Two more Guns N' Roses dates have been added to the band's schedule — and like the two gigs announced last week, these additional bookings are in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. GN'R will be performing at the NYC venue May 12 and 14, followed by their previously announced concerts set for May 15 and 17. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are priced at $63. ...

Nelly reached a settlement with a photographer who was allegedly beaten up by the rapper's bodyguards last year, The Associated Press reported Friday (April 21). Nelly has agreed to pay Jerry Livingston $20,000 to settle the claim; the photographer had been taking photos of Nelly's concert on April 12, 2005, but was then allegedly dragged to the side of the stage and beaten multiple times after the bodyguards believed he had been videotaping the event. ...

Want to hear Kevin Federline's debut album, Playing With Fire? Well, if you plan to be in Las Vegas on Friday, you may just get your chance. There will be a listening party Friday night for K-Fed's LP at the posh Las Vegas nightclub Pure, according to the club's Web site. Federline will be hosting the event, but there's no word on whether wife Britney Spears will be attending. ...

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is a dad. Grohl and wife Jordyn Blum welcomed Violet Maye Grohl into the world on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, he announced on his band's Web site Friday. Violet weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 21 inches tall — "just perfect" in the words of her father. ... Bro! 311 are hitting the road this summer on the totally sweet Unity Tour '06, which kicks off July 20 in Santa Cruz, California, and runs through a September 9 stop in Santa Barbara, California. (They will also play dates in cities with names that do not include the word "Santa," including Memphis, Cleveland and Boston). Joining 311 on the trek are reggae legends the Wailers and Hawaiian act Pepper. Tickets will go on sale at the end of April, according to 311.com. ...

It seems that Cold frontman Scooter Ward has had a change of heart about disbanding his group. In a posting to his MySpace page, Ward said that while he'd announced back in late February that the band was finished, "Cold will take a break" as he continues work on his latest project, the Witch, which also features Cold drummer Sam McCandless. "Cold will be back soon," Ward wrote. "This, for me, is the best of both worlds. The more music, the better." ... Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 will issue his third solo outing, Fang Bang, in late summer, through a new label deal he's forged with Rykodisc/ Restless Records. Wednesday 13 has also parted ways with his entire backing band, which toured with him in both 2004 and 2005 — bassist Kid Kid, guitarist Ghastly, and drummer Piggy D. Joining Wednesday 13 when he performs April 27 in Chicago and April 29 in Toledo, Ohio, will be Murderdolls guitarist Eric Griffin, drummer Racci Shay, and former Skrape bassist Brix.

04.20.2006

Diddy's planning to drop his next — and last — solo album September 19, he told MTV Europe, and to make it special, he's recruited a lot of help, including Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Brandy, Busta Rhymes, Nas and Will.I.Am. "I'm taking from what I've learned from dance music, electro-clash, techno, hip-hop, soul and pop, and kind of fusing it together," Diddy said. "It's like everything in hip-hop is so hardcore with guns and problems and beef, and nobody is being romantic — not in a corny way, but just giving all of yourself. It's still going to have that gangsta vibe to it, but it's a musical journey. It's going to feel good." Diddy said the first single will be a club track. "We are going to bring a lot of high fashion, a lot of energy, a lot of sex, a lot of drugs, spirituality, good times," he explained. "We're going to have something for the kids, but it's really an adult thing. It's definitely pornographic, orgasmic, gangsta, to the point where your soul feels good. It's like a spiritual revolution. It's like being sanctified." And if that sounds like an odd combo, Diddy sums it up as "Little Richard-style for the ladies." ...

A Miami judge dismissed an invasion of privacy lawsuit filed by an unidentified woman against Scott Stapp and Kid Rock on Wednesday, saying the woman cannot sue if she remains anonymous, according to The Associated Press. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gerald Hubbart told the lawyer for the woman who appears in the infamous, but as yet unreleased, sex video featuring the two rockers that she could refile the suit in 20 days if she's willing to use her real name. ...

On Thursday morning (April 20), Pixies frontman Frank Black and his wife welcomed their fourth child, a girl named Lucy Berlin Thompson. Little Lucy weighed in at a shade under 8 pounds, 10 ounces and is apparently destined for superstardom: "She's gorgeous," Black said in a statement. "She's got lips like Angelina Jolie." ... Rancid have been floating under the radar since the 2003 release of their sixth album, Indestructible. But this summer, fans of the Tim Armstrong-led punks have something to look forward to. Rancid will release a yet-untitled DVD, featuring 31 videos shot between 1993 and 2003, in July, according to the band's official site. They're also planning a tour to coincide with the DVD's release. ...

A.F.I. will head out this spring with Dillinger Escape Plan and Nightmare of You. So far just a handful of dates have been firmed up: June 13 (Montreal), June 15 (Toronto), June 20 (Boston), June 22 (New York), June 24 (Philadelphia) and July 11 (Denver), with more to be announced in the coming weeks. A.F.I.'s forthcoming LP, Decemberunderground, is set for June 6. ... There's a new Coheed and Cambria video for the song "The Willing Well: IV - The Final Cut," but it's not something anyone will likely ever see. Frontman Claudio Sanchez and his girlfriend recently shot the super-low-budget clip, which depicts an unfaithful woman being tortured and murdered by her chainsaw-wielding boyfriend. "We did all the makeup ourselves with a bunch of clay and fake blood, and it looks really good," Sanchez said. "We had a great time doing it and we thought there was nothing wrong with it. Then we saw a movie that was kind of in the same vein and we were like, 'Man, this is kind of f---ed up.' " Although drummer Joshua Eppard said the video is his favorite the band has ever made, Coheed's label and management have advised the group not to release the video in any form. ...

Ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 has quit his new band Loser in order to spend more time on the road as Rob Zombie's guitar player. "I've been juggling two careers for over one year now," John 5 said in a statement. "I found it impossible to be in two places at once." As a result, Loser, whose debut album, Just Like Us, was slated for release June 6, was dropped by their label. ... The long-awaited return of crackly indie rockers Sparklehorse appears to be on the horizon. According to a post on their official Web site, the follow-up to 2001's It's a Wonderful Life is complete with a tentative release date of September. Though (as usual) the record was mostly recorded by brain trust Mark Linkous in his Static King studio, collaborations on the record include Danger Mouse (who also handled some mixing chores), the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd, producer Dave Fridmann and ambient electronic artist Christian Fennesz, as well as frequent associates Scott Minor, John Hott and Sophie Michalitsianos. The still-untitled fourth album will also include an unreleased Wonderful Life track that features Tom Waits on piano. ...

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are hitting the road, and they're bringing some friends along for the ride. Pearl Jam and former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will join the band on select dates of the Highway Companions Tour, which kicks off June 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Petty & the Heartbreakers will also provide the opening music for the NBA Playoffs and Finals broadcasts on ABC Sports and the Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN. Classics "Runnin' Down a Dream," "I Won't Back Down," "Learning to Fly," "Makin' Some Noise" and "You Wreck Me" will be played over highlights and other coverage. Two new songs, "Saving Grace" and "Big Weekend," from Petty's upcoming summer release, Highway Companion, will also be used. ABC Sports coverage of the NBA playoffs begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ... After singing in her movie "Prey for Rock & Roll," Gina Gershon is putting out an album of her own, but don't expect her to be a rocker chick. "I'm doing weird music right now," she said. "It's kind of swampy country blues. It's totally different. It's weird; it's funky. But we'll see. You think it'll sound one way, and then it'll sound like something else." Gershon said she starts recording next month in Nashville and then she'll put a band together. ...

Scruffy Canadian rocker Sam Roberts has put the finishing touches on his second album. Due May 16, Chemical City was recorded at a church in Australia and is the follow-up to We Were Born in a Flame, which scored a Juno Award (Canada's Grammy equivalent). Roberts and his band will tour this spring in support of fellow Montrealers the Stills. ... Lifehouse, Everclear and Vanessa Carlton will perform at A Concert for Lili Claire, a benefit being held May 6 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center. All proceeds raised through ticket sales will be earmarked for the Lili Claire Foundation's Family Resource Center, for the creation of programs designed for individuals and families living with Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, autism and other neurogenetic disorders. Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on the long-running sitcom "Seinfeld," will host the event.