Blink-182 are lending a tattooed helping hand to Tony Hawk. On October 3, the band will play a benefit show for Stand up for Skateparks, a charity that builds skate parks for kids in low-income communities. The concert is just part of an afternoon-long fund-raiser for the Tony Hawk Foundation, Stand up for Skateparks' sponsor. The event will be held at the Pinz Bowling Alley in Studio City, California. Tickets start at $500. In other Blink news, they're scheduled to appear September 17 at the mtvICON tribute to the Cure. The event, hosted by Marilyn Manson, will take place in London. ...

It's Modest Mouse's party and they'll bring the indie-rockers if they want to. Despite some minor setbacks last year, the All Tomorrow's Parties festival has rallied and the Pacific-Northwest rockers are curating the event. Set for November 6 and 7 in Long Beach, California, Modest Mouse will headline the first night while the Flaming Lips and the Shins will perform the following day. Many more bands are expected to be announced. ... Kid Rock and Staind will top the bill at the 11th annual Bocktoberfest on October 16 at the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas, home of the Lone Star State's very own Shiner Bock. Nickelback played the festival last year. ...

While recording "Lonely This Christmas" for the soundtrack to the '60s remake "Alfie," Joss Stone shared some studio time with a Rolling Stone. Stone and Mick Jagger covered the song, a hit single for glam rockers Mud in 1974. Stone also recorded a cover of the movie's title track, which was written by pop purveyors Burt Bacharach and Hal David. ... New Found Glory, Something Corporate and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones are among the bands banging out Christmas-themed tunes for A Santa Cause: It's a Punk Rock Christmas. A portion of the proceeds from the compilation, due November 2, go to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. ...

A Perfect Circle's next album, eMOTIVe, is due on Election Day, November 2. To fit with the LP's political positioning, it features 10 covers of civic-minded tunes such as John Lennon's "Imagine," Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding," Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and Black Flag's "Gimme Gimme Gimme." A video for one of the two new songs on the album, "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums," is posted on the band's Web site. Later in November, APC will release their remix/DVD album, aMOTION. ...

October 20 begins Helmet's comeback tour in support of their first album in seven years, Size Matters. The trek, which kicks off in Vancouver, British Columbia, dips into the United States before heading eastward to wrap November 10 in Toronto. ... It's been awhile since we've heard from Powerman 5000, but that's all about to change. On October 26, the band will release The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Vol. 1, a collection of B-sides and rarities recorded between 1991 and 1996. They've also got three new songs on the soundtrack to the wrestling video game "WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw." And Powerman promise a new studio album in early 2005. ...

After vacating the ranks of Mushroomhead, his band for the last dozen years, J. Mann has launched Fractured Transmitter. The imprint's first release will be an EP which contains a solitary 21-minute song, "I," by Swedish metal weirdos Meshuggah. It's due September 14. ... Celestial electronic outfit M83 are down a man. Now solely guitarist Anthony Gonzalez, the project's third album, Before the Dawn Heals Us, is due January 25. The lead single will be the track "Don't Save Us From the Flames." The French artist will begin his inaugural North American tour, backed by a three-piece band, on Monday in Philadelphia. ...

9.09.2004

A trademark-infringement suit proceeded against Britney Spears on Thursday (September 9) in a San Diego court, where athletic-clothing company Lite Breeze expanded its lawsuit over the use of the phrase "In the Zone." The company claims Spears' use of its slogan as the title of her last album is causing marketplace confusion, and Lite Breeze filed a motion to add Britney's clothing company, Britney Brands, as a co-defendant. Lite Breeze attorney Kathleen Walker said she anticipates the trial will start next year...

Britney's mom, meanwhile, is coming to her defense regarding the singer's recent no-shows at her performing-arts camp and the Video Music Awards. Lynne Spears wrote on the singer's Web site that her daughter was "devastated" that she couldn't make it to the camp because of her doctor's orders, which is why she tried to watch it on a satellite feed. "After 15 minutes into the show, the connection was lost," Spears wrote. "The camp promised to send Britney a tape of the entire performance so she could watch it. We were able to get the connection back up during the dance later that night, and Britney was able to talk to all the campers for a little bit." The singer's mother also made light of all the rumors about her daughter's impending wedding to Kevin Federline, saying that, "if you believe the press, Britney and Kevin have been scheduled to be married every weekend since they got engaged. It all really makes me laugh." ...

In yet more Britney news, a commercial for her Curious perfume -- starring the singer in a steamy hotel situation -- is slated to debut September 17 on her newly launched Elizabeth Arden Web site. Even steamier, Spears has designed a corset called A Man's Dream for an upcoming lingerie auction hosted by Frederick's of Hollywood to benefit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Susan Sarandon is hosting the event, which takes place in Los Angeles on October 20. Fans wanting to bid on corsets designed by celebs -- including Spears, Sarandon, Geena Davis and Edie Falco -- can also bid online at www.fredericks.com. ...

Gwen Stefani's solo record, still untitled, now has a release date. According to No Doubt's Web site, her debut is due November 23. ... Lance Bass is appearing in the movie he produced after all. "Lovewrecked," starring Amanda Bynes, just finished principal photography and will feature the 'NSYNC singer in a cameo role as "Dan," a cell-phone-toting assistant to the manager and publicist for the rock star marooned on a tropical beach with Bynes' character. Bass shot his scenes in the Dominican Republic. ... There's nothing lamer than having your favorite CD labeled with a black Sharpie (except perhaps paying $17.98 for it), so Green Day are giving their fans a solution. For $7.99, they'll sell you a five-pack of blank CD-Rs emblazoned with the color artwork from each of the band's four albums, plus one disk that features a rare band photo. ...

R. Kelly is heading a benefit concert for the Congressional Black Caucus on Friday in Washington, D.C. The concert, part of the Annual Legislative Conference, hopes to raise money for scholarships. "I'm privileged and honored to be invited to help such a distinguished group raise money for such a worthy cause," Kelly said in a statement Thursday. "I can't think of anything more important to support than education." ... As if marrying Dave Navarro weren't enough, Carmen Electra is hunting down the most delectable guys in America. She's hosting Bravo's upcoming reality competition "Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model." The show is slated to last eight episodes, starting October 12, and will involve 15 men competing for a one-year contract with the IMG modeling agency. ...

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan are getting into the restaurant biz. They're joining forces with Fuel frontman Brett Scallions to open Snitch, a New York club and restaurant that'll cater to both insomniacs and rockers alike by remaining open 24 hours on the weekends. ... "No Quarter: Unledded" -- a concert film chronicling the 1994 reunion of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant -- is finally being released on DVD. The repackaged album of the same name will also be available on CD; both are due October 26. The film originally premiered on MTV and features the pair performing 17 tracks, such as "Kashmir" and "When the Levee Breaks," in a variety of locations including Marrakech, Morocco and London. The DVD will also include the extra track "Black Dog," filmed at the American Music Awards, and the bonus video "Most High," a 13-minute interview with Page and Plant. ...

PJ Harvey is hitting the road this fall for a nationwide tour to promote her latest album, Uh Huh Her. Harvey had previously hit the West Coast in August and is this time concentrating on other regions of the U.S., starting October 1 in Minneapolis and closing out in Detroit on October 14. ... On November 2, Capitol Records will release Acoustic, an album of acoustic recordings by John Lennon. Songs on the disc include a live version of "Imagine" as well as versions of "Dear Yoko" and "Love." Of the 17 tracks on the record, seven are being released commercially for the first time. ... The lineup for the 18th annual Bridge School Benefit has been announced. Paul McCartney, Sonic Youth and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals are among the musicians joining event founder Neil Young on October 23 and 24 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The Bridge School teaches children with severe speech and physical impairments. ...