Rancid

Fight Songs: What Do The UFC's Baddest Fighters Play To Get Pumped?

14 Dec 2006 16:04:00 EST

Eminem, 50 Cent, Korn get UFC fighters in the mood to pummel.
By Robert Mancini

The sky drapes over the hills of California's wine country like an infant's pristine blue blanket. A trio of cats tumble through a patch of dry leaves and the sun beats down as if no one bothered to mention that it's now December. It's about as idyllic a scene as you could imagine.

Suddenly, the chop of Pantera's "Walk" tears the air like a rusty razor, surging over the surrounding hills and, not surprisingly, scattering the cats. The song is barking from an iPod docking station perched next to a mat surrounded on eight sides by chain-link fence (an Octagon, to those familiar with mixed martial arts) which has been plunked down, almost impossibly, on the side of a sloping, wooded hill.

Inside, one of the world's most dangerous men — Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell — is bouncing around the cage, spitting out Phil Anselmo's lyrics and shadowboxing in a way that makes you feel sorry for the air that surrounds him. He pushes hard, Pantera seemingly coursing through his veins and fueling his brutal dance. The song drives him — and frankly, he can use the help.

That's because some 300 miles away, the incongruous sounds of Kid Rock's "I Am the Bullgod" roar from a red barn that sits beyond the tony ski lodges and tourist traps of Big Bear, California. Inside, Tito Ortiz — a UFC legend and the man who intends to take Liddell's championship from him in just a few short weeks — is prowling his own Octagon, honing his craft against a constantly rotating cast of five different sparring partners. One man challenges Tito; they tangle and sprawl across the mat, trading fists, knees and elbows. Soon, without pause, another fresh fighter takes his place. The grueling pace goes on for 45 minutes — and this is just one slice of his eight-hour training session today. There will be more sparring, there will be weightlifting and, of course, there will be running ... miles and miles of running. Fortunately for Tito, he'll get energy boosts along the way from Kid, Korn and Eminem.

THE WORK

Most of us turn to music to help push us over our daily humps: Getting out of bed, getting to work, getting through spin class. It's no surprise then that the same strategy (and in many cases, the very same music) drives men who push themselves to the limit in a sport that demands knowledge of disciplines from kickboxing to jujitsu, and everything in between. Exactly how tough is this sport, you ask? Chuck and Tito's fight on December 30 will be the culmination of weeks of conditioning, months of training and years of study.

"In the beginning, the guys who used to fight were just jujitsu guys like Royce Gracie or punchers like Tank Abbott," Ortiz explained. "They didn't understand the whole Rubik's Cube of mixed martial arts, where you have to know jujitsu, you have to know kickboxing, you have to know wrestling. You need the cardio and the weight training. It's like a recipe. You have to put it together in the right ways and do the right things at the right time."

For Tito, fight preparation means sequestering himself in Big Bear (the thin mountain air enhances his conditioning) and pushing himself for eight hours of running, weightlifting, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling a day, six days a week. "To put a whole game plan together is really a physical challenge," Ortiz added. "The mental side of it, waking up every day, knowing what do I have to do ... To put my body through a grind session, it's painful — it's a mental torture."

Liddell, however, takes a "less is more" (yet still daunting) approach. "Honestly, I work out two to three times a day; each workout is about an hour and a half," he explained. "I've heard a lot of guys saying they train eight hours a day, but I've been with some of those guys and unless they count puttin' on their clothes and driving to the gym and talking to their friends afterward, they don't train eight hours a day. I think it's more about quality than quantity."

And for Ortiz and Liddell — two of the biggest names in a sport rapidly surging in popularity — the unique pressures are even greater. While their December 30 main event will undoubtedly be a battle, it is also expected to be the biggest mixed martial arts event in history, a new watershed for a sport that recently has been drawing more young viewers than the NBA or Major League Baseball. No pressure there, right?

"You can't really explain the energy at a place like the MGM [Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where the fight will be held] when it's sold out and it's a big fight night," Liddell said. "You can't transfer it to a TV."

"I guess it's like a cross between a boxing match and a rock concert. There's no energy like it," Ortiz agreed. "Some people do skydiving, other people get in bullrings and fight. Some people play in the World Series or the Super Bowl. I get in the Octagon and compete to see who is the toughest man in the world. Ultimate Fighting is what I do ... and I've been doing a very good job up to this point."

THE PLAYLIST

Until the moment when the crowd roars and the Octagon door swings shut, the key for both men is to remain focused and motivated. And for both, that means tucking in their headphones, picking a playlist and shutting out the world. Whether it's Liddell's morning sprints in the thick sands of Pismo Beach, Ortiz's afternoon runs through the hills of Big Bear, or either man's extended gym sessions, their music always close at hand. "There are times when I'm pushing myself and I don't think I can go harder, but then a good song comes on and I get a huge adrenaline rush and my endorphins kick in," Ortiz explained.

There's a good deal of overlap between Liddell and Ortiz's iPods, not surprising given that both deal in bold, naked aggression: You'll hear DMX and 50 Cent in both men's respective gyms. But the deeper you dig into their playlists, the more clear the distinction between the two becomes. Liddell — a soft-spoken and seemingly single-minded fighter — rocks a catalog that plays like a roadside jukejoint dream, where George Strait sits side-by-side with Suicidal Tendencies. There's the ballsy blues-rock of George Thorogood, the heartland rock of Staind, the unholy whirl of Slayer and the proud twang of Travis Tritt.

Liddell puts together a fresh playlist for each of his fights, and while the details may change, it's usually raw and aggressive. "It really helps when I'm training. It gets you fired up," he said. So as Liddell prepares to return to the Octagon, he loads his iPod with Slayer ("Angel of Death" is a favorite), Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power is in heavy rotation), Nickelback, Rancid and Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards (hang around Liddell long enough and eventually you'll hear "Skunx"). Then there's his love of country. "It's fun for me to put on a few country songs while we're training because I'm one of the few people [at the gym] who likes them," Liddell laughed.

Chances are, no one's going to challenge his monopoly of the sound system, no matter what he's playing. Much like the music on his playlist, Liddell is straight-shooting, hard-hitting and rock-solid. Unlike his music, however, he is also soft-spoken, a genial man but one who would seemingly rather be fighting than doing just about anything. His soundtrack — much like his focus — is all about the ring.

Meanwhile Ortiz — the brash character whose larger-than-life image is outsized only by his accomplishments — seems drawn to stirring and boastful anthems, hip-hop and otherwise. Where Liddell shuffles, Ortiz swaggers with the aid of Ludacris, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and his longtime friends in Korn. The soundtrack of Ortiz's youth came courtesy of the Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath his troubled parents gravitated toward, and the Cali punk that surrounded him in Huntington Beach, California. But he would eventually draw inspiration in the bold boasts and high living of hip-hop, fixating on the better life he dreamt of for himself.

He can vividly recall a college trip to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where a promise was made over Tupac's "Picture Me Rollin'." "I remember looking at [a friend] and saying, 'Watch, dude, I'm gonna make it and you're gonna listen to this song and remember me because you're going to close your eyes and picture me rolling,' " Ortiz recalled. "It's funny because it's just little things like that, like 'Rollin' in My 500 Benz' ... it's money, it's all material things. But when you come from a poor family and you don't have anything and you see everyone having all that stuff, you get really jealous of it. I had to pretty much put on an act in front of people because I didn't want them to know that I was poor. I couldn't bring them to the motel that we were staying at because my parents were drug addicts. I couldn't show them my parents because I was very embarrassed by it — I'd say, 'My parents aren't here today, they're out of town.' So I look at those kinds of things in music, and they kind of inspire me to be a better person."

For Tito, the drive he finds in his music is about more than the fight; it's about the life. He's a mogul in training, a man who can clearly see Jay-Z's blueprint ... and 50's and Eminem's. There's the fighting, but there's also the clothing line (Punishment Athletics), the lust-worthy girlfriend (Jenna Jameson) and the Hollywood aspirations (he's pondering his own reality show). "If you have the charisma to hold a camera, you're going to go far," Ortiz said. "If you're just going to fight for the rest of your life, all of a sudden you'll be 40 years old, teaching karate classes at your local dojo."

His first taste of stardom came early, courtesy of his friends in Korn as he watched them rise from backyard gigs to the multiplatinum lifestyle. "I envied them, because they had all the cars. The

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Vans Warped Tour Turns 10 — So What's Its Secret?

24 Jun 2004 19:41:00 EDT

Veterans of the punk-rock summer camp try to explain.
By Corey Moss

Who knew punks were so persistent?

When New Found Glory, Yellowcard and several dozen other bands take the stage Friday at Houston's Reliant Park, it'll mark the start of the Vans Warped Tour's 10th year (see "New Found Glory, Bad Religion Get Warped; Itinerary Set"). That's longer than any other touring festival, including Ozzfest.

Back in 1995, it seemed traveling musical circuses were the wave of the future, with something for everyone in Lollapalooza, Lilith Fair, H.O.R.D.E. and Smokin' Grooves. Over the next decade, however, each called it quits (see "Lollapalooza Canceled; Organizers Cite Poor Ticket Sales"), and other upstarts met the same fate. Ozzfest, which launched in 1996, and Warped have been the exceptions, though there are reports that ticket sales for the former are down.

Kevin Lyman, who launched the Vans Warped Tour after seeing the impact live music had at skateboarding exhibitions, has hit upon a formula for attracting both fans and bands year in and year out.

"First and foremost, the reason why Warped Tour has lasted longer than any of the other tours is the ticket price," said Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory, one of this year's unofficial headliners.

"It's like $25 for 100 bands," said Tre Cool of Warped veterans Green Day. "That's less than a buck a band."

Actually, this year's Warped Tour features 125 bands, though many, such as Good Charlotte, are staggered throughout the summer, so it works out to about 50 bands per show. Cool was correct about the ticket prices, though, which are $25, and if you buy them on through Internet pre-sales, that includes a Warped CD.

What makes the tickets such a bargain, of course, is the lineup.

"They've got a lot of variety," said Randy Bradbury of Pennywise, who will return for Warped's official 10th anniversary reunion show August 20 in Boston. "Kevin tries to keep his ear to the ground and get what the kids want to see."

Even if the kids want to see a little bit of everything.

"They'll always have the few new bands, they'll always have three maybe artsy kind of different bands, and then they'll have the five bands that have been around forever," Gilbert said. "I think, too, the bands that are on the Warped Tour are the kind of bands that draw fans, bands like NOFX and Bad Religion. They might not be on MTV and be on the radio, but when they go on tour, they always draw a couple thousand people, no matter if they have a new album or not.

"I think a lot of the summer tours, they revolve around more of the bands that have big singles." Gilbert continued. "Warped Tour will exist with or without [radio]."

Another draw is that the big names on Warped each year more often than not have played the smaller stages in past years, said Story of the Year guitarist Ryan Phillips, who knows from experience. This year's Briggs could be next year's Simple Plan, which adds an element of excitement to the event.

"A band like the Sounds that'll be on this summer, they've toured tons in the U.S., but the fans of Warped Tour have probably never seen them and they probably would love them, which is cool," Gilbert said.

"I like the fact, too, that they add some hip-hop bands to it," said New Found Glory's other guitarist, Steve Klein. "Eminem did it one year. Ice-T did it one year. Atmosphere's on it this year."

A testament to the Warped Tour's appeal to bands is how many return each summer even without new albums to promote, like Good Charlotte are doing this year.

"It's the best tour to do by far," said Rancid's Lars Frederiksen, who's playing this year with his Bastards side project. "You get to see all these people that you haven't seen in a while and you get to make a lot of new friends too. It's like punk-rock summer camp."

Bands have referred to Warped as "punk-rock summer camp" for years, probably because of the nightly barbeques and bonfires, along with other backstage activities.

"A lot of gambling goes on," Green Day's Mike Dirnt said.

"I remember massive games of C-Low, tons of cash," his bandmate Billie Joe Armstrong added. "For a bunch of poor punk rockers, they still have a lot of freaking cash. But I came out ahead many times, I must say."

Armstrong has also been known to crash golf carts and mopeds, which is just the beginning of the dangerous games going on.

"In Florida, we saw a dude swim with alligators," Story of the Year's Dan Marsala said. "It was one of Pennywise's road guys or something, and he was wasted and everyone was like, 'Do it! Jump in! It's gonna be cool!' "

Gator-baiting aside, the tour's vibe is famously friendly.

"It's such a, like, family outing," Yellowcard's Ryan Key said.

"There's just such an appreciation of that go-out-and-do-it-yourself, work hard [attitude], especially all the bands that have been touring that sort of underground circuit," added Key's bandmate Sean Mackin. "That brings so many people together."

With all the musical bonding at Warped, it's easy to forget the tour also features skateboarding and other extreme sports shows. And then there's that other selling point.

"Let's not forget that Vans makes a very nice shoe," Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz joked.

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Rancid Play Punk Mecca (Finally) For Video; World Tour Ahead

16 Jan 2004 07:57:00 EST

California band plays New York's legendary CBGB for 'Red Hot Moon' clip.
By Corey Moss

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Imagine seeing Rancid's first show at the legendary New York punk club CBGB. Or just turn on MTV and watch it.

After touring the punk circuit for more than 10 years, the Berkeley, California, band finally played the shoddy East Village venue late last year for their new video, "Red Hot Moon."

"We played pretty much everywhere else in New York: Limelight, the Wetlands, Roseland, ABC No Rio, Randall's Island — every defunct club known to man," singer/guitarist Lars Frederiksen said recently. "But for some reason we never played CBGB. Playing CB's was an honor, because so many great bands [started there]. The Ramones, of course, Blondie and bands like that. And don't forget Agnostic Front, Sick of It All, Cro-Mags, Madball and H20. A lot of New York hardcore bands cut their teeth there."

The "Red Hot Moon" video combines performance — including a cameo from Transplants singer Rob Aston, who raps on the track — with a narrative relating to the personal story that inspired the bouncy song.

"It's about Campbell, California, my hometown, and a girl there who kind of ended up taking her own life," Frederiksen said. "She didn't wake up one night."

"Red Hot Moon" is the second single from Rancid's Indestructible (see "Rancid Transform Heartbreak Into Indestructible Punk Rock"), following "Fall Back Down." That two singles have been released since August is an accomplishment, given the band's dislike for choosing them.

"Every song is like a baby," Frederiksen explained. "You watch it grow and then, when it finally gets all mixed and done, you feel like you've just changed its diapers. So [picking favorites] is hard because you're basically going to make one of them your redheaded stepchild. And I'm red-headed."

Rancid are taking January off, partly so founder Tim Armstrong can expand his burgeoning writing and producing career (see "Rancid Frontman Says He'd Do Anything For His Homegirl Pink; Gwen's On Deck"). In February, though, the band will launch a world tour, beginning with a month in Japan.

"Japan is one of those places where you can find anything from 20 years in the past to 20 years in the future," Frederiksen mused. "If you've seen the movie 'Blade Runner,' you know what Japan looks like. So we're excited to go."

Although Rancid have pretty much done it all now that they've played CBGB, Frederiksen said they get more stoked to tour with each album.

"We are the type of band that believes 100 percent in every song we put on a record," he explained. "We average 20 songs a record and we have six records out, so that's, what, 120 songs? Plus all the 7-inches and B-sides. We have like 146 songs to choose from every night we play."

And with each new record comes new fans.

"There's tons of new kids, a lot of punks, skinheads, a lot of whatever," Frederiksen said. "We get old bikers to moms, so it's all cool."

Rancid have not yet decided on summer plans — "We make last-minute decisions," Frederiksen said. But the guitarist hopes to record another album with his side group, the Bastards.

"Bastards, Transplants — when there's time to do them, we do them," Frederiksen said. "It's going to be me and Tim writing all the songs again, with Tim producing it. Bastards is basically Lars Frederiksen and Tim Armstrong, our little band."

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Blink-182, Staind, Rancid React To News Of Saddam's Capture

15 Dec 2003 16:52:00 EST

'Today's a good day,' Mark Hoppus says.
By Corey Moss

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — The monitors backstage at KROQ-FM's Almost Acoustic Christmas festival on Sunday were broadcasting the performances nearby, but discussion in the dressing rooms centered on what was unfolding on TV screens everywhere else.

Saddam Hussein had just been captured (see "Bush To Saddam: 'Good Riddance' ").

"Today's a good day," said Mark Hoppus, singer/bassist of Blink-182, who recently traveled to the Middle East to perform for U.S. troops.

"We think it's funny that a big turd like him got caught as a coward in a little hole with rats and lice," added singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge, whose brother serves in the Navy. "He's not ever coming back [to power]. I think it's a good day for [Iraqis], us as Americans, and the president can't be too sad about it either."

Hussein, who was found hiding in a hole near his hometown of Tikrit, is now a prisoner of the U.S. government.

"Someone just told me, and I was like, 'Whoa,' " a relieved Jonathan Davis said. "The guy's an evil man ... gassing his own people and all that stuff. If all those things I've heard are true of him and his sons — or at least if half of it is true — he needs to pay."

The Korn singer was especially interested to learn Hussein was carrying a pistol but surrendered without a fight. "He pussed out, of course he did," Davis said. "It's just how it goes. I hope they fry his ass."

Some members of Staind caught the footage of the Iraqi leader, bearded and being tested for lice, before arriving at the Universal Amphitheater for the second day of KROQ's annual holiday concert.

"It looked like they dragged him out of the gutter, it was rough," Aaron Lewis said.

"And you know what, it's good to see him like that," Mike Mushok added.

"From his multiple billion-dollar mansions and palaces all over the place to a hole and looking like a bum," Lewis said. "It works for me."

Across the hall from Blink-182, fellow punks Rancid were less enthusiastic about the news. "I don't really care," Lars Frederiksen said. "It's like, every year, every other year, it's a different madman. And my opinions are my opinions. If you listen to a Rancid record, I think you'll know where we stand politically."

Frederiksen did find one reason to be excited about the capture. "Hopefully it will mean that all our boys will come home, 'cause we got family over there," he said.

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Rancid Transform Heartbreak Into Indestructible Punk Rock

29 Oct 2003 20:11:00 EST

Tracks on LP include 'Ghost Band,' 'Tropical London,' 'Fall Back Down.'
By

Their music has always been personal and uncompromising, expressing their distaste for authority and their penchant for classic punk. But Rancid have never worn their hearts on their sleeves — until now.

The band's latest album, Indestructible, is a musical manifesto of strength and courage, reflecting all the styles in the group's arsenal — from the Clash-tinged groove of "Memphis" to the roaring punk firestorm of "Born Frustrated." Lyrically, however, is where the real breakthroughs take place.

Songs like "Ghost Band" and "Tropical London" are more poignant and confessional than most of the band's past output, revealing a sensitivity that aches and throbs like a tooth in need of a root canal. If you like the band's new vantage point toward surviving agonizing relationships, thank Distillers singer Brody Dalle. She's the one who walked out on her husband, Rancid guitarist and vocalist Tim Armstrong, and started the emotional exorcism.

"Initially this record was really political and hardcore," Armstrong said. "And then my wife left me. It was the most devastating thing that's ever happened to me."

Writing breakup music was clearly cathartic for Armstrong. Even songs of solidarity like the title track and "Fall Back Down" were charged by a survival instinct that was triggered by the breakup. For a while, however, the experience was so intense that Armstrong couldn't even cope with making music.

"We shut down and we didn't know if we were gonna make the record," he revealed. "And then I went back home to the Bay Area and I listened to what we had done and started writing some new songs. And I [found the process so therapeutic] I said, 'F--- it man, let's get back in the studio."

With the decision made to persevere, the floodgates opened and ideas began to pour out. Songs that were started before the split with Brody were completed from a new perspective. And when the strain of the split started to weigh on Armstrong, he leaned on his bandmates for support.

"We're not just a band. We talk to each other every day and go places every day and we're always there for each other," Armstrong said. "Half of this record is filled with tragedy and half of it is political, but the album title, Indestructible, is about how you can't take away our friendship, and no matter what happens, your music lives forever."

In addition to quickly finishing Indestructible, Armstrong wrote many Rancid songs that weren't recorded — a bundle of tunes for a future side project as well as tracks for the new Pink album, Try This (see "Pink + Punk = Plenty Of Spunk On Upcoming Try This"). If songwriting was once a crutch for the singer, now it's more like an addiction.

"I write songs every day now," he said. "I'm always like, 'I gotta find my guitar. Where the f--- is my guitar?!' And bam, I'm writing. All I know is making records, so that's what I'm focusing on. And I think it's a direct result of the pain."

It would be insane to suggest that Armstrong is grateful for the heartbreak he's been subjected to. He's just grateful for the creativity it has inspired.

"Billie Joe [Armstrong] from Green Day is my friend, and when he heard the record he said, 'This is your best record, man,' Armstrong said. "He said, 'If pain makes great records, f---, you did it, man.' "

—Jon Wiederhorn, with reporting by Iann RobinsonIann Robinson

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Rancid Frontman Says He'd Do Anything For His Homegirl Pink; Gwen's On Deck

06 Oct 2003 07:59:00 EDT

Singer calls Pink 'the best woman vocalist in the world right now.'
By

Rancid have never much cared what anyone thinks. Since they formed in Berkeley, California, in 1991, they've followed their own path to creative expression. While their peers played ripping, melodic punk-pop, Rancid wrote less trendy tunes influenced by the Clash. And when Green Day and the Offspring signed with major labels, Rancid kept things resolutely indie.

Then, out of the blue, the band signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records for its new album, Indestructible. And in a move that could be considered even more blasphemous by longtime fans, frontman Tim Armstrong recently hooked up with multiplatinum pop star Pink to co-write nine songs for her upcoming LP, Try This, which comes out November 11. Is this the last act of hypocrisy from a band that used to have strict DIY standards? Hardly. It's really just another example of Armstrong doing things no one expects, and doing them his way.

"All I know is that if people are gonna give me sh-- for working with the best woman vocalist in the world right now, then let them give me sh--," he said defiantly. "Pink is the sh--, and working with her has been all positive."

In June, Pink performed with Armstrong's side project the Transplants in Los Angeles at the KROQ Weenie Roast and then briefly toured with the band. She handpicked him to co-write with her on Try This, which also features other members of Rancid and Blink-182/ Transplants drummer Travis Barker (see "Pink Didn't Have To Try Too Hard To Make Try This").

The writing sessions for the album were casual, but surprisingly productive. Armstrong wrote 10 songs with Pink in a mere two weeks, and found that his ragged punk aesthetic perfectly complemented her style. "We could just sit down and my voice would be all f---ed up, and she would sing like an angel," Armstrong gushed. "She can stack, like, five harmonies real quick. She's a very talented singer and a very talented lyricist."

Armstrong's friendship with Pink was just as tight as his working partnership with her. The minute they met, he said, he felt like he'd know her for 10 years. "I was like, 'Yo, this is my homegirl. If I grew up with you, I'd roll with you. You'd be my girl.' She's like my sister. I'd do anything for her, man. I love her so much."

Before Rancid return to the road on November 5 in Davis, California, to support Indestructible, Armstrong will get together with No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani for a songwriting session for her first solo album (see "Gwen Stefani Works On Solo LP With Outkast, Missy Elliott").

"She's super talented and I've known her a while," Armstrong said. "She's very cool and her husband [Gavin Rossdale] is very cool, too. But her and Pink are different. I can't compare one to the other. They're just different and I'm kinda happy being able to work with both of them."

—Jon Wiederhorn, with reporting by Iann RobinsonIann Robinson and Meridith Gottlieb

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For The Record: Quick News On J. Lo And Ben, Busta Rhymes, Rancid, Farnsworth Bentley, Nelly Furtado & More

22 Sep 2003 17:37:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

For those whose weeks would not be complete without the tiniest tidbit of Bennifer buzz, the couple was spotted Monday afternoon (September 22) at probate court in the Liberty County Courthouse, near Savannah, Georgia. It's not known what exactly Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and his brother Casey Affleck were doing there — Ben told paparazzi he was there to get a hunting permit — but that kind of court handles, among other matters, name changes, estate settlements, prenuptial agreements and marriage licenses, though a court spokesperson said that a marriage license was not applied for. Affleck's spokesperson didn't know of the incident when asked, and Lopez's rep didn't return calls by press time. ...

Two separate court dates have been set for Busta Rhymes, stemming from an incident last December during a performance. Celine Giguere, a 21-year-old woman from Rhode Island, claims Busta assaulted her from the stage after she reached up and placed her hand on the rapper's chin, and she filed misdemeanor assault and battery charges against him. Busta, meanwhile, responded by filing a separate assault charge against Giguere. Both trials are set for January 22 in Falls River District Court in Massachusetts. ... A security guard testified in the C-Murder murder trial on Thursday that there was "no doubt in my mind" that the rapper pulled the trigger that killed 16-year-old Steve Thomas. The guard told the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, court that although he didn't see the rapper with a weapon, he did see sparks from a pistol and heard a bang. The guard said that he saw C-Murder, whose real name is Corey Miller, fighting with Thomas, and that he tried to break up the fight, but was too late. He admitted that he originally made up a false description of the killer "because of fear. I was afraid for my life." ...

The Diary of Alicia Keys, the sophomore album from the hip-hop soul singer, has now been pushed to a December 2 release date. It will include the song "Streets of New York," featuring Nas and Rakim, which has been floating around on mixtapes the last few weeks. ... Ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth canceled the remaining three weeks of his tour following an onstage accident that occurred Wednesday in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The overzealous singer was swinging the mic stand over his head during the encore of "Jump" when he conked himself in the head, opening a gash above his eye. Roth was taken to the hospital, where he received 21 stitches. ...

Bay Area punks Rancid will support their just-released sixth album, Indestructible, with a North American tour that begins October 1 in New York. Confirmed dates run through November 22 in Toronto. Following the domestic jaunt the band will head to Japan. ... Actor Adrien Brody, NBA player Kevin Garnett, Redman, Farnsworth Bentley and Faith Evans were among the celebrities who hit Los Angeles' House of Blues on Saturday night for the second date of the Seagram's Gin Live Tour starring Carl Thomas and Lil' Mo. The 25-city trek commenced Friday night in San Francisco and ends on October 25 in Miami. ...

Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger, banjo star Bela Fleck and the Kronos Quartet are among the guests featured on Nelly Furtado's new album, due November 25 and recently re-titled Folklore. The first single, "Powerless (Say What You Want)," is due at radio outlets in early October. ... Timbaland and Magoo have pushed their LP, Under Construction II, back to November 18. Their new single is called "Indian Flute" and features Tim's younger brother Sebastian. ...

Jurassic 5's beefy, baritone rapper Chali 2na will rejoin the Los Angeles Latin funk group Ozomatli for their next album, Street Signs, due in February. When J5 were still a relatively local L.A. act, Chali provided vocals for both groups, but in 1998 he opted to concentrate on Jurassic full-time. Ozomatli will hit the road for a 20-city trek on October 2 in support of their EP Coming Up, which will hit stores Tuesday. ... The Streets, Floetry and Cody Chesnutt have been added to the Shortlist Awards Concert October 5 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. The acts join fellow nominees Interpol, Bright Eyes, Damien Rice, Cat Power and Black Keys on the bill. ...

The Adolescents, the Bronx and Youth Brigade are among the bands slated to perform at the Jack Grisham for Governor Awareness Rally October 5 at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. Grisham's band T.S.O.L., whose Divided We Stand is due Tuesday, will also perform. ... Slipknot's 1999 home video "Welcome to Our Neighborhood" will be released on DVD on November 18. The disc includes live versions of "Surfacing" and "Wait and Bleed," the video for "Spit It Out" and seven minutes of bonus concert footage filmed during one of the band's 100 Ozzfest appearances. ...

Lana Clarkson, the B-movie actress who was found dead in producer Phil Spector's mansion in February, was killed from gunshot wounds to her head and neck that were inflicted by another person, according to a ruling the Los Angeles County coroner's office released Monday. The report took eight months to investigate and has been passed along to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, which is expected to make a decision on what charges to bring against Spector this week. ... Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson, along with Keith McGuffey, is composing the original soundtrack for a CGI animated film called "The Spirit Bear." The film, about the journey of a bear cub, is currently in preproduction and is being targeted for a spring 2006 release date. ... Boo & Gotti are ready to release the second single from their Perfect Timing LP. The new track, "Baby Girl," features TQ. ...

9.19.2003

Country trio the Dixie Chicks were involved in a little shakeup on Friday (September 19) when their twin-engine jet plane clipped the side of a building at the Glasgow airport in Scotland. The Dornier 328 plane had just landed and was taxiing on the runway at the time. According to a Glasgow Police spokesperson, none of the 16 passengers on the plane were injured, though the plane did suffer some wing damage. The Dixie Chicks are still scheduled to play a sold-out concert at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on Friday night. ...

Mary J. Blige can now sing "twooh!," as she's collaborated with 50 Cent for the second time. The G-Unit have officially jumped on the remix to Mary's current single, "Ooh!" If you remember, 50 rapped his verse to the song during M.J.B.'s performance at this year's MTV Video Music Awards. ... There's no doubt about it, it is R. Kelly in those videos. No, not those videos, we're talking about the videos that made him a superstar. Kelly will release a compilation of some of his most famous clips on a DVD called "The R. in R&B Video Collection" on October 7. The crooner will drop his greatest-hits and remix album, The R. in R&B Collection Volume 1, on Tuesday. ... The pilot episode of Nelly's new half-hour reality show with St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, "The Nelly and Marshall Faulk Show," will premiere Friday on Fox Sports Net Midwest at 10:30 p.m. The premiere will include Nelly at a Rams game, where he encounters presidential candidate Richard Gephardt, and segments with Cedric "The Entertainer" and the Rams cheerleaders. ...

Next week, Outkast will release their new album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and then on November 11, the Southern hip-hop group will rerelease a new version of their old album Stankonia. The "new" Stankonia will be a remastered DVD-audio release. No new tracks are expected to be on it, according to the label. ... With more than two hours of footage and an accompanying audio disc with live tracks, the DVD "Believe in What You Want" contains everything you'd want to know about Jimmy Eat World, including a 45-minute documentary on how they went from being dropped from Capitol to selling over a million copies of their latest, self-titled album. The DVD drops October 7. ...

After returning from Europe, Killing Joke will begin their first North American jaunt in almost 10 years. The launch is October 23 in Washington, D.C., and shows run through November 14 in Los Angeles. Killing Joke will be on the road to support their new self-titled record, which features Dave Grohl on drums. ... Those who dismiss Cradle of Filth as a heavy metal cartoon now have more support for their claim. Frontman Dani Filth recently voiced the lead role in the animated movie "Dominator," which is being screened in Brighton, England, this weekend. The flick features the Cradle track "Carrion." ...

After playing five Best Buy in-stores, Fuel will launch a club tour September 29 in San Francisco to promote Natural Selection. The outing, with Smile Empty Soul and DJ Swamp, ends November 1 at the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans. ... Travis Meeks, the frontman for Days of the New, will launch a solo acoustic tour on September 23 in Roseville, Michigan. Dates run through December 19 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. After the trek, Meeks will return to his home in Kentucky to work on new songs. ...

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Rancid, Blink-182, Green Day Members Step To The Mic For Charles Manson Movie

11 Jul 2003 15:15:00 EDT

Claymation 'Live Freaky! Die Freaky!' also features members of AFI, X, Good Charlotte, A Perfect Circle.
By Jon Wiederhorn

Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong is turning to Charles Manson for salvation, and he's bringing Kelly Osbourne and members of Blink-182, Green Day and AFI along for the ride.

When he finishes this year's Vans Warped Tour, Armstrong will put the finishing touches on the upcoming stop-motion animated film "Live Freaky! Die Freaky!" in which Manson surfaces in a post-apocalyptic wasteland to guide a group of survivors who are desperately searching for a spiritual leader.

Armstrong is producing the film for his Hellcat Pictures company. The movie was written and directed by John Roecker, an independent filmmaker in Los Angeles who once co-ran a store called You've Got Bad Taste with X singer Exene Cervenka. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters in New York and Los Angeles in December and will be released on DVD in February.

According to the flick's official Web site, Tim Armstrong will narrate the film, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will provide the voice of Manson, and Kelly Osbourne will voice the puppet version of Sharon Tate, the actress murdered by the Manson Family in 1969.

Other members of the cast include Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker; Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden; AFI singer Davey Havok; X singer/bassist John Doe; ex-White Zombie bassist Sean Yseult; Lunachicks singer Theo Kogan; A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese and bassist Twiggy Ramirez; and Rancid guitarist Lars Frederiksen, bassist Matt Freeman and drummer Brett Reed.

Live Freaky! Die Freaky! will be the second new movie involving artists on the Warped Tour. A slasher film called Punk Rock Holocaust is being shot on this year's outing (see " 'Punk Rock Holocaust!' Warped Tour Slasher Flick On The Way' ").

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'Punk Rock Holocaust!' Warped Tour Slasher Flick On The Way

02 Jul 2003 07:59:00 EDT

Division of Troma Films, makers of B-movie classic 'The Toxic Avenger,' to produce flick.
By Christina Fuoco

And you thought Andrew W.K. was scary.

The organizers behind the Vans Warped Tour are tapping into the world of cinema by filming a "teenage slasher film" during the trek. (Click here for photos from the tour.)

"It's about a disgruntled employee," said Kevin Lyman, founder of the tour that mixes extreme sports and punk/ska music. "The guy gets fired the first day and he comes back and puts a curse on the Warped Tour. Then all these things happen."

The tentatively titled "Punk Rock Holocaust" will be shot by Backseat Conceptions.

"It's going to be a lot of shadows and lurking in the movie and mostly just staff dying at certain points of unimaginably horrible deaths at the hands of the [murderer]," Lyman said with a laugh.

A spokesperson for the Warped Tour, which kicked off June 19 in Boise, Idaho (see "Where Mouth Geysers Meet Cheesy Macaroni — Warped (Tour) Indeed"), said every band on the tour, ranging from the Suicide Machines to Andrew W.K. to Pennywise, have been asked to participate.

"We're trying to have fun and trying to remind ourselves that it is a business but to have a lot of fun this year," Lyman said.

The tour, in its ninth year, runs through August 10 at the Asbury Park Lot in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

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Where Mouth Geysers Meet Cheesy Macaroni — Warped (Tour) Indeed

27 Jun 2003 12:22:00 EDT

Performing bands included Simple Plan, AFI, Rancid, Bowling for Soup, the Used, S.T.U.N., Less Than Jake.
By Gil Kaufman

CINCINNATI — It was as if the tattooed hand of a punk rock god reached down and anointed Andrew W.K. The hard partying rocker was enthusiastically playing his anthem "I Get Wet" as the skies opened up and a torrential downpour put an early end to the eighth stop on this year's Vans Warped Tour. He always sports a maniacal smirk and a dirty T-shirt, but even W.K., surrounded on the stage by a dozen head-banging fans, couldn't help but laugh. (Click here for photos from The Warped Tour.)

Just one week into a grueling cross-country summer trek, the ninth edition of the punk and extreme-sports tour experienced both kinds of Warped weather: intense heat and drenching rains. You would have never known it, though, from the goofy grins on the faces of the 50 pumped-up bands or the 7,000 waterlogged and sunburned fans who braved the unpredictable weather to take part in punk rock summer camp. There was Rancid's Tim Armstrong, rocking his band's afternoon set in a leather jacket, AFI's Davey Havok in vinyl pants and a long-sleeved mesh shirt, and Used singer Bert McCracken not letting a little sweat bother him as the heat made the red face-paint across his eyes drip all over his face.

Though it was inconceivably plastered with more signage than Cincinnati's new baseball stadium (not that the fans would know, since nearly everyone was wearing a shirt promoting their favorite band), what continues to separate the Warped Tour from other summer festivals is its egalitarian vibe. Indie label bands such as Rise Against, Vaux, Eleventeen and the Unseen mixed with up-and-coming major-label acts in the massive pavilion, while the Ataris, Face to Face and Rancid humbly hit the midway. Everyone got 30 minutes, regardless of whether your name was Less Than Jake, Anatomy of a Ghost or Scallywagon. Coupled with the cheap ticket price ($25), Warped might not be much of a payday for the bands, but it could teach its fellow festival tours a lesson or two about keeping fans happy.

Yes, it's cheesy to have Kraft Macaroni and Cheese on-the-go samples right next to a stage and Yoo-Hoo-branded beach balls ping-ponging across the crowd. But it's kind of cool to find bands like Simple Plan, who could easily headline the city's biggest club, playing early afternoon sets on side stages and not complaining about it. It's also cool to see veteran Irish punkers the Dropkick Murphys getting one of the most raucous receptions of the day with their bagpipe, beer-and-blitz chord sing-alongs.

The Used got things cranking early thanks to McCracken's spastic stage presence. Spewing water into the air with his mouth and making huge geysers, the scrawny singer played the part of a slightly crazed arena rocker as he got the audience to shout along to such cathartic punk ballads as "The Taste of Ink" and "Blue and Yellow."

Like many of the acts, McCracken told the crowd that the Cincinnati stop was the best one on the tour so far, in between his bouts of thrashing around the stage, stringy hair plastered to his gaunt face.

It was a totally different scene across the midway though, where AFI looked like a group of daytime ghouls who'd accidentally opened their crypts a bit early. Singer Havok, with his pasty face and jet-black hair, looked like a cross between the Cult's Ian Astbury and Elvira, and definitely like someone more used to dark clubs than bright daylight shows. As he yelped the lyrics to the band's breakthrough hit, "Girl's Not Grey," and "The Leaving Song, Pt. II," Havok repeatedly performed what was the unofficial, but mandatory mantra of the day, "who-ooh-ooh." That simple pop refrain could be heard from nearly every band on the bill, from Police-like reggae punkers Maxeen to SoCal old-schoolers Face to Face and Detroit garage rockers the Fags.

Bowling for Soup did their best to lighten things up with canned stage patter that would make Poison blush ("Look at all the great t---ies out there!"), but Rancid showed the kids how it's really done with a hit-packed set that snuck in just as the blazing sun gave way to thunderclouds. Singer Armstrong paid homage to his heroes in the Ramones by entering the stage in a black leather jacket, as well as black pants, a black baseball hat and black sunglasses, not removing the jacket until the fifth song, despite the choking heat. The band blitzed through energetic versions of "Journey to the End of the East Bay," "Ruby Soho," "Roots Radicals" and "Maxwell Murder." During the latter, bassist Matt Freeman ripped off a nimble-fingered, jazzy solo that seemed to even surprise singer/guitarist Lars Frederiksen. The band unveiled the new song "Red Hot Moon," from their upcoming album, Indestructable (August 26), and invited pal Skinhead Rob on stage to do a mid-song rap.

Once the rain began to fall, the midway offered more than mac 'n cheese, CDs and T-shirts to the punks whose liberty spikes were beginning to sag. Nearly every act took time to sign T-shirts and CDs for fans and there were dozens of booths supporting political causes and selling the usual festival fare.

Parents could even dip into the air-conditioned "Reverse Daycare" tent and sink into comfy chairs while "About Schmidt" played on a big-screen TV. With so much music, the "extreme" part of the tour — demos from professional skaters and BMX riders — was shunted off to a corner of the midway and seemed less prominent than in the past.

By the time the Ataris hit the stage around 5 p.m., the rain seemed like it was there to stay. The hard-cores held on, but if the young crowd recognized that the band was covering a Don Henley song with its punked-up take on "Boys of Summer," they didn't show it. They did, however, react wildly when spazz rockers S.T.U.N. laid waste to Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall," especially when singer Christiane J. amended the lyrics to "another brick through your wall!" Huddling under the pavilion to avoid the rain, hundreds of fans watched as J. hurled his microphone across the stage, perched himself precariously on the kick drum and danced around like a disco insect to songs such as "Movement," during which he repeatedly howled the refrain, "We are just a moment away!"

Glassjaw and Poison the Well got washed out as the side stages closed early, but, in the end, there was Warped sophomore W.K., whipping the soaked crowd into a frenzy with "Party Hard," and looking up at the rain as if it were just another party favor on his nonstop summer punk bash.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

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