Local Boy Makes Good

March 24, 2004

Singer-songwriter Ben Folds is set to hit the road in April for a tour of colleges beginning at John Carroll University in Cleveland on April 2nd. The tour will continue through the end of April, including stops at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (4/3), the University of Illinois in Urbana (4/5), Michigan State University in East Lansing (4/6), and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa; more college dates are expected to be added. Folds is also currently wrapping work on a new solo studio album that is due out this summer, and he currently has yet another album out with fellow singer-songwriters Ben Lee and Ben Kweller - the trio is billed as “The Bens“ on the album of the same name...

Chris Cornell and Audioslave are in Los Angeles working on the follow-up to their 2002 eponymous debut album. The band already reportedly has almost 20 songs in the works, but are still working on new material; according to guitarist Tom Morello, the band, who are currently in rehearsals, are also still writing a song or so a day. Described as “diverse,“ the new Audioslave album is said to range from ripping rock and roll to tunes that are more reminiscent of Joshua-Tree-era U2. No release date has been announced for the new album as of yet...

Miami, Florida‘s Winter Music Conference 2004 kicked off last week with the Ultra Music Festival, which saw dozens of artists performing on various stages and in various tents. The top-notch roster of acts included Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Goldie, The Chemical Brothers, Junkie XL, and Tiesto. Between all of the Main Stage acts, the Drum N‘ Bass Tent, and the Progressive Tent, festivalgoers were kept busy as this premiere dance event took over Miami...

Lenny Kravitz will release his seventh studio album, and his first album since 2001‘s *Lenny,* on May 18th. Kravitz‘ new disc, *Baptism,* will include tracks “Calling All Angels,“ “Storm (featuring Jay-Z),“ “What Did I Do With My Life?“ and “California.“ Kravitz will film a music video for the album‘s expected first single, “Where We Runnin‘?“ soon - the singer is currently negotiating to cast actress Scarlett Johansson (*Lost in Translation*) as the female lead in the video. In addition to his own disc, Kravitz also appears on the song “Maybe“ on the new N.E.R.D. album *Fly or Die*...

MINI BUZZ:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored its newest inductees last week in New York, among them Bob Seger, Traffic, The Dells, ZZ Top, the late George Harrison, Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner, Prince, and Jackson Browne...
UK rockers Supergrass, currently at work on their 5th album, will celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band with the release of both a Supergrass Greatest Hits album and a retrospective DVD this May...
Ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne starts a six-week European tour this week in Italy...
Indie rockers Wheat have also hit the road (in the U.S., that is) as opening act for Liz Phair‘s current tour...
Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan will be releasing a DVD single of her next single, “Stupid,“ which will hit stores on March 30th and which will also include the music video for her previous hit single, “Fallen“...
U2‘s Bono has been tapped to deliver the commencement address on May 17th at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia...
Lansing, Michigan band Eight Ball Grifter will play a one-off reunion show this week at The Temple Club...

New in stores this week... ON CD: David Byrne drops *Grown Backwards*... Claudia Acuna presents *Luna*... Finley Quaye releases *Much More Than Love* featuring Beth Orton and William Orbit... Joe Jackson releases *Live: Afterlife*... The Vines finally offer up *Winning Days*... and N.E.R.D. release the aforementioned *Fly or Die*... ON DVD: Jewel - *Live at Humphrey‘s*... Paul Oakenfold - *A Voyage Into Trance*... *VH1 Storytellers: Sarah McLachlan*... and Ringo Starr‘s *The Point*... and that‘s the buzz for this week‘s Modern Rock.

*Questions, comments, rants, raves about your fave artists or this column? Send ‘em to Kristi at expressmodernrock@hotmail.com!*