In the wake of the Napster controversy, Metallica have just announced that they will headline the Hard Rock Cafe's Rock Fest in Chicago on July 21, at the Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero, Ill. Also on the bill will be Third Eye Blind, Stone Temple Pilots, Kid Rock, the Barenaked Ladies and the Wallflowers, who will be making their first live appearance since 1998. Last year the extravaganza was held in Atlanta, Ga., and attracted 130,000. Insiders speculate that the event will attract at least as many concert-goers as last year's fest. Tickets are likely to go on-sale the first Saturday in June . . .

THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE is having an open house next month, and the public's invited. Somewhat in the spirit of last year's Paisley Park yard sale, the Artist will open up his famed studio/castle to his fans and the curious from June 7 through 13 as part of an event called "Prince: A Celebration." Though full details are being withheld until a May 16 press conference, a spokesperson for the Artist said that each night of the celebration will feature concerts at Paisley Park by Prince-associated artists, culminating with a performance by the Artist himself June 13 at Minneapolis' Northrop Auditorium . . .

You'll be seeing a lot of BUSTA RHYMES this year. The bombastic dread-headed rapper has a small but meaty role in the remake of Shaft which opens on June 16. Rhymes also plans to release two albums on his Flipmode Entertainment label before the end of summer. Rhymes will release Anarchy, which will be available on June 20, as well as a second album from the FLIPMODE SQUAD, who for the uninitiated is made up of Rhymes, RAH DIGGA, RAMPAGE, SERIOUS, BABY SHAM and SPLIFF STAR . . .

PETER GABRIEL hasn't been really been missing in action. After all, he's been running RealWorld Records, and there's all that time devoted to putting together the annual W.O.M.A.D festival, as well as the stuff he does for Amnesty International. In between all his good works, the forty-nine-year old former Genesis frontman composed music for London's Millennium Dome show that has been playing five times a day at the controversial structure in London. Gabriel has added to the twenty-minute piece, adding quirky guest vocalists like COCTEAU TWIN LIZ FRASER, the eerie PAUL BUCHANAN from BLUE NILE and IARLA O'LIONAIRD from the AFRO-CELT SYSTEM. Gabriel has titled the project OVO: The Millenium Show and is putting the experimental art project out on his Real World label next month. But a word of caution: this should not be mistaken for Gabriel's follow-up to 1993's Us, as Gabriel insists it's only a one-time only affair. He swears that his follow-up, provisionally titled "Blue Ball" -- which he has been working on since he still had hair -- will come out next year . . .

'N SYNC, METALLICA, and D'ANGELO are slated to perform at this year's MTV Movie Awards in June. 'N Sync will perform "It's Gotta Be Me," the second single from their indomitable No Strings Attached, while Metallica will perform "I Disappear" from the upcoming Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack. Sarah Jessica Parker will host the show, which airs on June 8 . . .

Meanwhile, MTV's metal-loving show The Return of Rock has inspired a companion CD and summer tour of the same name. The album, due June 13, features songs from KID ROCK, SLIPKNOT, STAIND, P.O.D. and KITTIE, as well as previously unreleased tracks from STATIC-X, DOPE and a BUTCH VIG remix of KORN's "Make Me Bad." Staind and P.O.D. will headline the tour, which will kick off on June 14 with additional performers, dates and cities expected to be announced . . .

DAVID SPADE asked fellow Detroit native KID ROCK to come out to Los Angeles last weekend to read for a part in his new movie, The Adventures of Joe Rock, which also stars Gary Busey and Roseanne Barr. Apparently everything went swimmingly, as the duo hit Los Angeles' preeminent "gentlemen's club" Crazy Legs, where they gawked at the dancers and downed multiple inebriates. Rock's sister Jill (an actress in her own right) was on-hand, to keep them on the straight and narrow. Filming begins on May 8, and Rock will make his debut playing Spade's rival for the affection of a woman, played by Dawson's Creek's Britney Daniel . . .

FATBOY SLIM's summer plans this year include a stop in his hometown for Brighton, U.K.'s Essential Festival 2000, which takes place July 15-16 in Stanmer Park. "I'm a Brighton boy and Brighton's very proud of me and I'm very proud of Brighton," Slim a.k.a. Norman Cook says of his homecoming. Joining Brighton's favorite son for the festival will be co-headliner, JAMES BROWN. The first day of the festival, dubbed the "Dance Alldayer," is divided into six stages featuring top dance acts like Fatboy Slim, LO FIDELITY ALL STARS, and ARMAND VAN HELDEN. Day two, "Roots Alldayer," will feature Brown, ANGIE STONE, FLAVOR FLAV and PHARCYDE. Visitors to www.essentialfestival.com can win a pair of VIP tickets by coming up with the "best, most original and funniest answers" to the question "If you found yourself alone with James Brown in a queue for the toilets, what question would you most like to ask him?" Those interested have until May 12 to ponder . . .

The prognosis for MARK MCGRATH's acting career is not good. Despite grabbing a cameo role on NBC medical drama ER, the SUGAR RAY frontman -- who was supposed to play Dr. Nadio in a May 11 episode -- ended up on the cutting-room floor. "He was a doll," says NBC spokesperson Barbara Tranchito, "but he won't be in. The show ran too long." His part, which would've amounted to six lines, was considered expendable because the scene was a last-minute add-on . . .

Joining his mentor TRENT REZNOR as a burgeoning talent scout, MARILYN MANSON has found his first band to champion. As the inaugural act on Manson's Priority-distributed label Posthuman Records, Washington, D.C.'s GODHEAD are due to enter the studio to record a new album, Two Thousand Years of Human Error, with producer Danny Saber. The album is due later this year . . .

WIDESPREAD PANIC will release their second live album on May 23. Another Joyous Occasion marks the end of the group's seven-year run with Capricorn Records, as it will be released on their upstart Widespread Records. The band's second live album consists of eleven tracks culled from its 1999 summer tour. In other Panic news, the group will do that thing it does, hit the road, starting June 23 at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado for a twenty-seven-date tour that will run into August . . .

CYPRESS HILL's SEN DOG will team up with EVERLAST for his debut solo album with his side project SX-10. Called Mad Dog American, the album will come out on Latin Thug Records on July 4. Also guesting on the record will be members of DOWNSET and KOTTONMOUTH KINGS . . .

While the police investigation into last week's fire at JAMES BROWN Enterprises continues, the staggering music-related losses are being tallied at the Augusta, Ga., offices. "You got forty years of memorabilia," says Brown attorney Buddy Dallas about the losses. "You got photographs, you got gold records, just those things of life that are irreplaceable." Dallas says that Brown was notified of the Friday fire upon leaving the stage after a two-and-a-half hour performance in Virginia. "In keeping with the heart and tradition of this man, his first question was 'Is anyone hurt?'" Dallas says. When the attorney told him there were no injuries, Brown reportedly replied, "Well, God will get us through the rest of it." In addition to the memorabilia losses, Brown also lost a number of master tapes, many of which contained unreleased recordings. "I don't know how you can measure that kind of loss," Dallas says. "This magnanimous man is now having to deal with another obstacle. I continue to be amazed at his resilience and his seeming eternal optimism about life" . . .

DMX will spend fifteen days in the slammer for his March 3 arrest on various driving charges. The rapper was arrested following a Ruff Ryders/Cash Money performance and for speeding, failure to signal, driving without a license and possession of marijuana. In addition to the prison sentence, Cheektowaga, N.Y. Judge Ronald Kmiotek hit DMX (a.k.a. Earl Simmons) with a $350 fine. DMX appealed the ruling, so there is no word yet on when he is to begin serving his sentence . . .

Though she sparked rumors that she might rejoin ELASTICA by popping up to perform "Connection" onstage with them in London last month, DONNA MATTHEWS is definitely connecting to her own career first. The former guitarist/vocalist -- who also wrote many of Elastica's songs, including "Blue" and "Annie" -- has her own deal in the works with ex-Creation boss Alan McGee's new multi-media venture and internet record label, Poptones. In addition to Matthews, Poptones has also signed the Beta Band's guest rapper Sean Revron. Elastica's long-awaited second album, The Menace, features three songs written by Matthews, who left the band during its long hiatus . . .

D.J. MUGGS of CYPRESS HILL is currently readying his second solo album, The Soul Assassins: Chapter Two, in Los Angeles. A follow-up to 1997's Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins, Muggs' latest work will feature appearances by KOOL G RAP, GOODIE M.O.B., Rage Against the Machine frontman ZACK DE LA ROCHA, MOBB DEEP and Wu-Tang's GZA. The Soul Assassins: Chapter Two is due out in August on RuffNation Records. Cypress Hill released their fifth studio album, Skull & Bones, last week . . .

Who knew that the HANSON brothers would be such Web frontiersman? First the wholesome threesome hooked up with Internet impresario David Bowie and Ultrastar to create a state-of-the-art web presence. Now they're taking another step into the unknown with a 3-D chat and concert on May 6. What do we mean by that? When fans go to www.worlds.com, they will be asked to create an "avatar," essentially a paper-doll rendering of themselves, from a virtual ID kit. Fans can either approximate what they actually look like, or go wild and become a six-foot-tall amazon with blonde dreads. Then the super-fan creations will be able to chat with Zac, Taylor or Ike -- or other fans who log in for the cyber event -- or "experience the concert as if it were live," or so the wigs at Worlds.com tell us. . .

RINGO STARR has become the darling of boomer commerce. Not only has the former Beatles drummer been doing commercials for Charles Schwab, but the real estate mavens at Century 21, in conjunction with their Century21.com Web site, have decided to sponsor Starr's sixth All-Starr outing. In a press conference held on May 1, Starr and his semi-famous sidekicks -- including former Cream bassist JACK BRUCE, Raspberry singer ERIC CARMEN, Bad Company's SIMON KIRKE and Rockpile guitarist DAVE EDMUNDS -- announced a nineteen-city tour that kicks off on May 12 in Atlantic City, N.J., at the Trump Taj Mahal. The tour winds up at Milwaukee's Summerfest on July 1 . . .

DAVID BOWIE announced to those hanging out in his BowieNet chatroom Monday night that he will play three shows at New York's Roseland Ballroom on June 16, 17 and 19. However, fans are advised to stay tuned for an "official" announcement before bee-lining for the Big Apple. Bowie will also headline the closing night of England's Glastonbury Festival on June 25 . . .

In addition to seeing release through DAVID GRISMAN's Acoustic Disc label, the semi-legendary The Pizza Tapes recording, which features Grisman, JERRY GARCIA and TONY RICE is being offered on Liquid Audio. The heavily bootlegged set will be available from any Liquid Audio affiliate. Fourteen of the album's twenty tracks can be purchased, with the other six available for free download . . .

Country music legend BILL WOODS died Sunday after suffering a stroke on Saturday. As guitarist, bandleader and musical director at Bakersfield, California's legendary Blackboard, the honky tonk that served as the epicenter of the Bakersfield Sound in the Fifties and Sixties, Woods held court with the likes of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Red Simpson and Ferlin Husky. The multi-instrumentalist gave Owens his first shot as a singer, urging the young guitarist to step up to the mike for Woods' own Orange Blossom Playboys. Woods was seventy-five . . .

CHUCK D is down with Napster. In an April 29 column in the New York Times, the MP3-cheerleading rapper claims that Napster and similar companies are "creating new fan interest and establishing a new infrastructure for unknown artists to attract an audience." Mista Chuck plans to issue a more thorough statement on his Napster stance in an upcoming issue of "Terrordome," his newsletter on www.public-enemy.com. Meanwhile, D's Rapstation.com has joined Napster for a songwriting contest. The gist of the contest is that aspiring writers must write a set of lyrics on the topic of Napster support to the tune of Chuck D's "Power to the People and the Beats." Contestants must download the music to the track, rap over it and then load it onto Rapstation.com. Entries must be received by May 14 at midnight (EST) and online voting will determine the winner, to be announced on May 26. The winning track will receive free MP3 posting and a cool five grand . . .

SUGAR RAY's MARK MCGRATH trades in his rocker duds for scrubs when he takes on a guest role on NBC's top-rated series ER. McGrath has already filmed his part as Dr. Nadio, and the episode looks to air during sweeps on May 11. Two days later, McGrath meets up with his band at KIIS FM's Wango-Tango concert at Dodgers' Stadium in Los Angeles, joining Marc Anthony, 'N Sync, and Enrique Iglesias on May 13 . . .

JOHN LEE HOOKER cancelled his first visit to Europe in ten years for medical reasons. The eighty-two-year-old bluesman was scheduled to perform at the Bishopstock Festival in Devon, England, on May 29, but his doctors cautioned against it when they found a vascular condition that may require surgery. "It is a significant problem, but with an operation he could be better than he was before," explained Hooker's manager, Mike Kappas. "It's not a cancer situation, not a heart situation. But it is a vascular situation which means it has to do with his veins, his blood vessels." The Hook could undergo surgery as early as this week. So far he has canceled dates for the next two months, but Kappas said that he would likely return to the stage by mid-year . . .

GAVIN ROSSDALE seems to be suffering no ill effects after passing out on stage in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on April 13. After a battery of tests, it was determined that he was suffering from an electrolyte imbalance -- something he's vowed to rectify. In an interview with the British press, the BUSH frontman sheepishly admitted that there was something in the water in Michigan -- Vodka. "I just lost a little bit of fluids and carbohydrates. Dehydration and electrolyte loss, all that stuff," he said. "It was a little strange, but I didn't slow down at all. I haven't had a chance to. But I did learn to eat a little better, and rest a little more. Vodka and water doesn't replace salts in the body." . . .

It looks like a HEART revival is in the making. Sofia Coppola tapped the two Wilson sister tracks for her Virgin Suicides and VH1 is currently developing a movie about the Seattle band. And Sony execs will meet with Ann and Nancy later this week to begin talks about putting together a box set of Heart's biggest hits. According to Sony Legacy's Randy Haecker, the Wilsons haven't even started going through the vaults, but did promise that the package -- which will contain three CDs -- will include some never released stuff (B-sides, outtakes and live performances) from the Seattle-based band: "That's why we're going to meet with them, to decide what we're exactly going to put on the discs," Haecker says. The set is tentatively scheduled for release this September . . .

After complaints from both SARAH MCLACHLAN and CHERYL WHEELER, Jefferson County, Colo., officials have removed the soundtrack from a videotape documenting the Columbine High School massacre. Though the tapes will still be made available to the public for a fee of $25, they will no longer include McLachlan's "I Will Remember You" or Wheeler's "If It Were Up to Me." "We have not violated any copyright laws," Jefferson County attorney Frank Hutfless said in a statement released Friday. "I feel that we would have a very strong case if we were forced to go to court to defend alleged copyright violations. However, to avoid any unnecessary legal wrangling, we will remove the [songs] . . . We regret any anguish that has been caused to the victims and their families and to the community." Authorities also plan to exchange soundtrack versions with soundless ones at the request of those who have purchased the videotape. More than 100 copies of the tape have already been sold . . .

ANDREW DANSBY, JOLIE LASH, CHRISTINA SARACENO, RICHARD SKANSE, JAAN UHELSZKI, JENNIFER VINEYARD
(May 6, 2000)