Britney Spears has added 17 shows to her North American tour, which kicked off Tuesday. The new dates begin June 22 in Hartford, Connecticut, and run through August 3 in Selma, Texas. Britney's March 28 concert in Miami will be broadcast live by Showtime. ...

After weeks of studio jam sessions that mimicked their nascent days playing on the streets of South Philly, the Roots have wrapped up work on their sixth studio album, The Tipping Point. The LP is due June 29

through the group's new label, Interscope. ... On Sunday night, federal agents arrested the attorney of rapper Turk, who is currently being held on charges of attempted murder near Memphis, Tennessee. Turk's attorney, Scott Crawford, was charged with obstruction of justice, bribery, attempted bribery, possession of crack cocaine and possession of an illegal handgun, according to a spokesperson for the rapper. It is unclear yet if Turk will have to find new legal counsel. ...

A Perfect Circle have added a batch of spring dates to support their second album, Thirteenth Step, which came out in September. The new shows start April 27 in Camden, New Jersey, and run through May 15 in Duluth, Georgia. ... Sonic Youth have finished their latest album, titled Sonic Youth Nurse. The band's 14th full-length studio LP, due in June, is the follow-up to 2002's Murray Street. ...

Longtime Anthrax bassist Frank Bello, who's played with the group since 1985, has quit the band because of "internal reasons." Armored Saint bass player Joey Vera will take his place for Anthrax's tour of Japan and Australia, which begins April 12 in Sapporo, Japan. Bello's last recording with the band will be the live DVD "Music of Mass Destruction," which comes out April 6. The show was recorded in Chicago in December. ... Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and salsa legend Rubén Blades are among the guests on Los Lobos' new album, The Ride, due May 4. Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, Richard Thompson, Dave Alvin and Café Tacuba also collaborated with the iconic Latin rock band for the project. ...

On Wednesday night, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood premiered his new composition "Smear World" with the London Sinfonietta in Leeds, England. The experimental piece was part of the festival FuseLeeds04, and featured soloists Valerie Hartmann-Claverie and Bruno Perrault on ondes martenots, an instrument similar to the theremin. ... Three well-known bassists from Manchester, England, have united to form a side project that will likely be called Freebase. The group consists of New Order's Peter Hook, the Stone Roses' Mani and the Smiths' Andy Rourke. Hook is also writing new material for the next New Order album. ...

3.3.2004

Metallica have launched a new Web site that will allow fans to download their shows within four days after they occur. The site, www.livemetallica.com, will provide unedited soundboard recordings of all shows on the Madly in Anger Tour, which kicks off Wednesday night (March 3) in Tucson, Arizona. The full concerts will be available in standard MP3 ($9.95) and CD-quality FLAC files ($12.95), and can be burned to disc, transferred to portable players or played through a computer. Printable booklets, tray inlays, and CD labels are also available with purchase. ...

C-Murder appeared in a Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, court on Tuesday for the final hearing in his effort to gain a new murder trial. Judge Martha Sassone said she would rule later on the request to overturn the rapper's conviction of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 16-year-old Steve Thomas during an MC battle. His defense argued that he should be given a new trial because prosecutors failed to inform them that some key witnesses had criminal records. Prosecutors countered that they were not aware of one witness' record because it had been expunged, and that the defense knew during the trial about the trouble the other witnesses had with the law but had chosen not to cross-examine them. C-Murder, whose real name is Corey Miller, is looking at a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Meanwhile, his deposition in the wrongful-death suit brought by Thomas' parents is scheduled for April 13. ...

To mark the 10th anniversary of Nas' classic Illmatic, the LP will be reissued March 30 as a double-disc set comprising a remastered version of the original album and a disc featuring four new remixes, including one of "The World Is Yours," and two new songs, "Star Wars" and "On the Real," which was produced by rap pioneer Marley Marl. A DVD, Video Anthology Vol. 1, will be released separately to coincide with the reissue. ...

Puddle of Mudd's March 29 show at Minnesota State University was canceled by the school after it found out about frontman Wes Scantlin's February 22 arrest for disorderly conduct and criminal mischief after a concert in Toledo, Ohio. Scantlin reportedly spat at the audience and threw a bottle at the crowd, acts that the university felt might jeopardize the safety of its students should they happen again. ...

Before they hook-up with No Doubt for a monthlong summer tour in June, Blink-182 will play nine shows with Cypress Hill, beginning April 29 in Nampa, Idaho. Cypress Hill's seventh album, Till Death Do Us Part, drops March 23. ... Sparta's second album, Porcelain, will come out in June. The disc, produced by Mike Major and mixed by Andy Wallace, will include the songs "Guns of Memorial Park," "Breaking the Broken," "Hiss the Villain" and "While Oceana Sleeps." Before their May 1 appearance at Coachella, Sparta will play six shows, beginning March 11 in Hollywood and concluding April 18 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ...

Chimaira are the latest addition to the work-in-progress Within the Mind, a tribute LP honoring late Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner. Those already onboard for the album, due in June, include CKY, King Diamond, Slipknot and Six Feet Under. ... Dio will release a DVD of their 1985 Sacred Heart tour on March 23. In addition to a complete concert, the disc includes bonus interviews with the bandmembers. ...

Staind's Aaron Lewis makes a guest appearance on and co-wrote "Fallin' Out," the first single from Jimmie's Chicken Shack's upcoming album, re.present. Marcy Playground singer John Wozniak also makes an appearance, and Everclear's Art Alexakis, Marvelous 3's Butch Walker and Creed's Mark Tremonti have co-written songs for the LP, due April 27. ... Two new Who songs are featured in the upcoming hits collection Then and Now!, due March 30. "Old Red Wine" and "Real Good Looking Boy," which was recorded with drummer Zak Starkey in November, appear alongside favorites like "The Kids Are Alright," "Magic Bus" and "I Can't Explain." ...