Three Doors & 17 Days

Dec. 15, 2004

Rockers 3 Doors Down have locked in a release date for their upcoming full-length album - dubbed Seventeen Days, the disc, produced by Johnny K (Drowning Pool, Disturbed), will hit stores on February 8, although the band already has a preview single (“Let Me Go”) on radio and climbing the Billboard Rock Tracks charts. A little “edgier” than previous efforts, according to bassist Todd Harrell, the album will be supported by a large-scale tour that is expected to kick off next year; in the meantime, you can catch 3 Doors Down if you’re planning to be in Biloxi, Mississippi - they’re playing a fundraiser there along with Shinedown and Tracy Lawrence to raise funds for their Better Life Foundation...
Sting is planning a North American tour this upcoming spring - the “Broken Music Tour,” to be exact, that will feature Sting himself on bass and vocals, plus an intentionally-stripped-down band consisting of Dominic Miller and Shane Fontayne on guitars and Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle) on drums. Starting April 1 in California, the tour - with all dates still TBA - is so far scheduled to run through April 30, but more dates are said to be in the works; Los Angeles’ own Phantom Planet will open all dates, and tix will go on sale this week...
Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, whose new live album, Afterglow Live is out this week, is planning to hit the road in the spring as well, for a North American arena tour that will see her on the tour bus from early April through May 29 - dates scheduled so far include stops in Santa Barbara, California (4/25/2005), Albuquerque, New Mexico (4/27), Albany NY (5/13), and Toronto (5/16). In the meantime, those wanting to see McLachlan kind of live - well, as live as you can get on television - can catch her upcoming appearances this month - she’ll be on “Live with Regis and Kelly” on December 14 and on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on December 15...
And American Hi-Fi, who spent the last several years touring with the likes of Matchbox Twenty, Eve 6, Sum 41, Elvis Costello, Phantom Planet, and Our Lady Peace, finally managed to get back into the recording studio, and have completed work on Hearts On Parade, which was produced by Butch Walker. The band has also switched record labels, moving from Island Records to Maverick Records, and have a slew of road dates in front of them; they’ll tour as the backing band for Butch Walker this month, (including stops in Detroit on 12/11, Chicago on 12/12, and Minneapolis on 12/15), and will support Bowling For Soup in January...

MINI BUZZ:
Although “unofficial” as of press time, details about the wildly popular 2005 Coachella music festival are beginning to take shape, with headliners rumored to be David Bowie and R.E.M., with additional acts said to possibly include Coldplay, Tears for Fears, The Streets, The Polyphonic Spree, Badly Drawn Boy, and Wilco; we’ll keep you updated as we find out more...
Stevie Wonder is prepping to release a brand new studio album, called A Time 2 Love, in April on Motown Records...
Nick Lachey and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker have both been signed to star in their own MTV reality shows, both of which are expected to premiere next year; Lachey will also continue to co-star with his wife, Jessica Simpson, in MTV’s “Newlyweds”...
In related news, John Mayer is joining the ranks of Nick and Jessica, and is also going to have a reality show, this one having followed him around during his recent U.S. tour - it’s going to be called “John Mayer Has A TV Show* and will air on VH1...
UK rockers Grand National, who just wrapped their first full UK tour in support of their recent debut disc, Kicking the National Habit, will make their U.S. live debut in March at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas...
PJ Harvey is set to play a semi-acoustic gig at the London Royal Court Theatre this week in England - if you’re headed overseas, check out her website at www.pjharvey.net for ticket info, plus additional info about her upcoming dates with Morrissey...
On shelves this week, preening for your holiday gift-shopping dollars, are these new releases... ON CD: Tony Bennett’s The Art of Romance... The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike... Handsome Boy Modeling School’s White People... Mike Doughty’s Skittish/Rockity Roll... the soundtrack to the new movie The Aviator... and the new CD single of “Do They Know It’s Xmas” from Band Aid 20... ON DVD: Placebo’s Once More With Feeling: Singles ‘96-’04... The White Stripes’ Under Blackpool Lights... The Stray Cats’ Rumble in Brixton... and Goldfrapp’s Wonderful Electric... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves about this column or your fave artists? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!