Billboard Bits: Stabbing Westward, Liz Phair, Slayer

7/6/2001

Stories on Stabbing Westward, Liz Phair, and Slayer.

Following the band's July 1 set in Minneapolis, Stabbing Westward was forced to pull out of its support slot on the Cult's Beyond Good and Evil tour so that drummer Andy Kubiszewski could undergo minor surgery on his hand that was originally planned for after the tour's completion. While the surgery became more immediately necessary, Kubiszewski's recovery is expected to last "a couple of weeks," according to a spokesperson. The band hopes to be back in action to play a radio station-sponsored festival in Chicago at the end of the month.

Stabbing Westward was touring in support of its self-titled Koch album, which was released in May. The album, which debuted at No. 47 on The Billboard 200, was led by the single "So Far Away," which peaked at No. 21 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, and No. 23 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks tally. An acoustic version of "So Far Away" is at radio now, and the choice of a second single from the album is imminent, according to the spokesperson.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Fans eager to hear music from the long-awaited follow-up to Liz Phair's 1998 Capitol album "White Chocolate Space Egg" will want to check out a video clip of new song "Down." The video is available for free on the Director's Bureau agency Web site. A spokesperson at Capitol says the song is "not a single," and "it was just done for fun by a friend." Rodney Ascher directed the clip using still photos. Phair's new album, which the spokesperson says is "nowhere near being complete," is expected next year.

Phair recently filmed some scenes for indie flick "Cherish." The Finn Taylor ("Dream with the Fishes") directed thriller is expected to debut at the Sundance Film Festival next year. As previously reported, Phair has recorded nearly 40 songs for her new album, some with singer/songwriter Pete Yorn.

-- Todd Martens, L.A.

Slayer has nailed down Aug. 28 as the official release date for its upcoming American Recordings album "God Hates Us All." As previously reported, the album was originally due this month, but was delayed due to packaging and artwork concerns. The change also gave producer and American head Rick Rubin more time to remix some of the album's tracks.

The band is already performing material from the new set on the North American Extreme Steel tour. Featuring fellow metal acts Pantera, Static X, Skrape, and Morbid Angel, the tour will run through an Aug. 26 finale in Vancouver. Come mid-September, Slayer will head to Europe for the Tattoo the Planet tour with Pantera and Cradle Of Filth. That run kicks off Sept. 14 in Birmingham, England, and will close Oct. 6 in Berlin.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.