Paris Hilton's <I>Paris</I>
Photo: Warner Bros.

If "Stars Are Blind" whetted your appetite for more Paris Hilton music, get ready to have your patience tested. Fans — and curious observers — will have to wait two more weeks to get their hands on Hilton's debut album, Paris. The disc, previously set for August 8 release, has been pushed back to August 22. ...

A $1.5 million breach-of-contract lawsuit has been filed against Beyoncé, her mother/manager Tina Knowles and Wear Me Apparel Corp, the company Knowles is collaborating with for her House of Dereon clothing line. Icon Entertainment CEO Greg Walker filed the suit in New York State Supreme Court Wednesday, claiming he has not been fully paid for securing the $15 million deal between Knowles and Wear Me Apparel. ...

Britney Spears followed up her mysterious May 22 poem "Remembrance of Who I Am" with a new message in the "Stream of Consciousness" section of her Web site. "In some ways, people are like animals," Spears wrote in a post titled "Tigers." "We all hunger for the same things: Love, lust, danger, warmth and adventure." Spears explains her fascination with tigers in the note posted Tuesday, leading off with a quote from the William Blake poem "The Tyger" before revealing, "I'm mesmerized by tigers. Their eyes, their stripes, their constant quest for survival. ... They pull you in and make it difficult to look away." ...

Remy Ma has been added to the lineup for Jamaica's Saddle to the East 2006, and she'll be bringing dancehall DJ Bounty Killer along for the ride. Elephant Man, Green Lantern, Wayne Wonder and others are also slated for the August 26 event, which will benefit Upliftment Jamaica, a nonprofit that provides health, education and social services for the country's impoverished parishes. ... A Jane's Addiction compilation titled Up From the Catacombs will land in stores on September 19. The disc will feature 16 cuts, all plucked from the band's discography — there will be no fresh or unreleased tracks on the record. Look for it to include the songs "Been Caught Stealing," "Summertime Rolls," "Classic Girl," "Three Days" and "Just Because." ...

Haley Joel Osment, 18, was hospitalized early Thursday (July 20) after his car hit a brick pillar and flipped over, The Associated Press reports. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the actor, who was alone and driving a 1995 Saturn, apparently lost control of the car while driving through a Los Angeles suburb at 1 a.m. Osment was conscious and talking after the crash and was taken to a hospital near the site of the accident. ... Two days after the U.K.'s National Enquirer retracted published reports that Britney Spears' marriage to Kevin Federline was in trouble, the tabloid offered an undisclosed payment to settle a libel suit filed by Kate Hudson, the AP reports. Hudson sued the Enquirer over an October story that stated the actress was "way too thin" and that her mother, Goldie Hawn, planned to confront her about her weight. Publisher American Media Inc. also acknowledged in a London court Thursday that the allegations were false and agreed to print an apology. ...

Jessica Biel promised she's a "cheap date" — good news for the man who forked over $30,000 Tuesday night to take her to lunch. Biel volunteered her company in an auction to raise money for Colorado teen Molly Bloom, who lost her left leg in a prom night limousine accident, The Rocky Mountain News reports. The winning bid came from a Denver businessman who would only identify himself as "John." ... Harmony for Humanity, the fifth annual edition of Daniel Pearl World Music Days, will be held October 6-15. The event, named after and inspired by the journalist who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002, aims to unite musicians in a network of concerts promoting hope and solidarity. The World Music Days committee includes R.E.M., Elton John and Russell Simmons. Head to music-days.org for more information on how you can take part in the Harmony for Humanity event. ...

Recent "You Hear It First" band Dirty on Purpose kicked off a summer tour in support of their debut album, Hallelujah Sirens this week. The 29-date trek hits North Manchester, Indiana, on Thursday and wraps up August 29 in Washington, D.C. ... The reunited Murder City Devils join Pretty Girls Make Graves, Band of Horses, Minus the Bear and Helio Sequence among the bands on the lineup for Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party. The two-day event kicks off July 29 at 3 p.m. For directions and ticket information, head to CapitolHillBlockParty.com. ... The Veils have posted "Advice to Young Mothers to Be," the first single from their upcoming album Nux Vomica, at MySpace.com/theveils. The band is currently touring Europe. ... Former Village People policeman Victor Willis pleaded no contest to drug possession charges Wednesday, the AP reports. Willis, who was arrested in March — and already faced a bench warrant for failing to appear for an October sentencing for another drug charge — will remain in custody until September 1, at which time a judge will decide whether the singer should be sentenced to prison or a residential drug treatment program.

07.19.2006

August 20 is going to be a big night for Kevin Federline. Britney Spears' rapper/dancer husband will make his network-television performance debut on Teen Choice 2006, closing the awards show with "Lose Control" from his upcoming Playing With Fire album. Jessica Simpson, who is up for three Teen Choice prizes, will be co-hosting the show with "Employee of the Month" co-star Dane Cook. The event will air live on Fox. Teen Choice votes are being accepted until August 11 at TeenPeople.com. ...

T.I. has signed on for another film role, and this time the rapper/actor will be playing a used-car salesman. The movie, tentatively titled "For Sale," will be the first film project from T.I.'s Grand Hustle Entertainment, Variety reports. It's set at an unpopular used-car lot in Atlanta. ...

Tired of the theme song to Showtime's pot-centric series "Weeds"? Perhaps star Mary-Louise Parker was too. The show's opening tune, "Little Boxes," will be reinterpreted each week of its upcoming second season by different artists, including Death Cab for Cutie, Elvis Costello, Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, Tim DeLaughter of the Polyphonic Spree, Regina Spektor and Ozomatli. Guests on the second season — which kicks off August 14 — will include Zooey Deschanel and Snoop Dogg, who will star as himself and record a song about smoking on the show. ... The All-American Rejects announced Tuesday that they are canceling the remainder of their Canadian tour — which included shows in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver — after doctors ordered frontman Tyson Ritter to rest his voice. The band hopes that a week off the road will help Ritter's throat, and the Rejects intend to play their next scheduled show, a July 26 gig at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California. They made the announcement via a post on their Web site and concluded by pledging to make up the Canadian dates "later this year." ... Los Angeles is the place to be Saturday if you're an electronic-music fan. Paul Oakenfold, the Crystal Method, Deep Dish, John Digweed, Christopher Lawrence and other big names will be taking over four city blocks downtown from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. the following morning. Ten thousand attendees are expected for the five-stage Giant Village block party. ...

Hot Hot Heat have been added to the roster for this year's Hedgpeth Festival, set to take place July 28 and July 29 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Primus and the Flaming Lips are headlining. ... KT Tunstall has lined up a two-month North American headlining tour, which kicks off September 8 in Philadelphia and will hit cities including Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Nashville and Cincinnati before finishing up October 11 in Providence, Rhode Island. Tunstall will be featured on the PBS music series "Soundstage" on July 27. ... Former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes wed his boyfriend of two years last month in a civil union in London, he announced on his Web site Monday. "As so many of you have given me your heart and soul over the past 10 years I thought it only fitting that I too return the respect and inform you of the most significant event in my life," Hayes wrote. He called June 19, the day of the ceremony, his "happiest day." ... There certainly are a lot of people out there who can relate to Daniel Powter's rotten 24 hours. The Canadian singer/songwriter's label announced that "Bad Day" has become the best-selling digital single in the U.S. to date, with nearly 1.7 million downloads. Powter kicked off his first U.S. tour Monday. ... Ashlee Simpson is stepping into the shoes of Christina Aguilera and Carrie Underwood — as a spokesperson for Skechers footwear. Simpson, who will promote the line through 2007, says she has something in common with the shoes. "Like me, they are not afraid of taking chances and having fun." ...

Ozzy Osbourne leads a panel of artists and music-industry players presiding over the sixth annual Independent Music Awards. Cyndi Lauper, Buddy Guy, Fatboy Slim, Afrika Bambaataa, Beenie Man, Tim Panotta of Sugarcult and Paul Oakenfold are among the judges for the competition, which honors achievements in genres from heavy metal to gospel. This year marks the first Sing Out for Social Action prize, awarded to politically conscious performers. Entry forms for interested musicians are available at IndependentMusicAwards.com. Submissions are due by August 25. ... The governor of Arkansas is preparing to pardon Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards for a 31-year-old reckless driving charge, The Associated Press reports. Richards was pulled over July 5, 1975, and paid a $162 fine. A clemency petition has been filed and now Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who plays bass in a band called Capitol Offense, will have the option of wiping Richards' record clean in 30 days. ... Pacific Northwest indie rockers Band of Horses have announced a fall U.S. tour. The 24-date trek kicks off in their hometown of Seattle on July 28, hits New York a whopping four times and finishes off back in Seattle for a two-night stand at the Showbox on November 4 and 5.

• Paris Hilton
• Britney Spears
• Russell Simmons
• R.E.M.
• Dirty on Purpose

Murder City Devils
Photo: Jennifer Patrick/Sub-Pop Records

SEATTLE — On the union shield that hangs above the stage at the new rock hall called Local 46, there's a fist surrounded by lightning bolts. The symbol stands for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, but on a recent February night, it looked like it was there to catch the sparks flying off local spazzoids the Briefs.

Their singer was blasting a tune called "Silver Bullet," apparently a directive to ice one of Detroit's most famous sons, though it sounded like he was shouting, "Throw Bob Seger a bone!" Decked out in skinny ties, bleached-blond 'dos and an array of big plastic sunglasses, the band looked straight out of 1978.

Of course, a good number in the audience wouldn't remember the new-wave get-ups — that's because Local 46 is an all-ages venue, and many of the kids there that night weren't born until after 1980.

In a city known for its pioneering rock and grunge roots, where no less a name than Nirvana's Krist Novoselic has turned out to city council meetings on behalf of teens who wanna rock out — but where all-ages halls are few and far between — Local 46 is represents a potential victory.

Shows there by the Murder City Devils, the Makers, 764-HERO, the Tight Bro's From Way Back When and other bands are part of a new volunteer initiative called the Vera Project. Its aim: to give underage kids a chance not just to go to shows, but to take part in all facets of the live rock music business.

"A lot of my friends who didn't get into the whole music thing started doing drugs, and I lost them," said Amy Bower, 17. Bower volunteered at the door during the Briefs gig and has been involved in putting on shows in the Seattle suburb of Redmond since she was 12. "I wish that they could just be involved in something like this." A safe and creative program like the Vera Project seems like just the sort of activity civic leaders would want for kids with time on their hands. But local ordinances have long kept young folks and shows apart in Seattle by imposing expensive insurance and security requirements on club owners.

Last summer, the city council passed a new law to ease restrictions on all-ages events, but Democratic Mayor Paul Schell vetoed the measure, in part over concerns of young people entering nightclubs without parents. As a nonprofit, the Vera Project can work around the restrictions.

"[For] the tremendous attention that Seattle has gotten as a music center, it's very ironic that we're also not having that accessible to young people," said council member Richard Conlin, a Democrat who sponsored last year's All Ages Dance Ordinance. "For the young people, you lose not only their opportunity to participate in the artistic experience and the opportunity to participate in the social experience, but also the opportunity of some of their future careers." The city council granted the Vera Project $25,000 to fund the first of three three-month pilot runs, each of which is followed by a month of review. Conlin and other supporters would ultimately like to see the city own, wholly or in part, a permanent venue for Vera, so the project won't get priced out of its neighborhood. Last year a volunteer club called the Velvet Elvis shut its doors when rent got too high.

The Vera Project takes its name from a club in Groningen, Holland, where the local government has supported arts events for a century. In recent times, it's become a requisite stop for punk bands touring Europe.

While Seattle's Vera Project has three paid staff members, its shows are run by volunteers. Members gather biweekly to pick bands, sign up for flyering duty, request a chance to help with the Local 46's professional sound system or work on the project's 'zine.

"It's a creative alternative to the status quo extracurricular activities that are out there in Seattle," said Josh Ayala, chair of the project's board of directors and director of new media for Sub Pop Records. "The major focuses currently are sporting activities. There are a few mentorship programs out there and different counseling. But there isn't an organization providing solely music and arts." Back on Local 46's stage the raw rock of Droo Church seemed to be drawing just as many over-21 fans as underage kids. That's healthy for the music community, according to Travis Nakamura, 21-year-old drummer for hardcore band Teen Cthulu and a security assistant volunteer with the Vera Project.

"There's a lot of stuff to do in this town," he said. "People don't feel the need to support a scene. This is helping to educate, letting people know if you don't go out to shows and support, there's not gonna be any venues." For now, 18-year-old Scott Brauer is happy to do his part for Vera by shelling out the $6 admission. The University of Washington sophomore came to see the Briefs and other bands with a half-dozen friends.

"It's just a way to create something that teenagers can do," he said. "There aren't really a whole lot of things I can find that are very cheap."

• The Murder City Devils
• The Makers
• 764-Hero

Built To Spill, the Supersuckers, and Murder City Devils are among the artists that will be getting "experienced" over the next few weekends as part of the Northwest Passage Concert Series being offered by the recently-opened Experience Music Project.

Former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan and Goodness singer Carrie Akre will also participate in the weekend series of live gigs at the Seattle-based music museum, with Lanegan set to launch the shows on October 13.

The Northwest Passage Concert Series will then continue for the next five weeks. Local folkster Willis will then play the EMP's Sky Church on October 20, followed by Akre on November 4, Built To Spill on November 11, and the Supersuckers on November 18. The Murder City Devils will close out the series on November 25.

Opening acts for the shows will be selected by each of the headliners, and as the title of the concert series suggests, will focus on rising artists from the Seattle area and the Northwest region.

For more information about the Northwest Passage Concert Series, check out the Experience Music Project's Web site at www.emplive.com.

• Built to Spill
• The Murder City Devils

The Lone Star punk rock outfit At The Drive-In has announced plans to hook up with Seattle hard rockers Murder City Devils for a joint tour starting on October 4 in Pomona, California.

At The Drive-In had been tapped to open for the now-canceled Beastie Boys-Rage Against The Machine tour (see "Beasties-Rage Cancel 'Rhyme & Reason'; Yauch Talks DVD"), and the El Paso, Texas-based band will now be out in support of its first major-label release, "Relationship Of Command."

The LP cracked this week's "Billboard" album charts at number 151 after selling some 8,000 copies in its first week in release, according to SoundScan. The Murder City Devils will be out promoting their second record for Sub Pop, "In Name And Blood," which was issued in June.

Dates for the At The Drive-In and Murder City Devils' fall tour:

• 10/4 - Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
• 10/5 - Phoenix, AZ @ Nile Theater
• 10/6 - El Paso, TX @ E9
• 10/8 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
• 10/9 - Austin, TX @ Emo's
• 10/10 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room
• 10/11 - New Orleans, LA @ Shim Sham Club
• 10/13 - Tallahassee, FL @ Cowhaus
• 10/14 - Orlando, FL @ Sapphire Supper Club
• 10/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Cotton Club
• 10/16 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
• 10/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater Of Living Arts
• 10/19 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
• 10/20 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza - CMJ w/Tenacious D, Russell Simins (no MCD)
• 10/21 - Boston, MA @ Axis
• 10/23 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
• 10/24 - Toronto, ON @ Reverb
• 10/25 - Buffalo, NY @ Showplace
• 10/28 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 10/29 - Providence, RI @ Lupos
• 11/1 - Oberlin, OH @ Oberlin College
• 11/5 - Green Bay, WI @ Concert Cafe
• 11/2 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 11/3 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
• 11/4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 11/7 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
• 11/8 - Des Moines, IA @ Hairy Mary's
• 11/11 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
• 11/14 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
• 11/15 - Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards
• 11/16 - Portland, OR @ Pine Street Theater
• 11/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
• 11/19 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
• 11/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA

• At the Drive-In
• The Murder City Devils

After delivering a killer set while opening for Pearl Jam during the first stages of its Yield tour, the Murder City Devils are readying to draw another chalk line around the corpse of bloated indie rock with their sophomore album, "Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts," which arrives in stores this week.

Formed out of an amalgamation of several Seattle hardcore bands, including Area 51, Death Wish Kids, and the Unabombers, the Murder City Devils -- featuring vocalist Spencer Moody, guitarists Nate Manny and Dann Galucci, bassist Derek Fudesaco and drummer Coady Willis -- began kicking out their rock & roll homicide in November 1996.

Within a year, the Devils had already released a self-titled indie debut featuring the band's sonic mix of sharp punk riffs and droning Farfisa organ. But it was the band's frenetically paced, in-your-face live shows that led the Devils to sign to the hometown label Sub Pop, which helped launch the careers of Nirvana and Soundgarden.

"Since the beginning," said drummer Coady Willis, "our music has been a response to the indie-rock ego corps that had really overrun the Seattle scene in the last few years. Bands seemed bashful about being onstage and audiences didn't seem to have any fun at shows."

In addition to sharing a collective musical heritage of such Northwestern bands as Modest Mouse and Mudhoney, the Devils also, in fact, share some common members -- Devils guitarist Dann Gallucci also plays in Modest Mouse -- and some common themes.

On one of the tracks from "Empty Bottles" entitled "Left Hand Right Hand," the Devils pound out a tribute to the classic Robert Mitchum film, "Night of the Hunter," borrowing its title from the tattoos that Mitchum's character had etched onto his knuckles. But on the same day the Devils' album arrives in store, fellow Seattle band Mudhoney will release their own new record, "Tomorrow Hit Today," which features yet another song about the film, "Night of the Hunted."

"Totally a coincidence," laughs Willis, "but it's kinda weird, y'know. But there's certainly no cultural identification with the film and say, the Seattle. [Vocalist] Spencer Moody came in the day after watching the film and with these lyrics he was inspired to write and we built it up from there. But it was funny to see Mudhoney's record, and think, 'Hey, wait a second.'"

The Murder City Devils have recently tapped Leslie Hardy, from another local group, Love's Laughter, to play keyboards on the band's upcoming tour, which kicks-off on Friday in Portland.

Other dates for the Murder City Devils' winter tour:

• 9/25 - Portland, @ EJ's
• 9/26 - Wilmington, CA @ PCH Club
• 9/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Garage's Club Sucker
• 9/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
• 10/2 - Seattle, WA @ Breakroom
• 10/3 - Bellingham, WA @ Double Wide
• 10/4 - Vancouver, BC @ Picadilly
• 10/27 - Missoula, MT @ Jays Bar
• 10/30 - Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Club
• 10/31 - Columbia, MO @ University of Missouri
• 11/1 - Chicago, IL @ The Metro
• 11/2 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
• 11/3 - Cleveland, OH @ Speak In Tongues
• 11/4 - Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
• 11/5 - New York, NY @ Baird College
• 11/6 - New York, NY @ CMJ Music Marathon
• 11/10 - Middletown, CT @ Wesleyan University's West Co Cafe
• 11/11 - New York, NY @ Under Acme
• 11/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Bryn Mawr College
• 11/13 - Columbus, OH @ Bernies
• 11/14 - Cincinnati, OH @ Buzz Coffeeshop
• 11/15 - Jeffersonville, KY @ Sound Stik
• 11/17 - Fayetteville, AR @ Clunk Music
• 11/18 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Bayou
• 11/19 - Austin, TX @ Liberty Lunch
• 11/20 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
• 11/22 - San Antonio, TX @ Reverb Lounge
• 11/24 - Albequerque, NM @ Launchpad
• 11/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Al's Bar
• 11/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill

• Mudhoney
• The Murder City Devils