Progressive art rockers System Of A Down have been booted from the Family Values tour, and as is often the case, the reasons for the move are up for debate.

System Of A Down's management claims that the band was dropped from the tour by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, whose band is currently ruling the Family Values roost. Velvet Hammer Management (which handles System) told MTV News that Durst was courting another Velvet Hammer band, the Michigan rapcore outfit Tap Root, as part of his A&R duties at Flip/Interscope Records. Velvet Hammer claims that Durst was eager to sign the band, but Tap Root had hoped to play a few showcase gigs for other labels to test the market. The management company claims that Durst then took out his dissatisfaction with Tap Root and Velvet Hammer by dropping System from the Family Values tour.

The Firm, the management company that handles Limp Bizkit and Family Values, confirmed that System is off the bill, but offered no comment on the reason

for the move.

System was slated to join the tour on October 16 in Portland, Oregon and stay on board through the rest of the Family Values run. Now, the band's next live dates will see System play three shows in Los Angeles on November 17 at the Whisky, 19 at the Troubadour, and 20 at the Roxy.

The Firm told MTV News that Staind will now extend its Family Values stint to pick up the slack.

System is also currently contemplating offers from other tours and will head to Europe in mid-December for a string of dates that will conclude with the band opening for Black Sabbath on that group's two farewell shows in Birmingham, England.

The news comes as System is seeing its 1998 self-titled debut album begin to gather steam on the chart. The release resided at number 194 two weeks ago, then leapt to 169 last week, and this week bounces to 125 after watching its sales swell from 7,000 per week to just under 12,000 per week. In the process, the band is closing in on a total of 180,000

copies sold.

-- Robert Mancini