All Time Low's Jack Barakat at the Warped Tour in Cincinnati on Wednesday
Photo: Gil Kaufman/ MTV News

CINCINNATI — It takes more than a little Liberty-spike-melting rain — OK, an hour-plus torrential downpour with mega-flashes of lightning — to wash out the Vans Warped Tour '09. With a crowd undeterred by the weather, the 15th annual punk extravaganza rolled up on a steamy Wednesday afternoon to the Riverbend Amphitheatre with a typically eclectic mix of old-school and new-school punk, plenty of hardcore, tons of screamo, a dash of ska, a dusting of hip-hop and ... whatever crunkcore is.

As Warped — the longest-running summer festival tour in the U.S. — continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: No genre is safe. Where in years past screamo and metalcore bubbled up as the predominant sounds of the day, this summer it's hip-hop-inspired popcore's turn, with more than half a dozen bands at the Cincy stop mixing up beats, rock guitars, party-on rhymes and yes, even vocoders.

Among the most popular proponents of the day were Boulder, Colorado's 3OH!3, whose Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte bounced around the stage like 5-Hour Energy-fueled ping-pong balls, bashing out beat-heavy anthems like "Don't Trust Me" and "Holler Til You Pass Out."

Dallas' Forever the Sickest Kids took a slightly different tack, dropping in some rap breakdowns and glitchy keyboard bits into a set that would have made crunk-rock king Lil Jon proud. Mixing David Lee Roth-style campy rock with punk attitude and a plea for bras that garnered a barrage of polka-dotted tops, singer Jonathan Cook proudly preened around the stage with his blinged-out FTSK-emblazoned microphone stand during hyped songs like "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" and their signature tune, "She's a Lady."

Among the Warped veterans along for the ride again were ominous Tampa punk metalers Underoath, who drew a huge throng of onstage musical admirers as they pummeled the crowd in the main pavilion with fist-pumpers like "Drowning in My Sleep." Another old skull act — making their sixth tour of duty — was political thrashers Bad Religion, who busted out nuggets like the galloping "I Want to Conquer the World" to a weary late-afternoon crowd.

Unlike last summer, when now-mega Katy Perry and ex-boyfriend Travis McCoy of the Gym Class Heroes brought some pop smarts to the tour, the head-bobbing was a bit harder to find this time around. There was the ska bop of Big D and the Kids Table, complete with two shimmying backup singers and a three-piece horn section, and the straight-ahead Abercrombie & Fitch pop-punk of All Time Low. The Maryland quartet drew the biggest crowd of the day in the main pavilion, which was packed 6,000-strong, as the floorboards up front literally bounced up and down during sugary, pogoing shout-alongs like "Lost in Stereo." Elsewhere, the White Tie Affair mixed in some vocoder effects on "Take It Home," the Dirty Heads paid tribute to the white-guy stoner reggae of Sublime, and Utah group Meg & Dia, one of the only female-fronted acts on the day's roster, mellowed things out with some sensitive pop.

There were a few musical palette cleansers among the 60-band onslaught of mostly aggro vocalists playing to the near sell-out crowd of 12,000-plus, including second-generation country outlaw Shooter Jennings. The son of Waylon started off by kicking it "Sweet Home Alabama"-style on straw-chawin' opener "Gone to Carolina." While his laid-back good ol' boy country/ metal mash-up didn't quite fit the mix on the Skullcandy stage — where legendary Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore served as the MC and lent a sax solo to "Radio Goes Dead" — it's hard to argue with a dude who has a revolver tattooed on his forearm and an accompanying bullet on the web of his hand.

Another guy who seemed wrong to mess with was Gallows lead singer Frank Carter, who played his English old-school hardcore band's entire set in the middle of a giant circle pit. As the skies cracked open and rain flooded the parking lot, Carter and guitarist Stephen Carter stood their ground despite microphone shorts and gigantic lightning flashes, screaming the lyrics along with drenched, body-slapping, slipping-down fans.

Oh, right, and there was the crunkcore. It's easy to poke fun at Albuquerque's brokeNCYDE and their punk-hop mash-ups, which is why so many people do. With strip-club-flossin' songs like "Freaxx," "Schizophrenia" and "Get Crunk!," their mix of suburban mall-rat rap and gangsta goofiness has led to questions about whether their four MCs and a click-track shtick even belongs on the tour. But here are two things: a) they drew a gigantic crowd to the smallest stage on the concourse, b) when I heard that throng shouting the refrain from the song "Sex Toyz," I knew it was time to go home.

• Warped Tour 2009 In Cincinnati

• All Time Low
• 3Oh!3
• Underoath
• Forever The Sickest Kids

As I Lay Dying
Photo: Metal Blade

As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis isn't ashamed to admit it: He's an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, through and through.

"I love watching his movies," the singer told Metal File last week, just as his band prepared to hit the road as part of this summer's Warped Tour. "I don't see how you could put an Arnold movie on and not be entertained. Even the lesser of his films, like [1994's] 'Junior,' the ones that were goofy and sort of out there for him, they're still pretty great."

But Lambesis' unusual adulation for the Governator extends beyond his action-packed DVD collection. In fact, his appreciation runs so deep, the "Twins" thespian inspired Lambesis to strike out on his own, with a new side project inspired by Arnie, called Austrian Death Machine. Lambesis plans to release his band's forthcoming debut album, Total Brutal, on July 22.

In essence, though, it's really a Lambesis solo LP. Not only did he write all the band's songs, he performs all of the material on Total Brutal, which was recorded inside his home studio in between As I Lay Dying tours.

"This is one of the albums where the recording took longer than the writing process," Lambesis explained. "I actually wrote most of the songs in about a week, because I just wanted to write 'em all before I ran out of time between tours. Then we went on tour for a while, and I came back and started recording the tracks. Because it's not a full band, and just one person, it was a lot harder to get everything right. When As I Lay Dying records, everyone knows their parts perfectly well, and they're all more than capable of playing everything perfectly. In my case, I had to pull a little studio magic to make everything right. It's a solo project where I'm trying to do everything, and there's no shame in a little ProTools trickery."

The idea for Austrian Death Machine — which Lambesis hopes to tour with this fall — came to him during a casual conversation with some friends backstage while AILD were on the tour.

"I think an Arnold one-liner came up in the conversation, and I was saying how amazing it would be to start a band where people were actually piling up at the front of the stage to sing along to those one-liners," he said. "It was just a thought at first, but about a year later, I had some time off, and so I just made it happen. I wrote as many songs as I could, recorded them, and now, I have a full album. It actually surprised me how easily it came together, because it was something that I just did on a whim. And it sort of surpasses my own expectations.

"[Austrian Death Machine] is a chance for me to show, musically, what I'm capable of," he continued. "I didn't try to write the most technical music in the world; I just wanted to write music that had a certain type of aggression that I think Arnold would want to sing over. A lot of [As I Lay Dying's] fans don't realize that, in addition to being a singer, I'm also very involved in the songwriting process."

Total Brutal will feature 17 tracks, including "Come With Me If You Want to Live" (which boasts a guitar solo from Killswitch Engage's Adam Dutkiewicz), "Who Is Your Daddy, and What Does He Do" and "It's Not a Tumor." Producer Jason Suecof (God Forbid, Trivium); AILD's Nick Hipa; Haste the Day's Jason Barnes; and Daath's Eyal Levi and Emil Werstler all contribute guitar solos to the effort. While Austrian Death Machine's songs do feature some of Arnold's most famous lines, as provided by a Schwarzenegger impersonator, the actual singing is handled by Lambesis.

"Part of what I wanted to do with this band was do things stereotypically on purpose," he said. "Every band wants to be unique and avoid doing what's typical for the genre. In this case, I wanted it to be absolutely typical, so it's everything you'd expect to hear from a metal band, everything that embodies metal, and I think that's what makes Arnold the perfect frontman. At least as a character in movies, he embodied everything that's metal: He's a huge, muscular guy, and he knows how to win a fight. I think the ability to poke fun at heavy music, while at the same time writing really brutal music, is a fun combination. I'm really proud of the record came, and I think As I Lay Dying fans will definitely be able to latch onto it. It's less melodic and more thrash brutality. It has a little more of a tough-guy feel — on purpose."

For Lambesis, working on the Austrian Death Machine record wasn't nearly as intense as his work with AILD, because he didn't have to endure the same emotionally draining experience he does when he writes lyrics for that band.

"Everything in As I Lay Dying is really very passionate for me, vocally and lyrically, and there's a lot of conviction behind what I write, so I wanted to do something that was a little bit on the lighter side," he said. "I felt Arnold was the perfect guy to be in a band with. He's the most brutal guy in the world, and his movies are just pure testosterone. It seems to be perfect for the genre of metal — this brutal warrior who is able to destroy all these villains."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Underoath have titled their forthcoming album Lost in the Sound of Separation. We recently spoke to the band about the effort, and you can read all about it here. ...

Looks like those rumors about Mastodon's next album being a concept piece inspired by Czarist Russia are true. This image of Rasputin has been making the Internet rounds as of late, adding more credence to the tittle-tattle. Mastodon recently entered the studio to commence tracking of the disc, alongside producer Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots). It's believed the record will be ready in time for release later this year. ...

While the rest of Velvet Revolver continue to search for Scott Weiland's replacement, guitarist Slash is apparently working on his solo debut. He told Spinner.com that he's "working on it pretty aggressively right now, while I have the time, because as soon as Velvet finds its singer, then it's going to be off to the races with that." Slash doesn't know when the record might be ready for release but is hoping to have it out before the next VR LP hits stores. "It'll be my first solo record," he added. "All the other ones were just me putting other bands together and going out and just jamming. This will actually be a little bit more personal." ...

If you haven't already, you should head on over to MTV's Headbangers Blog, where right now, you can stream Judas Priest's entire new album, Nostradamus. In next week's Metal File, we'll be bringing you an interview with guitarist Glen Tipton, in which he talks all about the LP and the possibility of his band being voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ...

Did Light This City break up? That's what we're hearing, but no official word has come down from the band or the label, but a statement should be released before the weekend, according to one member of the group, who asked not to be named. The rumors started soon after the band pulled out of its current tour with Death Angel, God Forbid and Soilent Green and nixing an appearance on the upcoming Thrash and Burn Tour, with Darkest Hour. ...

In other breakup news, it seems Long Island's From Autumn to Ashes have gone the way of the dodo — maybe. Frontman Francis Mark said in an online post: "At this point, I feel that we have accomplished everything we could have hoped for with FATA. It doesn't feel much like a breakup; just feels like the end. It's complete. I would say that we are going on indefinite hiatus, because the term breakup suggests a more negative circumstance." ...

Warbringer and Finntroll have lined up a U.S. run for August and September. The trek gets under way August 22 in Springfield, Virginia, and dates are booked through September 12 in San Marcos, California.

• As I Lay Dying
• Underoath
• Light This City

Underoath
Photo: MTV News

On Tuesday, the pride of Tampa, Florida, Grammy-nominated Christian metalcore outfit Underoath, invited Metal File out to Elmwood Park, New Jersey, to producer David Bendeth's House of Loud studios — where Paramore's breakthrough album, Riot!, was tracked — and gave us a quick foretaste of their upcoming 42-minute-long LP, which they'd finished mixing just hours earlier. All told, the mix, which is due in stores this fall, had the boys in the Garden State for nearly two weeks.

When we arrived, we found the band relaxing in the studio's living-room-like lounge, playing "Wii Sports" and abusing the "Addams Family" pinball machine. After a quick photo shoot, Underoath played us six tracks from the disc, which they've given a title that they're keeping under wraps (although guitarist Timothy McTague did slip, saying the name of the record ends with "ation" and that "it will make all album titles up to 2008 disintegrate"). It was the first time the band played any of the new material for anyone outside its inner circle.

According to frontman Spencer Chamberlain, the 11 songs, which were tracked over six weeks in March and April with producer and Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz for the follow-up to 2006's Define the Great Line, were actually written over a two-year time span, and much of the lyrical content was inspired by the singer's struggles and triumphs during that period.

"We write really slow," he confessed, "because we're really anal about what we keep and what we don't. We're not like other bands. We don't go in with 20 songs and pick the best ones. We can barely get out of a room with the six of us agreeing, so, normally, to get 11 songs we all agree on takes two years.

"[This record's] about the last two years of my life," Chamberlain continued. "The rough times, the good times. You know, our band almost broke up, and I had some issues with substance abuse — all kinds of things. Just real life and how I dealt with things. It's definitely some of the darkest [stuff we've done], but that doesn't mean I'm always totally desperate. It's a pretty desperate record."

The six songs we heard — still carrying working titles like "Viper," "Elephant" and "Jam" — were, for the most part, furiously paced, with lots of layers and almost Nine Inch Nails-esque spooky electronic effects. Several of the songs were anthemic, feedback-filled numbers that build slowly to their thunderous, ear-splitting crescendos, and there were breakdowns aplenty. Chamberlain's vocals are intense, passionate and sounding better than ever over the shredding guitars. Aaron Gillespie's adroit drum-pummeling adds even more fury and force to the tracks, which are sprinkled with blistering, steely guitar solos. The songs — which, at times, stop and start on a dime effortlessly — sounded huge and unpredictable, never really heading in those directions you might expect. It's also clear that the band wanted to experiment this time around, injecting almost prog-like elements here and there.

"You've got to step it up every time," Chamberlain explained. "That was the key. This is the first record [we started working on] where we haven't completely hated what we did before. From [2002's] The Changing of Times to [2004's] They're Only Chasing Safety, we hated it. So we changed, and then, by the time Chasing came out, we hated that too. Then we wrote Define the Great Line, and I feel like this record's kind of similar to that. I was worried, at first, but I think we took it and stepped it up a lot. It's the same style — we didn't completely change who we are. But we had to push each other, raise the bar and experiment and explore things we haven't done before. This is our band, and this record — this is our sound."

Underoath, who are releasing their Survive, Kaleidoscope live CD/DVD May 27, are looking forward to previewing the new material for their fans this summer when they head out with Disturbed, Slipknot, Mastodon, DragonForce, Airborne, Five Finger Death Punch, 36 Crazyfists, Machine Head, Black Tide, Suicide Silence, the Red Chord and Walls of Jericho on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival.

"It's cool for us to do at least once," Chamberlain said. "We've done Warped Tour so many times, and we love Warped. I think the shows on Warped, for us, are incredible. But for this record, we wanted to expand musically and lyrically and push ourselves. So why not push ourselves into a market where some may not know about us? Why not play to Slipknot fans — fans that may not like us, and maybe, if they heard us, would? On Warped, we know what's going to happen: Our fans are going to be there. With this, there will be a lot of people who haven't heard us, so it's something totally new for us."

The rest of the week's metal news:

As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis has launched a new side project, the Arnold Schwarzenegger-inspired Austrian Death Machine. The band's debut disc, Total Brutal, will land July 22, and feature 17 songs, including "I Am a Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue Over (Metal) Endoskeleton," "Who Is Your Daddy, and What Does He Do?" and "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It." According to Lambesis, Arnold "is the embodiment of everything brutal and stereotypically metal." ...

Barely legal metallers Black Tide played a free gig on May 15 at the Whisky a Go-Go in Hollywood during a release party for James Frey's book "Bright Shiny Morning." But things didn't go so well. According to the New York Post, there were a number of scuffles with security during the band's set, and "literary types were horrified as the brawl spilled out to the sidewalk, where it took 20 cops to quell the violence. Three men were arrested." ...

Pantera/ Hellyeah kitman Vinnie Paul has been tapped by Connecticut hardcore heroes Hatebreed to produce, document and record the band's May 27 gig in Dallas for a CD/DVD set. "We can't even begin to explain how excited we are to be recording our live album with Vinnie Paul," Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta commented. "It's a great honor and privilege to be working with him on this." ... Soulfly plan on releasing two editions of their forthcoming album Conquer on July 29. One will be the standard version, while the other will be a special edition with three bonus cuts: "My Path," a cover of Bad Brains' "Sailin' On" and a rendition of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People." ...

The lineup for this year's Trash and Burn Tour has been revealed. The tour, which kicks off July 29 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will feature Darkest Hour, Misery Signals, Winds of Plague, Stick to Your Guns, Arsis, Light This City and Arsonists Get All the Girls. Dates are booked through September 3 in Seattle. ...

Lamb of God's upcoming two-DVD set, "Walk With Me in Hell," has been plotted for a July 1 release. The effort will contain footage captured during the band's recent appearances on Ozzfest, the Gigantour and the Unholy Alliance runs. ... Strapping Young Lad's upcoming CD/DVD best-of collection, titled 1994-2006 Chaos Years, will hit stores May 27. Band mastermind Devin Townsend remastered 17 of the band's tracks — including "Detox," "Love?" and "All Hail the New Flesh" — for the offering. ...

Danish death-metal act Compos Mentis have been working on material for their next LP, which they'll start tracking June 23 with Christian Bonde. Lyrically, the band said the disc will "be centered around the parish pump and different moments in Danish history, as well as various aspects of a 'typical' Danish mentality."

• Underoath
• Black Tide
• Lamb of God

Eminem
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Eminem will host a New Year's Eve countdown Sunday via his Shade 45 channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show, which runs from 8-10 p.m. with several replays on Monday, will feature the rapper "stating the facts and playing the tracks," including 25 of his favorite hip-hop songs. "This is not THE definitive top-25 list, because that's just too damn hard! But, these 25 songs are definitely up there as my favorites," Em said in a statement posted on the Shade 45 site. ...

The Soul Patrol is taking it to the streets. "American Idol" victor Taylor Hicks will hit the road in late February for a run of U.S. gigs in support of his self-titled debut. The trek gets underway February 21 in Jacksonville, Florida. And while Hicks told MTV News earlier this month that the tour would "hopefully last 10 years," so far dates have been scheduled through an April 27 show in Kansas City, Missouri. ...

John Legend will celebrate his 28th birthday Thursday night (December 28) at Stereo in New York. Kanye West, Amerie and Fonzworth Bentley are expected to turn out for the party. ... The lineup for this year's Cornerstone Festival is starting to take shape. The Christian-music-centered fest is scheduled for June 25-30 in Bushnell, Illinois, and will feature Underoath, Switchfoot, Emery, Flyleaf, Anberlin, the Almost, Disciple and Spitfire.

Arcade Fire fans who had planned to download the band's charity single "Intervention" from the iTunes store early Thursday morning ended up with a surprise — two days early — when the track "Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations" was uploaded instead by mistake. "I guess it is sort of charming that we can send the wrong song to the whole world with the click of a mouse," frontman Win Butler said in a post on the band's Web site. Proceeds from this week's sales of "Intervention" (and "Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations") will benefit Partners in Health (PIH.org), an organization supporting community-based initiatives to fight poverty and disease. "Our little bump in the road hasn't changed that," Butler said. ...

Clearly a lot of people got iTunes gift cards and new iPods for Christmas, because so many of them tried to use the iTunes store over the holiday that there were widespread reports of error messages and download times approaching 20 minutes for a single track. According to an Associated Press report, stressed-out users began posting urgent help messages on Monday and Tuesday on Apple's tech forum for iTunes complaining that they either couldn't log in to the site or were told the system couldn't process their requests for song and video downloads. Apple Computer would not comment on the slowdown, and it was unclear how many people were affected. Online market researcher Hitwise reported that the slowdown could be attributed to the fact that more than four times as many people visited iTunes on Christmas than at the same time last year. ...

Flogging Molly can't wait to get the party started: The Irish folk punks are kicking off their St. Patrick's Day-themed Green 17 Tour on February 22 in Los Angeles. The 18-date outing comes to a close March 17 in Phoenix. ... Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Spocket note has also lined up his first '07 tour. He'll set out to do the solo-acoustic thing February 7 in Santa Barbara, California, and stay on the road through March 4 in Annapolis, Maryland. ...

2007 will be a banner year for "The Simpsons," with a long-awaited big-screen adventure finally hitting theaters, so the animated Springfield residents are starting the year on the right foot with a slew of New Year's resolutions. Realist Homer vows to lose 10 pounds — and gain it back by Valentine's Day. Marge wants to improve her cooking ("I resolve to finally learn how to make pancakes that don't stick to the pan") thanks to some prodding from Bart. And Krusty and Comic Book Guy aim a bit higher, with the clown promising to come up with jokes that are fresher than his 40-year-old standbys and the nerd resolving to date a woman. Good luck, guys.

12.27.2006

Three days after his death at age 73, soul legend James Brown's body will return to the place where the singer made his stage debut, New York's Apollo Theater. According to The Associated Press, the public will be allowed to view Brown's body on Thursday at the legendary Harlem venue, followed by a private burial Friday in Brown's hometown of Augusta, Georgia. Another public ceremony will follow a day later at Augusta's James Brown Arena. Variety reports that Spike Lee has signed on to direct a biopic about Brown that is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2008. Brown played an active role in the project's development and gave producers access to his music rights. ...

The twin sister of Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Mathers, is in police custody after allegedly attempting to kidnap her son, AP reports. Kim Mathers, who is the legal guardian of her sister's 7-year-old, filed a parental-kidnapping complaint on Tuesday. Mathers' sister — whose name was not released by police — was arrested after she fled a local gas station. The boy has been returned to Mathers' custody. ... A former Sprint Nextel employee has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was fired unjustly for hiring Ludacris to perform at a company event — even though her boss was aware of her activities. According to the Kansas City Star, Elizabeth Henry said she was given permission to secure talent for a Las Vegas party. Henry said her boss green-lit two entertainers, Luda and LL Cool J. After booking 'Cris, however, Henry alleges that she was interrogated for five hours, despite assuring management that Luda would perform according to "PG-13 standards," and was fired later that same day. "Her boss approved it and didn't think anything of it until somebody said, 'Hey, have you ever listened to their music?' " Henry's lawyer, Brendan J. Donelon, told the newspaper. Sprint officials had not released a comment as of publish time. ...

Willie Nelson and Jessica Simpson are re-forming an onscreen family bond for "Blonde Ambition," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Nelson, who co-starred as Uncle Jesse to Simpson's Daisy Duke in 2005's "The Dukes of Hazzard," will play her grandfather in the "Working Girl" update. ... Look out, Cameron Diaz — JoJo's got an eye on your man. In the spring issue of Seventeen Prom, the singer encourages girls to get out there and ask someone to the prom ("This is 2006, babe ... I'm all for being the one to initiate") and admits her own dream date. "Well, I knew it was unattainable, but I always thought Justin Timberlake was so cute, especially when he was in 'NSYNC and had that blond Afro. He gets finer with age!" ...

Jessica Alba and Johnny Depp top a poll of fantasy New Year's Eve dates, with Scarlett Johansson and George Clooney also ranking high in the Blockbuster Inc. survey. And while they want beautiful stars holding their arm when 2007 arrives, respondents said they were more interested in hanging out than hooking up. Seventy percent of those polled said their pick was someone who would be fun to spend time with, and only 15 percent admitted to choosing someone they'd want to kiss at midnight. ...

Before heading on a two-week trek through Australia in late March, Dave Matthews Band will headline a two-night stand at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on March 23 and 24. The Fray will open the Vegas shows. ... TV on the Radio have mapped out a 28-city tour that will kick off March 1 in Providence, Rhode Island. Opening acts have not been confirmed, but are expected to be named in the coming weeks. The tour will run through an April 21 stop in Poughkeepsie, New York. ... Brand New will hit the road this spring for a U.S. headlining run that launches March 15 in Buffalo, New York, and wraps up April 25 with a show in Philadelphia. ...

Two new untitled demo tracks from Evanescence drummer William "Rocky" Gray's Soul Embraced side project have been posted to the band's MySpace page. Gray plays guitar for the Little Rock, Arkansas, outfit, which is fronted by his brother-in-law Chad Moore and features Living Sacrifice's Lance Garvin on drums. The band — which released its The Fleshless EP in 1999, followed by the LPs For The Incomplete (2000), This Is My Blood (2002) and Immune (2003) — is compiling material for its next studio effort. ...

An album cover signed by all four members of the Beatles — as a gift for George Harrison's sister Louise — sold Friday at an auction in New York for more than $115,000, AP reports. The winning bidder was not identified, but the sale set a record for a signed Beatles album purchased at a public sale. On the cover of the copy of Meet the Beatles, the Fab Four's first U.S. release, Harrison had written above his signature, "To Lou with love from 'Brother'!!" while John Lennon wrote, "To Lou many love from John Lennon X." ...

Want to pre-order Norah Jones' forthcoming Not Too Late? Well, you've got many options. iTunes is sweetening the deal with five tracks from her iTunes Live Session; Amazon if offering an exclusive live video performance of "Rosie's Lullaby," one of the tracks featured on the artist's third release; and getting the set through Walmart.com will grant you instant access to the first single, "Thinking About You." ... Winger fans unite! The founding members of the hair-metal band will take flight for their first tour in more than 10 years on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Winger, which recently issued Winger IV, will end the six-week U.S. jaunt on March 9 in Houston.

• Eminem
• Taylor Hicks
• John Legend
• Underoath
• Switchfoot

Underoath's Aaron Gillespie
Photo: Tooth & Nail

While Floridian metalcore sextet Underoath were recording 2006's Define the Great Line a little more than a year ago, the band's drummer, Aaron Gillespie, found himself writing straight-up rock tunes, material that he realized wouldn't fit with Underoath's vicious style. If these songs were to be heard someday, he knew he'd have to release them himself.

So before Define's June release, Gillespie hit the studio alone to track the songs, playing all of the instruments himself and even tackling vocalist duties, like how Trent Reznor records Nine Inch Nails albums. This spring, Gillespie's as-yet-untitled solo debut, which he'll release under the banner the Almost, will land in stores, and to be honest, he's not sure how Underoath's fans will respond to it.

"I don't know if people are even going to give a rat's butt," said the Christian rocker. "I just don't know what to expect. We'll find out, I suppose. I'm just really nervous, and I don't know if I'm going to suck or not."

One thing's certain: People are interested in the Almost, who played their first live gig December 17 in Anaheim, California. Ticket sales for the Almost's upcoming tour have been selling like hotcakes too — which makes the drummer even more nervous.

"That scares me, because that means people may be paying attention," he said. "It applies more pressure on me. It's just so nerve-racking."

The Almost will launch a 20-date tour December 28 in Philadelphia that's set to run through January 20 in Salt Lake City, just before Underoath's February run with Taking Back Sunday. The Almost's touring configuration includes longtime Gillespie pals Jay Vilardi and Nick D'Amico on guitars, bassist Alex Aponte and drummer Kenny Bozich.

"I just want to get out on the road and see how I fare as a frontman," Gillespie, who was recently married, continued, adding that doing his own thing has proven a little more difficult than he first imagined. "These were songs I had in my heart that I needed to get out. And when you play something yourself and you have to show a bunch of other people how to do it, it's really different. When I was in the studio, I did everything myself, and I knew how I wanted it to be."

There's no official word on when the Almost's album will be in stores, but Gillespie said the LP's lyrics deal with "a lot of neurological stuff, like panic, anxiety, growing up in the South. It's so vague, and people can bend it to the way they want to see it." The Almost also plan to shoot a video next month, for the album's first single, "Southern Weather."

In the meantime, things are right in Underoath's world, he says. Underoath have been working on a few new numbers they'd like to record for their next LP, which they'll probably begin working on next winter. It's possible they'll be doing several select dates on this summer's Warped Tour, and they have a North American headliner in the works that will launch towards summer's end.

But Gillespie would like to clear up a few things about his band's self-imposed break last summer — the one that followed Underoath's decision to leave Warped just a few weeks in (see "Why Are So Many Bands Leaving The Warped Tour?"). At the time, the band said it had to resolve some internal issues, although some wondered if being on the receiving end of a persistent string of gibes from NOFX frontman Fat Mike had triggered the move.

"There's no truth to that at all," the drummer said. "[Fat Mike] makes fun of everyone, and he picked us last summer. I don't care what he does. He's old, and that's his shtick. He doesn't have anything else going for him, so why not make fun of people? It was just a rumor that spun out of control."

And no, the Warped withdrawal had nothing to do with frontman Spencer Chamberlain's rumored drug problems. "Spencer wasn't in rehab, and to be honest, I don't think that would be the press' business," Gillespie said. "People in life go through stuff, and it's not the public's business. If there was something serious going on like that and he was in rehab, we'd have to tell the press. But it's just not true.

"I hear rumors about Underoath all the time," he continued. "The most recent was that me and Spencer were having a homosexual affair. Meanwhile, I'm married to a female, and Spencer's pretty much married. It's weird, all these rumors that go around. It's crazy, because none of them are true."

• Underoath

NOFX's Fat Mike at Warped Tour in Uniondale, New York, on Saturday
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

For most bands, landing a coveted slot on the Warped Tour is like finding a golden ticket. But this year, bands have been dropping off the annual summer tour's 11th installment like flies.

From First to Last bolted just three weeks into the festival so frontman Sonny Moore could undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his vocal cords (see "From First To Last Singer Dispels More Rumors, Reveals Why Band Left Warped").

Then, Gatsby's American Dream dropped out. "There's no juicy gossip to report, we just need a break to be with our families at this time," the band said in a statement.

Next, it was Christian-leaning rockers Underoath, who bailed late in July, saying they needed to resolve some internal issues. "We're deeply frustrated and sorry for any inconvenience this has caused," the band said in a statement. "We felt it necessary to take some immediate time to focus on our friendship, as that's more important than risking it for the sake of touring at this time."

However, many have noted that the band was on the receiving end of a persistent string of gibes from NOFX frontman Fat Mike. Underoath did not grant MTV News' requests for an interview.

Earlier this week, Mewithoutyou announced that they, too, were leaving Warped, citing much-needed tour-bus repairs — the bandmembers, who bring their families on tour, travel in a special vegetable-oil-fueled bus (see "Mewithoutyou: Not Your Average Christian, Vegetable-Oil-Fueled, Flower-Flinging Rockers") — as well as frontman Aaron Weiss' lingering throat malaise.

"No bus, no touring — pretty simple math," they reasoned in a statement. The band's manager told MTV News that the band was playing on the SmartPunk stage (for which acts are not paid) and, after the bus issues, simply couldn't afford to continue the tour.

And then there were Spitalfield, who on Wednesday — with just five dates remaining before Warped '06's Sunday finale in Montreal — dropped out as well. Frontman Mark Rose told MTV News that guitarist Dan Lowder will be leaving the band in the fall.

"With our new record slated for an October 3 release, we were forced to face [replacing Lowder] right when the record came out or canceling a string of shows to get home and begin rehearsing with a fill-in guitar player," he said. The band chose the latter option.

"Spitalfield have been trying to get on the Warped Tour for four years," he added. "It's really disappointing to not be able to finish the dates on such a high-profile tour."

Later that day, gypsy-punk act Gogol Bordello dropped off, citing drummer Eliot Ferguson's need to seek medical treatment for cellulitis in his arm.

Those are all valid reasons for why Warped has had more bands drop out this year than in any other during its 11-year history.

Yet members of some bands say there is definitely a higher level of tension on this year's trek. While some blame the summer's sweltering temperatures and the pressures of spending two long, grueling months on the road, others say there's an old-punks-vs.-new-punks battle that has resulted in tension between bands.

Fat Mike, who has spent eight of the last 11 summers on Warped with both NOFX and cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, says the tension is due to all of the above.

"The thing is, a lot of bands sign up for this, and they have no idea what it's about, and how difficult it is if you're a smaller band," he said. "If you have to do this tour in a van, it's really, really difficult. Our whole goal on this tour is to have as much fun as we possibly can — that's what it's all about, so if you can [accomplish] that, it's a really great tour.

"A lot of bands are here to further their careers," he continued, "and that's not going to happen. You think a band goes on the Warped Tour and suddenly they get big? It's going to happen to somebody, but it doesn't make your career. There are 100 bands on the tour — with so many choices, the only people who are going to watch you are the people who [already] like you."

He went on to say that attitudes definitely have played a role. "From First to Last came on the tour like total rock stars, and everyone alienated them," he said. "And they were gone in a week or two."

Mike also admits that his constant mocking of Underoath got to them, but he doesn't think it was a reason for them to pull out of Warped. He attended one of the band's Bible-study sessions as a joke but claims he was nothing if not respectful.

"I didn't help their cause at all, but I wasn't the main reason either," he said. "They're a weird band. I was going to go after them as soon as I found out they were on the tour."

The no-longer-so-fat Mike also says he witnessed several of the younger bands on the tour copping what he called "rock star" attitudes because "they have a hit record that sells a few hundred thousand copies and they think everyone's there to see them. The older bands, we really don't care. We're just happy to still be around."

Thursday's Geoff Rickly, who is about to finish his third Warped, says the friction largely amounts to a battle between the old school and new school.

"The number of younger bands is much higher, and they seem to think they're the sh-- and all the older bands are has-beens or whatever," he explained. "I think there's an attitude of entitlement. Like, 'All these old bands don't even sell the amount of records we sell' and 'We should maybe be getting better slots' and 'We're the new sh--.' I kind of get that attitude from some of the younger bands, and that's too bad, I think. They don't even realize that when a band works hard for 10 years, there's a reason why they get respect. Just because you write a few pop songs and maybe get on the radio, you're not necessarily given the world."

While he says he's noticed tension between bands on every tour Thursday have ever done, the strain between some of this year's Warped bands is much more intense.

"I think there's, like, two sides to the tour, and those sides are tense with each other," he said. "There are the young, scream-y bands and the old punk-rock bands, and there are only a few bands that can float through both worlds, like us and Rise Against and Anti-Flag. I think, in general, the old guys are like, 'Dude, all these young punks think they know everything,' and all the young bands are like, 'Dude, all these old guys, all they care about is themselves, and they don't want to support anything new.' Each of them has a little bit of truth, and it's also a little bit overblown in their own heads. It just makes it a little tenser than it needs to be, I guess.

"There's been a lot of drama on the tour this year," he added. "The Warped Tour is just a pressure cooker because it's hot and long and seems like it never ends — it's 50 shows in 60 days. I think it pushes bands to a point that they're not quite ready to be at."

Some of that drama took place between Less Than Jake and Every Time I Die, after the long-running ska band mocked the screaming singing style of ETID's Keith Buckley — in ETID's hometown of Buffalo, New York, no less. Buckley responded by calling the band "washed-up."

"It's not going to stress me out," Buckley said. "I know they said something about us and we said something about them. When they found out we retaliated, they said, 'We didn't mean to upset anybody, we're just joking around.' And that's fine, but it's not like we know each other — I don't know them well enough to be joking around like that. All I know is they're making fun of us, and I had to say something back. But I guess once I said something back, they realized it was getting a little too out of control."

The beef has become so widespread that some bands on the tour are even parodying it. Fans hit various punk message boards to discuss comments Silverstein and Motion City Soundtrack were trading onstage — but according to drummer Paul Koehler of three-time Warped act Silverstein, it was all a joke intended to get people to lighten up.

"We did it because, here's all this other drama that's real on the tour, which people seem to be obsessed with, and we wanted to blow this thing up," Koehler said. "We'd make fun of each other's bands onstage, and we even wore T-shirts that said 'Motion Sh---y Soundtrack.' We came clean about it and told the kids not to believe everything they read on the Internet. That was the point we were trying to make, that all the drama on Warped is nonsense. It should just be about seeing good bands and having a good time."

Motion City frontman Justin Pierre said most of the bands on Warped need to loosen up, and should let barbs from the likes of Fat Mike roll off their backs.

"Fat Mike likes to f--- with people, and I don't really have a problem with that," he said. "Underoath and NOFX had a pretty big thing going on back and forth. He would rip on them for saying that everything they do, they do for Christ. But you need to have a sense of humor about things."

For his part, Kevin Lyman, Warped's founder, says that on average he loses three bands each summer, but he hasn't noticed any tension between any of the bands beyond the situation that unfolded between Fat Mike and Underoath.

"The thing with Mike and Underoath really got kind of blown up," he said. "It was more like they both have very strong opinions, and most of it was done in good fun. But Fat Mike tortures everyone — he tortures me all day long. There are a lot of bands out here who are having trouble. I don't like it, but it's been a bizarre year. We've never had a year like this, but there have been reasons why these bands pulled out."

A few years ago, Lyman noted, several bands got into an all-out brawl. "But there's been nothing like that," he said. "Where's this tension? Come into the parking lot. Everyone's having a great time. You have 900 people on the road, so obviously not everyone's going to like each other. There are seven parties every night, and card games.

"Maybe there is tension," he added, laughing. "I think it's the sexual type."

• Pink Spiders, Gym Class Heroes And More At Warped Tour 2006

• From First To Last
• Less Than Jake
• Mewithoutyou
• NOFX
• Thursday

Beyoncé on the September cover of <i>Essence</i>
Photo: Cliff Watts

When it came time to record B'Day, Beyoncé was inspired by the creative approach that Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella artists take, the singer told Essence in the magazine's September cover story. (Check out the mag's photos of Beyoncé here.) "They usually have a bunch of producers in the studio at one time in different rooms," she explained. "They get this positive competitive energy going." When it came time to lay down her own tracks, Beyoncé followed Jay's lead. "I rented the studio and had different producers in three different rooms. It was so much fun and no pressure." And Jay and B didn't worry that the stress of working together on "Deja Vu" would impact their relationship — because the rapper's part on the track was never planned. "But once he heard it, I saw his lips start moving," Beyoncé told the magazine. "So I was like, 'Would you like to go into the studio and record what you just did?' Now we joke about how we're going to have enough songs to put out a little compilation record." ...

Mel Gibson is pleading with Jewish community leaders to help him find the "appropriate path for healing," The Associated Press reports. The actor/director, who was arrested Friday for driving under the influence, admitted Tuesday (August 1) that he had spouted a series of anti-Semitic slurs at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office upon his arrest. "I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words," said Gibson, who entered rehab for alcohol abuse on Monday. According to CBS News, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, who had rejected Gibson's initial apology, said his Tuesday morning statement was legitimate. AP also reports that ABC has canceled a miniseries about the Holocaust that the network was developing through Gibson's Icon Productions, and that a sheriff's watchdog has found that deputies handled Gibson's arrest properly. ...

DMX is staging an impromptu concert Tuesday to herald the release of his sixth album, Year of the Dog, Again. The rapper will dip into his new record and touch on some classics as well at the afternoon event at Marcus Garvey Park in New York's Harlem district. ... Audioslave have teamed up with Google Earth to give fans a glimpse of the cover art for the band's forthcoming album, Revelations. Those who activate the program can look for the utopian island of Audioslave Nation, which will be located in the Indian Ocean between South America and New Zealand. Revelations will hit stores on September 5. ...

Depeche Mode have been forced to cancel their Thursday concert in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since the Hayarkon Park performance was supposed to cap the band's tour, there are no plans to reschedule the gig. ... A week before Taylor Hicks releases his debut album on November 14, third-season "American Idol" winner Fantasia will drop her second record. Other fall releases announced by Arista/ J Records this week include The Ultimate Luther Vandross on August 22, Monica's The Makings of Me on September 19 and Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong on October 17. Yet-untitled new releases by Maroon 5 and Mario are due November 14 and 21, respectively. ...

Guns N' Roses' 32-date European trek concluded over the weekend, and now frontman Axl Rose plans to return to the U.S. for a road trip this fall. "We have had an amazing tour and it has been fantastic for the band and I to experience this," Rose said in a press release. "I approached this last show with equal parts determination, obligation, responsibility and insanity. It was an amazing night. I want to thank everyone in Europe and the U.K. for inspiring us and for giving us the opportunity to play for them. We are now looking forward to the U.S. in September." No U.S. tour dates have been revealed. The final stop on the GN'R European tour, Sunday night's gig at London's Wembley Arena, nearly didn't go off. Rose was diagnosed with low blood pressure and low blood sugar on Sunday morning, and became ill after performing two concerts the night before. A physician advised that the frontman skip the stage that night and be admitted to a hospital instead. Rose responded with a "F--- that — I have a show to do and I am not missing it," the release said. He did make it through much of the band's two-hour set before collapsing. Sebastian Bach took over for Axl to perform the show's encore, "Paradise City." ...

Minor-league baseball team the Newark Bears are using Britney Spears' parenting goofs to make a positive difference. On Friday, the New Jersey team is hosting Britney Spears Baby Safety Night, where fans will receive information on car-seat safety and get an opportunity to win a free car seat courtesy of AAA. And would-be spectators who bring a baby (age 4 or under), carry a baby toy or go all-out and dress as a baby will receive free admission to the ball park that night. ... The U.S. incarnation of the Download festival hits the East Coast this month and pops up out West in September. 311, Jurassic 5 the Wailers, G. Love & Special Sauce, Dropkick Murphys and Pepper are on the August 20 bill at Mansfield, Massachusetts' Tweeter Center. Beck, Muse, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother, the Shins, Coheed and Cambria, Rogue Wave, Kinky, the Mutaytor and more artists to be announced will perform at San Francisco's Shoreline Amphitheater on September 30. ...

If you've been aching for "The Return of the Velvet Teddy Bear," there's an end in sight to your pain. That's the title of the first track from the new album of the same name from "American Idol" season-two winner Ruben Studdard. The disc, due September 26, features songs produced by Ne-Yo, Scott Storch and Dre & Vidal — and Studdard did some producing of his own, manning the boards for his cover of the Brenda Russell ballad "If Only for One Night." "Change Me," Studdard's first single from the album, was released to radio Monday. ... Money can buy a lot of things, but not an escape from traffic — well, a legal escape, at least. When Tommy Lee wanted to get from Hollywood to Irvine, California, for a Nine Inch Nails show on July 7, he traveled by helicopter, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sounds pretty cool, except for one thing: Landing a helicopter on a public street violates L.A. law. Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed charges against the pilot, David Keith Martz, on Monday. Martz faces one count each of reckless operation of an aircraft, landing an aircraft on a public road and landing an aircraft without a permit — all three carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail or a $1,000 fine, the Times reports. Lee was not charged in connection with the incident. ...

Since Underoath announced last week that they'd be leaving the Warped Tour to focus on the bandmembers' friendships, there has been a load of speculation regarding the move. The most popular explanation making the rounds blames NOFX frontman Fat Mike for their departure. Fat chance, Mike said in a statement posted on PunkNews.org Monday night. "As much as I do like controversy, there really isn't any to report on this subject," he wrote. "Underoath have left the Warped Tour, and as much as people want to give me credit for that, the truth is they just really needed a break apparently. Some people have suggested that they bailed because I made too much fun of them [for their religious beliefs]. Problem with that theory is that I have made fun of plenty of bands on this tour. I have also taken plenty of jabs at Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. I feel I am an equal opportunist when it comes to getting laughs from an easy target." ... Boysetsfire have thrown in the towel after 12 years. No reason for the split has been offered. The band will finish up its European tour and has promised to play a few East Coast farewell shows this fall. "Boysetsfire, for us, was always a vehicle for changing the world," the band explained in a statement. "We believe that change comes about by starting with yourself, so instead of waiting for certain things to come our way, as always we decided to take our destiny in our own hands."

Meat Loaf fans have lots of news to chew on these days. The singer, who just settled his lawsuit with longtime collaborator Jim Steinman, has October 31 earmarked for the release of his Bat Out of Hell III LP. One of album's tracks is called "The Monster Is Loose" and was co-written by Nikki Sixx, John 5 (Rob Zombie/ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist) and producer Desmond Child. ...

07.31.2006

A special task force formed to further investigate the March 9, 1997, shooting death of Notorious B.I.G. has reinstated a $50,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that leads to a conviction, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson. LAPD Chief William J. Bratton assigned the six senior homicide detectives to the case in an effort to clear Los Angeles in a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city by the rapper's mother, Voletta Wallace, who contends officers conspired in the shooting. The investigators are using a video filmed by tourists minutes before the shooting to gather more potential witnesses to interview. ...

Mel Gibson has entered rehab following his arrest Friday for driving under the influence, CNN reports. On Monday, The Associated Press reported that the official report on the actor/director proved that he had in fact made anti-Semitic remarks and threatened a deputy, as had previously been reported online. While Gibson has yet to be formally charged, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department sent prosecutors their case on Monday, which also states Gibson had a tequila bottle in his 2006 Lexus when he was pulled over. A tentative arraignment date has been set for September 28. ...

Britney Spears has been saying for over a year now that she needs to start her own magazine to combat tabloid rumors, and now hubby Kevin Federline is singing the same tune. Just one month after the Mrs. told Matt Lauer on "Dateline" that she needs to go into publishing so she can say "the real deal," K-Fed is thinking about starting up a magazine called The Real. In a cover story in this week's issue of the New York/ New Jersey magazine Steppin' Out, Mr. Spears claims that he's "serious" about the venture, which would "tell the truth about not just mine and Britney's life ... but everybody!" (Peep K-Fed pics from the magazine right here.) "It's not just us; everybody has been lied about in the tabloids," he continued. "Everybody has false truths and false images and false stuff perceived on them. Maybe not as much as me and my wife get. But everybody has it. You know? I think a magazine like that, if there were just one magazine like that, would attract all the stars. I think they would want to go to that magazine and tell the truth!" K-Fed's so fired up about the idea, he insisted, "I'm not kidding. This is something I want to do for real." ...

Beyoncé doesn't like the speculation that she timed the release of her new album B'Day to interfere with a new album out by former Destiny's Child singer LeToya Luckett — she says it's just not true. Responding to an item in New York's Daily News, Beyoncé insists in a statement that making her album available for preorders before the September 5 release had nothing to do with Luckett's releasing her debut solo album LeToya last week. "I have enormous respect and admiration for LeToya as an artist and as a businesswoman and I wish her incredible success," Beyoncé said. "LeToya and I have known each other since childhood and, because of all we've been through, I know that we both really care — and want what's best — for each other. ... It makes me sad that people are trying to stir up a controversy where there is none." Beyoncé's father/manager Mathew Knowles called it "standard practice" for upcoming albums to go on pre-sale well in advance of an in-store date, and said he was "shocked and amazed that this is even an issue." Meanwhile, Beyoncé's got backup coming from her boyfriend Jay-Z, who will join the star during her performance of "Deja Vu" at this year's Fashion Rocks concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall on September 7. ...

Shots were fired in an Atlanta club Monday morning (July 31) at a party hosted by rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri. A gunman opened fire inside the crowded Atlanta Peach Ballroom after trying to steal another man's gold chain, according to DeKalb County Police Department spokesperson Herschel Grangent. The alleged thief pulled out a gun and fired an undetermined number of times, injuring two women who sustained gunshot wounds to their legs while a third cut her arm trying to flee the scene. Grangent said a male victim was taken to an area hospital shortly after the incident with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his chest. Police expect to interview him Monday. It is unknown if Dupri was at the club during the party, which was the culmination of a series of events sponsored by the producer's So So Def label over the weekend. Grangent said no suspects were in custody at press time and there were no other reports of problems at any of the other Dupri-sponsored events. ...

How is Lance Bass doing following his big announcement Wednesday? Reichen Lehmkuhl spoke to "Access Hollywood" on Friday, and said his boyfriend Bass is "happier than he has ever been. It has been a long ride and it's a huge relief and I couldn't be happier for him and I couldn't be more proud of him." The former U.S. Air Force captain and "Amazing Race" winner said he's not concerned about Bass' professional life suffering due to his announcement that he's gay. "I think it is always best in your career to be honest. He is going to have more support and more happiness and more freedom than he had ever before, and it is going to be a liberating experience. I guarantee it." ... Janet Jackson has changed the title of her album from 20 Years Old to 20 Y.O. The disc is due September 26. ... The wait for Kelis' follow-up to her 2003 LP Tasty is nearly over. Kelis Was Here is set to hit stores August 22. ...

30 Seconds to Mars have been added to the Warped Tour lineup. Jared Leto's band will play seven shows as part of the tour beginning Tuesday in Buffalo, New York, and ending August 12 in Toronto. ... Boy George will report to New York's sanitation division on August 14 for five days of work, AP reports. The ex-Culture Club singer was ordered to perform community service after pleading guilty to reporting a false incident earlier this year. ... The Mars Volta have parted ways with drummer Jon Theodore, but have not offered an official explanation for his departure. He's been replaced by Blake Fleming (Laddio Bolocko, Dazzling Killmen), who helped found the Mars Volta in 2001 — hanging around just long enough to record a handful of demos. The band also revealed that guitarist and original At the Drive-In member Pablo Hinojos-Gonzalez would be expanding his onstage duties to include "sound manipulation skills" for the Volta's upcoming tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. ...

The Melvins will be hitting the road in September in support of their forthcoming album A Senile Animal, which is slated for an October 10 release. The band is teaming up with Big Business for the trek, which kicks off September 6 in Sacramento, California, with 17 additional dates scheduled through a September 28 show in Chicago. ... Despite the near ubiquity of MySpace, video-sharing site YouTube is actually tops when it comes to daily visitors. According to new data from Internet analysis company Alexa, YouTube had a 3.9 percent share of global Internet visits a day in July, compared with 3.35 percent for MySpace. In the U.S. alone, YouTube's user base has grown 297 percent this year, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, while its reach — defined as the number of users per million who visit the site — rose 155 percent in the past three months, versus a 9 percent increase for MySpace.

• Beyonce On The September Cover Of "Essence" Magazine

• Beyoncé
• Jay-Z
• Guns N' Roses
• Britney Spears
• Beck

The Casualties' Jorge performs in Cincinnati on Wednesday
Photo: MTV News

CINCINNATI — The Warped Tour ought to consider hooking up with Baskin-Robbins as a sponsor next year. Because when the 12th edition of the longest-running U.S. summer festival touched down at the Riverbend Music Center on Wednesday, it served up 36 flavors — approximately 30 of which were variations of the punk taste of the past few years: emo.

With few exceptions, angsty, tattooed white boys with a lot to scream about ruled the day for the 11,000-plus fans who wandered among the eight stages and endless collection of band merch and sponsor booths. The exceptions were goth punks AFI, who drew the day's biggest crowd with their dramatic dinnertime set, and old-schooler Joan Jett, who provided one of the few true cross-generational bonding moments for the many families in attendance.

(Click for photos from the Cincinnati stop on this year's Warped Tour.)

Unlike last year, when breaking bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold drew big crowds and lots of hype (see "My Chemical Romance And A Very Stiff Chicken Rock Milwaukee Warped Tour Stop"), three-quarters into this summer's dates, Warped attendance is down slightly, according to tour founder Kevin Lyman. Still, he said Warped '06 is on track to an expected total draw of approximately 600,000.

With fewer mainstream bands on the bill, Lyman says he feels fine about the lower attendance figures. And judging by the crowds that lesser-known acts like Cartel and Emery drew to some of the smaller side stages, it was clear that rabid fans will turn up for their favorite bands no matter which stage they're on. Whatever the final numbers, Lyman, who brandished the top-secret '07 roster (albeit at a safe distance), is certain that Warped will be back next year.

Nearly every strain of emo was on display in the scorching 90-degree heat over the course of the nine-hour marathon: screamo with two lead singers and one guitarist (Marilyn Avenue); screamo with one singer and two guitarists (Classic Crime); screamo with a metal edge (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, the Bled); goth-tinged screamo with scary pancake and scar makeup (Aiden); classic-rock-inspired emo (the Sunstreak); the three guitarists/ two backup screamers variety (Vaux); the Coheed and Cambria-type (the Junior Varsity); and straight-up, classic emo (Thursday, Emanuel).

Some bands added signature metal touches: Every Time I Die weren't afraid to do some athletic spin kicks, whip their heads around and show off their Kiss-style unison guitar-swinging. Warped veterans Valient Thorr brought Motörhead-style metal thunder to their set, with some hammer-swinging Nordic jams that rocked way too hard for 1 p.m. The only hip-hop act on the bill, Gym Class Heroes, moved the crowd with a combination of live instruments and the head-bobbing ode to MySpace addiction, "New Friend Request."

Then there were political rockers Anti-Flag, who staged a fist-pumping mini-rally against oppressive governments, sexism and lots of other isms through subtle message songs like "F--- Police Brutality." Sets by Saves the Day and Motion City Soundtrack had a more pop-punk feel, with plenty of chant-along choruses and a lighter touch than some of the day's more tortured acts.

Sweden's the Sounds — one of the few female-fronted acts — brought a bit of class to the proceedings thanks to singer Maja Ivarsson's black heels and clingy cocktail dress. The formal wear was just a front for an unhinged stage persona that paid serious homage to late punk priestess Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics, right down to the partly shorn blond hairdo and a few unladylike glimpses of her panties during some deep knee bends. As a bonus, the Sounds were one of the few bands at Warped to bust out the cowbell, which they did proudly during the catchy "Song With a Mission."

Though they had the day's most iridescent hairdos, there was nothing elegant about hardcore punk survivors the Casualties. The New York kings of the Day-Glo Mohawk tore through a set that included the tough-as-nails punk ballad "Punk Rock Love" and their tribute to the three deceased members of the Ramones, "Made in NYC." Their set also inspired the day's biggest circle pit, a 50-foot-wide swirl of bodies that tore around the sound booth. The crowd was less juiced up by the Pink Spiders, who, between their pink spandex pants and fingerless gloves, seemed to confuse some of the kids with their Ramones-meets-Loverboy sound and look.

Though she didn't draw a huge crowd, old-schooler Joan Jett was the sentimental favorite of the day and the unofficial cell-phone champ, as half of her crowd held their cellies aloft during her set. Lyman says he invited her along as a lesson to the rest of the bands on the tour about the history of punk rock. Jett and her Blackhearts delivered a tight, half-hour set of classics, including "I Love Rock N' Roll," "Crimson and Clover," "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and her latest hit cover, Sweet's "ACDC" (see "Warped Tour Nabs Trailblazing Rocker Joan Jett For Trek").

Jett, who started out as a member of the jailbait all-girl punk group the Runaways as a teenager in 1976, has never forgotten the first rule of punk: The chorus needs to be easily chantable (think "whoa-whoa-whoa" or "yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah") and the guitars need to rip like buzz saws.

Doug Pyle, 21, drove up from Knoxville, Tennessee, to attend his third Warped Tour show, and he admitted to not really being into all the emo bands on the bill. The heavily pierced, Mohawk-sporting Pyle, clad in a Rancid T-shirt, was on the same page as Dayton, Ohio's John Fritz, 24, who lamented the emo overload and tagged Jett and the Casualties as his favorites of the day. "Man, she's still really hot!" Fritz said of the lean, ripped Jett.

Theatrical California goths AFI rambled from punk to goth and electronica without losing a step. After a day of blazing temperatures, nature seemed to feel the heaviness of singer Davey Havok's inner vampire, as gray clouds rolled in to block the sun during the band's set. Havok, a bilevel-haircut-sporting dude in distress, waved his tattooed arms and threw off panicky jazz-hand gestures while screaming and thrashing around during the Depeche Mode-like gothtronica tunes "Love Like Winter" and "Silver and Cold."

Thanking Ohio natives Devo and the Dead Boys, Havok tore into the band's current hit single, "Miss Murder." The crowd re-created the video's fist-pumping rally theme, bringing what looked like a momentary smile to Havok's pale face (see "AFI Blow Kisses, Play Gothic Bumper Cars At Dramatic NYC Show").

At an intense fest full of throat-scraping screams, karate-kicking guitarists and microphone-cord tourniquets, it was the message on a simple black T-shirt worn by an emo-looking dude that brought plenty of laughs to passersby during the day's otherwise heavy proceedings: "Girls pants are for girls."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Pink Spiders, Gym Class Heroes And More At Warped Tour 2006

• AFI
• Joan Jett
• Underoath
• Pink Spiders
• The Casualties

Nelly Furtado
Photo: Geffen

Sometimes you have to tank a bit to get your mojo back. After failing to grab fans with her second album, 2003's Folklore, Nelly Furtado is back on top with her third effort, Loose, which will debut at #1 on Billboard's albums chart, according to the latest SoundScan totals. Thanks to the ubiquitous Timbaland-produced hit "Promiscuous," Loose's week-one sales of 219,000 were more than enough to earn the singer her first #1 debut.

Florida metalcore band Underoath score a surprisingly high debut with the #2 ranking Define the Great Line, but fall well behind Furtado. The band sold 98,000 copies of its latest album to land Underoath their highest-ever chart position, nudging the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way down a notch to #3. British piano-rocking trio Keane also slip in with a top-five debut, cruising into the #4 position with their second album, Under the Iron Sea, selling 75,000 to reach their highest spot on the U.S. charts.

Last week's #1, Busta Rhymes' The Big Bang, takes a big hit, dropping down to #5 on sales of 69,000 — a 67 percent slip from the rapper's first-ever chart topping debut. The "High School Musical" soundtrack proves more resilient, slipping two spots to #6 after moving 66,000 copies for a week-to-week decline of just 17 percent.

Albany, Georgia, rap duo Field Mob debut in the top 10 for the first time with their third album, Light Poles and Pine Trees, which ranks at #7 with 63,000 units scanned. After seven weeks on the charts, Gnarls Barkley finally crack the top 10, climbing three spots to #8 with their debut, St. Elsewhere (58,000), while AFI's Decemberunderground drops six places to #9 (57,000). Rounding out the top 10 was the soundtrack to the animated movie Cars (56,000).

The Red Hot Chili Peppers drop out of the top 10 for the first time since their double album, Stadium Arcadium, was released seven weeks ago, landing at #13 with 54,000 in sales. Three Days Grace took a 55 percent hit, selling 35,000 copies of One-X, which plummets from #5 to #21.

There are plenty of chart debuts just outside the top 10, including R&B singer Donell Jones at #15 with Journey of a Gemini (49,000), critically acclaimed crooner Corinne Bailey Rae at #17 with her self-titled debut (40,000) and quirky rockers Guster at #25 with Ganging Up on the Sun (30,000).

Other releases cracking into the top 200 include the CD/DVD of Madonna's 2004 tour, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, which makes a modest debut at #33 (25,000); the soundtrack to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which hits #40 (21,000); the Counting Crows live disc New Amsterdam - Live At Heineken, in at #52 (17,000); and You Hear It First subjects Cute Is What We Aim For, who make a solid bow at #75 with 14,000 sales of their debut, Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch.

British power metalers Dragonforce land at #103 after moving nearly 10,000 copies of their third album, Inhuman Rampage. And old-school R&B stars are also represented on the top 200, with Smokey Robinson in at #109 with Timeless Love (9,000 copies sold) and Diana Ross taking #146 with Blue (6,000).

The week's biggest-gainer award goes to Oscar-winning rap crew Three 6 Mafia and their Most Known Unknown, which scored a nearly 250-percent bump. The album, which fell out of the top 200 on the last chart, jumps to #54 with 17,000 copies sold.

• Nelly Furtado
• Busta Rhymes
• Underoath
• Field Mob
• Gnarls Barkley

Nelly Furtado's <I>Loose</I>
Photo: Geffen Records

Much Ado About Furtado: Nelly's back, but it isn't getting "Hot in Herre." No, this is new mom Nelly, and she's letting Loose her first LP since November 2003. It's a bummer for the babe that her recent hookup with Justin Timberlake didn't make her new LP, but with Obie Trice having bumped his record at the last minute to August 15, she's still got a great shot at being the highest debut on the next Billboard albums chart. Oh, and she's got Pharrell, Timbaland and Scott Storch on the record, which should help a wee bit.

Ubiquitous? U Bet: Just in case the albums, re-releases, tours, promotional campaigns, hometown honorary ceremonies and airborne concerts weren't enough to satisfy Madonna and Korn fans, there's more coming this week. Madge has a DVD/CD set, "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret," that shadows the singer as she hops around the world on her Re-Invention Tour. The Jonas Åkerlund (U2, Blink-182)-directed documentary has unlikely appearances by Iggy Pop, Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Moore, while the CD features 14 concert cuts, including "Die Another Day" and "Mother and Father."

Also in the DVD racks is Korn's "Live on the Other Side," which they're putting out through live-entertainment company Live Nation. That would be the third label to put out official Korn content in the last seven months, with Virgin having released the band's See You on the Other Side late last year and Korn's former label, Epic, putting out the Live & Rare comp in May. The "Other Side" video bundles together the band's recent show at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, footage from its performance onboard an airborne private jet and a glut of interviews. Ambitious covers of Pink Floyd and Metallica tunes help seal the deal.

Still Pimpin': No doubt trying to capitalize on their still-fresh-in-mind Oscar shocker, Three 6 Mafia are pimping two new items. After having already put out a separate DualDisc version of last year's platinum Most Known Unknown, the toothy Memphis rappers are stepping up with a third edition that features the indispensable "Hustle & Flow" theme tune, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," as a bonus track. The "Ultimate Video Collection" is even more straightforward, cobbling together key clips from over the years.

Also double-dipping this week are Motion City Soundtrack, who are making the best of their time in the limelight by re-releasing last year's Commit This to Memory in deluxe form. Unlike Three 6, the wild-haired pop-punkers are giving fans their money's worth by slapping a bonus track, "Invisible Monsters," onto the end of the CD and chalking up an added DVD overflowing with three hours' worth of performance footage, interviews and more.

Playing Hard to Get: As for Pearl Jam's re-emergence less than two months after putting out their new studio LP, record-store clerks everywhere are grateful that the band is only sending one new live disc — not 72 — to the bins. Live at Easy Street is actually a seven-song EP that, following a similar tactic recently executed by Boy Least Likely To and J Mascis, will only be available at Coalition of Independent Music Stores. If you dug Pearl Jam's more comprehensive approach, go to their site, where they're posting downloads of concerts one to two days after they perform them.

Also going the nontraditional route is dance favorite Sasha, who is both creating and releasing a new double-disc Saturday at Los Angeles' Avalon club. Joining forces with Instant Live, the DJ will simultaneously transfer his two-hour set to CD as he performs it live, leaving fans with a pretty nifty souvenir to go home with. Even more fascinating, Instant Live already pre-licensed all the songs by other artists that Sasha will be sampling that night, so they don't hit any bureaucratic snags. Ten-thousand numbered packages will be made, and if you can't make the show, head to InstantLive.com or DJSasha.com to preorder.

Last but not least, Jay Love Japan by hip-hop's recently departed quiet genius, Jay Dee, will hit the aforementioned country this week — and remain there exclusively until BBE delivers the disc to the States in December.

Cashing in Before They Cash Out?: Is Fatboy Slim trying to tell us something with the lackadaisical title to his new collection, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder? Probably not, since a new single, "That Old Pair of Jeans," adorns the disc. And don't be confused by Christopher Walken gracing the cover of the album — even though this comp features "Weapon of Choice," for which Walken appeared in the award-winning video, that clip isn't on this LP. That'll appear instead on Norman Cook's July 18 DVD, the obviously named "The Greatest Hits: Why Make Videos?"

As far as roots rock goes, Old 97's were on the fritz for a while, only to come back with last year's double-disc Alive and Wired. Now comes Hit by a Train, an 18-track hoedown recapping the bulk of the band's career, from 1994-2001. Included is the 97's contribution to the "King of the Hill" soundtrack, a couple of rare live tracks and a B-side, "The Villain." Another hiatus probably isn't on the horizon, though, since they just dropped a new live EP earlier this month.

Definitely done are Luna, the indie stalwarts who closed their career with a farewell tour last year. Produced by linchpin Dean Wareham, The Best of Luna touches on seven of their eight studio records, excluding 1992's Lunapark, and captures their collaborations with underground legends Tom Verlaine of Television and Sterling Morrison of the Velvet Underground. And American Film Institute Director of the Year Matthew Buzzell got behind the lens for "Tell Me Do You Miss Me," which follows Luna as they brought their career to a solemn close.

Song Title of the Week:

"Your Lips Are No Man's Land but Mine" from the Gersch's self-titled record

Other Notables:

Keane's Under the Iron Sea: U2 and "Trainspotting" writer Irvine Welsh have taken the Brit-pop trio under their wings, but that didn't stop the sophomores from nearly breaking up after their first record. Instead of using guitars, Keane rely on effects pedals, granting the murky record "soundscapes that range from the percussive to vast oppressive walls of distortion," they say in their first-person bio.

Underoath's Define the Great Line: For their third effort, the post-rock powerhouses enlisted Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz to co-produce and the incomparable Chris Lord Alge to mix. The limited-edition digipak has a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and, more unusually, a special clip on the making of the album art.

Frank Black's Fast Man/ Raider Man: Seems like pouring his energy into the reunited Pixies has left Charles Thompson — a.k.a. Black — with a lot to say. The 27-track double-CD was tracked in Nashville and Los Angeles with some eminent session players you probably won't recognize, including Spooner Oldham, but it also features members of Cheap Trick, the Band and Tom Petty supporters the Heartbreakers. Yeah, you probably haven't heard of them either, huh?

Stuart Staples' Leaving Songs/ Lucky Dog Recordings: The Tindersticks frontman also holed up in Nashville last year to craft 10 tunes with Mark Nevers of Lambchop, singer/songwriter Maria McKee and world artist Lhasa de Sela. Stuart's 2005 solo debut, Lucky Dog Recordings, is tacked on for those who don't already have it — which would be just about all of us, since it hasn't been out in the U.S. yet.

New Releases:

• 5ive - Versus (EP; Tortuga)
  
• Agent Sparks - Red Rover (Immortal)
  
• Awesome Color - Awesome Color (Ecstatic Peace)
  
• Al Basile - Groovin' in the Mood Room With Duke Robillard (Sweetspot)
  
• Frank Black - Fast Man/ Raider Man (two CDs; Back Porch)
  
• Black Helicopter - Invisible Jet (digipak; Ecstatic Peace)
  
• Brightblack Morning Light - Brightback Morning Light (Matador)
  
• The Clarks - Still Live (High Wire)
  
• Counting Crows - New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall February 4-6, 2003 (Geffen)
  Buy Now: New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall February 4-6, 2003 (Geffen)
  
• Cute Is What We Aim For - The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch (Fueled by Ramen)
  
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)
  Buy Now: Sunday Love (Island)
  
• Field Mob - Light Poles and Pine Trees (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Light Poles and Pine Trees (Geffen)
  
• DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage (Roadrunner)
  Buy Now: Inhuman Rampage (Roadrunner)
  
• Front Line Assembly - Artificial Soldier (Metropolis)
  
• Nelly Furtado - Loose (Geffen)
  Read: "Nelly Furtado Hooks Up With 'Distant Cousin' Timberlake, Emerges With 'Sexy' Song"
  Buy Now: Loose (Geffen)
  
• The Gersch - The Gersch (Tortuga)
  
• Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun (Reprise)
  Buy Now: Ganging Up on the Sun (Reprise)
  
• Sara Hickman - Motherlode (two CDs; Sleeveless/ Mesa/ BlueMoon)
  
• Hourcast - State of Disgrace (Warcon)
  
• Donell Jones - Journey of a Gemini (La Face)
  
• Keane - Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)
  Read: "Keane Nearly Followed Breakthrough With A Breakup"
  Buy Now: Under the Iron Sea (Interscope)
  
• Pearl Jam - Live at Easy Street (EP; J)
  
• Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Corinne Bailey Rae (Capitol)
  
• Rapid Ric - Getcha Weight Up (two CDs; BCD)
  
• Rapid Ric and Paul Wall - Fistfull of Dollars (two CDs; BCD)
  
• Smokey Robinson - Timeless Love (New Door)
  
• Roman Candle - The Wee Hours Revue (V2)
  
• Since Remembered - Coming Alive (Blood & Ink)
  
• Stuart Staples - Leaving Songs/ Lucky Dog Recordings (with bonus CD; Beggars Banquet)
  
• The Submarines - Declare a New State (Nettwerk)
  
• Tam - Tam (Ecstatic Peace)
  
• Walter Trout and Friends - Full Circle (Ruf)
  
• Underoath - Define the Great Line (limited-edition digipak with bonus DVD also available; Tooth & Nail)
  Read: "Warped Tour Band Underoath Aren't Into Crazy Hooker Parties"
  Buy Now: Define the Great Line (Tooth & Nail)
  
• Various artists - Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Sisters and Soul Brothers (Rhino)
  
• Various artists - "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" soundtrack (Motown)
  

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Gene Autry and Friends - Year-Round Cowboy: Songs for the Whole Year (Varèse Sarabande)
  
• Canned Heat - Vintage (Fabulous)
  
• Marc Cohn - The Very Best of Marc Cohn (Rhino)
  
• Paula Cole - Postcards From East Oceanside: Greatest Hits (Rhino)
  
• Ronnie Earl - Heart and Soul: The Best of Ronnie Earl (Shout! Factory)
  
• Fatboy Slim - The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder (Astralwerks)
  Buy Now: The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder (Astralwerks)
  
• Aretha Franklin - Legends Collection (Madacy)
  
• Anson Funderburgh & the Rockers - Blast Off: The Best of Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets (Shout! Factory)
  
• Guitar Shorty - The Best of Guitar Shorty: The Long and Short of It (Shout! Factory)
  
• Coleman Hawkins - An Introduction to Coleman Hawkins (Fuel)
  
• Hee Haw Gospel Quartet - Hee Haw Gospel Quartet (Time Life)
  
• Tommy James & the Shondells - Legends Collection (Madacy)
  
• Luna - Best of Luna (Rhino)
  Buy Now: Best of Luna (Rhino)
  
• KC and the Sunshine Band - Legends Collection (Madacy)
  
• The Monkees - Legends Collection (Madacy)
  
• Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory (deluxe edition with bonus DVD; Epitaph)
  Buy Now: Commit This to Memory (Epitaph)
  
• Willie Nelson - The Complete Atlantic Sessions (three-CD box set; Rhino)
  
• The Old 97's - Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's (Rhino)
  
• Gram Parsons - The Complete Reprise Sessions (three-CD box set; Rhino)
  
• Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (deluxe-edition box with two CDs and one DVD; Capitol)
  Buy Now: Operation: Mindcrime (Capitol)
  
• The Rascals - Legends Collection (Madacy)
  
• The Rembrandts - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
  
• Diana Ross - Blue (Motown)
  
• Siouxsie and the Banshees - Once Upon a Time/ The Singles and Twice Upon a Time - The Singles (Fontana)
  
• Thin Lizzy - The Definitive Collection (Mercury/ Universal)
  
• Three 6 Mafia - Most Known Unknown (special edition; Columbia)
  Read: "Kanye, Bow Wow Guest On New Three 6 Mafia Remixes"
  Buy Now: Most Known Unknown (Columbia)
  
• The Vogues - The Best of the Vogues(Varèse Sarabande)
  
• Scott Walker - Humble Beginnings: The Scott Engel Sessions (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Matthew West - Sellout (Universal South)
  
• Various artists - Eclectic Café (Water)
  
• Various artists - GU 10 (limited edition; Global Underground)
  
• Various artists - Hip-Hop Super Hits (Universal Latino)
  

Music DVDs:

• Bruce Anderson - "Anthology" (three DVDs; Sanctuary)
  
• The Clarks - "Still Live" (High Wire)
  
• Gwar - "Blood Bath and Beyond!" (DRT)
  
• Hocico - "A Través De Mundos Que Arden" (Metropolis)
  
• Journey - "Live in Houston 1981 - Escape Tour" (Columbia)
  
• Korn - "Live on the Other Side" (Live Nation)
  
• Luna - "Tell Me Do You Miss Me" (Rhino)
  
• Madonna - "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret" (with CD; Maverick)
  
• Gram Parsons - "Fallen Angel" (Rhino)
  
• Thin Lizzy - "Greatest Hits" (Mercury/ Universal)
  
• Three 6 Mafia - "Ultimate Video Collection" (Columbia)
  
• Various artists - "Sounds of the Underground, Volume One" (DRT)
  

Coming Attractions:

June 27:

• Björk - Surrounded (seven-DualDisc box set; Rhino)
  
• Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer (Vagrant)
  Read: "No Reggae Emo, But New Dashboard LP Owes A Lot To Jamaica"
  Preorder: Dusk and Summer (Vagrant)
  
• Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission
  Read: "Lostprophets Enlist Metallica Producer But Leave 'Chugga-Chugga' Metal Behind"
  Preorder: Liberation Transmission (Columbia)
  

July 4:

• Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  
• Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  Buy Now: The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  
• Hans Zimmer - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" soundtrack (Disney)
  

July 11:

• Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  Preorder: Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  
• Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  Preorder: The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  
• Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  Preorder: The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (Sony)
  

• Nelly Furtado
• Madonna
• Korn
• Keane
• Underoath

Pink Spiders, Gym Class Heroes And More At Warped Tour 2006

• Rise Against
• Pink Spiders
• The Casualties
• Joan Jett
• Gym Class Heroes

Warped Tour 2006 Photos

• Bouncing Souls
• The Academy Is...
• Armor For Sleep
• The Buzzcocks
• Cartel

MTV.com Exclusive: Underoath Photos 05.31.2006

• Underoath