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In what is being billed as the first appearance in 10 years by all of its key members, the Wu-Tang Clan will headline the July 17 Rock the Bells festival in San Bernardino, Calif. Organizers promise that RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U God and Cappadona will all be on hand for the performance.

“At first we thought we could get some of the members of Wu-Tang together and that would be enough, but it became a mission to bring them all out for one special day,” says festival organizer Chang Weisberg. “All the members have expressed their excitement to let their alter egos mash the stage and represent the ‘Clan.'”

A number of other major hip-hop acts have also signed for Rock the Bells, including Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis, Eyedea & Abilities and Supernatural with Jurassic 5 members Chali 2na and DJ Nu-Mark. Tickets go on sale June 18 via Ticketmaster. Organizers are also planning a Rock the Bells North American tour in 2005.

The Wu-Tang Clan will play eight festival and headlining dates in Europe this summer, beginning July 1 in Zurich, but it is unknown what the group’s exact lineup will be for those shows. As exclusively revealed here in November, the RZA-spearheaded book “The Wu-Tang Manual” is scheduled for a fall release by Riverhead Books, senior editor Sean McDonald tells Billboard.com.

Source billboard.com.

Former Toad The Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek will be joined by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) for a 14-date summer tour. The outing, billed as the Mutual Admiration Society, begins July 27 at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, and concludes Aug. 18-19 at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va.

The tour is expected to find the artists performing in solo and collaborative settings. It comes in support of the album “Mutual Admiration Society,” which Phillips and Nickel Creek recorded with producer Ethan Johns. Due July 13 via Sugar Hill Records, the set features songs written and sung by Phillips, with accompaniment and other vocals from the Grammy-winning band.

Phillips is working on a solo album for Lost Highway Records. Nickel Creek is working on its third album for Sugar Hill Records, as well as individual solo projects.

As for Jones, he produced the sophomore album from the Datsuns, “Outta Sight / Outta Mind,” released yesterday (June 7) in the United Kingdom. It will arrive Sept. 14 in North America via V2.

Here are the Mutual Admiration Society tour dates:

July 27: Seattle (Moore Theatre)
July 28: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)
July 29: San Francisco (Independent)
July 31: Los Angeles (Roxy)
Aug. 8: Minneapolis (Fine Line Music Cafe)
Aug. 9: Chicago (Metro)
Aug. 10: Cleveland (Beachland Ballroom)
Aug. 12: Boston (Paradise)
Aug. 13-14: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
Aug. 15: Charleston, W.Va. (Mountain Stage)
Aug. 17: Lexington, Va. (Theatre at Lime Kiln)
Aug. 18-19: Alexandria, Va. (Birchmere)

Source billboard.com.

For the third consecutive year, the Bonnaroo Music Festival has sold out in advance. This year, festival organizers increased the ticket allotment to 90,000, selling all tickets through the festival’s Web site. Bonnaroo 2002 and 2003 sold 70,000 and 80,000 tickets online respectively, and the festival’s 2004 installment has enjoyed the same enthusiastic response from fans. Set to take place June 11 – 13, the three-day camping and music festival will once again be held on the same 600-plus-acre farm in Manchester, TN, 60 miles southeast of Nashville.

Recent additions to the festival’s lineup include rock’n’roll veteran Steve Winwood, and punk rock poet laureate Patti Smith. Bonnaroo alums Robert Randolph and Ween have also joined up, along with Danger Mouse (of The Grey Album fame), three-man DJ ensemble the X-ecutioners, experimental all-star band Praxis, and progressive bluegrass trio Jazz Mandolin Project, featuring Phish’s Jon Fishman.

Bonnaroo also continues to break ground with non-music attractions such as this year’s Yet Another (Comedy) Tent. Dedicated entirely to live standup and skit comedy, this performance tent will feature national headlining comedians appearing multiple times per day in a showcase format. Performers include Todd Barry, Louis CK, Jim Norton, and Rich Vos. These laugh specialists are regulars on network and cable television shows and specials, including Premium Blend, Comedy Central Presents, the Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In addition, New York City’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade comedy troupe will present a special Bonnaroo-themed improvisational show.

This year, Bonnaroo organizers are giving fans the opportunity to extend the enjoyment of live music beyond the festival weekend with LiveBonnaroo.com, the festival’s new online outlet offering digital, downloadable recordings of live performances from the festival soon after they take place. In addition to full sets from the festival in MP3 and FLAC formats, LiveBonnaroo.com will provide downloadable album artwork, CD labels, liner notes, and live photos. With the vast selection of high-quality artists performing at Bonnaroo LiveBonnaroo.com presents an unprecedented opportunity for fans to capture the magic of live music.

See bonnaroo.com for more info.

This coming week happens to be a happening week for good music on the tube, courtesy of late night talk shows.

Beginning on Monday June 7, PJ Harvey will be on The Late Show with David Letterman, Los Lobos will be featured on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and Zero 7 will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

On Tuesday June 8, R.E.M. will be playing The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Simple Kid will be on Late Night With Conan O

New Orleans-based progressive funk band Galactic will make its national television debut on Last Call With Carson Daly as the show’s featured house band for one week. The episodes will air the nights of June 15th, 16th, 18th and 22nd on NBC. These episodes also mark a historic first for the show itself as never before has a house band been featured for a block of consecutive shows.

Following the Last Call with Carson Daly tapings Galactic will kick off their summer touring schedule with a stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in mid-June and a series of festival stops across the country. The summer will culminate with four dates opening for Dave Matthews Band in mid-July. All this comes on the heels of a one of the most successful winter runs the band has ever had, selling more tickets in the Midwest than ever before.

The Orb will release their album Bicycles & Tricycles on Sanctuary Records in

Amid widespread (and roundly denied) rumors of an impending breakup, Atlanta hip-hop superstars Outkast are declaring that the next year will be their busiest yet. As everyone who isn’t currently dead or comatose knows, the two last worked on semi-separate “solo” albums, which were packaged together and released in 2003 as Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Since then, Big Boi, the less flamboyant of the duo has played several solo dates, including Atlanta’s massive annual Music Midtown Festival. However, he maintains that big things are coming up for Outkast as a functioning band.

First up is a new album due out in November. According to an MTV interview with Big Boi, the album is “gonna be a hardcore album, me and Dre letting Organized Noize produce the whole album. I can’t give you the title of it yet, but it’s coming together nicely.” Then, in May of next year, the duo will star together in a new movie, which will also feature a soundtrack by Outkast. This film is not the already announced starring vehicle for Andre 3000 based on the song “Love Hater” from The Love Below, but rather a prohibition-era story featuring Dre as the son of a mortician and Big Boi as a club owner.

Regarding the soundtrack, Big Boi told MTV, “It’s gonna be all brand new songs, me and Dre on one CD together.” And if you’re wondering what the film will be about (and I think we both know that you are), “It’s going to be a lot of action, adventure, romance,” “reveals” Boi.

Source pitchforkmedia.com.

Roots rockers Max Creek will be holding their annual Camp Creek festival July 23rd, 24th, and 25th at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, NY. As usual the festival will be highlighted by sets from Max Creek along with the welcoming festival fare of camping and vending. Among the other bands on schedule for the weekend include: Railroad Earth, Sun Ra Arkestra, Gordon Stone, Pevar/Lavitz Project, Ulu, Raisinhill, Addison Groove Project, Pete Scheips and Brothers Past. Also featured on the bill include a set by Max Creek

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus has begun work on a new album which may wind up either as a solo project or a collaboration with his band, the Jicks. “I’ve been down in the basement working on a different kind of record,” he wrote on his official Web site. “The band has been contributing a bit but it has more of a solo vibe than anything I’ve done in a long time.”

Malkmus adds that “we’re probably gonna do some group recording” sometime this month. The finished product “looks like a January release though may come earlier,” presumably via the artist’s long-time label Matador.

In related news, Pavement’s legacy is chronicled in Rob Jovanovic’s new book, “Perfect Sound Forever,” released last month by Justin, Charles & Co.

Source billboard.com.

Rock the Vote will begin a five-month, 50-city bus tour on June 16 in Los Angeles. The trek will hit a wide range of venues, including college campuses, before wrapping on the U.S. election day of Nov. 2. There is no admission fee for the shows.

Participating artists are Antigone Rising, Autopilot Off, Black Eyed Peas, Michelle Branch, Dixie Chicks, the Donnas, Dan Dyer, Future Leaders Of The World, Tyler Hilton, Hoobastank, Sarah Hudson, Ben Jelen, Kinky, Maroon 5, Alanis Morissette, Jason Mraz, Q-Tip, Rooney, Joss Stone and Paul Van Dyk.

MTV is on board as partner with Rock the Vote, a non-profit, non-partisan organization geared toward raising political awareness and voter registration among youth. Rock the Vote had a previous bus tour in 2000, and outings with MTV in 1992 and 1996.

Source billboard.com.