Billboard Bits: Lee Hazlewood, Fugazi, Jay Bennett/Edward Burch

Astralwerks has set an Aug. 6 North American release date for “Total Lee,” a 16-track tribute album to veteran artist and former music business mogul Lee Hazlewood. As previously reported, the set is due Monday (June 3) internationally via City Slang and features covers by Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, the Webb Brothers, St. Etienne, Evan Dando, Tindersticks, Kid Loco, and Lambchop, among others.

“It’s surprising, and nice, and an honor,” Hazlewood says of the album. “I think it’s an honor more than anything else that people under a certain age would bother to do these old songs. And most of them are obscure songs; they didn’t do hits. Thank goodness they didn’t do hits. You don’t mind a hit or two in there, but you don’t want an album of well-arranged copies and covers of hits, ’cause that’s kind of silly. None of this is silly. Some of it’s inventive, some it has a little streak of rebelness in it, musical rebellion. I couldn’t say anything negative about them.”

— Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

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Fugazi has canceled a short U.K. tour due to a death in one of the band members’ immediate families. As previously reported, the trek was due to begin June 9 in Bristol, England, and wrap with a June 21-22 stand in London. According to a spokesperson, the band is stil planning to play a free July 1 show with Quixotic in its Washington, D.C., hometown.

“Fugazi apologise to their fans and hope they will be understanding of these exceptional circumstances,” the band said in a statement. “The band would like to assure everyone that rescheduling these dates will be a priority for them as soon as they are able to resume playing again. All efforts will be made to schedule the dates at the same venues/towns and therefore it is hoped that all current tickets will remain valid.”

Here are Fugazi’s postponed tour dates:

June 9: Bristol, England (Academy)
June 10: Brighton, England (Corn Exchange)
June 11: Birmingham, England (Que Club)
June 12: Nottingham, England (Rock City)
June 13: Leeds, England (Metropolitan University)
June 14: Glasgow (Barrowlands)
June 16: Derry, Ireland (Nerve Centre)
June 18: Dublin (Vicar Street)
June 20: Manchester, England (venue TBA)
June 21-22: London (Forum)

— Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

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Former Wilco multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett has added a string of Midwest and East Coast dates in support of his latest project with longtime friend Edward Burch. The two are currently on the road as a duo, playing a stripped-down, mostly acoustic set, but will be touring with a full-band for the newly added dates, beginning June 25 in Columbus, Ohio, and stretching into early July. A spokesman says the group is planning to tour with at least four or five additional members.

Confirmed thus far are Will Johsnon and Scott Danborm, both of Texas-based alt-country outfit Centro-Matic. Bennett and Burch are playing their final round of dates as a duo, and will wrap this leg June 8 in Chicago. In addition to a number of selections from the pair’s debut, “The Palace at 4 A.M.” (Undertow), the set features a number of songs written by Woody Guthrie, taken from Wilco’s “Mermaid Avenue” (Reprise) sessions, as well as a leftover from Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” (Nonesuch).

Bennett/Burch tunes can be sampled on the duo’s Web site.

Here are the Bennett/Burch tour dates:

June 1: Las Cruces, New Mexico (El Patio)
June 3: Austin, Texas (Stubbs)
June 4: Houston (Rudyard’s)
June 5: Dallas (Gypsy Tea Room)
June 6: Memphis (Young Avenue Deli)
June 7: Bloomington, In. (Second Story)
June 8: Chicago (Beat Kitchen)
June 25: Columbus, Ohio (Bernie’s)
June 26: Cleveland (Beachland Tavern)
June 27: Buffalo, N.Y. (Mohawk)
June 28: New York (Mercury Lounge)
June 29: Boston (Middle East)
July 1: Philadelphia (TBA)
July 2: Pittsburgh (Club Cafe)
July 3: Newport, Ky. (Southgate House)
July 5: St. Louis (Off Broadway)

— Todd Martens, L.A.