Ben Harper

Beastie Boys Tour The Swing States Before Election Day Because That's Where 'Every Vote Matters'

22 Oct 2008 04:35:00 EDT

Mike D calls upcoming vote 'the most important election of our lives.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Tim Kash

The Beastie Boys
Photo: MTV News

The Beastie Boys have plenty in store for fans on their upcoming Get Out and Vote Tour — and not all of it has to do with, you know, voting.

"We're going to work on a lot of dance steps and stuff, because we're setting aside a block of time just for dance stuff. Maybe an hour," Ad-Rock laughed. "And, you know, then the rapping. We've got to work on the rapping stuff. And then just basically physique and toning and tanning. Work on our core. You know, we're going to work on that."

We suspect he's joking (except for the rapping bit), because the Beasties actually have some rather big ideas for the tour — which kicks off October 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will make stops in five other crucial swing states in the week leading up to Election Day. To them, this is the most important election in recent memory, and they hope to get that message across to young voters.

"The decision to play the swing states was like, 'OK, we're here in New York City. It's a foregone conclusion what's going to happen here' — same in California and some other places," Mike D explained. "But let's really get to the places where ... you've got a younger demographic of voter, and they're saying, 'Well, is my vote really going to make a difference? Is it really going to count? Is it really going to be counted?' And I think in this election, in those states, absolutely. Every vote matters. And I think the last two elections were a great precedent — not how they ended up, necessarily — but in terms of if you look at [how the election was] decided by 2,000 votes in the state of Florida. That's a great example of how clear it is that every vote matters."

"And it's a great example of how bad things can get if the wrong person gets into office," MCA added, drawing laughs from his bandmates.

The lineup for the Beasties' tour changes with each city — Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow and Tenacious D are just some of the acts confirmed — but the message remains the same at each stop: Your vote matters. You can make a difference. This is very important.

"We found ourselves — like a lot of people throughout this whole country — sitting around realizing this is going to be the most important election of our lives, for a variety of reasons," Mike D said. "You've got a huge economic crisis, we're engaged in two wars, Social Security is about to run out, [and there are] huge environmental issues and environmental crises. So I think in terms of our lifetime, we thought, 'What can we do to make sure that this is something that's decided by the overwhelming population of the people and not just a few thousand people in one state?' "

The tour wraps in Denver on November 3 — the day before millions head to the polls — and if you're thinking about showing up but worried that a late night might make you groggy on Election Day, don't worry. The Beasties have you covered. Like we said, this is a pretty big deal to them.

"We finish in Colorado, in a very important swing state ... and yes, everyone needs to get up early and get to the polls. So we're going to give them all a gift certificate for coffee in the morning," D laughed. "Actually, I just made that up, so it's sort of a lie, but it's a good idea. I'm going to put that forward to our people. We'll see what happens."

Get informed! Head to Choose or Lose for nonstop coverage of the 2008 presidential election, including everything from the latest news on the candidates to on-the-ground multimedia reports from our 51 citizen journalists, MTV and MySpace's Presidential Dialogues, and much more.

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Yung Joc And N.O.R.E. Try To Put Raekwon Proteges Ice Water On Ice, In New Releases

28 Aug 2007 08:01:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Atreyu, Aesop Rock, Circus Devils, Ben Harper, Akon, Northern State, Obituary, VHS or Beta, Whitestarr.
By Kurt Orzeck

Yung Joc's Hustlenomics
Photo: Bad Boy

Heading back to school this week? We're jealous, we swear — so much so that in the spirit of the fall semester, we're sharing a few of our favorite school subjects.

Grammar: Even if he can't spell, Yung Joc sure knows how to make a debut: The ATL rapper's first album, last year's New Joc City, bowed at #3 on the Billboard albums chart. Now Yung is back with another word you won't find in Webster's — "Hustlenomics" — and a few upperclassmen in tow: Diddy, Snoop, Game and Bun B. With peers Rick Ross, the Neptunes, Young Dro and Jim Jones also in attendance, this could be one for the books.

Joc — who sings on the Hustlenomics title track: "You can call me Malcolm X/ I hustle by any means" — also goes by another name: J.O.C. That handle might call to mind another rapper, New York's N.O.R.E., who drops by this week with a Noreality check. Like Joc, the rapper formerly known as Noreaga also has some A-list support: Kanye West, Three 6 Mafia, Jadakiss, Kurupt and Styles P drop guest verses, while Swizz Beatz and others man the boards.

Economics: Speaking of words that end in "-nomics," Akon knows a thing or two about making a buck — his second album, Konvicted, has gone platinum twice since it was released in November. Now he's double dipping by putting out a spiffed-up version of the album with extra tune-age — three new tracks, including his hit "Sorry, Blame It on Me" — and a bonus DVD. The video bristles with a 30-minute segment following the R&B singer back to his homeland, Senegal, and also includes clips for "Smack That," "I Wanna Love You" and "Don't Matter."

Physics: It might take an expert or two to figure out the complete scientific ramifications of Atreyu's Lead Sails Paper Anchor, but fans should take note of a few key details: The SoCal metalcore ensemble tucked in a hidden track; joining the group on "Blow" is none other than Buckcherry's Josh Todd; and a cover of Faith No More's "Epic" will be available on import editions. Want a taste of the album? Last week Atreyu posted it — sans the hidden cut — on their MySpace page.

Communications: Rappers know how to get by with a little help from their friends — it's all about the publicity, of course. Likewise, Staten Island, New York, newcomers Ice Water turned to Raekwon for their new album, and you can tell by its title — Raekwon Presents: Ice Water - Polluted Water — that their efforts to recruit him were successful. Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Remy Ma, Three Six Mafia and Jagged Edge kick it with the four-man crew on its LP as well. Aesop Rock is also a fan of the guest-verse thing, so he roped fellow-minded hip-hop taste-makers El-P, Cage and Rob Sonic onto his None Shall Pass LP. John Darnielle of Mountain Goats repute also makes a surprise appearance, on the album-closer, "Coffee."

Criminal Justice: Some 15 years into his career, Ben Harper and his Innocent Criminals have earned themselves a new Lifeline — the 11-track album features "Fool for a Lonesome Train," "Needed You Tonight" and "Younger Than Today." ("Riding in Golf Carts With Tim Kash" not included.)

Computers: Perhaps taking a tip from Stars, Super Furry Animals are issuing their new album Hey Venus! this week — waaay before the set is due to reach terrestrial stores in the U.S., on January 22. The electro-psych pop act's eighth effort includes "Let the Wolves Howl at the Moon," "Baby Ate My Eight Ball" and "Run-Away" — which contains the unforgettable lyric, "We may have fought with teeth and nails: I still recall your banking details." And while we're on this subject, Louisville, Kentucky's technologically adept VHS or Beta look starry-eyed on their new one, Bring on the Comets, which features the title track, "The Stars Where We Came From" and "Alpha Theta."

Geography: When the Beastie Boys are involved, it's always easy to figure out where you're at: NYC. Adrock and Shitake Monkey's Chuck Brody produced Can I Keep This Pen?, the new album by female rap trio Northern State. The album — which is dropping on Mike Patton's Ipecac label, oddly enough — melds old-school hip-hop with new, club-ready electro-rock, and includes "Three Amigas," "Sucka Mofo" and "Iluvitwhenya."

Religion: While Ozzy Osbourne has headed up another installation of Ozzfest this year, Black Sabbath fans have eaten up Heaven and Hell, the tour project featuring vets Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. The group's March 30 performance at New York's Radio City Music Hall is being immortalized in audio and video form, with a two-CD set, DVD and deluxe CD/DVD being made available. The deluxe package also has tour memorabilia, including a tour program, backstage laminate and glossy photos of the band.

Zoology: Horse the Band pack quite a bite — the electro/metalcore spazzes have piled bizarre songs like "Kangarooster Meadows," "The Startling Secret of Super Sapphire" and "Rotting Horse" onto their whirlwind fourth album, A Natural Death. Maybe what keyboardist Erik Engstrom said in a recent press statement will put you at existential ease: "Everyone who will ever live will die a natural death and will soon after be forgotten for eternity. Hopefully this album will serve as a warning to the human race to stop taking itself so seriously, as we have seen the dire consequences of its actions in the future. You are nothing."

Song Title of the Week:

"Eyebrows Are Nature's Makeup" from Two Loons for Tea's Nine Lucid Dreams

Album Cover of the Week:

Prinzhorn Dance School's Prinzhorn Dance School

Other Notables:

Circus Devils' Sgt. Disco
If you're ever wondering in the future whether Robert Pollard is still alive, just follow this simple test: If a month goes by and he hasn't put out anything new, start worrying. The former Guided by Voices major-domo formed this project with his one-time collaborators Tim and Todd Tobias back in 2001, and Tim surmises the otherworldly project as follows on the band's Web site: "We is from under space." The band's first effort — which it says "is for everyone, not just for those who enjoy music" — features 32 tracks, including "Lance the Boiling Son" and "Safer Than Hooking."

New Young Pony Club's Fantastic Playroom
London's latest electro-indie exports — who toured as part of the NME Rave Tour with Klaxons and CSS — have already made a stir overseas with their Fantastic Playroom debut, which came out in early July and earned four-star reviews from Q and Uncut. Now the five-member gang is bringing songs like "Ice Cream" — featured in a recent Intel ad campaign — "The Bomb" and "Tight Fit" to the U.S.

Obituary's Xecutioner's Return

Tampa, Florida's pioneering death-metal squad originally planned to issue its new disc on September 11 but shifted it forward because the whole Kanye/50 thing had the guys shaking in their boots. The band's seventh studio album, which leaked in late July, features the forebodingly titled tracks "Face Your God," "Contrast the Dead" and "Seal Your Fate."

New Releases:

· Tasmin Archer - On (MVD Audio)
· Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass (Def Jux)
· Paul Anka - Classic Songs, My Way (Decca)
· At Vance - VII (Locomotive)
· Atreyu - Lead Sails Paper Anchor (Hollywood) [Buy Now]
· Avagami - Metagami (Lens)
· Rick Braun and Richard Elliott - RnR (Artizen)
· Dee Dee Bridgewater - Red Earth: A Malian Journey (Emarcy)
· Caedmon's Call - Overdressed (INO/Columbia)
· Casting Crowns - The Altar and the Door (Reunion)
· Circus Devils - Sgt. Disco (Ipecac)
· Collective Soul - Afterwords (El Music; available exclusively at Target) [Buy Now]
· Matt Darey - Nocturnal (Koch)
· Debbie Davies' Blues Blast - Debbie Davies' Blues Blast (Telarc)
· Driver of the Year - ... Will Destroy You (Future Appletree/ Nail in the Coffin)
· Emanuel - Black Earth Tiger (Vagrant) [Buy Now]
· Encomiast - Encomiast (Lens)
· Fior Fiero - The Satellite EP (Anger Down)
· Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals - Lifeline (Virgin)
· Victoria Hart - Whatever Happened to Romance? (Decca)
· Heaven and Hell - Live From Radio City Music Hall (two CDs; deluxe edition comes with DVD; Rhino)
· Terri Hendrix - The Spiritual Kind (Wilory)
· The Honorary Title - Scream & Light Up the Sky (Reprise)
· Horse the Band - A Natural Death (Koch)
· Donny Hue and the Colors - Folkmote (The Kora)
· Ice Water - Raekwon Presents: Ice Water - Polluted Water (Babygrande)
· Jeremy Kay - Talking to My (10 Spot)
· Evelyn "Champagne" King - Open Book (RNB/Jaggo)
· The Last Goodnight - Poison Kiss (Virgin)
· Ledisi - Lost & Found (Verve)
· Liars - Liars (Mute) [Buy Now]
· Lyle Lovett and His Large Band - It's Not Big It's Large (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Lost Highway)
· Marsmobile - Minx (G-Stone)
· Michael McDermott - Noise From Words (One Little Indian)
· Sophie Milman - Make Someone Happy (Koch)
· Mink - Mink (Spitfire)
· Oliver Mtukudzi - Tsimba Itsoka (Heads Up)
· New Buffalo - Somewhere, Anywhere (Arts & Crafts)
· New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom (Modular)
· New York Voices - A Day Like This (MCG Jazz)
· N.O.R.E. - Noreality (Babygrande)
· No Age - Weirdo Rippers (Fat Cat)
· Northern State - Can I Keep This Pen? (Ipecac)
· Obituary - Xecutioner's Return (Candlelight) [Buy Now]
· Pash - The Best Gun (Exotic Fever)
· Point of Grace - How You Live (Word Entertainment)
· Prinzhorn Dance School - Prinzhorn Dance School (Astralwerks)
· The Real Tuesday Weld - The London Book of the Dead (Six Degrees)
· Recordkingz - Heavyweight (ABB)
· Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Scary Kids Scaring Kids (Immortal)
· Scorpions - Humanity: Hour I (New Door)
· Christian Scott - Anthem (Concord)
· Siggi Schwarz & Michael Schenker - Live Together 2004 (MVD Audio)
· Brandi Shearer - Close to Dark (Amoeba)
· Brian Simpson - Above the Clouds (Rendezvous)
· Soul: ID - Sex, Love & Philosophy (ABB)
· Strong Arm Steady - Deep Hearted (Nature Sounds)
· The Subdudes - Street Symphony (Back Porch)
· Jacky Terrasson - Mirror (Blue Note)
· Toots & the Maytals - Light It Up! (Fantasy)
· Two Loons for Tea - Nine Lucid Dreams (Sarathan)
· VHS or Beta - Bring on the Comets (Astralwerks) [Buy Now]
· Natalie Walker - Urban Angel (Quango/Fontana)
· Kirk Whalum - Roundtrip (Rendezvous)
· Whitestarr - Fillith Tillith (VH1 Classics)
· Keite Young - The Rise and Fall of Keite Young (Hidden Beach)
· Yung Joc - Hustlenomics (Bad Boy) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - Cielo: Volare (two CDs; Kinkysweet)
· Various artists - Guilt by Association (Engine Room)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Akon - Konvicted (with DVD; Universal) [Buy Now]
· The Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South (Mobile Fidelity)
· Jon Anderson - The Mother's Day Concert (MVD Audio)
· James Brown - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of James Brown, Vol. 2 (Polydor/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Joe Cocker - Classic Cocker (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Capitol/EMI)
· Joe Ely - Musta Notta Gotta Lotta (American Beat)
· Crystal Gayle - Greatest Hits (Capitol Nashville/ EMI)
· Heaven and Hell - Live From Radio City Music Hall (two CDs; deluxe edition comes with DVD; Rhino)
· Bob James - 12 and The Swan (Koch)
· George Jones & Tammy Wynette - We Go Together/ Let's Build a World Together (American Beat)
· Kool & the Gang - 1's (Island/Mercury/UMe)
· Little Feat - Little Feat (Mobile Fidelity)
· Loretta Lynn - 1's (MCA Nashville/UMe)
· Patrick Moraz - Future Memories I and II (MVD Audio)
· Willie Nile - Beautiful Wreck of the World (MVD Audio)
· Edith Piaf - The Best of the Little Sorrow (Varèse Sarabande)
· Queensrÿche - Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche (collector's edition comes with bonus CD; Capitol/EMI)
· Paul Robeson - On My Journey: Paul Robeson's Independent Recordings (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Ringo Starr - Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo (collector's edition comes with DVD; Capitol/EMI)
· Sly & the Family Stone - Greatest Hits (Epic/Legacy)
· Tangerine Dream - Madcap's Flaming Duty (MVD Audio)
· Bill Taylor & Gerry Mulligan - Live at MCG (MCG Jazz)
· The Truth - Playground (American Beat)
· The Tubes - Remote Control (American Beat)
· Conway Twitty - #1's (MCA Nashville)
· Rick Wakeman - "The Burning" soundtrack (MVD Audio)
· Various artists - Classic Disco #1's (Hip-O)
· Various artists - Classic Rock #1's (Hip-O)
· Various artists - Hard Rock #1's (Hip-O)
· Various artists - Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970 (Rhino)
· Various artists - Modern Rock #1's (Hip-O)
· Various artists - Putumayo Presents: World Hits (Putumayo)
· Various artists - Wattstax (three-CD box set; Stax)

Music DVDs:

· Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" (MVD Visual)
· Blaze Bayley - "Alive in Poland" (MVD Visual)
· Bill Bruford Earthworks - "Video Anthology Volume 1: 2000s" (MVD Visual)
· Cro-Mags - "The Final Quarrel: Live at CBGB 2001" (MVD Visual)
· Darzamat - "Live Profanity: Visiting the Graves of Heretics" (MVD Visual)
· Heaven and Hell - "Live From Radio City Music Hall" (deluxe edition comes with two CDs; Rhino)
· Incredible String Band - "Live at the Lowry" (MVD Visual)
· Kool & the Gang - "Videology" (IslandMercury/UMe)
· John Lennon - "John Lennon's New York: A Magical History Tour" (two DVDs; Arts Magic)
· Lene Lovich - "Live From New York at Studio 54" (MVD Visual)
· Mountain - "Live in Paris 1965" (MVD Visual)
· Notorious B.I.G. - "Bigger Than Life" (Image)
· Mike Oldfield and Tony Palmer - "Space Movie" (MVD Visual)
· Onslaught - "Live Polish Assault 2007" (MVD Visual)
· Solitude Aeturnus - "House of Despair" (MVD Visual)
· Tangerine Dream - "35th Anniversary at Shepherd's Bush" (MVD Visual)
· Johnny Thunders - "Who's Been Talking? Johnny Thunders in Concert" (MVD Visual)
· Rick Wakeman - "The Other Side of Rick Wakeman" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Preserving Efforts Vol. 01" (MVD Visual)

Digital Releases:

· Gliss - Love Thy Virgins (hits terrestrial stores September 25; Cordless)
· Ben Kweller - Live and Solo at the Artists Den (EP; ATO/ Artists Den) [Buy Now]
· The Photon Band - Get Down Here in the Stratosphere (EP; Empyrean)
· Ringo Starr - Sentimental Journey; Beaucoups Of Blues; Ringo; and Goodnight Vienna reissues (Capitol/EMI)
· Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus! (hits terrestrial stores January 22; Rough Trade)
· Tigercity - Pretend Not to Love (exclusive iTunes EP) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - The Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam: Next on the Mic (Rounder)

Coming Attractions:

September 4:
· Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty (Ferret) [Preorder]
· Megadeth - That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires (two CDs; Image)
· Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (limited-edition three-CD reissue; Capitol)

September 11:
· 50 Cent - Curtis (G-Unit/Interscope) [Preorder]
Read: "50 Cent Explains Last Week's Blowup, Says 'I Will Be #1 On September 11' "
· Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino) [Preorder]
· Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd. (Reprise)
· Kenna - Make Sure They See My Face (Interscope) [Preorder]
· Kanye West - Graduation (Roc-A-Fella) [Preorder]
Read: "Kanye West And Lil Wayne Counting On 'Barry Bonds' For A Hit Single"

September 18:
· Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory (Motown) [Preorder]
Read: "Chamillionaire Ditches Bad Attitude; Hooks Up With Snoop, Busta For LP"
· Mya - Liberation (Motown) [Preorder]
Read: "Mya Gives Up Grudges And Ego, Picks Up Relationship Wisdom On Liberation"
· KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic (Virgin)

Related Artists

A Look Back At Lollapalooza 2007

3 Aug 2007 11:07:00 EDT

Watch our chats with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lupe Fiasco and more from last year's festival, plus find out how you can contribute to our 2008 Lolla coverage.

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: MTV News

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Henna, Hippies, Hateration: Braving Bonnaroo, In Bigger Than The Sound

20 Jun 2007 06:02:00 EDT

Our MTV News correspondent staved off heatstroke and hippies at the Tennessee festival.
By James Montgomery

The 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Photo: MTV News

On The Record: Braving Bonnaroo

Up until Monday afternoon, I was living in a tent. Showering with bottled water. Wandering aimlessly through a dust bowl, looking for shade, water and food. Fighting for survival, skin bubbling and lips cracked. Hallucinating. Dying.

For four days, I was on assignment down in Manchester, Tennessee, camping out with the unwashed masses at Bonnaroo. I got sunstroke, I got covered in dust and I ate a lot of stuff out of cans (or in burrito form). I also had a great time — I believe in my half-dusted haze I may have even called Bonnaroo "probably the best [festival] in America" (see "Bonnaroo Recap: White Stripes, Police, Lily Allen Bring Heat To Already Scorching Fest").

Somewhere in between all the heatstroke and the hyperbole, I began to jot down notes about my experience, and since I just got back into the office late Monday (via helicopter, 'cause that's how MTV News rolls), I've decided to turn my innate ramblings into this week's edition of BTTS (lucky you!).

I've edited out all the gems like "Friday — 2:47 p.m.: Tempeh not just city in Arizona, Seitan not just Lord of Darkness," but what's left is a pretty good look at my dance with death at Bonnaroo 2007, not to mention a convenient way to take potshots at hippies and link to photos like this and this. Read on if you're looking for the inside scoop on the 'Roo (or if you have five to 10 minutes to kill at work).

Thursday, 10:45 a.m.: JetBlue flight 1043 touches down at Nashville International Airport. Instantly, some doped-out hippie toward the back of the plane bleats, "Bonnnarooo!" I already regret my decision to come here.

11:30 a.m.: Rent car, make trip to Wal-Mart. They have an entire section devoted to biscuits here. No lie. Also, Master P's clothing line, P. Miller, is sold here, and if that isn't an apt metaphor for his entire career, then I don't know what is.

3:47 p.m.: Arrive at Bonnaroo. Survey scene at my campsite.

3:49 p.m.: Want to leave Bonnaroo.

5:31 p.m.: Finish pitching tent in "Guest Camping," which is really only "camping" in the loosest sense of the term ... after all, I have showers nearby and I'm actually sleeping like 5 feet from my rental car. Yet, despite these facts, I will spend the entire weekend A) telling everyone within earshot that I'm "totally camping out"; and B) complaining about the fact that "I only have a tent and an air mattress to sleep on." Also, I decide to keep my hair product packed away in the trunk, as I don't want the heat to make it all gooey.

5:32 p.m.: Question my own masculinity.

8:33 p.m.: The Black Angels totally scare the crap out of anyone on any sort of psychedelic drugs with a droning, terrifying set, one made only more droning and terrifying by the sheer number of helicopters hovering in the night sky, whisking talent on and off the Bonnaroo grounds. I'm not even on acid and I'm scared to death.

10:41 p.m.: Purchase an ironic tie-dyed T-shirt. Feel somewhat bad about doing so. On the flipside, I now have something to wear in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, this summer.

11:10 p.m.: The National take the stage roughly 30 minutes behind schedule, still totally kill it. No joke here: The National rule.

11:30 p.m.: Clutch are, inexplicably, playing Bonnaroo. Begin searching crowd for Bam Margera, as he is required by law to remain within 150 yards of the band at all times.

Friday, 8:02 a.m.: Wake up, sun baking my tent. Totally hate life. One of the kids camping next to me apparently decided to sleep on his cooler last night. It's my first up-close-and-personal interaction with a partied-out "Wookiee," which someone tells me is a term of endearment for jam-band fans with "unshaven faces, long hair and a lack of personal hygiene." (There's even a Web site dedicated to their passing out — complete with awesome Chewbacca sounds.)

8:15 a.m.: Brush teeth. Spend next four hours trying to find shade. Consider crawling under car and dying.

3:50 p.m.: Kings of Leon rock out. Later on in the weekend, a writer who did a story about them will tell me that one of the Kings' mom tailors all their jeans for them, so they're extra tight. Apparently, there are "hidden zippers" involved.

6:12 p.m.: I get a henna tattoo of a unicorn (or, if you ask the woman who gave me the sorta-tat, "A horse with a knife on its head"). I spend the next day walking around with my sleeve pinned up because the henna needs to dry. Get sympathetic looks from several hippies.

9:04 p.m.: Tool. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

11:59 p.m.: Super Jam — an annual Bonnaroo tradition — begins. This year, we've got ?uestlove from the Roots sitting in with John Paul Jones and Ben Harper. At the same time, Sound Tribe Sector Nine — a "five-piece electronic jam band fusing live instruments with electronica," according to their Web site — start up nearby. I begin to wonder if I am allowed to bill MTV for hazard pay.

Saturday, 2:37 a.m.: Sounds like Super Jam is ending. I think STS9 are done too. Of course, I can't be sure, as I am sitting in my tent complaining.

12:30 p.m.: A jam-packed day gets off with a bunch of action in some of the 'Roo's smaller tents, but I am nowhere to be found. Rather, I am debating the merits of R. Kelly with my producer Monty on a shaded picnic table. (He's not crazy about R, but I maintain he's "definitely eccentric. Possibly a genius.") Then we start talking about summer festivals in relation to "Peanuts" characters. We decided that Bonnaroo would definitely be Pigpen, and the Lilith Fair is either Peppermint Patty or Marcie, but we really couldn't decide — oh, wait ... sorry, I think my brain shut off for a minute there.

5:30 p.m.: The Hold Steady finish up a triumphant, fist-pumping set at That Tent. Some drunk guy from Louisville, Kentucky, tries to fight me, then launches into a tirade about how he'll "never come back to Bonnaroo" because security confiscated an ice pick he was trying to bring into the campgrounds. This sucks doubly, because the ice pick was "a family heirloom" and if dude wanted to "f--- someone up, [he] definitely wouldn't need an ice pick to do it." Terrifying.

7:55 p.m.: Franz Ferdinand are totally ruling the Which Stage with a spiky set of tunes both new and old (plus a cover of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends"). Meanwhile, aged fans (and a surprising number of actual police) are trooping over to the What Stage to catch the fest's most hyped set — a purported two and a half hours with the mighty Police.

10:40 p.m.: The Police wrap, a scant 50 minutes before their set is supposed to end. Roughly 77,000 people shuffle off into the night, dreams crushed (I covered the Police's disappointing set in greater depth here). Sting and company presumably hop into gold-plated helicopter, hightail it the eff out of the sticks.

11:22 p.m.: Monty turns to me, asks, "Dude, do you think the Police are even in Tennessee anymore?"

Sunday, 12:12 a.m.: The Flaming Lips prove once again that they're the absolute kings of style over substance (and that they're probably the most underappreciated guys in rock) with a mind-melting, shambling, psych-heavy set that featured a spaceship landing onstage, Wayne Coyne's omnipresent bubble, dancing Santas, hand puppets, confetti and balloons. It's so great that you don't notice that Coyne hasn't been able to sing properly since about 2003. Their set wraps at roughly 2:15 a.m., which makes it the longest performance of their 24-year career.

8:15 a.m.: I finally take a shower.

2:30 p.m.: Hey, Wolfmother are playing! And playing the same songs they've been doing for roughly a year and a half now!

4:40 p.m.: I interview the White Stripes. During the end of our chat, Jack White makes a crack about how people at summer festivals shouldn't wear baseball caps. "Have some self respect," he laughs. Incidentally, Monty is wearing a Yankees cap, and he will spend the next four hours threatening to punch Jack White if he ever sees him in public.

5:00 p.m.: I am officially running out of steam. My notes from this time read like this: "Decemberists = Linen Suits" and "Good too see Jeff Tweedy still looks like the Singin' Hobo." Perhaps my brain is cooked.

8:45 p.m.: With a "God bless Bonnaroo, God bless Tennessee!" the Stripes exit the stage, having just rocked the hemp outta 80,000 or so 'Roo heads. At this point, Monty and I decided we've had about all we can take of Bonnaroo. So we skip Widespread Panic — and miss out on what someone described as "possibly the best 20-minute bass solo you'll ever see" — and decide to get ready to leave.

Monday, 11:20 a.m.: My super-charged helicopter lifts off from Bonnaroo.

As we leave the rolling countryside behind us, I feel myself changing from a sun-kissed, sorta-blissed child of the earth back into the jaded, elitist pr--- that I know I really am. Feels good to be headed home.

B-Sides: Other Stories I'm Following This Week

Seriously, has there been a more hotly anticipated major-label release in recent memory with worse pre-release buzz than Kelly Clarkson's My December? (see "Kelly Clarkson's My December: Rumors Aside, LP Isn't A Radical Departure")

Boy, that Slayer/Manson tour sure sounds like it's getting off on the right foot. (see "Slayer's Kerry King Warns Marilyn Manson About Co-Headlining Run")

A piece that combines the theory of German psychiatrist Hugo Münsterberg, the musings of American critic H.L. Mencken and, uh, the stupid crap of something called "The Beaterator." Stephen Totilo rules. (see " 'Grand Theft Auto' Of 1916; Launching 'Traxxpad'; 'Halo' Toys & More, In GameFile")

Questions? Concerns? Drop me a line at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

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Foxx, Beyonce Star On Cover Of Fashion Rocks, New Style/Music Magazine

2 Aug 2006 07:03:00 EDT

Mag showcases music stars' styles, models' musical tastes.
By Farrah Weinstein

Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé on the cover of Fashion Rocks
Photo: Mario Testino/ Fashion Rocks

When the devil crosses paths with pop music, Prada doesn't usually come into the equation.

But that and other unusual pairings take place in Fashion Rocks, a new magazine hitting stores Tuesday. The mag is the work of the creative team behind Vogue magazine, including editorial director Anna Wintour — the inspiration for Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada."

Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx are on the first cover and will be featured in a behind-the-scenes set visit of their upcoming movie, "Dreamgirls" (see "Jennifer Hudson's 'Dream' Is Reality: R&B Album, Starring With Beyonce, Jamie Foxx"). The issue also has in-depth features on Elton John and Justin Timberlake and a sneak peek at Courtney Love's diaries.

(Click here to see models Gisele Bündchen, Karolina Kurkova and more with their favorite musicians, plus get a sneak peek of Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx on the first cover of Fashion Rocks.)

The annual publication, which formerly appeared as a free supplement with Vogue and other magazines, is tied to Fashion Rocks, a September 7 event at Radio City Music Hall, which will feature musical performances by Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Black Eyes Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Scissor Sisters and Kanye West. A two-hour special will air the following day on CBS.

A special section of the magazine called "Model Fans" is devoted to models meeting their favorite musicians, like Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bündchen meeting tattooed soul rocker Ben Harper.

"I know every song [of his] by heart — and backward," says Gisele, who arm-wrestled the multitalented artist during the photo shoot and flexed her muscles for him too.

And who knew Gisele could play a mean guitar? The Victoria's Secret star brought her guitar along to the photo shoot.

"She's a really good guitar player," Harper said. "Just watch. She'll put out an album, and it will be huge!"

Other creative pairings include supermodel Karolina Kurkova with Swedish group the Sounds and Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand with Australian model Gemma Ward.

Ethiopian queen Liya Kebede saunters down the streets of New York with English band Elbow, who joke about how normally they "have a terrible time dressing," said lead singer Guy Garvey. "It's just one more hassle."

Still, the photo shoot didn't go as badly as they'd expected, with the band actually enjoying the chic, preppy designs from Diesel and Penguin.

"I was led to believe fashion shoots are really intense, but it was real easygoing," Garvey said.

Another featurette focuses on supermodel Shalom Harlow, who was stoked to meet psychedelic rockers the Flaming Lips.

"People think fashion is the enemy of rock and roll," said lead singer Wayne Coyne, who favors Paul Smith, Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss suits, often slightly rumpled and worn with an undone bow tie. "Rock and roll is supposed to be authentic, pure, but I can think of someone, like a Johnny Cash, who really is an emblem of authenticity. The things he wore sometimes are what made him iconic in a way."

Here are some top models' current playlists, according to Fashion Rocks:

Gemma Ward's most-played songs

Franz Ferdinand - "Auf Achse"
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
The Rolling Stones - "She's So Cold"
Nirvana - "About a Girl"
Ween - "Baby Bitch"

Liya Kebede's most-played songs

Elbow - "Station Approach"
Maroon 5 - "She Will Be Loved"
Bob Marley - "Redemption Song"
Kanye West - "Gold Digger"
Kelis - "Millionaire"

Gisele Bündchen's most-played songs

Ben Harper - "Excuse Me Mr."
Jack Johnson - "Banana Pancakes"
Coldplay - "Green Eyes"
Lauryn Hill - "Forgive Them Father"
Keane - "This Is the Last Time"

Shalom Harlow's most-played songs

The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1"
Kate Bush - "Aerial Tal"
Roisin Murphy - "Ruby Blue"
Smog - "The Well"
Zero - "This World"

Karolina Kurkova's most-played songs

The Sounds - "Queen of Apology"
Warren G - "Regulate"
1 Giant Leap (featuring Michael Stipe and Asha Bhosle) - "The Way You Dream"
George Michael - "Flawless (Go to the City)"
Citizen Cope - "Sideways"

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Raconteurs, Flaming Lips, Gnarls Barkley Line Up For Austin City Limits Fest

18 May 2006 07:56:00 EDT

Tom Petty, John Mayer, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Massive Attack, Ben Harper also make the cut.
By Gil Kaufman

The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne
Photo: Jim Dyson/Getty Images

The annual Austin City Limits Festival unveiled its lineup for this year's edition, and it might just be the only place you'll find Irish soul legend Van Morrison sharing a stage with modern R&B astronauts Gnarls Barkley, or classic rocker Tom Petty on the same bill as rock revivalists the Raconteurs.

With more than 100 acts on the bill for the three day blow-out (September 15-17) at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, the festival has its usual allotment of something for everyone, including sets from the Flaming Lips, Matisyahu, Massive Attack, John Mayer, Ben Harper, the Shins, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, the New Pornographers, Nada Surf, String Cheese Incident, Feist, Phoenix, Goldfrapp, Ween, the Stills, Kings of Leon, Matt Costa and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

"Talent, breadth, and depth. That's what ACL is about — seeing someone that you'll never hear on the radio, or discovering someone new," said one of the event's co-producers Charlie Jones, in a statement. This year's edition will feature 130 bands playing on eight stages.

Also on the roster, according to event organizers: Iron & Wine, Aimee Mann, the Tragically Hip, Gomez, Wolf Parade, Stars, Guster, Sparklehorse, KT Tunstall, Cat Power and the Memphis River Band, Los Lonely Boys, Thievery Corporation, Kasey Chambers, Matt Nathanson, Galactic, Okkervil River, the New Orleans Social Club, Calexico, Son Volt, Explosions in the Sky, Deadboy & the Elephantmen, the Secret Machines, Brazilian Girls, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Los Amigos Invisibles, Murder by Death, Ben Kweller, G. Love & Special Sauce, Damien Rice and the Long Winters.

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Prince Crowned Billboard King, Scoring Very First #1 Debut

29 Mar 2006 10:35:00 EST

B.G., Ben Harper, Teddy Geiger, From First to Last and My Chemical Romance also open big.
By Chris Harris

Prince
Photo: Universal Records

The chances are good that Prince is going to party like its 1989 — the last time he hit #1 on the Billboard albums chart — only this time the victory is even sweeter. The musical icon sold 183,000 copies of his 3121 to earn the chart's crown, marking the first time one of his LPs has hit the top spot its first week in stores.

It's tough to imagine that Prince hasn't done it all over the course of a career that's coming up on its 30th anniversary. There couldn't be an unattained milestone left for him to shoot for as an artist, right? Wrong. This week Prince's 3121 became the very first batch of funk-fueled tracks in his entire catalog to debut in Billboard's #1 slot, according to the latest SoundScan totals.

It's his first #1 disc since the "Batman" soundtrack — he also hit the top with 1985's Around the World in a Day and spent a good chunk of 1984 at #1 with 1984's Purple Rain — to reach the albums chart's apex. Musicology, for instance, racked up a higher week-one-sales tally than 3121 — the 2004 album sold 191,000 copies — but failed to climb past the #3 spot.

Perhaps it was the prospect of seeing Prince perform live inside his Minneapolis manse later this year that bolstered album sales. Taking a cue from Willy Wonka, Prince's label placed purple tickets inside an undisclosed number of 3121 copies, which will admit those fortunate fans to the private gig.

With Prince on top, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel flick "High School Musical" has been unseated, but it only falls one spot to #2, with sales nearing 152,000. James Blunt's Back to Bedlam follows at #3 with 111,000 units scanned, while the latest effort from Barry Manilow, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, rockets back into the top 10 thanks to a 140 percent sales spike. Manilow's appearance last week on "American Idol" helped propel the disc 20 spots to #4, with sales nearing 78,000. Ne-Yo's In My Own Words slides one space to #5, selling close to 72,000 copies, and The Legend of Johnny Cash hangs tough in the top 10, down two spots to #10 with 53,000 sales.

Prince's 3121 wasn't the chart's sole fresh face. Five new releases manage to penetrate the top 10 this week, while 13 others speckle the rest of the Billboard 200. New Orleans rapper B.G.'s The Heart of Tha Streetz, Vol. 2: I Am What I Am put up Billboard's second-best debut showing, opening at #6 with 62,000 plus scans. Both Sides of the Gun, the new one from Ben Harper, claims the #7 opening after selling more than 59,000 copies. Teddy Geiger's inaugural release, Underage Thinking, is right behind at #8, selling just 200 more copies than country star Alan Jackson's Precious Memories, which debuts this week at #9 with more than 56,000 sales.

Kenny Rogers' latest, Water & Bridges, net more than 44,000 scans to grab #14. A little further down the chart is Heroine, the sophomore LP from industrial screamo outfit From First to Last. More than 33,000 copies of the record were bought up — it couldn't have hurt that the band has been opening for Fall Out Boy for the last few weeks — to hit #25. My Chemical Romance's new live collection, Life on the Murder Scene, bows at #30 with nearly 31,000 sales — not bad for a DVD package chronicling the band's mercurial rise to "TRL" stardom.

The first Latin-flavored installment in the ever-popular Now compilation franchise opens at #36 with 27,000 copies sold; Now ¡Esto Es Musica! Latino features tracks from the likes of Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Juanes, Thalia, and Alejandro Fernandez. Chicago's XXX follows at #41 with 23,000 plus scans, and Christian rockers Kutless take the #45 slot with 22,000 units of their Hearts of the Innocent snatched up. In at #87 is the soulful Slow Motion 2 compilation, which moved nearly 13,000 copies on the strength of tracks from D'Angelo, Ginuwine, Floetry, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men and other R&B hitmakers.

For Blood and Empire, the first major-label offering from political punkers Anti-Flag, debuts at #100 with sales nearing 11,000, while the Sounds' Dying to Say This to You debuts at #107 with 10,000 plus scans. The Game's forthcoming Dr. Dre-produced sophomore effort The Dr.'s Advocate, isn't set to hit stores until June 6, but G.A.M.E., a collection of old Game tracks, appeared on shelves last week and sold more than 6,800 copies to debut at #151. Murs and 9th Wonder's Murray's Revenge, occupies the #166 slot with more than 6,000 sales. Kill, the latest from death metallers Cannibal Corpse, checks in at #170 with over 6,000 copies sold, and Vol. 1, the debut disc from Hurt, takes #175 with nearly 6,000 sales.

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Surprise Guests Franz Ferdinand Steal 'Sounds Eclectic' Show

27 Mar 2006 04:44:00 EST

Scottish rockers join Death Cab at radio benefit; Ziggy Marley, Ben Harper share stage.
By Corey Moss

Franz Ferdinand's Nick McCarthy performs during KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening
Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — There's always a few welcome surprises at KCRW-FM's annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening, but this year's concert featured one after another.

There were surprise sets (Franz Ferdinand, Spoon singer Britt Daniel), surprise collaborations (Ben Harper with Gomez, Ziggy Marley with Harper), and for Australian singer Sia, a surprise standing ovation from the Gibson Amphitheatre audience Saturday.

Franz's appearance was predicted by some since the Scottish dance rockers are touring with the benefit's headliners, Death Cab for Cutie. Franz Ferdinand brought a ferocious energy to what had mostly been an acoustic showcase, put on by the taste-making Santa Monica-based public radio station.

Opening with "Do You Want To," Franz instantly brought crowd members to their feet and kept them there with dance-floor favorites from 2005's You Could Have It So Much Better. After "The Fallen" and "Walk Away," both subtly rearranged from their album versions, the band slowed down slightly with singer Alex Kapranos announcing "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" as being "about missing someone across the Atlantic."

For the second half of their set, Franz went back to their self-titled debut, showcasing guitarist Nick McCarthy's mouth-watering hooks on tracks like "Michael" and "This Fire."

"The first radio station to invite us on in the States was KCRW," Kapranos said in introducing "Take Me Out." "And this was the first song we played."

In their closing slot, Death Cab followed Franz by relying mostly on their high-energy tracks, opening with "The New Year" and getting to single "Soul Meets Body" four songs in. Singer Ben Gibbard and cohorts also kept things interesting by switching around instruments, adding keyboards to various tunes, and playfully commenting on the dissipating audience. "I will not be silenced by your indifference," Gibbard deadpanned.

Earlier, former Jamiroquai backup singer Sia, filling in last minute for Lewis Taylor, balanced her smoky, seductive voice with a charming giddiness as she giggled her way through a 30-minute set. When she stopped a new tune because she and her band had screwed up and insisted they start over, the crowd ate up her honesty.


	Check out photos from KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening In Universal City, California, 3.25.2006.

Sia had played A Sounds Eclectic Evening once before, with Zero 7, and paid tribute to her British friends with a rendition of "Somersault." Her clear standout was "Breathe Me," the song featured in the final scene of the "Six Feet Under" finale that has given her 2004 album, Colour the Small One, new legs.

Gomez — made up of principal songwriters Ben Ottewell, Tom Gray and Ian Ball for the show — mainly used the set to introduce their new album, How We Operate, and ear-catching tunes like the title track and "Girlshapedlovedrug."

For one track, though, the British band called on technology, using a laptop to connect with its rhythm section from a studio back home. "I can't believe that actually worked," Gray joked afterward.

To close their set, Gomez welcomed Harper, who played slide guitar on a Hawaiian-style version of the band's 1998 breakthrough single, "Whippin' Piccadilly."

During the set with his Innocent Criminals band, which included a four-piece string section, Harper also used a special guest to amplify a tune. While jamming through "With My Own Two Hands," the group segued into Bob Marley's "War," and Ziggy Marley took the stage to handle vocals.

Harper also showcased his new double record, the just-released Both Sides of the Gun, channeling his Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield influences and focusing on some of the most political tunes, like "Engraved Invitation," "Better Way" and "Black Rain," about the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.

Spoon's Daniel, accompanied only by a pianist, was the other unannounced guest. Highlights included the toe-tapper "Way We Get By" and a cover of John Lennon's "Isolation."

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

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Ben Harper's Both Sides Evokes Marital Bliss, Blasts Bush

23 Mar 2006 12:39:00 EST

Like Harper's 2001 live LP, album is a double: divided into rock and acoustic discs.
By Angela Lu

Ben Harper
Photo: Virgin Records

Ben Harper recently wed his longtime girlfriend, actress Laura Dern, and he's hoping his new album will inspire people who are taking the plunge.

"I hope in the long term, a hundred years from now, someone might be walking down the aisle to it. That would mean a lot to me," the roots rocker said of "Happy Ever After in Your Eyes," one the highlights from his seventh studio album, Both Sides of the Gun, which came out earlier this week.

Like Harper's 2001 live memento, Live From Mars, Both Sides is a double album: one disc features heavier, rock-styled fare (veering from the Zeppelin-esque "Serve Your Soul" to the Sly Stone-esque funk of the album's title track), while the other comprises delicate acoustic ballads like "Happy Ever After" and "Picture in a Frame," which mourns the death of a loved one.

Although Both Sides of the Gun could have fit onto a single disc, "I split it up so that the music would be more coherent," Harper said.

Lyrically, the album is as wide-ranging as its music: Songs like "Happy Ever After" contrast with "Black Rain," a bitter tirade against the Bush administration's handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "You left them swimming for their lives, down in New Orleans," he sings. "It won't be long till the people flood the streets and take you down."

"I don't even know who he is," Harper said of Bush. "The name is familiar, but if I'm gonna acknowledge a president, he's gotta act like one."

Compared to the week-long sessions for There Will Be a Light, Harper's 2004 collaboration with long-running gospel singers the Blind Boys of Alabama (see "Ben Harper And The Blind Boys Of Alabama Bring The Gospel To The Apollo"), Both Sides of the Gun was recorded over three months — but spontaneity was still a key element.

"We only did one take of every song," Harper said. "It was mostly performed live. We didn't do a lot of overdubs. I just want it to be honest music: I'm just trying to capture a moment. Music shouldn't be overly cerebral for me. It should be [more about] emotions."

The album also features Harper branching out instrumentally. Best-known as a lap-steel guitar virtuoso, he plays tabla (Indian hand drums) on "Better Way," a track that features storied multi-instrumentalist David Lindley on the tambura, an Indian lute that provides a drone throughout the song. Harper said the song pays homage to late Beatle George Harrison, generally acknowledged as the first Western pop musician to incorporate Eastern Indian classical music into rock with his sitar playing on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" in 1965.

In the future, Harper hopes to incorporate other influences by collaborating with Ecuadorian and Peruvian folk artists. Which raises the question: Is there a kind of music that doesn't float Harper's boat?

"I'm not really a hater in that regard," he said. "I try to give leeway to anybody who steps up to the mic and tries to get their soul sound on. I haven't spent enough time with polka," he laughed, "[but] if I spent some time with it, I might love it."

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For The Record: Quick News On Kevin Federline, Carrie Underwood, Ben Harper And Laura Dern & More

27 Dec 2005 03:18:00 EST

Federline launches Web site; Underwood named Oklahoman of the Year; Harper and Dern get hitched.
By MTV News staff report

Kevin Federline and Britney Spears
Photo: Jive

Britney Spears' husband, Kevin Federline, has created his own Web site, Kevinfederline.com, complete with a defensive animated intro chock full of sexual innuendo, two snippets of music and a message to his fans ("I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. My name is Kevin Federline. I'm 6 feet tall, have brown hair and brown eyes. I enjoy horseback riding, long walks on the beach and the wind whipping through my hair. Ha ha ha.") Federline promises his site will let people know who he really is when it fully launches in 2006. ...

"American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood's has been named Oklahoman of the Year. The Checotah native was given the title in the latest issue of Oklahoma Today magazine, which cited her for embodying all the qualities that make the state great. ... Actress Laura Dern and longtime boyfriend Ben Harper (of Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, not Yellowcard) made it official on Friday during a sunset wedding ceremony in Los Angeles, according to Us Weekly. The pair — who have two children together — got married in front of more than 150 friends and family members at a mansion formerly owned by actor Gregory Peck. ...

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is after the music industry again. Spitzer, who has recently won multimillion-dollar judgments against two major labels for alleged payola practices, has issued subpoenas to all four majors in an investigation over the pricing of digital downloads. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Warner Music Group has verified that it received a subpoena as part of the industry-wide probe over whether the companies conspired to fix wholesale prices for downloadable music. Sony BMG also admitted to receiving a subpoena and sources at EMI Group and Universal Music said they either had or would soon be served as well. ...

The Secret Machines have announced the full track list and release date for their upcoming album Ten Silver Drops. The follow-up to their 2004 break-out album, Now Here Is Nowhere, features eight tracks (titles include "Lightning Blue Eyes," "I Hate Pretending" and "1,000 Seconds") and will hit stores on April 18, according to the Machines' label, Reprise Records. ... Tegan and Sara will release their first DVD, "It's Not Fun. Don't Do It!," on February 21. The disc will include a recent concert shot at the Phoenix in Toronto, a documentary about the making of So Jealous, and tour footage shot by the sisters. ...

Vietnamese police have announced that they will formally charge British rocker Gary Glitter with child molestation later this week, but drop an additional charge of child rape, according to a Reuters report. With medical tests inconclusive, officials were forced to drop the more serious allegation, which could have carried the death penalty. Glitter (real name Paul Gadd), 61, has been in detention since November 19, when authorities arrested him as he was trying to leave the country. He had denied the abuse allegations and said he was helping the girls — some as young as 12 — learn English. ... David Bowie completists, take note: On February 13, the singer will release the digital EP Serious Moonlight Live, which features four live tracks — including "Space Oddity" and "Young Americans" — taken from his 1983 Serious Moonlight World Tour. One month later, he'll reissue the "Serious Moonlight" concert film as a deluxe-edition DVD. Extras include an extended version of "Ricochet," which captures behind-the-scenes moments from tour stops in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand. ...

12.23.2005

Mariah Carey is zeroing in on the Beatles' record of 20 #1 hits thanks to her latest chart-topper, "Don't Forget About Us." The singer's 17th #1 song hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on Thursday, putting Carey in a tie with Elvis Presley at #2 on the all-time list. (Click here for photos from a surprise party held in Aspen, Colorado, to celebrate Mariah's 17th #1.) ...

A judge threatened Foxy Brown with jail time and forced her to apologize after she stuck out her tongue in a New York court on Friday (December 23), according to The Associated Press. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Jackson asked Brown to stop chewing gum, at which point Brown — who said she did not have gum in her mouth — opened her mouth and wagged her tongue, according to the AP. Brown was then handcuffed and a shouting match ensued between her and a female court officer. Brown later apologized after the judge threatened her with 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine; she was in court because of assault charges stemming from a nail-salon fight in Chelsea ...

A 100-year-old historic home in Olympia, Washington, owned by Courtney Love has been put up for public auction to pay off debts in a foreclosure case. According to The Associated Press, the house on 13 acres was bought by Love eight years ago and was most recently occupied by the sister of her late husband, Kurt Cobain. Love owes about $367,000 on the home, including the loan balance and legal fees. According to documents filed in a lawsuit over the property, Love stopped making mortgage payments on the property in December 2003. Love can hold onto the house if she pays off the debts before the public auction on January 6. ...

Howie Day was arrested for rowdy behavior on Wednesday at Logan International Airport in Boston after allegedly mixing alcohol with a sleeping pill on a flight, according to The Associated Press. The singer/songwriter was charged with interfering with the flight crew but pleaded innocent when he was arraigned in a Boston court on Friday. Day was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court March 16. ... Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy's got himself a side project — with his wife of five months, Manuela. Called Box Codax, the electro synth-pop duo plan to release their first single, "Naked Smile," next month in the U.K. through Thin Man Records. The disc will also feature the track "Red Wine in Tunis." Both cuts have been made available for download on iTunes. ...

The fifth Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is scheduled for June 16-18 on the same 700-acre site in Manchester, Tennessee, which last year drew tens of thousands for sets by Dave Matthews, the Mars Volta, Jurassic 5 and Modest Mouse. Though organizers have not announced a lineup yet, they said they are reducing the capacity of the event by 10,000 in order to make it more manageable. ... Relient K will celebrate guitarist Matt Hoopes' birthday on February 15 with the launch of a 24-date tour that kicks off in Kansas City, Missouri. Called the Matt Hoopes Birthday Tour, the trek will run through April 1 in Columbus, Ohio. ...

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has announced plans for a solo tour in 2006. The trek kicks off January 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and runs until February 12 in Los Angeles. Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche will support Tweedy on most of the dates. ... The New York Dolls are returning to the studio on January 15 for the first time since 1974. Jack Douglas, the veteran producer who worked on the Dolls' self-titled debut in 1973, is returning behind the board. ...

Enigmatic guitarist Buckethead will be working his way down the West Coast this February as part of a nine-gig trek that kicks off February 17 in Seattle. The guitarist — who was briefly a member of Axl Rose's retooled Guns N' Roses — will wrap up the tour on March 1 in Flagstaff, Arizona. ... Boston punks the Dropkick Murphys will mount an 18-date tour on March 1 in New York. The trek will also feature Sick of It All, Horrorpops and the Tossers. The run will wind down in Beantown with five shows at the Avalon March 16-March 19. ...

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