In Brief: Beck, Stripes

BECK has begun lining up dates for the U.S. leg of his Guero tour. After the European leg wraps in late June, he will head back to California, playing Santa Cruz on July 11th, Santa Barbara on the 19th, Universal City on the 22nd and 23rd. Electronic punks LE TIGRE will open . . . The WHITE STRIPES will make their second U.S. appearance at San Diego's Street Scene 2005. The two-day event, July 29th and 30th, will also feature the KILLERS, BLACK EYED PEAS, SNOOP DOGG, the PIXIES, GARBAGE, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE and HOT HOT HEAT . . . COLDPLAY will preview songs off their upcoming LP X&Y, answer questions and perform live on Sirius satellite radio's The Spectrum (channel 18), Alt Nation (channel 21) and Sirius Disorder (channel 24) on June 4th to 12th . . . NINE INCH NAILS will headline the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans on October 29th and 30th . . .

ASHANTI will star in the upcoming Twentieth Century Fox film John Tucker Must Die alongside Desperate Housewives actor JESSE METCALFE . . . LOUIS XIV, ROBBERS ON HIGH STREET, TEGAN AND SARA, BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO and the PONYS will perform at the Midwest Music Summit in Indianapolis, July 21st to 23rd . . . DEF LEPPARD will release the covers albums Yeah! on September 20th. The album will feature the metal men covering songs by the POLICE, DAVID BOWIE, THIN LIZZY, BLONDIE, and the MC5 . . . The WU-TANG CLAN'S RZA and CYPRESS HILL's B-REAL will host Rock the Bells on July 30th in San Bernardino, California. The hip-hop festival will feature performances by NAS, REDMAN, WU-TANG CLAN members RAEKWON and GHOSTFACE, CUT CHEMIST and GANG STARR's GURU . . . Teen pop singer JOJO will star alongside ROBIN WILLIAMS in the upcoming adventure comedy R.V. . . . British hard rockers the DARKNESS have split with bassist FRANKIE POULLAIN, citing "musical differences" . . .

ROB THOMAS has signed a deal with ABC to use his song, "This Is How a Heart Breaks," as the anthem for the NBA playoffs. The song will heard during the opening video of each game, starting in June . . . BRITNEY SPEARS, FAITH HILL, TIM MCGRAW, STEVEN TYLER, JOE PERRY, KIRK FRANKLIN, VINCE GILL, MONICA and 'N SYNC are featured on the OnQ Digital compilation video, Tribute to Pope John Paul II, where they pay tribute to the late Pope by reading his prayers and poems. The video is currently available for purchase at popejpii.navio.com . . . MUDVAYNE, SHADOWS FALL, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, HATEBREED and AS I LAY DYING will perform at the second annual Aggressive Music festival in Glen Falls, New York, on July 16th . . . EMINEM will release the 2002 Anger Management tour on DVD June 28th -- including access to download the uncut version of the rapper's "Ass Like That" video. The Anger Management 3 tour kicks off July 7th in Indianapolis . . .

ERIC CLAPTON, BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, WARREN HAYNES, DAVE MATTHEWS, TED BEARD, AUBREY GHENT and the LEE BOYS are featured in the ROBERT RANDOLPH-based documentary, Press On, which is currently being screened across the country . . . DMX will release his new album, Here We Go Again, on June 28th. . . Hard rockers FRANKENSTEIN 3000 will release an as-yet-untitled covers album this summer, featuring NEW YORK DOLLS frontman DAVID JOHANSEN, former RUNAWAYS singer CHERIE CURRIE and DEAD BOYS guitarist CHEETAH CHROME. The album includes songs originally recorded by the BEATLES, the RAMONES, the VELVET UNDERGROUND, CHEAP TRICK, the PRETENDERS, QUEEN, the NEW YORK DOLLS and JOE JACKSON . . . Alt-punk band SON VOLT will release their new album, Okemah and the Melody of Riot, on July 12th . . . The STRING CHEESE INCIDENT, MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD, KELLER WILLIAMS, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND, UMPHREY'S McGEE and NEW MONSOON will perform at the Big Summer Classic 2005 tour, which kicks off July 2nd in Denver, finishing up July 24th in New Haven, Connecticut . . .