Rock News: Music's high and low notes

AEROSMITH

Aerosmith has been selected as the second mtvICON honoree in celebration of the band's nearly 30-year career.

Billboard.com reports that as with last year's tribute to Janet Jackson, Aerosmith's songs will be performed by other acts -- including Kid Rock, Train and Pink, who's expected to cover the group's 1989 hit "Janie's Got a Gun." The event will be taped April 14 in Los Angeles and air three days later on MTV.

Jackson herself will offer a "testimonal" at the start of the show, while Aerosmith will take the stage for the finale. Additional participating artists will be announced soon.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. is going to bat for the nation's forests. In public service announcements sponsored by The Paper Campaign, frontman Michael Stipe urges people to "insist that the paper you use is tree-free."

All three R.E.M. members -- Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck -- are featured in the campaign, which was unveiled Monday night at the Vanity Fair "Rock the Casbah" pre-Oscar party in Hollywood benefiting the Environmental Media Association. The goal is to change the way paper is made in the United States.

"The perception is that third-world countries are the only places being wiped out ... what people don't realize is that the forests being most devastated are in our back yard -- the American South," said Mills.

"Market campaigns, like the one being led by the Dogwood Alliance and ForestEthics, are the most effective way to cut to the chase and protect our forests," added Buck.

ForestEthics officials said despite the fact that nine out of 10 Americans favor the protection of wilderness and open spaces, including forests, Staples' largest selling copy paper -- the redbox store brand -- is made 100 percent from trees, with zero percent recycled content.

Said Stipe, "With a scandal like Enron, when you see how in bed corporations are with the Federal government, it makes sense to hold their feet to the fire and demand accountability."

(Web site: ThePaperCampaign.com)

BACKSTREET BOYS

The Backstreet Boys are being sued by a songwriter and session keyboardist who played on their "Millennium" album.

The lawsuit was filed last Friday in federal court in California by Florida-based musician Tommy Smith, according to Allstar News. He claimed in court papers that he and Nick Cater jointly wrote "The Answer to Our Life" and that he, Brian Littrell and songwriter Guy Walker co-wrote "Time." Both tracks appear on the Backstreet Boys' 2000 album "Black & Blue."

Smith is seeking credit for the songs he claims he co-wrote and 50 percent of all money received from "The Answer to Our Life" and 33.33 percent of money received from "Time," plus court costs.

B2K

B2K's in-store appearance in Concord, Calif., was cut short Monday when some fans didn't want to wait their turn in line.

MTV News reports the pop/R&B quartet -- whose self-titled debut CD hit stores March 12 -- were signing autographs at the Sun Valley Mall Sam Goody store when some of the more than 1,000 fans waiting outside rushed the storefront.

Kim Eri Opacic, the mall's marketing director, said they'd been told by B2K's record label to expect a couple hundred people, so the mall's staff was caught off guard. In response, the mall was closed for about 30 minutes until the fans left.

Opacic said Sam Goody has held similar autograph signings for jazz musicians and has never had any kind of problem.

"They usually draw about 100 people," she said.

FAITH EVANS

Faith Evans has been tapped as this year's co-host of the 16th annual "Soul Train" Music Awards. The event will take place Wednesday at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and air Saturday on the WB network.

Next Tuesday, Evans will also appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," performing her hit single "I Love You." This follows her recent round of television performances on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Late Night with David Letterman," "Live with Regis & Kelly," and "The View."

Evans' latest album, "Faithfully" -- released last November (on Bad Boy/Arista Records) -- is close to being certified platinum.

(Web site: arista.com)

OASIS

Oasis has finally come up with a title for its upcoming album.

Britain's New Musical Express quotes singer Liam Gallagher confirming that the follow-up to "Standing On The Shoulder of Giants" will be titled "Heathen Chemistry." The CD is due out in July.

The first single will be "The Hindu Times."