Mike Patton
Photo: Karl Walter/ Getty Images

When given the chance, former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton usually gives up the goods on the various percolating projects he has a hand in. Even when those projects are years away from public consumption (as most of his current projects are), Patton almost always blabs, providing every pertinent detail a music journalist could want — from the names of the other players involved to the visual ideas he's mulling over for the eventual album art.

But that was the old Mike — new Mike is more cautious these days, while he would have leaked like a sieve in the past. There would be no gut-spilling this time around, folks.

When asked what's been keeping him busy, he brings up his forthcoming collaboration with Dan the Automator for a record he'd previously described as "DMX for white people." When asked about the project's name, he demurs.

"I don't think Dan wants me to talk much about it, so I better put a cork in it," he explained. "I probably shouldn't talk about it. I have a big mouth. I have to watch it these days, because there are a few things that, especially those that are just getting off the ground, where in years past, I would just spill the beans. But now I'm feeling more protective of it, and worrying about jinxing it, because a lot of these ideas don't come into fruition, and I look like a total fool."

He did, however, talk at length about his contributions to the forthcoming Will Smith flick "I Am Legend," which opens Friday. Patton voiced the cannibalistic, nocturnal mutant survivors of a manmade plague that wiped everyone off the face of the Earth, except the Fresh Prince.

"It came out of the blue, man," he said about being asked to work on "Legend." "The film's producers and sound people wanted the creatures in the movie to sound somewhat human, but not the standard. I guess what most movies in that genre use are pitch-shifted animal sounds and stuff like that. But they wanted this to sound closer to a human being, and they thought, 'Why don't we contact some musicians?' I guess they called a few guys, and they ended up with me."

Patton spent four hours in a recording studio, trying to mimic the film's vampire-like baddies. He said it was much like his improv gigs, only with a television placed in front of him, so that he could watch rough footage of the film's evil forces. Sometimes he'd even get direction, like, "You have a steel rod poked through your eye, and you're falling out of a building — make it emotional." It was tough, he said, to not laugh during certain parts of the process: "At times, the creatures I was attempting to impersonate weren't creatures at all, but goofy-looking guys in motion-capture suits."

"They tried to talk about it a little bit, and we all kind of looked at each other with funny expressions, and then we looked at the footage, just to give me an idea of what the scenes were like, and the cadences, how it moved, the peaks and the valleys, blah blah blah," he said. "I said, 'OK, I think I get it.' I improvised the whole thing over a four-hour whirlwind, and it was a lot of fun.

"I've always been interested in film, so to get involved in any way in the genesis of making a film or music for a film is fascinating to me," he added. "I sat there with my mouth open the whole time. To get a chance to do what I do and have it integrated into a gigantic project like that was pretty cool."

Patton also has a film score on the way, which he wrote and recorded himself, for the 20-minute independent film noir "A Perfect Place." The film's soundtrack, which Patton will release through his label, Ipecac, runs more than 40 minutes.

"A normal composer would have written 10 minutes," he laughs. "It was my first soundtrack, so I erred on the side of caution, and once I got into it, I wrote variations and alternates, and I wasn't thinking at the time about how much music it was — I just wanted the director to be happy and [have] plenty of weapons for each scenario. It's going to be a CD-length soundtrack, even though it's longer than the film. I also did the film's source music, so every time you see a guy get in a car and turn the radio on, that music, I did. It wasn't just like, 'Write a cheerful goodbye scene.' "

As far as how it sounds, Patton said it crosses every genre imaginable, but "the main themes have a big-band, almost jazz sort of slant. I was listening to a lot of ['Magnificent Seven' composer] Elmer Bernstein, so I was trying to steal a little bit from him."

Next year will also see the release of Patton's Mondo Cane, which was recorded live in Italy with the help of a full orchestra. Patton conducted the group through a number of his interpretations of 1950s and '60s Italian pop music.

"It'll be out next summer, and was something I'd wanted to do for eight years," he explained. "That should be a good one, and it's unlike anything I've ever done."

Fans will have to wait until '09 for the sophomore LP from Patton's Peeping Tom, and the second Lovage record — while written — will also have to wait until after 2008. Same goes for the next Fantomas record, the singer said. Next year, though, Ipecac will release a ton of new material, including an LP from Rahzel, another Melvins record, an Ennio Morricone compilation and the next installment in Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme's Desert Sessions.

"I'm starting to become conscious of putting too much stuff out there," he confided. "I really don't want to put more than a couple of records out a year, and I think that makes sense — on an artistic level, but also for my label."

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• Will Smith Snagged 'I Am Legend' From Schwarzenegger

• Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Pete Wentz, More At New York Premiere Of "I Am Legend"
• "I Am Legend"

• Mike Patton
• Faith No More

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Time to pucker up for Madonna's next album — Billboard.com reports that the singer has settled on the title for it: Licorice. The effort, which will reportedly feature "Candy Shop" and "The Beat Goes On" (featuring Pharrell), is due in late April and will be Madge's last effort for longtime label Warner Bros. Kanye West is said to be a guest on "The Beat Goes On," according to the site, which also reports that Madonna's vintage track "The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" will get an update on the new disc. ...

Jessica Sierra pleaded not guilty on Thursday (December 6) to charges of disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest and violating conditions of her parole on earlier felony battery and possession charges, according to The Associated Press. The former "American Idol" finalist was arrested early Sunday morning outside a bar in Ybor City, near Tampa, Florida, after causing an unspecified disturbance while working inside the establishment. Sierra's lawyer reportedly said he is consulting with doctors to map out a comprehensive drug and alcohol plan for the ex-"Idol" contestant, who is currently being held without bail. Sierra is to remain in jail at least until her next hearing on December 20. ...

Gym Class Heroes, the Academy Is ... and Relient K will help anchor next year's Warped Tour, according to Alternative Press. Every Time I Die, From First to Last and the Bronx are also among the first 18 bands named for the summer trek, with the dates yet to be announced. ... Speaking of summer fests, Bonnaroo will take place June 12-15 in Manchester, Tennessee, Billboard.com reports. The lineup will be revealed in late January or early February. ... Your chance to download Radiohead's In Rainbows is about to end. The band has announced that the InRainbows.com Web site will close Saturday. But you can still plunk down $80 for the box set at Radiohead's online w.a.s.t.e. store, while supplies last. ...

Ne-Yo and Macy Gray are joining Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and others as they pitch in for presidential aspirant Senator Barack Obama. Ne-Yo and the Goo Goo Dolls will play at an Obama fundraiser in Universal City, California, on Monday, while Gray, Tweedy and others will perform at the senator's Friday event in Obama's hometown of Chicago. On a related note, Wilco will set out for a two-week U.S. tour in February. ... Paris, you've got nothing on Britney — Spears outdid Hilton on eBay in terms of related items sold this year. AP reports that 34,345 Brit-related items were sold, compared with 27,377 for Paris. A mere 8,099 items related to Lindsay Lohan were auctioned, while on the movies front, "Transformers" beat out Harry Potter with 442,342 and 344,825 related items sold, respectively. ...

Indie-rockers, state attorneys general and anti-smoking activists are finding themselves on the same side, oddly enough — some of them are reportedly peeved about an ad for Camel cigarettes that appeared alongside a cartoon-heavy indie-rock feature in the magazine's November 15 issue, Pitchfork reports. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has stopped promotions for its "The Farm" marketing campaign after nine attorneys general sued the company over the ads, according to North Carolina's Winston-Salem Journal. More states are reportedly expected to also sue R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which could face a fine of more than $100 million for violating a 1998 agreement between 46 states and tobacco manufacturers. The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement banned the use of cartoons to sell market cigarettes in 1997, effectively killing off Joe Camel. Also being debated, according to Pitchfork, are Camel-sponsored concerts that have featured the Flaming Lips, Band of Horses and the Faint. ...

Alicia Keys will ring in the new year with a performance on the roof of New York's Rockefeller Center as part of Carson Daly's shindig on NBC, People.com reports. The show, which will air December 31 at 11:35 p.m. ET, will also feature Lenny Kravitz performing in Times Square. Keys will sing two songs from her latest album, As I Am. ... LL Cool J, Rev Run, Petra Nemcova, Brett Ratner and other celebs have ponied up items for an ongoing online charity auction staged by Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund. "Diamonds Give" features 15 lots of donated diamond pieces and runs through December 16 on eBay. ...

It sounds like U2 might be going back to the future on their upcoming album. The band, which flirted with dance beats and techno on such albums as 1991's Achtung Baby, is incorporating trance, metal and Moroccan influences on its new disc, according to an interview with Bono in The Independent. The singer said fans will "feel the difference. ... Normally when you play a U2 tune, it clears the dance floor. And that may not be true of this. There's some trance influences." He also said the yet-untitled and unscheduled album has some "very hardcore guitar" and "real molten metal" from guitarist the Edge that doesn't sound "like anything we've ever done before, and we don't think it sounds like anything anyone else has done either." Though he wouldn't categorize the album as "world" music, Bono said its sound was inspired in part by a religious music festival the guys attended in Fez, Morocco, where they were exposed to Sufi music. "It was a real humbling thing for a punk-rock shouter, listening to these people who just close their eyes for 40 minutes and sing the most sophisticated melodies." So far, U2 have recorded enough material for two records, he added. ...

Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson recently hung with locals, bathed in an irrigation ditch in their boxers and visited an orphanage in Peru this week, according to AP. An image that surfaced shows the two, who reportedly stayed at a cheap hotel room that cost less than $50 per night, smiling and waving in Cuzco. Cameron Diaz, Bill Gates and others visited the area earlier this year. ... Courtney Love has a new video on her hands ... kind of. A clip featuring manga character Princess Ai — whose universe of properties was co-created by Love — will premiere at the New York Anime Festival on Saturday. "Princess Ai: Broken Leash," which includes live action, animation and music, will appear as part of a CD/DVD anthology due in fall 2008. ... It's hard to keep old punks down. After their recent reunion tour of England this year, punk grandfathers the Sex Pistols will hit the road again next summer, according to Reuters. Guitarist Steve Jones did not give any specifics about the 2008 tour on his Los Angeles radio show on Wednesday, other than to say that the group might play an upcoming charity show at London's Royal Albert Hall organized by Who singer Roger Daltrey. ...

And the battle over James Brown's estate goes on. According to AP, two former trustees for the late singer's estate say the judge who is handling the disputes made them resign in late November. In recently filed court documents, Buddy Dallas and Alford Bradley reportedly said they want to retract their resignations and that South Carolina Circuit Judge Jack Early used "improper judicial influence." They are also seeking for the appointment of their successors to be overturned.

12.5.07

Unlike Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie, Kiefer Sutherland is not getting off easy with his DUI — the "24" actor has been sentenced to 48 days in a Los Angeles County jail for his September 24 arrest and violating his probation. The actor must start serving his sentence at the Glendale City Jail prior to March 30, UsMagazine.com reports. He has also been sentenced to five years of probation, must finish a year-and-a-half-long alcohol-education program and go to weekly therapy sessions for a half-year. Sutherland, who had a previous DUI before his fall arrest, had been pulled over by police after making an illegal U-turn and reportedly blew twice the legal blood-alcohol level during a breathalyzer test. He issued a statement after entering a no-contest plea in early October, saying, "I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on '24' and at 20th Century Fox." ... Contrasting with Sutherland's devastating news, Richie caught a break on Wednesday when her court-mandated anti-drinking program granted the socialite a leave of absence, according to People. Coordinators at the program were reportedly worried for Richie's safety, with her rep saying such leaves of absence are granted to people with medical conditions and that she did not get special treatment. Richie is eight months pregnant and has to complete the 18-month program as part of her DUI plea deal ...

Bad news for Vanessa Hudgens: A Los Angeles judge ruled Wednesday (December 5) that a breach-of-contract suit by her former lawyer can go forward, according to CBS News. Brian L. Schall is suing the "The High School Musical" star for breach of contract, although Hudgens has argued that she was a minor at the time she signed the agreement and therefore isn't bound to it. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tricia Ann Bigelow said the matter of Hudgens disaffirming her contractual obligations within a reasonable time period is a "factual issue," and that Hudgens' decision to wait until she was 18 years and 9 months old to reject the contract is an issue for either a jury decision or a motion for summary judgment. The next hearing in the case is slated for January 15. ... Lindsay Lohan might be facing another setback too: Raymundo Ortega, the busboy who is seeking $200,000 in damages stemming from Lohan's collision with his van in October 2005, says he has proof the starlet was drinking before the crash, according to The Associated Press. He reportedly filed papers Tuesday. ...

An interview with T.I. that was conducted prior to his October arrest on gun charges appears in the December/January issue of Rap-Up magazine, which features him and Nicole Scherzinger on alternate covers. The rapper said he has a new urban-clothing line on the way — called "A King of Oneself" — and also revealed his interest in a different type of endeavor: commercial construction. "I want to build a Home Depot or a Wal-Mart, shopping centers," he told the mag. Tip cited Tupac as the rapper who had the most influence on him growing up — and called out some other big names for keeping him out of trouble. "Sometimes I be wildin' out, then [Suge Knight says,] 'Man, you got too much going on, you can't do that. It ain't like the old days,' " said the rapper, who is currently under house arrest. "[Jay-Z] will tell me the same thing, [Diddy] tell me the same thing, Kevin Liles — everybody trying. Wyclef is another one. People, I guess, just care." ...

For her part, Nicole Scherzinger named Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as the singers she admires the most. She also talked about someone else you may have heard of — Kanye West — and why the tracks he produced for her solo debut didn't make the cut. "I wasn't able to really finish them in time," said the singer, whose Her Name Is Nicole LP is due January 29. "When I have the right time and the right album, I wanna finish those songs. There was talks of putting Common on one of them." Scherzinger also talked about shooting her "Whatever U Like" video with the other Rap-Up cover artist, T.I. "When we did the video it was crazy 'cause we were all up in each other's grills, like [director] Paul Hunter really made us go there, but it was great. He's a professional. Paul was making us tug on each other; we were hard-core for a hot second." ...

Jay-Z celebrated his 38th birthday with Beyoncé in Paris on Tuesday, according to People.com. The couple reportedly holed up in a hotel suite, took a drive around the city, ate at L'Avenue restaurant and caught a cabaret show. ... Pete Wentz, Chris Brown, the Jonas Brothers and Corbin Bleu all made Teen magazine's list of the 50 Hottest Guys in Hollywood — but Zac Efron takes the cake by topping the bunch. ... Keira Knightley stripped down for the revealing cover of the latest issue of Interview magazine. "How does that always happen?" the "Atonement" actress asked herself, in the interview, of taking off her clothes. "Because I say yes, I suppose." ...

Styles P, Hurricane Chris and Fabolous will bring some yuletide cheer to Russell Simmons and Rev Run's eighth annual Youth Holiday Party in New York on Tuesday, with MTV News' own Sway acting as one of the emcees. For the festivities, the Simmons brothers and their Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation will turn the Fillmore at Irving Plaza into a winter wonderland, raffling off prizes like an Xbox 360 and tickets to a taping of "106 & Park." Kids will also get Target gift cards. ...

Journey are counting a new singer among their ranks: Arnel Pineda. The Filipino crooner, who previously covered the band's songs with his group the Zoo, is the third Journey singer in two years — he follows Jeff Scott Soto, who left the fold earlier this year after filling in for Steve Augeri, who split with the band in 2006 due to medical reasons. "I know they'll expect me to sound exactly like 'the voice,' " Pineda said in a statement, referring to yet another former Journey singer: Steve Perry. "But that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world." "Arnel doesn't sound synthetic and he's not emulating anyone," added guitarist Neal Schon, who discovered the singer's Zoo clips online. "I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him ... but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter." ...

Deerhunter, Black Dice, Fischerspooner and others have chipped in unreleased new songs for Living Bridge, a two-CD collection of songs by bands who have previously recorded at Brooklyn, New York's Rare Book Room Studio. The 25-song package will hit stores February 26 and christen Rare Book Room Records, a new label. ... The Breeders will be back in '08 with a new disc hitting stores April 8. Mountain Battles will arrive six years after the band's previous effort, Title TK, which the band took nine years to put out following its most successful album, 1993's Last Splash. The Pixies-affiliated group is also due to tour throughout the year, hitting up South by Southwest and Coachella along the way. ... Peaches will sweeten up New Year's Eve this year by counting down the clock in downtown Los Angeles as part of Hard NYE's bash. She will also perform, as will Justice. ...

Paula Abdul was a "disaster" on "Saturday Night Live" when she hosted the show two years ago — so says Tina Fey in the January issue of Playboy. "I was pregnant at the time and probably a little moody, but I remember thinking, 'She's a disaster!' " Fey said. ... Vivica A. Fox booked herself on Wednesday on charges of driving under the influence, TMZ.com reports. A judge ordered on Monday that the actress be booked or face a bench warrant. ... Charges were dropped against Jonathan Rhys-Meyers after he apologized for creating a drunken fracas at an airport in Ireland earlier this year. The actor, who faced two charges of public drunkenness and breach of peace, said through his lawyer that he intends to make a donation to an unspecified charity. ...

The one guy who seemed kind of charmed by Borat's antics in last year's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" has joined the parade of people suing the fake Kazakh reporter. According to Reuters, driving instructor Michael Psenicska's suit against the film's makers and star Sacha Baron Cohen claims that he was tricked into participating in a film that he was led to believe was a "documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life." Psenicska said he was paid $500 in cash to give Borat a driving lesson and described the experience as "surreal," saying Cohen drove erratically down residential streets, drank alcohol and yelled to a female pedestrian that he would pay her $10 for "sexy time." Psenicska is seeking $100,000 in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages for being misled, and for the emotional harm he allegedly continues to suffer. Psenicska said if he had known the true nature of the film, he never would have participated. The studio behind the flick said the suit had no merit and that Psenicska was a willing participant in the film. ...

Eddie Vedder is making his first video appearance since his spot in Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" clip 15 years ago. Mr. Ed is supporting his soundtrack to "Into the Wild" with a video for "Guaranteed." ... Saosin can't get enough of the road — the band, which toured for most of 2007, has rolled out a new 2008 itinerary. The California rockers will take Armor for Sleep and the Bled along for their jaunt, which starts January 21 in Tucson, Arizona, and ends February 14 in Chico, California. ... The sounds made by the creepy creatures in Will Smith's new movie "I Am Legend" might seem familiar to Faith No More fans — Mike Patton is the one behind them. The always-busy musician, who previously lent his voice to video games like "The Darkness" and "The Portal," is also delving into the film world with "A Perfect Place," a noirish short film for which he composed the music. ...

The family of Justin Barker, the white student who was allegedly beaten by six black classmates last year in Jena, Louisiana, has filed a civil lawsuit against the teens, their parents, the local school board and a seventh student who was not charged in the case, USA Today reports. The lawsuit claims that the attack on Barker was of "such extreme nature so as to require emergency medical care and treatment for the harm inflicted by the attack, and resulting in extensive and permanently disabling injuries." The suit, filed Thursday, also alleges that employees of the LaSalle Parish School Board were not adequately supervising students or maintaining discipline. ...

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will flex his rock muscle on Friday at a fundraising show featuring Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy performing solo alongside buzz band the Cool Kids, Third Eye Blind singer Stephan Jenkins, Jill Sobule and local indie bands the Changes and Canasta. The "Change Rocks" show will take place at the Riviera Theatre in Obama's hometown of Chicago, with tickets ranging from $50 to $500 apiece. ... Hillary Clinton's campaign has had a change of heart. Less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, Clinton has dropped her controversial campaign theme song, "You and I" by Celine Dion, and replaced it with "Blue Sky" by Colorado 1990s college faves Big Head Todd and the Monsters, according to ABC News. ...

We can see now why comedian Dave Chappelle might have walked away from that $50 million Comedy Central deal: He'd rather be doing stand-up. Chappelle broke his own endurance record on Sunday with a set at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California, that lasted six hours and 12 minutes, besting his previous mark, set in April, by a good five minutes. Club owner Jamie Masada told AP that Chappelle was on a mission. "Dave was determined to keep his record because he recently heard that Dane Cook was planning on trying to break [his] record," Masada said. ... R&B singer Avant has signed to Capitol Records to release his next album, due in the summer. The multiplatinum crooner was previously signed to MCA, before the label folded into Geffen Records, through which he released four albums and a string of hit singles, including his breakout "Separated." Avant's yet-untitled next album is expected to include production from Rodney Jerkins and Mr. Collipark, among others.

• Madonna
• Gym Class Heroes
• Alicia Keys
• Radiohead
• The Academy Is...

Peeping Tom's Mike Patton
Photo: Ipecac

It was more than five years ago that Mike Patton's faithful followers first heard that the eccentric mastermind had started compiling a who's who of collaborators for a genre-bending project he was calling Peeping Tom.

And for five years, those fans waited — wondering when, if ever, the inaugural Peeping LP would surface.

The oft-delayed album sort of became the former Faith No More frontman's Chinese Democracy, with Patton devotees growing increasingly skeptical that the project would ever materialize. But unlike Axl, Patton delivered, and Peeping Tom's self-titled debut hit record stores two weeks ago at #103 on Billboard's album sales chart.

"I'm not quite that insane, please," said Patton, scoffing at the Axl comparison. "Give me a little credit, man! It was a learning process for me, making this record. Not having a band in front of you that you can sort of direct, and then press 'record' and say, 'One, two, three, four — let's go,' I mean, it was very different."

Compiling Peeping Tom's 11 tracks was an exercise in patience. Patton crafted the tunes, then dropped them in the mail to the musicians who had agreed to lend him a hand — a list that included artists ranging from Kid Koala and Massive Attack to Brazilian chanteuse Bebel Gilberto and Norah Jones (see "Norah Jones Curses Up A Storm For New Mike Patton Project").

"I'd send out a track and start working on something else," said Patton, explaining the Peeping Tom delay. "You don't sit around for the mailman to come, you work on other sh--. And that's what I did. It was really something I worked on over a period of several years that was in the background of my life.

"I think I'll approach it differently the second time around," Patton continued; he had intended to release the second Peeping Tom LP this fall, but said it's looking more like 2007 for the follow-up. "I know the process now, and the pitfalls of the process. Maybe I'll rack up some frequent-flyer miles and visit some people and record with them." Patton said he didn't impose deadlines for the first record, so it became "kind of like a long fishing trip, trying to reel in all this stuff."

For the second Peeping Tom effort, Patton said he already has several tracks in the can that didn't fit into the overall theme of the first record — songs he'd worked on with producer Richard Devine and Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs. He also has a lengthy wish list of possible collaborators, none of whom he'd mention, "because I don't want to jinx it."

One person he's been openly pursuing for the project is Björk. Patton contributed to the Icelandic singer's last LP, the nearly a cappella Medulla, which featured an all-star cast of eccentric vocalists, also including former Roots beatboxer Rahzel, English singer Robert Wyatt and Japanese vocal pyrotechnician Dokaka.

"I'm going to see her in a few days, and it's something we've been talking about," he said. "She was supposed to be on this album, but couldn't. We'll eventually find a way to make this work."

In the meantime, Peeping Tom has lined up a handful of North American gigs next month, including stops in Costa Mesa, California, on July 20; a pair of shows in Los Angeles on July 23 and 24 (supporting Gnarls Barkley); July 27 in Chicago; and an appearance at the Hedpeth Festival in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, on July 28. This fall, Patton said Peeping will be mounting a full U.S. trek.

"This little string of dates kind of materialized and I sort of saw it as a challenge to get it together," he said. "It's a preview, a little teaser." Patton has assembled a band featuring several artists who appear on Peeping Tom: drummer Joe Tomino, bassist Stu Brooks and guitarist Dave Holmes of Dub Trio; keyboardist Keefus Ciancia; backup singer Imani Coppola; DJ Mike Relm; Rahzel; and electronics wizard Alap Momin of Dälek.

"There's a few options on the table for this fall," he said. "Massive Attack is going out, we're talking about doing some dates with them. And if we do go out with them, we're going to be doing our own shows on the side. It's a nine-piece band. It's going to be a f---ing party, what can I say?"

Patton et al. recently shot a video for first single, "Mojo," with director Matt McDermitt (Backstreet Boys, Motion City Soundtrack) that features cameos by model Rachel Hunter, Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Patton buddy Danny DeVito. DeVito plays "a guy watching late-night TV in a wife-beater and boxers" who flips through the channels and gets bombarded by "each commercial and infomercial and Bowflex ad you'd see at 2:30 in the morning," with most of the album's collaborators playing roles in the re-created spots.

"It's a pretty cute, haunting video," said Patton. "[Nakamura and Hoppus] are thrust into a fake episode of 'Cops,' and they're getting harassed, beat-up and generally abused."

As for Patton's other projects, he said Fantômas, which boasts Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne, Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, is on hold until next year. Patton says he's "way behind" on work with Tomahawk, his band with former Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier and Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis.

He's also working with Nakamura on "a whole new thing, which will be just the two of us," he said. "It's going to be kind of like DMX for white people. That's the concept. I think Dan wants me to bark like a dog."

And when it comes to his defunct act, Mr. Bungle, Patton said he has no plans to revive the experimental funk-metal band.

"Things die for a reason, and in Bungle's case, it was a lot of reasons," he said. "It was great while it lasted, but not something I'd go crawling back to. It was really just one of those things that ... it's like when you have friends in high school, and you start creeping up on age 40, those friendships can take other directions and diverge. That's pretty much what happened.

"It was basically just a lot of personal differences and differences in the way we approached the band, and work ethic. I wish we could have put more records out. We probably should have," he lamented. "The ones we did put out were OK, though."

• Peeping Tom
• Mike Patton

Dixie Chicks
Photo: Columbia

On the previous Billboard album sales chart, Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way debuted on top, moving close to 526,000 copies during its first week in stores. With the field of potential competitors nothing if not slim, the Dixie Chicks managed to stay the course and will spend a second week at #1 despite a 48 percent sales drop.

According to the latest SoundScan totals, another 271,000 copies of Taking the Long Way were snapped up, bringing total sales of the album within 1,500 units of the 800,000-sold mark — a feat that's taken the Red Hot Chili Peppers twice the time to pull off. The Chilis' double LP, Stadium Arcadium, climbs two spots to occupy the chart's #3 slot, selling 87,000-plus copies during its fourth week of release. Sandwiched between the Chicks and the Red Hots is the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," which holds at #2 and moved another 103,000 copies last week to reach 2.3 million in sales.

Rascal Flatts climb two spots to #4, with sales of their Me & My Gang reported at 79,000, followed at #5 by "American Idol" Season 5: Encores, the latest compilation inspired by the hit television series; that disc, featuring contributions by the top 10 "Idol" finalists, including this season's champion Taylor Hicks, moved close to 68,000 units during its second week at retail. The #6 spot belongs to the 21st edition of the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series, which 55,000 scans.

Tool's 10,000 Days hasn't fallen out of the chart's top 10 since its release five weeks ago, coming in this week at #7 with just under 55,000 copies sold; look for the LP to break the 1-million-sold mark within the next week or so. Last year's "American Idol" Carrie Underwood follows at #8, selling close to 54,000 copies of her album Some Hearts. James Blunt's Back to Bedlam returns to the top 10, surging ahead 16 spots with sales of 51,000 and change (a 53 percent boon in retail interest), securing the #9 post. Rounding out the top 10 is Shakira's Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, which sold close to 51,000 copies.

And Rick Rubin must be proud, as he produced three of the albums that appear in this week's top 10 — the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way, the Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, and Shakira's Oral Fixation, Vol. 2.

It was a rather anemic week at retail for new releases, with a mere seven albums making their debut on this latest chart. The honor of highest-charting opener belongs this week to ex-Faith No More frontman and current Peeping Tom mastermind Mike Patton, The self-titled first offering from Peeping Tom — which features collaborations with Norah Jones, Massive Attack, Bebel Gilberto, Dan the Automator, Kool Keith, Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, and the Dub Trio — netted first week sales of nearly 10,000, earning the chart's #103 position.

In at #115, with 8,000 scans, is Of Whales and Woe, the latest outing by Primus bassist Les Claypool. Vic Latino's ThriveMix02 bows at #125 with 7,000 copies sold. Silverstein's 18 Candles: The Early Years fills the #148 hole with 6,000 scans, while Sounds of Animals Fighting open at #183 with 5,000 copies of their Lover, the Lord Has Left Us sold.

• Dixie Chicks
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Tool
• Shakira
• Peeping Tom

Mike Patton
Photo: Chris Floyd

Even though he's slowed down in his golden years, James Brown will always be known as the hardest working man in show business. And while Mike Patton's not exactly gunning for the infamous nickname, he's definitely been giving Brown a run for his money.

Patton — of Faith No More, Fantômas, Tomahawk and about 30 other deranged and wondrous projects — has to work. It's what he does. In addition to running his Ipecac Records label, the anti-rock-star rock star's been putting the finishing touches on the self-titled debut from Peeping Tom, his four-years-in-the-making, long-overdue multi-genre pop masterpiece.

Oh, and he's also tracking vocals for three tunes that'll appear on Massive Attack's forthcoming seventh album, Weather Underground. The one song he's finished thus far for the trip-hoppers "is like a really slow, dirty ballad with mostly acoustic guitar," he said.

Plus he's composing soundtracks for two films (one being friend Melanie Lee's "Pinion"), he recently lent his voice box to the in-development PlayStation 3 game "The Darkness," and he's been writing material for the next Tomahawk LP.

And then there's that trip he's planning to Italy, where — with help from a string orchestra and a full choir — he'll record an album's worth of "my arrangements of '60s Italian pop tunes, which should be fun." He'll also spend some time with composer Eyvind Kang for a collaborative classical choir piece.

That's just the stuff he can remember off the top of his head. "You know, I always forget about some of the things I've done, because you do 'em, and sometimes they don't come out and ... most of it's almost like daily chores or something," Patton explained. "You check it off your list and then it's gone."

And when your list's as long as Mike's, you can't be expected to remember every little thing you've been involved with. Besides, the last four months of Patton's life have been devoted exclusively to finishing the first of three Peeping Tom records in the works, which is due May 30.

"I'm overjoyed to finally have this out of my hair," Patton said. "It's almost cathartic for me — more than any other project I've had. These projects, they're almost like problems. You have them on your work table and they're really fun for a minute, and then you get sick of 'em and you finish 'em off and move on to something else. This one has lingered for a lot of different reasons."

One of the reasons, oddly enough, was proclaimed major-label interest. "There were offers from major labels, and I made the grave error of entertaining some of those offers, and that cost me about a year of wining, dining, singing and dancing and ultimately, I was left holding my n--s," he said. "And I deserved it. I should have known better."

Plus, Patton recruited a laundry list of collaborators, sending tracks across the globe to have other artists add their personal touches. "It was a melee getting all this stuff back," he said.

The initial 11-track Peeping Tom outing will feature a spate of underground and mainstream experimentalists, including Kid Koala; Odd Nosdam; Doseone and Jel of the Bay Area hip-hop collective Anticon; Dale Crover of the Melvins; Massive Attack; Gorillaz beat maestro Dan "The Automator" Nakamura; human beatbox Rahzel the Godfather of Noyze; Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs; Amon Tobin; Brazilian chanteuse Bebel Gilberto; Brooklyn's Dub Trio; DJ Disk of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz; and rapper Kool Keith (see "General Mike Patton Drafts X-ecutioners And An Army Of Other Collaborators").

"It's very streamlined, very slick — it's a groove record," Patton said. "I used programmers and producers from the electronic world and the hip-hop world, in some cases. If there's a sound to [the record], it leans into those worlds. There are simple structures. I'm singing, there's lyrics — to me, it's a pop record. It's something I'd want to turn on the radio and hear."

One of the album's highlights, Patton said, is "Sucker," which boasts the pipes of Norah Jones. "It's a pretty vulgar song," he said, laughing. "You don't recruit someone like that unless you ... I mean, I had something real specific in mind for her, and I wanted to take her out of her element and put her in a new environment and make it exciting, and she loved it. She did great. But yeah, you won't recognize Norah. She's cussing her ass off. It's insane. She's like a cruel vamp, and it's super sexy, hot and, yeah, cruel."

After Peeping Tom's unveiling, Patton said he'll reunite with Nakamura to begin work on the second Lovage record — the follow-up 2001's lounge-flavored Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By. He said there's no word yet on whether Elysian Fields frontwoman Jennifer Charles would be reprising her role as the Cher to his Sonny, but discussions are ongoing.

And Tomahawk are in "go mode," he added. "There are three or four tunes for the record that are done, and we'll be in the studio by the end of the year. Most of the music's based on old Native American motifs. It's going to be a real quiet, strange record."

• Norah Jones
• Mike Patton

3 Doors Down's Brad Arnold (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Martin H. Simon-Pool

Say what you will about 3 Doors Down, but there's one thing for certain: they definitely know when to listen to their fans. According to their manager, the guys had originally intended for "It's Not Me" to be the second single off their Seventeen Days album, but "due to the overwhelming response of the live audiences in Los Angeles and Europe," they decided to make "Behind Those Eyes" the next single. A final video treatment is being mulled over, and the band has set aside April 11 in Los Angeles to shoot the clip. ...

In typical rock-star fashion, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, who, with porn-star wife Deven, became proud parents last week, has named his infant son something even more bizarre than Apple. According to Davis' Web site, Pirate Howsmon Davis entered the world on Friday, and is doing just fine. "I can't describe how I'm feeling right now," Davis wrote. Pirate is the rocker's second child, and Deven's first; Davis has a 9-year-old boy named Nathan from a previous marriage. ... Pearl Jam are in the studio working on their upcoming, as-yet-untitled album, which is tentatively slated for release in the second half of the year, according to a spokesperson. ...

Tyler Perry has hooked up with Dallas Austin to put out the soundtrack to "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." The record is dropping on April 19 and will feature the likes of India.Arie, Monica, Patti LaBelle, Tamia, Heather Headley and Tamela Mann. ... Funkmaster George Clinton is in the final mixing stages of a new P-Funk All Stars album, How Late U Gotta B B4 U Absent?, according to a spokesperson, who described it as "a taste of what's to come from Parliament, Funkadelic, George Clinton and new artists Belita Woods, Kendra Foster, JOI and [Clinton's granddaughter] Sativa." The album is slated for release in June on Clinton's C KUNSPYRUHSY label. ...

Mike Patton's already long list of contributors to his Peeping Tom project has grown even more. Turntablist Kid Koala, beatboxer Rahzel, the Melvins' Dale Crover and Patton's Ipecac labelmate Dalek have all recently signed on. ... Glasgow, Scotland, whine merchants Belle & Sebastian will release a double-disc compilation album on May 24, consisting of the 25 tracks from the band's seven Jeepster EPs as well as all of its singles, according to the band's Web site. Push Barman to Open Old Wounds will feature such songs as "Dog on Wheels," "Lazy Line Painter Jane," "A Century of Elvis" and "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It." ...

Need to get your goth on? On the heels of the re-release of their 1979 debut, Three Imaginary Boys, the Cure will reissue their seminal early '80s discs — Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography — on April 26. The remastered two-disc sets will feature the original album, numerous rarities and a lavish booklet filled with lyrics as well as photos from Robert Smith's personal archives. ... Blues Traveler singer/harmonica player John Popper is about to launch a U.S. tour with the John Popper Project. The guitarless group features DJ Logic on the turntables, Blues Traveler bassist Chan Kinchla and Mosaic drummer Marcus Bleeker. The band has scheduled 11 dates so far, beginning with an April 14 show in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Gov't Mule and running through an April 29 date in Urbana, Illinois. ...

03.22.2005

Hilary and Haylie Duff seem to be inseparable these days — the celeb sisters are teaming up once again, this time to lend their voices to an upcoming animated film called "Foodfight!" The movie takes place in a grocery store, which comes to life after hours and features such characters as Mr. Clean, Charlie the Tuna and Twinkie the Kid dominating the action. There's no word yet on which characters the Duff sisters will play. "Foodfight!" — which will be in 3-D — is due out in the fall of 2006. ...

Audioslave's forthcoming second album now has a name: Out of Exile, which will hit record stores May 17 and feature "The Curse," "Your Time Has Come" and the current radio single, "Be Yourself." Audioslave's spring tour kicks off April 14 in Las Vegas. ... Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the White Stripes, Kid Rock and the Pixies will headline the 12th annual Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta, which takes place June 10-12. Additional artists confirmed include Loretta Lynn, Bloc Party, the Killers, Joan Jett and Coheed & Cambria. Meanwhile, native son and producer Jermaine Dupri has been recruited to curate the festival's urban stage. ...

Fat Joe is making us wait even longer for his All or Nothing LP. The record has been pushed back to May 24; his camp has blamed "sample clearance issues" for the delay. ... Kanye West will release the "Kanye West Video Anthology" on March 22. In addition to his videos, the DVD will feature retooled versions of previously released material, like the "Jesus Walks" remix with Common and Mase, as well as a couple of songs that have never hit shelves, such as "Heavy Hitters With GLC." ... "American Idol" champ Ruben Studdard has been knocked down yet again with another lawsuit, this time from his own godfather. Ronald Edwards, also the singer's former manager, filed a $500,000 countersuit against the Velvet Teddy Bear on Friday, according to The Associated Press, accusing him of failing to pay management fees and other expenses. This comes on the heels of Studdard's $246,000 suit against Edwards, filed March 5, in which the singer accuses his former manager of mismanaging his money while acting as a business advisor. ...

Guitarist Vernon Reid announced on his blog that he will be a guest member of the Roots when they hit the road in June. His group, Living Colour, will be playing the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the end of April. ... Lenny Kravitz donated a signed black-and-white Epiphone Flying V guitar to help raise money for Brazil's fight against hunger, according to Reuters. He personally handed the instrument to Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a photo op before his concert in Brasilia on Saturday. The $5,000 axe will be auctioned off on a government Web site as part of the president's "Zero Hunger" program. Now that Kravitz wrapped his first tour of Latin America over the weekend, U.S. audiences will get to see him perform Stateside when his tour here kicks off on April 5 in Dallas. ...

Meat Beat Manifesto will embark on their first U.S. tour in seven years beginning June 9; a full itinerary for the 20-city trek has not yet been announced. The electronic duo's new album, At the Center, will hit stores on May 24. ... Montreal trio the Unicorns may have called it quits, but we haven't heard the last of them yet. Two of the members, singer Nicholas Diamonds and drummer J'aime Tambour, will continue on as a hip-hop outfit called Th' Corn Gangg. The duo recently made their U.S. debut at South by Southwest and an album and tour are expected later in the year. ... Prolific singer/songwriter and studio/touring musician Mindy Jostyn died March 10 after a battle with cancer. Jostyn had worked with such artists as Carly Simon, Cyndi Lauper, John Mellencamp, Joe Jackson, Shania Twain, Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Joel, according to her Web site. Her latest solo album, Coming Home, is due later this year. ...

• 3 Doors Down
• Korn
• Pearl Jam
• Monica
• Mike Patton

The animated General Mike Patton (file)
Photo: Ipecac

Mike Patton probably owns a Blackberry.

The former Faith No More and Mr. Bungle frontman has always juggled his many musical whims like the finest project manager, but in 2005 his personal digital assistants might need their own personal assistants.

The 37-year-old musician has recruited Oakland, California, DJ crew the X-ecutioners for his latest project, General Patton Vs. the X-ecutioners. Released February 22, Vs. is a characteristically varied affair, featuring the general's vocal acrobatics, skittish needle-dropping and quick cut-and-paste genre changes. And, like a growing number of musical collaborations, most notably the Postal Service, the songs were all completed via the mail.

"I sent them boxes full of records and said, 'Chew on these,' " Patton said of his first self-produced project, arranged and mixed entirely on his home computer. "And I spent all my free time editing it, chopping it and doing my best to mangle it." Challenging the status quo of DJ culture was the goal. "You tend to hear the same breaks and samples. My main focus was to give [the X-ecutioners] a palate that they weren't familiar with. Basically, I sent them a bunch of really weird f---ing records."

Though frenetic and cacophonous, the album does include conventional song structures that Patton calls "islands" of respite from the chaos. A video is being planned for the track "Get Up, Punk!" but don't expect Faith No More-esque camera mugging: The clip's aesthetic is likely to be more in the style of the "Grand Theft Auto" video games.

But this is just the first of many projects scheduled for 2005.

Now unencumbered by corporate red tape (he lost eight months when he briefly signed to a major label), Patton is readying his solo project recorded under the name Peeping Tom. The self-titled LP, a purported "return to pop," will finally see the light of day this fall on his own outsider label, Ipecac.

Four years in the making, Peeping Tom was not only delayed by label politics, but again by working with the unknown. "The music, to my ears, is relatively simple," he said. "But it's one of the more challenging things [I've done], 'cause I didn't have a band, I didn't have anyone to say, 'Play this, play that.' "

The list of producers onboard for the project reads like a cavalcade of who's who in adventurous beatmaking: Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs, Massive Attack, Amon Tobin, Australian DJ collective the Avalanches, and Odd Nosdam (Clouddead) and Jel (Subtle) of the Bay Area hip-hop collective Anticon.

Guests on the album include Brazilian chanteuse Bebel Gilberto and rapper Kool Keith. Patton has more than 30 songs in the can and will likely release two albums' worth of work — one of A-game material and then, later on, the far-from-leftover leftovers collection.

"Reeling in all these people has been like a long fishing trip," said Patton, who's still hoping to rope Björk into the project. (Incidentally, Patton recently remixed the Icelandic singer's "Where Is the Line," and the two have talked about doing an album together.)

However, before that, on April 5, the singer will release Suspended Animation, the fourth record from his unpredictable and mostly instrumental group Fantômas. This time, the dissonant noise group will let its hair down with an album for kids. "It's our good-mood record," Patton laughed. "It's very playful, comical and light on its feet. It sounds like 'Romper Room.' We're gonna have to tour day-care centers."

With his almost pathological preoccupation with making music, something has to fall by the wayside. Those awaiting his harder-rocking outfit Tomahawk might not want to hold their breath. "[Tomahawk guitarist Duane Denison] has written a great set of tunes, but the ball is in my court," Patton said. He doesn't expect the record to be released this year.

In the past year, Patton has already appeared on Björk's Medulla and Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People and has starred in the indie film "Firecracker." So what could possibly be next for this workaholic multitasker? It all depends on with whom he breaks bread.

"Every time [Dan 'The Automator' and I] go out for dinner, there's a new project on the table," he said.

"I don't have a life outside of this sh--, needless to say. I have to make an effort about things like going to the grocery store. That stuff reminds me that I don't live in the real world, and you know what? I'm thankful."

• Mike Patton

The Strokes have dropped off their first three dates of the Weezer/Dashboard Confessional tour (July 15-17) because of "a band member sustaining an injury," according to their Web site. The group hopes to rejoin the tour July 29 for the last two shows with Weezer before beginning a mini-tour with the White Stripes. ... Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and his wife, Jen, welcomed Ava Elizabeth DeLonge into the world on Monday morning. The couple's daughter weighed in at just over 7 pounds. ... Former Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton recently told the East Bay Express that he was invited to sing for INXS in 1997, following the death of frontman Michael Hutchence. The current Fantômas and Tomahawk singer told the paper that he laughed at the request and made the band rather upset. ...

Although you can't sell your soul to the devil, you can rent it out to the highest bidder — Local H will auction off a private concert on eBay starting July 17. The minimum bid is $500 to cover travel expenses, and the auction closes on July 26. ... Following their August club tour to promote A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay will return to the States for a September trek of larger venues. The second outing begins September 4 in Seattle, a week after the album is due. ... A free Fatboy Slim concert on England's Brighton Beach on July 13 erupted in chaos when 250,000 people showed up to party in a location that was equipped for about 60,000. A 26-year-old woman who fell over a railing and onto the lower esplanade is still in critical condition. ... Travis drummer Neil Primrose, who hurt his back July 7 in a fall in Belfort, France, is recovering following a July 10 operation. Doctors successfully treated Primrose for multiple fractures to his upper vertebrae, and the drummer is currently walking around. ...

The Young And The Hopeless, the second album from Baltimore pop-punk act Good Charlotte, is due October 1. Meanwhile, the group has written the theme song for MTV's new animated series, "The Undergrads." ... The Apples in Stereo are busy this year, releasing their fourth full-length album, Velocity of Sound, on October 8 through SpinART Records and touring with Clinic from September through the middle of October. The band also plans to produce a video for the lead track off the record, "Please." ... Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker married Camille Bidault-Waddington on July 13 in a private ceremony in Northern France. Pulp's We Love Life, which came out in the U.K. last October, will be released in America on August 20. ...

With a take of $52.8 million, Paul McCartney has grossed the most of any tour so far this year, according to industry mag Pollstar. He was followed by the Billy Joel/ Elton John package, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 'NSYNC, Dave Matthews Band, the Eagles, Green Day with Blink-182, Britney Spears, Jimmy Buffett and Barry Manilow. ... Speak of the devil — the bass-playing former Beatle will return to the road for his Back in the U.S. Tour starting September 21 in Milwaukee and winding up October 29 in Phoenix. McCartney will bring his 36-song set to cities he missed last time around on the first leg of his Driving U.S.A. Tour. ...

Former the Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft will release Human Conditions, the follow-up to his solo debut Alone With Everybody, in October. Guests include Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, Talvin Singh and DJ Shadow. ... Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner will kick off a 13-date tour July 27 in Columbus, Ohio, to promote his debut solo album, Faces & Names. The album is due July 30. ... Canadian metallic emocore outfit Grade have called it quits, according to the band's management. They'll play three more shows before going their separate ways. ...

7.16.02

Korn's Elementree label is looking for new talent and is now accepting band demos at each venue during the band's North American tour. Submission boxes will be set up next to merchandising stands for all aspiring musicians with tickets to the show. ... The American Music Awards will present the next Coca-Cola New Music Award to one unsigned artist who will perform live on the 30th Annual American Music Awards telecast in January 2003, on ABC. Eager hopefuls should send submissions digitally at www.newmusicaward.com, or by snail mail on audio cassette or CD to The American Music Awards Presents the Coca-Cola New Music Award Competition, c/o CMJ, 151 West 25th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001. ...

Nineteen tracks of straight-up rawk comprise How We Rock, a compilation that will be released by Epitaph on July 23. Providing evidence that bands such as the Hives (who are featured on the album) didn't materialize out of the ether are contributions from Turbonegro, New Bomb Turks, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, and Rocket From the Crypt appearing alongside tracks from newcomers such as Division of Laura Lee and Sahara Hotnights. ... Moby bassist Greta Brinkman will join Lucid Nation on Tacoma Ballet, due out September 24. Brinkman will perform alongside former Hole drummer Patty Schemel, Larry Schemel (ex-Flesheaters), Tamra Spivey and Ronnie Pontiac. ...

Iron Maiden will release their first DVD, "Rock in Rio," on August 20. The double DVD package features the group's 18-song set from the 2001 Rock in Rio festival along with over an hour of interview footage. ... Lil' Troy will soon introduce the world to a littler Troy. In August the rapper will release an album by his son, Troy, Jr., called T2 on Short Stop Records. ... moe. will open for Robert Plant on eight U.S. tour dates, from the September 2 show in Cleveland to the September 13 gig in Las Vegas. The band is keeping busy gearing up for the third annual moe.down on August 30-September 1 in Turin, New York, preparing for their fall tour, and putting wheels in motion on their next studio LP, due out in early 2003.

• The Strokes
• blink-182
• Mike Patton
• Local H
• Britney Spears

The 2002 MTV Video Music Awards will once again pitch its tent in New York City. The 2002 VMAs will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on August 29. ...

Cher's final tour will begin June 14 and hit 50 North American cities before ending September 15 in Minneapolis. The Living Proof - The Farewell Tour will promote Cher's latest album, Living Proof. ...

Industrial rock purists KMFDM will hit the road for the first time in five years to promote their just-released 11th album, Attak. Pig will open on the outing, which kicks off May 31 in Seattle and returns there for the tour wrap-up July 3. ...

Meanwhile, KMFDM frontman Sascha Konietzko has been in the studio remixing singles for Kittie and the Kidney Thieves. ...

Mike Patton, of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantômas and Tomahawk fame, contributes vocals on the upcoming EP from New Jersey metal band the Dillinger Escape Plan. The record, Irony Is a Dead Scene, is due August 13. ...

Mancunian ethereal slow rockers Doves and Elbow will begin a U.S. tour in Seattle on June 3, the day before Doves' second disc, The Last Broadcast, hits shelves. The 11-date tour runs through June 20 in New York ...

04.30.02

'NSYNC's Challenge for the Children Foundation received a $1 million donation this week from the Coca-Cola Company, which will be the title sponsor for the Challenge for the Children IV celebrity basketball tournament in Orlando in July. The foundation raises money and awareness for various children's charities and programs nationwide. ...

Latin singer Marc Anthony will launch a North American summer tour on July 6 in Boston in support of his May 21 release, Mended. Anthony will play 30 cities before wrapping up September 20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. ...

Foo Fighters, Jane's Addiction, Incubus, Sum41, the Strokes, Slipknot, the Offspring, Weezer, Puddle of Mudd and Andrew W.K. are among the artists scheduled for the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds Festivals, taking place August 23-25. ...

The Goo Goo Dolls performed a surprise concert at Monrovia High School in Monrovia, California, on Friday. The show was the result of a student at the school winning MuchMusic USA's Class Dismissed contest. ...

Jamiroquai keyboardist Toby Smith has left the funk rock group to spend more time with his family. Singer Jay Kay, who has left the door open for future studio projects with Smith, said in a statement, "It is sad to see him go but I totally understand the commitment Toby feels for his family and the strains of being away from home for long periods." ...

A decade retrospective collection from pop punkers MxPx is set for release May 21. Ten Years and Running features 19 of the band's choice cuts, including a re-recording of "Punk Rawk Show" and two new songs, "Running Away" and "My Mistake." ...

On May 2 at the Malibu Country Club in California, Mötely Crüe singer Vince Neil will host the sixth annual Skylar Neil Tournament in memory of his daughter who died of stomach cancer at the age of four in 1995. The Doors' Robbie Krieger, porn star Jenna Jameson and Dennis Rodman are the golfers lined up for the event, which will benefit the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund and T.J. Martell Foundation. ...

• Cher
• KMFDM
• Mike Patton

Fantômas
Photo: T

While West Coast Tool fans will be treated to King Crimson as show openers, those on the East Coast will be primed by the sonic antics of Fantômas.

Though an itinerary is still being plotted, Fantômas, fronted by former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton, are tentatively scheduled to begin their three-week stint with Tool on September 22, according to an Ipecac Records spokesperson.

The tour, supporting the band's second album, The Director's Cut (see "Patton Scores With Second Fantômas LP"), will be routed to hit markets such as New York; Boston; Philadelphia; Portland, Maine; Washington, D.C.; Albany, New York; Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Atlanta, among others.

"It's the yin and yang tour — the band of the 20-minute song meets the band of the 20-second song," Patton said of the pairing, referring to Tool's penchant for epic-length tunes and his own group's tendency to spit out brief bursts of noise.

Tool's West Coast jaunt with King Crimson begins August 3 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver (see "Tool, King Crimson Journey West For August Tour").

Before hooking up with Tool, Fantômas — vocalist Patton, bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle), drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer) and guitarist Buzz Osbourne (Melvins) — will hit the road with electronic trio Chicks on Speed beginning September 4, the spokesperson said.

Patton also continues to work on his Peeping Tom project, which is scheduled for release next year on Reprise Records. Lending a hand to the endeavor is eclectic hip-hop guru Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Dr. Octagon). Meanwhile, the debut album from Tomahawk — another of the prolific musician's bands, featuring former Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison — is slated for October by Ipecac (see "Patton Pending: Ex-Faith No More Frontman Preps Five Projects").

The singer/composer returns Dan the Automator's favor on the producer's Nathaniel Merriweather Presents Lovage: Songs to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, also scheduled for an October release, according to a spokesperson from 75 Ark Entertainment. Lovage is the Automator, Patton and Elysian Fields vocalist Jennifer Charles, and the album will feature a cover of Berlin's "Sex (I'm A...)."

• Fantômas
• Mike Patton
• Faith No More
• Tool

Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amy Winehouse, More At Coachella 2007

• Arctic Monkeys
• The Jesus & Mary Chain
• Stephen Marley
• Satellite Party
• Jane's Addiction