Though he's out of the running for the ex-Guns N' Roses band Velvet Revolver, Sebastian Bach got his GN'R fix recently when he teamed up with former Guns drummer Steven Adler. Adler's band -- which also features members of Slash's Snakepit, Ratt and Faster Pussycat -- is called Adler's Appetite, to reflect its penchant for playing songs off of Appetite for Destruction. Bach took the mic during the group's set at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas on May 31. ...

Speaking of ex-Gunners, founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin has finished his sixth solo album, Like a Dog. Clips of two songs, "Hammerhead" and "Bomb," have been posted on his Web site. Meanwhile, Gilby Clarke, who replaced Stradlin in GN'R, will perform with Heart on "The Tonight Show" on Tuesday. ... Former Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons joined Eddie Vedder and his old mates onstage in Irvine, California, Tuesday for a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." Matt Cameron replaced Irons in 1998, just before the band embarked on a tour to support Yield. ...

Former Smiths singer Morrissey has begun working on his first album in five years. The Mozzer's follow-up to Maladjusted is due on the newly resurrected Attack label. ... "Creatures (For a While)" will be the first single from 311's new album, Evolver, due July 22. The song will hit the airwaves on June 30. ... Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am told the Los Angeles Times he's working on a second solo album, with appearances by KRS-One, MC Lyte and others. The project will be released on the London club label Barely Breaking Even. ... The Wallflowers will embark on an 18-date acoustic tour July 11 in San Diego. Jakob Dylan and company continue to support last year's Red Letter Days on the trek, which wraps July 27 in Boulder, Colorado. ...

Damion Hall of the R&B group Guy called in to New York radio station WBLS-FM on Friday (June 6) to dispel rumors of his demise. "I'm definitely here, I'm alive and awake," Hall said. "It's amazing how people want to make up stories to create a rumor or for them to get some steam. ... Everybody that has been worried or confused, I am here, I'm alive, I'm well." ... The first glimpse of what a reunited original lineup of Duran Duran sounds like is available online, where an unmixed demo of the new song "What Happens Tomorrow" has been leaked. Sample lyrics: "We can't wait for a savior/ Only got ourselves to blame for this behavior." The band has yet to sign a label deal but has booked a few shows this summer, including a July 16 gig at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California, and a July 17 concert at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. ...

Versatile Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 recently worked with songwriter James Michael on a song for the next Garbage album. Last year Michael and Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx co-wrote the Saliva single "Rest in Pieces." Afterward, Garbage's Butch Vig asked Michael to pen him a tune. ... "The Sopranos" star Jamie-Lynn Sigler will perform the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, while KC & the Sunshine Band will provide three songs of halftime entertainment for Game 4 on Wednesday, including the disco hits "Get Down Tonight" and "That's the Way (I Like It.)" The additions join previously announced performers Lisa Marie Presley, Jewel and Phish for the NBA Finals, which pit the San Antonio Spurs against the New Jersey Nets. ...

Four songs from the last concert John Entwistle played with the Who before he died will be released as a bonus disc of a live double-CD due July 22. The freebie will feature "I'm Free," "Young Man Blues," "Summertime Blues" and "I Don't Even Know Myself" recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall last year. The other two discs will be composed of a benefit show the band played for the Teenage Cancer Trust at Royal Albert Hall in November 2000. Guest appearances were made by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, Bryan Adams, Oasis' Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and Stereophonics' Kelly Jones. ...

06.05.03

Metallica will be the focus of an upcoming car-combat game that will feature music, voiceovers and creative input from the band. The still-untitled game will be created by Vivendi Universal Games in collaboration with Segnana Inc., and will be released sometime in 2005. ...

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis won't just be singing about killers and mutants on this year's Ozzfest, he'll be bringing them out on the road. The tour will feature an exhibit of Davis' twisted art, rare artifacts, weapons and other memorabilia focusing on death and darkness. The exhibition will be called "The End" and will be housed in a mobile facility with almost 1,000 square feet of gallery space. Admission will be charged. ... Several rockers -- including Good Charlotte, the Used, the Faint, Goldfinger and the Desaparecidos -- are donating tracks to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for its new compilation album, Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA. The LP -- produced by Fat Mike of NOFX for his label Fat Wreck Chords -- hits stores this summer. It's available now at www.peta2.com. ...

Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell is scheduled to perform Thursday (June 5) in Atlanta, along with Kelly Price, Cee-Lo and Joi, at the second annual Atlanta Heroes Awards, which will honor James Brown and members of TLC. Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy's professional arts education programs and the MusiCares Foundation. ... Jessica Simpson has written a book called "I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding," which can be purchased at www.jessicasimpsonbook.com. The hardback, about her recent nuptials to Nick Lachey, also comes with a DVD. ...

America's Sweetheart isn't bringing Courtney Love any closer to her British fans. Love has canceled appearances at the U.K.'s Reading (August 24) and Leeds (August 22) festivals, opting instead to dedicate the time to working on her first album in four years. ... Pulp's Jarvis Cocker has gone goth with his new project Relaxed Muscle. Last week the singer appeared in ghoulish skeleton garb and called himself Darren Spooner at a secret gig in London. The group is expected to release its full-length debut on the U.K.'s Rough Trade imprint in late summer. ...

"Kings of the Road" Fu Manchu will release the double live album Go For It ... Live on July 22. The California quartet, with a decade of meaty, driving stoner rock under its collective belt, recorded the disc in Stockholm, Sweden, and Los Angeles, two stops on their 2002 California Crossing world tour. ... "Damn!," the Lil Jon-produced first single from the Youngbloodz's second album, Drankin' Patnaz, will hit radio outlets June 30. Benny Boom (Nelly) co-directed the video, along with Jermaine Dupri, who executive-produced the album. ...

A London judge ruled Thursday that "shizzle my nizzle" are not offensive lyrics. Andrew Alcee sued the Heartless Crew for their remix of the 2001 garage hit "Burnin," claiming "derogatory treatment" of his copyright. ... Verizon Communications' request to stay, or postpone, a subpoena ordering their Internet services branch to identify two subscribers accused of engaging in illegal file-sharing was denied Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The company is expected to surrender the names to the RIAA in a day or two but vowed to continue to fight the recording industry in court over the how to handle online piracy. ...