Kanye West in "Heartless"
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

Kanye West is never one to shy away from tooting his own horn, and he's taking the success of his latest single "Heartless" as one of those rarely missed opportunities.

On his blog, in all caps, Kanye wrote, "It doesn't sound like anything else ever made in history!"

"This is a song nobody can front on!!! The beat is on some RZA sh--, and every line could make the ultimate rap hook!"

Despite all the great response he's been getting about the album, Kanye wants to let it soak into the cultural psyche and not release too many singles too fast. "I'm gonna walk this album slow like a more independent approach," he wrote. "I feel like a new artist. There's actually arguments again. It reminds me of the first album when everybody said I couldn't rap."

Kanye also muses that the next single from 808s & Heartbreak might be "Paranoid," but he isn't ready to settle on anything just yet. "['Paranoid' is] neck and neck with 'Robocop'!!!" he wrote. "I'm not gonna release either for a while because I want 'Heartless' and 'Love Lockdown' to soak into the culture!!"

He's also proud of the fact that the album is more far-reaching than his previous efforts. He even admitted that he wasn't satisfied with his mega-selling last album, Graduation. "I felt like certain records were keeping it from being a play in every environment," he wrote. " ... It was such a big compliment for me to have songs that are #1 on [BET's '106 & Park'] and can play right next to Vampire Weekend, Sade or Silverchair in a high-end fashion store!"

He also attributes a lot of the success to the far-reaching power that "Love Lockdown" has had since its release earlier this fall. "It's such a triumph to have 'Love Lockdown' on radio," he said. "This is new music! It might take some getting used to, but when it sets in it will make all the difference!"

• Kanye West
• Vampire Weekend
• Silverchair
• Sade

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: MTV News

• Lupe Fiasco
• Ben Harper
• Amy Winehouse
• Juliette & the Licks
• Kings Of Leon

The Dissociatives' Daniel Johns
Photo: John Stanton

Even though it came out in Australia a year ago, the self-titled debut by the Dissociatives just hit U.S. record stores last week. The duo features former angsty teenage frontman Daniel Johns of Silverchair and dance-music maven Paul Mac — but the result isn't what you might think.

"Because of Paul's background and my background, [a lot of people] expected it to be a dance-rock collaboration, which we're trying desperately to dispel," Johns said. "We're not really fans of that genre."

Instead, they set out to make the perfect pop record.

"Some people jokingly referred to it as a 'happy radio hit,' " Mac said, "which I think is actually quite a good description. We're trying to make interesting, really colorful, but at the end of the day, pop music. Songs that provide you with a kind of certainty and also challenge you with what we were trying to do. Not so much fit in, but trying to fill what we thought was kind of a void in modern pop music."

And with that goal in mind, the two retreated to begin work on their Project X.

"No record company knew we were making it. No one really knew except for us and management. We just went into the basement, recorded it, and when we were finished, handed it in and asked if anyone was interested," Johns laughed.

While he expressed a sense of humor, shyly downplaying the work that went into the album and even showing where some of the good-natured humor in the songs comes from, Johns doesn't view the Dissociatives as a joke.

"We both took it incredibly seriously," Johns said. "We were both intent on making an album that had artistic validity and wanted to make something that was different [than] everything out there. Something inspiring without being pretentious. A lot of our favorite music [has] a sense of humor without being comical. You don't sit there and laugh, [but] a wry grin is always a good thing."

Plus, he continued, "It's good to have a little humor in music. It kind of brings greater contrasts when there are moments that you want to take seriously. There are always moments after that where you can kind of smile and breathe a sigh of relief."

Yes, this is the same brooding, world-weary guy from the Silverchair days of old. Dissociating has had a good effect on him, apparently.

"All those records are really honest reflections of how I was feeling," Johns said. "If I was sad, depressed or going through a bad time, I would write about it. It just happened that as I was making this album with Paul, I was in a really positive place. I wasn't going to cash in on fans who liked me because of darkness. Hopefully, I think the greatest music comes from ecstasy as opposed to darkness."

Either way, Mac liked what Johns was about. This particular collaboration has been nearly 10 years in the making. Back in 1997, Johns asked Mac to remix the Silverchair song "Freak." From there, the two worked on the next two Silverchair studio releases, 1999's Neon Ballroom and 2002's Diorama. But Johns and Mac wanted to try their hands at a truly collaborative effort. It started with Mac blowing Johns' mind with modern recording technology.

"Paul introduced me to a way of recording without having to go to the studio," Johns recalled. "[He] said, 'You know you can just record on a laptop?' I was, like, 'Wow, this guy's a genius.' "

So far, Dissociatives are cleaning up in Australia, most recently walking away with the award for Video of the Year at MTV Australia's first VMAs in March. The video was for their single "Somewhere Down a Barrel," directed by James Hackett.

"Normally when you're looking for a video director, you look at different show reels and kind of limit it to who's available and who's the most interesting," Mac said. "With James, as soon as we saw his work, it was so strikingly dissociative."

"He went to the extreme as soon as he knew we were quite bent," Johns added. "We had a lot of conversations about making the clip really connect to the music. ... When a flute comes in, so does a butterfly made of sparkles."

Likewise, Johns had some vivid language to describe the Dissociatives project on the whole.

"The Dissociatives, to both of us, is a creative outlet that neither of us would have if we weren't working with each other," he said. "Paul refers to it as a sort of cleanser between meals. I see it as dessert."

• Dissociatives
• Silverchair

After being arrested for felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to do bodily harm Tuesday morning, Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood remains in FBI custody. He appeared in court on Tuesday in a wheelchair, wearing a hospital gown. On Friday, Kirkwood allegedly assaulted a security guard who intervened in an argument he was having with a woman outside a post office in Phoenix. At his detention hearing, the prosecution is expected to ask that he remain behind bars until his trial. ...

A new version of the video for Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blue Eyes" is expected to replace the original, Halle Berry-featured clip. The performance-based video was shot by frontman Fred Durst's brother Cory during the Back 2 Basics Tour in November. On the band's Web site, Durst said the video was "dedicated to everyone who's supported us through the good times, the rough times and all the real times." ... For its seventh annual Christmas present, the Nirvana fan club (www.nirvanaclub.com) has posted audio recordings of the band's first show, which took place at a house party in March 1987 in Raymond, Washington. Among the nine songs are "Spank Thru," "Aero Zeppelin" and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker." ...

Pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns were married Wednesday (December 31) in a private ceremony in a secluded tropical location in Australia. The couple were engaged earlier this year. ... A 22-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of New Orleans rapper Soulja Slim, who was shot multiple times in November. Police charged Garelle Smith with first-degree murder. ...

David Banner is launching a line of jerseys emblazoned with the number 55 to honor Emmett Till, a Mississippi teen who was murdered in 1955 by two white men (who were later acquitted by an all-white jury) for whistling at a white woman. The line is due in the summer. ... Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige and Anthony Hamilton are among the first artists confirmed for the 10th annual Essence Music Festival at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Gladys Knight, the O'Jays, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Kenny Lattimore, Chanté Moore, the Ohio Players, Freddie Jackson and Sinbad will also perform at the event, scheduled for July 2-4. ...

Puddle of Mudd, who will perform on FOX's New Year's Eve special in Las Vegas, have been using their holiday vacation as recovery time. Singer Wes Scantlin came down with bronchitis earlier in December and guitarist Paul Philips broke his right index finger. "For some reason, I thought I could jump off stage and fly," he wrote on the band's Web site. "Well, I couldn't." ... Papa Roach are about to begin mixing their fourth full-length studio album, which will be called either Dancing in the Ashes or Getting Away With Murder, according to a posting on the group's Web site. Meanwhile, frontman Jacoby Shaddix is also gearing up to record Seven Deadly Songs (set for release on Papa Roach's El Tonal imprint) with his side project Fight the Sky, which the singer described as "just straight metal hardcore, all screamy and sh--." ...

Russell Simmons and his older brother Danny Simmons have teamed with the nonprofit job-placement organization Strive to create the Simmons Brothers Art Scholarship for prisoners incarcerated under the Rockefeller Drug Laws to attend City College of New York. Danny served time under the controversial laws, which mandate prison terms for people caught with a relatively small amount of drugs. ... Damien Rice has scheduled his most ambitious North American tour yet in support of his Shortlist Music Prize-winning album, O. The outing begins March 23 in Boulder, Colorado, and ends April 29 in St. Louis. ...

12.30.03

Blink-182 are considering "Easy Target" as a possible third single from their new, untitled album. "[Second single] 'I Miss You' is a real pretty, slow, melodic song, and 'Easy Target' is just kind of an aggressive, fast song," singer/bassist Mark Hoppus said recently. "I think it'll be really cool to come out after 'I Miss You,' but we'll see. I'm not in charge." ...

In addition to her upcoming spring tour, Britney Spears is planning to hit Portugal's Rock in Rio-Lisbon festival — her only scheduled international booking for 2004 thus far. Also on the bill for the five-day Portuguese extravaganza are Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Slipknot and Sting. The event, which kicks off May 29 in Bela Vista Park in Lisbon, will see Spears take the stage on June 5. ... Beginning New Year's Day, net proceeds from Phish's digital-download site, LivePhish.com, will benefit the Mockingbird Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded and run by Phish fans that supports music education for children. Last year, the site made more than $2 million. ...

Two months into lockdown, Scott Weiland has switched rehab facilities. Though the former Stone Temple Pilots frontman/current Velvet Revolver singer was in court-ordered rehab at Grandview in Pasadena, California, he's now housed at Las Encinas, also in Pasadena. Prosecutors said that the switch was made so that the singer could get more personal care in a smaller facility. Weiland's due back in court for a probation status report on January 9. The singer's arraignment date, to enter a plea to the charge of driving under the influence of drugs (from his late October arrest), was pushed back from December 23 to January 23. Meanwhile, Weiland lashed out in a Friday post on his band's Web site at a Rolling Stone reporter who "interviewed me and then printed that I was drunk driving. Get your facts straight, you moron paparazzi f---," he wrote. ...

The third annual Bonnaroo Music Festival is set for June 11-13 at the same 600-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, that staged last year's show, which featured the Flaming Lips, the Roots and Neil Young and took in $11.5 million to become this year's second-highest grossing event. The new lineup has not yet been announced. ... Bright Eyes are releasing a split six-song EP with Neva Dinova in April. One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels will feature three new songs from each artist, with each group making an appearance on the other's tracks. Next month, Crank! A Record Company (www.crankthis.com) will hold a contest where winners will receive a limited-edition, hand-numbered copy of the record on colored vinyl. ...

Pearl Jam, the Allman Brothers Band and American Hi-Fi contribute tracks to Hot Stove, Cool Music, a benefit album assembled by veteran ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons. Among the LP's highlights are the Hot Stove All Stars, a group featuring Peter Wolf, Mighty Mighty Bosstones frontman Dicky Barrett and members of the Boston Red Sox, covering Gary Glitter's sports-arena classic "Rock & Roll Part 2." Proceeds from the album and a concert held January 11 will benefit the Jimmy Fund, which supports cancer research at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. ... Slipknot's Corey Taylor will spend his New Year's Eve performing with a one-off side project called the D*M*F*X at the House of Bricks in Des Moines, Iowa. Dizzy Draztik (Ryan McMurray, ex-leader of Des Moines punk band the Rejects), Slopscycle, the Nillas, On a Pale Horse and other local Iowa acts will also be on the bill. ...

Former Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell has contributed to a track on New Found Power, the debut album by the Damageplan, a group featuring Pantera's Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The band will launch a radio promo tour before the album drops February 10. ... Bad Religion have a big summer ahead of them. Besides being confirmed for the Vans Warped Tour, the hardcore vets will release a new album, their 13th, on Epitaph Records. Guitarist Brett Gurewitz and singer Greg Graffin have each written a few songs, though recording has yet to begin. ...

• Limp Bizkit
• Meat Puppets
• Nirvana
• David Banner
• Mary J. Blige

Six years ago this week, Australian teen grunge trio Silverchair had just released Freak Show, the follow-up to their wildly successful debut, Frogstomp.

For Freak Show, the band stretched out with strings, extended sitar workouts and timpani drums. "The new album has some heavier kind of harder stuff on it," frontman Daniel Johns said. "We've got two songs that have got strings, and one of the songs ['Petrol & Chlorine'] has got Indian-like music on it. ... There's these people in Sydney [and] one of the guys used to play with Ravi Shankar, who did some of the Beatles' stuff. He has a little group who he does stuff with and we've got some of that on the song and it sounds pretty weird."

And although he admitted the album might not have a guaranteed radio hit like Frogstomp's "Tomorrow," Johns wasn't stressing.

"It doesn't bother us whether we're successful or not as long as we're enjoying still playing and keep producing music and don't run out of ideas," he said. "As soon as we don't like it anymore and it's starting to annoy us and we can't write any more songs, then we'll just stop and go back to the beach."

As the band geared up to tour in support of Freak Show, Johns and his bandmates were finding ways to stay busy.

"We actually tried to see how many cartons of orange juice we could drink on [the flight from Australia to the United States]," drummer Ben Gillies said. "Our aim was 15, but we fell asleep and we kind of lost track. But we got up to like eight or nine or something."

Meanwhile, during a tour that attracted almost as many protesters as it did fans, Marilyn Manson found himself without a venue when his bus rolled into Las Cruces, New Mexico. School officials at the local state university pulled the plug on the show, claiming they were unable to assemble enough security guards to police the event.

Days later, Milwaukee's Elmbrook Middle School banned the so-called Marilyn Manson "look" and all its accouterments after a rumble involving Manson-loving students and an anti-Manson sect. Black lipstick, fishnet stockings, white face paint, pentagram jewelry and the band's T-shirts were all listed as contraband.

On a brighter note, Verve Pipe's tour returned them to their home state of Michigan, awash in the success of the hit song "The Freshmen," from 1996's Villains.

It was a long time coming for singer Brian Vander Ark, who wrote the number before the band formed in 1992. "It feels really good to have the song out there now, to have a definitive version of the song," he said.

"We've gone through a lot of different versions of the song, basically with the same melody but with a different feel. It started out as kind of me and an acoustic guitar, and then joining a rock and roll band was the dream for me. So then having a rock and roll band, I wanted all the guys to play along and be able to step up to that plate, so I'm thrilled that the song is out there now, and it's pretty much complete."

For more "This Week In ...", check out the This Week In Archive.

• Silverchair
• Marilyn Manson
• The Verve Pipe

Janet Jackson guests on "Feel It," the first single from Beenie Man's Tropical Storm, which is due August 20 and features appearances from Lil' Kim and dancehall artists Sean Paul and Lady Saw, along with production work by the Neptunes, Irv Gotti, DJ Clue and Sly & Robbie. Janet and Beenie filmed a video for the song at a beach in Los Angeles last week with director Dave Meyers (Britney Spears, Pink). ... P. Diddy is remixing "Call Me," the second single from Tweet's debut, Southern Hummingbird, the singer said at last week's BET Awards. For her third single, she is eyeing "Smoking Cigarettes" and hopes to align with an anti-smoking campaign to feature the song in a commercial, the way she teamed with Verizon with "Call Me." ...

Silverchair have pushed back the release of their fourth studio album, Diorama, from July 30 to August 27 due to frontman Daniel Johns' severe case of reactive arthritis. The Australian trio were forced to cancel several promotional appearances because of his illness, including sold-out shows in New York and London. ... Pop vocalist Rosemary Clooney, the voice behind classics such as "Come On-a My House" and "Mambo Italiano," died on Saturday of complications from lung cancer, according to CNN. The 74-year-old singer/actress was surrounded by her family, including her five children, grandchildren, and her husband, at her Beverly Hills home. ...

Soulfly guitarist Mike Doling, who organized the tribute album Strait Up for Snot singer Lynn Strait, has produced a live album by his former band titled Snot Alive!, due July 30. The eight-song LP, recorded at the Palace in Hollywood in May 1998, six months before Strait was killed in a car accident, includes favorites "Snot" and "Stoopid." ... Steve Earle will play a drug counselor in three episodes of the new HBO series, "The Wire." According to a spokesperson for the artist, the singer, whose new album, Jerusalem, is slated for a fall release, will first appear in the July 21 episode. ... Mike Doughty is composing the soundtrack and score to the upcoming movie, "Evenhand," a cop story directed by Joseph Pierson ("Cherry"). The former Soul Coughing singer is also releasing a poetry book, "Slanky," on July 8. ...

06.28.02

A 1999 purple Ford Mustang convertible once owned by Eminem went up for auction on eBay Friday (June 28) by Russ Milne Ford in Macomb, Michigan, at a starting price of $17,000. The rapper's old ride will be up for grabs until July 9 at 9:06 a.m. PT, with all proceeds above the normal Mustang price going to the Macomb Literacy Project, a charity that teaches adults to read. ... Usher is launching his own Usher Records. He said at the BET Awards that his first release may be an Aaliyah tribute album. ... Blu Cantrell will reunite with producers Dallas Austin and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for her follow-up to last year's So Blu, due at the end of summer. "It's a lot of dance ... for the clubs," said Cantrell, who will be heard on a new track called "Round Up" next month with Lady May. ...

R&B producer Mike City is in talks with Mariah Carey about doing some tracks for her next album. City has recently worked with Solange Knowles, Dave Hollister and Terry Dexter. ... Bow Wow will judge a basketball dribbling contest at Planet Hollywood in New York's Times Square on Monday at 3 p.m. The MC will also present the restaurant with an autographed basketball jersey from his new movie "Like Mike." ... Dave Matthews Band will release a new live DVD-enhanced CD, Open Up the Curtains, in late fall. The live performance took place on July 11, 2001 at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, and featured three tracks from their upcoming album Busted Stuff, which will hit stores on July 16. ...

R&B singers and husband and wife Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore are recording a duets album called Kenny and Chante, due in September. "We tried to make the whole album just sexy, so couples could put it on and do their thing," said Lattimore, who is following up 2001's Weekend.... Lattimore will have some competition from Tank, whose I'm One Man album is due August 20 and will feature production work from Timbaland and Rodney Jerkins. "We're bringing back the sex music," Tank said. "We're gonna party a little bit, but we're gonna party to get to the bedroom." ... Tank has also been recording with rapper Caviar. His upcoming The Masterpiece will feature Timbaland, Snoop Dogg and E-40. ...

MC Lyte, in the spotlight again for her standout collaboration on Moby's new 18 album, is nearly finished recording Lytro, Underground Heat, Vol. 1, which will feature shout-outs from Janet Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Da Brat, Queen Latifah, Kid Capri and Biz Markie. Lyte also just lent her voice to a Nike commercial and a new doll from Mattel. ... Oakland rapper Mystic is recording a few new tracks to include on a re-release of her 2001 album, Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom, due in the fall on DreamWorks. The Grammy-nominated artist said the tracks will likely be collaborations.

• Janet Jackson
• Diddy
• Tweet
• Silverchair
• Lil' Kim

"How High" co-stars Method Man and Redman have signed on for another fish-out-of-water movie for Universal Pictures, this time playing undercover cops who investigate a drug ring. The script is still being written by Don Scott, who co-wrote "Barbershop," the upcoming comedy starring Ice Cube and Eve. ... Members of Naughty By Nature past and present once handed down the credo to "guard your grill, knuckle up," and Wednesday they had to follow their own mantra, according to sources within NBN's camp — during a live appearance on New York radio station Hot 97, Treach urged former Naughty producer and DJ, Kay Gee, to meet him at an undisclosed location and handle their differences. The two came to blows later that day, and although police were called to the scene to calm things down, no one was arrested. ...

Billy Corgan collaborated on the song "Sacred and Profane" for Berlin's first studio album since 1986's Count Three and Pray. Due September 3, Voyeur blends Berlin's signature new wave with the pop balladry of their biggest hit, "Take My Breath Away." ... Garbage drummer Butch Vig, who suffered a bout of hepatitis A last November, is down in the dumps again. Vig, suffering from an acute inner ear infection, had had to drop off the band's U.S. tour and has been temporarily replaced with Matt Chamberlain. ... Asesino, the band featuring Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and Static-X bassist Tony Campos will open for Static-X on the Puro Marano Tour. The nine-show trek starts June 7 in Houston, and the last date is June 28 in Ventura, California. ...

Silverchair have had to cancel all upcoming tour plans, including 14 North American dates, because frontman Daniel Johns' reactive arthritis, which was diagnosed late last year, has left him too disabled to perform. Though the condition is causing him chronic joint swelling, impaired movement and extreme pain, doctors expect him to eventually make a full recovery. ... Natalie Merchant is asking high school students to submit 1,000-word essays for a contest that will coincide with her summer tour with Chris Isaak. Details on the "My Generation" theme contest, which has a June 20 deadline and a $2,500 grand prize, are available at www.nataliemerchant.com. ... Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp scheduled a performance for Saturday at Chispa Studios in Los Angeles. ...

Def Leppard have set a July 30 release date for their 10th studio album, X. The British rockers collaborated on the new material with longtime producer Pete Woodruffe, Marty Frederickson (Aerosmith) and Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim (Britney Spears). ... Deathray, a quartet composed of former Cake members Greg Brown, Victor Damiani and, most recently, Todd Roper, will release the five-track EP White Sleeves June 11. The group, which also includes singer Dana Gumbiner, will support the follow-up to their 2000 eponymous debut with a handful of West Coast tour dates that begin June 20 in Los Angeles. ... To coincide with their latest world tour, the Rolling Stones are re-releasing 22 classic albums on August 20 in the new dual-layer hybrid Super Audio CD format, which can be spun on both SACD machines and regular CD players. The material was all originally released between 1963 and 1971. ...

Cathedral will head into the studio July 1 to record their new album, Songs of Praise. ... Engorged's new, self-titled album hit stores June 4. ... Death metal band Marduk had to pull from their upcoming tour with Danzig due to problems with immigration. ... Downthesun, the first signing to Slipknot's now-defunct Maggot Records label, has signed with Roadrunner Records. ... Shadows Fall will tour with Kittie, Poison the Well and Killswitch Engage. ... Due to the declining relevance of singles as a format, Billboard announced that its Hot Rap Singles chart, which depended heavily on sales and therefore was often skewed by obscure independents, will be replaced with the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The new chart will lean more on radio airplay with the intention of more accurately reflecting the most popular rap songs in the country. ...

05.31.02

Incubus, Papa Roach, Rob Zombie, System of a Down and P.O.D. will headline the annual KROQ Weenie Roast in Los Angeles on June 15. Moby, Puddle of Mudd, Hoobastank, Jimmy Eat World, Unwritten Law, the Strokes, Bad Religion, Jack Johnson, the Vines and New Found Glory will also perform at the radio festival, one of the biggest in the country. ... A puppetized Wu-Tang Clan will hang, bang and perform "In Da Hood" on the first episode of "Crank Yankers," Comedy Central's all-star crank call series, which premieres June 2 at 10:30 p.m. ET. Tenacious D and Ween are among the folks promised for future episodes. ... After he finishes recording his third album this summer, Aaron Carter will launch the Rock, Rap and Retro Tour on August 6 in Nashville. The 30-date outing will wrap up in Boston on September 21, around the time the follow-up to Oh Aaron is expected to surface. ...

Tool have tacked 11 additional dates on to their summer tour with Tomahawk, scheduled to begin July 11 in Bakersfield, California. The new dates run from July 23 in Fort Worth, Texas, to August 12 in Trenton, New Jersey, while the announcement of an additional leg remains forthcoming. ... Jewel, Wyclef Jean and Lifehouse are among the artists confirmed for the 32nd annual Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle. The eclectic summer festival traditionally takes place over Labor Day weekend (August 30-September 2) and features more than 2,500 artists, including Modest Mouse, Ani DiFranco, Kelly Willis, the Mekons, Beachwood Sparks and a reunited Concrete Blonde. ... Sonic Youth will promote their 16th album, Murray Street, due June 25, with a month-long tour kicking off August 1 in Dallas and wrapping up September 1 at the Bumbershoot Festival. On August 11, the New York City rockers will play a free show at Central Park's Summerstage. ...

The White Stripes will capitalize on their white-hot popularity by re-releasing their first two albums, The White Stripes and De Stijl, on June 3. Their third album, White Blood Cells, catapulted the Detroit duo into the mainstream, courtesy of the single "Fell in Love With a Girl. ... Ziggy is descending from the stars once again. On June 6, David Bowie's classic The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars will be released with bonus outtakes and demos to celebrate the disc's 30th anniversary, and this summer, Cowboy Pictures will reissue the David Bowie concert film "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars." ... Prince will again open up his Paisley Park home studios for a week of concerts, moderated discussions, music workshops and listening sessions. Xenophobia, as the royal pop star is dubbing the fan club-exclusive event, will run from June 21 to 27, and include appearances by Maceo Parker (June 21), Norah Jones (June 24) and Musiq (June 26). ... The Recording Academy has created a number of new Grammy categories, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Best Rap Solo Vocal Performance has been split into separate male and female fields, bringing the total of rap categories to five. ...

A benefit concert to alleviate the medical costs of Sean McGrath, formerly of Saves the Day and currently with the Alps, who is undergoing chemotherapy after having been diagnosed as having gastrointestinal cancer in April, will take place June 15 at New York's Irving Plaza. The "Hold on to Your Friends" concert will feature peformances from Thursday, Midtown, Taking Back Sunday, the Alps and others. ... Tracks from Felix Da Housecat, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Peaches, Bis and Miss Kittin & the Hacker are featured on the ghetto tech compilation DefiningTech, due June 11. John Selway also appears on the experimental electro album under his alias Memory Boy. ... Female drum'n'bass DJ Reid Speed will spend the summer on the road in support of her recently released mix album, Resonance. Reid Speed hits Baton Rouge, Louisiana, June 1 and travels from the East Coast to the West before closing the tour July 21 in Salt Lake City.

• Method Man/Redman
• Naughty By Nature
• Garbage
• Silverchair
• Def Leppard

Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilminster had his trademark black cowboy hat swiped during the band's show at San Francisco's Club Townsend on May 17. Lemmy is offering an undisclosed reward for the hat — a concert favorite of the metal kingpin — and those with information are asked to e-mail the group's official Webmaster at acetrump@bigfoot.com. ... KRS-One says he's just getting better with time, as are some his pioneering peers. He recently revealed he's planning a group album with Doug E. Fresh and Big Daddy Kane under the moniker the Treacherous Three. ...

U2 and the songwriting team behind Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" were the big winners at the 47th Ivor Novello Awards held in London. U2's "Walk On" won Best Song Musically and Lyrically, while "Out of My Head" scribes Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis picked up a trio of trophies for Best Dance Single, International Hit of the Year and Most Performed Work. ... Silverchair were forced to cancel two Australian shows in Hobart, Tasmania and Sydney this week because frontman Daniel Johns, who suffers from the chronic condition reactive arthritis, was in too much pain to play. The band's new album Diorama will be released in the U.S. in July. ... Neil Diamond will kick off a 16-date North American tour September 5 in New Orleans. The Jazz Singer (and frequent target of Will Ferrell's scary love) will end the trek October 4 in Vancouver. ...

05.23.02

Lance Bass arrived in Moscow last week to complete his physical examinations to qualify for a seat on a Russian rocket mission this fall. He's scheduled for a centrifuge test on Thursday (May 23) and a pressurized chamber test next Tuesday. The deadline for the Russian Space Agency to pick their candidate is May 30. ... One of the candidates vying against the 'NSYNC singer has dropped out of the race, leaving Bass and former NASA official Lori Garver in the lead, should the Russian Space Agency elect to send a space tourist instead of an additional cosmonaut. Polish banking magnate Leszek Czarnecki, who would have paid for the $20 million rocket ride out of his own pocket, didn't complete his physical examinations in time to make the cut for the trip and hopes to go next year instead. ...

Madonna is collaborating with French composer Michel Colombier (Serge Gainsbourg, Zero 7) on "Can't You See My Mind," the title song to the upcoming James Bond movie, "Die Another Day." Colombier, who first worked with Mrs. Ritchie on "Don't Tell Me," is also scoring Madonna's upcoming film, "Swept Away," and working with the singer on her next album. ... 3LW just finished up production of their video for "I Do" in L.A. The song, which was co-produced by P. Diddy and Mario Winans and features Loon, is the first single off of their second album, A Girl Can Mack, due in September. ... The hair-metal resurrection continues as Dokken, Ratt, Warrant, L.A. Guns and Firehouse unite to embark on the month-long Rock Fest tour, which kicks off June 20 in Fargo, North Dakota. ...

Though C-Murder's next scheduled motion hearing date in his second-degree murder trial was to be May 22, Judge Martha Sassone granted a continuance until June 3. The Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, district attorney's office has until then to comply with a court deadline to provide witness information to the defense; a trial date has not yet been set. ... While emos like Saves the Day and Dashboard Confessional may threaten to put old-school singer/songwriters out to pasture, emus put a temporary thorn in the side for Tom Waits during the filming of his "God's Away on Business" video. The gruff artist was supposed to perform alongside three emus, but the night before the shoot, the birds were eaten by wild coyotes, causing director Jesse Dylan to delay the shoot while he searched for suitable replacements. ...

Ice Cube is in negotiations to rewrite and executive produce the MGM comedy "Race" about a cab driver who becomes the only black man participating in the NASCAR circuit. Cube, who will not act in the film, is expected to executive produce the soundtrack. ... The Sun Ra Arkestra, the band that backed legendary avant-garde jazz artist Sun Ra, marked what would have been the late jazz great's 88th birthday with a concert at Joe's Pub in New York on Wednesday night. Sun Ra, born Herman Sonny Blount, passed away in 1993. ... Surviving Morphine members Dana Colley and Billy Conway are two-thirds of the Twinemen, the first original project since the death of their old singer Mark Sandman in 1991. The band, rounded out by Laurie Sargent, a former member of the nine-piece tribute Orchestra Morphine, will release their self-titled debut July 9.

• Motörhead
• Kylie Minogue
• KRS-One
• U2
• Silverchair

Silverchair
Photo: Epic

In America, Australia's Silverchair are talked about as if they've come and gone, a la "the Vines are the next Silverchair."

In their home country, however, the trio that were once "the next Nirvana" are still coming as strong as ever, with their new album, Diorama, debuting at #1 and going platinum in less than a month (in Australia, that's 70,000 copies sold).

On July 30, singer/guitarist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou and drummer Ben Gillies will test their fourth studio album on U.S. shores courtesy of a new deal with Atlantic. "The Greatest View" will be the first Stateside single and is expected to debut at radio later this month, manager John Watson said.

Silverchair released a Best Of compilation in 2000 (see "Silverchair Releasing Compilation, Planning New Label), a year after their most recent studio album, Neon Ballroom. While that album spawned the hits "Anthem for the Year 2000" and "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" and 1997's Freak Show featured the favorite "Freak," Silverchair have yet to live up to the success of their debut Frogstomp and the singles "Tomorrow" and "Pure Massacre" — at least in America.

Diorama was called "the most ambitious, glorious piece of music ever by an Australian artist" by Sydney's Daily Telegraph, while "The Greatest View" has been the biggest radio airplay hit in the band's career, according to Watson. The album was produced by David Bottrill (Tool, Peter Gabriel) and features appearances by Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie and composer Van Dyke Parks, who has worked with Brian Wilson, Fiona Apple and countless others.

Johns and cohorts will promote Diorama in the States with a couple of New York City shows in early June, though Watson could not confirm the dates. Silverchair will also play Edgefest in Toronto on July 1.

Diorama track list, according to Watson:

• "Across the Night"
• "The Greatest View"
• "Without You"
• "World Upon Your Shoulders"
• "One Way Mule"
• "Tuna in the Brine"
• "Too Much of Not Enough"
• "Luv Your Life"
• "The Lever"
• "My Favourite Thing"
• "After All These Years"

• Silverchair

Australian rockers Silverchair will end their tenure at Sony Music with at least one compilation album, a double CD due out December 12.

The CD, titled The Best Of ... Vol. 1, will feature the band's singles — including "Tomorrow" and "Pure Massacre", from the band's debut, 1995's Frogstomp — and some rare B-sides, according to Sony's Epic Records, the band's U.S. label.

Silverchair severed ties with Sony last month, saying they wanted more control over their music (see "Silverchair Waves Good-Bye To Label").

The band and its management have commented and released statements about the matter via Silverchair's official Web site, www.chairpage.com, and have directed press inquiries to the site. Though the trio will not record new albums for Sony, the band's manager, John Watson, told the site that under Silverchair's former recording contract, Sony is legally entitled to repackage the band's existing recordings.

Watson and the band also announced on the site recently that Silverchair are launching a record label. Eleven: A Music Company will be operated by Watson, who will serve as the label's president, with distribution through EMI in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. A distribution deal with another company for the United States and other territories will be announced later this month, the band's management said.

On the new label, Silverchair will have ownership of their copyrights and "complete control over the creation and marketing of their music," a statement on the site said.

"We aren't looking to build any kind of empire with Eleven," Watson said on the site. "We simply want to develop a very focused, boutique operation which can be a vehicle for long-term, global career development of Australian artists."

The first signing to Eleven, aside from Silverchair, is Australian electronic artist and remixer Paul Mac, another artist on Watson's management roster. His album is expected out early next year.

According to the announcement, Eleven's first release will be an online EP by Paul Mac and Silverchair singer Daniel Johns, recording under the name I Can't Believe It's Not Rock. The EP, featuring five experimental home recordings, will be available primarily through the Internet beginning December 1.

The band also announced on the site that Silverchair will be performing on New Year's Eve at the Falls Festival, staged annually at a farm near Lorne, Victoria, in Australia. Silverchair also will play the South American Rock in Rio festival in January (see "Silverchair, Chili Peppers To Rock In Rio").

Track listing for The Best Of ... Vol. 1:

• "Anthem for the Year 2000"
• "Freak"
• "Ana's Song (Open Fire)"
• "Emotion Sickness"
• "Isreal's Son"
• "Tomorrow"
• "Cemetery"
• "The Door"
• "Miss You Love"
• "Abuse Me"
• "Pure Massacre"
• untitled
• "New Race"
• "Trash"
• "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" (acoustic)
• "Madman"
• "Blind"
• "Punk Song 2"
• "Wasted/Fix Me"
• "Wasted"
• "Minor Threat"
• "Freak" remix

• Silverchair