Loose Ends: Mars Volta's Drummer Leaves, Underoath Drops Out Of Warped And Celebrity Duets Are Coming To TV

08/03/06 7:00pm

The Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore has left the group, leaving Blake Fleming (who played on the band's early demo recordings) to replace him behind the kit on a U.S. tour that begins on August 7. No reason has been given for Theodore's departure. The release date of the band's Amputechture album has been pushed back from August 21 to September 11.

Underoath have cancelled their appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, including those in Canada, due to unforeseen circumstances. "We're deeply frustrated and sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We felt it necessary to take some immediate time to focus on our friendship, as that's more important than risking it for the sake of touring at this time," the band said in a statement issued by its publicist. There's been no word if the Christian metal band's Canadian tour, which was scheduled to start on September 14 in Vancouver, will be affected.

Celebrity Duets, another music-based reality television program, will premiere on Fox on August 29. The premise of the show is that singers — including Michael Bolton, Chaka Khan, Clint Black, Cyndi Lauper, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Brian McKnight, Macy Gray, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Randy Travis and Aaron Neville — will team up with still unnamed celebrities to try and impress judges and viewers who will determine the winners. Canadian composer and producer David Foster will be one of the judges.

Linda Kay, the bassist for punk band Lifetime in the early '90s, has pleaded not guilty after being arrested for improper disposal of human remains. Police were called to her South Plainfield, New Jersey home on July 21 in response to a report that a man was attempting to commit suicide with a hammer. They didn't find a man, but discovered a severed hand preserved in a mason jar of formaldehyde on a basement table and six human skulls in a bedroom. The skulls weren't included in the third-degree charge, for which the 31-year-old Kay — who now works as a stripper — could be imprisoned for up to five years if she's found guilty. She was freed from jail on Tuesday after posting $50,000 U.S. bail. She was previously charged with criminal restraint and related offences following an alleged April 29 attack on another exotic dancer. Kay has denied those allegations.

Toronto concert announcements:
August 11 Slightly Stoopid @ Opera House
August 12 Proof Of Ghosts, Neil Haverty, The Diableros, Stop Die Resuscitate, I Can Put My Arm Back On, You Can't, Mantler, DD/MM/YYYY and The Lolo Project @ Dufferin Grove Park
August 12 The Diableros, The Coast and These Electric Lives @ Kathedral
August 16 Jon Rae Fletcher, The Silt, Castlemusic and Petunia @ Tranzac Club
August 17 Petunia, The Vipers and Washboard Hank @ Mitzi's Sister
August 18 Petunia and The Vipers @ Cineforum Cinema
August 19 Fort Knox Five, Killa Kela, God Made Me Funky and Big League Chu @ El Mocambo
August 26 Fritz Helder, The Phantoms and The Hidden Cameras @ Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
August 27 Hylozoists @ Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
August 30 Athletic Automaton, The White Mice, The Creeping Nobodies, Heiress and The Sex Tapes @ Tranzac Club
September 2 To Live And Shave In LA, Polmo Popo, Gastric Female Reflex and Dollarama @ Sneaky Dee's
September 8 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers @ Molson Amphitheatre
September 16 Teitur, Tina Dico and Tobias Froberg @ Mod Club
September 20 Keane and Midlake @ Hummingbird Centre
September 22 Bad Religion, Dropkick Murphys, Comeback Kid and Clit 45 @ Arrow Hall
September 24 Billy Bragg @ Music Hall
October 2 Two Gallants @ Horseshoe Tavern
October 3 Steve Howe @ Jane Mallett Theatre
October 3 Damien Jurado @ El Mocambo
October 11 New Found Glory, The Early
November, Cartel and John Ralston @ Phoenix
October 14 Art Brut and We Are Scientists @ Opera House
October 16 Iron Maiden @ Air Canada Centre
November 6 Hot Chip @ Mod Club
November 10 The Nylons, Patti Janetta and Michael Ciufo @ Living Arts Centre
November 10 Mouse On Mars @ Mod Club
November 21 The Detroit Cobras, King Khan and BBQ @ Lee's Palace

Vancouver concert announcements:
August 12 TV Heart Attack, Peppersands and Ready.Set.Die. @ Lamplighter
August 17 Tomi Swick @ Red Room
August 25 Todd Rundgren @ Commodore Ballroom
September 2 Wailin' Jennys @ Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre
September 12 The Melvins and Big Business @ Commodore Ballroom
September 13 Bob Log III and Blowfly @ Richard's On Richards
September 22 Viva Voce, Bella and In Medias Res @ Media Club
September 23 Ice-T @ Commodore Ballroom
September 30 Bad Religion, Dropkick Murphys, Comeback Kid and Clit 45 @ PNE Forum
October 19 Citizen Cope @ Richard's On Richards
October 20 The Hold Steady and Sean Na Na @ Plaza Club