Alexi Murdoch, Queen V and Slash join Tom Morello onstage at SXSW on Thursday
Photo: MTV News

AUSTIN, Texas — It might not have been the Rage Against the Machine gig that rumors had predicted, but Tom Morello's late-night set on Thursday at the Parish was pretty remarkable nonetheless. While many took the show's billing — "Tom Morello with special guests" — to mean his Rage bandmates, instead, the crowd got an impromptu supergroup for a large chunk of the set.

Indeed, even those expecting a surprise were flabbergasted to see Morello and his backing musicians walk onstage accompanied by Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, and Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell — and immediately launch into Jane's classics "Mountain Song" and "Ain't No Right." Farrell, dapper in a dark waistcoat and ruffled shirt, grinned and bobbed while he sang; actor Breckin Meyer turned in a strong performance on the drums (who knew?); Slash peeled off stinging leads; and Morello and Kramer — both more commonly associated with crushing power chords — incongruously bashed away on acoustic guitars.

(Check out front-row video from the show.)

The all-stars then ceded the stage to Morello for his Nightwatchman set (the name of his politically inspired, folk-singing alter-ego: see "Nightwatchman, Rage Reunion Have Morello Fired Up For Political Fights"), but not before Farrell pointed to him and said to the crowd, "If there was ever a candidate for the next president, you're looking at him right there."

Morello then promised more surprises to come, and after he and his band performed several politically outspoken songs from the Nightwatchman LP, along with a version of Rage Against the Machine's "Guerilla Radio," introducing it with, "This one is for the people who couldn't get tickets to Coachella" (see "Rage Against The Machine To Reunite For Coachella Festival").

The guests then returned, and Kramer broke into the legendary introduction for the MC5's 1968 rabble-rousing anthem, "Kick Out the Jams" — oddly, in what seemed like a Borat-inspired accent. The band tore through the song — with another fiery solo from Slash — before bringing singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch onstage for one of his songs. Finally, the assembled musicians broke into a rocked-up take on Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," trading off verses; Farrell gamely attempted to read the lyrics from a sheet but soon tossed it aside, laughing. Primus bassist Les Claypool came out toward the song's end, and did not sing a verse but instead served up a typically mellifluous bass solo. (Former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, who has recently worked with Farrell, was on and offstage throughout the night as well.)

As the shambolic song wound down to the end, people onstage and off were all smiles at what had transpired at the end of a night that already had plenty of excitement (see "Amy Winehouse Raises Eyebrows, Bloc Party Draw A Mob As SXSW Wakes Up").

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

• Morello Jams With Slash, Farrell At SXSW

• Slash, Perry Farrell, Wayne Kramer In Tom Morello's SXSW All-Star Jam

• Tom Morello
• Rage Against the Machine
• Slash
• Perry Farrell
• MC5

Peeping Tom's <i>Peeping Tom</i>
Photo: Ipecac Recordings

Memorial Day was established to honor Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War. But the holiday isn't too civil to record stores, pretty much stymieing anything of interest from hitting the racks.

OK, that's a little harsh. There are some records you might care about as you recover from the long weekend:

Peeping Tom's self-titled record is classic Mike Patton. The Tomahawk/ Fantômas/ Lovage mastermind overextends himself yet again with this long-in-the-works project, which slipped out a much-prized bootleg demo years ago but hasn't made a peep since. Yanking the unconventional pop group out of obscurity is Norah Jones, who graces the second-to-last track, "Sucker." Patton's typically unpredictable guest list also includes Massive Attack, Bebel Gilberto, Dan the Automator, Kool Keith, Amon Tobin, Kid Koala and Dub Trio, who put out an album of their own last week. If you're looking for Patton product that isn't alienating, this is it.

Death Becomes Them: Just in case you didn't hear them screaming their faces off the first time around, Thine Eyes Bleed are reservicing their debut LP, In the Wake of Separation, in time for their tour in support of Slayer (TEB's bassist is the brother of Slayer's Tom Araya). The refreshed version has the bonus cut "Better Off Dead," which was only available in Japan, and the video for "Cold Victim." And Florida death-metal vets Morbid Angel — who are heavily influenced by Slayer — are reaching back even further with the re-release of 1989's Altars of Madness, which comes with three remix tracks and a bonus DVD featuring the band's gig at the U.K.'s Nottingham Rock City in '89.

Victory Scores: One label isn't getting much rest this weekend: punk imprint Victory Records. Its so-called "Super Tuesday" marks the arrival of In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, the second effort by pop duo the Forecast; Questions and Answers, the second one by angsty New Yorkers the Sleeping; 18 Candles: The Early Years, which packs in 18 retrospective tracks — including concert cuts and remixes — by Canadian post-hardcore act Silverstein; and The Great Compromise, a colorful record by cheerleading three-piece the Junior Varsity that features "Left Foot Right Foot," "Peter Cottontail and the Demise of the Carrot Tree" and more.

Don't Forget to Preorder: In case you haven't learned your lesson, here are two more reasons to plan ahead: preorders of Minutes to Miles by New Jersey newcomers Crash Romeo came with limited-edition tees, while early copies of Terror's three-hour "The Living Proof" DVD was bundled with a stencil and poster.

That's So Yesterday: It's like 1981 all over again this week, what with the 25th anniversary of psych-experimentalists Legendary Pink Dots. Their Your Children Placate You From Premature Graves follows up 2004's The Whispering Wall and includes "Stigmata (Part 4)" and "The Made Man's Manifesto." Celtic Frost have an equally impressive milestone with Monotheist, the hugely influential metal band's first record in 13 years.

'80s Hits Stripped culls acoustic tracks by Billy Idol, Rick Springfield, the Go-Go's and other yesteryear greats, and the label's so jazzed for the release that it's throwing a party at Johnny Depp's Viper Room on Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Blasters honcho Dave Alvin recaps John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia, Brian Wilson and other Left Coasters on West of the West, while blues-rocker George Thorogood and the Destroyers run through tunes by Bob Dylan, Fats Domino and more on The Hard Stuff. And if you're a Motörhead fan, you'll no doubt recognize the cover of "Killed by Death" that appears as a bonus cut on the debut LP by all-female Swedish quartet Crucified Barbara, who have already made waves back home.

You've definitely heard the Von Bondies' "C'mon C'mon" by now; the title track to "Rescue Me" kicks off the show's soundtrack, which also features Wolf Parade, the Brian Jonestown Massacre and other decidedly noncommercial acts. And if you're an ardent Zero 7 fan, you've probably already heard Sophie Barker's Earthbound, which dropped in the U.K. last year but is finally getting a U.S. release. And Finnish psychedelic minimalists Kiila issued their Heartcore five years ago in other territories, but it's finally dropping Stateside this week.

Chatham County Line — a rootsy project out of Raleigh, North Carolina, that incorporates fiddle, banjo and more — are churning out their third effort, the playfully titled Speed of the Whippoorwill. Singer/guitarist Dave Wilson says the bandmembers "see ourselves more like a rock band without a drummer and cables than a 1940s traditional bluegrass band." But debuting Chicago sextet the 1900s are more than happy to be lodged in the last century. The band's Plume Delivery EP calls to mind the New Pornographers and the Kinks and boasts "Bring the Good Boys Home" and "Flight of the Monowings."

If you want something really archaic, look no further than Wes Montgomery's "Live in Europe 1965," a DVD that captures the famed jazz guitarist in his prime. And while we're on the subject of age, let's give it up for Ralph Stanley, the bluegrass immortal who is putting out A Distant Land to Roam: Songs of the Carter Family at the tender age of 79.

Song Title of the Week:

"Don't Forget to Set the House on Fire Before You Crawl into Bed" from Junior Varsity's The Great Compromise

Other Notables:

Les Claypool's Of Whales and Woe: The Primus bass whiz has been busier than ever with a new feature film ("Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo"), novel and everlasting tour. His latest solo outing includes "Robot Chicken," the theme to the cartoon show of the same name; "Back Off Turkey," which showcases his two kids banging on various objects; and "Iowan Gal," a paean to Claypool's wife.

Quietdrive's When All That's Left Is You: These Minneapolis rockers have "buzz" written all over them, what with a red-hot MySpace page and raves from The Los Angeles Times. They get an additional boost from Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker and heralded mixer Chris Lord-Alge on the LP, which features "Rise From the Ashes," "Take a Drink With Me" and "Maybe Misery."

Asobi Seksu's Citrus: Their name means "playful sex" in Japanese and they've topped mtvU's Dean's List, and if you're in the mood to dream, Asobi Seksu have your number. The group's bilingual, keyboard-laced sophomore disc includes "Pink Cloud Tracing Paper" and "Nefi+Girly" and will fit in comfortably next to your Lush and My Bloody Valentine CDs.

New Releases:

• The 1900s - Plume Delivery (EP; Parasol)
  
• Dave Alvin - West of the West (Yep Roc)
  Buy Now: West of the West (Yep Roc)
  
• Asobi Seksu - Citrus (Friendly Fire)
  
• Sophie Barker - Earthbound (Emperor)
  
• Boards of Canada - Trans Canada Highway (EP; Warp)
  Buy Now: Trans Canada Highway (Warp)
  
• Celtic Frost - Monotheist (Century Media)
  Buy Now: Monotheist (Century Media)
  
• Chatham County Line - Speed of the Whippoorwill (Yep Roc)
  
• Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe (digipak; Prawn Song)
  Buy Now: Of Whales and Woe (Prawn Song)
  
• Cordovan - Lunaticworks Jazz Presents: Cordovan - Highway 10 Blues (Reincarnate)
  
• Crash Romeo - Minutes to Miles (limited edition comes with T-shirt; Trustkill)
  Buy Now: Minutes to Miles (Trustkill)
  
• Crucified Barbara - In Distortion We Trust (enhanced; Liquor & Poker)
  
• Todd Deatherage - Todd Deatherage (EP; Summer Break)
  
• The Forecast - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (Victory)
  Buy Now: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (Victory)
  
• The Junior Varsity - The Great Compromise (with DVD; Victory)
  
• Herbert - Scale (K7)
  
• Kiila - Heartcore (Say Hey)
  
• The Legendary Pink Dots - Your Children Placate You From Premature Graves (ROIR)
  
• Jesper Kyd - "Hitman: Blood Money" soundtrack (Sumthing Else)
  
• Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom (Ipecac)
  Read: "Norah Jones Curses Up A Storm For New Mike Patton Project"
  
• The Procussions - 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents (Red Urban)
  
• Quietdrive - When All That's Left Is You (Epic/ Red)
  
• The Sleeping - Questions and Answers (Victory)
  
• Ralph Stanley - A Distant Land to Roam: Songs of the Carter Family (Columbia)
  
• Surel - For My Good - Romans 8:28 (Comin' Atcha)
  
• George Thorogood and the Destroyers - The Hard Stuff (Eagle)
  Buy Now: The Hard Stuff (Eagle)
  
• Tied & Tickled Trio - A.R.C. (Morr)
  
• Amalea Tshilds - Painted Tiles (Fallen Fan)
  
• Various artists - '80s Hits Stripped (Sidewinder)
  
• Various artists - "Rescue Me" soundtrack (Nettwerk)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Jamie Lidell - Multiply Additions (Warp)
  
• Kris Kristofferson - Austin City Limits: Live From Austin, TX (New West)
  
• Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (with DVD; Earache)
  Buy Now: Altars of Madness (Earache)
  
• Charley Pride - The Essential Charley Pride (two CDs; RCA/ Legacy)
  
• Jim Reeves - The Essential Jim Reeves (two CDs; RCA/ Legacy)
  
• Silverstein - 18 Candles: The Early Years (Victory)
  Buy Now: 18 Candles: The Early Years (Victory)
  
• Space Needle - Recordings 1994-1997 (Eenie Meenie)
  
• Thine Eyes Bleed - In the Wake of Separation (enhanced; The End)
  Buy Now: In the Wake of Separation (The End)
  
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Best of the Funk Years (Shout! Factory)

Music DVDs:

• The Beatles - "Liverpool" (Arts Magic)
  
• Blöod Düster - "The Shape of Death to Come" (Season Mist)
  
• The Charlatans UK - "Live at Last" (Standing Room Only)
  
• Alice Cooper - "Live at Montreux 2005" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Deep Purple - "Live at Montreux 1996" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Rory Gallagher - "Live at Montreux" (Eagle Vision)
  
• Wes Montgomery - "Live in Europe 1965" (EJazz Lines)
  
• Terror - "The Living Proof" (Trustkill)
  
• Ali Farka Touré - "A Visit to Ali Farka Touré" (Kultur)

Coming Attractions:

June 6:

• AFI - Decemberunderground (Interscope)
  Read: "AFI: Mad Prolific Or Mad Exaggerators?"
  Preorder: Decemberunderground (Interscope)
  
• Head Automatica - Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Daryl Palumbo Spreads Head Automatica Popaganda"
  Preorder: Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
  
• Ice Cube - Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob)
  Read: "Ice Cube Wants The Last Laugh With Independent LP Featuring Lil Jon, Snoop"
  Preorder: Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob)
  
• Paul Oakenfold - A Lively Mind (Maverick)
  Preorder: A Lively Mind (Maverick)
  

June 13:

• The Futureheads - News and Tributes (Vagrant)
  Preorder: News and Tributes (Vagrant)
  
• Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang (Aftermath)
  Read: "Busta Rhymes Album Preview: Bus Gets Deep About The Big Bang"
  Preorder: The Big Bang (Aftermath)
  
• Shadows Fall - Fallout From the War (Century Media)
  Preorder: Fallout From the War (Century Media)
  
• Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped (Geffen)
  Preorder: Rather Ripped (Geffen)
  
• Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope (two-CD limited-edition version also available; Sire/ London/ Rhino)
  Preordere: Begin to Hope (Sire/ London/ Rhino)
  

June 20:

• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)
  Preorder: Sunday Love (Island)
  
• Nelly Furtado - Loose (Geffen)
  Read: "Nelly Furtado Hooks Up With 'Distant Cousin' Timberlake, Emerges With 'Sexy' Song"
  Preorder: Loose (Geffen)
  
• Keane - Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)
  Read: "Keane Nearly Followed Breakthrough With A Breakup"
  Preorder: Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)
  
• Madonna - I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (with DVD; Maverick)
  Preorder: I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (Maverick)
  
• Pearl Jam - Live at Easy Street (J)

• Peeping Tom
• Silverstein
• Les Claypool
• Thine Eyes Bleed
• The Charlatans UK

Les Claypool
Photo: Jay Blakesberg

During his maiden voyage as a filmmaker, Primus bassist/leader/songwriter Les Claypool experienced something that every director — from Hollywood super-mogul to the most indie auteur — knows intimately: "If anything can go wrong, it will."

"The process of making this film was one kick in the n--s after another," he said. "Two trips to the hospital, a hit-and-run, a crew member had a nervous breakdown and threatened to throw all the footage in the fireplace. We had a gremlin following us around. It's like building a house with apprentice carpenters, and the building materials were on fire."

But by no means does Claypool regret making "Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo," a mockumentary that follows a fictitious jam band by that name, satirizing the sprawling patchouli scene the way "This Is Spinal Tap," "CB4" and "The Rutles" series did for heavy metal, hip-hop and Beatlemania, respectively. Claypool's movie took the Best of Festival - Feature, Audience Award at this year's Malibu Film Festival.

Many people assumed that the thousands of dubiously odored, financially carefree nomads that followed the Grateful Dead for 30 years would have dispersed upon the band's demise 11 years ago. But Phish grabbed the Dead's baton, and the jam-band subculture has mushroomed in the decade since, supporting not only the likes of moe, Leftover Salmon and the String Cheese Incident, but bands that never embraced the Dead's influence, like Ween and Claypool's multiple prog-rock/funk projects.

"It's a fabulous subject," Claypool said, "one that I know quite a bit about and one that hasn't been examined before. I could do the same thing for Ozzfest. Character study is my existence."

He noted that there's an ample potential audience for the film. "Bonnaroo is the highest grossing music festival in the United States, and it does so with only Internet advertising," he continued. "And it's not just hippie bands — Radiohead and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are playing this year."

		Looking for the newest, hottest trailers? Check out "Gridiron Gang," "Miami Vice," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Invincible" and more, on Overdrive.

Claypool's film will be screened at Bonnaroo in June, where he will also perform solo and play a set with Oysterhead, his supergroup with Phish's Trey Anastasio and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland.

The film tracks the progress of Electric Apricot from a gig at the storied Bay Area club the Sweetwater Saloon to sessions for their first album to "Festeroo," a jam band-heavy festival (these scenes were shot last year at the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California).

Along the way, we get to know the bizarrely nicknamed members of the band (who are played by Claypool and three Bay Area musician pals): Herschel, the keyboardist and purest hippie of the bunch; Aiwass, the pseudo-intellectual bassist fond of quoting Wittgenstein and remarking, "I feel like Hitler at Waterloo"; and Lapdog, the archetypal drum nerd (Claypool).

Then there's the guitarist/singer, Gordo. "He drinks beer, wants to party and worships Jerry Garcia," Claypool said. Gordo looks likely to become the film's breakout star thanks to a scene in which he gets gangsta on a character who doesn't show sufficient reverence for Garcia.

Claypool devised the film's general plot, but much of the dialogue was improvised. "Electric Apricot" features cameos from Seth Green ("Robot Chicken," "Austin Powers") and "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone, playing a pair of concert "tapers," as well as brief turns from jam-scene icons including the Dead's Bob Weir, former Phish bassist Mike Gordon and Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes and Matt Abts.

But most characters are portrayed by Claypool's friends, non-actors who nonetheless capture the essence of the rock and roll periphery: a hapless manager, a hanger-on desperate to go on tour, a Yoko Ono-style girlfriend and a band therapist who not only sports blindingly ugly sweaters, but attempts to ingratiate himself into the band (Claypool swears that any resemblance to therapist Phil Towle, from 2004's Metallica documentary "Some Kind of Monster," is coincidental).

When the inevitable comparison to "Spinal Tap" is brought up, Claypool says his approach was inspired more by Ricky Gervais' acclaimed BBC series "The Office." "Are they parodying people who work at a paper supply company?" he asked, "Or are they portraying true characters in a certain setting? ['Electric Apricot'] is an endearing look at the jam scene, poking fun at these people and how they look at their universe so seriously."

The film is just one of several Claypool creative endeavors that will arrive in the coming weeks. He's also releasing his first proper solo album, Of Whales and Woe, on May 30, and will publish his first novel, "South of the Pumphouse," which he describes as "a cross between 'Deliverance' and 'The Old Man and the Sea,' " in July.

Check out movies.MTV.com for Hollywood news, photos, reviews, interviews and more.

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• Les Claypool

Les Claypool
Photo: Prawn Song

On one hand you have lessons on racial politics, social stigma and the apathy of today's jaded couch potatoes. On the other, you have the guy who gave us "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver," "Highball with the Devil," "Pork Soda" and "Seas of Cheese."

Put them together and you hold Purple Onion (September 24), the solo album from former Primus foot stomper/singer/bass boss Les Claypool. Two years after Primus melted into their own sea of retirement fromage, Claypool has reemerged with a darkly grooving 12-track album that processes his signature nasal delivery with the mega-nutty Fishbone funk/punk sound while tossing in a few issue songs that are damn near political.

"This was really a lot of work," said Claypool recently, as he drove past a truck full of Porta-Potties on his way down to Neil Young's Northern California ranch to hang. "It's the first time I've written material by myself without any consideration of what the other musicians will do."

Claypool said that rather than tailor songs to his bandmates, he was able to create the music and then search for the right players to bring it to life, which he found very liberating. "If a song needed strings, I'd bring in someone to play strings and if I needed to bring in [Gov't Mule's] Warren Haynes, then he could come in and do his thing. And if a song needed three bass players, well ... "

Claypool is particularly proud of "D's Diner," which was recorded live with the above mentioned triple bass line up. Joining him on the sinister track about the spooky diner where "milkshakes flow like wine" are Weapon of Choice bassist Lonnie "Mega-Nut" Marshall and Fishbone bassist Norwood Fisher. The track feels spontaneous because it had to be.

"Me and Norwood have been talking about doing stuff together for years," said Claypool of one of his favorite bass players. "They [Fishbone] happened to be in town one night and I brought them up to my place. We started jamming on the song and I liked it, but I wanted to try the arrangement I'd written. Norwood had passed out, so that was it."

Claypool has hardly been dozing since Primus went on "permanent hiatus" in 2000. Last year his supergroup, Oysterhead, featuring Phish's Trey Anastasio and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, released their debut and mounted a U.S. tour. He also released a pair of live albums of cover songs with his new side band, the Frog Brigade. That band, which also backs him on the album, features Mike Dillon (vibraphone/percussion), Eenor (guitar), Jay Lane (drums) and Skerik of Critters Buggin' on saxophone.

All of that activity, combined with his placement on bills alongside some of today's most popular jam bands, gave Claypool a new respect and love for his instrument. "That whole jam band scene is a hub for people who really think about how they approach their instruments," said Claypool of bands such as Leftover Salmon and the Disco Biscuits. "My inspiration from that scene was the notion that there are a lot of people interested in seeing me play my instrument and they're not concerned with how baggy my pants are or if I have a red baseball cap turned backwards. It made me get more into my instrument."

In the process, the often-irreverent Claypool also found himself tackling some serious issues. The two-part song "David Makalaster" is a sarcastic commentary on the cynicism of the networks' nightly newscasters. "Here is this guy in his makeup and big white smile, spieling his spiel and saying, 'take it or leave it' because being apathetic is in style these days," he said.

While the first part of the song bounces along in a maniacal amalgamation of Fishbone funk and off-kilter Primus rock, the second half is darker and more foreboding, trading the "apathy is back in style" tagline for "the sh-- has really hit the fan." "The second part is the rebuttal, that post-9/11 feeling that reflected the climate of vengeance we were all feeling at that time," he said. "If anything, those songs reflect the state of the nation more than the state of one individual."

Even more intense is "Ding Dang," which could give Eminem a run for his money in the controversy department. The Frank Zappa-esque jazz/rock song opens with the line, "They used to call him n----- boy when he was but a tyke/ So he grew up to be an angry young man." It goes on to suggest that being called anything from white trash to a liar to f----t can steer you in the direction of poverty, bitterness or even jail if you internalize the insults hurled your way.

"There's that concept that if you use a derogatory word it dilutes its impact," said Claypool, who was inspired to write the song by watching the biographical film of the late boundary-pushing comedian Lenny Bruce. "It's about the effect your peer group can have on you by using different words to describe you."

Although Claypool intended the song to be social commentary on a par with Sly & the Family Stone's "Don't Call Me N-----, Whitey," he said he was surprised by how offended and jarred even his close friends were. "It amazes me how much people will hear the words and not hear the rest of the song," Claypool said.

Claypool being Claypool, it's, of course, not all doom and drama. There's the goofball hillbilly stomp of "Buzzards of Green Hill," the Tom Waits-like jazz skronk of "Long in the Tooth," the prog-rock goof "Cosmic Highway" and the improvised techno track "Whamola." On the latter, Claypool jams on a one-stringed, futuristic, hand-cranked bass that a fan in Vermont gave him a few years ago. "When you see that song live, no matter who you are, or how cynical you are, that song perks you up," he said.

For now, Claypool said, he's focused on his new music and Primus are in the past. "But," he said, leaving he door open, "I can't imagine we won't play together again."

• Les Claypool

Slipknot
Photo: Roadrunner

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines — Staind, Slipknot, Tantric, Buckcherry and others are contributing tracks to NASCAR's Crank It Up compilation.

Due to hit stores in June, the collection is "designed and built for racing fans," according to a label statement, and includes a plethora of rock outfits playing covers of high-speed, rubber-burning favorites.

Recently dissolved industrial rockers Fear Factory weigh in with their reworking of gearhead Gary Numan's classic '80s ode to four-wheelers, "Cars." Les Claypool offers up the song most likely to be played on an upright bass: the rockabilly classic "Hot Rod Lincoln." Meanwhile, "Lit Up" Los Angeles rockers Buckcherry will take on Willie Nelson's cross-country staple "On the Road Again."

Slipknot have also been slated for the album, though their cover choice has yet to be announced. Staind will contribute a previously unreleased track for the compilation, adding a taste of something new for all those backseat woofers and tailgate parties.

Among the other songs up for restoration are Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit "Fast Car" (by Darwin's Waiting Room) and Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams (Get Into My Car)" (by Fenix TX), which you may remember from the '80s Corey Haim/Corey Feldman slapstick first date joint "License to Drive."

Slayer are expected to peel out a cover of Deep Purple's 1972 classic "Highway Star," though their participation has not yet been confirmed.

Additional artists are still being lined up for the project, which will be released by MCA Records in conjunction with NASCAR and Fox TV.

Tracks confirmed thus far for Crank It Up, according to the label:

• Nonpoint - "Circles"
• Darwin's Waiting Room - "Fast Car"
• Fenix TX - "Get Outta My Dreams (Get Into My Car)"
• Tantric - "Cross the Line"
• Buckcherry "On the Road Again"
• (hed) pe - "Crosstown Traffic"
• Gov't Mule - "Drivin' Rain"
• Fear Factory - "Cars"
• Les Claypool - "Hot Rod Lincoln"

• Slipknot
• Staind
• Fenix TX
• Gov't Mule
• Darwin's Waiting Room

Les Claypool
Photo: Interscope

Just because Primus is on hiatus doesn't mean Les Claypool is taking any time off.

In addition to polishing off the first release from Oysterhead — his band with former Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio — the bassist and singer is prepping his Frog Brigade for a summer tour, according to his publicist.

Frog Brigade, which released the concert disc Live Frogs — Set 1 on April 10, will join this year's Gathering of the Vibes on June 29. Other performers at the three-day festival include Bruce Hornsby, Soulive and Tom Tom Club. The band will then play a series of dates with former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh.

Live Frogs — Set 1 features an eclectic mix of tunes from various Claypool projects, including Sausage's "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" and Holy Mackerel's "Running the Gauntlet," and covers including Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and King Crimson's "Thela Hun Ginjeet." A second album, predictably titled Live Frogs — Set 2, features the band's version of the entire Pink Floyd Animals album.

Claypool also plans to release a series of Primus live recordings on his Prawn Song label.

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade tour dates, according to the band's publicist:

• 6/16 - Port Orford, OR @ Family Affaire Festival
• 6/29 - Red Hook, NY @ Gathering of the Vibes
• 7/1 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre (with Phil Lesh)
• 7/6 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre (with Phil Lesh)
• 7/13 - Somerset, WI @ Float-Rite Park Amphitheatre (with String Cheese Incident)
• 7/14 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre (with Phil Lesh and String Cheese Incident)
• 7/24 - Canandaigua, NY @ Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center (with Phil Lesh)
• 7/27 - Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center (with Phil Lesh)
• 7/31 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (with Phil Lesh)

• Les Claypool
• Primus

Les Claypool
Photo: Josephine Close

Solo star and former Grateful Dead keyboardist Bruce Hornsby will be among the many acts to perform this year at the Gathering of the Vibes, according to Terrapin Presents, the organizers of the summer music festival.

Legendary African drum virtuoso Babatunde Olatunji, masterful jazz guitarist John Scofield and groove-jazz trio Soulive are also among the notable acts that have been confirmed so far. Bass freak Les Claypool will return this year, this time with his Flying Frog Brigade band, as will groove funkers Deep Banana Blackout, Merl Saunders and His Funky Friends and next generation Vermont jammers Strangefolk.

The sixth installment of the Vibes, an annual tribute to the memory of jam icon Jerry Garcia, will take place on a 500-acre farm in Red Hook, New York, from June 29 to July 1. The first round of advance tickets goes on sale April 9. Complete information about on-sale dates and passes is available online at www.gatheringofthevibes.com or toll-free at 866-TERRAPIN (866-837-7274).

Additional acts and information will be announced in the coming weeks.

• Bruce Hornsby
• The Grateful Dead
• Les Claypool

Les Claypool<BR>plays at<BR>the Palace in Los Angeles.
Photo: Josephine Close

Aimed at entertaining an ever more diverse group of bored music fans in a winter season slow on live music, the SnoCore festival split into two entities this year — the funk 'n' jam-based SnoCore Icicle Ball and the heavy metal SnoCore Rock tour.

On Sunday, the Rock component of the double-fisted festival brought its barking rage and aggressive metal to San Francisco's Maritime Hall, with a full complement of five shout-and-grind quartets — including crowd favorites Kittie and Fear Factory — who plugged new records while mixing punk and metal with raw angst, not to mention occasional doses of rap and techno.

Five bands, all cooking with the same basic recipe of bass, guitar, drums and vocals, paced and pounded the stage with ferocious, speed-core staccato and speaker-cone-warping monster vocals, sometimes inciting mosh pits, often begging the youthful crowd to "make some noise." Los Angeles' Boy Hits Car opened the show with droning basslines reminiscent of Jane's Addiction. During "As I Watch the Sun F--- the Ocean," from the band's debut album, due Tuesday, vocalist Cregg (who goes by only that name) shook his curly locks between high-pitched verses belted out in a whine that sounded like a cross between Geddy Lee and Jello Biafra.

A mosh pit opened midfloor as Slaves on Dope took the stage, with bald singer Jason Rockman and bassist Frank Salvaggio trading off growling vocal lines from their debut album, Inches From the Mainline (2000). While skinny-dreadlocked guitarist Kevin Jardine and drummer Rob Urbani set up a hypnotic, irregular groove, Rockman and Salvaggio worked on the crowd. During one shout-along, the kids on the floor pumped devil-fingered fists, chanting, "Don't tell me how to live my life!" at Rockman's insistence.

Union Underground aimed two banks of bright flashbulbs at the crowd, while singer Bryan Scott stood on a plexiglass riser that lit him up from beneath. He hunched over the audience, singing tunes such as "South Texas Deathride" and "Turn Me on 'Mr. Deadman,' " quoting Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" on the latter.

Looped noise built to a crescendo as the smoky room darkened for Canadian teenagers Kittie, who tested out a few new songs slated for the follow-up to their 1999 debut, Spit, expected in the fall. The group thrashed enough to make fellow chick-rockers the Donnas look like the Bangles. Bassist Telena Atfield and drummer Mercedes Lander chopped out machine-gun rhythms while singer/guitarist Morgan Lander roared and croaked out her lyrics as if she had accidentally swallowed Godzilla.

On the song "Brackish," guitarist Fallon Bowman set the crowd to vibrating as she squealed out a rust-tinged intro, then rapped in the background as Morgan Lander — in capri pants and a short black T-shirt — alternated lines of melodic singing with the group's trademark roar.

"We are here for one reason, and one reason alone," Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell shouted at the crowd as his band took the stage. "We are gonna f--- your sh-- up!" As synthesizer player John Bechdel — the sole exception to the night's power-quartet theme — spun an electronic intro, Bell, guitarist Dino Cazares and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers dropped almost to the floor in split to hammer out a low-slung caveman crunch. Bell mounted a monitor wedge while Cazares and Shives swapped places, running to the edge of the stage to play for the kids up front.

Drummer Raymond Herrera and the synth player set up a driving, electronic dance groove while the guitarists crunched on "DigiMortal," the title track from the group's upcoming album, due April 24, which furthers the band's thematic exploration of the junction of man and machine. Fear Factory also played "Linchpin," "Acres of Skin" and "Invisible Wounds" from the new album.

The SnoCore Icicle Ball, which stopped Thursday in Los Angeles at the Palace, featured co-headlining sets by Les Claypool's Frog Brigade side project and New Orleans jazz-funk ensemble Galactic.

"For those who haven't experienced Frog Brigade before, I can't and will not explain it to you," Claypool told the sold-out, dancing crowd. Clad in a mask with a Pinocchio-like nose, a blue marching-band jacket and cropped khaki trousers, the singer/bassist danced around spastically, displaying his usual goofball charm.

Frog Brigade incorporated work from throughout Claypool's career, including tunes played with Primus, Sausage and Les Claypool & the Holy Mackerel, as well as a mix of covers ranging from the Doors' "Riders on the Storm" to the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends." Claypool briefly joined Galactic during their 90-minute show-capping performance, playing bass on an adaptation of Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf." Galactic's set mixed jazz-funk instrumentals featuring complex band interplay with numbers led by vocalist Theryl deClouet, who contributed a suave, old-soul feel to the sound.

Baltimore's Lake Trout open the Icicle Ball through February 4. Experimental trio Drums and Tuba step in February 6 in Cleveland until the tour wraps February 23 in Atlanta. SnoCore Rock ends February 17 in Asbury Park, New Jersey

• Kittie
• Fear Factory
• Galactic
• Les Claypool

Les Claypool Live In Hollywood, 06.27.07

• Les Claypool