Gavin DeGraw out of hospital, cancels concerts (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Singer Gavin DeGraw was released from a New York hospital on Tuesday after apparently being attacked by three men and hit by a taxi cab, causing a concussion, broken nose and numerous cuts and bruises.

Police said they were investigating an assault by three males in the city's East Village in the early morning hours on Monday, but said it was unclear what led to the attack.

"The victim claims to have been struck by these individuals and taken to hospital," a police spokesman said. Police would not comment on whether DeGraw had been drinking.

The 34-year-old singer also reported having been struck by a taxi soon after the assault. He had just left a group of friends when the attack took place. No arrests have been made and no motive has emerged for the assault.

The New York singer, whose hits include "I Don't Want to Be" and "Chariot," was suffering from "a concussion, broken nose, black eyes, cuts and bruises," his representatives said.

DeGraw has been the opening act for the first leg of rock bands Train and Maroon 5's U.S. tour. His spokeswoman said that due to the injuries, DeGraw will not be performing on August 12 or 13.

"Gavin and his family appreciate everyone's concern at this time," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

DeGraw got his start playing in nightclubs in and around Manhattan and hit it big when "I Don't Want to Be" was chosen as the theme song for television drama, "One Tree Hill.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney and Bob Tourtellotte, editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Katy Perry cancels concerts after food-poisoning (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) – When Katy Perry opens her mouth to sing, something beautiful tends to come out. When she opens her mouth to eat? Maybe not so much.

The "Teenage Dream" singer was forced to cancel a pair of concerts for Friday and Saturday after suffering a bout of food poisoning and severe dehydration, according to her official website.

The concerts, which were to occur in Chicago and St. Paul, have been rescheduled for next month. Perry fought through the illness to fire up her Twitter account and announce the new dates on Friday, writing, "Chicago and St. Paul -- I'm so sorry to have to postpone today and tomorrow's shows. But I'll be back 8/21 (CHI) and 8/23 (St. Paul)!"

Perry noted in a statement, "I am going to return in a few weeks to give them the very best show ever!"

Perry's next concert is scheduled for Regina, Saskatchewan, on Wednesday.

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Katy Perry postpones Chicago, St. Paul concerts (AP)

MILWAUKEE – Katy Perry has postponed concerts in St. Paul, Minn., and the Chicago area because she's suffering from food poisoning.

A statement released by her publicist says the Friday show at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., has been rescheduled to Aug. 21 and her Saturday show at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center is now set for Aug. 23.

The statement says the food poisoning led to severe dehydration. She performed ill at Summerfest in Milwaukee Thursday.

John Boler, vice president of sales and marketing at Summerfest, says Perry wasn't feeling well when she arrived. He says a doctor attended to her during the day and the performance.

He says she performed beautifully despite being sick.

Perry apologized but said she plans to give fans the best show ever when she returns.

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Dave Matthews takes break from road, not concerts (AP)

NEW YORK – Dave Matthews has just started a telephone interview when the shrieks of a child interrupt his thoughts and he has to go to another room to escape the commotion.

"It's not easy to find a quiet place in my house," quips the leader of the Dave Matthews Band. "There's a lot of action."

But it's that kind of action with his 3-year-old son and two 9-year-old daughters that Matthews was craving when he decided last year, after spending 20 years on the road, to take a hiatus from touring.

However, the 44-year-old rocker's love of music couldn't keep him away from the stage for long, and this summer, the band — which includes Carter Beauford, Boyd Tinsley and Stefan Lessard — is performing in four cities — three nights in each city — in a "caravan" of concerts.

The concerts in Atlantic City, N.J.; Chicago; New York; and George, Wash., features the Dave Matthews Band as headliners and includes acts like the Flaming Lips, Ray LaMontagne, the Roots and Dispatch. The acts will vary in each city.

"I hope that people will go away from it, probably a little exhausted, but feeling like they had a really special experience," Matthews said.

AP: When you ended your tour, people assumed that was it for a while. What made you decide to do the "caravan"?

Matthews: There's some different reasons. A lot of the guys wanted to play and I love playing with this band. I've just been wanting to take a break from being on the road. ... I'm not as up for the crazy tour schedule this year ... but I still love playing music. It does seem like a good way not to live on a bus and go to someplace and see some good musicians play, and then work a little bit.

AP: What have you been doing during your time off?

Matthews: I've just been with my family and nothing else. ... Last year I spent was away from my family a lot. It's hard for me to leave my kids, and it's harder on me than it is on them. It's funny, I get a little quieter with time. I don't want to chase my tail and one day repeat myself and repeat myself and one day have kids going to college and not have memories that I should, because I was too busy doing my thing. ... I'm always playing music and trying to make new sounds, but mainly, it's been trying to hear theirs.

AP: Do you think your break might be a little bit more extended, or do you not want to put a timetable on it?

Matthews: I'd like to get into writing again and I think a lot of it for me is just trying to figure out how I can do both, and a lot of people have done it. ... It's a hard switch, but I'm working on trying to figure out how to do it. I don't want to stop — I don't think I really can stop making music. ... I'm not planning going into the studio for a specific month or anything like that. But I imagine I am going to. I don't see an end to that.

AP: There's a new book, "So Much to Say: Dave Matthews Band — 20 Years on the Road." What are some of the things included in the book that might surprise people?

Matthews: You know what's going to make you laugh? My mother told me there was some book out about us, and that's the first I heard of it. ... I had no idea. I am so in the dark about everything, which is OK. I've always kind of been, I've never really kept up with the culture around me, so it's not surprising that some book came out and I was oblivious about it. ... I have yet to see it. ... I have a pretty good idea of what happened in the last 20 years, and there's a lot of books out there that are about other things that I would much rather read than read a book that has details of my life.

AP: You have talked about trying to do things that might better the world. What are some of the projects you'd like to tackle?

Matthews: I think it's always on my mind and all of our minds, especially when I became a father, about what kind of planet I'm leaving for my children, and so that preoccupies me a little bit, and then opportunities tend to come up because there are people that are more directly focused on more specific ways into improving or sustaining a healthier direction for the planet.

____

Online:

http://www.davematthewsband.com

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