Rise Against's <I>The Sufferer & the Witness</I>
Photo: Geffen Records

With all the fireworks happening this Independence Day weekend, you'd expect an explosion of activity in the record racks too, right? Wrong. Not only is there a lack of releases this week, there aren't even any new Hank Williams Jr. or Darryl Worley tunes to light your sparklers to.

Instead you'll have to settle for Chicago iconoclasts Rise Against, who're squeezing out their fourth record, The Sufferer & the Witness. The 13-track affair, co-produced by Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents), features the hardcore-ish "Survive," rapid-fire "Bricks" — featuring the refrain "we'll never die" — and a surprise ballad, "Roadside." Look for guest-singing appearances by Holy Roman Empire's Emily Schambra and Drag the River's Chad Price.

If it's more topical — and critical — listening that you're after this week, look no further than Blow Up Hollywood's The Diaries of Private Henry Hill, a concept album that's based on the writings of a U.S. solider who died in Iraq. Hill's journals were passed along to his father, who in turn gave them to Blow Up frontman/ homeless-shelter coordinator Steve Messina. The third studio LP by the New York ensemble is boosted by a bonus DVD and includes the ominously titled "Shots Fired," "Shock and Awe" and "Salvation."

Too critical for your tastes? Well, the closest you're going to get to nationalist sentiment is with Johnny Cash, a reputed renegade who perplexed patriots throughout his career. This week hails American V: A Hundred Highways, presumably the final chapter in the series overseen by Rick Rubin, as it contains the last song Cash wrote and recorded: "Like the 309." Bundled with touching notes by Rubin, the opus features covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen ("Further Up on the Road"), Hank Williams ("On the Evening Train"), Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind") and other American heritage artists.

Just as Cash's renditions of other people's songs are being collected, so are the songs that inspired him to make music in the first place. Roots & Branches: Artists, Songs & Recordings That Inspired the Legend of Johnny Cash boasts the Kingston Trio's "Jackson," Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," Roy Orbison's "You're My Baby" and more.

On the subject of recycling other people's songs, Rodney Jerkins is putting a new twist on the idea. The premier hip-hop producer shows his Versatility with an album that boasts 13 instrumental songs and six additional cuts that consumers can break down into individual tracks and re-create. Those who reshape one or more of the bonus tracks can submit the mixes — along with the CD's proof-of-purchase — to Jerkins, and the winner will get a chance to be a songwriter on a future Jerkins-produced album. Versatility drops on his own Darkchild Records imprint.

Also going the innovative route are the Eastern Stars, who spray Moog, ukulele and omnichord over the 11 tracks featured on July 5th, 1961. The newbies — Rob Corradetti and Kaia Wong — looked to Moldy Peaches, Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd for inspiration on their first effort, according to a track-by-track breakdown. The New York folksters are giving the record a soft release this week in New York and San Francisco — so it can relish the 45th anniversary of the album title, which the band calls "a date on which nothing of political or social significance occurred, yet a date on which everything imaginable happened: birth, death, tragedy, baseball and slugging back to work with holiday hangovers." The record gets a wide release in August.

Also seeing a limited release this week is Ziggy Marley's Love Is My Religion, which he's only delivering to Target stores through Tuff Gong Worldwide. It's the first time Marley has gone with an exclusive distributor and, more significantly, the first time Target is selling a record exclusively — took a little while to catch up to Best Buy, eh? "One of my father's goals was to release an album independently. ... Unfortunately, he never had the chance," Marley said in a press release. "This album and the way it is being sold is important to me in honoring my father's spirit." Bob Marley's spirit living on through a major retailer? Who knew? Marley's Love Is My Religion, his second solo release, features African percussion and "Into the Groove," "Be Free" and the title track.

Also pushing musical boundaries are Banco de Gaia, whose Farewell Ferengistan encompasses electronic and Middle Eastern beats, ambient passages and Qawaali drumming. "Flow My Dreams, The Android Wept" not only references the novella by author Philip K. Dick, which was adapted to became "Blade Runner," but the song includes a clip from the score to "A Clockwork Orange," as well.

Last but not least, this week brings the first CD by Peter Gammons, longtime ESPN analyst, baseball critic and, apparently, guitarist. Sadly, the 61-year-old will be celebrating the release of Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old in a hospital bed — he's still recovering after suffering a brain aneurysm last week. With a varied guest list that includes George Thorogood, Juliana Hatfield, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and a smattering of Sox players, all proceeds will be going toward Epstein's Foundation to be Named Later, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged kids in the Boston area. Don't get hooked on "Tanqueray" or "NyQuil Blues."

Song Title of the Week:

"The Ticket That Exploded" from Eastern Stars' July 5th, 1961

New Releases:

• Banco de Gaia - Farewell Ferengistan (Six Degrees)
  
• Blow Up Hollywood - The Diaries of Private Henry Hill (MJ12)
  
• Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  Buy Now: American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  
• Eastern Stars - July 5th, 1961 (Mental Monkey)
  
• Fat Jon - The Ample Soul Physician: Afterthought (Ample Soul)
  
• Peter Gammons - Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old (Rounder)
  
• Rodney Jerkins - Versatility (Darkchild/ Bungalo/ Universal)
  Read: "Want A Song From Superproducer Rodney Jerkins? He'll Sell You 11 For Just $18"
  
• Ziggy Marley - Love Is My Religion (Target stores only; Tuff Gong)
  
• Marc McGuinn - One Man's Crazy (Blue Flamingo)
  
• Alice Peacock - Who I Am (Universal)
  
• Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  Buy Now: The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  
• Tom Tyler - Asleep at the Switch (D.C.)
  
• Hans Zimmer - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" soundtrack (Disney)
  
• Various artists - Beat Classic (D.C.)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• J.J. Cale - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Carolyn Hester - Carolyn Hester (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Delbert McClinton - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Glenn Yarbrough - Come Sit by My Side (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Various artists - '80s #1 Hits (Madacy)
  
• Various artists - Best of "Miami Vice" (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Various artists - Roots & Branches: Artists, Songs & Recordings That Inspired the Legend of Johnny Cash (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Various artists - Summer Beach Party: Songs From the Classic Beach Movies of the '60s (Varèse Sarabande)

Music DVDs:

• Emerson, Lake and Palmer - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)
  
• The Kinks - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)
  
• The Nylons - "Live in Tokyo and More ..." (Unidisc)
  
• Van der Graaf Generator - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)

Coming Attractions:

July 11:

• Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  Preorder: Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  
• Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  Preorder: The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  
• Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  Preorder: The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (Sony)

July 18:

• Alien Ant Farm - Up in the Attic (New Door)
  Preorder: Up in the Attic (New Door)
  
• The Bronx - The Bronx (digipak; Island)
  
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (Virgin)
  Read: "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: You Can Call Them Sellouts"
  Preorder: Don't You Fake It (Virgin)

July 25:

• Flogging Molly - Whiskey on a Sunday (DualDisc; Side One Dummy)
  
• Jurassic 5 - Feedback (Interscope)
  Preorder: Feedback (Interscope)
  
• Pharrell Williams - In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  Read: "Pharrell Williams: Fired Up"
  Preorder: In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  

• Rise Against
• Rodney Jerkins
• Johnny Cash
• Ziggy Marley
• Peter Gammons

Former American Head Charge guitarist Bryan Ottoson
Photo: Scott Harrison

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. ...

04.21.2005

After the Black Eyed Peas release Monkey Business on June 7 and complete their tour behind it, the group will split off and work on solo records. "Fergie has her record, I have a Spanish record coming out and Apl has a Pilipino record coming out," Taboo said. "We decided to branch out and show the world that we as individuals could represent our own styles." Members of the group are also interested in pursuing acting and producing, but Taboo insisted the Peas will continue to make music together. ...

In case you were wondering what Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey would do to follow up their holiday-themed variety special, wonder no more. The no-longer newlyweds are shooting their performance this week at Rammstein Air Force Base in Germany for "Nick and Jessica's Tour of Duty," which will air May 23 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. ... Move over, Madonna — Mariah Carey's planning to give the Material Mom a run for her money with her own series of illustrated children's books, "Automatic Princess," which she started working on last summer. The project got slightly derailed since Carey was also recording her album at the same time, but she says it's time to revisit the idea. "The way I do things, I need to be involved. I wouldn't just be like, 'Here's a concept, go run with it,' " she said. "It's still something I really want to do, and I'm going to do, and I'm going to start getting that into production soon." The series would explore the journey of a biracial orphan girl who goes through what Carey experienced as a child. ...

R. Kelly, who was due in court Thursday (April 21), won't have to make an appearance until next week. The singer got a continuance for a pretrial hearing in his child-pornography case until April 29, according to the Cook County state attorney's office in Illinois. ... The judge in the Michael Jackson case denied a motion on Thursday to allow an expert on battered women's syndrome to testify, which the prosecution had hoped would explain much of the accuser's mother's bizarre demeanor on the witness stand. Judge Rodney Melville said that the JC Penney case the mother was involved in wasn't established to be a domestic-abuse matter. Melville also denied a motion to allow former Neverland guard Kassim Abdool to testify regarding an incident where he says he saw an "aroused" Jackson and the 1993 accuser in bed. But Melville will allow Abdool to corroborate an incident previously testified to by another former guard, about finding wet swimming trunks on the floor of the restroom near the Neverland Jacuzzi (Ralph Chacon had said that he observed Jackson molest the boy in that restroom). Meanwhile, a potential witness for the defense has been arrested on charges of having sex with a 14-year-old. Eighteen-year-old Ahmad Elatab, who used to visit Neverland and knew the current accuser, is being held on $25,000 bail on charges of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and impairing the morals of a minor. ...

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and his son Justin, who had been facing two third-degree felony counts of battery stemming from a 2003 New Year's Eve altercation with law-enforcement officers, have accepted plea agreements to reduce the charges to a single misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence, according to The Associated Press. The incident took place after security prevented the musician's son from joining the house band at Naples, Florida's Ritz-Carlton Hotel restaurant onstage to sing to his wife. The guitarist allegedly elbowed a cop in the face, pushed a female officer down a staircase and ripped an officer's radio from his uniform. Lifeson and his son agreed on Thursday to serve one year of probation and pay all court costs. ... Eminem, the White Stripes and Anita Baker were among the big winners at Wednesday night's Detroit Music Awards. Em won Outstanding National Major-Label Album for Encore, the Stripes won Outstanding Major-Budget Video for "Black Math" and Baker took Outstanding National Single for "You're My Everything." ...

XXL magazine held an appreciation party for Common and Kanye West Wednesday night at Club 17 in New York. Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Kwamé and 7 Aurelius were among those in attendance. ... That same night, Kanye rocked clothing giant H&M's fashion show in Central Park. "I'm here to perform ... to rock the house," West proclaimed inside the 15,000 square-foot, four-story tent complex erected by the department store. The Grammy Award-winner then performed his hit single "Through the Wire" with Miri Ben-Ari and John Legend. ...

Dave Navarro, who documented his drug abuse and recovery in his book "Don't Try This at Home," is being honored by MusiCares for his devotion to helping other addicts with their own addiction and recovery processes. Tom Arnold will serve as host for the gala, which is being held May 20 at the Music Box in Hollywood, and will feature performances by Jerry Cantrell and Navarro's new band the Panic Channel (which also includes Stephen Perkins). All proceeds will benefit MusiCares' MAP Fund, which provides musicians with access to recovery treatment. ... Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus has taken time away from his busy schedule of blogging about the NBA and creating nonsensical poems on his official site to key us in to the track list for his third solo album, Face the Truth (due May 24). According to a post on StephenMalkmus.com, the new album is 11 tracks long, and boasts song titles like "Murder at the Yoga Olympics," "Post Paint Boy" and "Pencil Rot." Malkmus also writes that he plans on touring the U.S. in early June, though no dates are available at the moment. ...

A Florida couple were married Wednesday night before thousands of Mötley Crüe fans after winning a local radio station's "Mötley Matrimony" contest. Duane Trump and Michelle McGee exchanged vows on the stage of Jacksonville's Veterans Memorial Arena, just before the Crüe's thunderous set, according to Floridian NBC affiliate WTLV. The new Mrs. Trump said the couple were excited about the ceremony, saying it's "definitely a story to tell." ...

• American Head Charge
• Lindsay Lohan
• Mariah Carey
• Jay-Z
• Dashboard Confessional

A thousand pairs of Pharrell Williams-designed Nike shoes sold out of select stores in New York and Los Angeles over the weekend. The limited-edition kicks are part of a series of Nike commissions from artists in different creative media. The Neptune reworked the classic black Nike "Dunk Hi" shoes, fitting them with black leather and a N.E.R.D. brain logo on the side. At New York's Niketown, people began lining up on Friday at 7 a.m. to purchase the sneakers, 26 hours before they went on sale. All proceeds from Pharrell's shoe go to Goodwill's Good Books program, which provides free books to kids. Graffiti artist ESPO and actress Halle Berry also designed shoes that went on sale over the weekend. ...

Kinks singer Ray Davies was shot in the right thigh Sunday in New Orleans while chasing two men who allegedly stole his female companion's purse at gunpoint. Davies was admitted to the Medical Center of Louisiana, but his injuries were not considered serious, according to wire-service reports. One arrest has been made. ... Ten days after allegedly assaulting a Phoenix post-office security guard, who then shot him, former Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood remains in custody. Federal judge Virginia Mathis denied him bail, ruling that the 43-year-old rocker, who's been charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon at a federal facility and faces 10 years in prison, is a flight risk and a danger to others. The post-office incident stemmed from an argument Kirkwood had with a woman over a parking spot. ...

Courtney Love takes on her public image in the surrealistic video for her new single, "Mono." According to the treatment for the clip, which is being helmed by director Chris Milk (Chemical Brothers' "Golden Path"), Love appears as a Sleeping Beauty-like character awakened by fairies and flashbulbs, only to then be immediately on the run, chased by a mob of zombie-like paparazzi, pepper-spraying rent-a-cops, police officers and bodyguards. Not that some of this isn't without cause — Love wreaks havoc in her wake, demolishing a Christmas-tree lot, a phone booth, a Wal-Mart store and suburban homes in the pursuit. During the chase, Love is aided by a half dozen heavily armed pre-teen beauty queens, which helps blur the line between victims and villains. ... Ozzy Osbourne claims he died twice after an ATV accident last month broke eight of his ribs, his collarbone and a neck vertebra, and twice caused him to stop breathing. The 55-year-old rocker credits his new lease on life to his bodyguard Sam Ruston, who returned him from the brink of death with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The crash occurred December 8 at Ozzy's estate in Buckinghamshire, England, when the four-wheeled vehicle he was riding flipped over on him. He spent the next eight days in a coma. ...

The world's largest music conglomerate, the Universal Music Group, and the entrepreneurs behind the Vivid Video porn empire are attempting to launch their own music-minded cable network, according to the Los Angeles Times. Called 1 AM, an abbreviation for "First Amendment," the channel promises to air uncut videos and uncensored content. The Endeavor talent agency and Eminem's Shady Records reportedly also have a small stake in the venture, which may begin broadcasting in July. ... Industrial metal pioneers Ministry have entered a Texas studio to record their next album, Houses of the Molé. The title of the album, scheduled to drop in spring, is a play on the name of Led Zeppelin's 1973 LP, Houses of the Holy. ...

Taking Back Sunday, a mainstage act on this summer's Warped Tour, are in a Long Island, New York, studio working on their follow-up to 2002's Tell All Your Friends. The emocore quintet's second album will be the first to feature new bassist Matt Rubano and guitarist Fred Mascherino. The latter is scheduled to make a guest appearance with his former band Breaking Pangaea on Friday at Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church. ... Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest should be busy behind his pulpit in the new year. Besides working on his fifth solo LP, which he hopes to begin recording next month, the rapper plans to work on full-length albums with his groups Black Market, which features Tragedy Khadafi, and the Four Horsemen, with Kurupt, Ras Kass and Canibus. On Friday, he plans to join the Wu-Tang's RZA at a show in Chicago. ...

Rick Van Santen, one of the cofounders of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and an influential Southern California concert promoter, died December 28 of flu-related complications. As co-president of Goldenvoice, Van Santen was best known for bringing punk shows to respectable venues. He was 41. ... RAM Squad rapper John "Tommy Hill" Wilson, who was arrested on December 23 on cocaine charges, was denied a lower bail by a Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge on Wednesday. Prosecutors showed that Wilson had maintained several different aliases and addresses and the judge agreed Wilson posed a flight risk. Bail was kept at $145,000. ...

12.31.03

After being arrested for felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to do bodily harm Tuesday morning, Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood remains in FBI custody. He appeared in court on Tuesday in a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown. On Friday, Kirkwood allegedly assaulted a security guard who intervened in an argument he was having with a woman outside a post office in Phoenix. At his detention hearing, the prosecution is expected to ask that he remain behind bars until his trial. ...

A new version of the video for Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blue Eyes" is expected to replace the original, Halle Berry-featured clip. The performance-based video was shot by frontman Fred Durst's brother Cory during the Back 2 Basics Tour in November. On the band's Web site, Durst said the video was "dedicated to everyone who's supported us through the good times, the rough times and all the real times." ... For its seventh annual Christmas present, the Nirvana fan club (www.nirvanaclub.com) has posted audio recordings of the band's first show, which took place at a house party in March 1987 in Raymond, Washington. Among the nine songs are "Spank Thru," "Aero Zeppelin" and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker." ...

Pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns were married Wednesday (December 31) in a private ceremony in a secluded tropical location in Australia. The couple were engaged earlier this year. ... A 22-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of New Orleans rapper Soulja Slim, who was shot multiple times in November. Police charged Garelle Smith with first-degree murder. ...

David Banner is launching a line of jerseys emblazoned with the number 55 to honor Emmett Till, a Mississippi teen who was murdered in 1955 by two white men (who were later acquitted by an all-white jury) for whistling at a white woman. The line is due in the summer. ... Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige and Anthony Hamilton are among the first artists confirmed for the 10th annual Essence Music Festival at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Gladys Knight, the O'Jays, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Kenny Lattimore, Chanté Moore, the Ohio Players, Freddie Jackson and Sinbad will also perform at the event, scheduled for July 2-4. ...

Puddle of Mudd, who will perform on FOX's New Year's Eve special in Las Vegas, have been using their holiday vacation as recovery time. Singer Wes Scantlin came down with bronchitis earlier in December and guitarist Paul Philips broke his right index finger. "For some reason, I thought I could jump off stage and fly," he wrote on the band's Web site. "Well, I couldn't." ... Papa Roach are about to begin mixing their fourth full-length studio album, which will be called either Dancing in the Ashes or Getting Away With Murder, according to a posting on the group's Web site. Meanwhile, frontman Jacoby Shaddix is also gearing up to record Seven Deadly Songs (set for release on Papa Roach's El Tonal imprint) with his side project Fight the Sky, which the singer described as "just straight metal hardcore, all screamy and sh--." ...

Russell Simmons and his older brother Danny Simmons have teamed with the nonprofit job-placement organization Strive to create the Simmons Brothers Art Scholarship for prisoners incarcerated under the Rockefeller Drug Laws to attend City College of New York. Danny served time under the controversial laws, which mandate prison terms for people caught with a relatively small amount of drugs. ... Damien Rice has scheduled his most ambitious North American tour yet in support of his Shortlist Music Prize-winning album, O. The outing begins March 23 in Boulder, Colorado, and ends April 29 in St. Louis. ...

• The Neptunes (Hip-Hop)
• The Kinks
• Ray Davies
• Courtney Love
• Eminem

Yo La Tengo
Photo: Matador

He wrote the soundtrack for the 1985 film "Return to Waterloo" and released the 1998 live album The Storyteller, yet Kinks frontman Ray Davies has never released a solo studio album. That's soon to change.

Over the last 18 months, Davies has finished a batch of songs he's been working on for five years and demoed a bunch of newly written material. At present, his publicist said, Davies has about 40 songs to pick from for an upcoming record, which is tentatively scheduled for release by next winter. The disc is still untitled, though the publicist said Davies is considering Why Suddenly Now?

Last August, Davies showcased a handful of the new songs with indie rockers Yo La Tengo during three shows at New York's Jane Street Theater. Although the relationship took over eight more months to develop into something substantial, in July Davies invited the group to lay down tracks with him at Konk Studios, where the Kinks recorded.

Davies and Yo La Tengo recorded four new songs: "Next-Door Neighbor" (which "rocks like vintage Kinks," according to Yo La Tengo frontman Ira Kaplan), the uptempo rocker "The Morning After," the poppy "Vietnam Cowboys" and the ballad "Creatures of Little Faith," said Davies' publicist. They also recorded a version of the Kinks' "This Is Where I Belong," which Yo La Tengo had previously covered. The track will likely appear as a B-side.

In addition to Yo La Tengo, Davies' touring guitarist Pete Matheson will play on the album. Other guest musicians are likely to appear on the disc, the publicist added.

On September 18 in Philadelphia, Davies will launch a 23-date U.S. tour, which wraps up in Seattle October 25. Along the way, he will make stops in Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

When he gets off the road, the publicist said, Davies will enter a New York studio with Yo La Tengo to work on more new material.

The Ray Davies tour, according to his publicist:

• 9/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 9/19 - Plainview, NY @ The Vanderbilt
• 9/21 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
• 9/22 - Cambridge, MA @ Sanders Theatre
• 9/23 - Concord, NH @ Capitol Center
• 9/24 - Buffalo, NY @ The Tralf Music Hall
• 9/26 - Falls Church, VA @ State Theatre
• 9/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club
• 9/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
• 10/2 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
• 10/3 - Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
• 10/5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Women's Club Theater
• 10/6 - St. Louis, MO @ American Theatre
• 10/7 - Kansas City, KS @ Memorial Hall
• 10/10 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre at Bayou Palace
• 10/12 - Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
• 10/14 - Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
• 10/16 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 10/17 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 10/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Theatre
• 10/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Theatre
• 10/24 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
• 10/25 - Seattle, WA @ King Cat Theatre

• Ray Davies
• The Kinks
• Yo La Tengo

The Shins
Photo: David Ondrick

Some people think the world runs according to a grand scheme. Shins singer/guitarist James Mercer is convinced there's a plan — but he believes it runs counter to all common sense.

"Sometimes it feels like this perfect reverse logic runs everything," said Mercer, whose guitar-pop band released its full-length debut, Oh, Inverted World, on Tuesday. "It's as though everything were exactly the opposite of what it should be. That's when you get really frustrated with things — you know, situations where someone is attracted to the exact person they shouldn't be attracted to. It can be applied to a lot of things, like politicians — the better liar is really the person people love the most." Mercer knows a thing or two about the topsy-turvy.

His band — which manages a Kinks-y and Zombie-ish pop sound without devolving into the strictly retro — has its roots in the indie-rock outfit Flake, which formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1992. They mutated into Flake Music, while Mercer formed the Shins as a side project in 1997 to concentrate on melodic tunes. When members of Flake Music left town, Mercer was left with a Shins line-up consisting of precisely the same folks who played in Flake way back when, only on different instruments.

While Flake preferred disjointed group collaborations, Mercer completes his Shins tunes before presenting them to bandmates Marty Crandall (keyboards), Neal Langford (bass) and Jesse Sandoval (drums).

"I work pretty hard at that — I like the transitions in good songs," said Mercer, 30, citing the Beatles' "Girl" from Rubber Soul (1965) as an example of perfect subtlety. "One of my favorite moments in songs is when they switch from verse to chorus." Mercer's interest in traditional pop songcraft is evident throughout Oh, Inverted World, where a melody might conjure either a hopeful sunrise or a damp, melancholy evening. The oddly titled "Know Your Onion!" jumps with crisp, lo-fi inspiration. "The Celibate Life" draws its strength in part from jangly guitar and harmonica as well as Sandoval's anxious, understated drumming on what sounds like a shoe box.

On "Caring Is Creepy" the band could be first cousins to '80s Brit hitmakers the Smiths. "In this generation, or at least the people I hang out with, there seems to be this aversion to any sort of real feelings," Mercer said of the track. "To give a sh-- is the opposite of cool. I guess that's where the title phrase came from." The Shins spent the early part of this year garnering acclaim at the South By Southwest and Noise Pop festivals. Later this month, they'll hit the East Coast for some dates with the Red House Painters. Mercer is planning a summer move to Portland, Oregon, while his bandmates will remain in Albuquerque. Although he's still a big fan of his hometown, he has struggled with its lack of a strong rock-music community.

"After touring the whole country with Modest Mouse, I realized that Albuquerque is pretty unique," he said. "You can be in a neighborhood in Portland and it feels like you're in Milwaukee, and the same goes for New York. Albuquerque is a poor city, with an Hispanic majority, which is the cool thing about it."

• The Shins
• The Kinks
• The Zombies
• The Smiths
• Red House Painters

The Kinks, circa 1970
Photo: Barry Wentzell

They weren't the most popular band of the original British Invasion, but the Kinks arguably had more resonance with '90s alternative acts than the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, thanks to the group's edgy approach and populist lyrics. In March, indie buzz band New Pornographers invited Kinks frontman Ray Davies to sing "Starstruck" onstage with them at the South by Southwest music conference, and a batch of other esteemed modern rockers and songwriters have contributed tracks to the upcoming tribute record This Is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies & the Kinks, which comes out this year on Praxis Recordings.

Davies himself joins Blur and Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn on the glistening "Waterloo Sunset," from the 1967 album Something Else by the Kinks ("Waterloo Sunset" is also the name of Davies' March 2000 book of fiction). Elsewhere on This Is Where I Belong, Matthew Sweet performs "Big Sky" from the 1968 album Village Green Preservation Society, Fastball play "Till the End of the Day" from 1965's The Kink Kontroversy and Queens of the Stone Age interpret "Who'll Be the Next in Line" from Kinkdom, also from 1965.

Interestingly, none of the artists on the disc cover the Kinks' classic rock radio staples "You Really Got Me," "Lola" or "All Day and All of the Night." The track listing of This Is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies & the Kinks, according to the album's publicist:

• Fountains of Wayne - "Better Things"
• Bebel Gilberto - "No Return"
• Steve Forbert - "Starstruck"
• Jonathan Richman - "Stop Your Sobbing"
• Queens of the Stone Age - "Who'll Be the Next in Line"
• Matthew Sweet - "Big Sky"
• Lambchop - "Art Lover"
• Bill Lloyd and Tommy Womack - "Picture Book"
• Tim O'Brien - "Muswell Hillbilly"
• The Minus Five - "Get Back in Line"
• Ron Sexsmith - "This Is Where I Belong"
• Fastball - "Till the End of the Day"
• Yo La Tengo - "Fancy"
• Ray Davies and Damon Albarn - "Waterloo Sunset"

• The Kinks

Everything has had a good year. They released their 5th album, "Supernatural." They toured extensively. They released their single "Hooch," which spawned a successful video and earned a place in Adam Sandler's wildly and inexplicably popular "The Waterboy" (although it was not featured on the soundtrack). But the year is not over yet...

The Virginia based sextet decided to re-record the Kinks' "Father Christmas" and release it as a year end bonus. When we spoke with Everything, lead singer Craig Honeycutt talked about recording the holiday track, concluded bassist David Slankard.

In other year end Everything news, to sing out the old and ring in the new the band will play a much anticipated, bittersweet New Year's Eve farewell to the Bayou. This December 31 show will mark the closing of the Bayou, a well known Washington, D.C. venue where many bands including Everything got their start. Tickets for that New Year's Eve show, and info on how to get their holiday single are available at Everything's website. (www.ecolon.com)

• Everything
• The Kinks