Henry Rollins

Rollins Angry About Terror Accusation, Stoked About Talk Show

21 Feb 2006 14:49:00 EST

Passenger on flight to Australia reported singer for reading book on militant Islam.
By Chris Harris, with reporting by Sasha Hamrogue

Henry Rollins has been getting a lot of attention these days from the Australian media — after all, it's not every day that some American punk icon calls Australia's prime minister a "sissy."

While it hasn't been the kind of attention most celebrities would welcome, Rollins — who tread the boards with seminal hardcore tsunami Black Flag before launching his own hard-rock conglomeration, Rollins Band — is relishing it. "Well, it isn't the worst thing I could have said," he explained. "I have called the president of the United States a whole lot worse."

Prime Minister John Howard caught Hank's wrath during the rocker's most recent trip to Australia. On the flight from New Zealand, Rollins said he was reading a copy of Wall Street Journal correspondent Ahmed Rashid's book "Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia." The man sitting next to him took objection to the book and reported Rollins to the Australian government.

"The guy phoned me in to their, like, anti-terrorist board, and they found me — they looked me up," he said. "They looked up the flight and found out who was sitting in seat 10A and they got to me. And they said, 'OK, you're now a person of interest. The man next to you does not agree with your politics and he didn't like the book you were reading.' This kind of provocation, I don't respond very well to. I was furious. And so I wrote back, 'You can tell everyone at your office, including your boss, to go f--- themselves. This book has been read by a ton of people — I am not a threat to your state or any state or any republic.' "

In the actual text of his online response, Rollins added: "Baghdad's safer than my hometown, and your PM is a sissy."

Rollins said he isn't sure he'll ever be able to return to Australia. That doesn't upset him all that much. What does irk him, though, is that he can't take out his frustrations on the man who reported him as a potential national security risk.

"He didn't even leave his name and address [when he called], and that, to me, is pretty cowardly," Rollins said. "The next time I get out to Australia — that is, if they let me in — I am going to talk about that guy in every interview I do. And it will get to him. It's a small country, in that there aren't a lot of people there and most of the country's just sand and flies. So it will get to him."

Rollins will be doing plenty of interviews Stateside, but on the other side of the mic, when his weekly talk show "The Henry Rollins Show" debuts April 1 on the Independent Film Channel. (Rollins also has a radio program, "Harmony in My Head," which airs Tuesday nights on Los Angeles' Indie 103.1.) The program, an offshoot of Rollins' old IFC gig, "Henry's Film Corner," will feature musical guests and performances as well as interviews with actors, writers, politicians, thinkers and "people I think have something to say," he explained.

Rollins said the idea for the program was inspired by the tons of mail the channel received concerning his monthly rants during "Henry's Film Corner."

"I had moments where I could just go off on topics, and that was the stuff that got the most mail," he said. "People loved our interviews, and then the mail we would get was 'We like when Henry goes off and tears the president a new one.' So this time around, the show went from monthly to weekly and the show's name was changed. And they just said, 'Do what you want. We trust you, we like you — go.' "

Musical guests lined up include Frank Black, Death Cab for Cutie, Dashboard Confessional, Sleater-Kinney and Ben Folds. Rollins said he's in control of the bulk of the show's content, which is the only way he'd have it.

"If they didn't let me do what I want, they'd find some handsome guy with frosted hair who goes, 'Great — give me the copy,' " he said. "I don't want to be that guy."

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Henry Rollins

For The Record: Quick News On Beyonce, Jay-Z, Usher, Korn, Avril Lavigne, Atreyu, Henry Rollins & More

04 Aug 2004 17:35:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

Beyoncé took a break over the weekend to attend a star-studded baby shower in Houston for her little sister Solange (who got married in February to football player Daniel Smith). More than 300 family members and friends attended Sunday's shower, including Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, former Houston Rockets basketball player Cuttino Mobley and University of Texas quarterback Vincent Young. ...

Usher, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Hoobastank, Avril Lavigne and Mary J. Blige are among the performers scheduled for the Fashion Rocks concert September 8 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Fans can win tickets to the celebration of music and fashion at chevyfashionrocks.com. ... Although it's not the official single, Korn's cover of "Word Up," originally made famous by Cameo in 1986, has been getting some radio airplay. Versions of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" and Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" were favored to be the covers featured on Korn's upcoming greatest-hits album, but now it looks as if "Word Up" has usurped the PE classic. "Fight the Power," as well as a rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole," which features Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, are now being saved for future use. ...

Michelle Branch and Kimberley Locke, along with several popular South Asian artists, are set to perform at the One Night for India concert on August 21. The charitable event, to be held at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, will directly benefit the fight against HIV/AIDS in India. ... Paris Hilton is shooting a guest spot this week in the upcoming UPN show "Veronica Mars," a teen detective drama debuting this fall. The hotel heiress will play Caitlin Ford, one of the elite students at Neptune High — who is also a suspect in an identify-theft case, as far as the title character is concerned. Hilton's episode — the second one in the series — will air September 28 at 9 p.m. ET on UPN. ...

Ozzfest second-stage buddies Atreyu and Bleeding Through plan to continue their road relationship when the multi-band metalfest comes to a close. The bands, joined by Scars of Tomorrow and Silverstein, are lining up a monthlong fall tour to begin in October. An complete itinerary is forthcoming. ... Bono sang at the private funeral for Susan Buffett, wife of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, in Omaha, Nebraska, on Monday. Susan was active in philanthropy, including AIDS awareness and prevention, a cause for which Bono has fought over the years. ... Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Krayzie Bone will release his third solo album, Gemini: Good Vs. Evil, on September 28. Lil Jon produced the first single, "Getchu Twisted," which features Krayzie's Bone Thugs mates on the remix. ...

Henry Rollins is about to embark on a trip to Honduras for a USO-sponsored show to boost morale for troops stationed at Soto Cano Air Base. This will be Rollins' third tour with the USO, having previously entertained troops in the Middle East. ... Famously abrasive and influential San Francisco punkers Crime, who used to perform in full S.F. Police uniforms, only released three singles before breaking up in 1981, and the majority of their recordings were lost for over a decade. Now everything's been collected and remastered on the new compilation San Francisco's STILL Burning, which also includes two unreleased outtakes from their very first studio session. ...

Like Nelly, Matthew Sweet also plans to release two albums this fall — Living Things and Kimi Ga Suki Raifu. The second LP was actually released last year in Japan only but will now hit the U.S. on October 19, while Living Things will be released worldwide on September 7. ... Four of Rush's albums recorded in the late '80s and '90s, Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts and Test for Echo, have been remastered and will be released on August 24. ...

08.03.2004

If it weren't for his band headlining the Vans Warped Tour, New Found Glory's Jordan Pundik would have been married by summer's end. The singer had planned to get married on Labor Day weekend, according to a band spokesperson, but the nuptials are now set for September 5, 2005. Pundik got engaged to his longtime girlfriend earlier this year. ...

Missy Elliott has finished mapping out "The Road to Stardom" for 13 contestants in her new reality show. Madonna, Busta Rhymes and Jermaine Dupri all make appearances on the show, while music producer Dallas Austin will join co-executive producer Elliott to judge the aspiring hip-hop stars. Combining elements of "American Idol" and "Survivor," contestants must endure mental and physical challenges to prove their talent. ...

With two studio albums under their fashionably hip belts, the Strokes are now planning their first live album, to be released before the end of the year. Taped in December, the London concert featured on the live album included hits from their latest LP, Room on Fire, and their debut, Is This It. A new studio album isn't expected until next year. ... Courtney Love's Japanese manga comic, "Princess Ai," is the #1 graphic novel in the country, according to Nielsen BookScan sales reports. The first volume of "Princess Ai," called "Destitution," in which a Love-like character finds herself lost in Tokyo and must piece together clues about who she is and why she's on Earth, topped the Adult Fiction Overall Trade Paper Graphic Novels list for the week ending July 25. Volume two, "Lumination," will be released in February 2005. ...

Lenny Kravitz is hitting the road for a 19-city fall tour to promote his latest album, Baptism. The outing will begin and end at casinos in two gambling capitals; the first show takes place September 11 at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the last on October 16 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. ... Michael Jackson's lawyers are suggesting in court documents that prosecutor Tom Sneddon violated a gag order when he made remarks about the case to a conference of district attorneys in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 20. At the event, Sneddon told his fellow prosecutors, "We sent letters to some people saying we intended to call them as witnesses in order to keep them off TV." Jackson's lawyers are asking the court to decide if Sneddon's speech violated or misused the gag order. ...

After seven years and three studio albums (including this year's Heroes to Zeros), U.K.'s Beta Band has called it quits. A DVD collection of videos and films made by the band will surface in 2005. A farewell tour is planned for the fall, after which each member will pursue individual projects. ... Almost 10 years after her debut album, 1000 Fires, was released, Traci Lords is prepping a follow-up. There's no word yet on when the new album will be released, but the ex-porn star and actress plans to post songs on her Web site, TraciLords.com, in advance of the release. ...

With the release of Super D on August 17, piano rocker Ben Folds completes his online EP trilogy series. The final installment features three original songs as well as a pair of inspired covers: the Darkness' "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" and an early Ray Charles track, "Them That Got." The EPs are available online as downloadable tracks at attackedbyplastic.com, and a new full-length album is expected in early 2005. ... Singer/stripper Har Mar Superstar (alter-ego of Sean Tillman/ Sean Na Na) has called on some fellow indie heroes for his third album, The Handler, due September 14. Adding spiky sass are Karen O and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, rap group Northern State and longtime Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas. ...

Concertgoers hitting the Road Rage Tour stop Tuesday (August 3) in Cleveland are in for a surprise when Chimaira take the stage. Citing visa issues, drummer Richard Evensand has left the band and has been replaced by ex-Misery Index beatkeeper Kevin Talley. The band will continue to tour as scheduled, with trips to Japan and Australia planned for September. ... Staind's Aaron Lewis and ex-Candlebox singer Kevin Martin and his band the HiWatts are performing to combat drug abuse. The musicians are this year's special guests at the third annual Layne Staley Benefit Show, taking place August 27, a concert to raise money for heroin recovery. ...

Twenty-six years after the fact, the never-broadcast "Rock & Roll Circus," the legendary 1968 Rolling Stones concert extravaganza, is being readied for a DVD release. The taped-for-television show, which had previously been available on VHS, included performances by Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull, the Who and the supergroup collaboration of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell. The DVD will also include previously unreleased performances and participant commentary. ... Jimmy Eat World's four-song Firestarter EP is now available for download through iTunes, and more songs are on the way, as the band has just finalized the details for its upcoming album, Futures, due October 19. The 12-song album will feature tracks called "Just Tonight," "Work," "Kill," "Pain," "Drugs or Me," "Polaris," "Night Drive" and "Jen." ...

Shelby Lynne is set to make her film debut in the Johnny Cash biopic "

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For The Record: Quick News On Paula Abdul, Metallica, Bumblebeez 81, Henry Rollins, The Vandals, Elvin Jones & More

19 May 2004 17:29:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

Paula Abdul plans to nail a beauty salon over a botched manicure. The "American Idol" judge's thumbnail had to be surgically removed after a severe nail infection, which she claims resulted when a manicurist poked her in the thumb at Chinoserie in Studio City, California. The salon, however, maintains that Abdul's claims are inconsistent with the dates and times she received beauty treatments. Abdul plans to sue for medicals bills and pain and suffering. ...

Atari and clothing designer Marc Ecko are hooking up to create "Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure," a video game based on hip-hop and graffiti art. The game is expected to premiere next summer. ... While Mike Watt, Bumblebeez 81, the Dresden Dolls and the Living Things are creating their own energy on the Solar Sound Stage of Lollapalooza, the stage itself will be powered entirely by the sun. The solar-powered grid providing power to the stage and the sound system is intended to introduce thousands of people to alternative energy sources. ...

Metallica received the Creative Voice Award at the performing-rights group ASCAP's Pop Music Awards on Tuesday. The award, presented during a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, was given to the bandmembers for their "artistic career achievements and for their work as advocates for all creatives." ... Renowned jazz drummer Elvin Jones died of heart failure Tuesday in a New Jersey hospital. He was 76. Jones first gained prominence as a member of Charles Mingus' band in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he joined John Coltrane's "classic quartet," playing on such famed recordings as A Love Supreme and Live at the Village Vanguard. ...

Punk beefcake Henry Rollins is starting a new record label focusing on rare and unreleased music from the Washington, D.C., area. "A couple of years ago, it hit me that there was some really cool music from my hometown of Washington, D.C., that was either out-of-print or unreleased and I should do something about that," Rollins wrote in his recent newsletter to fans. Dubbed District Line, the imprint's first releases will be Trouble Funk's Live & Early Singles and the compilation :30 Over DC, which features cuts by late-1970s D.C. bands such as the Slickee Boys, Half Japanese and the Nurses. ... Meanwhile, Rollins will take to the Los Angeles airwaves every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. starting June 7. He's been working for radio station Indie 103.1 since this past Monday, offering his views on everything from music to politics. ...

Moby is among those involved in an upcoming film about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, who hanged himself in 1980. The remaining members of the morose and influential U.K. band went on to form New Order. ... Southern California punks the Vandals, on board for the entire Warped Tour, will release their 12th album, Hollywood Potato Chip, June 29 on Kung Fu Records, the Los Angeles indie label owned by Vandals bassist Joe Escalante and guitarist Warren Fitzgerald. ...

The A&E channel will broadcast a two-hour documentary on Aerosmith on June 6 at 8 p.m. The show, "Aerosmith: You Gotta Move," will provide backstage footage from the group's recent tour and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of the band's blues album, Honkin' on Bobo, which came out March 30. ... Four days after checking into a London rehab clinic, the Libertines' Pete Doherty claims to be on suicide watch, though thoughts of killing himself could not be further from his mind, he wrote on his Web site, www.babyshambles.com. Doherty was placed on the watch after hospital personnel noticed marks on his body. ...

5.18.2004

Good Charlotte have given the title The Chronicles of Life and Death to their follow-up to 2002's The Young and the Hopeless. The band is halfway through recording its third album in Los Angeles. The LP is expected to drop in late September. ...

Julia Volkova, one half of faux-mosexual Russian pop duo T.A.T.U., is pregnant. The father is longtime boyfriend karate champ Pasha Sidorov, who incidentally already has a wife and child. Volkova and singing partner Lena Katina plan to record another album after the baby is born. ... For the second year in a row, Eminem will play a key part in the Detroit Hip-Hop Summit. This year, Slim Shady is hosting the event and his group D12 are scheduled to attend. Also lending their support to Russell Simmons' organization in Detroit will be the G-Unit, the Ying Yang Twins, Doug E. Fresh, Layzie Bone and Reverend Run. The summit will take place on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.. ...

A judge ruled Monday that Eminem can proceed with his lawsuit against Apple Computer, advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day and MTV over an advertisement for iPod and iTunes that featured a 10-year-old boy rapping lyrics to Eminem's song "Lose Yourself." Despite not getting permission to use the Oscar-winning song from Eminem's movie "8 Mile," Apple ran the advertisement on MTV last summer. ... John Mayer helped the dreams of the senior class of Pennsburg High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, come true on Saturday by making a special appearance at the prom. The school is the subject of the book "Wonderland: The Story of a Prom," which chronicles a year in the lives of several students who worked to get Mayer to play their prom. ...

You've heard of Wavy Gravy and Cherry Garcia, now check out Death by Sharon and Ozzy's Carnivorous Carrot Cake. The Country Cow Creamery in Woodbridge, New Jersey, is serving Osbourne-inspired flavors of ice cream. Creamery co-owner Ed Dubroski Jr. sent an e-mail to the Osbournes in January offering to create an ice cream flavor for Sharon. The Osbournes accepted the offer and asked that one be created for Ozzy, too. Dubroski recently shipped five gallons of ice cream to the Osbournes along with a letter which producers told him would be read by Sharon on an episode of her talk show that will air on Wednesday. The flavors will be available in the Country Cow Creamery starting Wednesday. ... Damon Dash is no longer the only hip-hop mogul with his own vodka. Jermaine Dupri has purchased part ownership of 3 Vodka, a zero-carbohydrate vodka distilled from soy and endorsed by the American Vegetarian Association. ...

Andre and Big Boi of Outkast will kick off "Good Morning America" 's summer concert series on Friday with a free early-morning concert in New York's Bryant Park. The TV show's Friday series also includes Stevie Wonder (June 11), Ruben Studdard (June 25), Clay Aiken (July 2), Hilary Duff (July 16), Usher (July 30), Jessica Simpson (August 6), Black Eyed Peas (August 13) and Nelly (August 20). ... Nas' free show at New York's Central Park has been set for August 15. The concert will not be held on the Great Lawn, but as part of the city's eclectic Summerstage lineup. Nas has promised several special guests for the performance, though none have been announced yet. ... The Big Tymers will kick off a brief tour Saturday in Cincinnati. The Cash Money group will visit cities in the South and along the Atlantic seaboard, wrapping up June 11 in Washington, D.C. ...

3 Doors Down have joined the ranks of rockers with a cause. The group raised $90,000 at a concert at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama, on March 26, and distributed the funds to 16 Gulf Coast charities at a press conference on Monday in Mobile. At the conference, they also announced the creation of their new charity, the Better Life Foundation. Named after the band's six-times-platinum debut album, the foundation will benefit children and young adults with special needs. ... Perry Farrell will get together with Lollapalooza co-headliners the String Cheese Incident for a one-off performance by the Perry Farrell Incident at the tour's stop in Denver, the Cheese's hometown. Farrell has also reportedly expressed his desire to bring Lollapalooza to the U.K. ...

Something Corporate fans attending the band's show in Ventura, California, on Thursday may be immortalized for posterity. The band intends to film the show at the Ventura Theatre for inclusion in an upcoming DVD. ... Football fans will be running and gunning this season to the sounds of New Found Glory. The band's "This Disaster" is the first song confirmed for "Madden NFL 2005," which is expected to street in August. ...

"American Idol" creator Simon Fuller is launching a record label called 19 Recordings; the first release will be Tamyra Gray's The Dreamer (May 25). Tom Ennis, former record-label executive and current vice president of 19 Entertainment (which produces "Idol" and manages past winners), will run the label headquartered in New York and distributed through Universal Music. Gray will promote the release by performing two songs on the Wednesday episode of "Idol." ... Tenacious D will headline the latest in the Concerts for Kerry series. The June 6 show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood will also feature the Naked Trucker and comedians Bob Odenkirk, Kevin Nealon, Fred Armisen and Laura Kightlinger, Jack Black's girlfriend. All proceeds go to John Kerry for President. ...

The Ruff Ryders are going pop and not disguising it one bit. Scottsdale, Arizona, singer LT will release her debut album this year on the spinoff label Ruff Pop. ... The repercussions from Atlantic Records' merger with sister labels Elektra and Lava resulted in roughly half

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New Releases: William Hung, Tamia, Dilated Peoples, Henry Rollins, Blondie, TMBG, Modest Mouse & More

06 Apr 2004 07:57:00 EDT

'American Idol' outcast somehow tops week's releases.
By Abbey Goodman

Believe it or not, "American Idol" reject William Hung tops the new releases this week. If you've seen the show, you know that Hung's musical Inspiration comes from Ricky Martin's "She Bangs." And that is seemingly all one needs these days to get a record deal. While the "Idol" finalists are busy slaving away in front of Simon, Paula and Randy, Hung is living it up as an ersatz pop star on his debut record, which includes cover songs of material by Ricky Martin (of course) as well as Elton John, R. Kelly and the Village People.

The "Johnson Family Vacation" soundtrack features songs by Ashanti, Ghostface, Musiq, Joe Budden and one of the film's stars, Bow Wow. Last week's "SNL" musical guests Toots and the Maytals offer True Love, an album of collaborations on favorite Maytals tracks that includes contributions by No Doubt, Ryan Adams, the Roots, Eric Clapton, Bootsy Collins, Keith Richards, Ben Harper and Jeff Beck.

Blondie come back again with The Curse of Blondie, while Calexico's Convict Pool, a collection of cover songs and some original material, shares shelf space with They Might Be Giants' five-track EP Indestructible Object, Paul Oakenfold's Perfect Remixes Vol. 1, and Ben Kweller's On My Way.

R&B songstress Tamia releases More alongside Dilated Peoples' Neighborhood Watch, Todd Rundgren's Liarsand Henry Rollins' Nights Behind the Tree Line.

Finally, what would a new releases roundup be without a mention of Barry Manilow? Don't answer that. But Manilow releases 2 Nights Live! this week, a two-disc set that includes all his hits, including "Mandy," "Copacabana (At the Copa)" and "I Write the Songs."

Out Tuesday, April 6:

The Advantage - The Advantage (5 Rue Christine)
Trey Anastasio - Seis de Mayo (Elektra)
And One - Aggressor (Metropolis)
Architecture in Helsinki - Fingers Crossed (Bar/None)
Atom and His Package - Hair: Debatable (Hopeless)
Audio Learning Center - Cope Park (Vagrant)
The Beautiful Mistake - This Is Who You Are (Militia Group)
Jack Blades - Jack Blades (Sanctuary)
Blondie - The Curse of Blondie (Sanctuary)
Blue County - Blue County (Curb)
The Butchies - Make Yr Life (Yep Roc)
Calexico - Convict Pool (Quarterstick)
James Carter - Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge (Warner Bros.)
The Damnwells - The Bastards of the Beat (Red Ink/Epic)
Dark Lotus - Black Rain (Psychopathic)
Decree - Moment of Silence (Metropolis)
Dilated Peoples - Neighborhood Watch (Capitol)
Buy Now: Neighborhood Watch (Capitol)
Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor (Metal Blade)
The DT's - Hard Fixed (Estrus)
Dujeous? - City Limits (Third Earth Music)
Edguy - Hellfire Club (Nuclear Blast)
Elf Power - Walking With the Beggar Boys (Orange Twin)
End - The Sounds of Disaster (Ipecac)
Fear - Before the March of Flames Odd How People Shake (Rise)
Haymarket Riot - Mog (Thick)
William Hung - Inspiration (Koch)
Read: "William Hung 'Bangs' Latin Lovers, R. Kelly Cover On Inspiration"
In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape (Nuclear Blast)
Kate Jacobs - You Call That Dark (Bar/None)
John Wilkes Booze - 5 Pillars of Soul (Kill Rock Stars)
Ben Kweller - On My Way (ATO/RCA)
Lansing-Dreiden - The Incomplete Triangle (Kemado)
Local H - Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? (Studio E)
Russell Malone - Playground (MAXJAZZ)
Barry Manilow - 2 Nights Live! (Arista/BMG Heritage)
Matt Marque - Nothing Personal (Atavistic)
Mocean Worker - Enter the MoWo! (MoWo! Inc.)
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic)
Buy Now: Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic)
Mozaik - Live From the Powerhouse (Compass)
Charlie Musselwhite - Sanctuary (Real World)
Paul Oakenfold - Perfect Remixes Vol. 1 (Topaz)
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic (Polyvinyl)
Old Time Relijun - Lost Light (K)
On Air Library - On Air Library (Arena Rock)
Pit Er Pat - Emergency (Overcoat)
Pre Thing - 22nd Century Lifestyle (V2)
Pulley - Matters (Epitaph)
Henry Rollins - Nights Behind the Tree Line (2.13.61)
Buy Now: Nights Behind The Tree Line (2 13 61 Records)
Todd Rundgren - Liars (Sanctuary)
Ron Sexsmith - Retriever (Nettwerk)
Slow Train Soul - Illegal Cargo (Tommy Boy)
Spinning Images - DNA (Starpolish)
Split Shift - Tension (Elektra)
Spymob - Sitting Around Keeping Score (Ruthless/Epic)
Joan Stiles - Love Call (Zoho)
Tahiti 80 - A Piece of Sunshine (Minty Fresh)
Tamia - More (Elektra)
Teada - Give Us a Penny and We'll Be Gone (Green Linnet)
They Might Be Giants - Indestructible Object (Barsuk)
Buy Now: Indestructible Object (Barsuk)
Throbbing Gristle - Mutant TG (Novamute)
Tight Phantomz - Nightfool (Southern)
Toots and the Maytals - True Love (V2)
Truman - Payne Avenue (Geffen)
Vehemence - Helping the World to See (Metal Blade)
The Warren Brothers - Well Deserved Obscurity (Savoy Jazz/429)
Winnerys - And ... the Winnerys (Rainbow Quartz)
Shannon Wright - Over the Sun (Quarterstick)
Mary Youngblood - Feed the Fire (Silver Wave)
Zeke - 'Til the Livin' End (Relapse)
Various artists - The '90s (TVT)
Various artists - "The Alamo" soundtrack (Hollywood)
Various artists - Buzzin' Fly Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)
Various artists - Electric Gypsyland (Six Degrees)
Various artists - "Ella Enchanted" soundtrack (Hollywood)
Various artists - "Johnson Family Vacation" soundtrack (Def Jam)
Various artists - "The Passion of the Christ": Songs Inspired By (Universal South)
Various artists - Pink Panther's Penthouse Party (Virgin)
Various artists - Tracks and Fields (Kill Rock Stars)
Various artists - Urban Themes (TVT)
DVD: Kenny Chesney - "Road Case: The Movie" (BNA)
DVD: "Reggae Nation: The Real Spring Break" (Image Entertainment)

April 13:

Ben Jelen - Give It All Away (Maverick)
Sugarcult - Palm Trees and Power Lines (Artemis)
Various artists - "Kill Bill 2" soundtrack (Maverick)

April 20:

Drowning Pool - Desensitized (Wind-Up)
Read: "New Drowning Pool Singer Says He Had A Vision Before Tryout"
Buy Now: Desensitized (Wind-Up)
Hanson - Underneath (3CG)
Prince - Musicology (Sony)

April 27:

Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room (Verve)
Joey McIntyre - 8:09 (Artemis)
Patti Smith - Trampin' (Sony)
Various artists - "American Idol" Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics (RCA)

May 4:

Buckethead - Population Override (Ion)
Kimberley Locke - One Love (Curb)
Read: " 'American Idol' Finalist Kimberley Locke Is Radio's '8th Wonder'"
Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (Jive)
Various artists - "The L Word" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)

May 18:

Alanis Morissette - So Called Chaos (Maverick)
Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary)

May 25:

Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (Arista)
Read: "Avril Lavigne Album Preview: Rock Rules On Under My Skin"
Buy Now: Under My Skin (Arista)

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For The Record: Quick News On Ozzy, Slick Rick, Gang Starr, William Shatner And Henry Rollins, Judas Priest & More

23 Dec 2003 16:32:00 EST

By MTV News staff report

Ozzy Osbourne has been taken out of the Wexham Park Hospital intensive-care unit and placed in a private clinic to recuperate from the injuries he sustained in an ATV crash on December 8, according to a statement from the Osbournes. The former wildman of rock fractured his collarbone, eight ribs and a vertebra in his neck in the accident, which occurred on his Buckinghamshire estate in southern England. Last week, Sharon Osbourne said it would probably take Ozzy six months to fully recover. ...

Hip-hop's greatest storyteller, Slick Rick, will headline his own "Welcome Home" concert in Brooklyn, New York, on January 9. The old-school icon was recently freed from an INS detention center after 17 months while he awaited deportation. Several of Slick Rick's legendary peers are expected to perform at the event but none have yet been confirmed. ... Gang Starr's DJ Premier and Guru are sorting through tracks for a greatest-hits collection due next year. In 1999, the seminal hip-hop duo released the double-disc Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr, but this collection would include newer tracks, B-sides, remixes and at least one new track. ...

Perhaps inspired by all those Priceline.com commercials, in which he sang alongside established rockers, William Shatner is working on a new music album, and he's beaming up some talented artists, including Henry Rollins and Joe Jackson, to help him out. Ben Folds will produce the project, which will likely come out next year. The former Starship Enterprise captain has been in Nashville recording the LP and recently weighed in on the project via his Web site: "I am attempting excellence in music. I feel like I'm almost there, but I'll have to wait for all of you to tell me if I have reached excellence or not." ... Singer/guitarist Justin Hawkinsof British hair metal revivalists the Darkness will address England on MTV Europe on Christmas Day at 3 p.m., the same time the queen of England delivers a speech to her subjects on BBC1. Over the past year, the Darkness have become rock icons across Europe; in North America they remain an acquired taste. ...

On the heels of Rob Halford's return to the band, Judas Priest will release a box set called Metalogy on March 9. The box will feature three or four CDs and may include a live DVD. Judas Priest are working on new material with Halford as well. Tim Owens, who sang on the last two Priest records, is now a member of Iced Earth, whose new album, The Glorious Burden, will be released January 13. ... Murderdolls singer Wednesday 13 will launch a line of merchandise next year that will include shirts, bags, stickers and patches. The product line will feature "The Thirteen Dead Kids" logo, cartoon renderings of 13 dead children drawn in red and black. Wednesday 13 came up with the idea during the downtime that followed this year's tours with Iron Maiden and Stone Sour. ...

The Presidents of the United States of America are re-releasing their self-titled debut album (featuring "Lump" and "Peaches") with five bonus tracks (including a new song called "Some Postman") and a DVD. Titled Extra Super Double Bonus Thrill Pack, the collection is due February 16. ...

12.22.03

Someone alert The Source. Eminem has a secret side of him that many of his fans would be surprised to see: sketch artist. Eminem's uncle, Todd Nelson, is putting up for auction a number of pencil drawings and sketches (and lyrics) the rapper apparently created between the ages of 16 and 19. The items are being sold through a Chicago auction house in the spring. ...

Ruben Studdard has settled his lawsuit against 205 Flava Inc., which he claimed unfairly profited by using his unauthorized image to sell clothing through its Web site. The clothing company, which responded by revealing that it paid the singer to wear 205 jerseys on "American Idol," thus violating rules of the show, has been negotiating with Studdard since November and will now partner with 19 Entertainment, the company behind "American Idol," to license and market its clothes. Neither party would reveal exact details of the settlement. ... DMX is set to produce and star in two new movies, adding to an already impressive résumé that includes roles in "Cradle 2 the Grave" and "Exit Wounds." Hollywood's premiere Ruff Rider will battle a Hong Kong gang leader in "Past Tense" and play an architect in "Winners." ...

A new batch of punks has been added to the lineup of the next Vans Warped Tour, including Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, NOFX, Thursday, Lillix, From Autumn to Ashes, Bad Religion, Story of the Year, Yellowcard and Bouncing Souls. The 10th anniversary of the tour will launch June 24 in Houston. ... AFI are bringing Coheed and Cambria, A Static Lullaby and Thursday around with them for a tour that starts February 18. Coheed and ASL will open through February 24, with Thursday filling in for the latter February 25 through March 9. More dates are expected to be added. ...

In a series of interactive Nokia commercials leading up to the 2004 Sugar Bowl (January 4), Snoop Dogg will try to discover which celebrity guest is trying to steal the championship trophy. Fans who help Snoop uncover the criminal will have the opportunity to win prizes that include Nokia phones, a trip to the 2005 Sugar Bowl, or the grand prize of $100,000. The commercials, which were directed by Guy Ritchie, will start airing Saturday. ... On Friday, Kevin Eckenrod was sentenced to 25 months in prison for impersonating Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti. He was arrested and charged in April for stealing more than $1,000 while kissing a misinformed Creed fan. The 40-year-old swindler has a criminal record of keeping over 30 aliases, and has amassed more than 60 criminal charges in Florida within the last 10 years. ...

Henry Rollins will launch a spoken-word tour called Shock and Awe My Ass on January 13 in Tempe, Arizona. The 32-date trek ends February 29 in Asheville, North Carolina. ... After Powerman 5000's 1999 album, Tonight the Stars Revolt, the band recorded a caustic, explosive metal album called Anyone for Doomsday? but decided not to release it weeks before it was to hit shelves. More than two years later, frontman Spider seems to have had a change of heart, and Powerman are now selling the album on their Web site. In a post, Spider wrote, " 'Bombshell,' the original single from Anyone for Doomsday?, has reared its head in several movie soundtracks and compilations and has even become the theme song for WWE wrestling stars the Dudley Boys. This monster refused to die, and it became clear to me that it is finally time to unleash these tracks for our diehard powerfans." ... The Shins will ring in the new year with 14 U.S. tour dates beginning January 31 in Seattle. The outing, which starts in London on January 20, is bookended by two television appearances ("Late Show With David Letterman," "Late Night With Conan O'Brien"). ...

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Henry Rollins Pauses For The Murder Rap Cause; Launches Tour

05 Jun 2003 12:01:00 EDT

To promote album, tour, Rollins recently shot video for Rise Above's title track with rap pioneer Chuck D.
By Corey Moss and Iann Robinson

Henry Rollins guarantees fans will be blown away by the frontman of the Rollins Band's latest tour. And, no, he's not being self-righteous.

Rollins and the current incarnation of his band are on the road with former Black Flag and Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris.

"He's like Iggy [Pop], he's timeless," Rollins said before the tour kicked off earlier this week. "He just walks in and grabs the mic and it's on. He explodes up there. You see why he got the job in the first place. To me, he's the voice of Black Flag."

And that's a good thing, since the tour is a special trek featuring all songs by Black Flag, which is also Rollins' former band. The outing, like last year's Rollins-organized, star-studded Rise Above album (see "Rollins Raises Black Flag To Salute West Memphis Three"), will benefit the legal fund of the West Memphis Three, the teenagers whose controversial murder trial was the subject of the documentaries "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Lost 2."

Rollins, like Metallica and Pearl Jam before him, is doing what he can to get West Memphis, Arkansas, natives Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin a new trial. The men have been in prison 10 years, despite what many consider to be a lack of evidence.

"What we need is compelling evidence and that would be DNA evidence," Rollins explained in his commanding voice. "Apparently, there were DNA samples in the evidence lockers in Arkansas that no one had the budget to test. They are being tested [now, but] apparently it's oh so expensive, so a lot of money has gone in and is still needed.

"The boys in prison are ecstatic," he continued. "I think that's because they are innocent. If I were guilty I don't think I would be jumping up and down over something that could totally implicate me."

Along with ticket revenue, the tour will also raise money through a raffle for the guitar used to record Rise Above and autographed by many of the album's guests, which include Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Queens of the Stone Age's Nick Oliveri and Ice-T.

Rollins Band, with Rollins and Morris trading off on vocals, will play the songs from the benefit album, along with "Damaged 1," "Can't Decide," "Clocked In" and other favorites, according to Rollins.

"People can be part of something real cool," Rollins said. "And these will be all the shows we're doing, this isn't going to be something we're revamping every once in a while. We're going to hit it and then we're going to quit it."

To promote the album and tour, Rollins recently shot a video for Rise Above's title track with rap pioneer Chuck D. Rollins Band tour dates, according to the group:

6/4 - Memphis, TN @ The New Daisy Theater
6/5 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
6/6 - Tampa, FL @ The Masquerade
6/7 - Boynton Beach, FL @ Club Ovation
6/9 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
6/11 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
6/12 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6/13 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
6/14 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
6/15 - Boston, MA @ Axis
6/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Theater of Living Arts
6/18 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon
6/19 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
6/20 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
6/21 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater
6/22 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
6/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
6/26 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
6/27 - Salt Lake City, UT @ DV8
6/29 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
6/30 - Portland, OR Roseland Theater
7/1 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

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Henry Rollins

For The Record: Quick News On Linkin Park, T.A.T.U., Chevelle, Henry Rollins, Mandy Moore, Korn & More

15 May 2003 16:39:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

While Mark Romanek is handling Linkin Park's next video, the band's own Joseph Hahn will return to the director's chair for the group's third single from Meteora. That video and a clip for the next European single will be shot in Prague, Czech Republic next week, Hahn said Tuesday, although he wouldn't reveal what songs they will be for. "You need to focus on 'Faint,' " he joked. "I shouldn't be talking so far ahead." ...

Russian police barred T.A.T.U. from filming their new video in Moscow's Red Square on Thursday (May 15). Several hundred fans, many decked out in schoolgirl uniforms, showed up to be extras in what was supposed to be the duo's video for the Eurovision song contest. Russia chose the kissing crooners to represent the country at the contest, happening later this month in Riga, Latvia. ... Mandy Moore is giving fans a sneak preview of her upcoming covers album, Coverage. Four of the album's 12 tracks are available for listening on her official Web site, www.mandymoore.com. The songs are covers of John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me," XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Friends" and Joan Armatrading's "Drop the Pilot." Moore is also about to film Warner Bros.' "First Daughter," with co-stars Mark Harmon, Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra. ...

Chevelle have scheduled 14 shows during down days on this year's Ozzfest. Four of the shows will be with Korn, six will be with Disturbed and the rest will be headline gigs. The first date is June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, and the last announced show is August 31 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. ... "Revealing Jewel: An Intimate Portrait by Family and Friends," a book about the personal details of the star's life, is being released in June with her approval. The tome, by author Kenneth Calhoun, features interviews with Moby, Billy Bob Thornton, producer Arif Mardin, Jewel's father, Atz Kilcher, and her mother and manager, Lenedra J. Carroll, among others. ...

All proceeds from Santana's summer tour will be donated to Artists for a New South Africa, an organization dedicated to fighting the spread of AIDS in Africa. The trek starts June 11 in Atlanta and continues through July 14 in Los Angeles. Angelique Kidjo will open every show. ... Henry Rollins is planning to perform material included on the compilation LP he put together last year, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three, on a world tour kicking off June 1. Joining the Rollins Band on the U.S. dates of the outing will be Keith Morris, leader of the Circle Jerks and original singer for Black Flag. All proceeds from the shows will go to the West Memphis Three Defense Fund, created to help overturn the convictions of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, whom many feel were not given a fair trial in the 1993 murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. ...

05.14.03

50 Cent, Pink and T.A.T.U. have signed on as performers for this year's MTV Movie Awards. Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Murphy, P. Diddy and Hilary Duff have been lined up as presenters for the show, which airs on June 5. ...

With four nominations, including Video of the Year for "Work It," Missy Elliott will be the leading contender at the BET Awards June 24 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. 50 Cent, who will perform at the ceremony along with Snoop Dogg, India.Arie and others, and B2K follow with three nominations apiece. Several artists are up for two trophies, including Eminem and Justin Timberlake, who will compete in the Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Artist categories. ...

Seann William Scott, Tara Reid, Eve, Kelly Osbourne, Tony Hawk, Alyssa Milano, members of Linkin Park, System of a Down, Counting Crows and No Doubt and several other celebrities turned out to a Playstation 2-sponsored party in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday to catch an invitation-only performance by 50 Cent. Sporting a Pirates cap and his usual bulletproof vest, and flanked by members of his G-Unit crew, 50 briskly ran through a brief set that included "Wanksta," "In Da Club" and "Many Men." ...

Britney Spears and Skechers footwear company have made nice, settling their legal disputes out of court for an undisclosed sum of money. In December, Spears filed a $1.5 million breach-of-contract suit against Skechers for allegedly failing to properly promote and pay her for marketing a line of roller skates and accessories. Skechers slapped back with a $10 million suit, accusing the singer of fraud and breach of a three-year licensing agreement she signed with the company in January 2002. ...

Jane's Addiction have changed the name of their upcoming album from Hypersonic to Strays. The album drops July 22 on the band's new label, Capitol. ... Coldplay are auctioning off tickets to six of their upcoming shows to benefit Amnesty International. Fans can bid on tickets at www.amnestyusa.org/musicforhumanrights until Thursday. After that, a new auction will begin for an autographed copy of the band's latest album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. ...

After being declared by Billboard the most played song of 2002, Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" was named Song of the Year at the 51st annual BMI Pop Awards on Tuesday at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Irv Gotti landed Songwriter of the Year honors, and Motown trio Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland received the BMI Icon Award. ... The Used will release three unreleased studio recordings, "Untitled Song Idea," "Just a Little" and "Alone This Holiday," along with demo versions of "Bulimic" and "Poetic Tragedy" in a CD/DVD package due July 17. The video portion of "Maybe Memories" will include concert footage from a recent Los Angeles show. ...

A Los Angeles judge has declined to issue a temporary restraining order to keep Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger from touring as the Doors 21st Century, although he has yet to issue a final ruling. Original Doors drummer John Densmore is suing his former bandmates for using the Doors name without his consent for a group that does not include him. ... Pete Yorn, whose career was launched when the Farrelly brothers used two of his songs in the flick "Me, Myself & Irene," will repay the filmmaking team by donating a cover of Albert Hammond's "It Never Rains in Southern California" to their upcoming comedy, "Stuck on You." Hammond, father of Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., had a top 10 hit with the song in 1972. ...

Because of past episodes involving arson and other disturbances at the Temple Newsam Park site, officials in Leeds, England, were reluctant to grant a license to the promoter, Mean Fiddler, for this year's Leeds Festival. But after a lengthy meeting with city politicians, the city agreed to once again host the festival, which will take place August 24 to 27 and feature Metallica, System of a Down, Sum 41, Primal Scream, Courtney Love, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, the Used, Blink-182, Jay-Z, the White Stripes, AFI and dozens of other acts that will perform across six stages. ...

Jessica Simpson wants to help children smile — and not just with her music. She's signed on to help Operation Smile, a nonprofit group that provides free reconstructive facial surgery for severely disfigured children worldwide. Simpson plans to attend the medical service charity's fundraiser auction Wednesday in New York to announce her support. ... The Rolling Stones have canceled an August 2 concert in Belgrade, Serbia, due to the rocky political climate. Serbia was plunged into a state of emergency following the assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic in March. ... Dwele, the R&B singer featured on Slum Village's 2002 single "Tainted," will release his solo debut, Subject, on Tuesday. The first single is titled "Find a Way." ...

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Metal File: Hard And Heavy News On Slayer, Dio, Cannibal Corpse, Henry Rollins, The Haunted And More

10 Apr 2003 18:08:00 EDT

Hey everybody, how the hell are you!!! Iann Robinson here, with the second week of the "Metal File." So far your response has been really great, so I thank you. There's a lot going on out there right now and probably the biggest is the Alabama Thunder Pussy bomb that they've parted ways with frontman Johnny Throckmorton. There are no details yet on why, but we will keep you posted. I guess the biggest news for me this week is that Slayer is back in the studio with the only drummer they should ever have — Dave Lombardo — to record a new record. That's gonna be the best thing ever. I'm also stoked about the Emissions From the Monolith V that's in Cleveland. A lot of amazing bands will be down there for three days of kung-fu action rocking.

If you're looking for some new music in your life, check out Converge's Unloved and Weeded Out, featuring old and unreleased tracks. If you're looking for brutality in its best form, then check out Agoraphobic Nosebleed's new one, Altered States of America, or the Godflesh re-release of Messiah, their nearly impossible-to-find LP originally released in 1994. Take the power of the original and add some serious soundscape and electronic stuff on some remixes and you have a must-own record.

So check out the news below, true believers (in metal), and I'll see you guys next week. Remember, if Evanescence is metal for you, this stuff might be way too extreme!

Slayer are expected to ship the live DVD "War at the Warfield" to retailers in June. The band will hit the studio with drummer Dave Lombardo in the near future to begin work on the first studio album with its original lineup since 1990's Seasons in the Abyss. ... Meanwhile, Lombardo has finished recording the drum tracks for two Fantômas records. ...

Dio return on June 17, with a live DVD titled "Dio's Evil or Divine." ... Former Black Flag frontman/solo artist/spoken word performer/actor Henry Rollins has signed on as the voice of Mace Griffin in the upcoming Vivendi Universal video game "Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter." ...

Hate Eternal will return to the road this spring following their recent van accident. The band kicks off a headlining tour on May 14 in Passaic, New Jersey. ... Swedish metal titans the Haunted are joining forces with Shai Hulud and Skinless for a spring tour. The trek kicks off on May 11 in Detroit, and currently has dates lined up through early June. ...

Voivod have invited school children from around the San Francisco area to join them for a rehearsal on Friday. The event is an extension of the nonprofit Little Kids Rock program, which provides free music classes to elementary school students in California, New York, New Jersey and Tennessee. ... Your mother will be thrilled: Ultra violent death metallers Cannibal Corpse are expected to begin recording a new album in September. ... Six Feet Under, featuring former Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes, are expected to start work on a new album soon as well. ...

Testament, Immortal, Primal Fear, Carnal Forge, Pain Museum and Amon Amarth will launch the 2003 Metal Gods Tour on April 25 at the House of Blues in Chicago. Carnal Forge will release The More You Suffer on April 22. ... Alabama Thunder Pussy, Throttlerod, Mastodon, Bongzilla, Dixie Witch and Acid King are among the close to 40 bands lined up for the three-day Emissions From the Monolith V. The event is set for Cleveland, Ohio's Nyabinghi club on May 23, 24 and 25. ...

Type O Negative are wrapping up their new album, Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows ... just kidding, it's called Life Is Killing Me, and it's expected to hit stores on June 17. ... English band Charger will unleash their latest, Confessions of a Man Mad Enough to Live With Beasts, on May 20. The album was produced by Billy Anderson (Neurosis, Sleep and Eyehategod). ...

Orange County, California, straight-edge band Throwdown are currently working on Haymaker, their first album to feature former vocalist Keith Barney and former guitarist Dave Peters in their newly switched roles, as guitarist and vocalist, respectively. The band will embark upon a European tour supporting Hatebreed later this year. ... On a related note, Barney's other band, Eighteen Visions, recently shot a video for the song "You Broke Like Glass," taken from their latest album, Vanity. ... Tomahawk drummer John Stanier — who has also worked in one capacity or another with Helmet, Primer 55 and Pitchshifter — has put together another project under the name of Battles. ...

—Compiled by Iann Robinson, Ryan Downey, Jon Wiederhorn and Robert Mancini

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For The Record: Quick News On R. Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Vines, Radiohead, Enrique Iglesias, Henry Rollins & More

09 Dec 2002 16:25:00 EST

By MTV News staff report

R. Kelly's reconfigured upcoming album Chocolate Factory — once called Loveland — now has a release date as well as new tracks not previously bootlegged. It's due out January 14. ...

Unset your TiVos, Vines fans. Despite having been confirmed to perform on Monday night's (December 9) episode of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," the band was yanked from the program's lineup after trashing the set during an afternoon soundcheck. While rehearsing "Outtathaway!," singer Craig Nicholls led the charge in smashing the plexiglass guard surrounding the drums and causing general destruction. The talk show will go ahead as planned without a music guest. ...

Upon her return from a European tour in late March, Avril Lavigne will embark on a headlining tour of North America. The trek is only supposed to last a month, from April 15 to May 17, and an itinerary has yet to be hammered out. ...

Enrique Iglesias debuted the video for "Quizás," the second single from his album of the same name, on Telemundo last week. The song, which means "Maybe" in English, addresses the singer's turbulent relationship with his father, singer Julio Iglesias, and begins with a line, which translated, means "Hello old man, tell me how've you been/ There are so many things I want to explain." ...

In a stroke of irony, Radiohead will — for once — help combat, rather than induce, depression with their music. The band is donating a live video performance of "Idioteque" to the Samaritans Foundation, a counseling service and charity with which drummer Phil Selway has volunteered for years. The video and other tracks can be seen on the Samaritans Web site, changeourminds.com. ...

Hardcore veteran Henry Rollins will set out on a 50-date spoken-word tour, beginning January 7 in San Juan Capistrano, California. Rollins, whose latest projects include the West Memphis 3 benefit album Rise Above and the upcoming flick "Bad Boys 2," is hitting the road to support "I Am Sparticus," a DVD/CD package chronicling highlights from the former Black Flag frontman's 20 years of stand-up/spoken word. ...

Sweden's Division of Laura Lee are embarking on a U.S. tour this winter, with Burning Brides in tow. The 23-date outing starts January 15 in Brooklyn, New York, and wraps February 6 in San Diego, California. ... Glassjaw vocalist Daryl Palumbo has been released from a London hospital where he was treated for recurring symptoms of Crohn's Disease on the eve of a now-jettisoned European tour, itself a make-up jaunt scheduled after a similar flare-up caused prior cancellations. Palumbo is expected to fly back to the States Monday evening. ...

12.06.2002

Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network have teamed with congressman and House Judiciary Committee member John Conyers to call for a fair court hearing on the Slick Rick deportation case. "We want the federal government to bring justice to this case by releasing Slick Rick," Simmons said in a statement. ...

On Thursday, Ludacris made a surprise appearance at Motorola's annual holiday party to benefit Toys for Tots in West Hollywood to join Missy Elliott on her next single, "Gossip Folks." Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Christina Ricci, Johnny Knoxville and Anna Nicole Smith were among the celebrities who watched Elliott's short set, which included a breakdancing showcase during "Work It." ... Nelly has the distinct honor of being the first rapper to appear in the Got Milk? campaign. In his ad, Nelly has the slogan tattooed on his chest and, of course, a milk moustache. ...

Nick Carter performed Wednesday for a Wisconsin High School that won a contest sponsored by Milwaukee radio station WXSS by donating more than 10 tons of food for the needy. The Backstreet Boy performed a 40-minute, eight-song set before more than 1,000 students and staff of Wilmont High School. ... Rock memorabilia ranging from a signed harmonica played by Alanis Morissette to lyrics to "Souljacker Pt. II" handwritten by Eels singer E on toilet paper are included in an eBay.com auction benefiting People for the American Way. The auction, which also features items from Pearl Jam, Madonna and Paul Oakenfold, begins Sunday and ends a week later. ... After scoring the winning bid in an eBay auction, Chicago area entrepreneur Kevin Krak will bring Local H to his favorite neighborhood pub, Duke O'Brien's, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, on December 14. Krak paid $9,701 in the first auction of a live performance on eBay. ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers won't tour the U.S. until spring, but the band will tease American audiences with a special half-hour-long outdoor concert in Park City, Utah, on December 20. The show, which caps off a celebration for the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix, will be aired on December 21 at 9 p.m. on NBC. ... The movie "Brown Sugar" and its soundtrack spawned 10 nominations for this year's NAACP Image Awards, leading the pack of nominees. Other nominees up for multiple awards at the show, taking place March 7 in Los Angeles, include Nelly, India.Arie, Ashanti and Erykah Badu. ...

After receiving some flak from singer/songwriter Robbie Fulks for not having a sense of humor when a heckler called him "Bryan Adams," Ryan Adams has redirected his rage toward fellow troubadour Jack White of the White Stripes. White had previously criticized Adams on a White Stripes fan site for changing some lyrics to a Stripes song Adams performed live, and Adams responded none too kindly to the U.K.'s New Music Express about it. In a subsequent interview, Adams inquired as to whether White had responded and fired off a barrage of insults, calling him a "little girl" and "f---ing ponce." Adams also claimed in the NMEthat he was first offered White's bit part in the Civil War flick "Cold Mountain" but turned it down because the last time he looked he "didn't see acting anywhere on my job application to be a rock f---ing star" and he would "rather get a gun and blow my eyeball out" than say "three lines in a two-and-a-half hour film." ...

Pianomen Elton John and Billy Joel will reunite for another Face to Face Tour in February. The pair, which previously played together on the original Face to Face Tour in 1994, and again in 1995, 1996 and 1998, has lined up five dates thus far, beginning February 21 in Birmingham, Alabama, and continuing through March 9 in Buffalo, New York. ... Irish alt-metal band Therapy? are currently in the studio writing their seventh record, which they plan to release early next year. The disc will be the first to feature new drummer Neil Cooper, who replaced Graham Hopkins late last year. ...

On Tuesday, GZA and members of the Wu-Tang Clan will celebrate the release of GZA's new album, The Legend of the Liquid Sword, with a performance at New York's B.B. King's Blues Club. DJ Tony Touch will be commanding the one and twos. ... Grammy-winning DJ duo Deep Dish will record the 25th edition of seminal mix-album series Global Underground at the Guvernment in Toronto on Saturday. Deep Dish were also behind Global Underground 021: Moscow. ... Turntablist Kid Koala will publish his first novel, called "Nufonia Must Fall," in February. "It's about this robot who's trying to write love songs to get the attention of this girl, but he's a robot so he can't sing," Koala said of the book, which will come with a 10-song soundtrack of original music from the DJ. ...

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Rollins Raises Black Flag To Salute West Memphis Three

04 Sep 2002 10:19:00 EDT

Seminal punk frontman discovers his old 'protest music' fits his cause.
By Jon Wiederhorn

Members of Slipknot, Slayer, Motörhead and Queens of the Stone Age are among the many who have given voice to Rise Above, an album of Black Flag covers benefiting the legal defense of convicted murderers the West Memphis Three.

"If there's anything that makes you mad it's reading about the case, and I figured, what better protest music than Black Flag?" said Henry Rollins, Black Flag's former frontman and the driving force behind Rise Above (see "Slipknot's Taylor, Ice-T, Rollins Support West Memphis Three With LP").

Proceeds from the record will go toward the efforts to clear the names of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin — a.k.a. the West Memphis Three — who were convicted of killing three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. Many artists and celebrities, including members of Metallica, Eddie Vedder and "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker, have argued that the three, who were teenagers when they were tried in 1994, were falsely accused and that the evidence that cemented their convictions is shaky at best. (Misskelley and Baldwin received life sentences, and Echols received the death penalty.)

"I decided, 'OK, if I'm gonna do this, it has to be a whole album's worth of stuff with superstar singers,' which I thought was thoroughly implausible," Rollins said. "So, of course, the next day I went right ahead and started working on it."

After Rollins secured backing from his Rollins Band (a.k.a. Mother Superior), he started lining up guest vocalists for the album, which comes out October 8. He penned a long wish list and started making phone calls, but he soon found himself tied up in red tape. Since none of the artists would be paid for their contributions, many managers failed to pass Rollins' information on to their clients. So Rollins did some investigative legwork to obtain as many of his wish list members' home numbers as possible, which meant lots of phone calls to friends and industry contacts.

"My phone was ringing every 40 seconds, which isn't at all usual for me," Rollins said. "So I just went to work thinking of these three boys who went to prison for nine years. That gave me the strength to keep hitting it."

Most of the artists Rollins talked to were enthusiastic about the project, and the singer was jazzed to get thumbs-up from Public Enemy's Chuck D and Iggy Pop, one of his childhood heroes.

"That was the icing on the cake," Rollins said. "I always keep his phone messages on my machine. I never erase them. When he confirmed it, I'd say, 'Hey, check this out!' to everyone that comes through the office. [impersonating Iggy] 'Hello, Henry. This is Jim. I'm gonna sing 'Fix Me.' Well, OK.' And he hung up."

In the end, Rollins also lined up Ice-T, Mike Patton, ex-X singer Exene Cervenka, Rancid's Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen, Ryan Adams, ex-Black Flag bassists Chuck Dukowski and Kira Roessler and others. As strange as it was for hammerin' Hank to be working with a mixed cast of idols and those who idolized him, it was also bizarre to revisit songs he hadn't played in over 15 years.

"Band practice was the strange part, because we were doing all 24 songs in the band room," he said. "I'm back there singing 'Nervous Breakdown' and 'Rise Above,' and the old breathing for those certain songs comes back. It was quite a trip, because I don't really listen to that music. I don't get into my past like that. I had not revisited these songs in a long time and I forgot how good they are."

One glaring omission from Rise Above seems to be Metallica, who donated music to "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" (1996) and "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations" (2000), two documentaries which chronicled the brutal case. Rollins said he approached the band through its management and through "Paradise Lost" filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, who are currently working on a Metallica documentary (see "Enter Cameraman: Documentary Crew Captures Metallica Drama), and got no reply.

"I don't know what that's about," Rollins marveled. "I have no problems with anyone in Metallica as people or as a band, and James Hetfield has never been anything but cool to me when I've talked to him. So, whatever."

The track list for Rise Above, according to Rollins' publicist:

"Rise Above" (with Public Enemy's Chuck D, Henry Rollins)
"Nervous Breakdown" (with the Circle Jerks' Keith Morris)
"Fix Me" (with Iggy Pop)
"American Waste" (with Clutch's Neil Fallon)
"I've Had It" (with the Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler)
"I've Heard It Before" (with Poison the Well's Jeff Moreira)
"Room 13" (with Slipknot's Corey Taylor)
"Wasted" (with Exene Cervenka)
"Jealous Again" (with Queens of the Stone Age's Nick Oliveri)
"TV Party" (with Henry Rollins)
"No Values" (with Hank Williams III)
"Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" (with Ween's Dean Ween)
"Depression" (with Amen's Casey Chaos)
"Six Pack" (with Mike Patton)
"Police Story" (with Ice-T)
"Revenge" (with Slayer's Tom Araya)
"Thirsty & Miserable" (with Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister)
"What I See" (with Chuck Dukowski)
"No More" (with Rancid's Tim Armstrong, Lars Frederiksen)
"Black Coffee" (with Henry Rollins)
"Slip It In" (with Henry Rollins, Inger Lorre)
"Annihilate This Week" (with Henry Rollins, Kira Roessler)
"My War" (with Henry Rollins)
"Nervous Breakdown" (with Ryan Adams)

Related Artists

Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins - Liar

13 Jun 1994 00:00:00 EDT

Liar

Artist: Henry Rollins
Label: The Imago Recording Co.
Director: Anton Corbijn