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."

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• Silverchair
• Marilyn Manson
• The Verve Pipe

Verve Pipe
Photo: BMG

With their 1997 smash "The Freshmen," which married an effortless-sounding tune to a tale of deep regret, the Verve Pipe showed they could get across dark sentiments in radio-ready melodies.

When they followed up the Jerry Harrison-produced Villains with their self-titled 1999 album, though, they let producer Michael Beinhorn — who'd previously worked with harder-edged artists like Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson — bury their melodies in a dirtier mix. On Underneath, out Tuesday (September 25), the focus is again on catchy tunes and moving lyrics.

"I kind of believe that in rock and roll, it isn't just 'go for the simplest thing,' " drummer Donny Brown said. "It doesn't matter if it's about love or about death or about sadness; the emotion should get out there."

The songs on Underneath catch you off guard, revealing weighty stories beneath the pretty sounds. The downside to that approach is that sometimes, Brown said, the songs can get misinterpreted. Just as "The Freshmen" became a bleary-eyed college sing-along, the new album's hard-rocking "Medicate Myself" turned into a rousing drinking song in early live performances.

"The song's actually about alcoholism," Brown said, adding that he had to ask frontman Brian Vander Ark to stop touting it as a boozy anthem. "If you've ever dealt with anybody who's got a drinking problem, you know that's not a pretty thing. I gotta believe that people will be able to understand that song for what it is."

On Underneath, the band found the right producer in Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger (see "Verve Pipe Land Fountains Of Wayne Co-Founder For New Album").

"He's a young guy our own age, he's got his own band that we admire, and he's a great musician," Brown said of Schlesinger, whom he first met at a club in New York. "We sat down with him at the label's office in Beverly Hills, and pretty soon it was just like being out in a bar and talking music with a friend. So we got to get up in the morning after going out drinking with the guy and go into the studio and start working on these ideas we got the night before."

That relaxed relationship comes across on the album, which is full of catchy melodies and reflects the natural sound of a great bar band, which is what the Verve Pipe were in Lansing, Michigan, in the early '90s. Brown said he and Vander Ark came into the recording sessions with more than 60 songs between them, and Schlesinger helped them not only narrow the song list down, but also take those songs places they hadn't envisioned them going before.

"I wrote 'Gotta Move On' as kind of a Radiohead-ish thing, really somber, and Adam convinced me over dinner that night that I needed to make it sexy," Brown said of the tune, which is sung from the point of view of a guy trying to end a relationship. "It's a guy being openly emotive, and that's something guys don't always do. Adam turned it into kind of a smoky heartbreak song."

The collaborative spirit the band had with Schlesinger also reflects the way Brown and Vander Ark work on each other's tunes. "There's this level of respect we have for each other. I find that instead of telling Brian 'we should do this,' I go ahead and do it and ask him what he thinks of it," Brown said, saying that he came up with the background vocal arrangement and guitar lines on "Only Words."

"It's great having that kind of relationship in a band," Brown said. "The first song Brian gave me for this album was 'Underneath,' and I was like 'Whoaaa ... I get to play drums and sing harmony on this!'"

The group will perform at a record release party Tuesday at Schubas in Chicago. Proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.

• The Verve Pipe

The Verve Pipe's Brian Vander Ark
Photo: MTV

The Verve Pipe will follow up their 1999 self-titled album with a broader, poppier batch of songs, according to producer and Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger, who is working in a Chicago studio with the band.

Schlesinger, the sugary-pop songwriter who penned "That Thing You Do" for the hit Tom Hanks movie of the same name, has been working with the Lansing, Michigan, rock quintet since early November. The as-yet-untitled album is due in the spring. "In the past, they've been pushed in different directions that ignored certain facets of what they can do, and we're trying to bring that stuff out on this record," Schlesinger said. "We're having a really fun time. That was part of our goal working together. They have had some tough experiences making records before, so it's been nice that we're peers and it's a light atmosphere." Schlesinger is a big leap from Michael Beinhorn, the Hole, Soundgarden and Marilyn Manson producer who worked on the Verve Pipe's last album. The new material is expected to be more like 1995's breakthrough Villains, which included the singles "The Freshmen," "Photograph" and "Cup of Tea".

"We have very similar taste in music," Schlesinger said. "They're really knowledgeable guys. Between the five of them, they probably know every album ever recorded. We all hit if off right away, and it's been very easy to communicate. I come at producing from a songwriter's perspective, and that's what they were looking for." Schlesinger and the group — singer Brian Vander Ark, guitarist A.J. Dunning, bassist Brad Vander Ark, keyboardist Doug Corella and drummer Donny Brown — have recorded at least 14 songs for the album, their fifth. The group will finish tracking and begin mixing at the end of January.

"The hardest thing has been eliminating songs," Schlesinger said. "We had a lot to choose from and, so far, all of the songs are panning out." Each of the bandmembers wrote several songs before entering the studio, Schlesinger said. He tabbed Brown's "I Want All of You" ("He's their secret weapon," Schlesinger said of the drummer) and Brian Vander Ark's "Colorful" as his favorites. The latter was originally written and recorded for a prime spot in the upcoming Mark Wahlberg film, "Rock Star." "We're doing a new version of it for the album and it's a really good song," Schlesinger said.

Schlesinger, who also produced the upcoming album from singer/songwriter David Mead, recently returned from Japan, where his other band, Ivy, was promoting its new album, Long Distance, which will hit the States in the spring.

Schlesinger said Fountains of Wayne have written new material and planned to tour this winter until singer Chris Collingwood was injured in a home accident. The power-pop critical darlings will likely record next year, Schlesinger said.

• The Verve Pipe
• Fountains of Wayne

After stretching his acting legs on several indie flicks, Verve Pipe frontman Brian Vander Ark has just been cast in his first big-budget motion picture, and will appear with Mark Wahlberg in "Metal God."

• The Verve Pipe

It's just a sign of the times. Detroit's Tiger Stadium, one of the two oldest baseball stadiums in the country (the other is Boston's Fenway Park), is slated to be replaced by a newer, more high-gloss stadium. Michigan natives the Verve Pipe, among many other fans, are sorry to see the landmark go, and the band will be playing a sendoff concert to the beloved ballpark.

• 9/3 - Pontiac, MC @ Oakland Taste Fest
• 9/4 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ Taste Of Iowa
• 9/5 - Clarkston, MI @ Pink Knob Music Theatre
• 9/12 - Dayton, OH @ University Of Dayton Arena
• 9/16 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
• 9/18 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
• 9/24 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theatre
• 9/25 - Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
• 10/31 - Fort Myers, FL @ Lee Co. Sports Complex

• The Verve Pipe

After playing at the Home Run Derby in Boston earlier this month, summery synth-rockers Smash Mouth will return to Beantown this weekend to headline a concert as part of the city's "Grill and Groove" celebration.

• Smash Mouth
• The Verve Pipe

After exploding onto the music scene in 1996 with "Freshmen," a song off its second album, "Villains," the Verve Pipe has now returned with a new record and a new sound.

• The Verve Pipe

Papa Vegas is currently scoring a direct hit on alternative radio with its new single, "Bombshell," thanks in large part to the track's multi-layered guitars and equally lush harmonies.

• 5/19 - Pontiac, MI @ 7th House
• 5/20 - Cleveland, OH @ The Odeon
• 5/21 - Columbus, OH @ Ludlow' s
• 5/22 - Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theater
• 5/26 - Omaha, NE @ Ranch Bowl
• 5/27 - Green Bay, WI @ Riverside Ballroom
• 5/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
• 5/31 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
• 6/3 - Seattle, WA @ Show Box Theater
• 6/4 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
• 6/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
• 6/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
• 6/17 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
• 6/18 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
• 6/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Cotton Club
• 6/20 - Birmingham, AL @ City Stages
• 6/23 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 6/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
• 6/25 - New York, NY @Bowery Ballroom
• 6/26 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
• 6/27 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
• 6/30 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
• 7/1 - St. Louis, MO @ Karma
• 7/2 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door

• Papa Vegas
• The Verve Pipe

Swedish rockers Kent turned heads last year with the ethereal riffing of "If You Were Here" [RealVideo], a track from the group's American debut (but third album overall), "Isola."

The band has just completed a month-long stretch opening for its friends -- and fellow Swedes -- the Cardigans, and Kent is now looking to mount its first headlining tour of the states, an outing scheduled to kick-off next month in San Diego.

Kent will be hitting the road in support of a new single and video for "747," a track that took its name from its original running time of 7 minutes and 47 seconds, but has since been edited down into a slightly more radio-friendly version.

Opening for Kent will be newcomers Papa Vegas, who have also landed a gig supporting the Verve Pipe on that band's upcoming tour, slated for May and June.

Dates for Kent's spring tour:

• 4/7 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah
• 4/8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
• 4/9 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
• 4/11 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Annex
• 4/12 - Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe
• 4/16 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
• 4/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
• 4/19 - Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
• 4/23 - Detroit, MI @ Shelter
• 4/ 24 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection
• 4/26 - Boston, MA @ Lansdowne
• 4/27 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 4/29 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
• 4/30 - Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown Festival
• 5/1 - Nashville, TN @ Nashville River Stages
• 5/4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro

• The Cardigans
• Kent
• The Verve Pipe

Verve Pipe singer Brian Vander Ark will start shooting his second indie film, "The Space Between Us," later this month in San Francisco with writer/director Matthew Leutwyler.

The strapping blond frontman is set to play a gang-banger turned graffiti artist in the dramatic comedy. Vander Ark, who's friends with the film's producers, previously acted in "Road Kill," a movie that is still in search of a distributor.

The Verve Pipe plans to start work on its new album in New York with producer Michael Beinhorn, who, as we previously reported (see "Manson Taps Studio Ace ..."), has worked with Soundgarden, Ozzy Osbourne and Hole, and who is currently behind the boards for the new Marilyn Manson album.

The Verve Pipe also recently recorded a song called "1229 Sheffield" for the soundtrack to the film "Clay Pigeons," which stars Janeane Garofalo, Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix.

In his own right, Vander Ark just completed another song, "Blow You Away," with Andy Partridge of XTC for the forthcoming "Avengers" soundtrack.

• The Verve Pipe