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Ween has lined up a seven-date tour of the West Coast, beginning Oct. 8 in Girdwood, Alaska, and wrapping Oct. 17 in San Diego. The group will be taking a break from work on its next studio album, which will be the follow-up to 2003’s “Quebec” (Sanctuary). That set reached a career-best No. 50 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 69,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Here are Ween’s tour dates:

Oct. 8: Girdwood, Alaska (Alyeska Resort)
Oct. 10: Bellingham, Wash. (Mt. Baker Theatre)
Oct. 12: Eugene, Ore. (McDonald Theatre)
Oct. 14: Santa Cruz, Calif. (Rio Theatre)
Oct. 15: Ventura, Calif. (Ventura Theatre)
Oct. 16: Los Angeles (Wiltern)
Oct. 17: San Diego (Cane’s)

]i] Source billboard.com.

Akron, Ohio-based rock duo the Black Keys will spend the bulk of the fall on the road in support of their third studio album, “Rubber Factory,” due Sept. 7 via Fat Possum/Epitaph. North American dates begin Saturday (Sept. 4) at Seattle’s Bumbershoot festival and run through an Oct. 9-10 stand in Cleveland, just north of the pair’s hometown.

After a two-week break, the Keys will cross the Atlantic for 12 dates in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Spain. “Rubber Factory” is led by the single “10 A.M. Automatic,” a video for which was recently conceived and directed by comedian David Cross.

The set is the follow-up to 2003’s “Thickfreakness,” which crept onto Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart at No. 50. “Last time, we had a bunch of songs we’d been playing and we knew exactly what we were going to do,” vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach told Billboard.com in May. “This time, we went in with basically nothing. I’d written a lot of songs and had worked stuff out on my own, but me and [drummer] Patrick [Carney] hadn’t played anything together. It took us a couple months to get it all working right.”

Here are the Black Keys’ tour dates:

Sept. 4: Seattle (Bumbershoot Festival)
Sept. 7: Portland, Ore. (Aladdin Theater)
Sept. 10: Hollywood, Calif. (Avalon)
Sept. 11: San Diego (Brick by Brick)
Sept. 12: Phoenix (Mason Jar)
Sept. 15: Denver (Gothic Theatre)
Sept. 16: Omaha, Neb. (Sokol Underground)
Sept. 17: Lawrence, Kan. (Granada)
Sept. 18: Columbia, Mo. (Mojo’s)
Sept. 21: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
Sept. 23: Milwaukee (Mad Planet)
Sept. 24: Chicago (Metro)
Sept. 28: Toronto (Lee’s Palace)
Oct. 1: Boston (Paradise)
Oct. 2-3: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
Oct. 6: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Oct. 7: Pittsburgh (the World)
Oct. 8: Columbus, Ohio (Newport Music Hall)
Oct. 9-10: Cleveland (Beachland Ballroom)
Oct. 26: London (Scala)
Oct. 27: Bristol, England (Anson Rooms)
Oct. 29: Glasgow (Garage)
Oct. 30: Leeds, England (Cockpit)
Oct. 31: Manchester, England (Academy 2)
Nov. 1: Wolverhampton, England (Wulfren Hall)
Nov. 3: Brussels (AB Club)
Nov. 4: Evreux, France (MJC)
Nov. 5: Paris (La Boule Noir)
Nov. 7: Bordeaux, France (Le Cat)
Nov. 9: Bilbao, Spain (Azkena)
Nov. 11: Barcelona (Razzmatazz 3)

Source billboard.com.

Back in the day when Too Short and N.W.A were pioneering gangsta rap, a more light-hearted group of artists was mixing up the hip-hop scene with its own brand of alternative beats and rhymes. De La Soul has outlived many of its peers and predecessors. The group continues to evolve and create a more amicable style of hip-hop in contrast to today’s top-selling bling-and-booty obsessed rappers.

In support of its upcoming album, The Grind Date, which is scheduled for release on September 28 on Sanctuary Records, the idiosyncratic old-school hip-hop act has announced a September – November tour that will be sure to please fans of the Long Island trio.

The trek kicks off in Chicago September 18 at the city’s House of Blues. De La Soul crisscrosses the nation, making stops in California, Arizona, the South, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Utah, Oregon and finishes up in Seattle November 15.

Since the group’s high school formation in 1987, the three musketeers – Posdnuos (Kelvin Mercer), Trugoy the Dove (David Jude Jolicoeur) and Pasemaster Mase (Vincent Mason) – have released seven full-length albums.
Their colorful 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, was hailed at the future of hip-hop until their unique stylings were drowned out by the sound of gangsta rap.

Through ups and downs in their career, however, the low-key New Yorkers didn’t lose sight of their music or their loyal fan base; De La Soul has stayed in touch through touring.

An interesting De La Soul factoid: The group was involved in a precedent setting lawsuit that would affect all musicians who use sampled material.

A legal battle ensued when they sampled a song by the

Apple Computer has unveiled its new iMac desktop computer design, which integrates all disk drives and processors into a flat display less than two inches thick.

Apple’s newest iMac “Now we have the world’s thinnest desktop computer,” Phil Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing, said in a keynote presentation at the annual Apple Expo in Paris Tuesday.

Shipping from mid-September, Apple said the computer would be available in versions with a 17-inch and a 20-inch display, with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Apple said in July the launch of the new iMac would be delayed until September.

Retail prices will start at $1,299 for the 17-inch model. The more expensive and slightly thicker 20-inch model will cost $1,899.

The model will take over from the current iMac, which created a buzz of its own when launched a few years ago with its minimalist design featuring a thin display perched on a stainless steel pole above a white hemispherical base.

The new iMac, designed by the same team that developed the iPod portable music player, works on G5 microprocessors.

The new model is equipped with internal Bluetooth so peripherals like cell phones can communicate with the iMac without cords.

Options include the wireless keyboard and mouse, as well as AirPort Express, which lets users connect to the Internet, stream music and print remotely.

Source CNN.com.

Eminem will release his fourth album, to be called “Encore,” on Nov. 16, his Interscope Records label said Monday.

The set will be the follow-up to 2002’s “The Eminem Show,” which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 9.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Interscope said its global sales stand at more than 19 million copies.

Because of Internet piracy, that album officially went on sale in the United States on a Sunday, nine days ahead of its originally scheduled street date.

The 2002 soundtrack to his hit film “8 Mile” also reached No. 1 on The Billboard 200. It spawned the hit “Lose Yourself,” which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and yielded an Oscar for Eminem and his two co-writers. Interscope said its global sales stand at almost nine million copies.

Although he released a new album with his group D-12 this spring, Eminem has kept a low profile over the past year. He recently announced plans to launch a hip-hop music channel with Sirius Satellite Radio, on which he will host shows with acts from his Shady Records imprint. The channel is expected to go live in the fall.

Source yahoo.com.

New York rock act Interpol will kick off a North American tour Oct. 11 in Boston with Secret Machines, On Air Library! and an additional band to be announced. Five European shows and an Oct. 1 appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” will precede the fall run, which wraps with a Nov. 11-12 hometown stand at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Interpol will be touring in support of its sophomore Matador album, “Antics,” due Sept. 28. First single “Slow Hands” will be released Sept. 13 internationally, backed by remixes from Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and Spoon’s Britt Daniel. Tracks from the album can previewed on Interpol’s official Web site.

Secret Machines will be out behind their acclaimed Reprise debut, “Now Hear Is Nowhere,” which reached No. 33 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.

Here are Interpol’s North American tour dates:

Oct. 11: Boston (Avalon)
Oct. 12: Montreal (Metropolis)
Oct. 13: Toronto (Docks)
Oct. 15: Detroit (State Theater)
Oct. 16: Columbus, Ohio (Newport Music Hall)
Oct. 17: Chicago (Riviera Theatre)
Oct. 19: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
Oct. 22: Seattle (Paramount Theatre)
Oct. 23: Vancouver (Commodore Ballroom)
Oct. 24: Portland, Ore. (Crystal Ballroom)
Oct. 25: San Francisco (Warfield Theatre)
Oct. 27-28: Los Angeles (Wiltern)
Oct. 29: San Diego (Soma)
Oct. 30: Tempe, Ariz. (Marquee Theatre)
Nov. 1: Dallas (Gypsy Ballroom)
Nov. 2: Austin, Texas (Stubbs)
Nov. 4: Atlanta (Coca Cola Roxy Theatre)
Nov. 5: Asheville, N.C. (Orange Peel)
Nov. 7: Philadelphia (Electric Factory)
Nov. 8: Providence, R.I. (Lupo’s)
Nov. 9: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Nov. 11-12: New York (Hammerstein Ballroom)

Source billboard.com.

The July 17 concert at Hollywood’s Avalon, spearheaded by System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian and Audioslave’s Tom Morello as part of their non-profit Axis of Justice political organization, will be released on CD and DVD Nov. 2 via Columbia.

The 14-track “Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume I” also sports a cover of the Elvis Costello-popularized “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and Audioslave’s Chris Cornell, taped on the 2003 Lollapalooza tour.

A number of intriguing guest spots crowd the CD, including a jam with Tankian on piano, Audioslave’s Brad Wilk on drums and Red Hot Chili Peppers principal Flea on bass; a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” featuring those artists plus Morello and Pete Yorn on guitar; and a version of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” with vocals by Keenan and keyboards by Jonny Polonsky.

Morello also performs two cuts, “Until the End” and “Union Song,” under his Nightwatchman moniker. As previously reported, the artist will perform tonight (Aug. 31) at the Knitting Factory and tomorrow (Sept. 1) at a labor rally as part of protests against the Republican National Convention in New York.

The accompanying DVD sports July 17 concert highlights plus clips from prior Axis benefits, interviews with filmmaker Michael Moore and actress/radio host Janeane Garofalo and audio extracts from the Axis of Justice radio show.

Here is the track list for “Concert Series Volume I,” in no order:

“Intro,” Ahmed Ahmed
“Speak on it,” Knowledge, Serj Tankian
“Until the End,” the Nightwatchman
“Union Song,” the Nightwatchman
“I Feel Good Again,” Pete Yorn
“Piano Improvisation,” Serj Tankian
“Charades,” Serj Tankian
“Free Jam,” Serj Tankian, Brad Wilk, Flea
“Chimes of Freedom,” Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk
“Alice in My Fantasies,” Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk
“What’s Golden,” Jurassic 5
“Freedom,” Jurassic 5
“Where the Streets Have No Name,” Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk, Tim Walker, Maynard James Keenan, Jonny Polonsky
“(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” Chris Cornell, Maynard James Keenan

Source billboard.com.

Morrissey has announced a fall tour in support of his critically acclaimed Attack/Sanctuary release, You Are The Quarry.

Cake hasn’t indulged its rock

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