The Dixie Chicks' "Shut Up and Sing" DVD
Photo: The Weinstein Company

It's been a very slow-moving first quarter, and while this week doesn't exactly have a litany of marquee artists, there is something fresh in store for everyone. Here is a virtual stroll through the record shop ... and what better place to start than with country music?

File Under: Country

· Dixie Chicks' "Shut Up & Sing" DVD:
While some news outlets blared headlines about a "defiant" Dixie Chicks sweeping the Grammy Awards last week — as if to say they were handcuffed to the podium, screeching about President Bush's foreign policies — the ladies didn't make too big a deal of their political attitudes at the event. That didn't stop them from doing so with this recent documentary, however: Co-directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Barbara Kopple and also featuring producer Rick Rubin, it captures just how much 15 little words can bruise — and ultimately benefit — a band.

· Charlie Louvin's Charlie Louvin:
As acclaimed as the Chicks were this year, they've got nuthin' on Country Music Hall of Fame demigod Louvin, who is taking a musical stroll for the first time in 10 years with a guest-star-heavy opus. The Louvin Brothers sibling didn't manage to snare Jack White — whose Raconteurs have been toying with the group's "The Christian Life" in concert — but he was able to coax Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Will Oldham and Elvis Costello, not to mention members of Bright Eyes and Lambchop to contribute.

· The Silos' Come on Like the Fast Lane:
The alt-country trailblazers have also been around for a spell — more than 20 years, in fact — but their latest effort steers them in different directions, among them proto-punk and R.E.M.-esque roots-rock. Recorded at composer Philip Glass' Looking Glass Studios, the disc is also reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-Western scores. (Incidentally, a tribute to that Italian legend, We All Love Ennio Morricone, also drops this week. It features tribute tracks by such unlikely fans as Metallica, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters.)

File Under: Children's

· Various artists' Kidz Bop 11:
Expect more big things from this best-selling series, the last installment of which debuted at #3 on the Billboard albums chart. This one finds tots tooting through John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," the Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and — this one's just a little bit of a stretch — Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most."

· Bratz - Fashion Pixiez
Trying to wean yourself off these tweens? Well, you probably won't be on the wagon for much longer. This latest set by the group — which counts Paula Abdul among its closest friends — seeps selections from the DVD of the same name; another video, "Livin' It Up!"; and the act's Saturday morning series.

· Various artists' Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and Smashing Pumpkins
You've seen these compilations popping up on the New Releases schedule in recent months — it's high time to giving 'em some lovin'. Using glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron, harp and bells to soften up — or, depending on your level of cynicism, wimpify — sounds by the aforementioned bands, the series applies its sleep-inducing sheen to "Don't Speak," "Head Like a Hole" and "Cherub Rock." If you don't know which track belongs to which artist, it's time to go back to cool school.

File Under: Underground Hip-Hop

· K-os' Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
Born in Trinidad, based in Toronto and currently making waves in the States, the innovative crossover MC has even more curiosities to his name: He was raised by Jehovah's Witnesses and is touring with Gym Class Heroes and Rx Bandits. Upping the "WTF?" quotient yet another time are appearances by singer/songwriter Sam Roberts and Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew on "Valhalla."

· Free Murda's RZA Presents Free Murda: Let Freedom Reign
Like K-os' album, this one is equally likely to fall under the radar of most rap fans, but the LP by Brooklyn, New York's Free Murda has just as much legitimacy thanks to one of hip-hop's best savants, the RZA. The Wu-Tang Clan agent spruced up three tracks with his production skills and appears on one of them ("My Black Nina," also featuring Sha-Cronz.)

· Begetz's Ghetto Pass
Another Brooklyn street fave, Begetz is also looking up to a big brother of own — the Firm's AZ — for his maiden release. If you didn't catch him starring alongside 2Pac in "Above the Rim" or in assorted videos by Jay-Z and Nas, you'll have the chance to hear him loud and clear now.

File Under: Indie-Rock

· Calla's Strength in Numbers
Critics have given this New York-by-way-of-Texas band countless hugs and kisses, and the love fest should continue with its fifth volume. This one is being perceived as a retrospective of sorts — no, there are no rehashed or previously released songs, but singer/guitarist Aurelio Valle and his comrades stop to take stock of the wide variety of moods and textures (experimental, raw, smooth) they've churned out over the years.

· Explosions in the Sky's All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
This effort was produced by lo-fi master John Cogleton but actually showcases a band in all its unbridled fury. Well, the loudest fury an indie-rock band can produce, that is — skip to the Metal section if it's tinnitus you're after. The fourth effort by the Texas instrumentalists has six songs but they're hella long, so don't worry about getting your money's worth.

· Field Music's Tones of Town
The Sunderland, England, band's style has been called everything from "mod-pop" to "pop art," drawn them comparisons to Wilco and earned them a spot touring with Belle & Sebastian. Brothers Peter and David Brewis are responsible for the songcraft, and with keyboardist Andrew Moore in tow, they serve up more shifting layers than your ears will be able to keep track of.

File Under: Metal

· The Hidden Hand's The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote
If Lemmy is speed metal's indispensable dude, then Scott "Wino" Weinrich owns that title in the doom-metal underworld. The third effort by his latest combo — his other projects include Spirit Caravan, Saint Vitus and the Obsessed — finds him talking more about history than outright politics, and he dabbles with a slide to boot. The release is appended with the hard-to-find Devoid of Color EP.

· Vader's The Darkest Age: Live, Kingdom and Live in Japan
The first Eastern European death-metal band to sign a record deal outside its native land after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Poland's Vader are hailed with three reissues. Darkest Age enshrines a 1993 concert, Live in Japan one from five years later, and Kingdom is upped with a pair of bonus tracks.

· The Handshake Murders' Usurper
Seven years young, the Arkansas death-metallers finally step up with their first-ever full-length. Dare yourself to keep the earplugs at bay as they push the brutality envelope on songs like "Painted Contortionist," "Of Cult and Atrophy" and "Apostate."

File Under: Punk

· The Queers' "The Queers Are Here" DVD
The Queers are 25 years old, if you can believe it, and more incredulously, this is their first-ever DVD. But while the New Hampshire band has been around since 1982, this video culls live-performance and behind-the-scenes madness they wreaked from 1993-2005 and captures the band with a handful of various lineups.

· Autonym's Shall We Skip to Excessive Celebration?
Lead singer Will Angelos — who resides in Los Angeles, as luck for his name would have it — makes no secret of his iconoclastic views (check out his diatribes at MySpace.com/Autonymla). Expect that banter to seep into his hardcore-punk band's discordant assaults, lovingly put to tape by Pete Lyman of another searing L.A. squad, Year Future.

· Hot Cross' Risk Revival
Featuring Level Plane Records swami Greg Drudy and a former member of Interpol, the Philly hardcore phanatics have toured with Fear Before the March of Flames but sound more akin to Big Black. Catch them chugging through "Finance Fuels the Sickness at Heart," "Scrape Wisdom" and "Cardiac Silence" on this, their third opus.

File Under: Experimental

· The Boredoms' Super Roots 7, 8 and 9
In commemoration of Japan's undisputed noise kings celebrating 20 years of chaos — and on the verge of their 77-drummer live extravaganza to be held in New York on July 7 — Vice imports three installments of the band's overwhelming series. Only one, 6, has been out in the States before — while that one boasts 17 tracks, the other two clock in at just three apiece.

· Big Sir's Und Die Scheibe Ändert Sich Immer
If it's incomprehensible, it's gotta be by the Mars Volta — or affiliated with them, at least. Bassist Juan Alderete de la Peña sets up camp with Lisa Papineau of M83 and Air to revive their atmospheric assemblage — and invite Beastie Boy colleague Monkey Mark and Hella's Jonathan Hischke to contribute intermittently.

· Zu & Nobukazu Takemura's Identification With the Enemy: A Key to the Underworld
Italian Jazz spazz-outs Zu have paired up in the past with another avant-garde master, saxophonist Ken Vandermark, but this time around they chose experimental Japanese DJ Takemura for their third collaboration disc issued by purveying under-the-radar label Atavistic. If your record store carries the disc, chances are you won't miss it in the racks: It's cased in a glorious digipak.

File Under: Un-File-Able

· Call Me Lightning's Soft Skeleton
Pretty much anything Frenchkiss puts out these days is impossible to classify — look no further than Les Savy Fav and Enon. Call Me Lightening certainly further that notion; their LP features a spot by "SNL" comedian Fred Armisen, for crying out loud. The band's second release — and 30th for the label — also features help from Black Heart Procession's Joe Plummer and Enon culprit Matt Schulz.

Barr's Summary
Good luck finding a place in the rack for this one too. As the press release states, "This new body of work further experiments with the art of storytelling using sound waves and vocal tones." Well, OK, that's basically just a complicated way of saying an artist "makes music," but believe us when we tell you that the anti-pop and spoken-word passages Brendan Fowler presents here will leave you scratching your head.

· Bunny Rabbit - Lovers and Crypts
Yet another Brooklyn artist, this one crafting her art on street corners using upturned garbage cans, and has since gone on to craft an album of freestyle nursery rhymes that, in her words, are intended to provoke "deep-seated shame and inexorable ass-shaking." Nice job.

Song Title of the Week:

"Put All Your Eggs in One Basket and Then Watch That Basket!!!" from Marnie Stern's In Advance of the Broken Arm

New Releases:

· 2XL - Neighborhood Rapstar (Tommy Boy)
· Brent Amaker and the Rodeo - Brent Amaker and the Rodeo (J-Shirt)
· Anberlin - Cities (Tooth & Nail) [Buy Now]
· The Ataris - Welcome the Night (Sanctuary) [Buy Now]
· Autonym - Shall We Skip to Excessive Celebration? (Alarmor) [Buy Now]
· Kathie Baillie - Love's Funny That Way (Aspirion)
· Philip Bardowell - In the Cut (Locomotive)
· Barr - Summary (5 Rue Christine) [Buy Now]
· Begetz - Ghetto Pass (X-Ray) [Buy Now]
· Beneath the Massacre - Mechanics of Dysfunction (Prosthetic) [Buy Now]
· The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar) [Buy Now]
· Big Sir - Und Die Scheibe Ändert Sich Immer (GSL) [Buy Now]
· Black Lips - Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo (enhanced; Vice) [Buy Now]
· Bratz - Fashion Pixiez (Hip-O/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Bunny Rabbit - Lovers and Crypts (Voodoo-Eros) [Buy Now]
· Call Me Lightning - Soft Skeleton (French Kiss) [Buy Now]
· Calla - Strength in Numbers (Beggars Banquet) [Buy Now]
· The Coach and Four - The Great Escape (Makeshift) [Buy Now]
· Comeback Kid - Broadcasting ... (Victory) [Buy Now]
· Bobby Conn - King for a Day (Thrill Jockey)
· The Cringe - Tipping Point (Megaforce) [Buy Now]
· Jill Cunniff - City Beach (The Militia Group)
· Dir en Grey - The Marrow of a Bone (enhanced; Warcon)
· Dolorean - You Can't Win (Yep Roc) [Buy Now]
· Erasure - On the Road to Nashville (live; with DVD; Mute) [Buy Now]
· Everlife - Everlife (Buena Vista)
· Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence)
· Fatal Smile - Neo Natural Freaks (Locomotive) [Buy Now]
· Dennis Ferrer - The World as I See It (MVD Audio)
· Field Music - Tones of Town (Memphis Industries)
· Fifty Caliber Kiss - Armor Class Invincible (MVD Audio) [Buy Now]
· The Frames - The Cost (Anti-) [Buy Now]
· Free Murda - RZA Presents Free Murda: Let Freedom Reign (Cleopatra)
· Fu Manchu - We Must Obey (Century Media)
· The Handshake Murders - Usurper (Goodfellow)
· The Harlem Shakes - Burning Birthdays (EP; Harlem Shakes) [Buy Now]
· The Hidden Hand - The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (with EP; Southern Lord)
· Peter Himmelman - My Green Kite (Rounder)
· Hot Cross - Risk Revival (Equal Vision) [Buy Now]
· I Am the Thorn - You Are the Lamb (Goodfellow)
· Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)
· Kittie - Funeral for Yesterday (with bonus DVD; X of Infamy)
· K-os - Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (Virgin)
· Victor Krummenacher - The Cock Crows at Sunrise (MVD Audio)
· La Drivers Union - Por Por: Honk Horn Music of Ghana (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Laibach - Volk (with special hard-book packaging; Mute)
· Little Feat - Rocky Mountain Jam (Hot Tomato)
· Charlie Louvin - Charlie Louvin (digipak; Tompkins Square)
· Love Hate Hero - White Lies (Ferret)
· Minsk - The Ritual Fires of Abandonment (Relapse)
· Minus the Bear - Interpretaciones del Oso (Suicide Squeeze)
· Mortal Love - I Have Lost (Locomotive) [Buy Now]
· Nein - Luxury (Sonic Unyon)
· The One AM Radio - This Too Will Pass (Dangerbird)
· Paganize - Evilution Hour (Candlelight)
· Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday (digipak; XL)
· P.G. Six - Slightly Sorry (Drag City)
· Pop Levi - Return to Form Black Majick Party (Counter)
· The Rakes - Remixes (EP; Dim Mak)
· Reel Big Fish and Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer - Duet All Night Long (Reignition)
· Morris Robinson - Going Home (Decca)
· Rwake - Voices of Omens (Relapse)
· The Shining - Grindstone (Rune Grammofon)
· The Showdown - Temptation Come My Way (Mono Vs. Stereo)
· The Silos - Come on Like the Fast Lane (Bloodshot)
· Southern Culture on the Skids - Countrypolitan Favorites (digipak; Yep Roc)
· John Starling and Carolina Star - Slidin' Home (Rebel)
· Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm (Kill Rock Stars)
· Corey Stevens - Albertville (Ruf)
· Sting & Edin Karamazov - The Journey & the Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland (live; with DVD; Deutsche Grammophon)
· The Subjects - With the Ease, Grace, Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings (Pretty Activity)
· Richard Swift - Dressed Up for the Letdown (Secretly Canadian)
· Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ever)
· Toby Mac - (Portable Sounds) (Forefront)
· Trans Am - Sex Change (Thrill Jockey) [Buy Now]
· Louie Vega - Mix the Vibe: For the Love of King Street (two CDs; MVD Audio)
· Nick Warren - GU030 Paris (two CDs; Global Underground)
· Amelia White - Black Doves (Funzalo)
· The White Barons - Up All Night With the White Barons (Gearhead)
· Tommy Womack - There, I Said It! (Cedar Creek)
· The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men (with bonus DVD; Ryko/Transgressive)
· Zero on In - Oblivion Fair (Locomotive)
· Zu & Nobukazu Takemura - Identification With the Enemy: A Key to the Underworld (digipak; Atavistic)
· Various artists - Kidz Bop 11 (Razor & Tie)
· Various artists - Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and Smashing Pumpkins (Baby Rock)
· Various artists - Singing for Life: Songs of Hope, Healing and HIV/AIDS in Uganda (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Various artists - We All Love Ennio Morricone (Sony Classical)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material: · Artrosis - Fetish and In Nomine Noctis (MVD Audio)
· Audionom - Retrospectiv (Kemado)
· Behemoth - Chaotica: The Essence of the Underworld (MVD Audio) [Buy Now]
· The Boredoms - Super Roots 7, 8 and 9 (Vice)
· Toni Braxton - The Essential Toni Braxton (two CDs; LaFace/Legacy) [Buy Now]
· Christ Agony - Elysium (MVD Audio)
· Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue (Epic/Legacy)
· Luscious Jackson - Greatest Hits (Capitol) [Buy Now]
· Lux Occulta - The Mother and the Enemy (MVD Audio)
· Sirrah - Acme and Did Tomorrow Come ... (MVD Audio)
· The Triffids - Calenture and In the Pines (Domino)
· Turbo - Awatar (MVD Audio)
· Vader - The Darkest Age: Live, Kingdom (EP) and Live in Japan (MVD Audio)

Music DVDs: · The Dixie Chicks - "Shut Up & Sing" (Genius Products) [Buy Now]
· Evanescence - "Broken: An Unauthorized Biography" (Locomotive) [Buy Now]
· Gomez - "Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004" (Virgin)
· Hawkwind - "In Concert: Out of the Shadows" (MVD Visual)
· Helloween - "Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006" (Steamhammer)
· Pat McGee Band - "Vintage Stages Live" (with CD; Kirtland)
· The Queers - "The Queers Are Here" (MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· Martha Reeves - "In Concert" (MVD Visual)
· U2 - "Achtung Baby: A Classic Album Under Review" (Sexy Intellectual) [Buy Now]
· Bobby Vee - "In Concert" (MVD Visual)
· Barry White - "Let the Music Play: The Barry White Story" (Eagle Vision) [Buy Now]
· Neil Young - "Under Review 1966-1975" (MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - "Rock Relief: Live in Concert - Musicians Disaster Relief" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Wim Wenders Presents: Musica Cubana - Live in Amsterdam" and "Live in Tokyo" (MVD Visual)

Coming Attractions:

February 27:
· Beck - The Information (deluxe-edition reissue; Geffen) [Preorder]
· Nine Inch Nails - "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time" DVD (Nothing) [Preorder]
· Slim Thug & Tha Boss Hogg Outlawz - Serve & Collect (Koch)

March 6:
· Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (deluxe edition with book due same day; Merge) [Preorder]
· Jonny Greenwood - Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller (Trojan)
· Notorious B.I.G. - Greatest Hits (Bad Boy)
· Korn - MTV Unplugged (Virgin) [Preorder]
Read: "Korn Quiet Down With The Cure, Amy Lee For 'MTV Unplugged' "
· Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago (Capitol)
Read: "Relient K Pump Serious Rock, Sugary Pop In The Tank For Upcoming LP"

March 13:
· Gillie Da Kid - The Best of the GDK Mixtapes (Babygrande)
· Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic) [Preorder]
· Musiq - Luvanmusiq (Atlantic) [Preorder]

• Dixie Chicks
• k-os
• Calla
• Gomez
• The Ataris

Christina Aguilera
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

Christina Aguilera will release the Linda Perry-produced "Candyman" as the third single from Back to Basics. Aguilera, whose North American tour begins February 20, is co-directing the video with Matthew Rolston (Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson). ...

It might be comeback time — again — for Michael Jackson. The Associated Press reported Friday (January 26) that the singer has relocated to the U.S. after living for the past year and a half in Bahrain, France and Ireland. Jackson is also planning two fan-appreciation concerts, to be held in Japan in March, with one of them allowing fans to meet him for the hefty sum of $3,300. The singer postponed an expensive Christmas party for fans in Japan last year so he could add a second date to the appreciation events. ...

Oscar nominee Jennifer Hudson is Essence magazine's March cover girl and explains in an interview inside that the world can expect to hear a lot more than the "Dreamgirls" showstopper "And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)" from her. "I don't intend to say, 'OK, I'm going to sing this song for the rest of my life, and this will be the only character that I portrayed,' " she said. "I'm Jennifer, not Effie," she added, remarking about the character she plays in the film. "I'm flexible and different and have other dreams and other goals and songs to pursue." ... Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony will perform at Ocean Drive magazine's Super Bowl party in Miami on February 3. DJ AM will also entertain the VIP crowd. ...

Chris Daughtry — sans his chart-topping band, Daughtry — will treat Greensboro, North Carolina, to a free concert at Greensboro Coliseum on March 23, AP reports. The gig, which is expected to draw 6,000-7,000 people, will act as a prelude to the women's basketball tournament games slated for March 24 and 26. ... "American Idol" season-one runner-up Justin Guarini is joining "Idol Tonight" as a correspondent. Fellow "Idol" vet Kimberly Caldwell and "Popstars" winner Rosanna Tavarez will continue to host the pre-show series broadcast on the TV Guide Channel. The new season of "Idol Tonight" will air Wednesdays beginning in March. ...

Dre & Vidal, Alchemist and Fredwreck are joining the celebrity panel to be showcased at the One Stop Shop Conference on February 10-11 in Phoenix. The event, put on by G-Unit and Sha Money XL, will focus on music producers and also include workshops and networking sessions. Swizz Beatz, DJ Premier and others will also be on the celebrity panel. ... It's almost time to pay your underground-hip-hop dues again. Expect to see Alchemist, Sage Francis and Brother Ali perform as part of the second Paid Dues shindig, to be held March 24 in San Bernardino, California. The eight-hour event, to be hosted by Lucky I Am, will also feature Felt — the group consisting of Murs and Atmosphere's Slug and Ant — plus Blackalicious, Mr. Lif, Cage, Pigeon John, Jean Grae and Devin the Dude. ...

VH1 is calling on Mat Kearney to headline the first You Oughta Know Tour. The jaunt, which will also feature Rocco DeLuca and the Burden and the Feeling, begins March 17 in Denver and ends April 20 in Atlanta. VH1 will give the Burden another boost by rebroadcasting its documentary, "I Trust You to Kill Me" — which features their tour manager, Kiefer Sutherland — February 2. ... The Ataris will kick off a U.S. tour February 20, the day their album Welcome to Tonight hits stores. The band will start off in Philadelphia and visit cities including New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago and Denver before finishing up the run on March 17 in Salt Lake City. ...

Tom Waits has settled his lawsuit with General Motors and the company's ad agency, which had created a series of European commercials that used a Waits sound-alike as background music in its ads. A Germany attorney representing Waits said the singer will donate his net settlement from the suit to charity. ... B.B. King was hospitalized Friday in Galveston, Texas, with "flu-like symptoms," Reuters reports. The blues legend, who is being held for observation, was forced to cancel a concert as a result. ... Joe Satriani is lining up dates for another G3 tour, to begin in Phoenix on March 14. The trio — which also includes Dream Theater's John Petrucci and Mr. Big's Paul Gilbert — will also bring their guitar-hero antics to Las Vegas (March 15); Reno, Nevada (March 16); Berkeley, California (March 17); and Los Angeles (March 18). More dates are expected to be announced shortly. ...

The flap over Ted Nugent's performance at Texas Governor Rick Perry's inaugural ball hasn't ended. Writing a guest column in the Thursday edition of the Waco Tribune-Herald, the Motor City Madman lashed out at people who have deemed racist the remarks he made about non-English speakers. "In total defiance to the vicious lies and hateful allegations of 'racism' leveled at me by irresponsible, unprofessional and downright goofy media punks, I never said a word about immigration or language, specifically not the alleged slam against 'illegal immigrants' or 'non-English-speaking' anyone," Nugent wrote. He added, however, "I will intensify my fight for a united America by demanding all Americans speak English." ...

Dead or Alive frontman Pete Burns has filed a lawsuit against a plastic surgeon over lip injections he claims left him "physically repulsive" and "suicidal," BBC News reports. The suit claims that the singer has suffered several side effects from the procedures, such as swelling, blisters and an inability to eat, drink or speak. Doctors have told him his lips may need to be amputated. Burns claims he received an "excessive number" of injections, and was never warned about the potential side effects. He said he did not leave his home for seven months, because his face was "distorted with swelling," and underwent corrective treatment over 17 months. ... Move over Bacon Brothers: There's another acting Kevin with a band. The Kevin Costner Band will perform a NASCAR Nextel Cup pre-race show at the California Speedway on February 25. Costner will also serve as the event's grand marshal.

01.25.2007

Police ruled out mechanical failures as contributing to the fatal car crash involving Brandy on Thursday (January 25), Reuters reports. Still, the singer could be found to be primarily at fault or criminally negligent in the December 30 crash, which took place in Los Angeles. A police spokesperson, who said investigators will be sifting through more evidence and conducting more interviews in the coming days, added that Brandy was being "fantastically cooperative" with authorities. ...

Ludacris, John Legend, Norah Jones and New Edition will anchor this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, The Associated Press reports. Luda and Jones — along with Rod Stewart, Van Morrison and others — are slated for the first weekend, April 27-29. Legend, New Edition, ZZ Top, Steely Dan and others will perform May 4-6. ...

James Brown's children want the trustees of the late music icon's estate removed, citing mismanagement, AP reports. In an emergency petition filed Wednesday, the six children also warned that some of Brown's assets are in danger of being "lost or dissipated or stolen." An irrevocable trust that was signed in 2000 is said to contain most of Brown's assets, and Buddy Dallas — a trustee, as well as Brown's former lawyer — told AP that the process was handled "appropriately and properly" when Brown passed away. ... A full-on Crowded House reunion tour is in the works, Reuters confirms. The band, which has been confirmed to perform at the Coachella festival on April 29, has yet to unveil dates for the trek, although it has been revealed that a new LP will coincide with it. The lineup will feature singer/guitarist Neil Finn, bassist Nick Seymour and keyboardist Mark Hart, and auditions are being held for a new drummer. ...

The latest addition to the Grammy Awards lineup is a triple-threat collaboration between nominees John Legend, John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae. The trio will play together at the February 11 ceremony, which will also feature previously announced performers Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, the Dixie Chicks, Gnarls Barkley, Ludacris, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Timberlake and Carrie Underwood. ...

The Beastie Boys have been quietly working on a new studio record, the group revealed to Australian newspaper The Age. Down Under fans will get a first taste of the new material when the Boys headline next month's Good Vibrations Festival. Mike D told The Age that the new album "is actually really different," and joked that fans "can expect to be disappointed; they can expect to be angry at us." ... Lily Allen, the Shins and Cold War Kids will headline radio station KCRW's sixth annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening festival April 14 in Universal City, California. Rodrigo y Gabriela and Bitter: Sweet will also take the stage at the Gibson Amphitheatre. ...

Tool will tour the U.S. again in March. Nine confirmed gigs have been announced through the band's Web site; additional dates will be released in the coming weeks. Confirmed dates run from a March 15-16 stint in Las Vegas through a March 27 show in Corpus Christi, Texas. The trek will also take the band to San Diego; Tucson, Arizona; El Paso, Texas; and San Antonio. ... The sold-out Slayer show scheduled for February 17 at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has been nixed due to "venue production issues." The stop was part of the band's 22-city North American jaunt, which kicked off Wednesday in Tucson, Arizona. ...

20th Century Fox is after YouTube to disclose the identity of a user uploading entire episodes of the network's shows, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Google-owned video-sharing site was served Wednesday with a subpoena by Fox, demanding that YouTube reveal the name of the member that posted recent installments of "24" and "The Simpsons." It is not known whether YouTube has complied with the legal request, the trade paper reports. Fox also hit video site LiveDigital with a similar subpoena. A spokesperson for the smaller video-sharing portal told the Reporter that the company would comply. ... Nicole Kidman was taken to — and subsequently released from — a Los Angeles hospital after being involved in a car crash Thursday, AP reports. The accident happened downtown, where Kidman has been shooting the sci-fi thriller "The Invasion." ...

Relient K, the band that brought you "Be My Escape," is heading out for a long spell starting March 9 in New York. Relient K are using the tour — which will keep them on the road through May 20 in Cleveland — to promote their March 6 release, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. ...

Godsmack frontman Sully Erna will sign copies of his forthcoming memoir, "The Paths We Choose," February 24 at Borders on Vine Street in Los Angeles. The book hits stores February 7. ... Staind frontman Aaron Lewis is hitting the road on a solo acoustic trek that kicks off March 1 in Royal Oak, Michigan. The tour runs through April 4 in Buffalo, New York. ... AFI have added six more shows to their winter trek, which kicks off Wednesday in Tampa, Florida. Five of the new dates are in California (Davis, San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Chico and Eureka), beginning with the Davis stop on March 1. ...

Pop/rockers Locksley — who have toured with OK Go, We Are Scientists and She Wants Revenge — will lend the Rapture some support as the latter band spreads its dance-rock goodness across the Northeast and Midwest next month. The Rapture — whose Universal Motown LP Pieces of the People We Love came out in September — and Locksley will hit Cincinnati (February 2); Pittsburgh (February 3); Milwaukee (February 5); Indianapolis (February 6); State College, Pennsylvania (February 7); and Northampton, Massachusetts (February 10). ... Now-defunct Scottish indie squad Arab Strap are getting a send-off with Ten Years of Tears. The 18-track set will feature unreleased demos, plus new recordings, B-sides, remixes and more. ...

Hot Rod Circuit's forthcoming LP, The Underground Is a Dying Breed, will land in stores March 20. The effort will feature guest vocals from Kenny Vasoli of the Starting Line and Anthony Green of Circa Survive. ... Days of the New are returning to the stage as a trio on Saturday, performing at the Gasparilla Pirate Fest in Tampa Bay, Florida. A representative for the band said that frontman Travis Meeks, who chronicled his journey to rehab for drug addiction in an episode of the A&E series "Intervention," has been clean for a year and a half and is rehearsing with bandmates Ray Rizzo and Malcolm Gold in New York. ... NYC indie-rockers Stellastarr are writing their second album but will put their pens down for a handful of East and West Coast gigs. The seven-date run starts February 5 in San Diego and ends February 22 in the band's hometown. Stellastarr have been demoing their new songs in Philadelphia and posting them to their MySpace page.

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The Ataris' Kris Roe
Photo: Getty Images/Myrna Suarez

A lot has happened to the Ataris since the release of 2003's So Long, Astoria, and the California punk band's frontman, Kris Roe, says his own life has been turned upside down and inside out. First, Ataris drummer Chris Knapp and bassist Michael Davenport were cut from the fold, leaving just Roe and guitarist John Collura. Eventually, Roe and Collura recruited five musicians to fill out the band: a guitarist, a drummer, a bassist, a pianist and a cellist. Between the subtractions and the additions, Roe and his wife divorced.

"I also lost many friendships because of personal issues and drugs with them," Roe explained. "So I went into therapy and started taking anxiety meds. I'm now somewhere where I feel like I'm finally being honest in my life and not living some kind of f---ed-up lie. I'm playing music with people I love who are my true friends, and it feels like the first day this band started."

Roe — who says the group's forthcoming disc, Welcome the Night, is being mixed and should surface in March — thinks that, at least in the Ataris' case, change has been a good thing, something he's welcomed. Along with Collura, he was able to foster what he described as the band's "natural" evolution, unimpeded; Knapp and Davenport had thwarted previous attempts to progress, he says, and thus, they had to go.

"It does sound like a different band, but to me it's the next natural step," Roe said of the album, which he claims was heavily influenced by bands like Kent, the Doves, Sigur Rós and Slowdive, not "East Bay power-pop stuff." "This band has always been about evolving. The bands that inspired me were always the ones that kept me guessing. I feel the one thing that music doesn't have room for today is safety. There are too many bands playing this f---ing safe rock.

"Some of those bands are good at what they do, but they are entertainers," he continued. "I aspire to say something more with my music. I want to make music that pushes people to check out something different and not just follow with the rest of the sheep. I feel like punk rock has become a complete joke. I mean, I'll never turn my back on where this band came from, but you just start feeling like what you were perceived as doesn't represent you."

The five newest members of the Ataris — guitarist Paul Carabello, cellist Angus Cooke, keyboardist Bob Hoag, bassist Sean Hansen and drummer Shane Chickeles — all hail from indie-rock backgrounds. The Ataris have been working on Welcome the Night, which will contain 12 tracks, for more than a year with producer Nick Launay (Nick Cave, INXS, Gang of Four) at Seedy Underbelly Studios in California's San Fernando Valley.

The LP revolves around a dark story inspired by a recurring dream Roe has had since childhood. "At the start of it, it's the end of everything, the end of the world," he said. "The sun turns black, and I'm in this little church in this small town, and then I wake up. There've been different variations of it throughout my life. But the album has religious and spiritual undertones and addresses issues like hope, loss, questioning life, how we're so afraid of dying.

"There's always a part of me that will love the bands I grew up with, but at 28, I feel like I'm way more influenced by the more textural, atmospheric, indie-rock stuff now," Roe continued. "We felt like we wanted to make a record that represented us as people today. I didn't feel we were doing that anymore. We'd kind of outgrown the band, musically, and had to evolve past what this band had become."

Which is why fans won't be hearing much old material like "The Boys of Summer" on the Ataris' forthcoming tour, which Roe said will probably happen just before the album's release. They'll focus on the new material, mostly, since the Ataris are a much different band now.

"Look, we've written something that could really be an album that lives for a long time, that sticks around," he said. "This album will age well. It's something I feel like, overall, I like a lot more, better than what we'd created before."

Track list for Welcome the Night, according to Roe:

• "The First Elegy"
• "Begin Again From the Beginning"
• "And We All Become Like Smoke"
• "Welcome the Night"
• "Cardiff-by-the-Sea"
• "Secret Handshakes"
• "From the Last, Last Call"
• "The Driftwood Sinn"
• "When All Else Fails It Fails"
• "A Soundtrack for This Rainy Morning"
• "Act V, Scene IV: And So It Ends Like It Began"
• "Sonnet for the Early Departed"

• The Ataris

Guitar Wolf's Hideaki "Billy" Sekiguchi, Toru and Seiji
Photo: Sony

Drummer Derrick Plourde — a founding member of Southern California punk band Lagwagon — and Hideaki Sekiguchi — who slapped the bass for Tokyo garage-punk band Guitar Wolf — both died Wednesday, news that sent shockwaves throughout the underground punk rock world. Plourde was 33, and Sekiguchi was 38.

Fat Wreck Chords, which released Lagwagon's earliest material, confirmed Plourde's death in a statement posted to the indie label's Web site, which read, in part, "March 30th was a sad day for the Fat Wreck Chords family, as we learned about the passing of Derrick Plourde. We consider him one of the founders of the label as well as a great friend. Above all, Derrick was a great guy who will be sorely missed and will always remain a member of the Fat family."

The official cause of death has not been released in Plourde's case, but a posting by Ataris frontman Kris Roe to that band's Web site confirms reports that the drummer took his own life — the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Plourde was the Ataris' original drummer, and in his post, Roe wrote, "Derrick, I can assure you that tonight in Santa Barbara ... there are many glasses raised in your honor. Be well and we all love you, always."

Plourde manned the drums for melodic pop-punk quintet Lagwagon's first three releases, Duh, Trashed and Hoss. He was also a member of ska-punk group the Mad Caddies, and provided the kit work for that band's 2001 album Rock the Plank. Plourde's most recent work was with crunchy indie rockers Bad Astronaut, a group featuring Lagwagon vocalist and guitarist Joey Cope and former Nerf Herder and Swingin' Utters bassist Marko 72. Honest Don's released Bad Astronaut's two discs, 2001's Acrophobe and 2002's Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem.

Guitar Wolf's Sekiguchi — known to the band's fans by his stage name, Billy — died of heart failure, according to Narnack Records' Web site. He's survived by his wife, Naoko, and two children. His funeral is scheduled for April 6 in Tokyo.

Guitar Wolf, who'd been crafting fierce, guitar-driven garage punk for years before bands like the Strokes revived the genre, were scheduled to perform in Tokyo on April 9, before heading to Australia for a string of gigs. According to Narnack, all future dates have been canceled, and the band's continued existence is currently in limbo.

Coincidentally, Narnack, which released 2004's Loverock and 2003's UFO Romantics, had been preparing an expanded U.S. release of I Love Guitar Wolf Very Much, a tribute album featuring the Coachwhips, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Lightning Bolt, J Mascis and the Fog, and Puffy AmiYumi, among others; the album was released last year in Japan, and will soon hit American retail shelves.

"The band just returned from their U.S. tour, and fortunately, Billy did get to spend time with his wife and children before going into the hospital," a Narnack statement reads. "He died in his sleep sometime during the night. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, [Guitar Wolf guitarist] Seiji and [drummer] Toru."

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Ataris
Photo: Columbia

The way things are going for the Ataris, the band's next album might warrant the subtitle "Heeerrre's Johnny!"

The band's newest member, guitarist Johnny Collura, has taken the lead in writing the Ataris' follow-up to So Long, Astoria, according to bassist Michael Davenport. After the mostly California-based band wraps up some remaining headlining dates and performs at a few radio-sponsored festivals, Davenport, singer/guitarist Kris Roe and drummer Chris Knapp will head to New York, where Collura resides, to build upon the 14 songs they've already written the music for. The heavier sound the band is toying with can be attributed to Collura's East Coast influence.

"It sounds really great," Davenport said of the new material. "We all collaborate on the music, but Johnny's been really stepping out with it. It's really been his time right now for writing. I think that him being an East Coaster, he's got a lot more of that Glassjaw influence."

But don't look for the Ataris to trade in the catchy melodies and fervent tempos that made hits of songs like "In This Diary," "Boys of Summer" and "My Reply" for Glassjaw's irregular time signatures and blood-curdling screamo. Traveling around this summer on the Vans Warped Tour with the Long Island band also exposed the Ataris to the heavier sounds of groups like AFI, Poison the Well and Finch.

After six years and five indie albums, the Ataris feel like they're finally hitting their stride. They plan to work again with Astoria producer Lou Giordano (Millencolin, Goo Goo Dolls), and they recently shot their third video with director Steven Murashige. The clip, for "The Saddest Song," illustrates Roe and Davenport's heartrending apologies for often not being there for their 8- and 9-year-old daughters (see "Ataris Releasing Their 'Saddest Song' When 'Summer' Is Over").

"I love it now," Davenport said of the video production process. "We work with the same crew, the same producer, the same bunch of guys. And we're all starting to really click. A lot of bands that go from one director to the next are maybe limiting themselves. With Steven we found a match where every video we do just gets easier, more fun and better. You have to find your core team and just go with it. You always want to suck as much great work out of your collaborations as possible."

The past year has been the quartet's most successful. So Long, Astoria has sold more than 516,000 copies since its release in March, and the Ataris had no trouble staying on the road throughout most of the year, living up to the theme of the title track from So Long, Astoria.

"It's sort of about American kids getting away from your hometown and following your dreams," Davenport explained. "Taking your destiny in your hands and not limiting yourself to staying in your town and doing what your parents or adults think is what you should be doing. Chasing your dreams is the most important thing in life. We went after what we believed was our destiny, and I really think we're much happier for it. Astoria is us wanting to tell everyone out there to do it too."

• The Ataris

The Ataris
Photo: Columbia

While their cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" may be poised to stay strong at rock radio well through the end of summer, the Ataris are looking forward to the fall.

That's when they'll release their next single, "The Saddest Song." Frontman Kris Roe wrote the piano-driven number about his relationship with his estranged daughter and his experience growing up without a father around. "I hope I get the chance to make it up to you/ We got a lot of catching up to do," he sings.

"We started playing that song live two years ago and kids were crying instantly at the shows," bassist Mike Davenport said. "It's really emotional but also really good."

The band plans to shoot a video for the track in the coming weeks, but neither a treatment nor a director has been chosen.

"The Saddest Song" will likely be followed by "My Reply," which was supposed to be the second single but was shelved when stations in New York and Los Angeles started playing "The Boys of Summer" (see "Ataris' Plans Zapped By Radio Stations Who Can't Lay Off Their 'Boys' "). The Ataris even shot a video for the song with director Steven Murashige, who lensed the band's "In This Diary."

"That's so far from coming out, but it's really cool," Davenport said. "It's animated, and it's like A-ha meets White Stripes."

The Ataris aren't just going to appear on video channel screens; soon they'll also be in movie theaters. The band recently shot scenes for the slasher flick "Punk Rock Holocaust," which is being created by a division of Troma Studios, the company that brought the world such high art as "The Toxic Avenger" and "Tromeo & Juliet" (see "'Punk Rock Holocaust!' Warped Tour Slasher Flick On The Way"). The movie was shot on this year's Vans Warped Tour and features many of the bands on outing's lineup being mercilessly slaughtered.

"I saw the Simple Plan guy, [guitarist] Jeff [Stinco] get killed, and that was awesome," Davenport said a few days before the band's scene was shot. "We're supposed to pick our way to die. I kind of want to die at catering, on my tour bus or at a dance party. Not on the stage."

After they rise from the dead, the Ataris will return to doing what they do best — touring. In September they'll add a new song to their performance repertoire, and though they'll continue to write, they'll remain on the road through next year, hitting spots in South America, Iceland and Russia as well as North America.

"That's our thing," Davenport explained. "We like to do 300 shows a year. We don't know what to do when we're home. We went home for a year to make the So Long Astoria record, and we lost it. We lost our minds. So we're better on tour than we are at home. We've been on tour for seven years, and that's where we belong."

• The Ataris

Ashanti
Photo: Gregg Delman

For the second week in a row, R&B vixens Ashanti and Beyoncé will gallop neck and neck to a photo finish on the Billboard albums chart, and once again, Ashanti will edge her out.

On next week's chart, the Murder Inc. chanteuse's Chapter II will be listed as having sold 135,000 copies, besting the Destiny's Child singer's Dangerously in Love by fewer than 4,000 copies, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (July 16). This narrows the gap from last week, when Ashanti beat Beyoncé by about 10,000.

Almost all of last week's top 10 artists will remain near the top of the chart, though half will shift positions.

Diaphanous metal quartet Evanescence will climb four places to #3, matching their highest position since the March release of their debut, Fallen. The group sold just over 72,000 records last week, an increase of more than 3,000 from the week before. An appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and the band's second single, "Going Under," impacting at radio could account for the sales jump.

Luther Vandross' new album, Dance With My Father, will dip one slot to #4 with 68,000 in sales, a numeric decrease of more than 33,000. 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' hangs in at #5, but drops almost 10,000 in sales to 66,000, echoing the continuing chartwide sales decline.

The bottom half of the top 10 starts with Michelle Branch, whose second record, Hotel Paper, falls two more positions to #6 with sales of over 64,000. Metallica's St. Anger slips one spot to #7 and drops almost 9,000 in sales to 62,000 despite the successful launch of their Summer Sanitarium Tour.

The final three top positions will be filled by Norah Jones, whose Come Away With Me sold more than 61,000, bringing her total past the 6.5 million mark; Trace Adkins, whose Vol. 1 Greatest Hits will debut at #9; and Cher, whose Very Best of Cher will climb eight positions to re-enter the top 10, largely because of her farewell tour, which goes on and on and on ...

The second-biggest debut on the chart is by Mexican actor and singer Thalia, who married former Sony Music head Tommy Mottola in 2000. Her self-titled album will enter at #11.

The Ataris will take a huge leap up the charts. Their fifth album, So Long, Astoria, will climb 23 positions to #79 thanks to the success of their punked-up cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer." Celine Dion's One Heart will vault 16 positions to #28. And Black Eyed Peas' second disc, Elephunk, will climb seven places to #34.

One of the biggest chart slides will again go to Three 6 Mafia's Da Unbreakables, which will drop 11 slots to #21. Another hip-hop act, Gang Starr, will face a similar fate with their new disc, Ownerz, which will plummet 22 notches to #62.

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The Ataris
Photo: Jason Campbell

The Ataris may have channeled Don Henley in the studio, but frontman Kris Roe says the "Boys of Summer" video will conjure something a bit grungier.

"It's kind of a dark video in the vein of [Nirvana's] 'Heart Shaped Box,' with a lot of visuals," the singer/ guitarist said recently of the clip for their version of the former Eagles drummer's 1984 classic. "[It's] dark and visual but also kind of chaotic and punk rock still."

The Ataris shot the video the day after they appeared at the Los Angeles KROQ radio station's annual Weenie Roast in Los Angeles (see "Pink Teams With Transplants, Good Charlotte Unplug For Weenie Roast"). It was directed by Steven Murashige, who has worked with Incubus and Rage Against the Machine and also shot the video for "In This Diary," the first single from the Ataris' latest album So Long, Astoria.

"Our last video was mostly crowd-oriented, because we kind of wanted to incorporate our live [performance and] show with a lot of energy for the people who didn't know that we had been around for six years," Roe explained. "This video is kind of artistic, I guess — or autistic, whatever you may wish. It's some of us performing but mostly it's based around kind of this weird, trippy visual story."

Fans can also see the band performing on its new DVD, "Live at Capitol Milling," which includes a mini-concert that was shot in January on the set of the "In This Diary" clip.

After several years of slugging it out on the DIY touring circuit and putting out records through the indie-punk labels Kung Fu and Fat Wreck Chords, the Ataris are currently enjoying the success their major-label debut has given them, as well as the opportunities their somewhat unintended second single (see "Ataris' Plans Zapped By Radio Stations Who Can't Lay Off Their 'Boys' ") has opened up. Thanks to "Boys of Summer," the band — rounded out by drummer Chris Knapp, bassist Mike Davenport and guitarist John Collura — has been invited to perform during part of this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend.

Not bad for a band that started out as just Kris and a friend playing shows with a drum machine in Indiana basements, before the Vandals' Joe Escalante singed them to their first record deal.

"What we do as the Ataris is totally surreal," Roe said. "I feel like every day I have to pinch myself. Just like, thanks God and thanks everybody and all of the great friends that we have ... [We] just try to stay humble and let our fans know that we're all just huge fans of music. And the reason this band exists is for our fans. To go out there and try to give them the most personal, audience-participation feeling that they can get."

Right now, the Ataris are doing their best to tear down the wall between band and fans as part of the Warped Tour (see "Where Mouth Geysers Meet Cheesy Macaroni — Warped (Tour) Indeed"), taking the stage this year as seasoned Warped veterans.

"Warped Tour is our favorite tour," Roe said excitedly. "I'm stoked to see Andrew W.K., man. That guy is incredible. He's got so much energy and he's just so honest and real. There are just so many good bands — like Rancid are such sweethearts, man. It's going to be such a great time again — lot of fireworks, lots of late-night barbeques and listening to good music with all your friends. And some of the best memories you will ever make."

• The Ataris

The Ataris
Photo: Daniel Moss

The Ataris have an unlikely new single on their hands — one that even the bandmembers didn't expect to take off.

That's because the Southern California quartet never intended their version of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" to be released as a single. The proper follow-up to "In This Diary," off the band's fifth album, So Long, Astoria, was supposed to be "My Reply," but radio programmers just couldn't keep their hands off the Ataris' "Boys."

"Releasing a cover song as a single is a move we didn't want to do," explained singer/guitarist Kris Roe, but when powerhouse New York and Los Angeles rock stations K-Rock and KROQ started playing it, "we just had to go with it."

Other stations followed their lead, and now "The Boys of Summer" is among the most added songs at alternative radio stations nationwide.

Roe and bandmates Johnny Collura (guitar), Mike Davenport (bass) and Chris Knapp (drums) weren't completely aghast when they heard their amped-up rendition on the airwaves. They knew that covers are usually surefire sucker cuts, but despite a warning from their record label, they went ahead and included it on March's So Long, Astoria, mostly because of Roe's affinity for the song.

"Our label said, 'Look, you know if you put this on the record there's going to be a chance that somebody's going to put it out as a single,' " Roe said. "And that was a chance we were willing to take because we like the song."

"The Boys of Summer," which was co-written by Mike Campbell, guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, holds special significance for Roe, who for a time in 1984 was himself a boy of summer.

"I used to travel down to Florida every summer to visit my grandparents," he said. "One year — I think I was 8 — that song was just huge on the radio. And I just remember that that song captured totally the moment for me: Traveling by myself for the first time, seeing these beautiful sunsets, and I felt like this young Holden Caulfield traveling the world. ['The Boys of Summer'] reminds me of this time when I realized traveling was what I wanted to do with my life. That song captures the summer for me."

The Ataris were so close to dropping "My Reply" as their second single, they had even settled on a video treatment with director Steven Murashige, who also helmed the clip for "In This Diary." But instead of scrapping the mysterious and surreally colored concept entirely, they made some adjustments and will apply it to the "Boys of Summer" video, which they plan on shooting later this month.

"We've never wanted to do a video that just seemed like your normal 'kids hanging out at a party, dancing around and drinking' [video]," Roe said. "That is totally clichéd, the whole 'Can't Hardly Wait'-style teen video ... so we totally went for the opposite.

"We want to make it really dark, to tell the story of a darker summer. It's about a girl trying to let go of a lot of the things she had in the summer. The treatment that Steven came up with totally blew me away. It's going to be a video that really turns some heads."

The Ataris will play a radio festival in Mountain View, California, on June 13 before they head out on the Vans Warped Tour June 19 in Nampa, Idaho (see "Warped Tour Dates Announced, 17 More Bands Added").

• The Ataris

Andrew W.K
Photo: MTV

While half the country is braving an intense Arctic front, some of those shivering are warm with the knowledge that summer can't be too far away if the annual Vans Warped Tour trek is taking shape.

Less Than Jake, Finch, the Ataris and Andrew W.K have been added to the lineup of the ninth annual outing, which will commence June 19, according to promoters. The latest additions to the bill have all toured with the punk-rock summer camp before.

Taking Back Sunday, Dropkick Murphys, Mest and the Suicide Machines are also among the 17 additions made to the previously announced full-tour lineup, which features the Used, Simple Plan, Rancid, Distillers and Glassjaw (see "Used, Simple Plan, Rancid, Distillers On Warped Tour '03").

The tour launches in Boise, Idaho, where it took off last year, and winds down in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on August 10. Forty-three shows in all are expected. Venues have not been announced.

Ten bands, including Warped vets Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Mad Caddies, and the Damned have also signed on to perform at select dates, though the specific shows for each group have yet to be sorted out.

Cities and dates for the Vans Warped Tour, according to promoters:

• 6/19 - Boise, ID
• 6/20 - Bozeman, MT
• 6/21 - Salt Lake City, UT
• 6/22 - Denver, CO
• 6/24 - Kansas City, KS
• 6/25 - St. Louis, MO
• 6/26 - Cincinnati, OH
• 6/27 - Indianapolis, IN
• 6/28 - Minneapolis, MN
• 6/29 - Chicago, IL
• 7/2 - Calgary, AB
• 7/4 - Vancouver, BC
• 7/5 - Seattle, WA
• 7/6 - Portland, OR
• 7/8 - San Bernardino, CA
• 7/9 - Long Beach, CA
• 7/10 - San Diego, CA
• 7/11 - Ventura, CA
• 7/12 - San Francisco, CA
• 7/13 - Sacramento, CA
• 7/15 - Phoenix, AZ
• 7/18 - San Antonio, TX
• 7/19 - Dallas, TX
• 7/20 - Houston, TX
• 7/23 - Atlanta, GA
• 7/24 - Orlando, FL
• 7/25 - Tampa, FL
• 7/26 - Miami, FL
• 7/27 - Jacksonville, FL
• 7/28 - Charlotte, NC
• 7/29 - Virginia Beach, VA
• 7/30 - Washington, DC
• 7/31 - Boston, MA
• 8/1 - Montreal, QC
• 8/2 - Toronto, ON
• 8/3 - Detroit, MI
• 8/4 - Milwaukee, WI
• 8/5 - Cleveland, OH
• 8/6 - Pittsburgh, PA
• 8/7 - Buffalo, NY
• 8/8 - Philadelphia, PA
• 8/9 - New York, NY
• 8/10 - Asbury Park, NJ

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MTV Exclusive: The Ataris Photos

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