Jason Newsted
Photo: MTV

From Jason Newsted's jaw-dropping departure from Metallica to At the Drive-In going on an "indefinite hiatus" at the peak of their popularity, 2001 certainly had its share of personnel shakeups and band breakups.

Only time will tell if some bandmembers are as replaceable as dead batteries or whether they were, in fact, the real power source of the group. And sometimes retirement is only as long as a much-needed vacation, as the Breeders proved most recently when they regrouped for a new album and tour (see "Breeders Reunion Spawns Monthlong U.S. Club Tour").

So while there's no telling how permanent any of these changes may be, they were made, and the rest of us, like it or not, will have to live with the results.

Limp Bizkit Loses Wes Borland: In October, the often-costumed guitarist and rap-rock kingpins parted company in what the band's management called an amicable split (see "Limp Bizkit And Wes Borland Part Ways"). Just days later, Limp Bizkit announced their open-audition search for a replacement (see "Wanted Ill Guitar Player; Must Know Limp Bizkit Tunes"). Although a roving hunt was to commence in November, they've yet to hit the trail.

Meanwhile, Borland is working on an album with his new band, Eat the Day, composed of members from his Bizkit side project Big Dumb Face. Eat the Day's debut is expected to surface in mid-2002 (see "Ex-Bizkit Borland Digs In With His New Band, Eat The Day").

Metallica Bassist Newsted Bows Out: The year kicked off with some shocking news when Jason Newsted announced in January that he was leaving Metallica after 14 years with the group (see "Bassist Jason Newsted Leaves Metallica"). An article in the April edition of Playboy suggested that Newsted had always felt like an outsider, despite having a longer tenure with the band than original bassist Cliff Burton (see "Metallica Bares All In Playboy").

After leaving, Newsted worked with musical youths the Moss Brothers (see "Ex-Metallica Bassist Newsted Plays With Young Duo") and his new band EchoBrain and produced various projects (see "Jason Newsted Gets Buys After Metallica"). Meanwhile, Metallica began work on their new record in April (see"Shorthanded Metallica Enter Recording Studio"), and three months later singer James Hetfield entered rehab. He left the facility in December (see "James Hetfield Exits Rehab, Rejoins Metallica"), and a new album is expected soon, though a void in the bass slot remains.

Weezer's Bassist Goes AWOL: Bassist Mikey Welsh, who had replaced founding member Matt Sharp, left the company of Weezer in August rather mysteriously. After skipping out on a scheduled video shoot for "Island in the Sun," he went missing and later turned up in a psychiatric hospital (see "Weezer Bassist Checks Into Psychiatric Hospital"). The band named Scott Shriner of Los Angeles' Broken as a temporary tour replacement, and Weezer are now working on the follow-up to Weezer, a.k.a. the Green Album (see "Weezer Continue To Hammer Away At New LP").

Rage Against the Machine Working With Cornell: Following frontman Zack de la Rocha's departure in October 2000, the remaining members of Rage Against the Machine began working with former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell in May (see "Chris Cornell To Rage With The Machine"). The group, which will not be called Rage Against the Machine, hopes its labors will come to fruition next year.

Guns N' Roses Reload With New Lineup: Although a new GN'R lineup was cemented in early 2000 (see "GN'R: Buckethead In, Freese Out"), it took some nine months before fans could see the result. Axl Rose was the only original member to hit the stage on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, joined by guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck and Paul Tobias, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pittman, former Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, and former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson (see "Rose's New Guns Unveiled In Vegas").

The group, minus Pittman, was said to be readying its long-awaited new album, Chinese Democracy, for a June release (see "Guns N' Roses To Release New Album In June"), but perhaps not surprisingly, the date has been pushed back indefinitely. A European tour was also in place, but that, too, was scrapped (see "Guns N' Roses Cancel European Tour — Again"). Next year will bring everything full circle, as the band will once again toast the new year in Las Vegas (see "Guns N' Roses Ante Up For Another New Year's Eve In Vegas").

Powerman 5000 Lose Some Juice: While retooling their new album, which once bore the title Anyone for Doomsday?, the rhythm section of Powerman 5000 pulled the plug. Bassist Dorian Heartsong (a.k.a. Dorian 27) and drummer Alan Pahanish (Al 3) announced in November that they were splitting with singer Spider One and guitarists Adam 12 and M.33 (see "Powerman 5000's Bassist, Drummer Split"). And though Spider said the split was amicable, he confessed that "Powerman 5000 will never be the same — it will be better!" The follow-up to 1999's Tonight the Stars Revolt! is still without a release date.

Slayer Drummer Gets Elbowed Out of Job: Slayer's Paul Bostaph, the band's drummer since 1994, was forced into retirement by a chronic elbow injury in late December, leaving the slot behind the kit open for original drummer Dave Lombardo to return. Lombardo's stint is temporary, however — he's on board only for the next leg of Slayer's God Hates Us All tour, which begins in January. A permanent replacement has yet to be named (see "Original Slayer Drummer Dave Lombardo Back For Tour").

Methods of Mayhem Rapper Departs: TiLo, one of the two principals behind Methods of Mayhem with former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee relinquished his post in February to pursue other interests (see "Methods Of Mayhem Un-Rapped: TiLo Leaves Band"). Lee, meanwhile has been working on the follow-up to MoM's eponymous 1999 debut, which he hopes to have out in May (see "Tommy Lee Pulls In Incubus, Cypress Hill Members For More Mayhem").

Kittie Guitarist Goes Astray: Guitarist Fallon Bowman was unceremoniously removed from Kittie's lineup in August without any explanation from the band's camp. A statement issued by their label announced that Kittie are now a trio while emphasizing that sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander were always the creative force anyway (see "Kittie Guitarist Scratched From Lineup"). Guitar tech Jeff Phillips rounded out the group for live performances to support Kittie's latest album, Oracle, released in November.

At the Drive-In Take a Back Seat: The members of El Paso, Texas, rock group At the Drive-In, together since 1994, announced their indefinite hiatus in March, so that they can pursue other projects, such as DeFacto, a dub project consisting of guitarist Omar Rodriguez and singer Cedric Bixler (see "At The Drive-In Suspend Activity, Cancel April Dates"). Their last album together was 2000's Relationship of Command.

Static-X Score Some Dope: In January, techo-metal group Static-X replaced guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who announced his departure in November 2000, with former Dope guitarist Tripp Eisen (see "Static-X Finishing Album, Hire Dope Guitarist"). Eisen's handiwork can be heard on the band's latest album, Machine, released in May.

New York rap-rockers Dope then recruited guitarist Virus and drummer Sketchy Shay while moving bassist Acey Slade to guitar and filling the void with original bassist Sloane Jentry. They released their second album, Life, in October.

Bad Religion Reunite With Gurewitz: Original Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz re-entered the band's lineup in May to write and record the two-decade-old band's twelfth album, The Process of Belief, scheduled for a January release (see "Bad Religion Reunited With Brett Gurewitz"). Drummer Bobby Schayer was permanently sidelined by a shoulder injury in June (see "Bad Religion Drummer Forced Into Retirement"), and Suicidal Tendencies drummer Brooks Wackerman replaced him behind the kit.

Savage Garden No Longer Growing: The harvest month of October yielded no crop from Savage Garden, as the pop duo of Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones went their separate ways after five years together (see "Savage Garden Grow Permanently Apart"). Jones is pursuing a nonmusical career, while Hayes is preparing to release his solo debut, Spin in the spring.

Wilco's Tweedy Weeds Out Members: The only members left from Wilco's original lineup are frontman Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt after two torches were passed to successors. Drummer Ken Coomer was replaced in January by Glenn Kotche, and multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett quit the band in July, allowing Leroy Bach to climb aboard. After being dropped from longtime label Reprise, the quartet streamed their new album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, online while searching for a new home (see "Wilco Stream New Album Online While Shopping For Label"), which they found at Nonesuch. The group's fourth album is due in April.

Fu Manchu Drummer Hits the Road: After receiving some mainstream recognition with last year's King of the Road, Fu Manchu said goodbye to drummer Brant Bjork, who quit the stoner-rock quartet in November to pursue other endeavors. Before leaving, he had already recorded his parts for Fu's forthcoming seventh album, California Crossing, due February 5. A replacement drummer has been selected but not yet announced.

Our Lady Peace Guitarist Departs: Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace got a little less tranquil when founding guitarist Mike Turner announced his departure in December, citing musical and creative differences. The band has been working on its fifth album, the follow-up to the conceptual Spiritual Machines, in Maui, Hawaii, with producer Bob Rock, and will continue to labor away in January. A six-string successor has not been named.

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• Metallica
• Limp Bizkit
• The Breeders
• Weezer
• Rage Against the Machine

Beastie Boy Mike D
Photo: MTV News

The Beastie Boys' Grand Royal record label shut down Friday, citing "mounting debts, decreasing assets and exceedingly harsh industry conditions."

Home to highly praised rockers At the Drive-In and Luscious Jackson — both of whom have broken up — Grand Royal was one of the most popular artist-owned labels of the last decade.

"This is one of the most difficult decisions we've ever had to make," Beastie Boy Mike D, who took over operations as his bandmates got involved in other projects, said in a statement. "Over the years the Grand Royal family had grown to include some of the most talented musicians and staff in the business. It's tragic that the same growth has also produced an overhead and infrastructure that is no longer viable.

"Our intentions were always simply to create a home for exciting music and the people who were passionate about it," Diamond added. "It really sucks that we can't continue to do that."

The Beastie Boys founded the label in 1993; its first album, Luscious Jackson's In Search of Manny, was issued shortly after.

Grand Royal also released albums from Atari Teenage Riot, Ben Lee, Sean Lennon, Bis, Buffalo Daughter, Money Mark and BS 2000, Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz's side project.

This year, the label has released albums by Scapegoat Wax and Nullset, and it was preparing for the U.S. release of Bran Van 3000's Discosis. A vinyl version of Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American was issued this summer.

At the Drive-In's 2000 release, Relationship of Command, has sold nearly a million copies worldwide.

• Beastie Boys
• At the Drive-In
• Jimmy Eat World

At The Drive In's Cedric Bixler, Tony Hajjar and Jim Ward
Photo: MTV News

Seven years together and three full-length albums were apparently too much for At the Drive-In to handle.

Citing a need for rest, the El Paso, Texas, rockers have unexpectedly suspended all band activity indefinitely, beginning with the cancellation of a handful of dates that were set to begin April 11 in San Diego, according to an official statement released Tuesday (March 27).

"After a non-stop six-year cycle of record/tour/record/tour, we are going on an indefinite hiatus," guitarist Omar Rodriguez said in the statement. "We need time to rest up and re-evaluate, just to be human beings again and to decide when we feel like playing music again." There's no word yet on how the ongoing break will affect the debut album by Defacto, the side-project of Rodriguez and ATDI singer Cedric Bixler. In January, a Grand Royal Records spokesperson expected the album in stores later this year (see "At the Drive-In Side Project Defacto Working on LP") but couldn't be reached for comment at press time.

Formed in early 1994, At the Drive-In released three LPs, two EPs and more than a half-dozen singles and split 7-inches. Their latest album, Relationship of Command, appeared on many critics' best-of lists when it was released last year. To date, it has sold nearly 200,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

• At the Drive-In

Travis
Photo: MTV News

Oasis, At the Drive-In, Travis and the Deftones are among the artists brushing up on their Japanese in preparation to play the 2001 Fuji Rock Festival. Also slated to participate in Japan's annual premier music event, slated for July 27–29 in Niigata, are the Stereophonics, Dropkick Murphys, Manic Street Preachers, the Hothouse Flowers and Rickie Lee Jones, according to a statement posted on the fest's official site on Wednesday.

The festival will be held at the Nabea Ski Resort for the third consecutive year and will feature more than 100 international acts split across four stages. Oasis will headline the main stage on the opening night. Organizers plan to announce additional performers for the fest in mid-March, right before tickets go on sale.

Last year, Moby, A Perfect Circle, the Foo Fighters, Rammstein, Ozomatli, Gomez, Leftfield, Stereolab, Elliott Smith, Placebo, Sonic Youth, Rollins Band, Run-D.M.C., Primal Scream, Yo La Tengo, Eve 6 and the Chemical Brothers were among the artists who graced the stage for the 2000 Fuji Rock Festival.

• Oasis
• At the Drive-In
• Travis
• Stereophonics

At the Drive-In's<BR>Cedric Bixler
Photo: Jason Campbell

As punk-rockers At the Drive-In continue to draw raves for last year's Relationship of Command album, frontman Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez have already started work on a new offering from their dub-music side project, Defacto.

Bixler, Rodriguez and Defacto bandmates Ikey Owens and Jeremy Ward, brother of ATDI guitarist Jim Ward, have recorded material with Beastie Boys producer Mario Caldato Jr. for an album expected out later this year, a Grand Royal Records spokesperson said.

Defacto played several scattered California shows in December and January, and in March the band will head over to Europe for a three-week tour after ATDI complete their own European trek, scheduled to conclude on February 27 in Nottingham, England.

To coincide with the tour, Grand Royal will issue a European single from Defacto in March titled 456 132 015 and featuring several new tracks, including "120 E7" and "Vesica Pices." A U.S. release for the single is tentatively scheduled for April.

Based in Long Beach, California, Bixler and Rodriguez formed the electronica-based Defacto in 1997, releasing the one-off EP The Glove, which is being reissued on Restart Records, the indie label recently formed by Jim Ward and ATDI bassist Paul Himojos.

As for At the Drive-In, the group has settled on "Invalid Litter Dept." as the next single from Relationship of Command. The band recently shot a video for the track in Juarez, Mexico, with photographer Anton Corbijn directing.

At the Drive-In are currently on the road in Japan, and they'll head to Australia and New Zealand later this month to play the Big Day Out festival. The band plans to mount a headlining U.S. tour in April.

• At the Drive-In

Punk-rockers At the Drive-In had to postpone a pair of shows after their van hit a patch of ice Friday night in Colorado, causing it to flip upside down.

Singer Cedric Bixler and drummer Tony Hajjar were taken to a hospital with foot and back injuries, respectively, according to the band's management. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was also in the van with two crew members; they did not suffer injuries.

The affected dates were Saturday's show in Denver and Sunday's Salt Lake City gig. There was no word at press time when the dates will be rescheduled. The band is touring in support of its latest LP, Relationship of Command, released in September.

At the Drive-In are expected to resume their tour with the Murder City Devils on Tuesday (November 14) in Seattle, a spokesperson said.

• At the Drive-In

With their new album, Relationship of Command, dominating college radio, El Paso, Texas, punk rockers At the Drive-In have seized "complete control" of where they're taking themselves on their musical road map.

Following an ear-shattering, buzz-generating performance at last week's CMJ MusicFest in New York, At the Drive-In have returned to the road to support Command and the first single from the LP, "One Armed Scissor," which is beginning to cross over onto mainstream alternative and hard-rock radio.

Frontman Cedric Bixler recently explained that "One Armed Scissor" is actually a thinly veiled account of the band's reaction to the isolation and detachment the members felt during their fledgling tours in 1995 and '96.

"I think 'One Armed Scissor' basically reflects on us," Bixler said.