Beck will be rocking the plastic like a man from the Catskills with none other than Macy Gray on her new album entitled The Trouble With Being Myself. This will be Gray's third album, and has been a year and a half in the making. The single "When I See You" will be out on April 21st, but that's not the Beck single, sorry.

Do you remember us telling you about Mira Calix's new Skimskitta album? Ms. Chantal Passamonte going out on tour in support of said album, and if you pre-order the album ow at Warp Mart and you are one of the first 100 orderers, you get a free copy of the exclusive Nunu CD? Que signifiga Nunu? It's Calix's 13-minute sample of a composition she made entirely of sounds of 150 or so bugs. Yep, insects. This goes along well with the limited run fly t-shirt included in that first 100 package. Check out the new Skimskitta website while you're at it.

Chris Clark has a new EP mastered, and you can expect it to hit the racks in May of 2003. Ceramics Is The Bomb is preceeding a full length album to follow later in the year. Until then, you can just go seem him on tour... at the...

Trip-hop pioneer Tricky has recently completed his 7th album, Vulnerable. Recorded with Italian vocalist Costanza Francavilla, the album is set to be released May 16th. Click "more" for the tracklist.

Fresh off their failed attempt at writing a Pizza Hut jingle (seriously, you have to check it out), Ween is embarking on a mini-tour this Spring. Where'd the tourdates go? I don't know.

Mr. Mike Skinner, better known to most of you as The Streets, has announced dates for a small little U.S. tour. Very small -- only 7 dates (click "more" to see them). If you can't make it to one of the shows, however, don't fret because he'll be appearing on Jay Leno on March 12th and Jimmy Kimmel on March 13th.

Christiansen will soon be hitting the road with MC Paul Barman (dates in the more) and will be doing a couple SXSW showcases. The band will be playing at the Revelation Records showcase as well as at a show with Taking Back Sunday and Recover for the Alternative Press sponsored Amp Circuit showcase: March 14 @ La Zona Rosa.

Elliott have set the release date for their new album, Songs In the Air, for April, 29th. In the meantime the band is currently on tour with Further Seems Forever, and will be heading out on an East coast tour with Matt Pond PA after that. Dates in the more...

As of yesterday, Thrice finished tracking drums at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, NY for their follow-up to The Illusion Of Safety. Currently the band is taking a break in New York City before they head to Beltsville, MD to start recording guitar and bass tracks. According the band's online journal, the Thrice have prepared over 15 songs for the new album, but of course not all should make the final cut. More details about one of my most highly anticipated albums of 2003 as they continue to roll in.

Vue have left their meager home at Sub Pop for sunnier climates, greener grass, and more money (obviously) with RCA Records. "The San Francisco Strokes," as I predict they will be called, will release their Babies Are For Petting EP on March 4th, with a full-length due sometime during the summer. For more info on the band, check out their official website.

FYI: Tori Amos (who I will be seeing tonight) will be performing a "custom" concert for the Oxygen channel on Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 10:00pm ET. You can go to Oxygen.com's special web page to choose what songs you want Tori to perform from a select list.

You can check out the Sigur Rós video for "Untitled 1" over at MCA.com. The video has recieved both "wow" and "boring" from fans, but I guess you can decide.

According to their official website, aging rockers Metallica have accepted now former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Robert Trujillo into fold. Trujillo will not appear on the upcoming Metallica album, St. Anger, due June 10th, but will play on all future releases and with the band on the Summer Sanitarium Tour. Let's just get the new album first fellas. OK?

Ben Kweller has posted the video for "Commerce, Texas" online for your viewing pelasure. Check it out here in Windows Media and here in Real Video, and then be sure and click the more to see when Mr. Kweller is bringing the rock to your town.

Not to be left out, Taking Back Sunday have also announced a slew of spring tour dates. You will once again find the complete list in the more...

The Datsuns have announced a slew of tour dates for the spring season. The band will be supported by The Sights on all shows. You can find a complete list behind the more...

Upside Down Lacrimosa, the debut album from NYC solo artist Rebecca Schiffman, is slated to come out May 6th. The album was produced by Walter Schreifels (Rival Schools), who plays drums and bass on many of the tracks as well as some guitar and banjo. Other players on the album include Mike Stroud (Dashboard Confessional, Ben Kweller) and Chuck Scott (ex-Shudder To Think), both on keyboards. You can hear two tracks formt he album here.

Zwan has offered up a "sleek, no-graphic version of Zwan.com for you to check out while you're clubbing in St. Tropez or shoveling in the driveway." No bells, whistles, or crazy rainbow graphics, just the quick info you need. Zwan.com has also added mp3s from Zwan's five sold-out Chicago shows, a tour diary from Paz and Pajo, and new screensavers.

The first four episodes of Linkin Park TV are up on their website, waiting impatiently for you to watch it. LPTV is a nine episode series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at Linkin Park as they recorded Meteora, their upcoming album. The first single from Meteora, "Somewhere I Belong," is also on the site, and the full album hits streets March 25th.

Showing that anyone can come up with a good idea: Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit announced via the band's official website that he plans on holding a benefit concert for the families of the people who died at the tragic Great White concert this past Thursday in Warwick, RI. Pyrotechnics that were used during the show ignited the ceiling and soundproofing around the stage. In minutes, the venue was filled with smoke and the entire building was engulfed in flames after 3 minutes. Around 180 concert-goers were treated for injuries and 65 people were reported dead as of Friday, however the death count has now grown to over 100 and includes Great White guitarist, Ty Longley. More details on the Durst-fronted benefit concert as they develop. Our hearts go out to the victim's families.