Paul McCartney
Photo: Kevin Mazur

The first-ever tribute to Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career is taking off.

Listen to What the Man Said: Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney, scheduled for an October 9 release, focuses on McCartney's work since leaving the Beatles, both in Wings and as a solo artist. The compilation includes interpretations by artists such as Robyn Hitchcock, Matthew Sweet, Sloan and They Might Be Giants of the former Fab Four bassist's popular hits, as well as little-known gems, according to the album's publicist.

Singer/songwriter Owsley covers the classic "Band on the Run," the title track from Wings' 1973 third album, while pop-punkers SR-71 offer their take on "My Brave Face," a tune McCartney wrote with Elvis Costello for Paul's 1989 solo album, Flowers in the Dirt. Semisonic take "Jet" for a spin, and rockers Virgos, fronted by temporary Creed bassist Brett Hestla, deliver their rendition of the heart-wrenching "Maybe I'm Amazed," from Sir Paul's 1970 solo debut, McCartney.

A companion disc of McCartney covers by lesser-known artists arrives October 23. The 15-track Coming Up: Independent Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney features a few Mac nuggets, like the Andersons' version of "Temporary Secretary" (from 1980's McCartney II) and Band on the Run's "Helen Wheels" interpreted by the Shazam, alongside a trio of tunes — "Every Night" (Mark Bacino), "My Brave Face" (Star Collector) and "Maybe I'm Amazed" (Gadget White Band) — that are also covered on Listen to What the Man Said.

The LP also marks the return, after a 28-year absence, of Emitt Rhodes, who duets with Ray Paul on "Oh Woman, Oh Why." Rhodes was the frontman of late-'60s Brit-pop sound-alikes the Merry-Go-Round, whose "Pardon Me" closely resembles McCartney's Beatles composition "Fool on the Hill." He hasn't released an album since his 1973 solo LP Farewell to Paradise.

A portion of the proceeds from both albums will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Paul's late wife Linda lost her battle with the disease in 1998.

Track list for Listen to What the Man Said: Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney, according to the album's publicist:

• Owsley - "Band on the Run"
• SR-71 - "My Brave Face"
• Barenaked Ladies' Steven Page and Kevin Hearn with the Lilac Time's Stephen Duffy - "Junk"
• Semisonic - "Jet"
• The Merrymakers - "No More Lonely Nights"
• Robyn Hitchcock - "Let Me Roll It"
• Finn Brothers - "Too Many People"
• The Minus 5 - "Dear Friend"
• Matthew Sweet - "Every Night"
• Sloan - "Waterfalls"
• World Party - "Man We Was Lonely"
• The John Faye Power Trip - "Coming Up"
• Virgos - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
• Judybats - "Love in Song"
• Linus of Hollywood - "Warm and Beautiful"
• They Might Be Giants - "Ram On"

Track list for Coming Up: Independent Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney:

• Starbelly - "Let 'Em In"
• The Jellybricks - "Take It Away"
• Mark Bacino - "Every Night"
• Cliff Hillis - "This One"
• Star Collector - "My Brave Face"
• The Andersons - "Temporary Secretary"
• Kyf Brewer - "Mull of Kintyre"
• The Masticators - "With a Little Luck"
• Phil Keaggy - "Somedays"
• Michael Carpenter - "Getting Closer"
• Gadget White Band - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
• The Shazam - "Helen Wheels"
• Ray Paul with Emitt Rhodes - "Oh Woman, Oh Why"
• Cherry Twister - "Another Day"
• Cockeyed Ghost - "Back on My Feet"

• Paul McCartney
• Matthew Sweet
• Semisonic
• Robyn Hitchcock
• Owsley

Pete Yorn
Photo: MTV News

Having just made his debut amid a buzz of media attention, Pete Yorn's name has been on a lot of people's lips of late — not to mention their concert lineups.

Yorn has just signed on for supporting dates with Semisonic and Blues Traveler, and he'll also open for Bob Dylan and Patti Smith at Atlanta's Music Midtown Festival on May 4.

"I'll be bowing down to them," the budding singer/songwriter said of sharing a bill with two of his musical heroes. The 26-year-old crooner released his debut album, Musicforthemorningafter, on March 27.

Musical mentors Semisonic invited Pete to join them on a late-spring sweep of the states. Yorn will hook up with Semisonic on Saturday in Minneapolis and stay aboard through a May 1 Los Angeles show.

"The guys in Semisonic are really nice guys. We've been embracing their music, so it's nice to be on board with them," Yorn said, speaking on behalf of himself and his four bandmates.

Semisonic aren't the only group to solicit Pete's talent for a supporting role; Blues Traveler invited him along for the May dates of their spring tour (see "Blues Traveler Mounting North American Tour"). Yorn will meet up with them at the Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta and head back west, toward his new hometown of Los Angeles. He'll finish off with John Popper and crew on May 26 in Yuma, Arizona.

Pete will sneak away from his Blues Traveler obligations for a few solo gigs along the way — May 6 in Cincinnati; May 7 in Lexington, Kentucky; and May 12 in St. Peter, Minnesota.

Pete Yorn's dates with Semisonic, according to Columbia:

• 4/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
• 4/23 - Boulder, CO @ Tulagi
• 4/24 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Dead Goat Saloon
• 4/26 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
• 4/27 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
• 4/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
• 4/29 - Stockton, CA @ University of the Pacific, Alex G. Spanos Center
• 5/1 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues

• 5/4 - Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown Festival
• 5/5 - Nashville, TN @ Nashville River Stages
• 5/9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 5/10 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
• 5/14 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
• 5/15 - Chicago @ Riviera Theatre
• 5/18 - Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Theatre
• 5/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Theatre
• 5/21 - San Diego @ 4th & B
• 5/24 - Kelseyville, CA @ Classic Concert Showroom
• 5/25 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay
• 5/26 - Yuma, AZ @ Paradise Casino

• Pete Yorn
• Semisonic
• Blues Traveler

Semisonic
Photo: MCA Records

Semisonic will be racking up the frequent-flyer miles between now and Friday, playing shows in England and Germany before previewing their new album, All About Chemistry, in New York.

The Minneapolis pop-rock trio wraps their opening stint on Texas' U.K. tour in Bournemouth, England, on Tuesday (February 20), and will then travel to Hamburg, Germany, for a headlining gig on Wednesday.

Semisonic will cap off the whirlwind 96-hour schedule by returning to the States on Friday for a special show at New York's Irving Plaza to promote All About Chemistry, due March 13. Fastball will join them for the concert, which marks the unofficial launch of Semisonic's North American tour, although the bulk of the trek won't begin until April 2 in Toronto.

For the North American shows, Semisonic plan to roll out several new tracks from All About Chemistry, including "Bed," a track that frontman Dan Wilson said was influenced by the various covers the band has performed of another Minneapolis native, Prince.

"We're probably on a streak of shows that's a couple hundred long where we've always played some Prince song, and (bassist) John (Munson) usually sings them," Wilson said.

"I'm glad people are noticing [the connection to 'Bed'], because I kind of wanted to consciously make at least a couple of things sound like Prince," he added. "It seemed to me like we talked about it enough, but it never really showed in the songs. It always seems hidden underneath something, and I wanted to make it more obvious." "We're thinking about a couple [of Prince covers], but we're going to wait until we trot them out," Munson said, "see if we can actually play them." "We can't even play the songs on the album yet," Wilson joked, "so it's going to be hard enough to do that." In the past, Semisonic have covered such Prince songs as "When Doves Cry," "Take Me With You" and "Erotic City," the latter turning up as a B-side on Semisonic's 1998 single "Singing in My Sleep." Dates for Semisonic's tour, according to the band's official Web site:

• 2/23 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 3/10 - Atlanta, GA @ Centerstage
• 4/2 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
• 4/3 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
• 4/6 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 4/7 - Plainview, NY @ Vanderbilt
• 4/10 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
• 4/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 4/13 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon
• 4/17 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
• 4/18 - Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theater
• 4/20 - Chicago, IL @ The Vic
• 4/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater

• Semisonic

Semisonic have firmed up a March 6 release date for their new studio album, All About Chemistry, and the band shot a video for the first single, "Chemistry," over the weekend in Los Angeles.

For the new clip, Semisonic opted to work with director Liz Friedlander, who recently handled the videos for 3 Doors Down's "Loser," Nine Days' "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)," and Blink-182's "Adam's Song," among others.

Semisonic's media reps indicate that principal shooting for the video has been completed, and that the final video should be ready to drop around the time of the new record's release. The "Chemistry" single is tentatively slated to ship to radio in mid-February.

The Minneapolis trio of Dan Wilson, John Munson and Jacob Slichter have been working on All About Chemistry in and around their hometown for the past few months.

The LP will mark the group's first new full-length effort since 1998's Feeling Strangely Fine, which spawned several alt.pop rock hits, including "Closing Time," on its way to selling more than 900,000 copies in the U.S. alone.

The band's publicists remain fairly tight-lipped about the new album and several rumored guests, but they confirmed the appearance of '70s singer/songwriter Carole King on one track, "One True Love." King, who began penning pop tunes in the late '50s as one of the Brill Building songwriters in New York, is perhaps best known for her landmark 1971 album, Tapestry.

Look for Semisonic's Dan Wilson to preview some of the new material during a solo acoustic show on December 15 at Minneapolis' Cedar Cultural Center.

Wilson's gig is being staged as a benefit for Fraser Community Services, a Minneapolis non-profit organization that provides aid to children of all abilities and adults with special needs.

For more information about Fraser Community Services, including the Fraser School, the Fraser Child & Family Center, and Fraser Residential Services, be sure to check out the charity's Web site at www.fraser.org.

Aside from Wilson's solo show, Semisonic also have lined up a series of U.K. concerts for February in which the trio will be supporting the Scottish band Texas.

• Semisonic

Semisonic is in the final stages of cutting its third album, the follow-up to the band's 1998 breakthrough, "Feeling Strangely Fine," and has laid down some 18 tracks for the as-yet-untitled LP, tentatively set for release next spring.

The Minneapolis trio of singer-guitarist Dan Wilson, bassist John Munson, and drummer Jacob Slichter has been working on the new record on and off for the last few months at various studios and locales around the city.

Semisonic will take a break from the studio later this month to head over to play the V2000 Festival in the U.K., where the band's "Secret Smile" single helped refuel European sales of "Feeling Strangely Fine."

"'Secret Smile' sort of hinted toward that," he added.

In addition to the U.K. dates, Semisonic will also perform at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul on September 1.

Semisonic's new album is expected to be issued via MCA Records in February or March 2001.

• Semisonic

Semisonic is preparing to head out on the road to open for the Barenaked Ladies for two weeks, and the Minneapolis group has just recorded a new song, "For Love of the Game," to serve as the title track of the upcoming Kevin Costner-Kelly Preston baseball flick of the same name.

• 8/12 - Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheater
• 8/14 - Houston, TX @ The Woodlands C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 8/15 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
• 8/17 - Phoenix, AZ @ Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion
• 8/18 - Irvine, CA @ Irvine Meadows Amphitheater
• 8/19 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
• 8/21 - George, WA @ Gorge
• 8/22 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena

• Joan Osborne
• Semisonic

Semisonic is currently in the final week of its opening stint on Sheryl Crow's tour, a commitment that comes to an end after their May 8 concert together in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

• 8/12 - Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheater
• 8/14 - Woodlands, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 8/15 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
• 8/18 - Irvine, CA @ Irvine Meadows Amphitheater
• 8/21 - George, WA @ Gorge

• Semisonic
• Sheryl Crow
• George Harrison

And the hit pairings just keep coming.

• Barenaked Ladies
• Semisonic

After helping Semisonic rise from relative obscurity to alt. rock hitmakers with its 1998 effort, "Feeling Strangely Fine," frontman and songsmith Dan Wilson might have even more to boast about when February rolls around.

The band's end-of-show and barroom anthem, "Closing Time," has been nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Rock Song," an award which recognizes the songwriters behind the singles.

Wilson told the MTV Radio Network that he originally composed "Closing Time" specifically so Semisonic could play the song at the end of its shows, but that in 1998, the number grew into something much more.

"I was kind of feeling like it would be great to write something that just said how we relate to fans," Wilson said, "and what I think about at the end of the night when we're playing." [28.8 RealAudio]

• 1/26 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
• 1/27 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
• 1/28 - Houston, TX @ Numbers
• 1/29 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Live
• 1/30 - Austin, TX @ Liberty Lunch
• 2/2 - New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues
• 2/4 - Nashville, TN @ 328 Performance Hall
• 2/5 - Atlanta, GA @ Roxy Theatre
• 2/6 - Birmingham, AL @ Five Points Music Hall
• 2/7 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
• 2/9 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club
• 2/10 - Columbus, OH @ Mekka
• 2/11 - Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue
• 2/12 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
• 2/13 - Milwaukee, WI @ Rave

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

• Semisonic

While Semisonic chose not to release a single of its breakthrough single, "Closing Time" -- which led to some fans being fooled into buying a copycat version of the song, the Minneapolis rockers have apparently decided not to make the same mistake twice.

• The Hollies
• Prince
• Semisonic