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USHER launched the non-profit organization, New Look, Inc. -- aimed at helping disadvantaged youth -- on June 10th in New York. The R&B superstar will host a fundraiser on July 8th at New York's Capitale in support of the organization's first project, Camp New Look, a sports and entertainment camp . . . STAIND lead singer AARON LEWIS and wife Vanessa had their second daughter, Nyla Rae, on June 9th in New Hampshire. The band plans to release its new album, Chapter V, on August 9th . . . CHINGY and METHOD MAN have signed on to produce exclusive tunes for RUSSELL SIMMONS' new wireless company, Def Jam Mobile . . . TOMMY LEE, DAVE NAVARRO and PAUL OAKENFOLD will have the grand opening for their Los Angeles bar/dining lounge, Rokbar Hollywood, on June 30th . . . Country duo BROOKS AND DUNN will host the thirty-ninth annual CMA Awards at New York's Madison Square Garden on November 15th . . . Los Angeles punk rockers PENNYWISE will release The Fuse, the follow-up to 2003's From the Ashes, on August 9th . . . Veteran New York indie rockers the FLESHTONES will release Beachhead, their thirteenth studio album, on August 9th . . .
Rapper MC LYTE will make appearances at Nubian Heritage bookstores June 24th to 26th in conjunction with the release of her book, Just My Take . . . LIZ PHAIR will kick off an acoustic tour on July 26th in Boston, wrapping up August 19th in San Francisco . . . Defunct San Francisco indie rockers BEULAH will drop the aptly titled DVD A Good Band Is Easy to Kill on August 2nd. The release features the band on tour in support of their 2003 album, Yoko . . . NICKEL CREEK will release the live album, Why Should the Fire Die?, on August 9th. The CD features a cover of BOB DYLAN's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" . . . Heartland roots rockers the BEL-AIRS, the MORELLS, the DOMINO KINGS and BRIAN CAPPS will kick off the Big Noise from Springfield, MO tour on August 12th in Washington, D.C. . . . BIG AND RICH will release the follow-up to their breakout debut, Horse of a Different Color, on November 8th . . . Seventies prog-rockers GENTLE GIANT will celebrate their thirty-fifth anniversary with the release of the remastered albums In'terview and The Power and Glory on June 21st . . .
VELVET REVOLVER have cancelled their final five European shows citing family obligations and the need to do pre-production work on their next album. The scrapped cities are Montreux and Zurich, Switzerland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Bergen, Norway; and Turku, Finland; from July 3rd to 10th . . . JAY-Z has launched the S. Carter Academy Remix Challenge -- an online contest in which fans place their own original beats over an a cappella track (available by download) by Jay-Z, MEMPHIS BLEEK or YOUNG GUNZ. The deadline to submit music to the scarteracademy.com is July 5th . . . E STREET BAND keyboardist DANNY FEDERICI will release Out of a Dream on July 26th. The jazz instrumental album features a cover of the ROLLING STONES' "Miss You" . . . ALANIS MORISSETTE will be featured on ABC's 20/20 airing Friday, June 10th . . .
SHELBY LYNNE, INDIGO GIRLS, STEVE EARLE, JEFF TWEEDY and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT will perform at Canada's Calgary Folk Festival, July 21st to 24th . . . SANTANA will kick off the second leg of their North American tour on September 15th in San Jose, California . . . Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the TWISTED SISTER double-sided DVDplus Live at Wacken: The Reunion on June 28th . . . Former METALLICA bassist JASON NEWSTED, blues guitarist ROY ROGERS and CARL COLETTI have recorded four songs as HEARD OF ELEMENTS . . . NEIL YOUNG will be the subject of an as-yet-untitled upcoming concert film. The film will be taped and directed by JONATHAN DEMME in August at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry . . . Classic rockers DEEP PURPLE will begin a U.S. tour on June 22nd in Seattle . . .
ANDRE 3000 and COMMON are joining celebrities in supporting PETA with television and print advertisements campaigning for vegetarians. The ads can be viewed on petaworld.com. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE'S CHRIS WALLA will also appear in a public service announcement for PETA's youth movement, PETA2 . . . Songs composed by AC/DC singer BRIAN JOHNSON for the musical Helen of Troy will be performed at a June 13th concert at New York's Canal Room . . . BOB DYLAN's self-titled debut album and his third album, The Times They Are A-Changin', have been remastered for June 21st reissues . . . ELTON JOHN and MARY J. BLIGE will make guest appearances on PATTI LABELLE's new album, Classic Moments, due June 21st. The CD features the diva covering the DELFONICS, EARTH, WIND AND FIRE, GLORIA GAYNOR and the PRETENDERS . . . BEN HARPER hits the road on July 12th in Vancouver before heading into the studio to work on his next album. The tour -- which replaces the recently cancelled Zooma tour -- wraps on August 1st in Atlanta . . .
PETER GABRIEL will release his first complete video collection DVD, Peter Gabriel: Play, on November 16th. The DVD will feature eighteen solo videos and trailers of the performer's most recent release, Growing Up Live, Growing Up on Tour: A Family Portrait . . . SNOOP DOGG's brother BING and DJ QUIK's cousin H.I.T. have joined together to form LIFESTYLE. A release date for the duo's debut, Lubrication, has yet to be determined . . . P. DIDDY will host the three-day Vibe MusicFest, which kicks off June 10th in Atlanta . . . The MARS VOLTA will curate All Tomorrow's Parties: Nightmare Before Christmas festival, taking place December 2nd to 4th in London. The KILLS, BLONDE REDHEAD and HIGH ON FIRE are set to perform . . . Scottish rockers IDLEWILD will release their next album Warnings/Promises on August 16th . . . SAM BUSH and GEORGE CLINTON will perform at the fourth annual Freedom Fest at the Church of Universal Love and Music on July 1st to 3rd in Acme, Pennsylvania . . . FOXY BROWN will release Black Roses on August 23rd. The album will feature tracks with retired rapper and Def Jam President JAY-Z and dancehall artist SIZZLA . . .
CHINGY, the DONNAS, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE and JOAN JETT will perform at the Nike Run Hit Wonder tour, which kicks off July 20th at New York's Central Park and will visit Portland, Oregon; Chicago; and Los Angeles. The tour will feature runners competing in 5 mile, 5K and 10K races . . . MADONNA released the fifth installment in her series of children's books, Lotsa de Casha, on June 7th. The book, which completes the series, is about a rich man that loses all his money but gains a friend . . . The fifth-annual Baltimore/Washington KISS Expo will be held October 16th in Baltimore. The event will feature the tribute band LOVE GUN as well as a Kiss lookalike contest . . . Sirius satellite radio will air an exclusive JIMMY BUFFETT concert live from Bristol, Virginia, on June 15th to launch its new Radio Margaritaville channel . . . TONY BENNETT will introduce guest speaker WYNTON MARSALIS at the graduation ceremony for the FRANK SINATRA School of the Arts in New York City on June 27th . . .
The mother of LIT's A. JAY and JEREMY POPOFF is in critical condition after a drunk driver struck the motorcycle driven by her husband, killing him instantly. A memorial page and fund have been set up on the band's Web site, litlounge.com . . . TEENAGE FANCLUB will hit the road in support of their new album, Man-Made, on July 18th in Carrboro, North Carolina . . . TONI BRAXTON will release Libra, the follow-up to 2002's More Than a Woman, in September. The first single, "Please," was produced by SCOTT STORCH (BEYONCE, GWEN STEFANI, FAT JOE, 50 CENT) . . . KELLER WILLIAMS, MATISYAHU and MEDESKI, MARTIN AND WOOD will join MOE. at this year's Moe.down festival on September 2nd to 4th in Turin, New York . . . FEAR FACTORY fans can preview music from the band's new album Transgression, due August 23rd, on the video game Rainbow Six Lockdown. The game hits stores August 3rd . . . The STRING CHEESE INCIDENT will release their fifth studio album, One Step Closer, on June 28th . . . The newly reunited POSIES will release Every Kind of Light on June 28th, with a North American tour to follow in September . . . Blues guitarist ELVIN BISHOP will release Gettin' My Groove Back August 16th on Blind Pig Records . . .
STEVIE WONDER and KELLY CLARKSON will perform during the 2005 NBA finals, which kicked off June 9th on ABC. Clarkson will sing the anthem for Game Two via satellite, while Wonder will perform his new single "So What the Fuss" to kick off Game Three . . . BECK, STEREOLAB and the EELS are featured on the compilation album Dimension Mix, due August 23rd. The album features artists performing covers and remixes of music by electronic artists BRUCE HAACK and ESTHER NELSON to benefit autism charities. Beck will cover Haack's "Funky Lil' Song," with Stereolab tackling the psychedelic "Mudra" . . . SYSTEM OF A DOWN will kick off their North American tour in support of their Number One album Mezmerize on August 4th in Long Beach, California. The MARS VOLTA and BAD ACID TRIP will open . . .
Indie rockers STEPHEN MALKMUS and YO LA TENGO will team for a Fourth of July concert at New York's Battery Park . . . GEORGE CLINTON won a court ruling on June 2nd that grants him possession of the master recordings of four classic FUNKADELIC albums: Hardcore Jollies, One Nation Under a Groove, Uncle Jam Wants You and The Electric Spanking of War Babies . . . SOMETHING CORPORATE and JACK'S MANNEQUIN frontman ANDREW McMAHON has been diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia forcing the two bands to cancel upcoming tour plans . . . GARTH BROOKS has split from his Capitol Records Nashville. The country star's albums are now licensed to EMI under his Pearl Records label . . . FAT JOE's new album All or Nothing, due in stores June 14th, will include a copy of the promotional comic book The Heist in select record stores. The comic book features Joe, TWISTA, T.I., FABOLOUS, TRICK DADDY and LIL' KIM teaming up to recover a stolen diamond. Fans can log onto Atlantic Records Web site and enter a contest to win a free copy of the book and a chance at a Sony PSP . . .