DMX
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

DMX is back behind the wheel — and back in trouble with police. The rapper was pulled over in White Plains, New York, on Friday and charged with numerous traffic infractions, according to The Associated Press. DMX (born Earl Simmons) was stopped while driving his 2001 Chevy Suburban at unreasonable speeds and was also cited for changing lanes in an unsafe manner. To boot, police claim he wasn't wearing a seat belt and did not have a driver's license on him. X was given a summons and will appear before a traffic-court judge June 16. Last year, DMX served a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to violating the terms of his conditional release. The charge stemmed from a June 2004 incident at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport during which X allegedly claimed to be a federal agent and tried to steal a car. ...

Lindsay Lohan's ears must have been burning before she walked down the red carpet Sunday night for the New York premiere of "A Prairie Home Companion," since her castmates — including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline and Virginia Madsen — were singing her praises before the actress was even in sight. Streep, who plays Lohan's mother in the movie, called the young actress "simply wonderful," while Tomlin, who plays Lohan's aunt, said one of the threesome's most emotional scenes together hinged on Lohan's performance. "Lindsay has this scene where ['APHC' host] Garrison Keillor says, 'I don't do eulogies,' and she gets really tearful," Tomlin said. "She's just overwrought. We did about five or six takes on that one, and the burden was really on Lindsay, and she was awfully good." Also at the premiere were James Franco, Jena Malone, Kurt Vonnegut, Lauren Bacall and "Grey's Anatomy" star T.R. Knight. ...

50 Cent is joining Rihanna, Beenie Man, Bounty Killa and Elephant Man on the bill of the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, set for July 16-22 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. One artist on the lineup has yet to be revealed, and the Sumfest Web site describes the mystery addition as having a "honey dipped voice and a face that has young ladies across the world weak." ...

Sometimes the Europeans simply have it better than we do. Over the weekend, Metallica performed their 1986 masterpiece, Master of Puppets, in its entirety not once but twice. They played it through on Saturday during the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, and then again on Sunday at the Rock Im Park festival in Nürnberg. The band performed the album's eight tracks — "Battery," "Master of Puppets," "The Thing That Should Not Be," "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "Disposable Heroes," "Leper Messiah," "Orion" and "Damage, Inc." — in the middle of each night's set. ...

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have found a way to show off their new baby while raking in big bucks for charity. The couple announced that exclusive images of their newborn daughter, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, will be licensed to media outlets via Getty Images. The photo service will not profit from the sale of the shots, which will instead go to charitable organizations. "While we celebrate the joy of the birth of our daughter, we recognize that two million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives," Jolie and Pitt said in a statement. "These children can be saved, but only if governments around the world make it a priority." ...

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody's throat is so damaged that the band was forced to postpone dates in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and Toronto. But fear not, fans: the Patrol have already scheduled make-up dates for the postponed shows. They'll play Toronto on June 25, Philly on the 26th and NYC the following night. Their Boston show has been rescheduled for August 15, and they promise to hit Montreal when they return to North America in October. "The elite triumvirate of our agent (Marty Diamond), our manager (Jazz Summers) and our tour manager (Neil Mather) sprang into action like some magical, yet functionary, ballet to reschedule the dates," Lightbody wrote on SnowPatrol.com. "For the most part, they will be added to the end of this U.S. tour in and around the last week of June. I hope that you can all make these new dates, and I'm sorry again for hassle." ...

Sleepy Brown, the Outkast protégé who appears on "The Way You Move," will release his debut album, Mr. Brown, September 26. The first single, "Margarita," features Pharrell and Big Boi. ... Shakira and Wyclef Jean made beautiful music together with "Hips Don't Lie" and now the track has made history. According to Nielsen data, the song was played 9,657 times on the radio last week, becoming the most-played song in pop radio history. Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" held the previous record, with 9,582 spins during the week ending June 5, 2005. ...

LL Cool J joins Diddy, Stevie Wonder and Tom Petty in the ranks of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Golden Note Award winners. LL's award will be presented June 26, when ASCAP will also honor R&B singer Bill Withers with a Rhythm & Soul Award during a ceremony held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. ... Master P and Lil' Romeo are joining country-music star Lee Ann Womack to perform for U.S. troops at the Homefront Celebration in Vicenza, Italy, on June 14. This is the second USO tour for Master P and Romeo, who performed at an event for soldiers stationed in Germany in March. ...

Avenged Sevenfold have posted their cover of Pantera's "Walk," which is featured on Kerrang! magazine's High Voltage compilation, on their MySpace page. ... Scissor Sisters fans can start counting down the days: The band's second album, Ta-Dah, has been fit with a September 26 due date. The release will be preceded by the disc's first single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'." ...

It's official: Fuel need to keep looking for a new singer. Former "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry confirmed that he's going to go it alone. While in Greensboro, North Carolina, for a homecoming celebration Saturday, Daughtry told The Charlotte Observer, "I'm going to be doing my own thing." The contest's favorite rocker, who was asked to front Fuel following his elimination from "Idol" last month, said he expects to announce his career plans after he finishes touring with the "Idol" top 10. The American Idols Live Tour kicks off July 5 in New Hampshire and wraps up September 24 in Pennsylvania. ... First Bun B revealed that he was escorting boxer Bernard Hopkins to the ring for Saturday's light heavyweight bout in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and now Nick Lachey, "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven and fighter Oscar de la Hoya are getting in on the action. Piven and de la Hoya will get the weekend's festivities rolling with a pre-fight party at the Borgata Hotel Casino's Mixx nightclub on Friday, while Lachey will hold court at Mixx the next night as host of the bout's afterparty. ...

Vince Welnick, 55, former keyboard player for the Grateful Dead, died Friday in what the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department termed a suicide, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Welnick, who also played with the Tubes and the Missing Man Formation, was the last in a line of Grateful Dead keyboard players who met tragic early deaths that sparked word of a curse, from original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who died at age 27 in 1973, to Keith Godchaux, who was killed in a 1980 car crash after leaving the band and Brent Mydland, who died of a drug overdose in 1990. Welnick played with the Dead until the 1995 death of leader Jerry Garcia ended the band's four-decade run. ... Carlos Santana and his wife are hitting Macy's Herald Square in New York on Monday to unveil a product that will satisfy those who have always wanted to smell like the guitar icon — or his songs. The Santanas will sign bottles of Carlos Santana, a men's fragrance that promises to be "a rich scent inspired by the music of Santana" at the event.

06.02.2006

Attorneys on both sides of the R. Kelly child-pornography case asked a Chicago judge on Thursday to prevent the public from viewing the singer's alleged sex tape with an underage girl. They said only the jurors, prosecution, defense and judge should see it — the prosecution contended that a public viewing of the tape would do the underage girl "irreparable harm." Defense and prosecution lawyers said the media could view the tape, however, a request Judge Vincent Gaughan is expected to rule on June 8, at the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the R&B singer is fighting another battle over a guardhouse in front of his gated estate in the Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields. Kelly built the guardhouse two years ago but only asked the village board for permission to do so in April. The village trustees rejected the request, so on Tuesday, the singer filed a civil suit, asking a judge to reverse the board's decision. In a previously filed suit, the village board also accused Kelly of improperly parking tour buses and trailers in front of his mansion, violating local zoning laws. ...

Alicia Keys and Gavin DeGraw will present and perform at the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards dinner, to be held June 15 at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel. Whoopi Goldberg and Dr. John will join them at the event, which will honor John Mayer, Kris Kristofferson and Peter, Paul & Mary, among others. ...

Looks like Guns N' Roses won't be opening for the Rolling Stones after all. The Stones put their European Bigger Bang tour on hold after Keith Richards was sidelined with a head injury last month, and now the band has announced that the Nürnberg and Leipzig, Germany, shows that Axl and the gang were set to play in July have been canceled. Richards is ready to get back on the road, however, and the Stones' European tour will kick off July 11 in Italy. "Excuse me, I fell off my perch," Richards said in a statement on the band's site. "Sorry to disrupt everyone's plans but now — it's full steam ahead! Ouch!" Rescheduled dates for postponed European shows are expected to be announced soon. ... Ghostface Killah, Mates of State, We Are Scientists Stellastarr, Northern State and You Hear It First veterans Margot & the Nuclear So and So's have been added to the lineup of the inaugural Desdemona Music Festival, set for June 23-24 at Sawyer Point Waterfront Park in Cincinnati. The 30-act lineup also includes previously announced artists the Walkmen, Fiery Furnaces and Annie. ...

Incubus singer Brandon Boyd will host the Surfrider Foundation's Celebrity Surf Jam, set for June 10 at Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California. "My friends and I have grown up surfing in California and we try to do everything we can to preserve the beaches and oceans that have afforded us the opportunity to surf," Boyd said in a statement. "Through our band, Incubus, we've been lucky enough to raise funds to donate to the Surfrider Foundation in the past. Celebrity Surf Jam is just one more way I can help raise awareness for the need to protect our coastal environments." ... Constantine Maroulis made a surprise appearance at the Vibrato Club in Los Angeles' Bel Air neighborhood on May 26 to debut a few new songs with producer Robin Di Maggio, who worked on the latest Paul Simon album. Ryan Cabrera and Sean Lennon were in the audience. ...

After recording portions of his Life album in Cairo, Ricky Martin returned to Egypt earlier this week to play a sold-out, two-hour show at Cairo's Media City. The Latin-music star had incorporated Middle Eastern music — as well as Asian music, reggaetón, and hip-hop — to make more of a global sound. The next stop on Martin's international tour is Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday. ... Ziggy Marley will release his second solo CD, Love Is My Religion, exclusively through Target stores. "One of my father's goals was to release an album independently," Ziggy said in a statement. "This album and the way it is being sold is important to me in honoring my father's spirit." ... Jurassic 5's Feedback is due in stores July 25, and the week before, the hip-hop group will launch a three-month tour set to make three-dozen stops across the U.S. The trek, which kicks off July 18 at Seattle's Showbox, will visit cities including San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago before wrapping up in Las Vegas on September 13. ... The Zutons have set an August 22 release date for their second album, Tired of Hanging Around. Stephen Street (Blur, the Smiths) produced the disc, which includes the single "Valerie."

[This story was originally published at 2:23 pm E.T. on 06.05.2006]

• DMX
• Lindsay Lohan
• 50 Cent
• Rihanna
• Beenie Man

Brett Scallions performs in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday
Photo: Getty Images

Tuesday night's youth-oriented inauguration bash for President Bush took an unexpected turn when Fuel singer Brett Scallions shouted an obscenity during his band's set.

"Welcome to the greatest f---ing country in the world!" Scallions yelled at the youth-oriented show in the D. C. Armory, according to The Associated Press. Scallions then sheepishly added, "Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that."

President Bush and the first lady reportedly arrived after the incident.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch, with Hilary Duff, Ryan Cabrera, 3 Doors Down, JoJo and Ruben Studdard rounding out the bill, which also included patriotic shout-outs from the New York Giants' Jason Sehorn and actor Stephen Baldwin. The less-than-capacity crowd did not, however, get an onstage look at Bush twins Jenna and Barbara, who watched from the balcony.

The president and first lady did take the stage, though, to thank 3 Doors Down, whom the commander in chief dubbed "pretty cool."

• Fuel
• Hilary Duff
• JoJo

Fuel
Photo: Sony

Carl Bell isn't happy. Right now, the Fuel guitarist and songwriter would like nothing more that a Mars bar, his sustenance of choice when he was locked away in his home working on the band's new album.

But the candy manufacturer has replaced the product with the Snickers Almond bar, and it's just not the same. "I was so pissed when I found out they discontinued the Mars bar," Bell fumed. "I had to load a whole bunch from Canada and sneak them across the border."

"No wonder those drug dogs were sniffing your bag," joked bassist Jeff Abercrombie.

But the discontinuation of a candy bar is about all that Fuel have to complain about these days. They've just released Natural Selection, and the disc's first single, "Falls on Me," is faring well at radio, leading to strong first-week album sales. Fuel are especially relieved by the reaction because they've been out of commission for more than a year while they replaced their legal and management team.

"It's a major concern to be off the radar as long as we have been," singer Brett Scallions said. "We were just completely removed from everything, and that was hard."

"We're just hoping we can take over where we left off and become a badder, stronger entity," Abercrombie added.

Natural Selection, which was produced by Michael Beinhorn (Hole, Marilyn Manson), is rife with hooks and varies in tone from the minor-key grunge-lite bite of "Quarter" to the yearning Live-esque rock of "Die Like This" to the cigarette-lighter-in-the-air balladry of "These Things."

The band named the record after the Darwinian principle that the strong will survive and the weak will perish. "This album was evolution for us," Bell said. "It has connotations back to survival of the fittest and all those clichés. But it's true. A lot of the bands that were around when we started are gone now. And this industry is so here-today-gone-later-that-day that it's a tough business to stick around in."

For now, "Falls on Me" is sticking in enough listeners' heads to keep Fuel relevant. The love song starts with delicate atmospheric arpeggio before shifting into a radio rocker. Bell, who wrote the tune while locked away in his house for six months working on the album, said it was inspired by many of his angst-ridden peers.

"You hear so many bands saying, 'Mommy did this' or 'Daddy did that' and 'Life's so unfair,' " Bell said. "I'm so sick of that. I mean, you've got more than one dimension, dude. Explore it."

Even though it doesn't address traditional family trauma, "Falls on Me" is still laden with tension, addressing the difficulty of remaining monogamous even when you're with someone you love.

"Everybody is hardwired to have some wanderlust in them," Bell said. "I think maybe males are a little more wired to want to wander than females. I mean, you don't see too many male brothels. But that song comes from having a relationship and trying to honor it and not mess up something beautiful."

• Fuel

Three or maybe four releases will duke it out for the top spot on next week's Billboard albums chart, and there's a good shot that two albums will be #1.

We're not predicting a two-way tie here — we're just saying that Outkast's new double CD, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, is like two different records, each the brainchild of one-half of the group's creative team. Andre 3000's disc bubbles with jazz, funk and R&B styles, while Big Boi's record is more spacey and experimental.

Also in contention for the #1 position is Limp Bizkit's first outing in three years, Results May Vary. Created with new guitarist Mike Smith, the disc showcases a more eclectic and emotionally varied band than the one that issued Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water in 2000 and reveals such influences as Jane's Addiction, Metallica, the Beastie Boys and the Fat Boys.

And don't count out Dave Matthews, whose last Dave Matthews Band album, Busted Stuff, was #1 in July 2002. His first solo album, Some Devil, comes with devout fan support, and four songs feature Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, which should help draw another element of the jam-band community.

Nickelback return to the fray with The Long Road, a more hard-rocking effort than their multiplatinum 2001 disc, Silver Side Up, but one filled with enough radio-ready riffs to blow up just as big. And look for Fuel's third major-label LP, Natural Selection, which features such commercial rock songs as "Quarter," "These Things" and "Falls on Me."

Those hungering for a chance to hang out in the studio and ride the great glass elevator with Eminem will probably boost sales of Obie Trice's debut, Cheers. Three Willy Wonka-style "golden tickets," which offer access to Em's world, will be included in the first 500,000 pressings.

The first soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies, Kill Bill Volume 1, features music by Wu-Tang Clan member RZA and cuts by Isaac Hayes, Quincy Jones and Zamfir, master of the pan flute. R. Kelly's The R in R&B Collection, Volume 1 features 24 of Kelly's sultry singles and should sound great with the lights turned low.

On the fringier side of things, inventive electronic duo Matmos return with their fifth offering, The Civil War, which manipulates samples of classical instrumentation and unconventional beats into a sound collage about the struggle of war.

Here's what else will be battling for your hard-earned dollars:

Out Tuesday, September 23:

• 4 Rebels - 4 Rebels Volume 2 (Sanctuary/Ras)
• Aim of Conrad - Whiskey Slowboat (Iodine)
• Alexkid - Mint ([PIAS])
• Atmosphere - Seven's Travels (Epitaph)
• Baby Bash - The Smokin' Nephew (Universal)
• Bangles - Doll Revolution (Koch)
• Christopher Beck - "Under the Tuscan Sun" original score (Hollywood)
• Bile - Sex Reflex (Invisible)
• BK- Klub Kollaborations (MRI/Nukleuz)
• Ron Blake - Lest We Forget (Mack Avenue)
• Bleeding Through - This Is Love, This Is Murderous (Trustkill)
• Blood Drained Cows - 13 (Triple X)
• Capercaillie - Choice Language (Sanctuary)
• Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll (Century Media)
• Elvis Costello - North (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Darediablo - Feeding Frenzy (Southern)
• Steve Earle - Just an American Boy — The Audio Documentary (Artemis)
• Gloria Estefan - Unwrapped
• The Fixx - Want That Life (Rainman)
• Fuel - Natural Selection (Epic)
  Buy Now: Natural Selection (Epic)
  
• Give up the Ghost - We're Down Til We're Underground (Equal Vision)
• Grimfist - Ghouls of Grandeur (Candlelight)
• Anthony Hamilton - Comin' From Where I'm From (Arista)
• Emmylou Harris - Stumble Into Grace (Nonesuch)
• Joe Henry - Tiny Voices (Anti)
• Eddie Izzard - Circle (Anti/Epitaph)
• Jet by Day - Cascadia (Kindercore)
• R. Kelly - The R in R&B Collection, Volume 1 (Jive)
• Kennedys - Stand (Koch)
• King Creosote - Kenny and Beth's Musakal Boat Rides (Domino)
• KMFDM - WWIII (Sanctuary)
• Laguardia - Welcome to the Middle (Universal)
• Latif - Love in the First (Motown)
• Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever Told (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Leaves - Breathe (DreamWorks)
• Murphy Lee - Murphy's Law (Universal)
  Buy Now: Murphy's Law (Universal)
  
• Limp Bizkit - Results May Vary (Flip/Interscope)
  Read: "All Up In Limp Bizkit's Bizness"
  Buy Now: Results May Vary (Flip/Interscope)
  
• Love - The Forever Changes Concert (Snapper)
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - Vicious Cycle (Sanctuary)
• April March - Triggers ([PIAS])
• Matchbook Romance - Stories and Alibis (Epitaph)
• Matmos - The Civil War (Matador)
• Dave Matthews - Some Devil (RCA)
  Read: "Dave Matthews Digs Up A Video For His First Solo Single"
  Buy Now: Some Devil (RCA)
  
• Mavericks - The Mavericks (Sanctuary)
• Meat Loaf - Couldn't Have Said It Better (Sanctuary)
• Mnemic - Mechanical Spin Phenomena (Nuclear Blast)
• Mojave 3 - Spoon and Rafter (4AD)
• Nebula - Atomic Ritual (Liquor & Poker)
• Nickelback - The Long Road (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Upcoming Nickelback LP Seems Aimed At Shedding Pop Image"
  Buy Now: The Long Road (Roadrunner)
  
• Obie Trice - Cheers (Shady/Interscope)
  Read: "Dr. Dre Cuts Down Ja Rule On New Obie Trice Track"
  Buy Now: Cheers (Shady/Interscope)
  
• Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (LaFace/Arista)
  Read: "Outkast Album Preview: From The Whole World To The Entire Universe"
  Buy Now: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (LaFace/Arista)
  
• Peaches - Fatherf---er (XL/Beggars Banquet)
• Pissing Razors - Evolution (Spitfire)
• Place of Skulls - With Vision (Southern Lord)
• Polmo Polpo - Like Hearts Swelling (Constellation)
• Matthew Ryan - Regret Over the Wires (Hybrid)
• Six Feet Under - Bringer of Blood (Metal Blade)
• Stellastarr - Stellastarr (RCA)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Stellastarr*'s Art School Old School"
  
• Street Dogs - Savin Hill (Crosscheck)
• Streetwalkin' Cheetahs - Gainesville (Triple X)
• The String Cheese Incident - Untying the Not (Sci Fidelity)
• Rosie Thomas - Only With Laughter Can You Win (Sub Pop)
• Billy Bob Thornton - The Edge of the World (Sanctuary)
• Toilet Boys - Live in London (Morpheus)
• Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players - Vintage Slide Collections from Seattle, Vol. 1 (Bar/None)
• Trailer Bride - Hope Is a Thing With Feathers (Bloodshot)
• T.S.O.L. - Divided We Stand (Nitro)
• Vertical Horizon - Go (RCA)
  Read: "Vertical Horizon Aiming For Imperfection On New Album, Go"
  Buy Now: Go (RCA)
  
• Rufus Wainwright - Want One (DreamWorks)
• Various artists - Atomic Funk (Razor & Tie)
• Various artists - Bonnaroo South (two CDs, Sanctuary)
• Various artists - "Casa de los Babys" soundtrack (Hybrid)
• Various artists - Charmed: The Soundtrack (RCA Victor/AAL)
• Various artists - Cool December (Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - Desert Sessions Vol. 9 & 10 (Ipecac)
• Various artists - Global Indie Club Pop (Eenie Meenie)
• Various artists - Kill Bill Volume 1 (Maverick)
  Read: "RZA, Isaac Hayes, Nancy Sinatra Help Tarantino 'Kill Bill'"
  
• Various artists - Lost Highway: Lost & Found Volume 1 (Lost Highway)
• Various artists - Strictly Dancehall 4 and Strictly Reggae 4 (Jamdown)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Godsmack (Tributized)
• Various artists - Yulesville (Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - "Veronica Guerin" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• DVD: Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas - "The Long Road to Cabo" (Sanctuary)
• DVD: Nickelback - "The Videos" (Roadrunner)
• DVD: Pretenders - "Loose in L.A." (Eagle Vision)
• DVD: Justin Timberlake - "Justified: The Videos" (Jive)
  Read: "Justin's Videos, Live Show Collected On Two New DVDs"
  
• DVD: Toto - "25th Anniversary: Live in Amsterdam" (Eagle Vision)
• DVD: Various artists - "Hellfest 2003" (Sanctuary)

September 30:

• Dido - Life for Rent (Arista)

October 7:

• Jin - Almost Famous (Virgin)
  Read: "Ruff Ryders' New Dog: Jin"

October 14:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)

• OutKast
• Limp Bizkit
• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews
• Nickelback

Fuel
Photo: Sony

For over a year, the members of Fuel sat on the sidelines waiting to settle contractual disputes with their old management company. Such events often leave bands rusty, and they need time to get rolling again. Fuel didn't have that luxury. As soon as the ink dried on their new contracts, they were asked to gas up and return to the fray by recording a song for the "Daredevil" film.

Through sheer acrobatics Fuel managed to deliver "Won't Back Down," the leadoff single from the soundtrack. "Fox [Studios] called me up about a month ago and said, 'Carl, we're in a bind. We need a song,' " guitarist Carl Bell said. "I said, 'All right, how much time do I have?' It was Sunday, and they said, 'We'd like to hear something by Friday.' So I went, 'Cool. Bring it on.' "

Bell, who had previously written songs for "Godzilla," "Cruel Intentions" and "Spider-Man," spent the week working on the tune, and he and the band submitted it just in time to meet the deadline. "Won't Back Down" is more aggressive than much of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, band's material, and it's tinted with industrial grind.

"It's a different kind of song for us because they wanted me to do it for a fight scene," Bell said. "And they said we want something edgy to go with the dark and moody feel of the movie" (see "Affleck, Garner Open Up About 'Daredevil' ").

Although writing in an unfamiliar style was a challenge, Bell had an easy time with the song because he didn't have to start from scratch.

"It's kind of cool when you write for a movie because it kind of narrows the scope of emotions you have to play with," Bell explained. "You're spoon-fed the emotions of the movie, so you just take it and boil it down. They sent me a few scenes from the movie to watch at home, so I just sat there and tried to vibe off it, then grabbed my guitar and got into it."

Over the weekend, Fuel shot the video for "Won't Back Down" in Los Angeles with Robert Hales, who has also worked with Marilyn Manson, Kid Rock and Stone Temple Pilots. The clip will weave together scenes from the movie and shots of the band playing on top of a skyscraper being circled by S.W.A.T. helicopters. The single and video will hit early next year.

After the video shoot, Fuel will head to Los Angeles to start recording their fourth full-length studio album, which will be produced by Michael Beinhorn. Bell has written 40 songs for the album and the group is currently fine-tuning 20 to be considered for the record.

Frontman Brett Scallions said the experience working on "Won't Back Down" has broadened the band's horizons.

"We had Charlie [Clouser] from Nine Inch Nails come down and put some samples on it, and that really added a cool element to the song," he said. "We would like to explore with that stuff some more on the record."

Maybe so, but don't expect Fuel to roar out of the gate sounding like Ministry. The band plans to grow organically by incorporating new elements into its familiar framework.

"We've always been a very diverse, versatile band, but I think it's the best stuff we've ever had," Scallions said. "In some ways it's gonna be harder than the other records, but at the same time it's gonna keep the melodic content and the stuff that's signature to what we do."

• Fuel

Post-adolescent punks Sum41 are expected to begin working on the follow-up to last year's All Killer No Filler in late April, after their Tour of the Rising Sum sets in Texas on April 21, according to their publicist. The album is expected to surface late this year or early 2003. ... Eve, who's currently in Chicago filming "Barbershop" with Ice Cube, is ready to devote some time to her day job. Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti and his beatmaking cohort, 7, said they're gearing to go in the studio with Ruff Ryders' first lady at the end of the month. ... Nickelback, Default and Injected will head out on the spring 2002 incarnation of MTV's Campus Invasion Tour. An itinerary has yet to be announced. ...

Megaproducer Megahertz (P. Diddy, R. Kelly & Jay-Z, Nas) just completed a remix with P.O.D. of the band's "Youth of the Nation," the producer's rep said. ... FenixTX have dropped off the SnoCore Rock Tour due to scheduling conflicts, according to MCA Records. They have been replaced by Apex Theory. ... Face to Face will launch a national tour in April to support their new album How to Ruin Everything, which hits stores April 9 through Vagrant Records. The jaunt starts in Salt Lake City on April 4 and runs through May 3 in Scottsdale, Arizona. ... Industrial icons Ministry will release Sphinctour, a live album recorded during their 1996 tour, on March 19. The 11-track LP, which has been a widely circulated bootleg, includes harrowing cuts such as "Psalm 69," "Filth Pig" and "Thieves" and can be previewed at ministry.advancelisten.com. ...

Innovative prog-rocker Peter Gabriel is apparently "down wit' OPP" — he hooked up with Jersey hip-hoppers Naughty by Nature on a track called "Fight Back" for the group's guest-filled April 23 release, Iicons. ... Speaking of Naughty, the group's Treach was among the celebrities who hit New York hotspot Spa on Tuesday night to support Joi (Lucy Pearl), who performed songs off her next LP, Star Kitty's Revenge. The Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo (bandmate of Joi's husband, Big Gipp) and Kelis were also in attendance (click for photos from the performance). ...

Fuel have issued a cease and desist order to Toyota, corporate sponsors of the Fuel the Music Tour, demanding Toyota stop using that title for the rock outing. The band, who says it has fought to make a name for itself and wants it protected, was alerted after confused fans began emailing its Web site inquiring about the outing because a magazine ran an ad for the event on the same page as a picture of the group, who are not involved. ... A London High Court judge has ruled that Robbie Williams will have to pay 25 percent of the royalties from his "Jesus in a Camper Van" — around $75,000 — to Woody Guthrie's publisher, Ludlow Music. Williams, who admitted to parodying Guthrie's "I Am the Way" on the track, will also have to pick up Ludlow's legal fees, which amount to another $75,000. ...

02.13.02

"How High" thespian Method Man is set to appear on the NBC series "Third Watch" as a gang leader who wants revenge against the Russian mob. The first of Meth's three appearances will be February 25 on part one of an episode titled "Superheroes." ... The Strokes' Is This It came in second to Bob Dylan's Love and Theft for Album of the Year in the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll, which hit streets Wednesday (February 13). A point-based poll of 622 music journalists nationwide determined Björk's Vespertine as the year's third best LP, while the White Stripes' White Blood Cells and Radiohead's Amnesiac occupy the #4 and #5 slots, respectively. Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On" was deemed the top single by an overwhelming margin over the place horse, Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" (a complete list can be found at www.villagevoice.com). ...

Turntablists the X-ecutioners, political rappers the Coup and human orchestra Kenny Muhammad will embark on the inaugural 20-date Adrenaline Tour on April 3 in Austin, Texas. The outing pairs musical performances with the Adrenaline Theater Film Festival, sneak previews of the latest action sports movies. ... Cutthroat game show "The Weakest Link" is rounding up your favorite acts from days of yore for an all-star edition set to air in April. Various charities will depend on Coolio, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, Sheila E, Deborah Gibson, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, Edwin McCain, occasional Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and country singer Lila McCann to win them some money. ...

Sheryl Crow threw herself a star-studded 40th birthday party at the El Rey Theatre Monday night, according to the Los Angeles Times. Crow performed some songs from her forthcoming C'Mon C'Mon album for guests such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Gwen Stefani, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Dwight Yoakam and some actual, paying fans. ... Michael Jackson, Sting and Barry Manilow will be inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13. Movie theme specialist Randy Newman and husband-and-wife team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson will join them in being honored at 33rd annual induction dinner at New York City's Sheraton Hotel. ...

Prince will be popping with a mini tour next month. He's lined up six dates in support of last year's The Rainbow Children starting March 1 in Saginaw, Michigan, and ending March 10 in Cleveland. ... Progedelic Welsh band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci kick off a 12-date North American jaunt on February 27 in Los Angeles and hit Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and more before closing up March 13 in New York City. ... Following their stint on the SnoCore Rock Tour, Local H will play a dozen Midwest and West Coast shows to promote their fourth album, Here Comes the Zoo, due March 5. The trek begins March 6 in Milwaukee and wraps March 23 in Denver. ... Nils Lofgren, the longtime guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, will release his 11th solo album, Breakaway Angel, in mid-March. The record includes "Driftin' Man," which Lofgren co-wrote with Lou Reed.

• Sum 41
• Eve
• P.O.D.
• Naughty By Nature
• Nickelback

Fuel
Photo: Sony

Fuel, who spent the summer opening for Aerosmith, will kick off a headlining outing of their own on October 18 in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania quartet has tapped as openers Saliva, supporting their major-label debut, Every Six Seconds, and their Memphis neighbors Breaking Point, whose first album, Coming of Age, is due September 25, a Fuel publicist said.

Atlanta's Sevendust, whose Animosity is due November 13 (see "Staind's Aaron Lewis Joins Sevendust On Upcoming LP"), and Miami's Ozzfest 2001 veterans Nonpoint take hold of the opening reins for the final three shows confirmed at press time. Additional dates are expected, according to Sevendust's publicist.

Fuel will part company with their tourmates for a slot on the Buzz Fest in the Woodlands, Texas, on November 17. Their latest album, last year's Something Like Human, birthed two radio hits in "Bad Day" and "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and has sold more than 1.5 million copies, according to SoundScan.

Fuel tour dates, according to their publicist:

• 10/18 - Mansfield, PA @ Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
• 10/20 - North Andover, MA @ Merrimack College
• 10/21 - Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
• 10/26 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
• 10/27 - Salt Lake City, UT @ SaltAir Pavilion
• 10/29 - Cedar City, UT @ Centrum Theatre
• 10/31 - Davis, CA @ Freeborn Hall
• 11/1 - San Jose, CA @ Event Center Arena
• 11/2 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 11/3 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
• 11/4 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
• 11/7 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
• 11/8 - San Diego, CA @ 4th & B
• 11/9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Web Theatre
• 11/10 - El Paso, TX @ County Coliseum
• 11/11 - Lubbock, TX @ Coliseum
• 11/14 - Waco, TX @ Heart of Texas Coliseum
• 11/15 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 11/17 - The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Buzz Fest)

• Fuel
• Saliva
• Sevendust
• Nonpoint

Disturbed's Fuzz
Photo: Eufloria

Blink-182, Fuel, Disturbed, Alien Ant Farm, Saliva, 311, Staind, Tantric and Sum 41 will play the San Francisco Bay Area's annual BFD show on June 15.

The festival, sponsored by San Francisco's Live 105 (KITS-FM), will also include the Cult, Stabbing Westward, Pennywise, the Living End, Cold, Oleander, New Found Glory, Rehab, Systematic and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

The event will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, southeast of San Francisco. Tickets go on sale Sunday at 10 a.m. PT.

• Fuel
• Saliva
• The Cult
• blink-182
• Disturbed

Fuel's Brett Scallions
Photo: Sony

Fuel, Staind and Weezer are among the performers scheduled for Pointfest May 20 at Riverport Amphitheatre in St. Louis.

The annual summer concert from 105.7 KPNT will also feature hed (pe), Our Lady Peace, Alien Ant Farm, Cold, Monster Magnet, Run-DMC, Tantric, Saliva, Mesh, the Toadies and Lucky Boys Confusion.

The radio station is sponsoring a Pointfest logo drawing contest where the top prize will be front row tickets to the festival. More information is available at www.kpnt.com.

• Fuel
• Weezer
• Staind

Staind's Aaron Lewis
Photo: Elektra

Fuel, Staind and Run-DMC are among the more than 20 performers scheduled for the three-day annual X-Fest, sponsored by Minneapolis rock radio station 93X.

The concert festival will be held at Float Rite Park Amphitheatre in Somerset, Wisconsin, May 25-27.

System of a Down, Buckcherry, Days of the New, Monster Magnet, Corrosion of Conformity, Nickelback, Nonpoint, Tantric, Kittie, Fear Factory, Spacehog, Stabbing Westward, Spineshank, Systematic and Cold will also take the X-Fest stage.

Minneapolis' American Head Charge, Saliva, Clutch, Flipp, Godhead, Flybanger and a Van Halen tribute band called the Atomic Punks round out the lineup.

• Fuel
• Staind
• Run-D.M.C.

The Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans, LA October 31- November 2, 2003

• 50 Cent
• A Perfect Circle
• Godsmack
• P.O.D.
• The White Stripes

• Alicia Keys
• Fuel
• Linkin Park
• Poe
• Saliva

• Fuel