Gavin Rossdale Has a New Band??

Well, I had no idea that Bush's frontman was embarking on a new side project. I had no idea he was no longer with Bush either. Anyway, the new band, Institute, consists of Helmet / Orange 9mm guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Cache "Utah Slim" Tolman, formerly of Civ, Rival Schools and exploratory jazz metalloids Iceburn and drummer Charlie Walker (Chamberlain, Split Lip).

Gavin describes the group as "muscular," an ambiguous term that conjures up images of both Henry Rollins and Slayer at the same time. Who knows what the hell he means. Page Hamilton, of Helmet, is producing the album which is slated for release in autumn. The first single is entitled "Bulletproof Skin." Wow, that is MUSCULAR!!

So Rossdale decided that if he were to return to rock's front lines, he'd have to do so in drastic style. Forget about going the tender route of the softhearted solo troubadour — in the words of brusque celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, it was time to turn it up a notch.

"I didn't want to do a softer record than Bush, because I thought that would be maybe more expected," Rossdale said. "I thought what would be cooler would be to do something a little bit heavier, a little stronger. I wanted to make a more forceful record."