Paris Hilton (file)
Photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images

Some of the world's most gorgeous women are getting naked for a very worthwhile cause. Paris and Nicky Hilton, Christina Aguilera, Rebecca Romijn, Elle MacPherson, Heidi Klum and Kimora Lee Simmons are among the 44 beauties exposed in a new coffee-table book titled "4 Inches," which will feature the ladies donning no more than Cartier jewels and Jimmy Choo shoes. Proceeds from the book, hitting stores Thursday, will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation and its effort to help women and children in Africa who are suffering from AIDS. ...

Even computer hackers are getting in on the Michael Jackson trial action. British anti-virus firm Sophos reported on Friday (June 10) that hackers have hit computers across the globe with a Trojan virus disguised as an e-mail about an alleged Jackson suicide attempt. The typo-filled spam e-mail with the subject heading "Re: Suicidal aattempt" links to a bogus suicide note as it downloads malicious software onto the user's computer. ... Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has pleaded no contest to assaulting Dwarves singer Blag Dahlia during an altercation at Los Angeles' Dragonfly club in November 2004. On May 23, Homme was put on probation for 36 months, and was ordered to do community service with the Hollywood Beautification Team, enter a 60-day residential drug/alcohol rehabilitation program, complete a level three anger-management class, foot all of Dahlia's legal and medical bills, and stay 100 yards away from the singer, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Superior Court. ...

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' wife, Vanessa, gave birth on Thursday to the couple's second child, daughter Nyla Rae. They already have a 3-year-old daughter named Zoe Jane. According to a band spokesperson, both mom and baby are doing fine. Staind's forthcoming album, Chapter V, hits stores August 9. ... The Deftones, A Perfect Circle, Cave In, Poison the Well and Melissa Auf Der Maur will contribute songs to the forthcoming tribute album to influential 1990s transcendent rock icons Failure. The album should see release sometime this fall through Renfield Records. ...

Finch and Head Automatica will be touring together this fall. No concrete dates for the trek have been set yet, but according to a spokesperson for Finch, the tour should last a few weeks, and both the RX Bandits and Buck 65 have been confirmed as openers. ... It's been more than five years since we've heard anything from New York blues rockers the Spin Doctors, but that all changes Friday night (June 10). The band, best known for its 1992-'93 hits "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes," will kick off a 24-date tour in Richmond, Virginia, that's set to wrap up on September 17 in Oklahoma City. The group's also got a new record on the way: Look for the Matt Wallace-produced Nice Talking to Me to hit stores in September. ...

A week after slapping three Florida sheriff's deputies with a lawsuit for allegedly using excessive force when arresting him during a 2003 New Year's Eve altercation, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is speaking out about the incident yet again. "The legal action we are embarking on now will hopefully bring attention to the fact that people cannot and should not be treated this way," he said in a statement released Thursday. "If some good is to come of this, then let it be that the actions of a tiny minority of aggressive Taser-wielding police officers don't tarnish the reputation of the vast majority of officers who proudly serve their communities with honor and sacrifice." ...

06.09.2005

Most men would not have the power to bring both Jay-Z and Nas out to the same party, but Kanye West is not most men. The producer celebrated his 28th birthday Wednesday night at the Bulgari store on Fifth Avenue in New York, and the two rap rivals made an appearance. Chris Tucker, Grafh, Farnsworth Bentley and P. Diddy also came through to wish Yay a happy born day. ...

Britney Spears is providing more than just a window into her relationship with Kevin Federline on her reality show — she's also giving a sneak peek of some new music. Not only is the theme song to "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic" a track she originally recorded for In the Zone called "Chaotic," but the hour-long finale, called "Veil of Secrecy," will feature the premiere of her video for her new single, "Someday (I Will Understand)." The song was written by Spears and produced by Guy Sigsworth, while the clip was directed by Michael Haussman. The episode, which reveals how Britney and Kevin kept their wedding-day plans under wraps, airs Tuesday on UPN at a new time, 8 p.m. (Click for photos from the show.)... Velvet Revolver announced on Tuesday that they'd be cutting their current European tour short by five gigs, fueling speculation that the band has thrown in the proverbial towel following weeks of rumored ego clashes between singer Scott Weiland and guitarist Slash. One Finnish news organization actually reported that the band was toast. But according to the group's publicist, that's "absolute rubbish." Everything's fine with Velvet Revolver, who scrapped the final dates of the tour so they could return to American soil and get started on their second album. Other rumors suggesting Weiland was headed back to rehab are also false, the band's rep said. ...

Legendary '70s funk act Earth, Wind & Fire are plotting a comeback on September 20 with an all-star album, Illumination. It features production on two songs from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis ("Pure Gold," "Love Dance"), production and vocals from the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am ("Lovely People") and four songs produced by Raphael Saadiq, including "Show Me the Way," a duet with bandleader Maurice White. Organized Noize produced "This Is How I Feel," featuring Outkast's Big Boi, Sleepy Brown and Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland. Brian McKnight joins the group for "To You," Floetry sit in on "Elevated" and, no kidding, smooth saxophone blower Kenny G guests on a cover of Outkast's "The Way You Move." ...

Madonna is featured on the cover and in an exclusive 15-page fashion spread in housewife mag Ladies' Home Journal, hitting newsstands Tuesday, the same day her latest children's book, "Lotsa de Casha," drops in stores. In the magazine's story, she talks about her reformed wild ways, the poison of television and the struggle of balancing a successful marriage with motherhood. "I can assure you, five years ago, there's no way I would have said, 'I'm going to write kids' books and give all the money to charity,' " the singer said in the interview. "I never thought I'd be doing that [but] I like the idea people can change, and that everybody has to go through a painful process before they can realize they're idiots." On her former wild escapades, Madonna admits, "Sometimes now I sit back and say, 'What was I thinking before I was thinking?' There were times I really had an altruistic goal and wanted to help people. And then other times I just wanted to show off. Let's just call a spade a spade. I knew I could get people to pay attention to me." ...

Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips and Jimmy Eat World are among the artists, um, crashing the soundtrack for the upcoming comedy "Wedding Crashers." The Lips contribute a new song, "Mr. Ambulance Driver," which frontman Wayne Coyne has said will appear on the band's in-the-works new album, At War With the Mystics. The Jimmy Eat World tune, "(Splash) Turn Twist," was previously only available on a few hard-to-find EPs and international releases. Other acts on the soundtrack include Rilo Kiley and Bloc Party. The wedding crashers themselves, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, also contribute a sultry version of the Jewish classic "Hava Nagilah." The soundtrack hits stores on July 12, and the movie is due in theatres July 15. ... Kelly Osbourne has reached quite a milestone. Ozzy's little girl managed to snag three #1 spots simultaneously on the Billboard dance charts, a first since the Dance Airplay chart debuted in August 2003. "One Word," the debut single from Kelly's sophomore LP, Sleeping in the Nothing, has hit the top of the Hot Dance Music/ Club Play chart, the Hot Dance Singles chart and the Dance Radio Airplay chart. ...

Perry Farrell's newest band, the Satellite Party — which includes former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and world-music percussionist Gabriele Corcos — will be performing at this summer's two-day Lollapalooza (July 23-24) in Chicago. The group will be joined onstage by special guest Tony Kanal, according to a spokesperson for the No Doubt bassist. ... The Couch Tour is returning this summer, and will feature the likes of Coheed and Cambria, Alien Ant Farm and Tsunami Bomb, along with some of the biggest names in skateboarding, like Bam Margera, showing off their skills. The trek kicks off June 4 in Murray, Utah, and wraps July 8 in Spokane, Washington. ...

Canadian noise-pop duo Death From Above 1979 have covered a song from their Vice Records labelmates Bloc Party. Their version of "Luno," from Bloc Party's album Silent Alarm, is currently streaming on DFA1979's MySpace page (myspace.com/deathfromabove1979) and will also be the B-side to their upcoming U.K. single "Black History Month." ... After a two-year hiatus, techno jam band the Disco Biscuits have revived their Camp Bisco festival. Camp Bisco IV: The Trance-Formation is scheduled for August 26-27 at Skye-top Festival Grounds in Van Etten, New York, and will feature sets from Umphrey's McGee, the New Deal, Conspirator, John Brown's Body, the Benevento Russo Duo, Brothers Past and Big in Japan. The Biscuits will play two sets each night. ...

• Christina Aguilera
• Michael Jackson
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Finch
• Rush

Coldplay's <I>X&Y</I>
Photo: Capitol

This week kicks off with a soaring wail, a devilish shriek and a fistful of phunk:

-Coldplay stick with their tried-and-true formula of piano-driven, ascending atmospheric ballads, on their latest release, X&Y.

With the devil — not to mention a new flame-haired, eyebrowless model wife — behind him, Jack White and the White Stripes release Get Behind Me Satan. A few things to know:

• The album title refers to the biblical phrase "get thee behind me Satan."
• The White Stripes made much ado about the use of the marimba on this album, which makes its debut on track two: "The Nurse."
• Drummer Meg White steps up to the mic to sing on the ephemeral "Passive Manipulation."

  And the Black Eyed Peas are literally all over the place on Monkey Business.

• The album was recorded in bits and pieces over two years, across the globe (see our Peas feature "Black Eyed Peas: 'Mad All Over The Place' ").
• The Peas got by with a little help from friends like Justin Timberlake, jazz icon Branford Marsalis, James Brown, Sting, John Legend and Jack Johnson.

Those are the biggies this week.

Out Tuesday, June 7:

• Paul Anka - Rock Swings (Verve)
• Annie - Anniemal (Big Beat)
• The Aquabats - Charge!! (Nitro)
  Buy Now: Charge!! (Nitro)
  
• Between Home and Serenity - Power Weapons in the Complex (Fontana/Rust)
• Frances Black - How High the Moon (Koch)
• Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business (A&M/ Interscope)
  Read: "Black Eyed Peas Team Up Again With Timberlake For New LP"
  Buy Now: Monkey Business (A&M/ Interscope)
  
• Terence Blanchard - Flow (Blue Note)
• Sarah Blasko - The Overture and the Underscore (Low Altitude)
• Blue Highway - Marbletown (Rounder)
• Bullet Train to Vegas - We Put Scissors Where Our Mouths Are (Nitro)
• Beth Nielsen Chapman - Look (Compass)
  Buy Now: Look (Compass)
  
• Clumsy Lovers - Smart Kid (Nettwerk)
• Danny Cohen - We're All Gunna Die (Epitaph)
• Coldplay - X&Y (Capitol)
  Read: "Coldplay Album Preview: X&Y A Complex Stadium-Rocker"
  Buy Now: X&Y (Capitol)
  
• Cubik and Origami - Cubik and Origami (Wide Hive)
• Death by Stereo - Death for Life (Epitaph)
  Buy Now: Death for Life (Epitaph)
  
• Disciple - Disciple (Epic)
• Dream Theater - Octavarium (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Octavarium (Atlantic)
  
• Tinsley Ellis - Live - Highwayman (Alligator)
• Europe - Start From the Dark (Friday Music)
• Teri Falini - Sun Under Me (National Recorder)
• Finch - Say Hello to Sunshine (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Say Hello to Sunshine (Geffen)
  
• Michael Galasso - High Lines (ECM)
• Billy Gibson Band - The Billy Gibson Band (Inside Sounds)
• Gomez - Out West (ATO)
  Buy Now: Out West (ATO)
  
• Goon Moon - I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine (Touch and Go)
• Corey Harris - Daily Bread (Rounder)
• Missy Higgins - The Sound of White (Reprise)
  Buy Now: The Sound of White (Reprise)
  
• Ahmad Jamal - After Fajr (Dreyfus)
• Courtney Jaye - Traveling Light (Def Jam)
• Kraftwerk - Minimum Maximum (Astralwerks)
  Buy Now: Minimum Maximum (Astralwerks)
  
• LAPUSH - Someplace Closer to Here (456 Enterprises)
• Ute Lemper - Blood & Feathers - Live at Cafe Carlyle (Koch)
• Life in Your Way - Ignite and Rebuild (Indianola)
• Madagascar - Forced March (Western Vinyl)
• The Mae Shi - Heartbeeps EP (Kill Rock Stars)
• Stephen Marley - Got Music? (Universal Motown)
• Veronica Martell - The Art of Intimacy (Kindred Rhythm)
• Raul Midon - State of Mind (Manhattan)
• Minmae - I'd Be Scared, Were You Still Burning (Greyday Productions)
• Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory (Epitaph)
  Buy Now Commit This to Memory (Epitaph)
  
• Need New Body - Where Is Black Ben? (Kill Rock Stars)
• No Wait Wait - No Wait Wait (Chairkickers Music)
• Odawas - The Aether Eater (Jagjaguwar)
• Kelly Osbourne - Sleeping in the Nothing (Sanctuary)
  Read: "Kelly Osbourne, Sophomore LP On The Way, Is Ready To Earn Her Fame"
  Buy Now: Sleeping in the Nothing (Sanctuary)
  
• Graham Parker - Songs of No Consequence (Bloodshot)
• Phosphorescent - Aw Come Aw Wry (Secretly Canadian)
• The Planet The - You Absorb My Vision (Kill Rock Stars)
• Lee Ritenour - OverTime (Concord)
• Xavier Rudd - Solace (Universal)
• Say Hi to Your Mom - Ferocious Mopes (Euphobia)
• John Scofield - That's What I Say: Plays the Music of Ray Charles (Verve)
• Seal - Live in Paris (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Live in Paris (Warner Bros.)
  
• Shakira - Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 (Epic)
  Read:
  Buy Now: Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 (Epic)
  
• Slow Dazzle - The View From the Floor (Misra Records)
• The Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done (Bar/None)
• Ringo Starr - Choose Love (Koch)
  Buy Now: Choose Love (Koch)
  
• Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made (Merge)
  Buy Now: Man-Made (Merge)
  
• Turin Brakes - JackInABox (Astralwerks)
  Buy Now: JackInABox (Astralwerks)
  
• Frances-Marie Uitti/ Paul Griffiths - There Is Still Time (ECM)
• Christian Wallumrod Ensemble - A Year From Easter (ECM)
• White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (V2)
  Read: "White Stripes Album Preview: Confounding Satan Both Loud And Subtle"
  Buy Now: Get Behind Me Satan (V2)
  
• Robert F. Williams - Self Defense, Self Respect and Self Determination (Alternative Tentacles)
• Buckwheat Zydeco - Jackpot! (Tomorrow)
• Various artists - Adrenaline (Water Music)
• Various artists - Beatles ReGrooved (Koch)
• Various artists - Estrus Kamikaze Ass Chomp N' Stomp (Touch and Go)
• Various artists - Hi Power Book 5 (Thump)
• Various artists - Neo Tango (Sunswept)
• Various artists - Punk-O-Rama X (Epitaph)
• Various artists - Telluride Bluegrass Festival: Thirty Years(Rounder)
• Various artists - The Art of the Motorcycle - Songs of the Open Road (Inside Sounds)
• Various artists - "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus" soundtrack (V2)
• DVD: "Disco: Spinning the Story" (Passport/Koch)
• DVD: Lou Reed - "Spanish Fly: Live in Spain" (Sanctuary)

June 14:

• Backstreet Boys - Never Gone (Jive)
  Read:
  Buy Now: Never Gone (Jive)
  
• Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth (Hannibal)
  Buy Now: Another Day on Earth (Hannibal)
  
• Foo Fighters - In Your Honor (RCA)
  Read: "Foo Fighters Album Preview: Grohl Gets Grand On In Your Honor"
  Buy Now: In Your Honor (RCA)

June 21:

• Master P - The Ghetto Bill Gates (Koch)
  Buy Now: The Ghetto Bill Gates (Koch)
  
• Ol' Dirty Bastard - The Definitive Ol' Dirty Bastard Story (Rhino)
• Transplants - Haunted Cities (Atlantic)

June 28:

• Fountains of Wayne - Out of State Plates (Virgin)
• Longwave - There's a Fire (Red Ink)

• Coldplay
• Black Eyed Peas
• The White Stripes
• Shakira
• Kelly Osbourne

Finch (file)
Photo: Drive-Thru Records

Temecula, California, emo quintet Finch have been plenty busy since exchanging fisticuffs with bro-rockers Disturbed at last summer's Rolling Rock Town Fair. The group has finished a new album, Say Hello to Sunshine, and is scheduled to kick off a tour this week.

Guitarist Alex Linares said Say Hello to Sunshine — Finch's first full-length for Geffen and the successor to their 2002 debut, What It Is to Burn — will signal a change in direction for the band. Those expecting What It Is to Burn, Vol. 2 might be in for a bit of a shock on the June 7 release.

"When we started getting successful with What It Is, I was like, 'F---, I feel like we're going to be pigeonholed,' " he said. "So, when we started writing for this record, we wanted to be different. ... It's not that we have any distaste for other bands; we just wanted to move [forward]. It seems like there are a lot of bands coming out ... [the] scene's being flooded. We just wanted to not be a part of anything, really. ... I think we've gotten better as musicians and better as a band. This record and every record after it is going to be different, and we'll always try to take things not to a different level but to a different place."

Linares thinks Say Hello captures Finch at their most aggressive — even more so than their Disturbed tussle (see "Disturbed, Finch Brawl Onstage At Rolling Rock Festival"). Hard to imagine for anyone who's heard their first record, but then again, the guitarist counters, the band hasn't completely abandoned the staid emo sound that saturated its debut disc.

"I would say it's a little more aggressive and a little more 'raaah' than our previous stuff," he explained. "There are some heavy elements on What It Is and there are some heavy elements to Say Hello to Sunshine. ... We really wanted to make a record where it sounded huge ... and capture what I think we sound like live, which is big and, well, f---ed up. There's a lot less of the pop side to this record and more straight-up rock."

Finch enlisted Michael Palmieri, who recently directed the Bravery's "An Honest Mistake," to direct a video for "Bitemarks and Bloodstains." The clip's concept sprang from the fertile mind of drummer Marc Allen. He ran the idea by the rest of the band — guitarists Linares and Randy Strohmeyer, bassist Derek Doherty and frontman Nate Barcalow — and they fell in love with it.

"There's some performance shots, but more of the video's us in a room with all sorts of busted TVs and broken stereos," Linares said. "There's very little light coming in, and we're kind of closed off from what's happening outside."

And what's going down beyond those shadow-drenched walls is no picnic.

"There's this mass hysteria where everyone's watching the news — CNN and whatever — and freaking out. They're evacuating the city," Linares said. "It's about the whole experience of the mass media and how they get these gullible people to live in fear. It's like, 'Oh, we're at Code Orange, we're at Code Red.' "

The clip won't actually show the fearsome broadcast images that are creating the bedlam.

"The video's kind of us making a statement that we're not listening to you, to the media, and we won't be affected by this fear through the media," Linares said. "If it were up to me, we would be in a circus playing with circus animals. But Marc takes things a little more seriously. It's probably for the better."

On Thursday, Finch will hit the road with Vendetta Red and the Nurses, stopping in 13 cities before crossing the Atlantic for some European shows with Motion City Soundtrack. They're scheduled to return to play 14 additional gigs on U.S. soil in May and June, this time with Vendetta Red and Walking Concert, which features guitarist Walter Schreifels of Quicksand and Rival Schools note.

The track list for Finch's Say Hello to Sunshine, according to Linares:

• "Insomniatic Meat"
• "Revelation: Song"
• "Brother Bleed Brother"
• "A Piece of Mind"
• "Ink"
• "Fireflies"
• "Hopeless Host"
• "Reduced to Teeth"
• "A Man Alone"
• "Miro"
• "Ravenous"
• "Bitemarks and Bloodstains"
• "The Casket of Roderic Usher"
• "Dreams of Psilocybin"

• Finch

Disturbed's David Draiman (file)
Photo: MTV News

A 2-year-old beef between Disturbed and Finch culminated in onstage fisticuffs at the Rolling Rock Town Fair on Saturday in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

As the revolving stage rotated to reveal Finch preparing to begin their set, Disturbed guitarist Don Donegan approached Finch guitarist Randy Strohmeyer and a scuffle erupted. As Strohmeyer's bandmates and members of their crew came to his aid, witnesses said, Disturbed singer David Draiman and their manager, Jeff Battaglia, entered the fray, and fists began to fly. Although no injuries were reported and no criminal complaints are expected to be filed, one Finch bandmember was swinging his guitar wildly and narrowly missed hitting Draiman over the head.

"Rolling Rock has a flawless reputation; there's never been a problem," said Lee Heiman, president of Track Entertainment, which produced the fifth installment of the festival. "No ODs, drug busts or anything, and then there's a fight onstage. Part of me says, 'This is rock and roll,' but I've been doing this 20 years and have never seen bands fight onstage."

When the smoke cleared, Finch resumed their set. Afterward, security walked them to their tour bus, which was then escorted off the premises to prevent further incident because Disturbed, their crew and members of Sevendust, who were also on the bill, were waiting backstage.

"By the time we got them offstage, Disturbed had a chance to rally their troops, including Sevendust and some of their roadies," Heiman said. "And then we would have a mob situation. They were out for blood. It was bad."

Donegan, however, said revenge wasn't the primary motivation behind the anticipated post-show showdown.

"We didn't want anything happening onstage, and so out of respect for security and the promoters, we got offstage," Donegan said. "We waited for them to come off, and if they wanted to explain themselves or finish it up, we were up for either one."

The bad blood between the bands stems from a 2002 interview in which Strohmeyer made disparaging comments about Disturbed and threatened Draiman's life.

"I'd shoot him in the f---ing head," he told MeanStreet magazine. "I'd rip his stupid little piercings out. They're just cheesy. It bums me out because their music is terrible, and what they're all about, it's just sh--. Hopefully, all that music will die out soon."

According to Donegan, he approached Strohmeyer only to ask why he made the threats.

"I can take anybody saying they don't like the band, but the second that the guy makes a statement that he wants to put a bullet in someone's head, I take it seriously," he explained. "If they weren't serious, why haven't they made any attempts in the past year and a half to clear the air or say, 'Hey, guys, it was all in good fun,' or 'It was a joke done in bad taste'?"

A Finch spokesperson could not be reached by press time, but one did post their side of the story on Finch's Web site: "While we were setting up, one of the members of Disturbed, Dan Donegan, was harassing us from the side of the stage. Before we were to play, Randy walked over to Dan to explain that the comments he made a few years ago were a joke, and to give him a friendly handshake. Dan proceed to assault Randy, and Disturbed's singer, David Draiman, attacked Mike Herrara (our drum tech), which caused a fight to ensue. We want everyone to know that Finch did not start this fight. However, we do not take kindly to being assaulted or having our lives threatened."

Donegan called that a skewed account of the events. He said there was no plan to ambush Finch, since only he, Draiman and their manager were involved. Donegan, his wife, his 8-month-old daughter and Draiman were on the side of the stage watching Three Days Grace at the time the stage rotated to reveal Finch. When the Finch guys saw them, Donegan said, they started pointing and giggling, and that's when he walked over for an explanation.

"If somebody thinks we planned on attacking them, why would I do it with my daughter there? David was walking his dog and holding a leash. Why would we do that when we're outnumbered three guys to their band and crew?"

Despite some message-board musings that this scuffle was the beginning of a genre feud, Donegan said it couldn't be further from the truth.

"I've seen some posts trying to twist this whole story into a new East Coast vs. West Coast, emo vs. metal thing," he said. "Just to clarify, this has nothing to do with any of that. This is a simple lesson learned in life that there's consequences to your actions."

• Disturbed
• Finch

Something Corporate (file)
Photo: Chapman Baehler

According to Josh Partington, the best part of "Revolution on Canvas" — a compilation of poems and essays by the Something Corporate guitarist and members of Rx Bandits, Finch, Taking Back Sunday, NOFX, A Static Lullaby and other groups — is who isn't in its pages.

"There's no Fred Durst in this book," Partington said, "no huge rock stars. And that's cool because it takes away a little bit of the intimidation about poetry.

"If you read a poem by Bruce Springsteen and didn't like it," he continued, "you might think you were wrong for not liking it. Like, if you don't like a Sylvia Plath poem, you must not be getting something, because it's Sylvia Plath after all. 'Revolution' gets rid of the intimidation and lets kids decide on their own."

Some proceeds from "Revolution on Canvas," due February 14 from Ad Astra Books, will go to the National Center for Family Literacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the literacy skills of kids and their parents. The book also offers members of such emo-leaning bands as From Autumn to Ashes, Moneen, Midtown, Further Seems Forever and Hey Mercedes a forum to express themselves outside their usual medium.

"Songwriting and poetry are quite similar," Partington said. "That's probably why the book makes so much sense. Our generation really doesn't have any professional poets. It's as though all the 21st-century poets are musicians. In that regard, I think the book's so rad because I'm a fan of most of those bands, so it's great to see them outside of a songwriting context. When you're writing lyrics, you're kind of limited by how the melody goes. This book shows how much deeper a lot of musicians and songwriters can be beyond their recordings."

Partington, who had been writing poems all his life, was finally published by former Rx Bandits member Rich Balling, who edited "Revolution on Canvas." "The Doctor's Waiting Room" is an introspective six-stanza piece in rhymed couplets, while "Burnt Vacant Red," with a looser rhyming structure, was "one of those poems that came out of being lost through a relationship," Partington explained.

No plans for an audio version of "Revolution on Canvas" have been made. But that didn't stop Partington, Nightfall's Marc McKnight and members of A Static Lullaby and Rx Bandits from recording their poems as spoken-word pieces backed by music for a possible companion EP to a subsequent volume. Partington, who co-writes most of Something Corporate's songs with singer Andrew McMahon, doesn't imagine ever turning either poem into a full-fledged song, however.

"It's not an impossibility, but I'm one of those people who, when it comes to writing a song, writes a song," he explained. "I'm not very good at turning things into songs. But I like a lot of the phrasing in 'Burnt Vacant Red.' It's some of my best writing."

Something Corporate have just released "Ruthless," the second single from their third album, North. Following a pair of mid-February shows, the band will co-headline a seven-week tour with Yellowcard beginning in March.

• Something Corporate
• NOFX
• Rx Bandits
• Finch
• A Static Lullaby

Finch
Photo: Jason Campbell

Fans who have only recently discovered the driving, passionate sounds of Finch had better get their fill now.

Like most bands, the Temecula, California, quintet has been making the early-summer radio-festival rounds, with shows scheduled through Sunday supporting its latest album, What It Is to Burn. Unlike their peers, however, Finch won't then embark on Ozzfest, Warped Tour or Lollapalooza. Instead of dropping a third single on the heels of two successful ones and following it up with some extensive roadwork, they're doing the unthinkable: dropping out of sight.

"It's all about a natural progression," guitarist Randy Strohmeyer said. "We're not trying to blow up. We're just trying to be a band and do our thing."

And Finch's thing, much to the delight of longtime fans of the 15-month-old debut, is working on their new album. They've got a handful of songs written so far, most of them penned while on the road, and have played a few of them recently. Pre-production for the as-yet-untitled effort will run through July, and in August they'll track the songs with producer Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, Creeper Lagoon), who also helmed What It Is to Burn. Strohmeyer said he hopes to have the album out by late this year or early next.

Finch — Strohmeyer, singer Nate Barcalow, guitarist Alex Linares, bassist Derek Doherty and drummer Alex Pappas — were actually scheduled to play the main stage of this year's Warped Tour, but voluntarily withdrew from the trek. Despite the rumors, they are not breaking up. The thought of spending another summer playing the avant-thrasher "Project Mayhem" and caustic "Grey Matter," as well as the singles "Letters to You" and the title track, was too much to bear for the band, which also saw the retread as a disservice to longtime Finch fans.

"We've been playing these songs way longer than the record's been out, like for probably two years," Strohmeyer said. "We just felt like it was time to make new songs. And I think a lot of people are going to be more excited about that than us playing Warped Tour again."

Strohmeyer facilitated Finch's label deal through an association with siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines of Drive-Thru Records, whom he used to receive advice on his fledging outfit. Eventually, the connection berthed a showcase that yielded a deal with major-label-distributed Drive-Thru and the Falling Into Place EP in October 2001.

The band has always stuck to its independent guns, and with the release of What It Is to Burn in March 2001, it has karmic results to show for the effort. Independent stations took a chance and played the little known band's track "Letters to You," and the buzz on Finch spread scattershot throughout the country.

"Independent radio stations are the people who give people like us a chance," Strohmeyer said. "When we first put out our album, independent stations all around the country picked up 'Letters to You.' It was so random because we weren't expecting it at all. ... With those stations [and major labels], everybody holds something over somebody else's head, and I think that really sucks.

"For us, it was cool because we didn't have anything to offer them, but they just played ['Letters'] because they liked our band," he added.

Before they go away, Finch are leaving the fans with "What It Is to Burn," a song Strohmeyer considers their best and most representative track. And he expects the new album to up the ante even further.

"We really want to stay the same mentality," he said of the new one. "Just progress as musicians. I think the next album will be a lot more mature and a lot more intricate, and a little bit more weird."

• Finch

Fabolous
Photo: MTV News

It doesn't take a lesson in Math 101 to know two is greater than one.

MTV's sixth annual Campus Invasion will break out into two tours this spring, with Fabolous and Talib Kweli headlining a hip-hop outing, and the Used, the Exies and Finch on a rock trek.

Only the first 11 dates have been announced, with Fab and Kweli kicking things off April 19 at Lincoln University in Philadelphia. The rockers will hit the road on May 3 at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. At least nine additional dates altogether will be announced.

The Campus Invasion Tour, which has featured Sum 41, Moby, Nickelback, Black Eyed Peas and Garbage in past years, also brings with it an interactive expo area featuring a variety of contests and activities for students.

On the hip-hop outing, Fabolous will be promoting Street Dreams, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard albums chart in March, while Kweli, a member of Black Star with Mos Def, is supporting his November solo release, Quality (see "Talib Kweli Promises New Black Star LP, Rejoices At Demise Of Bling Bling").

The Used, from tiny Orem, Utah, and Finch are using the Campus Invasion Tour to warm up for their Vans Warped Tour slots, while the Exies are heading out with Everclear in the summer.

The Exies, named after John Lennon's nickname for existentialist art students (see "The Exies: Melodic Hollywood Existentialism"), will roll out "Kickout," the follow-up single to "My Goddess," before their trek kicks off.

MTV Campus Invasion '03 Tour dates:

• 4/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli)
• 4/23 - Columbia, SC @ University of South Carolina (Fabolous and Talib Kweli)
• 4/25 - St. Louis, MO @ St. Louis University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli)
• 4/26 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Southern University (Fabolous)
• 4/29 - Greenville, NC @ East Carolina University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli)
• 4/30 - Auburn, AL @ Auburn University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli)
• 5/3 - Towson, MD @ Towson University (Used, Exies and Finch)
• 5/4 - Albany, NY @ SUNY Albany (Used, Exies and Finch)
• 5/8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Cal State Dominguez Hills (Talib Kweli)
• 5/10 - Redlands, CA @ University of Redlands (Talib Kweli)
• 5/13 - Pomona, CA @ Cal State Pomona (Talib Kweli)

• Fabolous
• Talib Kweli
• The Used
• The Exies
• Finch

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

• Andrew W.K.
• Less Than Jake
• Finch
• The Ataris
• Taking Back Sunday

Finch Photos

• Finch