213 may have taken the easy way out when making the The Hard Way, according to DJ Battlecat. The producer behind tunes for Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, Xzibit, WC and Faith Evans filed a copyright-infringement suit against 213 members Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg and their record label on Thursday for allegedly using his work on three songs without permission. ...

Trapt will reissue their 2002 self-titled debut in the dual DVD/CD format on October 19. The set features a 5.1 surround-sound mix and videos for the songs "Headstrong," "Still Frame" and "Echo." Additional extras include live clips, a photo gallery and two bonus songs: "Lost in a Portrait" from the soundtrack to "The Punisher" and the B-side "Promise." ... A limited-edition version of Korn's imaginatively titled greatest-hits package, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, will be released alongside the standard version of the album on October 5. The limited-edition disc comes with a DVD capturing the band's concert at New York's CBGBs earlier this year. ...

Auf Der Maur and the Von Bondies are heading out on the road for a co-headlining North American club tour beginning September 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Seventeen shows, including stops in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Detroit, have been announced with more to come. ... A Guns N' Roses semi-reunion of sorts took place Sunday in Bologna, Italy, when guitarist Izzy Stradlin joined his old bandmates in Velvet Revolver onstage for the GN'R classic "It's So Easy." Stradlin left the band in 1991 and was replaced by Gilby Clarke. ...

A beer named after Madonna was created by U.K. brewers JW Lees to commemorate her visit to Manchester during her Re-invention Tour. According to those who've imbibed Material Girl Ale, it has a nutty flavor. ... More than 770 items from the estate of Johnny and June Carter Cash will be put up for auction at Sotheby's beginning September 14. The auction, which coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Man in Black's passing, features such items as stage-worn clothing, platinum records, handwritten lyrics and even the singer's 2002 Ford F-150 pickup. ... While writing and recording their next album, due next summer, 311 will release a concert DVD that relives March's 3-11 Day concert in New Orleans. The group plans to revisit the Big Easy next March 11. ...

9.03.2004

Oops, Britney Spears spit out her gum in public again and now you can reap the benefits. More than 20 eBay auctioneers are selling what they claim to be Spears' used chewing gum for prices ranging from 1 cent as an opening bid to $14,000 for the gum the pop star was supposedly chewing when she kissed Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "My friend was working security and saw her spit one piece of gum in the trash," the seller says in the post. Fans can also purchase a used cigarette butt, for which the current high bid is $250. Not a Britney fan? Bid on gum chewed by Christina Aguilera (99 cents), Eminem ($1) or Jessica Simpson (99 cents). ...

Alicia Keys has just finished filming the video for her next single, "Karma." The singer shot part of the clip in the Dominican Republic, and part in New York, including a scene where she plays the piano on a subway platform. ... Al Franken will appear as the keynote speaker at this year's CMJ Music Marathon in New York. The writer/comedian/radio personality will deliver his speech (on a variety of topics, including politics, music, radio and activism) on October 14 to kick off the annual college-radio convention. Performers this year include Sonic Youth, ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Sparta, Clinic, the Faint, the Concretes, the Decemberists and more. ...

Homesickness doesn't seem to be one of Incubus' ills. The band, which has been on the road in support of A Crow Left of the Murder almost nonstop since the LP dropped in February, has added more dates to its world tour. A new, five-week leg begins October 10 in Pittsburgh. ... Liz Phair is going to help runners cool off in the inaugural Nike 26.2 Marathon with a post-race concert. The marathon takes place in San Francisco, starting and finishing right outside Golden Gate Park, on October 24 to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. ...

Slayer were forced to cancel a performance Wednesday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after frontman Tom Araya was reportedly rushed to an area hospital, suffering either from kidney stones or a bad allergic reaction. No official word has been given on Araya's condition. ... In happier Slayer-related news, the Jägermesiter Music Tour, which Slayer is scheduled to headline, has finalized its schedule. The trek, which also features Killswitch Engage and Mastodon, kicks off October 29 in Springfield, Missouri, and concludes on December 17 in Universal City, California. ...

After four years of dating, three years of living together, a 3-year-old son and another baby on the way, Ben Harper and Laura Dern have gotten engaged. A wedding date has yet to be announced. ... Mix Master Mike, the Beastie Boys' resident DJ, has a new album on the way. Bangzilla!, out October 19, features hardcore turntablist creations such as "Full Range Earmuff," as well as tracks that cut together strings, keys and rhythms taken from hip-hop, orchestras and more. ...

Stellastarr have one last show in New York this year -- at the Roxy on Sunday -- before they immediately start working on their second album. The band plans to stay in the studio through the remainder of 2004, and hopes to release the new album in the spring. ... The Mars Volta are dragging their Afros back into the studio to rework sections of their new album, Frances the Mute. The new studio sessions will push the release of the album -- the follow-up to last year's De-loused in the Comatorium -- back until early 2005. ...

Why should Sammy Hagar have all the Cabo Wabo fun? Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony is preparing to join the party as he and Hagar make plans to open Mad Anthony's Pepper Bar at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. According to a post on Anthony's Web site, the bar will feature "tasty and exotic chili pepper concoctions ... as well as other killer foods to wrap your lips around and light your bellies on fire." Gastronomically inclined fans can get involved by submitting creative recipes on Anthony's site for potential inclusion on the menu. ...