Kramer, bassist Mike Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson will hit the road in June under the band rubric DKT/MC5. Dates will include appearances by a rotating group of guests that will include Deniz Tek of Australia's Radio Birdman, Mark Arm of Mudhoney, Marshall Crenshaw and Evan Dando.

According to the DKT-MC5's official Web site (http://www.dkt-mc5.com/), the tour will kick off June 9 in Toronto. Also on the schedule are early August performances at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo and Osaka.

A DVD, "Sonic Revolution: A Celebration of the MC5," will arrive in July. It will include footage of a March 2003 concert in London with guests Dave Vanian of the Damned, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Ian Astbury of the Cult.  The disc will also feature archival footage, home movies and commentary by Kramer, Davis and Thompson.

"Sonic Revolution" will be released by Kramer's indie label, MuscleTone Records, and Image Entertainment.

Another feature, "MC5: A True Testimonial," had been set for May 4 release on DVD by RCA Victor Group. However, after screening copies were sent to the press in early March, it was abruptly dropped from the schedule. The film's distributor, Avatar Films in New York, canceled April theatrical dates. The move is the product of a long-running wrangle between Kramer and documentary producer Laurel Legler and director Dave Thomas about his work on the film.

According to documents and correspondence obtained by Billboard.com, Kramer was approached by Thomas and Legler in 1996 about the possibility of a feature focusing on the tempestuous history of the MC5.

Kramer claims he was promised that he would be credited as music producer for the film. He was interviewed in Detroit and Chicago, and says he was instrumental in securing the participation of other key players. However, Kramer says, he never received a contract regarding his role as music producer.

MC5: A True Testimonial" was screened in 2002 at film festivals in the United States and abroad. After Kramer learned about the pending DVD and theatrical releases of the film, he asked Warner-Chappell Music, which handles the group's music publishing, to withhold a license for the use of the band's songs in the film.

Stymied, the filmmakers took their case to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in L.A., where Kramer filed for personal bankruptcy protection in 1999. Legler, Thomas and MC5 vocalist Rob Tyner's widow Rebecca Derminer (a creditor in the original filing) moved to re-open the case. In a court brief, Kramer characterized the action as "a flagrant attempt to coerce me and to abuse my rights."

On April 6, a bankruptcy judge ruled that the case could be re-opened for 120 days, but indicated that the filmmakers' claims lay outside the scope of bankruptcy proceedings.

Negotiations between Kramer and the filmmakers have reached an apparent impasse, and the future of "MC5: A True Testimonial" is in doubt. Peter J. Strand, an attorney for Legler and Thomas, says, "We have been negotiating on and off for a long time, hoping for a resolution, and that hasn't been reached."

Reuters/Billboard

(thanks, FER)