June 4, 2004

The members of Creed have confirmed that they will split after almost a decade together. The announcement comes three months after Creed songwriter/singer Scott Stapp told Billboard that his bandmates would take a break.

In a statement issued today (June 4) and posted on the band’s official Web site, Stapp says, “Creed was one of the most amazing journeys through music and friendship I am blessed to say I was a part of.”

Source billboard.com.

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.

Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson has wrapped his solo debut, “Paper,” . Due Aug. 24 via Key Hole Records, the 14-track album features guest spots from former Crowes keyboardist Eddie Harsch and BR5-49 fiddle/lap steel player Donnie Herron, according to Robinson’s official Web site.

For the first time in his career, Robinson handled all of the vocal duties. “I named the album ‘Paper’ because this is all a blank sheet of paper to me; it’s fragile and new,” he says. “For 15 years I wrote for [Crowes frontman] Chris [Robinson’s]’ voice, but this is for me.”

Tracks set for inclusion are the psychedelic rocker “Places,” the dulcimer-tinged “When You Will,” the mid-tempo ballad “Forgiven Song” and such Crowes-inspired numbers as “Yesterday I Saw You” and “Enemy.” Robinson will also create the album’s cover art from one of his own oil paintings.

Robinson will unveil material from “Paper” during a three-week, three-city residency. He will play New York’s Knitting Factory Tap Bar on Tuesdays beginning June 29, Philadelphia’s Tin Angel on Wednesdays beginning June 30 and Cambridge, Mass.’ Brother Jimmy’s Barbecue on Thursdays beginning July 1.

Source billboard.com.

Along with rescheduling concerts canceled in the wake of her mother’s death, Lucinda Williams has put together a summer tour and will participate in a few one-of-a-kind gigs. The tour will kick off July 7 in San Diego and close Aug. 21 in Kansas City, Mo.

The end of the summer trek will return Williams to Charlotte, N.C. (Aug. 15), Nashville (Aug. 17), Columbus, Ohio (Aug. 18) and Kansas City — all cities she missed at the end of her spring tour.

Williams, who was among the guests at the Willie Nelson & Friends: Outlaws & Angels USA Network concert special, will also participate in the July 9-10 Gram Parsons tribute concerts in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, Calif. As previously reported, the event will also feature performances by Norah Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle, the Mavericks’ Raul Malo and Jim Lauderdale.

Here are Williams’ tour dates

June 4: Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago)
July 7: San Diego (Humphrey’s)
July 9: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl; Gram Parsons Tribute)
July 15: Reno, Nev. (Robert Z Hawkins Amphitheatre)
July 16: Grass Valley, Calif. (California Worldfest Fairgrounds)
July 18: Saratoga, Calif. (Mountain Winery)
July 19: Jacksonville, Ore. (Britt Pavilion)
July 21: Seattle (Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater)
July 22: Bend, Ore. (Athletic Club of Bend)
July 23: Portland, Ore. (Oregon Zoo Ampitheatre)
July 25: Calgary, Alberta (Calgary Folk Music Festival)
July 26: Edmonton, Alberta (Winspear Centre)
July 28: Apple Valley, Minn. (Music in the Zoo: Outdoor Amphitheatre)
July 29: Milwaukee (Pabst Theater)
July 30: Des Moines, Iowa (Simon Estes Amphitheatre)
Aug. 6: Shelburne, Vt. (The Green at Shelburne Museum)
Aug. 7: Newport, R.I. (Apples and Eve Folk Festival)
Aug. 8: North Hampton, Mass. (Calvin Theatre)
Aug. 10: New York (Central Park Summerstage)
Aug. 11: Oyster Bay, N.Y. (The Planting Fields)
Aug. 12: Bethlehem, Pa. (Zoellner Arts Center)
Aug. 14: Washington, D.C. (930 Club)
Aug. 15: Charlotte, N.C. (Visulite Theatre)
Aug. 17: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)
Aug. 18: Columbus, Ohio (Promo West Pavilion)
Aug. 20: St. Louis, Mo. (Pageant)
Aug. 21: Kansas City, Mo. (Beaumont Club)

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.