Liz Phair
Photo: MTV News

The writing was on the wall — or at least on the album.

On 1998's Whitechocolatespaceegg, Liz Phair pretty much spelled out her future intentions on the penultimate track, "Sh--loads of Money": "It's nice to be liked, but it's better by far to get paid/ I know that most of the friends that I have don't really see it that way."

Fair enough, but when Phair teamed up with Avril Lavigne songwriters the Matrix and released the commercially minded Liz Phair in 2003, perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised that the record was critically lambasted and met with fan outrage and hostility.

Though Phair was once considered a national treasure in the world of indie rock for her 1993 cultural milestone Exile in Guyville, many music fans felt the slick Liz Phair was a betrayal of the highest order — as if Phair had gone over to the dark side (see "Liz Phair Wants Recognition For Being Cute And Deep").

But the 38-year-old contends that the critics were misguided when they lauded her for Guyville's so-called confessional songwriting. "I'm actually more honest and confessional in my material now," she said. "In my early [work] I was a lot more clever about disguising [the meanings] with metaphors, and I think that was really exciting to those brainiacs."

Conscious that her move toward poppier material generated much ill will, she's aware that she's damned no matter what she does — at least with those in the music press. "I think [critics] keep coming after me because I keep saying the same thing, but it's the truth, which is that I try not to make my music for critics," she said. "I tried writing 'Liz Phair' songs, and almost sickened myself because there's nothing really emotionally striking about them. I could write a million clever songs, but they wouldn't be honest."

Phair sees her artistic transition as much more natural and less premeditated, but is resigned to the fact that she's never going to be able to please anyone but herself. "I definitely thought about [2003's critical outrage] because it was so upsetting," she said. "But obviously I made the choice to continue doing co-songwriting that would be radio-friendly."

Initially conceived as a response to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life — much like Guyville was a track-by-track rebuttal to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. — Phair's fifth album, Somebody's Miracle, isn't an admission of indie rock wrongdoing, nor is it the polished pose of her pop effort. Instead, Miracle is a less contentious LP that quietly bridges both worlds.

"I really try to make my music for me and for a release of whatever it is I need to write about," said Phair, noting that she abandoned the Key of Life concept halfway through. "As much as I thought about what everybody liked about my early work and got upset that it wasn't there, I decided that, in a funny way, nothing really changed about my songwriting. I just added these other elements which were like the tipping point. So on this record I put the singles lower in the track list."

Many assumed the singer's commercial makeover had a lot to do with her move to a major label, but Phair is quick to point out that her indie label contract was bought out by Capitol and she spent months trying to extricate herself from the album before she finally acquiesced. Even now, she has to battle to have her choice of single approved.

"I'm fighting for 'Somebody's Miracle,' she said of the title track, explaining the tune as a song about the admiration for people that can brave the tumultuous waters of love. "I'm old enough to have been in enough failed relationships where you have to come to accept your part in it, and that there's something wrong with you that keeps leading you into these relationships that don't work."

Having already unplugged for Miracle's first tour, Phair is looking to expand on the acoustic idea, mostly because one vital element of her studio presence seems to mysteriously disappear during her albums' recording sessions.

"I would like to make the next record acoustic," she said. "I'm obsessed with playing acoustic guitar. You know why that is? Every producer in the world takes my guitar off the damn record and I'm pretty freaking sick of it. I want my guitar parts back. I don't care if I can't play well, I want to hear them."

• Liz Phair

Drowning Pool's C.J. Pierce and Ryan McCombs (file)
Photo: Wind-Up

On August 25, during the Dallas stop on this summer's Ozzfest, Drowning Pool will take the stage for the first time with their third — and Soil's erstwhile — frontman Ryan McCombs, according to a spokesperson for Drowning Pool. The band is writing new material with McCombs for its third album, which should surface late this year or early next. The lineup change — which follows the June departure of Jason "Gong" Jones, who was brought in after the 2002 death of original Drowning Pool vocalist Dave Williams — has sparked some beef between the two bands. On Soil's Web site, bassist Tim King vilified McCombs, saying he will "be singing the very songs he hailed as 'average,' " and capped off his tirade with "Drowning Pool can have him. Now we have the better singer [in A.J. Cavalier] and the better band." ...

The recording industry unleashed its latest round of lawsuits against illegal file-sharers on Thursday, targeting 765 individuals. The "John Doe" suits against users of such P2P services as Grokster, eDonkey, Kazaa and LimeWire were filed in federal district courts from California to New York one week after music companies filed 176 suits against individuals whose names were subpoenaed from their ISPs. In light of the Supreme Court's recent ruling against Grokster, Recording Industry Association of America president Cary Sherman said the organization will "significantly" expand its anti-piracy efforts in the coming months. ... Hey, did you really enjoy Interpol's Antics album when it first came out back in September 2004? If so, then you'll really love it when you buy it again as a deluxe two-disc special edition on August 23. Dubbed Antics: The Special Edition, the set is a completist's dream, featuring an unreleased song, "Song Seven," plus an Antics track remixed by each member of the band, and the three videos off the album: "Slow Hands," "Evil" and "C'mere." ...

Blondie, the MC5's Wayne Kramer and former D Generation frontman Jesse Malin will perform at New York's legendary CBGB club on Monday at 8 p.m., in the first of a series of concerts being organized by the Save CBGB campaign, according to a spokesperson for Malin. The concert will be preceded by a press conference, during which it's expected "Sopranos" star and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt will discuss the details of a monthlong campaign to help preserve the punk-rock landmark and spare it from closure. The cradle of punk faces eviction at the end of August, unless the club's owner, Hilly Kristal, can negotiate a new lease for the Bowery space that houses the venue. ... Los Angeles punks the Bronx will portray Black Flag in the upcoming film "What We Do Is Secret," a biopic about Darby Crash and the Germs starring Lukas Haas and Bijou Phillips. The Mae Shi will appear in the film as the Screamers. ...

He's a guy whose debut album sold more than 3 million copies, and who, 10 years ago, had one of the hottest songs in the country. But it's been a while since we've heard from Warren G, the Long Beach, California, rapper who pretty much invented G-Funk with his '94 tune "Regulate." And while he's been cranking out records ever since, he's becoming better known in the LBC for his charity work, including his annual "G Christmas," where he buys toys for children at the California Recreation Center; and his midnight basketball league, designed to help keep kids off the street. So it's somewhat fitting that on Thursday, Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill announced that the week of August 1-6 will be Warren G Week, a celebration of all his work. Warren will perform a couple of concerts during the week, including one on August 6 in the hangar of the historic ocean liner the Queen Mary. ... Some people tour nightclubs, some people tour colleges, and there have even been instances where artists have toured Boys & Girls clubs. Soul singer Sharissa is taking it to the next level and doing a tour of prisons in advance of her September 27 release, Every Beat of My Heart. On Thursday she started at Rikers Island in New York, singing for male inmates. She's scheduled to perform for all the women inmates on Friday (July 29). There is no word yet on exactly how many correctional facilities Sharissa will be hitting. ...

Struggling to figure out how to break into hip-hop? A DVD series promises to teach you, with advice from producers Rockwilder and Just Blaze, managers Mona Scott and Blue Williams, and video directors Benny Boom and Jessy Terrero. DreamSpring's how-to series (available on DreamSpringEntertainment.com) has eight titles so far, including "Secrets to Getting a Record Deal" (featuring A&R reps from Jive, Shady and G-Unit), "Secrets to Being a Successful Music Producer," "Secrets to Being a Successful Manager" (with tips from managers of Outkast, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and 50 Cent), "Secrets to Being a Working DJ" (featuring DJ Kay Slay and DJ Kid Capri), and "Secrets to Careers in the Urban Fashion Industry" (featuring execs from Sean John, Ecko and Reebok). A portion of the proceeds will go to Akidemics, a nonprofit providing educational programs for inner-city children. ...

Don't worry that Liz Phair has chucked it all for teen pop, despite working with Ashlee Simpson's producer John Shanks on her upcoming album, Somebody's Miracle, due October 4. "People get very uptight about staying in a certain genre or not breaking out of your expected style," Phair said. "If I like indie rock, I can't like pop. Or if I'm a pop person, I have no credibility in rock. But for me, I just decided to go farther and take my aesthetic stand stronger." Song titles on the more grown-up Miracle include "Leap of Innocence," "Table for One," "Stars and Planets," "Lazy Dreamer" and first single "Everything to Me," which asks a lover to "take the time to catch me if I fall" while also asking, "Do you really know me at all?" ...

7.28.2005

Want to be the next American Idol? If you're between 16 and 28, you can audition for the fifth season — which will begin airing in January 2006 — starting on August 18 in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. Auditions will continue in Austin, Texas; Boston; Memphis, Tennessee; Denver and Chicago. Details on the auditions can be found at idolonfox.com. ...

Another day, another Kelly Clarkson contest — this time, the "American Idol" winner is offering a chance to visit her in New York and hang backstage via a T-Mobile sweepstakes, which starts on Monday at T-MobileAllAccess.com. "I can't wait to hook up with some of my fans and hang out backstage," Clarkson said in a statement. ... After rejecting a plea bargain in May in connection with an alleged August 2004 assault on two nail-salon employees, Foxy Brown was slated to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday (July 28) for the beginning of her trial in the case. The first court date has been moved to August 5 at the request of Brown's attorney. ...

My Chemical Romance have announced plans to embark on their first headlining tour this fall. The Alkaline Trio and jokey pop-punkers Reggie and the Full Effect will serve as opening acts on the trek, which will hit 28 cities. According to a spokesperson for MCR's label, Reprise Records, the start date for the tour has not yet been determined, nor have on-sale dates, but the tour is slated to make stops in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. ... "Chickenhead" rapper Project Pat was released from prison Thursday after serving an abbreviated sentence of more than three years for felony possession of a firearm. The rapper, whose real name is Patrick Houston, will remain on supervised release for three more years, according to the original sentence he was served in June 2002. Project Pat was convicted by a federal jury in Jackson, Tennessee, earlier that year on charges stemming from a January 2001 incident when Memphis police pulled him over for speeding and found two revolvers under a seat in his SUV. He was on parole for aggravated robbery at the time. ... "Halo 2" is the 2005 Game of the Year, according to G-Phoria, which crowned winners of the video game world Wednesday night in Los Angeles, in a ceremony hosted by Wilmer Valderrama. "Halo 2" also took home Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Sound Design, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Boss and Best Male Voice Performance (the most overall awards of the evening). "God of War" was also a big winner, receiving kudos for Best Action Game, Best Cinematic, Best Original Game and Favorite Character, as was "Half-Life 2," which won for Best Graphics and Best Female Voice Performance. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" took home Best Licensed Soundtrack. The Black Eyed Peas and the Bravery performed, while William Shatner was on hand to honor Ralph Baer, who created the very first video game console. The show will be broadcast August 9 on G4 — the video game channel — at 8 p.m. ET. ...

Thanks to "The Dukes of Hazzard," the 1969 Dodge Charger is increasing in value, according to the Kelley Blue Book. The 1969 Dodge Charger SE 500 in mint condition could fetch up to $61,600 today, versus $43,900 only six months ago, a 29 percent increase in the vehicle's value. For a mint condition Dodge Charger R/T, the price has increased 64 percent this year, up from $28,200 in January 2005 to $43,900 this month. ... The Internet has saturated the youth market, with nearly 90 percent of teens reportedly having online access, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, with half of them logging on to the Internet daily. That number is up from about 75 percent of teens in 2000. By comparison, only 66 percent of American adults are wired to the Internet. Older teen girls (ages 15-17) proved to be the most intense users. ... Meanwhile, tweens and young teens aren't glued to the TV as much as they used to be — 8- to 14-year-olds are becoming increasingly disinterested in watching television, and more distracted when they do watch it, according to "The U.S. Market for Tweens and Young Teens," a new report from Packaged Facts. Almost 80 percent of the younger tweens say they "love" watching TV, but this drops to 60 percent when kids reach their early teen years. And often, they're doing something else when the TV is on, like reading, listening to music or using a computer. ...

Alanis Morissette's favorite song? Seal's "Crazy." Her favorite Gap jeans? Curvy flare. Starting in August, Morissette will sing her favorite tune to shill for Gap jeans for the retailer's fall "favorites" campaign in Francis Lawrence-directed TV spots, along with Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Joss Stone, John Legend, Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams, Jason Mraz and Liz Phair. (Boyd's fave is Elvis Costello's "Alison," Stone's is the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," Mraz's is Bob Marley's "One Love," Phair's is Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek"). A limited-edition eight-song CD featuring those remakes will be available as a gift with purchase at Gap stores starting September 1 (except for Phair's track, which will be replaced on the compilation by Michelle Branch's cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?"). ... Nicole Richie, who appeared in Bongo's spring 2005 ads, is wearing the jeans once again for the company's juniors fall campaign, and is joined by her fiance, DJ AM, for the launch of Bongo Men. The campaign — which features the couple cuddling and kissing — will debut in September. "I had done the campaign last season and I had so much fun and I loved the way the ads came out," Richie said. "We are so excited to do the campaign together." ...

The lead singer of the British band Bad Beat Revue died last week from an injury sustained during a dramatic leap from the stage, according to BBC News. Patrick Sherry, 29, known as an athletic performer, sustained fatal head and neck injuries during a July 20 gig and died the next day. The group, which formed in 2002, released one album, Still Cheating, in 2003. ... Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't forgotten his "Twin" — he's teamed up once again with Danny DeVito to reprise their twin brother roles for a new TV ad campaign for the 2005 California State Fair, which begins airing on Thursday. The fair kicks off in Sacramento at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds on August 12 and runs through Labor Day. ...

• Drowning Pool
• Soil
• Interpol
• Blondie
• Liz Phair

The Killers' Brandon Flowers (file)
Photo: Getty Images

After last year's false start, Lollapalooza has stacked the deck for its return. Among the acts who will headline the now-sedentary two-day affair in Chicago on July 23 and 24 are Weezer, the Killers, the Pixies, a reunited Dinosaur Jr., Widespread Panic and Dashboard Confessional.

The show will take place at Hutchinson Field in Grant Park with around 30,000 fans expected each day. Also on board are former Chicagoan Liz Phair, the Dandy Warhols, Cake, the Arcade Fire, Billy Idol, Kaiser Chiefs, the reunited Digable Planets, Tegan and Sara, Kasabian, the Bravery, Louis XIV and the Walkmen.

Organizers are promising 60 bands on five stages. According to the festival's producers, 2,000 $35 tickets offered for presale recently sold in about 80 minutes, with regular tickets priced at $85 for a two-day pass. Ticket prices will eventually rise to between $100 and $115. Children under 10 will be admitted for free when accompanied by a paying adult, and some kid-friendly activities are promised on site. Through the festival's official Web site, producers are asking visual artists and inventors of "man-made machines" to submit works for use during the show. In addition the usual array of art, vendor booths and food, non-music diversions on tap include a runway fashion show.

Lollapalooza's organizers are also planning on shooting a movie of the event and have asked fans to submit stories and photos to a historical area on the Lolla Web site.

The rest of the lineup announced on Friday includes G. Love & Special Sauce, Blonde Redhead, the Black Keys, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Z-Trip, Los Amigos Invisibles, M83, VHS or Beta, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Soulive, Ambulance Ltd., Shout Out Louds, Blue Merle, the Warlocks, DeSol, World Leader Pretend, the Redwalls and the Changes.

The revival of Lollapalooza comes one year after the festival was canceled due to poor ticket sales for a bill that was to feature Morrissey, PJ Harvey, Modest Mouse, String Cheese Incident, the Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth (see "Lollapalooza Canceled; Organizers Cite Poor Ticket Sales"). Its resurrection comes at a time when two-day "destination" festivals such as Bonnaroo and Coachella have become increasingly popular.

• Weezer
• The Killers
• The Pixies
• Dashboard Confessional
• Dinosaur Jr.

The White Stripes were on hand Thursday to help Loretta Lynn celebrate the release of her new album, Van Lear Rose, at a party at Nashville's Hermitage Hotel. More than 500 guests attended, including Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith and Crystal Gayle. Jack White produced the album, which hits stores on Tuesday. ...

No vacations for Suge Knight. He was released from Mule Creek State Prison on Thursday around 5 a.m. and he immediately got on a plane to Los Angeles to join his family and close friends. On Friday morning, Knight dove right back into his CEO duties at Death Row, holding marketing and promotion meetings for the upcoming compilation LP he's trying to put together benefiting the families of U.S. troops in Iraq, as well as for Kurupt's Against the Grain LP. According to Tha Row, Kurupt's first single is "Stalkers." ... Eminem won a "cyber-squatting" lawsuit against a British company that had been using the rapper's likeness and music to sell mobile ringtones and photo messages. The company, Visitair, registered the domain name eminemmobile.com last year to sell the ringtones. As a result of the ruling, the domain name now becomes Eminem's possession, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which arbitrated the suit. ...

Scott Weiland got a breather on Friday when his DUI trial was postponed. He's next due in court on May 11, two days before his band Velvet Revolver are set to launch their tour in St. Louis. ... Sting is releasing three separate videos — all shot by Nick Quested — for his new single, "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)," with each one for a different mix of the song. One of the mixes is a collaboration with Twista, another features Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. The main storyline of each video centers around a Brooklyn, New York, warehouse party, with each of the clips showing different events taking place around the festivities. ...

Two days after he was indicted by a grand jury, Michael Jackson released a statement via his Web site asking the media to leave him alone. "As I release this statement there are helicopters hovering above my residence, reporters staking out and photographers lurking behind bushes, running rampant around my compound," wrote Jackson, who is living at a secluded estate in central Florida. "I am respectfully requesting that media organizations please respect my privacy and that of my children." ... In other Jackson news, media outlets covering his case, as well as the singer's lawyers, have asked the California Supreme Court to remove a gag order imposed on both sides. "The protective order bars those who are most knowledgeable about a criminal case that has garnered intense public interest from speaking to the public about the case, cutting off the best sources of truthful, timely information," a petition filed Friday read. ...

The 24th annual CMJ Music Marathon is set for October 13-16 in New York. Daytime events will be held at the Jacob Javits Center and the Westin Hotel in Times Square, while more than 50 venues will host the nightly performances. Participating artists have yet to be announced. ... The world's first charitable music download site will launch in June. Warchildmusic.com, an arm of the War Child organization, which helps children in war-torn countries, will feature exclusive tracks updated each month. The first crop will include tunes by Travis, Badly Drawn Boy and Spiritualized. ...

D.C. punk band Fugazi have begun selling CDs of their live shows dating back to their maiden gig on September 3, 1987, via their Web site www.fugaziliveseries.com. In keeping with the band's ethos, the albums are reasonably priced at $8 for a single disc and $10 for a double-disc set. ... Liz Phair will headline the Chicks With Attitude Tour, traversing the country from August to September. Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson, Katy Rose and Charlotte Martin will also be aboard for the ride. ...

Best known for their banging but ridiculously titled "Shh ... (Hope Diggy)" two years ago, Apex Theory have not hung it up after the departure of singer Andy Khachaturian. Instead, guitarist Art Karamian will handle vocal duties as the band works on its next album. ... Auf Der Maur, the band fronted by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, will support their self-titled debut, due June 1, by opening up for the Offspring. The trek begins May 11 in Minneapolis and wraps June 2 in New York. ... The pride of the Garden State stoner-rock scene, Monster Magnet, are set to release their sixth album, Monolithic Baby!, May 25. Following a tour of Europe with Gluecifer and the Quill, the band plans to embark on a North American tour. ...

04.22.2004

A judge on Thursday (April 22) ordered the jury in Beanie Sigel's attempted-murder trial to continue deliberating despite the jury's assertion that it can't reach a verdict. The judge chastised jurors for not paying attention during the trial after they asked to see all the evidence again. What was expected to be a speedy trial will now enter its third day of deliberations on Friday. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Damon Dash and others in the Roc-A-Fella and State Property camps were once again on hand in court. ... It's not just music, J-Kwon is really living his words. In two weeks, the 18-year-old "Teen President" will take his film crew to the 'hood. He's shooting the video for his second single, the title track off his Hood Hop album. ...

Britney Spears' mom is in Boston helping with the interior design of the Britney room at the real Onyx Hotel. Lynne Spears is tinkering with the idea of decorating it in an "early Britney" style, to reflect her childhood room at their home in Louisiana. Ten percent of the revenue generated by the room will go to the singer's charitable foundation. ... Christina Aguilera is doing an ad campaign for Virgin Mobile, for the continuing "The Devil Makes Work for Idle Thumbs" series. Though the ad will be filmed in Los Angeles this weekend, it's to be shown only in the U.K. Two versions of the commercial will air starting in mid-May. ...

To kick off the 2004 NBA Playoffs, the league is throwing a party in Los Angeles on Friday, where attendees can take in the Lakers-Rockets game on a panoply of TV monitors. Those expected to attend include Macy Gray, Ice Cube, Xzibit, B2K, Fred Durst, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lisa Leslie and Vince Vaughn. ... If you've ever wanted to toss balls in the face of two members of the Strokes, now's your chance. On Tuesday, singer Julian Casablancas and drummer Fabrizio Moretti will compete in the next installment of Xbox Game With Fame, by playing "ESPN Major League Baseball" and the tennis game "Top Spin," respectively, against fans online. Between 4 and 6 p.m. ET, log on to www.xbox.com and enter the Xbox Live arena. The Strokes, using the gamertag newyorkcitycops, follow Fefe Dobson, Everlast, Outkast and New Found Glory, previous artists who've gone head-to-head with their fans. ...

The Pixies are steadily adding dates to their fall North American tour and have confirmed stops in Berkeley, California (September 24); Atlanta (October 13-14); St. Paul, Minnesota (November 11); Toronto (November 24); and four nights in Chicago (November 13-16). ... P. Diddy is focused like a sniper on his acting career with the play "A Raisin in the Sun," but he isn't neglecting his other businesses. On Wednesday it was announced that Combs will be partnering with fellow fashioner Zac Posen for Posen's clothing label. Meanwhile, Diddy says Sean John will release a women's line soon. ...

Supergroup Camp Freddy, featuring Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, Cult bassist Billy Morrison, Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum and singer Donovan Leitch, took over the airwaves of Los Angeles station Indie 103.1 Saturday evening to launch their weekly radio show. Sorum calling in from his Las Vegas hotel room and Carmen Electra doing the weather were among the highlights. ... Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland has more than his own legal issues on his mind. He posted a rant on his band's Web site, saying that he was "disgusted with the music industry" because of the current climate of censorship. "Since making my last record two years ago, I've encountered more censorship in the past three months than in 10 active years with S.T.P.," he wrote. "Let's hear it for the lambs! Censorship is Nazism." ...

Courtney Love's got more legal trouble on her hands — the managers of her New York condo have filed a lien against her, claiming she owes nearly $18,000 in common charges, late fees and other costs. The singer paid $2.64 million three years ago for her 4,123-square foot apartment in SoHo but told Rolling Stone recently that she's facing foreclosure on both this home and the one she has in Los Angeles. ... In the meantime, Love is facing off with the Foo Fighters, as she's been added to the lineup for Atlanta's Music Midtown fest, which takes place April 30 to May 2. Among the headliners are Jessica Simpson, Twista, Ludacris, Big Boi and Hoobastank. ...

Brownsville's finest, M.O.P., are living up to their name. They've recorded a rock-rap album titled Mash Out Posse that will hit stores on their own label, Family First, in June. This LP is different from their Roc-A-Fella debut, Ghetto Warfare, which is due in the fall. ... A Perfect Circle will release the DVD "Lost in the Bermuda Triangle" on May 4. The disc, a companion to the band's single "The Outsider," features an extended and unedited version of the song's video, plus previews of the upcoming Bikini Bandits films "The Golden Rod" and "Bikini Bandits Save Christmas." …

Music fans rioted during an impromptu show by the Libertines at Stoke-on-Trent, England, leading to the destruction of the venue in which the band was booked. The show was supposed to be a launch party for singer/guitarist Pete Doherty's side project Babyshambles, but when the band took the stage the fans became unruly, dragging down drapes that covered the ceiling and surging against a wall until it collapsed. ... English electronic-music duo Orbital will throw in the samplers this summer, ending a 17-year career. The group, which features brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, decided to split because the siblings were no longer seeing eye to eye musically. Orbital's swan song, The Blue Album, will come out June 21. ...

After an intense bidding war, publishing house Crown coughed up seven figures for the North American rights to an ambitious Beatles project, a three-volume biography about the band to be published over the next decade by Beatles authority Mark Lewisohn. Said one publisher who pulled out of the bidding when it got too expensive: "To call it just a book is missing the point. This would treat the Beatles as important figures of the 20th century, as if the history of the Beatles is the history of the '60s in its entirety." The first volume will center on the years 1940-1963, the second volume on 1964-1967, and the third on 1968 to the present day. ... Wednesday 13, the frontman for the Murderdolls (whose roster includes Slipknot's Joey Jordison), is working on a solo album, which he plans to release this fall. The singer will also launch a solo tour in the summer. ...

• The White Stripes
• Eminem
• Twista
• Velvet Revolver
• Liz Phair

Beyoncé Knowles will do her hometown proud when she returns to Houston to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1. Janet Jackson has already been announced as part of the game's halftime show. ...

Russell Simmons is calling on the big guns to help kick off his first Hip-Hop Summit of 2004, to be held in Houston. P. Diddy; Master P and Lil' Romeo; Beyoncé and her father, Mathew Knowles; Erykah Badu; Run and DMC; and the king of H-Town, Scarface, will all be participating at the January 31 event at Texas Southern University. ... Kanye West, Memphis Bleek, M.O.P., Freeway and the Young Gunz will play in a celebrity basketball game as part of the 2004 Freedom Classic national, a weekend celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in Richmond, Virginia. Co-sponsored by Roc-A-Fella Records, the January 17 and 18 events will also include a Roc-A-Wear fashion show, entertainment industry seminars and a voter-registration drive. ...

The autopsy report for Bobby Hatfield, the Righteous Brothers singer who died hours before a November 5 concert, was released Tuesday and names heart failure triggered by acute cocaine intoxication as the cause of death. Groupmate Bill Medley said Tuesday he knew "absolutely nothing" about Hatfield's drug use. "I would have said something to him," he told The Orange County Register. ... Seal, 311, Wyclef Jean and Eve are just some of the artists reliving their youth by covering songs from the 1980s for the soundtrack to "50 First Dates," the new Adam Sandler/ Drew Barrymore comedy set to hit theaters February 13. Seal's version of Echo and the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar," the Black Eyed Peas' cover of Spandau Ballet's "True," 311's take on the Cure's "Love Song," and Wyclef and Eve's performance of the Outfield's "Your Love" are among the highlights of the soundtrack, due February 3. ...

A Canadian man is suing a former Nirvana guitar tech for fraud after learning that the left-handed Fender Stratocaster he received with the promise it belonged to Kurt Cobain was, in fact, never touched by the late rock star. Phil Gross of North Vancouver traded his S.G. Gibson electric for the instrument and hoped to market the guitar at several auction houses, but a British collectibles agency discovered the guitar was a fake. Gross filed his claim in B.C. Supreme Court. ... Nearly seven years after breaking up, Chicago's Urge Overkill are reforming for a brief series of shows beginning January 15 in San Diego. The band, best known for their cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," for the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction," are scheduled to play the Troubadour in Hollywood  the following day, with shows in Hoboken, New Jersey, and New York slated for February 5 and 6. UO released five albums since 1989, and lead singer Nash Kato dropped a solo album, Debutante, in 2000. ...

Liz Phair continues to support last year's self-titled album with a five-week North American tour beginning February 26 in West Hollywood, California. Opening acts have yet to be chosen for Phair's latest trek, which winds down April 4 in Washington, D.C. ... Since the market's not clamoring for a Gene Simmons doll with wrinkles and a receding hairline, McFarlane Toys will issue a Simmons "Destroyer" action figure in April. The doll will be modeled after the cartoon rendering of Simmons on the cover of Kiss' 1976 album, Destroyer. ...

(Hed) p.e.'s guitarists Sonny Mayo and Wes Greer and drummer Ben "BC" Vaught have left the band, which recently lost its label. But the band hasn't lost its, errr, head. "Hed is very much alive," singer Jahred wrote on the band's Web site. "Myself, Deejay Product and [bassist] Mark [Young] have hooked up with some other fools." No word yet on who those fools are. ... Ben Nightingale, the guitarist for Australia's Sleepy Jackson, has left the band. A spokesperson for the group's U.S. label, Astralwerks, said it was always understood that Nightingale would leave the band due to family obligations and called the split amicable. ...

A couple of Motor City music acts are joining forces to set the year off. Slum Village and up-and-coming singer Dwele are gearing up to embark on a two-week tour starting Wednesday night in New York and ending January 20 in Orlando, Florida. ... Prince's classic flick "Purple Rain" will be released on DVD this summer and will include a special making-of documentary. Both of the Purple One's subsequent films, "Under the Cherry Moon" and "Graffiti Bridge," will also be released at the same time. ... It doesn't get more precious than a book of poetry, featuring contributions by bands such as A Static Lullaby, Finch,, Something Corporate, Taking Back Sunday and the Rx Bandits, being released on Valentine's Day. "Revolution on Canvas" will be sold exclusively at Hot Topic stores and on tour by the participating bands, before hitting book and music stores nationwide. ...

01.05.04

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Beyoncé
• Janet Jackson
• Scarface
• Urge Overkill
• Liz Phair

Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions and HBO will join forces on a documentary about Los Quinces, a traditional ball held to celebrate a Cuban girl's 15th birthday. "We are committed to producing unique and provocative films, so a documentary on this tradition is a natural fit for us," Lopez said in a statement about the project, which will hit theaters in limited release before airing on HBO. ...

Redman was arrested in Oslo, Norway, on September 8 for — surprise! — having a small amount of marijuana on his person. The rapper was arriving on a flight from Amsterdam to perform a show in town that night and, according to his manager, was carrying an amount that was just over the local legal limit. Authorities soon realized the rapper, who has been known to extol the virtues of marijuana, was not a smuggler and eventually let him go in time for him to perform. ...

With the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour now behind them, the Neptunes' rock alter ego, N.E.R.D., will hit the studio to complete their next album, Fly or Die. The album has been moved to a March 9 release date. ... The video for Something Corporate's "Space" will premiere Tuesday during Fox's "The O.C." through AOL's music showcase program. The band's North is due October 21. ...

NYC gloomy gusses Interpol will work on the follow-up to Turn on the Bright Lights when they hit the studio early next year. Of the seven new songs already written for the album, "Length of Love" and "NARC" have been featured in the band's recent live sets. ... Southern California punksters Zebrahead will follow-up 2000's Playmate of the Year with MFZB, which takes its name from the band's fan club. A tour surrounding the release, due October 21, is in the works. ...

The onetime owner of a copy of Double Fantasy that John Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman, the man who killed him, is suing the auction house Moments in Time. Phillip Michael claims that he never received his 95-percent share of the album's sale price, which was between $150,000 and $464,000 (and is being contested). Chapman had Lennon sign the album hours before he shot the ex-Beatle and then he ditched it in a planter, where Michael found it. Chapman's fingerprints on the album helped in his conviction. ...

Before discussing downloading with Bill Maher for "Real Time" on Friday, Liz Phair performed a set of her tracks including "Why Can't I?," "Polyester Bride" and "Supernova" at a Santa Monica, California, party. DJ Kazell also performed. ...

9.12.2003

John Ritter, star of "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," died on Thursday evening after a coronary artery tore while he was on the set of the show. Ritter, who earned an Emmy for playing Jack Tripper on the sitcom "Three's Company," was 54. ...

The release date of the upcoming G-Unit album, Beg for Mercy, has been pushed back two weeks to November 18. But that's not the only alteration 50 Cent and company have made within the last few days. Don't call the first single from the LP "Teach You How to Stunt" anymore. The official title is now "Stunt 101." ... Beck hit the studio this week with longtime collaborators the Dust Brothers to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's Sea Change. The album is due next year, but in the meantime, fans can catch the singer in the new White Stripes video, "The Hardest Button to Button," and in the film "Southlander," featuring Beth Orton, Hank Williams III and Laura Prepon, due on DVD October 7. Steve Hanft, who directed the film, is also helming two new Beck videos for an upcoming DVD. ...

The new issue of Blender magazine features an interview with R. Kelly, who discusses how pending child-porn charges have destroyed his image. "Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through," he said. ... Brazen dance music group Fannypack will follow up their smash single "Cameltoe" with "Things," which should surface at radio in early October. Both songs are from the quintet's debut album, So Stylistic, which dropped in July. ...

After playing a few radio festivals, Alien Ant Farm will begin a tour with reggae-influenced rap-metal band 311. The tour will begin October 15 in San Francisco and run at least through the middle of November. Alien Ant Farm's sophomore disc, truANT, came out August 19. 311's latest, Evolver, was released July 22. ... An eight-disc Black Sabbath box set featuring all of the band's material recorded with Ozzy Osbourne will hit shelves November 4. Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978) includes remastered versions of Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage, Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! The set also features a DVD with previously unreleased footage. ...

The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, will play two shows at Harlem's historic Apollo Theater on November 21 and 22. The gigs will commemorate the 40th anniversary of his classic album Live at the Apollo. A host of celebrity guests will be announced at a press conference on Thursday. ... Mr. Biggs is planning on doing it way big — again. The Isley Brothers plan to put out a remix album early next year, according to their camp. The only name linked to the project so far is King Britt. His spokespeople say he's been enlisted to revamp "Footsteps in the Dark." ...

Bon Jovi have recorded an album's worth of acoustic versions of their greatest hits with producer Pat Leonard (Madonna). Due November 4, This Left Feels Right features "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Keep the Faith" and "It's My Life," among others, plus two new songs, "Last Man Standing" and "Thief of Hearts." ... Mark Lanegan, formerly of Screaming Trees and currently with Queens of the Stone Age, will release an eight-song EP November 4, about two months before his sixth full-length solo album, Bubblegum, is due. Here Comes the Weird Chill (Methamphetamine Blues, Extracts & Oddities) will feature unreleased older material. ...

Although they've been screwing up a lot longer, skate punks NOFX are scheduled to drop the DVD "Ten Years of F---ing Up" on October 7. The VHS version came out in 1994, so maybe next year we'll get the two-decade version from the band whose latest sardonic affair, The War on Errorism, was released in May. ... The Dandy Warhols are giving fans the chance to show off their film skills with a new contest. Use "We Used to Be Friends" and "You Were the Last High" in a video or short film and you could be flown to the Dandy Warhols' Odditorium in Portland, Oregon, to hang with the band. Details are available at www.ifilm.com or www.dandywarhols.com. ...

Ben Folds, the Indigo Girls and the Dixie Chicks will headline the Honor the Earth Foundation concert October 10 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina. ... Members of the bands Killswitch Engage, Unearth and the Acacia Strain are playing together in the side project Burn Your Wishes. There is no album information yet, but the group has shot a video for its song "Fall Away." ...

Newish metal groups Motograter and Mushroomhead will tour together starting in October. Motograter's self-titled debut came out May 27. Mushroomhead's next disc, XIII, will be released October 14. ... The Steve Miller Band will celebrate the Tuesday release of Young Hearts Complete Greatest Hits with a Saturday benefit performance for and at the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts, in Corona, California. The album features "The Joker," "Take the Money and Run" and other favorites. ...

After getting a two-grand credit from the music-download Web site www.musicrebellion.com, a lobbying group is offering to pay 12-year-old Brianna LaHara's settlement with the RIAA. LaHara's mother was one of 261 people to receive copyright-infringement lawsuits from the recording industry. She was the first to pay her way out of a court appearance. ...

• Jennifer Lopez
• N.E.R.D.
• John Lennon
• The Beatles
• Interpol

Liz Phair
Photo: Andrew Shapter

Liz Phair has extraordinary plans for her next single.

The rocker will follow up "Why Can't I?" with another tune co-written by the Matrix, "Extraordinary."

" 'Extraordinary' speaks to me because I feel like in my life I've always struggled against being kind of the girl-next-door to people, and always wanting people to see me as maybe having more depth," Phair explained. "And fans are like, 'What are you talking about? We think you're extraordinary.' But in my life, I don't walk around as 'Liz Phair,' I walk around as myself. And you know, people either respect me or they don't, but I'm looking for recognition for being able to be pleasant, nice, cute, and yet still deep, intelligent, whatever."

Phair has been dealing with how she is perceived a lot lately. Before her self-titled fourth album was even released in June, she was dealing with the backlash of making pop music and working with the same producers as Avril Lavigne (see "Liz Phair Defends Pop Album, Chooses Tour Over Exile"). Still, she says she has no regrets.

"I'll tell you what makes it easier for me to read all the crazy reviews and the controversy," Phair said. "They said lots of bad stuff about [Exile in] Guyville back then too, people just don't remember. So, in a way, it's OK with me because I always think it's good to get people stirred up. They're talking about good issues. They're talking about like, what a woman should be, what she shouldn't be. Is it OK to be sexy when you're old? Is it not? Is it OK to sell records? Is it not? It's kind of like, good stuff to talk about, and I think my goals are separate from what the reviewers say. So it's been OK, actually. I mean, it's not fun, I'd rather everyone be saying good stuff, but I'll take it rather than a yawn."

Phair has also taken slack for releasing her music on Capitol Records after beginning her career on the indie label Matador, but again, she is confident in her move.

"Way back in indie-ville, everyone was plotting about how huge they could be and all this crap, but nobody wanted to sober up enough to get up in the morning and actually find out what business is all about," Phair said. "My feeling is, your album will be sold through a distribution mechanism, whether you participate or not, and I think it's more revolutionary to be part of that. And help control that and learn about it and accept reality rather than kind of hide from it and just say, 'I want no part of it, yet please buy my record.' What I do is true to my heart, and my record is what I musically like right now."

The singer has been promoting Liz Phair on a summer tour with Jason Mraz (see "Jason Mraz Introduces Dave Matthews To His Rocket, Gives America The 'Remedy' ") and will play a few more North American shows before heading overseas in September.

• Liz Phair

Liz Phair
Photo: Andrew Shapter for MTV.com

Anyone familiar with Liz Phair's indie-rock touchstone Exile in Guyville probably isn't surprised by the stiff wall of criticism that came with the release of her self-titled fourth album.

And no one could have seen it coming as well as Phair herself.

"You don't get the full impact until you actually go through it," she said, "but I definitely knew we were going to get heat."

The heat — cold criticism, really — stems from the marked musical change best exemplified by the album's first single, "Why Can't I?," which was co-written by songwriting trio the Matrix. Yes, the same Matrix who helped Avril get "Complicated," and the similarities between the two are impossible to overlook. Acoustic guitar lays the foundation for each tune, and a similar vocal cadence leads into the choruses, both of which are punctuated by a crunchy electric guitar.

Compared to the lo-fi sound of the decade-old Guyville, Liz Phair, released June 24, sounds as polished and detailed as a cherry red Corvette. And while Guyville contained what could be construed as love songs, none were so saccharinely blatant as lines like "Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?" from Phair's current single.

Thus the question on the minds of Phair pundits is: After three albums that awarded her the title of dreamy indie queen (among other things), has Liz Phair become so desperate for a mainstream single that she's resorted to "selling out" with those responsible for "Sk8er Boi"?

The move toward a more radio-friendly sound isn't so much desperation as it is evolution, Phair explained.

"[The change] is both a feature of how long it was between records," she said, referring to the five-year gap since whitechocolatespaceegg, "and also me kind of pulling out of a specific scene. I mean, I've been out of this indie scene for a long time, and I think people don't know that. And because I am the kind of person that still likes Wilco and I've just played some shows with the Flaming Lips, there is this thing about me that I think people don't know. And that's that I enjoy both radio hits and kind of obscure music. And maybe on this record they are hearing more of my tastes swinging to a range that they are not comfortable with."

Collaborating with the Matrix wasn't as difficult as one might assume for Phair, who's previously taken co-songwriting credit only sparingly. It helped that she called Lauren Christy, Scott Spock and Graham Edwards friends before she knew them collectively as the Matrix.

"I went to meet the Matrix," she recalled, "and once I opened the door and saw who it was ... [I realized] I had known them already, I just didn't know what they did for a living. And so I was immediately very sure that it would be a positive creative experience. I trusted them."

Together they composed four of the album's 14 tracks, and Phair considers them among most dynamic tunes in her repertoire. They're at least the biggest departure. And they're also the best evidence of her new direction, and what she looks forward to playing most when she embarks on a five-week tour on July 21, even if some of the audience bought tickets solely for the chance to hear Phair classics like "F--- and Run," "Flower" and "Supernova."

"I love those songs when I hear them. They are some of the things I like to sing live the best because they are challenging vocal exercises," she said. "They're just fabulous and just send me into a whole different place artistically.

"But that's not what people [who've only heard 'Why Can't I?'] are experiencing yet. They are just kind of getting a record and hearing that these are the people who produced Avril, and they're spinning out a little bit. And I think what will happen over the next year is, when people hear me live and hear the old songs next to the new songs, it's really a pretty good blend. Like, 'Wow, live it all makes sense.' "

Liz Phair tour dates, according to Capitol Records:

• 7/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
• 7/22 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
• 7/23 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
• 7/26 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
• 7/27 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 7/28 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Zephyr Club
• 7/30 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
• 8/1 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre
• 8/2 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's
• 8/3 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
• 8/5 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 8/6 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
• 8/10 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 8/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 8/13 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
• 8/16 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 8/17 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
• 8/21 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 8/22 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 8/25 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 8/26 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
• 8/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

• Liz Phair

There won't be a rubber match between Ruben and Clay. August 19 was to be the brawl to settle it all, the day the "American Idol 2" champ and runner-up were set to release their debut LPs. But after Studdard beat Aiken on the show, and Clay outsold the big man when both released singles last month, the showdown has been called off. Now both albums will drop separately in September. ...

In late August, two months before dropping their new album, Use Your Erection 1 & 2, Blink-182 are scheduled to perform two shows for troops stationed in the Persian Gulf. For security reasons, the exact dates and locations were not disclosed. ... Nickelback will film the video for "Someday," the first single from the band's as-yet-untitled fourth album, July 8 and 9 in their hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, with director Nigel Dick (Britney Spears, Guns N' Roses). The follow-up to the four-times platinum Silver Side Up is due September 23. ...

'NSYNC's annual Challenge of the Children charity basketball game is set for July 19 in Miami's South Beach. Those expected to join the group members on the court include TLC's Chilli, Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, actress Shannon Elizabeth and O-Town's Trevor Penick, among others. The game is part of the weekend-long Challenge for the Children V, which provides money to children's programs and charities throughout the country. ...

Kanye West premiered the video for his underground song "Through the Wire" Tuesday night at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in New York. During a speech in front of his well-wishers, West told the crowd he funded the $33,000 video himself and that he would be producing some tracks for Alicia Keys' upcoming LP. ... If you're not in the 33 cities that athletic apparel company AND-1 is visiting with its mixtape tour, don't worry: On Tuesday ESPN will start airing the second season of AND-1's traveling reality show/ streetball tournament, which kicked off in June. In it, NBA stars judge amateur b-ballers competing for endorsement deals, and at halftime, hip-hop ballers like Jadakiss, Drag-On and Obie Trice get it bouncin'. ... Trice, meanwhile, has been added to the Rock the Mic Tour as an opening act. ...

Tommy Stinson, the bassist for legendary train-wreck punk band the Replacements as well as for the current incarnation of train-wreck hard rock band Guns N' Roses, made a stop at New York's Mercury Lounge on Tuesday to showcase new songs he's shopping around for a solo deal. He also played songs by his previous bands Perfect and Bash & Pop, as well as covers of Big Star's "Nightime" and Loudon Wainwright III's "One Man Guy" (more recently covered by son Rufus Wainwright), much to the delight of attendee Winona Ryder. ... Killer Mike, who is featured on Bone Crusher's "Never Scared" and the upcoming Outkast single "Flip Flop Rock," has put his March release, Monster, behind him to work on his second album, Rap or Die, due in early 2004. "Unfortunately, man, the record company said, 'We out of money for this year.' " ...

Liz Phair's summer tour, during which she'll co-headline some of the dates with Jason Mraz, begins July 21 in San Francisco. The 22-date trek runs through August 28 in Minneapolis. ... Ms. Jade is hard at work on the follow-up to 2002's Girl Interrupted, which is due in the fall. "I just want it to be a classic album," she said. "I just want it to explain what I'm going through right now, like what I've learned with past situations, past music industry things." ...

07.01.2003

First Elton John gave him props. Then he won an Academy Award. And now, getting yet another nod from the establishment, Eminem has found an admirer in Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney. According to Reuters, when asked by journalists at a recent speaking engagement in Norwich, England, whether there was a figure in pop culture who aroused interest in poetry and lyrics like Bob Dylan and John Lennon once did, Heaney said, "There is this guy Eminem ... he has sent a voltage around a generation. He has done this not just through his subversive attitude but also his verbal energy." ...

Looks like Grammy-winning duo Outkast just can't win for losing. After a federal appeals court ruled in 1999 that civil-rights icon Rosa Parks could appeal a lawsuit against the group over their song "Rosa Parks," another judge ruled recently to reinstate a majority of the lawsuit. In response, Johnnie Cochran, Parks' attorney, has presented 21 affidavits from people claiming they were "fooled into buying the rap LP out of a belief that it had something to do with Parks and the civil-rights movement." ...

Velvet Revolver (featuring several ex-Guns N' Roses members and Scott Weiland on vocals) plan to release a recording of their June performance at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre. Due this fall, the EP and DVD of the band's live debut — which included their single "Set Me Free" as well as Sex Pistols and Nirvana covers — will also feature a bonus studio track. ... Loon has set an August 26 release date for his debut LP. "The album got everybody and their momma on it. I got Missy [Elliott], Trina, Claudette Ortiz. It's just sexy. It's super sophisticated." ...

The Clipse are eyeing an October 8 release for their second album, Hell Have No Fury. "We ain't relaxing just because we had our little first joint and it was successful," Pusha T said. ...

Fat Joe, Talib Kweli, Mobb Deep and Dead Prez are among those contributing to the soundtrack to "Across 155th Street," a DVD about the famed Harlem basketball playground Rucker Park. The album is scheduled to hit the streets July 15. ... Eighties girl group the Bangles will drop their first U.S. album in 15 years on September 9. Doll Revolution features all four original members and was co-produced by Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins). ...

Like the King would really have only 30 hits!? The second greatest-hits package in as many years, Elvis 2nd to None, is set for release October 7. Picking up where Junkie XL left off, DJ Paul Oakenfold has given the remix treatment to the rare B-side "Rubberneckin'," one of the LP's 30 tracks, along with "That's All Right," "Viva Las Vegas" and "Blue Suede Shoes." ... Featuring Neil Young, Widespread Panic and the Flaming Lips, the second Bonnaroo festival, held June 13-15 in Manchester, Tennessee, has been preserved as a double live CD due August 19. The album will be followed by a DVD two months later. ...

Siouxsie & the Banshees are prepping a live CD and DVD chronicling the band's sold-out tour last year, featuring two nights at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire. 7 Year Itch Live includes a set composed almost entirely of songs from their first four albums. ... "American Idol 2" finalist Kimberley Locke is writing music with Victoria Shaw (Christina Aguilera) and new age star Jim Brickman. "I've had a few deals, but I'm not ready to take it right now because the tour is coming up and I really don't have time to process it all," she said. ...

06.30.2003

Despite eschewing commercialism for her latest album, American Life, Madonna is about to be very commercial for her new single, "Hollywood." The Material Girl has just signed up with the Gap to do a TV ad for their corduroy jeans line, which would also feature Missy Elliott. The concept is to have Madonna sing "Hollywood," while Missy would do a rap interpretation of Madge's "Into the Groove." Details weren't available about the shoot, but Gap traditionally shoots their fall ad campaigns at the beginning of July. ...

The first single from R. Kelly's greatest-hits album is ready to hit the airwaves. It's called "Thoia Thoing" and a video shoot is currently being planned. Kelly's collection of hits and remixes, The R. in R&B, is slated for this fall. ... The White House's most famous ex-intern, Monica Lewinsky, was among those who took in sets by Wilco and Sonic Youth at New York's Central Park on Friday. ...

Ruben Studdard is nearly finished with his debut album, which is due August 19 and will feature a collaboration with Fat Joe. "It was wonderful, man," the "American Idol 2" winner said of working with the rapper. "Fat Joe is one of the greatest hip-hop artists I know and the single is going to be hot, man." ... A video for "Bloody Cape," from the Deftones' latest album, was shot Saturday in Sacramento, California, by director James Minchin (Ryan Adams). The tune will serve as an international single only; a Stateside follow-up to "Minerva" has yet to be chosen. Meanwhile, the guys who comprise singer Chino Moreno's side project Team Sleep plan to record some tracks without Moreno, who'll add his vocals later. ...

Lenny Kravitz has started a record label named after his late mother, Roxie Roker, best known for playing Helen Willis on the '70s sitcom "The Jeffersons." Among the new signings to the Warner Bros.-distributed Roxie Records is singer Dan Dyer. Kravitz, meanwhile, is expected to drop his new LP, Funk, in the fall. ... Taking a cue from their song "Fight Test," the Flaming Lips "thought it better not to fight" and settled with Yusuf Islam's publishing company, which brought up similarities between that song and Islam's 1970 tune "Father and Son," released under his former name, Cat Stevens. Both artists have agreed to split the "Fight Test" royalties. ...

Roscoe will gather his brother Kurupt and other West Coast rappers to shoot a video in July for his next single, "Smooth Sailin'," from Young Roscoe Philaphornia. "We gon' get on a big yacht, we gon' put the yacht in my backyard in the pool because the pool real big," he said. "That's what I'm talking about." ... Due to ongoing band illnesses, CKY were forced to cancel seven of the 10 dates in July they had scheduled with the Deftones when the latter were not performing with the Summer Sanitarium Tour. However, the band will still play shows in Detroit (Saturday), Syracuse, New York (Hellfest, Sunday), and Old Bridge, New Jersey (July 11). Although the band could never kick that cold while on the road, singer Deron Miller had been writing songs for the follow-up to last year's Infiltrate, Destroy, Rebuild and the group hopes to release a DVD by the end of the year. ...

British R&B duo Floetry will record their Thursday show at House of Blues in New Orleans for a live album due in the fall. "That's what we do, that's how we got here," singer Marsha Ambrosius said. "Coming over to the U.S., it was really about being onstage and performing — the deal and the album came later. So we're trying to emphasize that right now." ... Detroit garage rockers the Von Bondies have inked a deal with major label Sire Records, which is expected to release the quartet's follow-up to 2001's Lack of Communication, produced by the White Stripes' Jack White. The band is currently working with Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison, who has also produced albums by Live and Creeper Lagoon. ...

• Ruben Studdard
• blink-182
• *NSYNC
• Nickelback
• Alicia Keys

Releasing a solo album isn't exactly a dangerous move for Destiny's Child singer Beyoncé Knowles, whose guest star-studded debut, Dangerously in Love, was pushed forward two weeks in an effort to quash piracy. The disc features appearances by Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Luther Vandross, Sean Paul and Big Boi of Outkast.

Beyoncé isn't the only artist this week to release a disc pumped with guest spots.Eclectic funk-hop group the Black Eyed Peas test both ends of the sonic spectrum on their second record, Elephunk, recruiting Justin Timberlake and hard rockers Papa Roach.

Former indie darling Liz Phair makes the full transition from naughty hipster to foul-mouthed Sheryl Crow wannabe on her fourth album, Liz Phair, which features lyrics such as "You feel like my favorite underwear/ And I'm slipping you on again tonight." R&B singer Blu Cantrell, who once slipped out of her underwear for a photo session that ran in Blacktail, magazine, worked with Lil' Kim, Fat Joe and Sean Paul on Bittersweet.

The Mars Volta's De-Loused in the Comatorium is a fiery prog-rock concept album about a man who overdoses and slips into a coma. The group features former At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler (vocals) and Omar Rodriguez (guitar). Another sonically extreme disc is the Locust's Plague Soundscapes, which features 23 short and turbulent songs that may cause ear-bleeding.

Son Volt member Jay Farrar's third solo album, Terroir Blues, pokes the gray matter and pulls the heartstrings with a mix of experimental instrumentals and alt-country laments. S.T.U.N., an energetic California political punk band whose name stands for Scream Towards the Uprising of Nonconformity, lash out at complacency on Evolution of Energy.

Now let's take a look at what else is scrambling for your hard-earned cash.

Out Tuesday, June 24:

• Becky Baeling - Becstacy (Universal)
• Beyoncé - Dangerously in Love (Columbia)
  Read: "Beyonce Pushes Up Release Date Of Solo Debut"
  Buy Now: Dangerously in Love (Columbia)
• Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk (Interscope)
  Read: "Black Eyed Peas Exhibit New Breed Of Elephunk On Upcoming LP"
  Buy Now: Elephunk (Interscope)
• Michelle Branch - Hotel Paper (Maverick)
  Read: "Michelle Branch Ignores Sophomore Jinx Like She Ignored Death Threats"
  Buy Now: Hotel Paper (Maverick)
• Blu Cantrell - Bittersweet (Arista)
• Cash Kola - Life in General (Wonder Boy)
• Brian Culbertson - Come on Up (Warner Bros.)
• Delerium - Chimera (Nettwerk)
• Dixie Witch - One Bird, Two Stones (Small Stone)
• Entombed - Inferno (Koch/Music for Nations)
• Everman - Everman (BEC/Tooth & Nail)
• Jay Farrar - Terroir Blues (Act/Resist/Artemis)
• Gang Starr - The Ownerz (Virgin)
  Read: "Gang Starr Returning With Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss, Fat Joe"
  Buy Now: The Ownerz (Virgin)
• Harry Gregson-Williams - "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" score (DreamWorks)
• Iconz - Ya Lookin' at 'Em (Koch/In the Paint)
• Javon Jackson - Easy Does It (Palmetto)
• KRS-One - Kristyles (Kela/In the Paint)
• The Locust - Plague Soundscapes (Anti/Epitaph)
• Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath (Koch)
• Lumidee - Almost Famous (Universal)
• The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium (GSL/Strummer/Universal)
• Michael McDonald - Motown (Motown)
• Allison Moorer - Show (Universal South)
• Motion City Soundtrack - I Am the Movie (Epitaph)
• Willie Nelson & Friends - Live and Kickin' (Lost Highway)
• Liz Phair - Liz Phair (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Liz Phair (Capitol)
• S.T.U.N. - Evolution of Energy (Geffen)
  Read: "S.T.U.N. Count Down To Revolution"
  Buy Now: Evolution of Energy (Geffen)
• Three 6 Mafia - Da Unbreakables (Hypnotize Minds/Columbia)
• Ui - Answers (Southern)
• Vendetta Red - Between the Never and the Now (Epic)
• Watashi Wa - The Love of Life (Tooth & Nail)
• Various Artists - "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" soundtrack (Columbia)
  Read: "New Tracks From Nas, Pink, Nickelback On 'Charlie's Angels' Disc"
• Various Artists - RAGGA Originators Round 2 (Jammin/Lightyear)
• Various Artists - Salsa Around the World (Putumayo)
• Various Artists - World's Greatest Air Guitar Album (Hollywood)

July 15:

• Da Brat - Limelite, Luv & Niteclubz (So So Def/Arista)
  Read: "Da Brat Discusses Pain Of Past Breakups, Goes To 'Chuch' On New LP"

• Beyoncé
• Black Eyed Peas
• Michelle Branch
• Gang Starr
• Da Brat

MTV.com LIVE: Liz Phair Photos 08.03.2005

• Liz Phair

Liz Phair Photos: Live from Field Day, 2003

• Liz Phair

Radiohead, Beasties, Blur, More For Field Day

• Liz Phair
• Bright Eyes
• Spiritualized
• Beastie Boys
• Radiohead

MTV Exclusive: Liz Phair Photos

• Liz Phair

SXSW 2003 Highlight Photos

• D4
• Death Cab For Cutie
• The Flaming Sideburns
• Idlewild
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes