With the Beijing Olympics imminent, a chat with Sa Dingding -- a rising Chinese star on the global-music stage -- seemed a perfect opportunity to gain some insight into the vast and daunting world of her country's sounds. After all, her international debut album, 'Alive,' presents an artist with one foot in the music of her childhood on the Inner Mongolian grasslands and her other in a pan-Chinese approach embracing everything from Tibetan traditions to the most modern hi-tech rhythms and textures of Beijing and beyond.

So who does she want to single out as a current influence?

"Jay-Z -- I like him very much," she says. "Jay-Z has a very good sense of rhythm."

Any Chinese artists?

"Dou Wei," she says, noting a prominent Beijing pop and rock artist of recent years, whose Web site calls him "moody and creative," lists his roles in various Chinese groups of recent years and makes references to such Western acts as the Cure, Bauhaus and dark-toned English "post-rock" act Bark Psychosis. "He mixes his music -- some rap, a little electronic and plays the flute."

• Conor Oberst will release a new solo album -- his first in 13 years -- on August 4. The dewey-eyed rocker also has a handful of live dates lined up, including an appearance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September.

• Stone Temple Pilots may offer up some new music following their run of reunion shows this summer. "I think new material will come probably after this tour," bassist Robert DeLeo told Billboard. "I think the whole thing now is kind of getting back and re-acclimating ourselves to the songs that we know. I think that's gonna make for a better atmosphere and better performances ... instead of doing a new record."

• The marriage of Jay-Z and Beyonce is official, according to a town clerk in a New York City suburb. The couple, who reportedly tied the knot on April 4 but have yet to confirm such details, have since filed marriage papers.

• Bauhaus' Peter Murphy will launch a lengthy solo tour this summer, beginning May 30 in Seattle. The jaunt is set to wrap on July 12 in Dallas.

Now that Bauhaus has wrapped up its career with the album 'Go Away White,' and Love and Rockets (the band formed by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins) is committed to only doing one show -- at Coachella -- guitarist Ash wants to get involved with film and television. But his real dream is opening a motorcycle shop.

"I'm obsessed with bikes," Ash tells Spinner. "I'm more nuts about bikes than anything else. I'm always fixing them, painting them or riding them. I've had a love affair with motorcycles since I was about 12. It takes up most of my time to be honest."

Harley Davidsons, and English motorcycles such as Triumphs, BSAs and Nortons are among his favorites. It's a tough call, though. Ash admitted that working on bikes wouldn't allow him time to write music for his solo and multimedia projects. So he's happy with what he has at home.

"In an ideal world, I've love to be riding all the time, all over the world," he says. "I love taking long-distance trips. It's like sort of yoga to me. It's an extremely addictive activity. When you ride a bike, you ride really until you die. Sometimes [bikers] get married and their wives won't let them ride anymore. I'm definitely not one of these guys."

Bauhaus

When you're an art-rock band named after an architecture movement, you better get with the visuals. These British goth men were more than up to the challenge with this half-face, half-building.





Listen to Bauhaus on Napster