Jermaine Dupri (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Sandra Rose

A strip club, sure. A dance club, no doubt. But a cafe that serves healthy vittles? Not the type of business we'd normally associate with Jermaine Dupri, but lo and behold, the famed producer is opening his Cafe Dupri in Atlanta on Monday (June 6), with the hope of bringing a more health-conscious sensibility to his hometown. That's not the end of his entrepreneurial goals, though: JD is also looking to open up a 50-room hotel, named after himself. ...

Who knows? Maybe your band will play Lollapalooza (July 23-24) this summer. The Lollapalooza Battle of the Bands kicks off June 23 with a battle at the House of Blues in Chicago, followed by three more on June 25: at the House of Blues in Cleveland; the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky; and Newport Music Hall in Newport, Kentucky. Regional winners chosen by a panel of judges and audience members will head to the finals at the Madison Theater, and the winner will get a slot on the Lolla bill. ...

During the first full day of jury deliberations for the Michael Jackson molestation trial, the singer's brother Randy Jackson, who's helping handle Michael's finances, showed up at the Santa Maria, California, courthouse on Monday morning for a meeting with Thomas Mesereau. The defense attorney was greeted with shrills and screams from pumped-up fans outside. The crowd chanted Mesereau's name and praised him as the man who would be their icon's savior. Greeted with more subdued praise was the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who came to the courthouse to show support for the pop star and pray with his family. During a press conference, the reverend also explained why Michael's father, Joe Jackson, had shown up at court. Apparently he saw a fleet of vehicles leaving Neverland and thought a verdict had been reached, so he rushed to the courthouse. But it turned out the convoy was simply headed to the carwash. The jury will reconvene for deliberations Tuesday morning. ...

Korn's James "Munky" Shaffer, System of a Down's Shavo Odadjian and Slipknot's Sid Wilson have all contributed their talents to Modern Primitive Punk, the debut disc from freak-show sensation Crazy White Sean's band KCUF. Due in stores early next year, the album's the first release from former Snot/ Amen and current Lo-Pro bassist John Fahnestock's label, 313 Recordings. ... In a weekend bulletin posting to all of their MySpace followers, Crossfade announced turntablist and sample man Tony Byroads' departure, saying he's "decided to move on with his life, and his new bride." The band said it'll continue on as a three-piece outfit. ...

"Crazy Train," unplugged? That's what fans of Black Sabbath who've launched an online petition asking that the band's founding members — Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — record a live acoustic album, want to hear. The petition reads that "not only would an 'unplugged' album be a wonderful opportunity to revisit (and breathe some new life into) some Black Sabbath classics, it would allow [Ozzy the chance] to perform on a successful live album while avoiding the vocal strain that may have contributed to his debilitating bronchitis on last year's Black Sabbath tour." The petition even offers a suggested set list: "Lord of This World," "Scary Dreams," "Electric Funeral" and "Behind the Wall of Sleep." ... Louisville, Kentucky, post-rockers Slint wowed fans earlier this year with their brief U.S. reunion tour. Now fans who couldn't get tickets to the handful of shows can finally see what they missed, thanks to the upcoming DVD the band is piecing together. Details on the disc are scarce, but according to reps for the band, there will be live footage aplenty, along with various other ephemera. The Slint DVD has no firm release date. ...

06.03.2005

Fat Joe in superhero tights? Not quite, but the New York rapper will get the comic-book treatment later this month, thanks to the folks at Marvel. Fans who pick up a copy of Fat Joe's forthcoming All or Nothing when it hits stores on June 14 will receive a copy of "The Heist," a promotional comic book that features Joe, Twista, T.I., Fabolous, Trick Daddy and Lil' Kim. The rappers team up, X-Men style, to recover a stolen diamond, with each hip-hopper using his or her superhero skills to defeat an evil army of clones. Only a select number of record retailers will carry the comic book, but Fat Joe's fans can log onto Atlantic Records' Web site and enter a contest to win a copy of the book. One grand-prize winner will even score a Sony PSP. ...

R. Kelly has chosen a title for his next album: TP3 Reloaded. The LP will hit shelves on July 5. ... Jimmy Eat World will return to the studio after their tour with Green Day wraps at the end of the summer. "We've been writing a little, but the hardest thing about writing on the road is it's difficult to get deep and flush out an idea — you always have to go do something," singer Jim Adkins said. ...

Despite what you might think, the Transplants are really quite the tech-savvy bunch. Witness the relaunch of their Web site, TheTransplants.com, which is now loaded with promotional videos, interviews and photos all hyping the release of the band's sophomore album, Haunted Cities. Visitors to the site can also stream the album's first single, "Gangsters and Thugs," or download a ring-tone version of the tune. Haunted Cities is due in stores on June 21. ... Australian rockers the Vines are holed up in a Sydney studio with producer Wayne Connolly, working on material for their third disc. It'll be the band's first batch of new songs since it was revealed that singer Craig Nicholls suffers from Asperger Syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by problems with social interaction. According to a posting on the Vines' Web site, "Craig is in a great frame of mind and is healthier than he's ever been. The band will demo 13 new songs which are sounding brilliant — mainly heavy, poppy and melodic, plus two amazing acoustic numbers." ...

The latest album of Latin punk rock covers from the all-star Manic Hispanic crew (past and current members of Agent Orange, the Adolescents, Cadillac Tramps, 22 Jacks and others), is titled Grupo Sexo and is due out on June 28. The album features covers of Fear's "Big Baloney" ("Big Chorizo"), Green Day's "Welcome to Paradise" ("Welcome to Paramount"), the Descendents' "I'm Not a Loser" ("I'm Just a Cholo") and the Ramones' "Havana Affair" ("Tijuana Affair"). ... Powerman 5000 will be touring the nation to remind people they've got a new album on the way, even though the album's not yet done, doesn't have a name, and won't be released until late this year. Nevertheless, the band kicks off a 28-date tour on Wednesday in Traverse City, Michigan, that'll criss-cross the Midwest and East Coast, concluding August 23 in Beaumont, Texas. ... Cold's forthcoming disc, previously called The Calm That Killed the Storm, will now be titled A Different Kind of Pain. The LP will drop on August 30. ...

• Jermaine Dupri
• Korn
• System of a Down
• Black Sabbath
• Crossfade

Crossfade (file)
Photo: Sony

In their first year on the rock scene, South Carolina's Crossfade saw their song "Cold" become a national rock-radio hit and garner a spot on the popular Now That's What I Call Music! 17 compilation.

Not bad for a track that the hard rockers never saw as more than a novelty song.

"At first, it was just this quirky little song we had," said lead singer Ed Sloan. "We didn't think much of it until other people started to hear it and hear things in it. We were pleasantly surprised."

For a band that has subscribed to — and continues to live by — a DIY ethic, Crossfade has embraced every bit of success they've had since their debut self-titled album hit stores in April.

"I think it's just the benchmark of what we've tried to do for so long," Sloan said of Crossfade's successful year. "We struggled, but we struggled knowing that the single was picking up speed and snowballing, and everything has been positive this year. We have not had any setbacks. Everything's been going ahead — a lot of bands never get that and we did it right out the gate, so we're thrilled."

Crossfade started in the late 1990s when Sloan, bassist Mitch James and drummer Brian Geiger formed a band called the Nothing. DJ Tony Byroads soon made the trio a quartet with his samples and backing vocals (Byroads sings the refrain on "Cold").

The band changed its name to the ostentatious Sugardaddy Superstar and began recording in its own Sugarstar Studio, eventually completing their debut album, Cold. As local radio stations began to air the band's self-produced tracks, the buzz began to build, eventually leading to a record deal with Columbia Records subsidiary Earshot Records.

After adopting the more rock moniker Crossfade (the name comes from a recording technique) and adding two new songs to the album, Cold was re-released as Crossfade in the spring of 2004.

Sloan said his lyrics stem from incidents in his life and "seeing the experiences that other people go through. ... 'Cold' is about a past relationship of mine that is now no more. At the time, I was trying to say I'm sorry for a lot of things, and that's where it came from."

Right around the time of the album's re-release, Crossfade decided to end another relationship: Geiger left the band and was replaced by James Branam, who had two weeks to learn the songs. After four days with the album, Branam showed up for rehearsal and played each track flawlessly.

"We were really happy about it," Sloan said. "Then he told us that his drums were all packed up and he hadn't actually practiced — he just listened to the CD for four days and was able to do that. We knew something was good."

Since then, Crossfade have been on the road almost nonstop for six months, playing with Alter Bridge, Smile Empty Soul and Shinedown. Though it's been an intense few months, the guys said they love every aspect of the lifestyle and the fans they have made along the way.

"I think another reason people love us so much is because we're truly in love with our fans," Byroads said. "Every single one of them — it don't matter. If they like our music, they like us."

Fans will have another two months to return Crossfade's adoration as the band takes off on the SnoCore Tour with Helmet and Chevelle, which begins January 22 in Vail, Colorado.

• Crossfade

Crossfade live on the Snocore Tour in St. Louis, MO 02.14.2005

• Crossfade