After being dropped by Warner Bros. last year, L7 plans to regain its musical footing with a live album. “Live — Omaha to Osaka” will appear on Frank Kozik’s independent label “Man’s Ruin,” MTV News said. The album will contain 16 live tunes and will be released Dec. 4 — just in time for Christmas.

Another great stocking-stuffer is a new offering from Busta Rhymes, available Dec. 15. Busta gives his own take on the year 2000 mania with “Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front).”

“All shit gets serious come the year 2K!” he exclaimed in an Elektra press release.

The calamity contains 19 songs including a remake of “Iron Man,” on which Rhymes joins Ozzy Osbourne for a track called “This Means War.” Janet Jackson will also make a guest appearance as she performs on “What’s It Gonna Be?!”

If covers are on your Christmas list, pick up “The Faculty” soundtrack on Dec. 22. Shawn Mullins will contribute his version of the classic David Bowie hit “Changes.” Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” is covered by Soul Asylum, and “I’m 18” is performed by Creed.

But wait, there’s more where that came from. According to MTV News, Layne Staley of Alice in Chains joins Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, former Jane’s Addiction drummer Steven Perkins and ex-Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble on a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1.”

Sheryl Crow, Garbage, Stabbing Westward and the Offspring will also appear on the soundtrack.

Through the Grapevine

The Guinness Book of World Records will soon have a new entry for the most musical performances in 50 days. By amazingly playing 100 shows in 50 days, Jackyl has completely destroyed the previous record of 52 shows in the same time span set by George Thorogood and the Destroyers.

The band also set a record for the most gigs launched in a single day by performing 21 times in 24 hours.

With Jackyl’s marathon of hard rock, lead singer Jesse James Dupree says the band has put the heavy metal genre back in the spotlight again.

“What we did validates that rock ‘n’ roll is still alive — if you build it, they will come,” he said in a recent press release.

Hey, if it works for baseball, it can work for Jackyl, right?

Radiohead recently allowed author Dean Testerman to stage a play based strictly on the band’s lyrics, according to MTV News. “Untitled Radiohead Project” will be shown at a 70-seat venue until Dec 5. The entire production revolves around Thom Yorke’s lyrics and even goes so far as to name the lead character Thom.

Radiohead didn’t know about the play until it had opened and was already receiving reviews. The band was “upset that no attempt had been made to ask for or obtain permission from themselves or their publisher,” but they didn’t want to shut down the production since profits will be donated to charity.

Adam Jonas is a freshman in pre-architecture from Ames.