Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan
Photo: Warner Bros.

According to the Smashing Pumpkins Web site, "It's official. The Smashing Pumpkins are currently writing songs for their upcoming album, their first since 2000."

The popular 1990s rockers have been tipped to reunite for months, ever since leader Billy Corgan took out a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune last summer announcing his intentions to re-form the band (see "Billy Corgan Says He Wants To Re-Form Smashing Pumpkins"). In December, he posted another cryptic message on his MySpace page, which read, "The surprise I have in store for you all will be announced soon enough. Hold on to your horses. After all, good things surely come to those who wait. Don't you just love the suspense?"

Otherwise, Corgan has been mum on when or how the reunion will take place and who will join him on the second go-round. The only other new information on the official Web site is that "no release date has been set yet, but the band plans to begin recording this summer."

A source close to the group confirmed last week that the Pumpkins were in "pre-production" mode, but did not discuss who would be in the band's lineup for the new album and expected tour. Corgan has been estranged from original bassist D'Arcy Wretzky for more than seven years, since she left the band prior to the release of 2000's Machina/ The Machines of God. She was replaced by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, who told MTV earlier this year that she would be happy to rejoin the group (see "Smashing Pumpkins Reunion Is Under Way, According To Sources"). The status of guitarist James Iha, who has also had strained relations with Corgan over the years, is also unknown.

The last original recording from the Pumpkins, Machina II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, was released on the Internet as a free download in 2000. On December 2, 2000, the band played what Corgan said would be their last-ever show, at the club that helped launch their careers more than 12 years earlier, Chicago's Metro.

Days before the group's final show, Corgan was asked if there was any chance that Wretzky might make a surprise appearance and signal a thaw in their relationship. He joked, "Obi-Wan [Kenobi] has a better chance of playing with us."

Then again, he opened that last, epic 4-hour show with the quip, "Welcome to the last gasp of the Smashing Pumpkins" and said in the days after the gig, "This is the last time I will play all these songs for the rest of my life." At the time, he said he had discussed it with the group's other members and they'd all decided that they would never play live together again (see "Pumpkins Circus Folds Up With Epic Show").

But never seems to have come sooner than Corgan thought, as the one person who is definitely on board is his long-time right hand man and the group's muscular drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin (see "Smashing Pumpkins Drummer On Reunion: 'I'm In, And I'm Excited' "). (A spokesperson for Azoff Management confirmed in February that Corgan and Chamberlin had signed on with the firm as the Smashing Pumpkins.) Chamberlin was also the drummer for Corgan's short-lived post-Pumpkins group, Zwan.

Earlier this year, Auf Der Maur said Corgan has been working on material that will, at some point, surface in the form of a new Smashing Pumpkins album. "From what I understand, Billy [will be] making a Pumpkins record over the next little while," Auf Der Maur told MTV News. "Everyone knows Billy doesn't need too many people to make a Pumpkins record, other than Jimmy [Chamberlin, longtime Pumpkins drummer] — who he has [on board]."

Auf Der Maur said she's game for a reunion. "My services are there for him whenever he needs them," she said in February. "Assuming I'm not on tour — but even then, we can cross paths. I love the Pumpkins, and to play those songs again would be nothing but fun for me. It was a big part of my life."

• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Billy Corgan
• Zwan
• Auf Der Maur

Melissa Auf Der Maur
Photo: Candice Lawler

It's not that Melissa Auf Der Maur isn't proud of 2004's Auf Der Maur, the former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist's first stab at solo rock, which has sold around 35,000 copies. She's just spending a bit more time working on her sophomore offering, with the kind of dedication she couldn't devote to her debut.

"It's definitely better, that's all I can say," Auf Der Maur said. "I'm a bass player who wrote my entire first record on a guitar. I didn't have a band, so I couldn't write with a drummer. And bass alone is something you can only go so far [with].

"I just want to expand and make it deeper on every level," she continued. "On my last record, I didn't even work as hard as a bass player as I did on [Hole's 1998 LP] Celebrity Skin, because I was sort of doing it quickly. This time around, I feel like I need to honor the bass side of me more" (see "Ex-Hole Bassist Follows Orders From The Aliens In Her Head").

For her second album, Auf Der Maur isn't going it alone. She wrote most of the songs last winter in New England, and after returning to her native Montreal she refined the material with guitarists Jordon Zadorozny and Steve Durand, both of whom had contributed to her debut and had rocked with her during the 1990s in the band Tinker. Vince Nudo, drummer for Canadian stoner-rock upstarts Priestess, also helped out. She wrote one track with producer Gavin Brown (Thornley, the Tea Party) and another, "Took Me Apart," with her old pal Billy Corgan.

"It was the first time I had ever written with Billy after years of him being involved in so many areas of my musical life," she said. "It probably doesn't sound like any of the other songs on my record, but it's a very interesting reflection of three days, of two Pisces putting their thoughts together and making a very eclectic pop song. We just let it happen. It was a real process and had a lot of truth to it."

As she sculpted the still-untitled album, Auf Der Maur said, she spent more time focusing on the lyrics as well, a process that helped her find her voice.

"Last time around, I kind of wished I didn't have to have lyrics," she said. "I just used random parts of my diary, and I was so embarrassed that I didn't even review them. I'm trying to have the confidence to reflect on why I'm making music, and there's a responsibility to have an invested thought process of what you're trying to say to people.

"Last time I wanted to prove myself as a bass player and guitar player, but not as a songwriter," she added. "This time, I'm really putting a lot more weight on [the lyrical aspects]. And I'm finding my voice lyrically, as well as literally finding the range of my voice."

There's no word yet on when Auf Der Maur's disc will surface, but chances are good the album will hit shelves this year. In the summer, the bassist hopes she can hit the road to preview some of the material for fans. The one thing that'll keep her from the road, she said, is if Corgan needs her for his reborn Smashing Pumpkins (see "Smashing Pumpkins Reunion Is Under Way, According To Sources").

In addition to the Corgan tune, Auf Der Maur expects "Mother's Red Box" and "A Thousand Years," songs she says she opens up on, to make the cut.

"There were only certain moments on my last record where [I could] look at any member of the audience and say, 'I f---ing mean this,' " Auf Der Maur explained. "I was just starting. I barely knew where I was coming from in terms of songwriting. ... It's not that I was faking it before — I was literally very naive."

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• Auf Der Maur

213 (file)
Photo: Anthony Mandler

213 may have taken the easy way out when making the The Hard Way, according to DJ Battlecat. The producer behind tunes for Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, Xzibit, WC and Faith Evans filed a copyright-infringement suit against 213 members Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg and their record label on Thursday for allegedly using his work on three songs without permission. ...

Trapt will reissue their 2002 self-titled debut in the dual DVD/CD format on October 19. The set features a 5.1 surround-sound mix and videos for the songs "Headstrong," "Still Frame" and "Echo." Additional extras include live clips, a photo gallery and two bonus songs: "Lost in a Portrait" from the soundtrack to "The Punisher" and the B-side "Promise." ... A limited-edition version of Korn's imaginatively titled greatest-hits package, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, will be released alongside the standard version of the album on October 5. The limited-edition disc comes with a DVD capturing the band's concert at New York's CBGBs earlier this year. ...

Auf Der Maur and the Von Bondies are heading out on the road for a co-headlining North American club tour beginning September 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Seventeen shows, including stops in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Detroit, have been announced with more to come. ... A Guns N' Roses semi-reunion of sorts took place Sunday in Bologna, Italy, when guitarist Izzy Stradlin joined his old bandmates in Velvet Revolver onstage for the GN'R classic "It's So Easy." Stradlin left the band in 1991 and was replaced by Gilby Clarke. ...

A beer named after Madonna was created by U.K. brewers JW Lees to commemorate her visit to Manchester during her Re-invention Tour. According to those who've imbibed Material Girl Ale, it has a nutty flavor. ... More than 770 items from the estate of Johnny and June Carter Cash will be put up for auction at Sotheby's beginning September 14. The auction, which coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Man in Black's passing, features such items as stage-worn clothing, platinum records, handwritten lyrics and even the singer's 2002 Ford F-150 pickup. ... While writing and recording their next album, due next summer, 311 will release a concert DVD that relives March's 3-11 Day concert in New Orleans. The group plans to revisit the Big Easy next March 11. ...

9.03.2004

Oops, Britney Spears spit out her gum in public again and now you can reap the benefits. More than 20 eBay auctioneers are selling what they claim to be Spears' used chewing gum for prices ranging from 1 cent as an opening bid to $14,000 for the gum the pop star was supposedly chewing when she kissed Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "My friend was working security and saw her spit one piece of gum in the trash," the seller says in the post. Fans can also purchase a used cigarette butt, for which the current high bid is $250. Not a Britney fan? Bid on gum chewed by Christina Aguilera (99 cents), Eminem ($1) or Jessica Simpson (99 cents). ...

Alicia Keys has just finished filming the video for her next single, "Karma." The singer shot part of the clip in the Dominican Republic, and part in New York, including a scene where she plays the piano on a subway platform. ... Al Franken will appear as the keynote speaker at this year's CMJ Music Marathon in New York. The writer/comedian/radio personality will deliver his speech (on a variety of topics, including politics, music, radio and activism) on October 14 to kick off the annual college-radio convention. Performers this year include Sonic Youth, ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Sparta, Clinic, the Faint, the Concretes, the Decemberists and more. ...

Homesickness doesn't seem to be one of Incubus' ills. The band, which has been on the road in support of A Crow Left of the Murder almost nonstop since the LP dropped in February, has added more dates to its world tour. A new, five-week leg begins October 10 in Pittsburgh. ... Liz Phair is going to help runners cool off in the inaugural Nike 26.2 Marathon with a post-race concert. The marathon takes place in San Francisco, starting and finishing right outside Golden Gate Park, on October 24 to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. ...

Slayer were forced to cancel a performance Wednesday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after frontman Tom Araya was reportedly rushed to an area hospital, suffering either from kidney stones or a bad allergic reaction. No official word has been given on Araya's condition. ... In happier Slayer-related news, the Jägermesiter Music Tour, which Slayer is scheduled to headline, has finalized its schedule. The trek, which also features Killswitch Engage and Mastodon, kicks off October 29 in Springfield, Missouri, and concludes on December 17 in Universal City, California. ... After four years of dating, three years of living together, a 3-year-old son and another baby on the way, Ben Harper and Laura Dern have gotten engaged. A wedding date has yet to be announced. ... Mix Master Mike, the Beastie Boys' resident DJ, has a new album on the way. Bangzilla!, out October 19, features hardcore turntablist creations such as "Full Range Earmuff," as well as tracks that cut together strings, keys and rhythms taken from hip-hop, orchestras and more. ... Stellastarr have one last show in New York this year — at the Roxy on Sunday — before they immediately start working on their second album. The band plans to stay in the studio through the remainder of 2004, and hopes to release the new album in the spring. ... The Mars Volta are dragging their Afros back into the studio to rework sections of their new album, Frances the Mute. The new studio sessions will push the release of the album — the follow-up to last year's De-loused in the Comatorium — back until early 2005. ...

Why should Sammy Hagar have all the Cabo Wabo fun? Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony is preparing to join the party as he and Hagar make plans to open Mad Anthony's Pepper Bar at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. According to a post on Anthony's Web site, the bar will feature "tasty and exotic chili pepper concoctions ... as well as other killer foods to wrap your lips around and light your bellies on fire." Gastronomically inclined fans can get involved by submitting creative recipes on Anthony's site for potential inclusion on the menu. ...

• 213
• Snoop Dogg
• Trapt
• Korn
• The Von Bondies

It's a motley crew releasing new albums this week, with Melissa Auf Der Maur dropping her first solo project, Truth Hurts and the Baha Men seeking a return to the spotlight, and an electronic band getting dreamy.

Melissa Auf Der Maur, former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist, tries her hand at a solo career with her debut album, Auf Der Maur. Auf Der Maur has brought along some friends to help out, though, including members and former members of Queens of the Stone Age, Hole, A Perfect Circle, Helmet and the Offspring.

Truthfully Speaking, it's been two years since Dr. Dre protégé Truth Hurts released her last album. Well, she's Ready Now, and releasing her sophomore album this week.

Holla at the Baha Men. The group is letting its dogs out again with a new album, Holla! The Men have released three albums since 2000's immensely successful Who Let the Dogs Out, but none have had a comparable runaway hit.

Like Kraftwerk? Have a fondness for electronic music and synthesizers? Tangerine Dream may be right up your alley. They release Dream Mixes 4 this week.

Flying under the radar this week are albums by Downset (Universal), Melissa Ferrick (The Other Side) and Katey Sagal of "Married With Children" fame (Room).

Out Tuesday, June 1:

• Aa - Big A Little a (Narnack)
• Afterlife - Speck of Gold (Bar de Lune)
• Amp Fiddler - Waltz of a Ghetto Fly (PIAS America/Genuine)
• Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (Fatcat)
• Another Dead Juliet - Here Lies (Trash Art!)
• Asura - Lost Eden (TV Matters)
• Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur (Capitol)
  Read: "Ex-Hole Bassist Follows Orders From The Aliens In Her Head"
  Buy Now: Auf Der Maur (Capitol)
  
• Backstabbers Incorporated - Kamikaze Missions (Trash Art!)
• Baha Men - Holla (S-Curve)
  Buy Now: Holla (S-Curve)
  
• Blue-Eyed Son - West of Lincoln (Eenie Meenie)
• Gary U.S. Bonds - Back in 20 (M.C.)
• Brydge - Crossover (X-Ray)
• BT - Music From and Inspired by the Film "Monster" (DTS)
• Eugene Cole & Persuaded - Jesus Is the Balm (Jabez/PGE/Brody)
• Cosmic Rough Riders - Too Close to See Far (429/Savoy)
• Crimson Spectre - Crimson Spectre (Magic Bullet)
• Joe Diffie - Tougher Than Nails (BBR/C4)
• Sandy Dillon - Nobody's Sweetheart (One Little Indian)
• Downset - Universal (Hawino/Liquid 8)
• Ronnie Earl - Now My Soul (Stony Plain)
• A Faith Called Chaos - Forgive Nothing (Volcom Entertainment)
• Farewell My Enemy - Casting for Funerals (Rise)
• Fear My Thoughts - The Great Collapse (Lifeforce)
• Melissa Ferrick - The Other Side (Right On)
• Fluke - Puppy (One Little Indian)
• Gift - Sumthin' Amazin' (X-Ray)
• Grandadbob - Waltzes for Weirdoes (MRI/Lax Recordings)
• Mic Harrison - Pallbearer's Shoes (Valley Entertainment)
• He Is Legend - He Is Legend (Tribunal)
• Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle - Night Light (Hybrid)
• Heart & Soul (Nexus) - Parkes Stewart (Comin' Atcha/PGE/Brody)
• The Honorary Title - Anything Else But the Truth (Dog House)
• Joss - If Not for the Hovering ... (Delmore)
• Ana Laan - Orégano (Liquid 8)
• Lackloves - The Beat and the Time (Rainbow Quartz)
• The Like Young - So Serious (Parasol)
• Misery Signals - Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (Ferret)
• Miss Kittin - I COM (Astralwerks)
• My Revenge! - Less Plot, More Blood (Thorp)
• Greg Osby - Public (Blue Note/Metro Blue)
• Jesse Powell - Jesse (Liquid 8)
• The Power & the Glory - Call Me Armageddon (Deathwish Inc.)
• Duke Robillard - Blue Mood (Stony Plain)
• Dexter Romweber - Blues That Defy My Soul (Yep Roc)
• Bobby Rush - Folkfunk (Deep Rush)
• Katey Sagal - Room (Valley Entertainment)
• Saigon - Warning Shots (Sure Shot)
• Bobby Sanabria - Quarteto Ache (Zoho)
• Seldom Seen - See Me Now (East Side)
• W.C. Spencer - Blues Explorer (Catscan)
• Steep Canyon Rangers - Steep Canyon Rangers (Rebel)
• Tangerine Dream - Dream Mixes 4 (TDI Music)
• Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B (Nuclear Blast)
• DJ Tiesto Just Be (Nettwerk)
• Truth Hurts - Ready Now (Pookie Entertainment)
  Buy Now: Ready Now (Pookie Entertainment)
  
• Twelve Tribes - The Rebirth of Tragedy (Ferret)
• Two Lone Swordsmen - From the Double Gone Chapel (Warp)
• Tyshena - Take as Is (X-Ray)
• White Lights -Gifts From Strangers (Two Sheds)
• Zug Izland - 3:33 (Ax & Smash)
• Various artists - Homeward Sound: A Bluegrass Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel (CMH)
• Various artists - Cypress Thrill (X-Ray)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Enya: Dreams (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath (Magick)
• Various artists - Guitar Tribute to Bob Seger (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Outbreak Presents: Biological Warfare (MRI/Outbreak)
• Various artists - Record of Shadows Infinite (Crucial Blast)
• Various artists - Soho Lounge (Organica/tpz)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Duran Duran (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Guns N' Roses (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Jet (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to A Perfect Circle (Vitamin)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Blink-182 (Tributized)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Jet (Tributized)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Sevendust (Tributized)
• Various artists - A Tribute to the Strokes (Tributized)
• Various artists - Tribute to Brooks & Dunn (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Tribute to Snoop Dogg (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Josh Turner (Big Eye)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Norah Jones (Big Eye)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Twista (Big Eye)
• DVD: "Lyricist Lounge: Dirty States of America" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: Corn on Macabre - "The Final Chapter" (Magic Bullet)
• DVD: John Kay and Friends - "Live at the Renaissance Center" (Rainman)

June 8:

• The Calling - Two (RCA)
  Read: "The Calling Returning With New LP, New Hired Hands"
• Corrs - Borrowed Heaven (Atlantic)
• Gene Simmons - A--hole (Sanctuary)
• Velvet Revolver - Contraband (RCA)
  Read: "Velvet Revolver Album Preview: GN'R + STP = Uphill Battle"
  Buy Now: Contraband (RCA)
  
• PJ Harvey – Uh Huh Her (Island)
  Read: "PJ Harvey Album Preview: Heartache, Madness Haunt Uh Huh Her"

June 15:

• Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)
  Read: "Beastie Boys Album Preview: Political Bleats And Old-School Beats"
  Buy Now: To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)
  
• Phish - Undermind (Elektra/Asylum)
  Buy Now: Undermind (Elektra/Asylum)
  

June 22:

• Mobb Deep - Amerikaz Nightmare (Jive)
• Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (Nonesuch)
• Brian Wilson - Gettin' in Over My Head (Rhino)
• Stevie Wonder - A Time 2 Love (Motown)

• Auf Der Maur
• Truth Hurts
• Baha Men
• BT
• Downset

Melissa Auf Der Maur (file)
Photo: Capitol

When she was younger, former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur dreamed of being a musician — literally.

"When I was 19, I dreamed aliens came down and told me to make music my life," she said, without a trace of kidding around. "These random individuals had been put into a pyramid to experience three-dimensional sound and then were put on a mission of passing it on. And in this dream, they said to me, 'Music has this power, and you'd better go and be a dutiful soldier to it.' "

A couple of years later, Auf Der Maur was playing bass in her first professional band, Tinker. She relates the dreamy experience in "I Need I Want I Will," the final track from her debut solo album, Auf Der Maur, due June 1. Actually, most of the songs on the album were inspired by dreams and the subconscious. The music is layered and surreal, and the lyrics are composed of snippets from Auf Der Maur's dream diaries.

"I believe the subconscious holds this deeper truth, and that people get too wrapped up and lost in the superficial intellectual zone," she said. "On this record, I completely wanted to explore the abstract and the subconscious, and it's far from a political or intellectual stance."

The disc combines trippy, chugging rock riffs, pop melodies and ethereal, gauzy vocals, often sounding like a cross between Fleetwood Mac and Queens of the Stone Age. The blending of raw and delicate was a musical epiphany for Auf Der Maur.

"I love heavy, heavy rock music, but I sang in a choir as a young girl, and up until this record I thought the only function that my voice could have in a heavy rock band was singing backup," she said. "So I wanted to embrace my duality by having three-part harmonies and balancing that with the heaviest, most distorted bass or guitar."

For Auf Der Maur, who is both spirited and spiritual, being simultaneously atmospheric and bonecrushing was essential. She couldn't have the yin without the yang, and she wanted the seemingly contradictory elements to inspire her audience.

"I felt the need to create a vast, huge record," Auf Der Maur said. "I wanted to embrace everything feminine and everything masculine inside of me or in the world as I know it, and make things both beautiful and ugly. Trying to accept both of those elements in one record and in one person is really important."

Auf Der Maur was produced by Masters of Reality frontman Chris Goss and recorded in Los Angeles on the cheap, with Auf Der Maur hitting the studio during off-peak hours and when bands who had booked it had downtime. She would record the basic tracks with Goss and then invite friends in to add textures. Two of the songs were co-written with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, who also played on numerous tracks. Also helping out were ex-Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson, A Perfect Circle guitarist James Iha, A Perfect Circle bassist Jeordie White, ex-Tinker guitarist Steve Durand, ex-Tinker drummer Jordon Zadorozny, ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier, Offspring drummer Adam Willard and ex-Fu Manchu drummer Brant Bjork. Durand and Zadorozny are now part of Auf Der Maur's touring band.

"It warmed my heart to see how each one of the people who played with me on the record showed full support because they knew how much it meant to me," she said. "These are some of my favorite musicians and they've played a big part of my life in the past decade. There was this real brother-sister kind of bond."

First single "Followed the Waves" uses cryptic, poetic snippets to address unrequited love. Many other songs on the disc, including "Overpower Thee" and "I'll Be Anything You Want," also address love, but little on the record stems from Melissa's experiences in the waking world.

"It's all from that same subconscious place," she explained. "Next to music and religion, love is the thing that gives us spiritual depth and meaning to live. So the love song for me is the common theme, and it represents the pursuit to become one with something bigger than ourselves."

Auf Der Maur will be on the road with the Offspring through June 1. Starting July 27, she'll appear as part of the Curiosa Festival, which also features the Cure, Thursday, the Rapture, Muse, Mogwai, Interpol, Head Automatica, Cursive and Cooper Temple Clause (see "Cure Announce Festival Tour With Interpol, Rapture, Mogwai").

• Auf Der Maur

Melissa Auf Der Maur performs at Edgefest.
Photo: Nathan Lichtman

BARRIE, Ontario — With temperatures soaring into the 90s before the gates even opened, it became all too clear that the annual Edgefest was going to be a test of patience and endurance for both the fans and performers.

With nowhere to hide from the scorching sun, the lethargic and eclectic attendees slowly filled Molson Park, hoping for something to get their minds off the heat. They didn't have to wait long.

When a planned 3:20 p.m. set by Sevendust was postponed due to a problem with the band crossing Canada's border, Jerry Cantrell was asked to swap spots with the metal quintet. The seemingly simple flip-flop of set times ended up creating a rift that echoed throughout the large crowd for the remainder of the day.

Taking the stage in blue jeans with black leather accents, a wallet chain and a black T-shirt, Jerry Cantrell exuded the spirit of a carefree man ready to share material from his former band Alice in Chains and his latest solo release, Degradation Trip, with an early afternoon crowd.

For Cantrell, things got off to a good enough start, but quickly lapsed into a series of frustrating mishaps. Opening with the thick, rolling fuzz of "Them Bones," Cantrell performed a faithful version of the Alice in Chains hit. The tightly packed crowd around the stage chanted "Jerry, Jerry!" in response.

Things started to fall apart at the beginning of another Alice in Chains classic, "Would?," in which Cantrell's guitar shorted out before the deep opening bass groove even had a chance to finish. While an apologetic Cantrell rushed to fix his equipment, he acknowledged his chanting supporters by saying, "If you can bear with us, we'll try to get through as much as we can for you."

Midway through "Right Turn," Cantrell was reunited with a working guitar to close out a mellow rendition of the Sap EP track. After tripping on a microphone cable moments before launching into his latest single, "Anger Rising," it was clear that Cantrell was not happy with the direction of his set.

"Anger Rising" would prove to be the last song in his abbreviated set list, but not before Cantrell threw his guitar to the ground and left the crowd with a disparaging remark toward Sevendust. Cantrell omitted the "dust" in Sevendust and substituted a four-letter obscenity in letting the crowd know who was up next.

Crossing the stage shirtless and in black, shiny pants, Sevendust frontman Lajon Witherspoon not only brought music from the quintet's latest release, Animosity, to the Edgefest crowd, but didn't hide his animosity toward Cantrell.

"When Jerry Cantrell says f--- Sevendust, I say f--- you, Jerry Cantrell," Witherspoon proclaimed before reiterating the message by saying, "I hope you heard me, Jerry Cantrell." With no love lost between the apparently now-feuding parties, Sevendust ripped into an aggressive cut, "Waffle," before leaving the stage in an equally disturbed fashion as Cantrell.

The festival's four stages proved to be too great of a distance apart for many to hike more than once in the overwhelming heat. "I came here to see Jerry Cantrell, and now that he's upset, that took a little bit of the fun out of the experience for me," attendee Hal Sultani of Windsor, Ontario, remarked.

The young, predominantly college-age crowd crossed the grounds of Molson Park in everything from practical bathing suits to jeans and winter stocking caps. Of course, many were draped in Canadian flags in celebration of the national holiday, Canada Day. What little shade was available was immediately filled with exhausted fans who slept or drank as much water as they could at nearly four bucks a bottle.

Melissa Auf Der Maur rattled the second stage crowd with her Black Sabbath tribute band, Hand of Doom, which churned out new takes on a slew of tracks from the classic catalogue, including "Paranoid," "Sweet Leaf" and "War Pigs." Sporting a near-transparent white outfit and a Canadian flag as a cape, Auf Der Maur wished the intrigued crowd a "happy Black Sabbath day every day this summer," before her exit.

Headliners Nickelback brought straight-ahead rock to a climax after a mildly received Cake, with a tight, one-hour set that pulled a wealth of material from their breakthrough album, Silver Side Up, and maximized speaker wattage on the cuts "Too Bad" and crowd sing-along "How You Remind Me." At the end of the day, though, the tired, somewhat frustrated fans filed out of Molson Park just as quietly as they had entered, hoping to find refuge in air-conditioned cars and to pull up a seat at their kitchen sinks for a long night of drinking water.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the world, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Jerry Cantrell
• Sevendust
• Nickelback
• Auf Der Maur
• Cake

Melissa Auf Der Maur
Photo: John Berry

Sex means nothing to Melissa Auf Der Maur. The svelte, stylish former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist can rock the titanic heavy metal with the big boys just as easily as provide gentle accompaniment to her friend and fellow Canadian Rufus Wainwright on his latest album, Poses. She said her forthcoming solo debut, which she's presently working on in Los Angeles, will blur traditionally held gender roles with tough-as-nails songs that also have a sensitive side.

"It's very, very heavy and very beautiful at the same time," she said of the undertaking. "The muscle of heavy masculine smothered with very, very ethereal femininity."

"I definitely relate more to a particular genre of heavy, male music, but it happens to be a heavy male music that is very feminine from my perspective, such as Queens of the Stone Age and Smashing Pumpkins. Those are two heavy bands that have very feminine sides. All of us are half men and half women — we have just as much masculine as feminine, so I would definitely describe the new project as me wrestling with those two sides."

Auf Der Maur began work on the LP in October and has written 12 songs — among them "Appetite Running," "Beastfest" and "Real, a Lie" — and recorded some of the album piecemeal in New York, Montreal and Los Angeles, with plans to continue to hammer away in Chicago. The album will be credited to "Auf Der Maur," a name, she said, "in the spirit of such legendary acts as Danzig and Van Halen." Musicians who round out her interchangeable backing band include Queens of the Stone Age singer/guitarist Josh Homme and former Kyuss and Fu Manchu drummer Brant Bjork. Additional guests are expected to be on the end result — she plans to ask Wainwright to return the favor by appearing on her album — which has neither a label nor release date attached to it yet.

The leisurely pace at which she's working isn't because of laziness —  in fact, quite the opposite can be blamed for the sluggish progression. Auf Der Maur and friends Peter Yanowitz, who drummed for the Wallflowers and Natalie Merchant; guitarist Guy Stevens; DJ Joey Garfield and clothing designer/bassist Molly R. Stern recently formed Hand of Doom, a Black Sabbath cover band in which Auf Der Maur sings lead. It's an ambitious endeavor and one that could backfire in embarrassing shtick, especially considering Auf Der Maur is completely exposed onstage.

"I'm Ozzy," she proudly proclaimed, "with no other instrument. Nothing, just me — which is a challenge since I've never done that before, and it's really a new world of moves and such."   The pals, all devoted Sabbath fans, started the tribute band as a fun, no-pressure outlet to play music and hone their skills, like "amplified karaoke," Auf Der Maur said. One of Hand of Doom's first shows was at L.A.'s Viper Room, opening for Monday night regulars Metal Shop, an '80s hair metal cover band. While the group's performance didn't go over too well with the serious retro-rock lovers, a subsequent show months later at the Whisky was met with a hipper audience who "got it."

That Whisky show, as well as recent gigs at Spaceland and the Troubadour, were recorded as fodder for a live album to be released by L.A. indie label Idahomusic/Retrophonic in the fall. Songs expected to appear on the LP include "Paranoid," "Black Sabbath" and the group's namesake, "Hand of Doom," the first song they learned together.

"The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there's probably never been a cover band album made," she said of the desire to release the album, "let alone a live cover band album made, let alone a live Black Sabbath cover band album made with a girl lead singer."

And that's not all that's on the busy lady's plate. Two other projects — the Chelsea, with drummer Samantha Maloney (Hole, Mötley Crüe), bassist Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle) and guitarist Radio Sloan (The Need); and the Virgins, with Ryan Adams, Evan Dando and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha — are on the back burner.

A stream of soundtrack work was also completed in short order. Auf Der Maur's version of Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" will appear in the upcoming flick "Run Ronnie Run!" from "Mr. Show" alums Bob Odenkirk and David Cross; and her take on Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face" should surface in a new teen thriller.

Not only does she perform the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" for Oliver Stone's "Beyond Borders," but she has a cameo in the film, too. Donning a big platinum-blond wig (the film is set in 1985), Auf Der Maur and some of her old bandmates from Canada are seen playing during a makeout scene featuring star Angelina Jolie.

After reviewing her laundry list of works for hire, Auf Der Maur was a bit embarrassed by the retro thread connecting the songs — "Oh my god, am I sounding like a weirdo?" — but was quick to justify her prolificacy.

"I was in full-time bands for six years and never had any time do anything but that. The second I got out, I wanted to do everything, because I have a lot of energy and a lot of musical love that I must fill in every possible way."

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Melissa Auf Der Maur Live at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, 06.01.2004

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