The Cult Kicks Off Summer Tour

The Cult is taking time off from recording its first album of new material in six years to head out on the road. The group kicks things off on Friday night (8/11) with a gig in Tucson, Ariz., and will then spend the rest of August alternating between headlining its own shows and opening for Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes.

Last summer, original singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy teamed with former Cult drummer Matt Sorum (who had left the group in the early '90s to join Guns 'N' Roses) and Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble for a Cult reunion tour. The band has since begun work on the new album with producer Bob Rock at the helm. The as-yet-untitled album is slated for an early-2001 release, according to Atlantic Records.

Rock--known for his work with bands such as Metallica, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue--produced a number of the Cult's previous albums, including 1989's "Sonic Temple." That album--the group's most successful to date--spawned the hits "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao, Baby)."

A new single from the band, "Painted on My Heart," is featured on the soundtrack of the Nicolas Cage film "Gone In 60 Seconds," which hit theaters earlier this summer. The song reached No. 26 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in late July.

Prior to landing its recent deal with Atlantic, the Cult had released its albums on Beggar's Banquet, a label that plans to put out a 6-CD box of previously unreleased and rare material from the band this fall, according to a label spokesperson. Titled "Rare Cult," the set is currently scheduled for release on Nov. 17, but that date may be moved up to sometime in October.

On Thursday night (8/10), the group performed a short set at a Los Angeles party for Maxim Magazine.