Me'Shell Ndegeocello made Internet history this week when "Grace," the first single from her upcoming album, Bitter, debuted on Web music service Spinner.com in advance of being aired on traditional radio. The song is most prominently featured on Spinner.com's first-ever artist-focused channel, aptly named the All Me'Shell Channel, but is also being played on several of the site's other 125+ channels. Luddites will have to wait until after the album's Aug. 24 release to hear Ndegeocello's latest...

Dying to hear "New Day," the recently completed duet by Wyclef Jean and Bono? The song, which will benefit both NetAid and the Wyclef Jean Foundation for underprivileged children, will officially be unveiled on Sept. 8 -- twice. The first premiere will be at the United Nations, as part of the kickoff of the NetAid campaign to eradicate world poverty. Alternately, for $1,000 (benefiting the Wyclef Jean Foundation), you can experience it at a tony dinner at the Copacabana Club in New York. An invite to the soiree promises "An evening of dinner, dance and performances by Wyclef and friends, including the worldwide premiere of 'New Day,' a duet by Wyclef and Bono." Whether that means Clef and the U2 frontman will perform together or merely that the song and/or video will play during dessert has yet to be revealed. A spokesperson for Jean at Columbia Records said the list of "friends" was still being worked out . . .

"Sing Me Back Home" was a No. 1 hit for Merle Haggard on the country charts back in 1967. Unfortunately, this week Haggard did sing himself back home. Undeterred by a recent spell of bronchitis, Haggard had kept up his rigorous touring and recording schedule to the point that he contracted pneumonia, forcing the honky tonk legend to cancel his remaining eleven August shows and head home to Palo Cedro, Calif. "He just basically got run down," says Haggard's booking agent, Bobby Roberts. "The doctors felt he needed to take some time off and rest. It's serious from a standpoint that he is ill, but it's not life threatening." Roberts expects Haggard to be ready to go again Sept. 9 in Warrensburg, Mo., and plans are to reschedule the cancelled shows . . .

It looks likes David Bowie might have a date for New Year's Eve, after all. According to the New Zealand Star Herald, both Bowie and Split Enz are being courted by Frontier Touring, which is staging a millennial event at Bastion Pt., Auckland, on Maori land overlooking Hauraki Gulf. The location can hold up to 35,000 people, and organizers plan to serve up a twelve-hour concert. So far, Portishead have confirmed, and Ian Magan, an agent for Splitz Enz, told the paper that both the Enz and Bowie are close to signing on. Tickets are going for $330 and $150, but priority areas in front of the stage are being set aside for the 750 who bought tickets for the Gisbourne event . . .

Neil Young keeps racking up names for his annual Benefit for the Bridge School concert. In addition to Pearl Jam, Young has tapped his old friend Paul McCartney, Farm Aid pal Lucinda Williams, as well as his old cronies Crosby, Stills and Nash. In fact, Young and the guys will perform a full set at this year's Bridge show, scheduled to take place at Mountain View, California's Shore Line Amphitheater on October 30 and 31. Meanwhile, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's long-awaited "Heartland" collaboration will now see the light of day on Oct. 26 -- but it will bear a new name. According to a source, the reunited members decided at the eleventh hour that the title already had too many associations that had nothing to do with the band. No word yet on what they'll now dub the album ...

Everyone eventually needs to clean out their garage and unload excess stuff, even The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. According to the Love 4 One Another Web site, a "blowout sale" will be held in the parking lot of the Purple One's Paisley Park studio compound on the outskirts of Minneapolis on Saturday, Aug. 14, and Sunday, Aug. 15, from noon until 6 p.m. Items up for sale (with prices reportedly as low as a buck) range from merchandise to music to production gear, but you're probably outta luck if you go looking to score the studio masters to, say, Lovesexy . . .

The Spice Girls' creator and first manager, Bob Herbert, was killed in a car accident in Windsor, England, on Monday. Herbert's car hydroplaned and collided with an oncoming car, killing him instantly and injuring the two people in the other car. In 1994, Herbert took out a magazine ad that lured the five young women who would ultimately become the Spice Girls, the pop sensation that has sold more than thirty million albums worldwide. The Girls, who fired Herbert before they hit it big, issued a statement saying they are "shocked and saddened" by his death and that "he will be sadly missed." Herbert was fifty-seven ...

Pioneering British electronica label Warp Records will celebrate its tenth birthday with the release of three double-CD compilations of remixes, early label tracks, and tracks that influenced the label's launch a decade ago. The Warp 10 compilations (to be released on Matador Records in the U.S.) hit the stores on Oct. 12. Warp is also hosting shows Nov. 3-5 at London's Vibe Bar. Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Red Snapper are among those scheduled to appear...

Well, start crossing your fingers and slapping your knees, 'cause the nominations for the International Bluegrass Music Awards are in. The Del McCoury Band nabbed the most nominations, but nods also went to Bob Dylan and Alison Krauss. The award show will take place Oct. 21 at the Palace Theater in -- where else? -- Louisville, Ky. ...

David Bowie doesn't have a date for New Years Eve. Yesterday both Bowie and Split Enz announced their intention to withdraw from the Gisborne 2000 Festival after it became evident that the promoters were not going to be able to pull off the twelve-hour millennial event, scheduled for Dec. 31 in the town of Gisborne, New Zealand on the East coast of the North Island. According to a document issued by the managements of the two bands, "Split Enz and David Bowie ... cite their conviction that the promoters do not have the ability or financing to complete the necessary infrastructure, production and marketing arrangements required for a safe and successful festival" . . .

Tired of paying through the nose for Garbage remixes and import B-sides? Shirley Manson & Co. feel your pain, and hope to soothe it by releasing a handy compilation of B-sides late this year or early next year. "Our fans are getting absolutely tailed by people who are selling remixes for insane prices," says Manson. "There's been a phenomenal demand for remixes and we've decided to satisfy if. Hopefully it will be low-priced, too." The band, which recently returned from a tour of Austrailia, will reconvene next month to headline MTV's "Campus Invasion Tour," which a spokesperson at the band's label says will be their final U.S. tour for their current album, Version 2.0 . . .

Oasis guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs has left the Brit Pop band after eight years. According to U.K. press services, the split was amicable. "After a lot of consideration I have decided to call it a day with Oasis," Arthurs said in a statement. What we want to know is what he's going to do with his customized licence plate that he shelled out ú35,000 for last Feburary: the self-effacing guitarist slapped S1SAO on his Aston Martin, which spells Oasis, to anyone taking a gander in their rear view mirror. Oasis' fourth album, which they recorded in a French Chalet earlier this year, is due out after the first of the year...

It's back to the beach for Surfdog Records, which will release MOM 3, the third in the series of Music for Our Mother Ocean compilations. Like its predecessors, MOM 3 benefits the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the world's beaches and oceans. Catching MOM's wave this time around are Beck, who lends the Mutations bonus track "Electric Music for Summer People"; Brian Wilson and Brian Setzer, who collaborate on a souped-up version of the Beach Boys' "Little Deuce Coupe"; Everclear, who run through the Ventures' surf classic "Walk, Don't Run"; and Allison Moorer, who does a country-tinged take on the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun." The beach party will also feature tracks from Pearl Jam, the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul McCartney and Wings, Smash Mouth, Snoop Dogg with members of Rage Against the Machine, Lisa Loeb, Ben Harper, James Taylor, Butthole Surfers, Chris Isaak, JKay, Lit, Gary Hoey, and Sprung Monkey. MOM 3 will be in stores Aug. 17...

David Bowie's new album, hours..., is not due in stores until Oct. 5, but fans can get an early taste of what's to come via Bowie's cyber "striptease." Last Friday he gave members on BowieNet, (www.davidbowie.com) their first peek in a section he's calls "building hours...," enticing fans with forty-five seconds of his first single, "Thursday Child." Until the release date, the former Thin White Duke will sneak out naughty bits and pieces of the ten-track album and the art work every Friday, not revealing the full cover until a the week before the actual release. As for the album, you'll have to make due with the strategic snippets until a minute after midnight of October 4 . . .

Cibo Matto is the latest victim in the recent rash of thefts of equipment, following the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Sonic Youth. The quirky New York pop duo had their entire van stolen from Brooklyn, NY on Sunday. Unlike their pals in JSBX, who only lost a fraction of their gear, Cibo Matto was entirely cleaned out of everything from samplers, keyboards, amps, T-shirts and CDs...

In an effort to help New York State police apprehend individuals responsible for the sexual assaults alleged to have occurred during Woodstock '99, a non-profit organization called Fans Everywhere has set up its own Web site (www.fanseverywhere.org) where anyone with information on an assault can post a confidential "tip." In addition to forwarding the tips it generates to the appropriate authorities, the organization hopes to generate reward money that it will pay those whose tips lead to the successful prosecution of these criminals...

Jericho Records, a new Sire-distributed label, will release Luna's The Days of Our Nights on October 26. The band had been dropped by its previous label, Elektra Records, shortly after they turned in the album. The only difference between the final version of The Days of Our Nights and the version Elektra had distributed in promotional form is that the song "Words Without Wrinkles" will replace "Requiem for a Mouse." The amended version of the album has been available in England on Beggars Banquet since May...

On Thursday (August 5), alternapop trio Better Than Ezra settled a lawsuit filed by estranged drummer Cary Bonnecaze, who played on the band's breakthrough debut Deluxe (1995) and departed prior to the recording of 1996's Friction Baby. Bonnecaze argued in a U.S. District Court that the group owed him monies based on his role in fortifying the band's reputation. The settlement was reached while the jury was in deliberation, according to BTE manager John Isbell. Though terms of the resolution were undisclosed, Isbell says Bonnecaze got "way less" than the $1 million he was asking for...

After a long bout with throat cancer, Garth Brooks' mother died Friday near her Oklahoma home. Colleen Brooks, the inspiration for Garth Brooks' "It's Your Song," was seventy. Brooks wasn't the only musical celebrity to lose a parent last week: the father of Pixies frontman Frank Black passed away, as did the mother of Manic Street Preachers singer James Dean Bradfield . . .

Not all music festivals result in riots. On Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland, technophiles shook their booties (and set no fires) during Zurich's Street Parade. The massive electronic dance party drew close to 500,000 people...

"Hello, children!" Soul sensation Isaac Hayes, known to many as the voice of Chef on South Park, is throwing himself a birthday bash. And, though Hayes won't be cooking up any chocolate salty balls, he is bringing on some serious special guests. Hayes' third annual "Salute to Soul," which will take place Aug. 19 at New York's Copacabana, will feature Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah and 702...

BILL CRANDALL, JENNY ELISCU, BLAIR R. FISCHER, RICHARD SKANSE and JAAN UHELSZKI
(August 12, 1999)