The Killers' Brandon Flowers
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images

Heidi Klum might be right: In fashion, you're either in or you're out. In rock and roll fashion, though, things aren't so cut and ... sewn. Just like the music itself, some styles never really go away, while others bounce in and out of cool faster than a faux-hawked drummer's double-bass-drum pedal.

Which brings us to the latest hot-or-not accessory: guyliner (i.e. eyeliner on guys).

Some may say it's been in vogue since Bowie went glam. Others might argue My Chemical Romance are leading a black parade of a different sort, reviving eyeliner along with other theatrical-minded bands like Panic! at the Disco and 30 Seconds to Mars. And then there are the hipsters who are already claiming it's so five minutes ago.

(Judge for yourself if rock dudes are wearing eyeliner thin in this video clip.)

Which is it? We asked a few rockers and one taste-making heiress for their thoughts:

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis: "I actually dabbled with it in the much earlier '80s. I don't have any problem with eyeliner, but it's nice to have something to back it up with. Panic! at the Disco I've only ever seen in photographs, and they look like they travel with a large number of stylists. They look like they brought their girlfriends and their other friends and everyone had a dress-up party."

The Killers' Brandon Flowers: "It gives me a gypsy [feel]. I have four sisters, so it was always around."

Plus-44's Mark Hoppus: "When I was in high school back in the late '80s, I was really — and still am — into the Cure. So I used to wear eyeliner and stick my hair up, and I just remember guys walking past and going, 'What a f--!' I feel like it's a little overdone right now. Back in the day it was something that we did because you wanted to be different than everybody else. ... Now it just seems kinda commonplace. Feels a little watered down to me."

30 Seconds to Mars' Jared Leto: "What I find interesting is that in every society from the beginning of time, in every continent, whether in preparation of war, whether it was mating rituals, men have found that the use of costume, the use of makeup, the use of preparation for battle or for love, has been an important element within that society. So there's gotta be some primordial, subconscious reason that these things come up."

Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows: "I used to wear eyeliner. We used to do it because when you're a small band and you do stuff like that, people notice you and are like, 'Who do these guys think they are?' I kind of grew away from it, but the other guys still do it a lot. I'm totally cool with anyone that does it. I like our band because we have individual personalities. It's cool when a band does a uniform thing, but when it's just putting on eyeliner or having the same haircut or all wearing black, then it's just kind of lame. We were that band at one point, a lot of bands go through that, but you kind of have to evolve out of that."

The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne: "I think guys wearing makeup will become the new piercings. I think the appeal of it is not necessarily that it's androgynous, it's actually just kind of scary. There's something just sort of decadent about men putting on makeup and acting tough. However, if you look like you spend too much time in front of the mirror, people are just going to think of you as being the arrogant, self-obsessed fool that you really are. So, if anything, you should learn how to do it very quickly and in private so you just show up looking great."

Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix: "My wife digs it. It's just like a once-a-day application, and it smears and gets nasty, and then the next day when you wake up ... it almost looks cooler the night after, like down your face. It's weird, man, I almost feel naked without any of it on. You know, I'm in Alabama hanging out with my family down there and I'm like [He gestures applying eyeliner]."

Papa Roach's Tobin Esperance: "If you're gonna wear makeup, it's not about looking pretty. It's gotta look like you've been up all night doing drugs."

Army of Anyone's Richard Patrick: "The current escalation of eyeliner usage is a direct result of people being more open-minded about androgyny and its place in fashion again. Some people wear it well, while others do not."

Kasabian's Tom Meighan: "There's only two people that can get away with it, man: Keith Richards and David Bowie."

Scissor Sisters' Del Marquis: "I used to wear a lot more makeup early on, and then this Panic! at the Disco nonsense [happened and] I just wiped it all off. If you're wearing makeup, it should enhance the music. If it is totally incongruous to what the music is about, it just makes my eyes roll back."

And ... Paris Hilton: "I like when guys wear a little eyeliner. Sometimes it's cute."

• Are Rock Dudes Wearing Eyeliner Thin?

• Guys Who Rock Eyeliner

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• The Killers
• (+44)
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Avenged Sevenfold

Kasabian
Photo: MJ Kim/ Getty Images

Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has something to say to all the emo bands out there: "F--- you."

Needless to say, the British singer is not a fan of the overly sensitive acts — like Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco and My Chemical Romance — that have taken the U.K. by storm in recent months. As is the case with most things involving the motor-mouthed Meighan, it's better to let him do the talking.

"I keep hearing how emo music is bringing kids together and that it's got these positive messages and all that, but if it's damaging teenagers and if it's making them depressed, how can that be a good thing?" he snarled. "All it causes is moaning teenagers. There's nothing positive from it. People tell me it's doing something for the kids, but all it's doing is making them moan all the time.

"It may upset people, but emo is dead in my eyes. F--- emo. Just enjoy the world," he continued. "Teenagers are better than that, man. I want to tell them to be positive about life. You've been brought up well by your parents, so don't sit around in your bedroom cutting your wrists. Grow up."

OK then.

While his comments may not win him many fans in MySpace land, Meighan gives the impression that he couldn't care less. After all, earlier this month, the second Kasabian album, Empire, debuted at #1 on the U.K. albums chart, and the title track has been a mainstay on the singles chart for more than eight weeks. Plus, he can count the brawlin', battlin' Gallagher brothers as two of his closest compatriots (see "Oasis Might Work With Kasabian, Unless It Was Just The Beer Talking"). So he's obviously doing something right.

But Stateside success has so far eluded the band. Big-beat tunes from its self-titled debut appeared on shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI: Miami" but failed to drum up much by way of sales (see "Kasabian Mix Big Riffs And Dance Beats To Make Noisy Love During War"). Of course if you ask him about it, Meighan will tell you that Kasabian are just getting started and view breaking through in America as just another battle they're more than prepared to fight.

"We've got unfinished business to do here in America, and we're coming around to do it," he said. "This country is so big, and we've got to work so hard. But it's just great to have a new record, man, and to show it to you American people. We're not finished yet."

With one big-budget video already making the rounds on mtvU (the Wiz-directed clip for "Empire") and a second one on the way (for "Shoot the Runner"), it's obvious that Kasabian are serious about making it on this side of the pond. And they don't care who they tick off in the process.

"We called the record Empire [because] we've been using the word for many years now to describe things we think are great: a pair of shoes, a pair of boobs, a good CD — that is empire," Meighan laughed. "And so to call your record Empire, it's like Never Mind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols: It can upset a lot of people, but it suits a band of our stature. And I think it's really brilliant, honestly."

• Kasabian

Kasabian
Photo: Jill Furmanovsky

"Our next record is gonna be like Marc Bolan [on drugs] ... with Dr. Hook, you know what I mean?" Kasabian singer Tom Meighan asked recently.

Um ... yeah ... sure. (Both somewhat prominent in the '70s, Bolan was the frontman of British glam-rock stars T. Rex, while Dr. Hook led a satirical country-pop band called Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. But together and on drugs?) Perhaps you could expand?

"It's gonna be a sexier album," Meighan continued. "It's gonna be organic, not gonna be so choppy as the first record. We're looking forward to it man, it's gonna be a good challenge for us."

Kasabian, the U.K. dance-rockers whose self-titled debut has sold a million copies worldwide with help from the singles "Club Foot" and "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" (see "Kasabian Mix Big Riffs And Dance Beats To Make Noisy Love During War"), have talked with Noel Gallagher about collaborating (see "Oasis Might Work With Kasabian, Unless It Was Just The Beer Talking"), but will more likely work again with Jim Abbiss (the Music, David Gray).

"Our first record, we had all the songs on computer man," Meighan said. "We thought we'd just chop it up a bit and play it back instead of being the same old plug-in. [With the new tunes] the drums are live ... and we've got these beautiful backward guitars. ... It's a vibe album. This record is gonna be incredible."

Kasabian are not exactly moving on to the next record yet, however. First the band will release Stateside single "Reason Is Treason," named after a quote guitarist/singer Sergio Pizzorno read while recording.

"I wouldn't say we're political, but at the time we'd written that song, things were going on in the world that wasn't right," Meighan said. "I think Sergio just put that in a rock and roll record, with this kind of uptempo, honky-tonk style."

The band is piecing together live footage for the "Reason Is Treason" video and released a concert album, Live From Brixton Academy, on their Web site.

"It's kind of a treat for the fans," Meighan said. "It's just something nice to have [to mark the end of the tour]. We've been playing the same songs for the last year and a half, [and we've] been on the road [for] 18 months, so it's been quite an adventure."

Once the new album is finished sometime next year, Kasabian plan to spend even more time touring America than with their debut.

"We're just putting our foot in the door and if we don't get it this time, we'll get it the next time we come around," Meighan said. "There's still people who haven't heard us and it's so f---ing huge, but we'll get it. We've just gotta keep working. America's about working. You gotta work here."

• Kasabian

Oasis' Noel Gallagher
Photo: MTV News

DEVORE, California — "A lot of things are said in dressing rooms at 4 o'clock in the morning when you're drunk," Oasis' Noel Gallagher mumbled in his thick British accent backstage at KROQ-FM's Inland Invasion. And, surprisingly, he wasn't referring to a feud with Liam.

Earlier at the fest (see "Beck Bashes, Barker Mashes, Shirley Clashes, Arcade Fire Smash At KROQ Fest"), members of Kasabian said they had spoken with Gallagher about possibly recording their second album at his studio with the Oasis mastermind producing. But as Gallagher pointed out, it could've been the beer talking. Or maybe not.

"We're talking about doing some stuff with them, but I don't know that anything will come of that," Gallagher said. "They are more than welcome in my studio, and there's a chance I might be doing some songs. I hope it does [happen] — it will be great."

For now, the only sure thing on Gallagher's agenda is Oasis. The band is touring through March and will release the second single from May's Don't Believe the Truth later this month.

"It's 'Let There Be Love,' which is another one that wasn't gonna go on the album," Gallagher said, referring to first single "Lyla," which was hardly his top choice (see "Noel Gallagher Refuses To Watch New Oasis Video"). "I think there is a pattern developing somewhere."

Gallagher is slightly more enthused about "Let There Be Love," which he started writing seven years ago.

"I started to write it and then lost interest, and it's quite long, and it's got quite a few different bits in it, and I kinda came back to it and then went back to it again," the guitarist said. "So it's kinda like a painting, I suppose. And it's about love, and it sounds a bit like the Beatles, I suppose. And yeah, I don't like discussing my own music; it's kind of difficult."

Gallagher also dislikes making videos (he "f---ing hates videos," to be exact), but Oasis made one for "Let There Be Love" anyway, only because the treatment was right up his alley.

"It's just footage that was [shot] on the road," he said. "It was very easy to make because it's kinda just fly-on-the-wall stuff, so we didn't even know it was being made."

As for Noel's relationship with Liam, which tends to sour when the brothers hit the road, it's actually never been better.

"We've got a long way to go, but it's going all right, though," Noel said. "It's the one year in many, many years where everything is going according to plan. So it kind of weirds me out. I'm waiting for something real big to f--- up."

• Oasis
• Kasabian

Kasabian's Sergio Pizzorno and Tom Meighan (file)
Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

With their single "Club Foot" still kicking, British electro-rock outfit Kasabian will be releasing their next single and leaving their tread marks all over North America this summer.

The foursome's next single, "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)," has already been playing on Los Angeles's KROQ-FM and will hit radio everywhere in early May. The video for "L.S.F." was shot late last month, and the band will kick off a string of U.S. dates starting this weekend at the Coachella Valley Music Festival.

They have also landed dates opening for Oasis in September. "For us, it's an honor," said guitarist Sergio Pizzorno. "Everyone knows, whether you're into music or not, that there's an Oasis album coming out. It'd be a duller place without those two causing havoc."

Singer Tom Meighan agreed, calling Oasis their heroes, and adding that he thinks some emergency B12 shots and a doctor should be on standby during the tour. "It's gonna be carnage," he said.

The debauchery will begin much earlier as Pizzorno, Meighan, guitarist/keyboardist Christopher Karloff and bassist Chris Edwards make their way around the U.S. and bounce back to England for a few festival dates. "Basically, we've seen the sheet and the next six months are just, like, 'Whoa,' " said Meighan. "Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, all these incredible mad gigs we're playing. I just love festivals, man. They're the best thing all year. Everyone just loses themselves for the weekend."

The guys are prepared to prove themselves in the States, though they're hoping to avoid meeting head-on with any more bottles, as Pizzorno's skull did at a recent concert in Glasgow. Still, they're ready to show their colors.

"It's a similar vibe to when we first started in Britain," Pizzorno said. "We won people over by the end. There were a lot of people there to scratch their chins and suss us out, but by the end we got 'em moving. Hopefully we can do the same in America" (see "Kasabian Mix Big Riffs And Dance Beats To Make Noisy Love During War").

With all the hype building up, Kasabian are either blissed out on some earth-grown relaxants or just really confident. They claim to love their music as if it were a child they have to protect. And according to Meighan, they're already thinking about a new record.

"I can say we're pregnant," he said, "and it's a girl. We had a scan the other week, and it looks very healthy. We've just sent one boy out into the world and clothed him and fed him, and now we've got this nasty little girl on the way. She's half-vampire and she's got razor-sharp teeth. She's gonna be a nasty little girl but a healthy one."

Kasabian tour dates, according to their label:

• 4/28 - London, England @ Alexandra Palace
• 4/29 - Brighton, England @ Centre
• 5/1 - Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music Festival
• 5/4 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
• 5/7 - Birmingham, England @ Radio 1 Big Weekend
• 5/10 - Atlanta, GA @ The Loft (Formerly Vinyl)
• 5/12 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 5/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 5/14 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club (free WFNX show)
• 5/16 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 5/17 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 5/18 - Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Music Hall
• 5/20 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
• 5/22 - Richmond, VA @ 18th Street (Y101 Birthday Bash)
• 5/24 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door
• 5/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
• 5/27 - St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl
• 5/28 - Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
• 5/29 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
• 5/31 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
• 6/2 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
• 6/3 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
• 6/4 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre (KNDD Endfest)
• 6/6 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's Night Club
• 6/7 - Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
• 6/9 - San Francisco, CA @ Popscene - Live 105 Radio Show
• 6/10 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre (Live 105)
• 6/11 - Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Concert Theatre
• 6/12 - Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
• 6/14 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
• 6/15 - Houston, TX @ Meridian
• 6/16 - Austin, TX @ The Parish
• 6/18 - San Diego, CA @ KBZT radio show
• 6/25 - Glastonbury, England @ Glastonbury Festival
• 6/30 - Hyde Park, England @ 02 Music Wireless Festival
• 7/23 - Chicago, IL @ Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
• 7/24 - Chicago, IL @ Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
• 8/13 - Osaka, Japan @ Summersonic
• 8/14 - Tokyo, Japan @ Summersonic
• 8/26 - Reading, England @ Reading Festival
• 8/27 - Leeds, England @ Leeds Festival
• 9/8 - Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
• 9/9 - Everett, WA @ Everett Events Center
• 9/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
• 9/12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
• 9/14 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
• 9/15 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 9/17 - Devore, CA @ Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen
• 9/18 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
• 9/20 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• 9/22 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
• 9/25 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
• 9/27 - Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
• 9/29 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
• 9/30 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center

• Kasabian

Shakira on the set of her "La Tortura" video shoot
Photo: Chris Militcsher

The prosecution is wrapping up its case against Michael Jackson in what's expected to be the last week of testimony against him. The singer's lawyers argued in and out of court on Monday, trying to convince the judge not to allow the testimony of Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe (they lost that one), and fighting with each other outside of court. Neither Thomas Mesereau nor Brian Oxman would comment on their argument, but it was later learned that Oxman would no longer be on the defense team as of Thursday. In the meantime, another one of the "Neverland 5" — former employees who claim they witnessed Jackson molesting various boys and lost their jobs after testifying before a grand jury — took the stand. Kassim Abdool testified that he witnessed Jackson kissing the 1993 accuser. ...

An airborne bottle cut rock band Kasabian's set short Friday night at the Academy in Glasgow, Scotland, after an audience member pitched the projectile at guitarist Sergio Pizzorno's head, leaving him with a sizable gash that required six sutures. In a statement, Pizzorno said it was "a shame the actions of one person put an end to our best gig all year" and recommended that those who see the band live in the future, should they feel the urge to throw anything, "throw bras and knickers from now on." ...

For Shakira's new video for the dancehall-flavored "La Tortura," she worked with director Michael Haussman (Kanye West, Madonna) to create a combative moment in a couple's relationship. Filmed in an art deco building, her significant other, played by Alejandro Sanz, sings about his "transgressions" en Español while Shakira fires back that she won't forgive him. The clip debuts Tuesday at 6 p.m. on MTV, while her album, Fijacion Oral Part 1, is due June 7. ... Ricky Martin, moved by his visit to the tsunami-ravaged villages of Southeast Asia, is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to help build and restore 224 houses in Thailand's Pang Nga province. A donation from the Ricky Martin Foundation will help more than 1,000 people move out of temporary shelters and overcrowded camps. Work is expected to begin this month and be completed in March 2007. The singer's spokesperson said Martin will make another trip to lend a hand in the rebuilding process. ...

You Hear It First band and Fred Durst protégés Ringside will open for Weezer from April 26 in Vancouver to May 14 in Atlanta. The tour marks the first outing for the duo of singer/songwriter Scott Thomas and producer/actor Balthazar Getty. ... Claymates can now show their admiration for Clay Aiken every time they make a purchase. MasterCard affiliate Myplash (short for "my plastic cash") just released an Aiken debit card, as well as a Simple Plan edition, and will continue putting music celebrities on their cards. ...

Two months after 32-year-old Tracey Gardner-Tetso failed to meet up with friends at a Mötley Crüe concert in Washington, D.C., the band is stepping up to match the $10,000 reward put up by the Victims' Rights Foundation. "We hope our involvement helps brings more attention to this case and anyone with information will step forward," bassist Nikki Sixx said in a statement. Tetso is white, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has long blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen driving a 1996 black Pontiac Trans Am with tinted windows and Maryland plates LRN 534. The car was found March 17th in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Anyone with information should call police at (410) 407-2020. ... Tupac's mom, Afeni Shakur, is happy that T.I. and Lil' Flip have resolved their beef and said it's a "wonderful lesson" for the rest of the rap community. "It's been nearly 10 years since everything between Tupac and Biggie, and rappers today are paying a lot of lip service to the lessons they learned from that tragedy," she said in a statement, "but how many of them are actually showing it in their actions? I'm proud of the way T.I. and Lil' Flip have settled their differences." ...

Get ready to call Lance Bass' bluff — the 'NSYNC singer is going to put on his game face during a no-limit round of Texas hold 'em on "Poker Royale: Celebrities Vs. Poker Pros." Also playing for a chance at a $50,000 prize are actresses such as Jennifer Tilly and Mimi Rogers and poker champs such as Scott Fischman and Kenna James. The seven-episode series debuts May 6 at 9 p.m. ET on GSN. ... Faith Evans' songs from her album The First Lady are now available as ring tones on Virgin Mobile. The ring tone for her first single, "Again," will be exclusive for one month, while the "Goin' Out" and "Tru Love" will be exclusive for two months. ... Fantasia will be the opening act for soul singer Kem for three weeks beginning June 8 in St. Louis and wrapping up July 1 in Atlanta. The "American Idol" winner's new single, "Free Yourself," was the most added song at urban mainstream radio last week. ...

Patti Smith, Nellie McKay and Huey Lewis are joining the Jammys lineup, which already includes Sinead O'Connor with Burning Spear. Mavis Staples and Phish bassist Mike Gordon have also been added to the bill. The jam-music awards show takes place Tuesday at New York's Madison Square Garden. ... Dark Star Orchestra co-founder Scott Larned, 37, died Sunday from heart failure, the band announced on its Web site. As keyboardist for the world's preeminent Grateful Dead cover band, who specialized in re-creating entire Dead shows onstage down to the smallest musical detail, Larned's demise eerily follows that of three actual Grateful Dead keyboardists: Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945-73) and Brent Mydland (1952-90), who died while they were still members of the group, and Keith Godchaux, who left the band in 1979 and died in 1980. ...

04.22.2005

On Friday (April 22), three days after guitarist Bryan Ottoson's body was discovered on the band's tour bus, American Head Charge posted a statement on their Web site about their bandmate's passing. "Bryan was a vital member of our group and a key songwriter on The Feeding," the statement reads. "It is our intention to honor his memory by rejoining Mudvayne, one of Bryan's favorite bands, on the current tour. Words cannot convey the depth of our sadness, but we want our fans to be able to hear the music Bryan loved so much. He'd be pissed if we didn't continue on. We will return on the Lubbock, Texas, date on April 29. Chad Ottoson, Bryan's brother, states that the Ottoson family firmly stands behind [American Head Charge]'s decision to carry on in Bryan's name." A spokesperson for American Head Charge said the group is currently working to find a replacement guitarist and will make a decision by Monday. Meanwhile, a public memorial service for Ottoson will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Thomson Dougherty funeral home on Park Avenue in Minneapolis. ...

Lindsay Lohan's Los Angeles home was robbed while she was in New York shooting "Just My Luck," according to Los Angeles police. More than $10,000 worth of TVs, DVD players and other electronic equipment was stolen from the singer/actress, while her liquor cabinet and closet were also raided. Police are investigating. ... When you have the #1 album in the country, you have to celebrate correctly. So Mariah Carey partied up at Cipriani's in New York Thursday night with the likes of Jay-Z, Ice-T, Memphis Bleek, Kanye West, P. Diddy, L.A. Reid, Jermaine Dupri and Christina Milian. (Click for photos from the party.) ...

Hip-hop's favorite ex-pimp, the Archbishop Don "Magic" Juan, is launching a clothing line called the Bishop. Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon and Omarion are among the celebrities who have previewed the line in videos and magazines. Although the archbishop is known for his flashy suits, the line is actually composed of T-shirts and hats. ... Modest Mouse will hit the road in May and June for an 18-show tour with recently reunited indie darlings Camper Van Beethoven. The trek kicks off with two shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 25-26 and wraps with a June 20 show at Central Park's Summer Stage in New York. ...

Emo heartthrob Chris Carrabba's Dashboard Confessional have enlisted producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel) to help them with the recording of the band's fourth full-length — the follow-up to 2003's A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. ... Courtney Love's making a comeback — or at least her comic manga series is. The next installment of "Princess Ai," called "Lumination," features the Courtney-based character facing a group of assassins and crowds of protesters as she continues searching for her identity. The title will hit in July. ...

Kinks frontman Ray Davies, who is currently on tour, failed to testify against the man who allegedly drove the getaway car for the gunman who stole Davies' female companion's purse at gunpoint and shot the singer in the leg during a January 4, 2004, attack in New Orleans. The defendant was released Wednesday after the prosecution dismissed charges, The Associated Press reports. The district attorney for the case said Davies had informed them of his unavailability until December. The DA said they plan to reinstate charges once the singer returns and is able to testify against the accused. ... Mathew Knowles' Sanctuary Urban Group will release an album of unreleased music from the late Rick James on August 2. The record will include a duet with Ty James, Rick's daughter. ...

Fugees rapper Pras shot a video in Los Angeles this week for his new single, a cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Maria Menounos of "Entertainment Tonight" is featured in the clip. ... After playing God on "Joan of Arcadia," Wyclef Jean is going in a completely different direction for his next TV guest-starring role. The Fugee will play a gang leader named Marcel on "Third Watch," in an episode called "End of Tour" that airs April 29 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. ...

Damon Dash, who produced the Kevin Bacon drama "The Woodsman," will next produce "Shadowboxer" with Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren and Macy Gray. "It's about a hit man and a hit woman, one being the stepmother and one being the stepson, so you've got your very different situations," Dash said. "It's a very well-written script, another piece of art." ... Jermaine Dupri is taking his position as head of urban music at Virgin Music So So seriously. On July 19, JD will flex his executive as well as artistic muscles with the release of a compilation of So So Def artists called Young, Fly and Flashy Vol 1. The first single is a Dupri record called "Gotta Getcha." Other performers on the record include Daz, Pastor Troy, and newcomers T. Waters, Young Capone and Johnta. ...

Looking for a slightly funkier Passover experience? Then you may want to pick up DJ So Called's new album of Yiddish rap and hip-hop klezmer stylings, The So Called Seder: A Hip-Hop Haggadah. Hasidic reggae beat-boxer Matisyahu guests on the LP, as does Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest. ...

• Michael Jackson
• Kasabian
• Shakira
• Ricky Martin
• Weezer

Kasabian (file)
Photo: Jill Furmanovsky

Used record bins are flooded with albums from swaggering British lads whose bands have conquered England and have their eyes set on cracking the States.

Not too many of them can claim to have their music used in two of the most popular TV shows in the country before most Americans have ever heard of them, though.

The vaguely scary, beat-crazy sound you might have heard on recent episodes of "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI: Miami" comes courtesy of Kasabian, currently infecting American ears with the intense marriage of druggy beats and massive guitar riffs from their self-titled debut.

"We're going to do arena dates when we get back home, but here we're playing the kind of dirty clubs we were playing in England two years ago and it's really exciting," said 24-year-old bassist Chris Edwards, of the band's first tour of the U.S. "I found out about 'CSI' when we got to our hotel room in New York and saw it on the telly. It was pretty cool because nobody really knows us here."

The core members of the group, which hails from Leicester, England — hometown of cheesetastic crooner Engelbert Humperdinck — lived on the same block and met as pre-teens in the early '90s, when they bonded over their love of soccer. But they didn't officially come together as a band until 1998, with the addition of guitarist/keyboardist Christopher Karloff.

It was then that the band — named for Linda Kasabian, the former Charles Manson groupie who testified against Manson in his murder trial — began forming their signature sound: a mix of Oasis Brit-pop swagger, late '80s Manchester dance and booming Chemical Brothers-worthy beats mixed with Primal Scream's scuzzy electronic rock-meets-hippie-culture clash. Kasabian, which a fan informed the band means "butcher" in Armenian, ended up being an apt name, since Edwards said the British press has described their sound as trying to "chop up" rock and put it to a hip-hop beat.

They scored a record deal in 2002 and used their advance to rent rooms in a 17th century farm house on an 800-acre farm in rural Rutland, England. "This friend of ours owned this six-bedroom house, so we rented three bedrooms and wrote, recorded and rehearsed at the place," Edwards said of his time living communally with Karloff, guitarist/lyricist Sergio Pizzorno and singer Tom Meighan.

Over the course of eight months, they pasted together a dense album of songs that borrow equally from hip-hop rhythms, experimental German music and the blissed-out dance rock of their heroes in the Stone Roses. Their first single, the driving "Club Foot," is a quilt of relentless beats, hissing electronic noises, a buzzing guitar riff and Meighan's breathless, menacing vocals.

Underneath all that grime, though, it's basically a love song, though one that takes place in a time of conflict.

"It's about love and life," Edwards said. "At the time [in 2002], the war in Iraq had just kicked off and the lyrics aren't about pushing you in one way or another, but just about what was going on at the time, what you'd read in the paper about soldiers being petrol bombed." To fit lyrics such as, "I tell you I want you/ I'll tell you I need you/ ... the blood ain't on my face," the band filmed the song's gritty black-and-white video on an old Russian army base in Budapest, Hungary, full of shot-up buildings and abandoned tanks.

While they were recording, they also staged a pair of what Edwards dubbed "mini-Woodstock" festivals for 100 or so friends on the property, inviting other bands, comedians and random performers to join them. "Everyone brought tents and we all got pissed for two days," Edwards said. Having established a reputation for odd gigs, the band followed up its freaky festival by recently playing a gig in Winston Churchill's underground WWII bunker for a group of contest winners.

Adding to their outlaw mystique is the iconic logo Kasabian pinched from an old Russian avant-garde painting, a revolution-minded image of a shadowy figure hidden behind a bandana with only one wary eye peeking out. "We just thought it would be cool to have a logo to put on our gear," Edwards explained. "Italian football fans have their own flags, so we wanted one. And if you see that face, you know we're in town." The band's second English single, "Reason Is Treason," came with a stencil so fans could affix the logo to their books, backpacks, or — not that he's condoning it — sidewalks and walls around their favorite pubs.

Though they name check the Grateful Dead in "Processed Beats" and their shows tend to turn into spontaneous dance parties, the music on Kasabian is anything but hippy-dippy. "We're kind of hippie hooligans," Edwards joked. "Hooligans with hearts. That why we get 14-year-old kids, the football crowd and 40-year-old rockers in leather jackets at our shows. Some of the songs make you want to turn cars over and others make you feel euphoric and peaceful."

Kasabian tour dates, according to their label:

• 5/10 - Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
• 5/12 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 5/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
• 5/14 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club (free WFNX show)
• 5/16 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 5/17 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 5/18 - Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Music Hall
• 5/20 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
• 5/22 - Richmond, VA @ 18th Street (Y101 Birthday Bash)
• 5/24 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door
• 5/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
• 5/27 - St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl
• 5/28 - Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
• 5/29 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
• 5/31 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
• 6/2 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
• 6/3 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
• 6/4 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amp. (KNDD Endfest)
• 6/10 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amp (Live 105 BFD)
• 6/18 - San Diego, CA @ KBZT radio show

• Kasabian

Gratitude's <i>Gratitude</i>
Photo: Atlantic

Rock is ruling the new releases list this week, with albums by emo-rockers Gratitude, metal's Black Label Society and London indie-rockers the Kills.

Gratitude, featuring ex-Far frontman Jonah Matranga on lead vocals, release their debut, self-titled album, a raw, bare-bones rock effort led by the single "Drive Away."

Zakk Wylde gets back to his hard-rock soul with the new Black Label Society album, Mafia. The follow-up to 2004's Hangover Music, which was mostly acoustic, takes the sound back to BLS' thumping metal roots while also featuring two piano-driven ballads.

Gritty punk-infused duo the Kills release their sophomore album, No Wow. A stripped-down, aggressive rock effort, No Wow follows 2003's debut, Keep on Your Mean Side.

England's Kasabian release their energetic, pop-infused self-titled debut in the U.S. this week, led by the single "Club Foot," while Toronto's indie-pop outfit the Stars release their third album, Set Yourself on Fire.

Also out this week are albums by the Bravery's tour partners, Ash (Meltdown), DJ John Digweed (Fabric 20), and Sam Prekop (Who's Your New Professor).

Out Tuesday, March 8:

• 50 Foot Wave - Golden Ocean (ThrowingMusic/BMG)
• Above This Fire - In Perspective (Life Sentence)
• AK-Momo - Return to N.Y. (Parasol)
• Alove for Enemies - The Harvest (Facedown)
• Alston - Voodoo for Fun and Profit (Repossession)
• Alter Boys - The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys (Lumberjack)
• Amazing Pilots - Hello, My Captor (Undertow)
• Nic Armstrong & the Thieves - The Greatest White Liar (New West)
• Ash - Meltdown (Record Collection)
• Asphalt Jungle - Enjoy This Trip (Hypnotic)
• Black Label Society - Mafia (Artemis)
  Read: "Zakk Wylde Rips Blind Followers On 'Just Another Black Label Society Record'"
• Boom Bip - Blue Eyed in the Red Room (Warp)
• Lynn Bryant - Woman Enough (Infinity Music)
• Eddie Bush - Eddie Bush (Infinity Music)
• Brad Byrd - The Ever Changing Picture (Free Agency)
• Deanna Carter - The Story of My Life (Vanguard)
• Combichrist - Everybody Hates You (Metropolis)
• Chris Cotton - I Watched the Devil Die (Yellow Dog)
• Des_Ark - Loose Lips Sink Ships (Lumberjack)
• Devil in a Woodpile - In Your Lonesome Town (Bloodshot)
• John Digweed - Fabric 20 (Studio Distribution)
• The Disease - Dyslexic Experts in Reverse Psychology (Alone)
• DJ Revolution - The ABC's of High Fidelity (Studio Distribution)
• Elanors - A Year to Demonstrate (Parasol)
• Tommy Emmanuel - Endless Road (Favored Nations)
• Evens - The Evens (Dischord)
• Forever Changed - Need to Feel Alive (Floodgate)
• French Toast - In a Cave (Dischord)
• Full Scale - Full Scale (Columbia)
• Reeves Gabrels - Rockonica (Favored Nations)
• Jay Geils - Jay Geils Plays Jazz (Stony Plain)
• Gratitude - Gratitude (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Gratitude (Atlantic)
• Guapo - Black Oni (Ipecac)
• Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion - Exploration (New West)
• Hot Club of San Francisco - Postcards from Gypsyland (Lost Wax Music)
• Icarus Witch - Roses on White Lace (Cleopatra)
• Into the Moat - The Design (Metal Blade)
• Kaddisfly - Buy Our Intention; We'll Buy You a Unicorn (Hopeless)
• Kaos - Hello Stranger (Studio Distribution)
• Kasabian - Kasabian (RCA)
• Kills - No Wow (RCA)
• Kings of Tomorrow - Trouble (Studio Distribution)
• Jimmy LaFave - Blue Nightfall (Red House)
• Living Legends - Classic (Basement/Legendary Music)
• Luciano & Sizzla - Jah Warrior III (Penitentiary)
• Mando Diao - Hurricane Bar (Mute)
• Milton Mapes - Blacklight Trap (Undertow)
• Amy Miles - Noble Hatch (Redeye Distribution)
• Thee Missouri - In Voodoorama (Blue Disguise)
• Monade - A Few Steps More (Beggars Banquet)
• Craig Morgan - My Kind of Livin' (BBR)
• Our Turn - Catch Your Breath (Youngblood)
• Over It - Silverstrand (Lobster)
• Paint It Black - Paradise (Jade Tree)
• Julius Papp - Heartbeat 2 (Studio Distribution)
• Pigeon John - Sings the Blues! (Basement)
• Pit er Pat - Shakey (Thrill Jockey)
• Pitch Black - This Is Modern Sound (Revelation)
• Sam Prekop - Who's Your New Professor (Thrill Jockey)
• Nelson Rangell - My American Songbook Vol. 1 (Koch)
• Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl - The Duke Meets the Earl (Stony Plain)
• Secret Garden - Earthsongs (Universal Classics)
• Sarah Sharp - Fourth Person (Redeye Distribution)
• Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama (Nuclear Blast)
• Stars - Set Yourself on Fire (Arts & Crafts)
• Rhonda Vincent & the Rage - Ragin' Live (Rounder)
• Winter Solstice - The Fall of Rome (Metal Blade)
• Various artists - Acoustic Tribute to Tim McGraw (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Fastlife Music Presents Code of the Streets (Fastlife)
• Various artists - The Guitar Tribute to Boston (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Hip-Hop Tribute to Metallica (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Hitmakers: The String Quartet Tribute to the Matrix
• (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The Kings of Funk, Compiled by RZA and Keb Darge (Studio Distribution)
• Various artists - Latin Empire (Independent Music)
• Various artists - Louie Vega Presents Dance Ritual (Studio Distribution)
• Various artists - Love Song: The Piano Tribute to the Cure (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Pickin' on Tracy Byrd (CMH)
• Various artists - Return to Glory 1 (True Life Jazz)
• Various artists - Revive the Soul (Revive the Soul)
• Various artists - Smooth Sax Tribute to Alicia Keys (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Smooth Sax Tribute to Shania Twain (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Soul Piano Tribute to Anita Baker (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Rush's 2112 (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Switchfoot (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Violently: The String Quartet Tribute to Björk
• (Vitamin)
• DVD: Bob Dylan - "Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974: Through the Camera of Barry Feinstein" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Beth Hart - "Live at Paradiso" (Koch)
• DVD: Jin - "The Making of a Rap Star" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: Leatherface - "Boat in the Smoke" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Mike + the Mechanics & Paul Carrack - "Live at Shepherd's Bush London"
• (Eagle Rock)
• DVD: Pepper - "Live" (Volcom Entertainment)
• DVD: Usher - "The Glamorous Life" (Chrome Dreams)

March 15:

• Daft Punk - Human After All (Virgin Records)
• Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (Universal)
  Read: "Kaiser Chiefs 'Predict A Riot,' Music Press Predicts Franz Ferdinand-Like Success"
  Buy Now: Employment (Universal)
  
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 18 (Sony)

March 22:

• Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Atlantic)
  Read: "Franz Ferdinand Give Bloc Party A Leg Up"
  Buy Now: Silent Alarm (Atlantic)
• Moby -Hotel (V2/BMG)
  Read: "Moby Takes Aim At Nick And Jessica With 'Beautiful'"
  Buy Now: Hotel (V2/BMG)
  
• Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze (Interscope)
  Read: "Queens Of The Stone Age Keep LP, Tour Shrouded In Mystery"
  Buy Now: Lullabies to Paralyze (Interscope)

March 29:

• Beck - Guero (Geffen)
  Read: "Finished Version Of That Beck LP You Downloaded Due In March"
  Buy Now: Guero (Geffen)
• The Bravery - The Bravery (Island)
  Read: "The Bravery Bring Today's Technology To Yesterday's Sounds"
  Buy Now: The Bravery (Island)
• Will Smith - Lost & Found (Interscope)
  Read: "Will Smith Has 'Sumthin' For Eminem' On New LP, Due In March"
  Buy Now: Lost & Found (Interscope)

• Gratitude
• Black Label Society
• The Kills
• John Digweed
• Guapo

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Killers, Raconteurs And More At The Virgin Festival 09.23.2006

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Raconteurs
• The Killers
• The Flaming Lips
• The Who

2005 Austin City Limits Festival

• Coldplay
• Franz Ferdinand
• Kaiser Chiefs
• Arcade Fire
• Jason Mraz

Photos: The KROQ Inland Invasion 5 - 09.18.2005

• Beck
• Jet
• Garbage
• Kasabian
• 311

Kasabian live at Irving Plaza in NYC 02.17.2005

• Kasabian

Kasabian Photos 02.17.2005

• Kasabian