Blink-182 got in touch with their inner philanthropists on Wednesday when two of the three members helped paint a Habitat for Humanity house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to The Associated Press, drummer Travis Barker had to watch from the sidelines since recent foot surgery put him on crutches. The band was in town to play a show at nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania's Star Pavilion that night. ...

Ozzy is wondering if you have what it takes to share his stage. The Prince of F---ing Darkness and his wife are looking for eight unsigned bands to compete for the chance to perform on the main stage of Ozzfest, alongside headliners Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Slayer. Winners also receive a second-stage slot on Ozzfest 2005, music equipment and cash. More info is available on www.ozzfest.com. ... The Pixies have added another crop of dates to their reunion trek, filling in some blanks on a tour that runs through December 6 in Washington, D.C. New markets on the band's itinerary include Camden, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Birmingham, Alabama; Las Vegas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Nashville. ...

Famed DJ Scratch is working on a documentary on the origins of his career in turntablism. "The DJ: The DJ Scratch Story" features interviews with Jay-Z, Redman, Busta Rhymes and others. The DVD is expected to drop this fall. ... Basement Jaxx have been added to Lollapalooza's main stage for four West Coast shows: July 15 in Seattle, July 18 in San Francisco, July 21 in Ventura, California, and July 23 in San Diego. The electronic duo's latest album, Kish Kash, was released in October. ...

Chaka Zulu, music entrepreneur and co-CEO of Ebony Son Entertainment/ Disturbing Tha Peace Entertainment, will be promoting fatherhood a little before Father's Day. Ludacris' longtime business partner and friend, Zulu will be the keynote speaker at the National Fatherhood Initiative's Seventh Annual National Summit on Fatherhood. The summit takes place on June 8 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. ... U.K. hip-hop sensation the Streets will embark on a Stateside tour to support his second album, A Grand Don't Come for Free. Five dates of the three-week trek, which begins June 11 in Mountain View, California, are with fellow Brit b-boy Dizzee Rascal. ...

Former Queens of the Stone Age bassist and singer Nick Oliveri will release a solo acoustic record later this summer. Oliveri also continues to work with his band Mondo Generator on a new album, which is being produced by former Queens drummer Gene Trautmann. ... Megadeth's still-untitled new album will come out September 14. In addition, seven records from Megadeth's back catalog will be released July 27. Each disc will feature up to four bonus tracks. ...

Lars Frederiksen won't be seeing much of his humble abode this summer. The Rancid guitarist and his band the Bastards will set out on the Punks Vs. Psychos Tour (June 1-13) with the Horrorpops, Nekromantix and Disasters before beginning a headlining tour (June 14 to July 6) that will bleed into their monthlong stint on the Vans Warped Tour, which begins July 20 in Milwaukee. The Bastards' second album, Viking, is set to drop July 29. ... Thrice and indie label Sub City Records were honored last week at the first Sub City/ Thrice Scholarship awards ceremony at the A Place Called Home youth center in South Central Los Angeles. The band and label raised over $57,000 for the center by donating a portion of each sale of Thrice's 2002 album, The Illusion of Safety. A portion of sales from the group's 2003 Island Records album, The Artist in the Ambulance, has also gone to charities. ...

The Allman Brothers Band will release the first anthology to span their 35-year career on June 8. The two-CD Stand Back: The Anthology will feature 32 digitally remastered recordings, at least one from each of their 13 studio albums and Live at Fillmore East. ... Rush will release an eight-song covers EP on June 29 to celebrate their 30-year anniversary. The disc features versions of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and "Mr. Soul," the Yardbirds' "Heart Full of Soul" and "Shapes of Things," the Who's "The Seeker," Alice Cooper's cover of Love's "Seven and Seven Is," Blue Cheer's rendition of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" and Cream's take on Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Rush launched their 30th anniversary tour on Wednesday in Nashville. Dates run through August 22 in their hometown of Toronto. ...

5.26.2004

Bad Boy will release a remastered, 10-year anniversary edition of Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready to Die, on July 13. The CD will feature two previously commercially unavailable songs, "Ready" and "Who Shot Ya?," and will come with an accompanying DVD featuring Biggie's videos and a live performance in Atlanta. ...

Three years after founding the nonprofit Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Russell Simmons is reaching out to the Latino community with the Latino Hip-Hop Summit, taking place July 13 at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York. Fat Joe, Angie Martinez, Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and Rosie Perez, among others, were on hand when Simmons announced the event at a press conference in New York Monday. ... As Madonna resumes her tour, plans for her TV concert special are moving forward as well. The CBS two-hour special looks like it will be filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, and though there's no air date yet, a fall date "seems probable," according to the singer's spokesperson. ...

New York radio station Hot 97 has announced that its June 12 Summer Jam concert at Giants Stadium will now feature a fashion show, freestyle battle area and a second stage. Lil' Wayne, Erick Sermon, Dead Prez, Pitbull, Philly's Most Wanted, Posta Boy, Lyfe, James Lee and Roc-A-Fella's own Rell, Allen Anthony, Nicole Rae and Denim will kick things off early in the afternoon on the small stage before Lil Jon, Alicia Keys, Outkast's Big Boi, the entire G-Unit and others hit the big stage. ... Kid Rock, Cypress Hill, Nickelback, Ludacris, Our Lady Peace and Lil Jon and Tha Eastside Boyz are on board for the second annual Coors Light Mountain Jam on August 14 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, outside Denver. Last year's event boasted performances by 50 Cent, Korn, P.O.D., the Roots and Evanescence. ...

Former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland plans to hit the studio to record a bunch of songs with Danny Lohner and Telefon Tel Aviv's Josh Eustis. Mellowdrone singer/guitarist Jonathan Bates is expected to join the trio later in the month. ... The Red Hot Chili Peppers are bringing a little something extra on their tour of the U.K. -- the Godfather of Soul. James Brown will bring his time-tested funk on the journey, opening up five dates starting June 18 in Manchester and ending June 25 in Hyde Park. ...

The search begins for America's next make-believe guitar hero next month at the second annual U.S. Air Guitar Championships, to be held in Chicago (June 3), Denver (June 10), Minneapolis (June 10), New York (June 12) and Los Angeles (June 17). The five regional winners will compete June 17 in L.A. for the American crown, and one lucky winner will receive a trip to Oulu, Finland, for the Air Guitar World Championships. ... Jai Rodriguez, the culture guy on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," is returning to Broadway, but just for a two-week fling. Rodriguez will star as Angel in "Rent" starting July 5 and running through July 17. ... The Bad Boys didn't have too far to travel Tuesday night when they hit New York's Babalu for a LifeBeat charity concert. Loon, Mario Winans, Carl Thomas and 8Ball and MJG, who all performed, just had to walk a few steps from P. Diddy's Daddy's House studio to the club. ...

As Michael Jackson's Friday hearing date draws closer, attorneys on all sides are filing a flurry of motions about which court documents should be kept under seal. Both the defense and the prosecution wish to keep the grand-jury transcripts and the indictment secret, while lawyers for the media argue that those documents should be made public. Jackson's team tried to keep his motions for reduction of bail and to compel more discovery under seal, and while Judge Rodney Melville granted their requests, the motions were made public in an edited form. ... P. Diddy, Godsmack's Sully Erna, Staind's Aaron Lewis, Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels, Clint Black, Macy Gray and Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik will be among the celebrity judges for this year's International Songwriting Competition. Submissions will be accepted until October 15, and the grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 in cash and $30,000 in merchandise and services. An additional $60,000 will be distributed between 49 other winners in various categories. More information can be found at www.songwritingcompetition.com/entry2004.htm. ...