News bites: Filter, Darius Rucker, more

Sorry for the lack of updates, but it has been slooooowww around here. Not much news to report. Here's what has trickled in:

* Filter's comeback album Anthems for the Damned tanked pretty hard (peak of #60 on the Billboard 200, their lowest chart placement ever, and no songs on the Modern Rock charts), but they're doing a headlining tour this fall and releasing a live album and a remix album.

* Darius Rucker's country single has made the Top 10 on the country charts. We previously discussed the '90s-going-country phenomenon here.

* Meanwhile, Perry Farrell is modeling clothes now.

'90s stars goin' country

So I was driving through some rural areas this weekend, and I stumbled on one of those country countdown shows that are popular with small-town stations because they're cheap. And lo and behold, who was sitting at #30-something this week? Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, with his new song "Don't Think I Don't Think About It."

However, Hootie and the Blowfish are still together, as they're touring all summer, according to this article (which says two of the Blowfish are working on solo projects as well). Most of the dates are casinos and county fairs, but they're still big enough in Georgia and the Carolinas to play big amphitheaters.
This won't be Rucker's first solo album; after Hootie's underperforming third album Musical Chairs, he recorded a soul album, Back to Then, which didn't do much on the charts. Since then, Hootie have released two more albums (the most recent in 2005), both of which did quite well on adult contemporary radio.

Think Rucker is touring with Hootie rather than a country band so that fans don't request this number?


So the Hootie guy has gone country. And he's not the only one. Jewel also has a new country song (which sounds like a regular Jewel song with extra banjo), and is one-upping Rucker by spending the summer opening for Brad Paisley and judging the NBC American Idol-wannabe Nashville Star.

Also going country: Jessica Simpson, with a song, "Come On Over," and a full album set for September. But really, given her performance in the Dukes of Hazzard movie, this move isn't that surprising.

Since three is a trend, here's some other '90s artists we'd like to see tackle a country album:

White Town: admittedly, the gender-bending is going to throw NASCAR dads off, but if he could pull it off, it'd be amazing.

Tracy Bonham: bonus points - already plays violin.
Mr. Big: Hey, it worked for Bon Jovi.
Either Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, or the Cherry Poppin' Daddies: unsure how the horns are going to work in a country milieu, but let's give it a shot anyway.
Everclear: let's be honest, for enough money, Art might do it.
Nerf Herder: the world needs more jokey country songs, right?
Jesus Jones: the world needs more British dancey country songs (EMF works here, too).

Who do you want to see do a country album? Post suggestions in the comments.