Green Day singer volunteers in New Orleans

Fans might be waiting for a new album from Green Day, but frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has more important matters on his mind this week. The singer and his family are volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Armstrong and his family have been posting accounts and photos of their work on the GreenDay.net fan site.

"Today [April 12] we worked on the Upper Ninth Ward," Armstrong wrote." "I hung soffit over the front porch. I had to do some upside down hammering technique but we managed to get the job done. We felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finished. Before I nailed the last piece of soffit, I reached inside and wrote my name with a pencil and dated it."

As previously reported, Green Day collaborated with U2 on a cover of The Slits' "The Saints Are Coming" last year to raise funds for Music Rising, an organization which replaces instruments musicians lost in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In September, Green Day and U2 performed the song at halftime of the first NFL game in New Orleans since Katrina.

Ozzy gives fans Ozzfest head start

Metal fans looking to get a jump on the free tickets to this year's Ozzfest can do so by buying a copy of Ozzy Osbourne's forthcoming album, Black Rain, his first new studio album in six years. Osbourne is including a code in the CDs that will give fans a first crack at scoring a ticket to Ozzfest, the traveling heavy metal festival that is free this for the first time ever. Black Rain goes on sale May 22, meaning that fans who buy it will be able to use a code found within the album's packaging to redeem two Ozzfest tickets via Live Nation starting June 8, four days before they're made available to the general public. Further details are available at the Ozzfest site.

In addition to Osbourne, confirmed Ozzfest acts include Lamb Of God, Hatebreed, Lordi, Mondo Generator, Ankla, Circus Diablo, Nile, the Showdown, 3 Inches of Blood, Daath, Chthonic, and In This Moment. The 24-city tour begins July 12 at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle, and concludes August 30 at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Muse skeptical of Live Earth

If Muse participates in the Live Earth shows July 7, the UK prog-rock band surely won't be flying on a private jet to get there. In an interview with BBC 6 Music, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy suggested that it might be hypocritical to support something that could have an adverse affect on the climate. "Private jets for climate change, not sure about it, that seems to be a bit on edge really--that's an issue really, so we need to think about it," he said.

Muse is one of dozens of bands lined up to play one of seven concerts to be held July 7 on each of the seven continents to raise awareness of the climate crisis. The shows are set to take place at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Antarctica.

In addition to Muse, Madonna, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Black Eyed Peas, Genesis, Snow Patrol, the Police, Dave Matthews Band, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Ludacris, Jon Bon Jovi, Akon, Alicia Keys, AFI, John Mayer, and Kanye West are all lined up to perform.

Queen gets Ben & Jerry's flavor

Legendary rock band Queen got its own Ben & Jerry's flavor today, joining the likes of Phish Food, Cherry Garcia, and Glastonberry among the ice cream maker's rock-themed flavors. The flavor, dubbed Bohemian Raspberry, features fudge brownie pieces and raspberry swirls. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the flavor will go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a group that combats AIDS worldwide. In a statement, Queen guitarist Brian May said, "It's Queentastic! Rhapsolicious! So cool it's not funny! But only if the next one is 'We Will Chock You'!"

The Libertines reunite at London show

Pete Doherty used the second of two solo London shows at Hackney Empire in London to give fans of his former band, the Libertines, quite a thrill. During the second half of the show, Doherty said, "You've been waiting for this moment. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Carlos Barat ... only joking! What do you expect for 25 quid?" Barat, Doherty's former Libertine bandmate before the band dissolved amidst drug-related controversy, then jumped onstage and joined Doherty for a 13-song set, including the band's songs "What Katie Did," "Time for Heroes," and "Albion," the latter of which was supposed to be a Libertines song but ended up on Doherty's subsequent project, Baby Shambles.

Suave lands chance at freedom

After spending 13 years in prison for the drug-related killing of a man, Waymond Anderson's life as R&B singer Suave is a distant memory. But the 40-year-old Anderson might have a chance to create new memories after winning a hearing that could end his prison term. A state appeals court this week ordered a hearing within 120 days in Los Angeles County Superior Court in which prosecutors must refute newly presented evidence that Anderson was miles away when the 1993 fire that killed a man near the USC campus took place.

If no hearing is scheduled, Anderson must be freed, the court said. Prosecutors will review the matter and take appropriate action, Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, told the Associated Press. Suave had a national hit on Capitol Records with a 1988 remake of the Temptations song "My Girl."