal residency somewhere else and he will be exempted," Jury Commissioner Gary Blair told the AP. The singer has been keeping a low profile since his trial concluded this summer, spending most of his time out of the spotlight in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. ...

Shooting began on the outskirts of Los Angeles this week on "Somebody Help Me," the teen horror flick starring Omarion and Marques Houston. Chris Stokes, who manages the singers and directed them in "You Got Served," is directing from his own script. ... Back in the days when he was still known as John Gillis, White Stripes frontman Jack White landed himself an apprenticeship at Detroit's Muldoon Studio, an upholstery shop run by family friend — and amateur drummer — Brian Muldoon. In addition to reupholstering couches, the two began jamming out as a guitar/drums combination (sound familiar?). Fast-forward more than a decade, and White is a platinum rock star. And to say thanks for all the upholstering advice, he produced a single for Muldoon's band, a three-piece (along with his sons Hunter and Shane) called, well, the Muldoons. White then pressed the single as a limited-edition 7-inch and sold it at the Stripes' recent homecoming gig earlier this month. Oh, and he let the Muldoons open the show, too. ...

Ryan Dallas Cook, who played trombone for Orange County ska-punk outfit Suburban Legends, was killed in a hit-and-run accident Wednesday morning. According to the Orange County Register, the 23-year-old was riding a motorcycle along the Costa Mesa Freeway in Santa Ana, California, when he hit a dark-colored Hyundai. Cook was thrown from the motorcycle and struck multiple times by oncoming cars. He was dead by the time emergency-response crews arrived at the scene; the Hyundai fled the area. ... 311 have added 14 more dates to their current fall trek, extending the run — which features the Exit and Alien Ant Farm as openers for its bulk, with Pepper, Zack Hexum, Blackalicious, Grasshopper Takeover, Shootyz Groove and Agents of the Sun on select dates — through December 14 in Los Angeles. Before this week, the tour's dates ran up through November 23 in Lowell, Massachusetts. ...

"So You Think You Can Dance" is coming back for a second season, starting next summer, FOX announced this week. ... A federal court in Los Angeles temporarily stopped a Web site from advertising that it can teach people how to legally trade music, video games and movies that are still in theaters. The site, MP3DownloadCity.com, was ordered to stop promoting its service after the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against its operator alleging that the site fooled customers into believing that for $24.95 they could legally engage in peer-to-peer file-swapping, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. The FTC has warned customers who used the service to download copyrighted material that they are engaging in copyright infringement and has asked the court to have the site's operator turn over his profits and issue a permanent ban on the ads. The MPAA filed suit against six similar Web sites that "facilitate online movie piracy" last week. ...

10.19.2005

MTV Latin America announced on Wednesday (October 19) that it has postponed its fourth annual Video Music Awards until further notice due to the increased intensity of Hurricane Wilma, currently a Category 5 storm brewing off the Gulf of Mexico. The Latin VMAs were slated to be held on Thursday in Mexico's Playa Del Carmen resort in the Caribbean, which MTV felt was a bit too close to Wilma's projected path. "While the eye of the storm is not expected to hit the Mexican Caribbean, we feel its effect is close enough to greatly impact our production," MTV said in a statement. "Unfortunately, given the magnitude of this event, we could not wait for further developments to make this decision without jeopardizing the creative integrity of the show. Furthermore, the safety and security of our staff, audience, talent and clients is our top priority." There is no word yet on when the show will be rescheduled. ...

A charity auction to help victims of Hurricane Katrina will go online at noon PT on Monday with items donated by Blink-182, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory, Nirvana, No Doubt, Ozzy Osbourne, the Ramones, Rob Zombie, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Used, 311 and dozens of other bands as well as music and extreme-sports companies. The Unite the United charity organization was founded by the organizers of the Vans Warped Tour and Taste of Chaos Tour; for more information or to bid, go to www.UniteTheUnited.com. ... A Bright Eyes live album, Motion Sickness, will surface November 15 through Conor Oberst's Team Love Records — but only in independent record stores. The album will contain 15 tracks that were recorded last winter. Look for the disc to include "Land Locked Blues," "Old Soul Song" and a cover of Elliott Smith's "The Biggest Lie." ...

Cuban Link is getting himself in trouble with the law, at least on television. He guest stars in an upcoming episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," in which he plays Enrique, a pimp who works with child prostitutes that a nun is trying to get off the street. When that nun turns up dead in her inner-city church, Vincent D'Onofrio's detective character questions Link, who leads him to some not-so-usual suspects. The episode, called "The Acts of Contrition," airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on NBC. ... Clay Aiken won't be home for the holidays — he's going on what he calls the second installment of his Joyful Noise Tour, a follow-up to the holiday trek he did last year. This time, he'll sing songs that he recorded for the platinum Merry Christmas With Love that didn't appear on the album, as well as new arrangements for some traditional tunes. The tour will also feature a new element, a series of vignettes with a running storyline that Aiken wrote, featuring two main characters and supporting roles which will be cast in each city with local actors. The 40-date tour kicks off November 2 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and concludes December 30 in Clearwater, Florida. Meanwhile, Aiken has been in the studio recording his next album. ...

Prosecutors in the criminal trial of Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, the owners of the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island; and Daniel Biechele, Great White's tour manager, want the judge in the case to reject the defense's motion to have some of the charges against the three men discarded. According to The Associated Press, the three each face 200 manslaughter counts — 100 for the lives lost in the 2003 blaze at the club, and 100 as the result of criminal-negligence claims. The defense feels 100 of those charges should be dropped, because the Derderians were never given advance notice of existing fire-code violations at the club — the same code violation cited as the impetus behind the involuntary-manslaughter charges. The defense further argued fire-code violations weren't justifiable grounds for a manslaughter charge. The AP reports prosecutors countered that, by installing illegal flammable soundproofing foam, the Derderians created the unsafe conditions that led to the blaze. ...

Want to go bowling with Jimmy Eat World? They'll play with you for two hours on November 12 in Chicago if you're the lucky winner of their bowling-party auction on eBay (travel not included). Proceeds from the winning bid will be donated to P.L.A.Y., which provides creative outlets for young people exposed to violent environments. ... Jack Johnson, who is recording music for February's "Curious George" soundtrack (Will Ferrell voices the Man in the Yellow Hat in the movie), will release two DVDs on November 22: "Live in Japan" (from August 2004) and "A Weekend at the Greek" (shot last month). Johnson has also just signed ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), his opening band this summer, to his Brushfire Records. Their album will be released in January. ...

The book "Fool the World," an oral history of the Pixies, is now due in the U.S. in March (though it's already out in the U.K.). Written by Josh Frank and Caryn Ganz, it tells the story of the group from the mouths of the bandmembers as well as those around them, such as tour managers, producers, engineers, album designers, label employees and other artists, including Thom Yorke, Beck, Bono, Courtney Love and Perry Farrell. ... Eric Clapton has sold the world rights to his life story and plans to write an autobiography to hit stores in spring 2007. Clapton has rarely granted interviews and has never spoken in great detail about his life, but his publisher, Doubleday, says that the legendary musician will write about every aspect of his personal and musical history, along with collaborator Christopher Simon Sykes, a close friend of Clapton for nearly 40 years. The book will also come out in audio form, to coincide with a box-set retrospective and a world tour. ...

Tired of touring, touring and, well, more touring, Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock has gone and created a record label, called Glacial Pace, and has announced his first signing: Minnesota singer/songwriter Mason Jennings. The label business is nothing new for Brock; for a while, he worked as an A&R rep for Seattle's Sub Pop Records, and recently signed Montreal buzz band Wolf Parade to the label. ...

• Eve
• Omarion
• 311

311's Nick Hexum
Photo: MTV News

DEVORE, California — 311 have yet to select Don't Tread on Me's second single, and they don't seem too concerned about it.

"I don't really care because in the past it's always been our third single that kinda [takes off]," singer Nick Hexum joked backstage at KROQ-FM's Inland Invasion on Saturday (see "Beck Bashes, Barker Mashes, Shirley Clashes, Arcade Fire Smash At KROQ Fest"). "The second one's a wash. We're just getting warmed up."

Even so, you have to have number two to get to number three, and 311 can see the follow-up to "Don't Tread on Me" going in a few different directions.

"I think we're gonna leave ourselves open until it's real obvious," said Hexum. "It could be another uptempo one like 'Don't Tread,' or there's a couple of chill, more reggae kind of ballads."

311, who are celebrating their 15-year anniversary, will decide before returning to the road October 19 for a fall tour of mostly college towns. The band is also debating openers for the outing, after taking Papa Roach and Pennywise on a summer tour that just wrapped.

During their monthlong break, Hexum is planning to finish mixing and mastering some tracks he recorded with his brother, Zach Hexum.

"When we went on that political tour supporting Kerry [last fall], a few songs stuck out [because] the way we played them was really cool," Nick said. "So right when the tour ended we went into the 311 studio and recorded six or seven cool covers. I don't know how they will ever come out, but they're just kinda supporting the liberal agenda that me and Zach subscribe to. 311 will always be my main thing, but it's fun to do something you believe in."

Before wrapping the summer trek, 311 staged a few food drives for victims of Hurricane Katrina and will continue helping throughout the fall.

"We can give as much as we can, but to give these people houses again is the ultimate, number-one thing," bassist P-Nut explained. "My brother's an architect, and I'm gonna try to find some low-cost way of [rebuilding] or at least looking into that."

In 2000, 2002 and 2004, 311 staged massive concerts in New Orleans on March 11, better known to fans as 311 Day. Before the hurricane hit, the band was planning to return to the UNO Lakefront Arena in 2006 (see "311's Don't Tread Walks In Footsteps Of Van Halen, Pantera").

"The good news is that the venue does still exist — it never got flooded, it didn't get really damaged," Hexum said. "The question is if the infrastructure in the city would be ready to have that many people. And so we're just trying to think really positive because we loved that city before and now it makes us love it that much more, knowing what's going on there. It'd be such a cool thing to be like, 'Business as usual, back again, you can't take us out.' "

311 will stay on the road well past March, until the end of next summer.

"We're always kinda trying new things, so it takes America a little while to understand what we're doing," Hexum said. "We just have to be more patient, and that's why we're spreading the whole promotion of this album out longer. We're doing four tours to support this album rather than just expecting it to blow up out of the box. That's not gonna happen with us. We're not cookie-cutter enough to blow up that quick. At least we like to think so."

Before their fall trek, 311 will play a free show October 15 in the parking lot of Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium.

311's fall tour dates, according to Jive/Zomba Records:

• 10/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium Lot
• 10/19 - San Diego, CA @ Soma
• 10/20 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• 10/21 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 10/23 - Sacramento, CA @ Freeborn Hall
• 10/26 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
• 10/27 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
• 10/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
• 10/30 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
• 11/1 - Spokane, WA @ Big Easy
• 11/2 - Bozeman, MT @ Valley Ice Garden
• 11/5 - Champaign, IL @ Assembly Hall
• 11/6 - DeKalb, IL @ Convocation Center
• 11/8 - West Lafayette, IN @ Elliott Hall
• 11/12 - Lewisburg, PA @ Gerhard Fieldhouse
• 11/13 - Allentown, PA @ Memorial Hall
• 11/16 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 11/17 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 11/18 - Portland, ME @ Cumberland County Civic Center
• 11/23 - Lowell, MA @ Tsongas Arena

• 311

CBGB owner Hilly Kristal
Photo: Getty Images

Not even Hilly Kristal knows what September 1 holds for CBGB, the fetid cradle of punk rock on New York's Lower East Side he opened back in late 1973. With lease renewal negotiations between Kristal and his landlord, the Bowery Residents' Committee, all but calcified, and the club's current lease set to expire in a matter of hours, the outlook is rather dour for the future of this musical landmark.

Despite the recent court ruling that settled a lingering dispute over $90,000 in outstanding back rent, a heated legal tangle that stalled ongoing lease discussions ad infinitum (see "CBGB Doesn't Have To Pay $90,000 In Back Rent, Judge Rules"), CBGB could close up shop for good come the beginning of the month. According to Bowery Residents' Committee Executive Director Muzzy Rosenblatt, he expects his tenant to abide by the terms and conditions of the lease, and to vacate the premises if there's no resolution.

Rosenblatt, who listed the CBGB property months ago to lure potential replacement occupants, said he's fielded three serious offers from parties who're interested in leasing the space. CBGB has shows booked through the fall, nonetheless.

Of course, if Kristal's club — the site of a monthlong series of high-profile concerts designed as a last-ditch effort to rescue CBGB (see "Benefit Events Planned For CBGB") — closes, it will mark the end of an era. For many musicians, the thought of CBGB being boarded up is unthinkable — depressing, even.

"It's a venue where you can really feel the history," Audioslave's Tom Morello said. "You know, it was one of my first pilgrimages. I went on a rock tour just to go there and check it out."

"CBGB needs to be respected and it needs to be preserved," said 311's P-Nut. "Keeping a venue like that alive has everything to do with keeping culture alive. That's who we are. That's a part of us. And if it goes away, it would be way too big of a loss. It could never be re-created because it's such a unique establishment."

Others think that the club should be designated an official landmark, because in their eyes, CBGB already is.

"It's the birthplace of American punk rock: our Mecca," said the Adolescents' Steve Soto.

"It's such a reference point in music for people in bands," Beck said. "It's more of a concept, even."

"CBGB is an icon. It's an institution," Blink-182's Mark Hoppus said. "When I saw on the news that there was a possibility that it would be closing down, it was on par with, like, 'They're closing down Mount Rushmore' or something like that. It can't happen."

"CBGB represents a lot to New York City and to underground rock and to new wave and post-punk and whatever," Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl said. "But, you know, it's like tearing down the Jefferson Memorial or something."

"It's a cultural landmark of New York history," said Dennis Lyxzen of the (International) Noise Conspiracy. "Forty of my favorite bands started at CBGB, like the Dead Boys and the Ramones and Patti Smith and Blondie. It's kind of sad to see it go. For everyone who grew up on punk music or hardcore music, I think it is a big thing because it's such an important place. I mean, without those bands, I wouldn't be here today playing music."

"After playing there, being there ... there's energy in that place that you just can't ... I've been to a million shows there, I've seen a million bands that I can't remember the names of, but, like, there's an energy there, I think that place is important," said Good Charlotte's Joel Madden.

Kristal's been toying with the idea of moving CBGB, perhaps even to Las Vegas. Sin City politicos have been wooing him for months, making generous offers to assist him in reviving CBGB — at least in name — in their fair city.

"It's kind of scary to think of franchising something that is one of a kind," Madden said. "There will never be another Ramones or another Clash. There's those things you can't replace. Maybe more people would learn about the history of what that place was. But as far as taking away that originality and the specialness of that, I think it's kinda scary."

Former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty actually likes the idea. "I've heard this rumor that Hilly's going to transport CBGB as it is, like peel off the walls and remove it and take it to Las Vegas. I just think it would be so bad-ass if, like, the actual CBGB was in, like, the lobby of the Bellagio. I'd go for sure."

Without CBGB, many musicians feel other scenes and venues would pop up to fill the void.

"Rock will always have CBGB, whether it's open or closed," Chris Cornell of Audioslave reasoned. "It will just naturally be replaced by something else."

"I think if there's a vacancy like that, hopefully it will make bands get more creative, and turn up, as they did in the old days, in empty warehouses and just impromptu showcases that are word-of-mouth and flyer-oriented," Dave Navarro said. "Hopefully it can be a good thing. But I'll miss that place."

Some of today's musicians don't know if CBGB is worth preserving, and think that the club should just die slowly and quietly, with little struggle. They think the club has served its purpose, but also that it has turned into something of an embarrassing cliché, which is starting to chip away at its reputation and legacy.

"CBGB is one of those things where, every time I've seen a schedule, it's pretty crappy now," said All-American Rejects guitarist Mike Kennerty. "I mean, it's bad. It's still historic, but CBGB is like the later Ramones albums: You still love them, but they're not that good. It's like Acid Eaters."

Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter agrees. "It's more of a look now," he said. "If it was the '70s, then we'd probably be bummed. If it was leaving at its prime, fine. But once the prime's over, you've got to move on. I'm sure the bosom of punk rock will rest somewhere else."

"I think it's become a tourist attraction, which kind of takes away the nostalgia of it," said the Von Bondies' Jason Stollsteimer. "I don't like that it's become a tourist attraction and CBGB T-shirts are sold at Urban Outfitters and stuff."

Ultimately, should CBGB fade, its legacy will still live on for many rockers, who'll at least have their memories of the club, be they good or bad.

"CBGB was a wild place," Grohl said. "The first time I ever played there was in 1987, I think, with my hardcore band, Scream. And I remember the craziest [thing] about that club was you could be in front of the stage and it could be louder than any show you've ever been to in your life. But if you were towards the back of the club at the bar, you could sit and have a conversation with someone. It was the weirdest thing to me."

"I remember playing CBGB and thinking that no one had cleaned the toilets in there for at least six or seven years," the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne said. "Now maybe the women's bathroom is different but in the men's bathroom, you literally wouldn't want to stand there, let alone sit there. I mean, it's horrible."

"The beautiful thing about CBGB is that I don't have a single memory from that place," said Navarro, laughing. "But I think it was amazing."

• Good Charlotte
• Audioslave
• blink-182
• Foo Fighters
• The Flaming Lips

Hilary Duff
Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Hilary Duff has racked up her share of screen and radio hits, but when it came to the Billboard albums chart, she was never a bona fide #1, as her first two albums — 2003's Metamorphosis and 2004's self-titled outing — both debuted at #2.

Most Wanted — a compilation disc mixing Duff's biggest hits with current "TRL" favorite "Wake Up" and other new tracks — lived up to its name its first week out. The collection sold close to 208,000 copies to become Duff's best-performing debut and opens as Billboard's #1 album, edging out country singer Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted and Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi, according to the latest SoundScan figures.

Paisley's latest debuts at #2, with scans of nearly 193,000, followed by Mimi, which moved close to 109,000 copies this time out and has sold more than 3 million copies over its 19 weeks in release. Coming in right behind Mariah — with more than 108,000 week-five scans — is the 19th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! franchise, featuring tracks from Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Destiny's Child and Coldplay.

The week's third-best debut belongs to Omaha, Nebraska, funk-rock outfit 311, whose eighth studio effort, Don't Tread on Me, takes the chart's #5 with first-week sales of more than 91,000. The album is topped in 311's chart history by 1997's Transistor, which moved more than 128,000 copies and came in at #4 its first week out.

The Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business grabs #6 this time around, moving more than 82,000 copies. Staind's Chapter V, last week's #1, took a 59 percent drop in sales, hitting #7 with over 76,000 scans. Faith Hill's Fireflies comes in at #8 with close to 73,000 scans, followed by Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway, which sold over 62,000 copies to capture #9. Young Jeezy's Let's Get It moved 61,000 units, taking the chart's #10 slot.

The Killers' Hot Fuss jumps 18 chart positions this week to #11 with 60,000 scans — an 88 percent sales spike. Coldplay's X&Y falls five spots to #12 with sales of 59,000 and change, followed by Green Day's American Idiot, which sold more than 52,000 copies last week and has moved over 4 million since its release.

The latest outing from the Gorillaz, Demon Days, takes this week's #14 with close to 52,000 scans, just in front of the debut disc from the Click Five, Greetings From Imerie House, which opens at #15 with first-week sales of nearly 52,000. Country trio Rascal Flatts takes the chart's #16, moving more than 51,000 copies of their latest, Feels Like Today, followed by Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree, which netted week-16 scans of close to 49,000. Bow Wow's Wanted follows at #18 with sales of more than 45,000. Sugarland's Twice The Speed Of Life is it at #19 with 44,000 scans, and #20 finisher Gwen Stefani's Love, Angel, Music, Baby sold more than 43,000 copies.

The chart is teeming with noteworthy debuts, including Taproot's Blue-Sky Research at #33 with close to 28,000 scans, Silverstein's Discovering the Waterfront at #34 with 26,000 plus sales, and singing sisters Aly and AJ's debut disc Into the Rush at #36, with 24,000 scans. 10 Years' Autumn Effect takes #72 with 14,000 copies sold, while the Soopa Villianz debut Furious finishes at #92 with 11,000 plus scans. Christian metal act Stryper's Reborn, pre-ordered copies of which included an autographed Bible, opens as the chart's #111, with close to 9,500.

Check out "Hilary Duff: The Nicest Brat" for more on the chart champ. And see "Click Five Winning Over Soccer Moms On Ashlee Simpson Tour" for a profile on the band that scored #15.

• Hilary Duff
• Mariah Carey
• Eminem
• Gwen Stefani
• Destiny's Child

311's P-Nut and Nick Hexum
Photo: MTV News

SAN DIEGO — The original plan for 311's eighth album was to pair producers Ron Saint Germain and David Kahne, but when the latter signed on to helm the next Strokes album instead, 311 turned to the next best thing: themselves.

"It's still two great producers: Ron and 311," bassist P-Nut joked backstage at the recent San Diego Street Scene.

311 co-produced their last two albums as well, but with the just-released Don't Tread on Me the band focused more on returning to its roots than pushing the envelope (see "311's Nick Hexum Cures Post-Election Depression By Diving Into New LP").

"We kind of go through this cycle of one album really trying to reinvent ourselves, which is albums like Transistor and Evolver, and then other albums where we don't try to overthink it and we just let it flow, and that's where we're at with this one," singer Nick Hexum explained. "We actually recorded this album in a third of the time that it took to do Evolver, so it's really a fun summer album with uptempo grooves, the reggae and the rock."

Highlights include "Frolic Room," about Hexum's favorite Hollywood Boulevard dive bar, and "Speak Easy," which features P-Nut on a fretless bass. And there's also a few diversions.

"We've got the slowest 311 song ever, called 'Solar Flare,' which is a scathing political rap that [vocalist] S.A. [Martinez] puts over a really slow, heavy thing," Hexum said. "And then there's also a really fast one called 'It's Getting OK Now,' which is [guitarist] Tim Mahoney channeling Dimebag Darrell [Abbott of Pantera]."

"It's a challenge because there's, like, a really fast [guitar] run," P-Nut added of the latter. "Me and Nick and Tim are all doing it at the same time, so we think we're Van Halen or something for a second. It's great."

The first single is Don't Tread on Me's title track, a reggae jam reminiscent of "First Straw," off the band's Greatest Hits '93-'03.

"I just love the phrase 'don't tread on me,' and it usually has political connotations, but in this particular song, it's not a political song, it's more about feeling frustrated and feeling volatile and just needing some space," Hexum said. "It's a very personal song. But then titling the album Don't Tread on Me and the artwork, there's a few pretty scathing political comments made on there. We didn't want to go all political, but I think in this day and age you kind of need to say what you think about things 'cause it is such a crisis situation."

Hexum has spoken out against President Bush and the war in Iraq (see "311 Singer Nick Hexum Hits The Road To Send Bush On His Way"), and those issues are addressed on the album.

"What's made us such a success over the expanse of time is that we give people a break from all of that, but nowadays we do have to say something about it," P-Nut said. "S.A. and Nick have such right ways of going about it. Instead of just being frustrated and focusing on that, it's about solving problems and being a little upset about what's going on. I don't think anybody really feels in control, and that's one of the scariest things, and how do we deal with that comes out really well."

311 just shot a video for "Don't Tread on Me" with a team called Colourmovie, who filmed the band in front of a green screen for the entire shoot. "They are going to be superimposing all of this really weird atmosphere that we're going to be performing in, so it'll be a surprise to both you and us to see how it turns out," Hexum said.

In the meantime, the band just launched a tour with Papa Roach and Unwritten Law that will last through mid-September (see "311 Take Papa Roach And Unwritten Law On Their Road Trip").

"What I really like about the package is that Unwritten Law was first a straight hardcore band and now they've gone more modern rock, and Papa Roach was like a rap-rock band and they've gone more melodic rock, and I love to see bands that have a second wind and dare to expand their horizons," Hexum said. "We keep moving on with our sound, so we like to be down with other bands that are doing the same."

A college-market winter tour, a spring trek and a summer 2006 tour are also in the works, with the spring dates to include a massive festival March 11 in New Orleans for the band's own annual holiday, 311 Day.

"We found out recently that the past 311 Day [festival] had over 60 percent people from out of state coming there, so obviously it's a destination people like to go to," Hexum said. "And why not go to New Orleans?"

• 311
• Van Halen
• Pantera

Photos: The KROQ Inland Invasion 5 - 09.18.2005

• Beck
• Jet
• Garbage
• Kasabian
• 311

Jay-Z, Hoobastank, N.E.R.D., Live At The Sprite Liquid Mix Tour

• Jay-Z
• Beanie Sigel
• Memphis Bleek
• 311
• Hoobastank

• 311