Machine Head: New Video Interview Posted Online

Metal juggernauts MACHINE HEAD were interviewed by Johnny Orlando, Jr. in Chicago during the band's recently completed More Balls, More Volume, More Strength tour alongside HELLYEAH and NONPOINT. Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel talk about the Grammys, salmon and facing their demons. The entire clip can be viewed below.

MACHINE HEAD garnered the first Grammy nomination of its career for "Aesthetics of Hate", a monstrous track from the critically hailed album "The Blackening", released in March 2007. The song was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" (SLAYER eventually won the award for "The Final Six").

Mos Def to Play Chuck Berry In New Movie

Rapper Mos Def is to play the role of Chuck Berry in 'Cadillac Records', a film chronicling the rise of legendary '50s and '60s blues label Chess Records.

The film, which also stars Beyonce as R'n'B legend Etta James, will see Adrian Brody take the lead role of Chess co-founder Leonard Chess.

Written and directed by Darnell Martin, the film will follow the lives of some of the Chicago label's famous artists, including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Cedric The Entertainer.

Slated for release next year, the project began filming in New Jersey earlier this month.

Mos Def has already hit cinema screens this year in Michel Gondry's 'Be Kind Rewind'. He previously starred in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy' and has acted on London and New York stages.

Beyonce, meanwhile, has previously appeared in 2006's Supremes-inspired 'Dreamgirls' and 'Austin Powers In Goldmember', amongst others.

David Lee Roth Video Interview At 'Mercedes Benz LA Fashion Week'

Rocco G conducted an interview David Lee Roth of VAN HALEN earlier in the month (March 2008) at the Mercedes Benz LA Fashion Week Fall 2008. Watch the two-and-a-half-minute clip below to hear David's advice to up-and-coming bands and his explanation for what he's doing at Fashion Week.

VAN HALEN announced on its web site Friday (March 28) that an April 17 concert at the Reno Events Center has been added, "due to overwhelming fan demand."

The band performs its previously scheduled April 19 date in Las Vegas and April 22 date in Cincinnati, then does another 18 rescheduled shows across the country, ending June 2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, according to the web site.

VAN HALEN returned to the road in fall 2007 with original lead singer David Lee Roth for the first time in 20-plus years.

Complete Line-Up Announced For New England Metal And Hardcore Festival 2008

The complete lineup for the 10th Anniversary of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, set for weekend of April 25-27 at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachussetts has been confirmed.

The largest and most successful metal festival in the United States will be presented this year by ESP, Randall, EMG, exclusive magazine presenter Metal Maniacs Magazine, and "Summer Slaughter Tour" second stage sponsor Sumerian Records.

"When we first started, we never could have much this festival would have grown," said festival co-founder Scott Lee. "It started out of our love for metal and it’s been amazing to be able to share that with fans who love it as much as we do. It’s also gratifying to be able to give exposure to up-and-coming bands and watch them develop into international stars."

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival will present Gigantour featuring Megadeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy and High on Fire on Friday night. Doors will open Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Saturday will kick off the full two-stage set up at 11:30 a.m. with for the Fallen Dreams, Veil of Maya, Trap Them, COCKPUNCH!, Xtryrantx, Winds of Plague, From A Second Story Window, Soilent Green, Arsis, Sleeping Giant, Stick to Your Guns, First Blood, Disfear, Municipal Waste, The Ghost Inside, Embrace the End, The End, Keep Of Kalessin, Monstrosity, Skeletonwitch, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Animosity, As Blood Runs Black, Heaven Shall Burn, Vital Remains, Kataklysm, Hate Eternal, The Acacia Strain, Overkill, Behemoth, Shadows Fall, and Dimmu Borgir.

Sunday’s lineup includes Classic Struggle, Stray from the Path, Waking the Cadaver, Unholy, Cold World, Recon, Elysia, Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, On Broken Wings, Dead to Fall, Full Blown Chaos, Ligeia, Since the Flood, Shai Hulud, Hemlock, After the Burial, Unexpect, Thy Will Be Done, Born of Osiris, Impending Doom, Kid Deposit Triumph, Vanna, Emmure, A Life Once Lost, Despised Icon, God Forbid, Eluveitie, Tyr, Turisas, Ensiferum, Nevermore, Meshuggah, and Ministry. The show will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The full schedule of set times will be announced soon.

The festival will also host the popular vendor area, where fans can pick up an assortment of rare CDs, t-shirts, and other memorabilia. Artists performing at the show will be on hand for meet and greets throughout the three days.

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival is also sponsored by Metal Edge Magazine, Monster Energy, All In Merchandise, 518 Prints, MTV’s Headbanger’s Blog, The Syndicate, Mazur PR, Heavy Hitter, Scott Lee Clothing, and many more to be announced.

Tickets are $47.50 for Friday, $45 for Saturday, $45 for Sunday, or $129 for a three-day pass.

Tickets are available at all Strawberries and FYE Stores, online at tickets.com and enterthevault.com, or by calling 1-800-477-6849.

The Palladium is located at 261 Main Street in Worcester, MA.

Keith Richards: 'I Smoke My Head Off'

Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards refused to turn his back on drugs completely after a number of brushes with death - he still smokes marijuana "all the damn time."

The guitarist was addicted to heroin at the height of the hellraising band's 1970s heyday. But his bad experiences haven't deterred him from maintaining one last illegal vice: "People thought I was going to die. I never did - as you can see. The drugs? Oh yeah, they were great. Drugs now… it's a very dodgy subject. I smoke my head off. I smoke weed all the damn time.

"There, you've got it. But that's my benign weed. That's all I take, that's all I do. But I do smoke - and I've got some really good hash."

And Richards has a grudge with officials who have banned smoking in public spaces in Britain, Ireland, California and New York: "This worldwide smoking ban is draconian, socially, politically-correct bullshit. They'll get over it. It's like Prohibition - they tried to stop booze once. Ha! Look what happened. It ruined America."

Wyclef John Asks Haitians To Give Up Crime

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - In a radio ad sponsored by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Grammy Award-winning musician Wyclef Jean is asking his fellow citizens to give up crime and work to improve the country.

"If you love Wyclef, that means you love Haiti. So you should not be raping women, kidnapping people and children, because there can be no excuse for doing so," Jean said in Creole in a short ad run several times a day by local stations in Haiti.

"I reject these evil practices," said the 35-year-old Jean, who also urged Haitian men to respect and protect women's rights.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas has battled decades of political upheaval, dictatorship, military rule and violence.

Haitian police and U.N. authorities have noted a rise in crime over the past several weeks and are trying to counter a wave of kidnappings and crimes perpetrated by gangs in the capital and some provincial areas.

Official figures show 36 people were kidnapped for ransom in Port-au-Prince during March, and about 30 in February. The number had dropped to fewer than 20 a month.

Fred Blaise, a spokesman for the U.N. police, said Jean's popularity among Haitians from across the social spectrum may positively influence youngsters involved in crime, and could motivate others to stay out of trouble.

"All kinds of Haitians, the good guys as well as the bad guys, have a lot of appreciation for Wyclef for what he represents as a Haitian," Blaise told Reuters on Sunday.

"So they would be more likely to be receptive to Wyclef's message because they are all proud of him," he said.

Jean, who first gained fame as a member of the Grammy-winning hip-hop trio The Fugees, enjoys enormous respect in Haiti. Last year, he was appointed by Haitian President Rene Preval to serve as a roving ambassador to improve the nation's image abroad.

U2 Signs Groundbreaking Deal With Madonnas 'Label'

U2 have inked a 12-year deal with Live Nation, the concert promoters who recently signed a ground-breaking touring and recording contract with Madonna.

The contract, signed for an undisclosed fee, will cover the Irish rockers' merchandising, digital and branding rights, with the band continuing to release records through Universal.

"We've been dating for over 20 years now," singer Bono told BBC News. "It's about time we tied the knot."

"U2 has created some of the greatest rock music of all time," added Live Nation chairman Michael Cohl. "It has long been our intention to consolidate and extend our relationship."

Madonna signed a groundbreaking $120m (�60m) '360 degree deal' with Live Nation last year � a contract that combined her recording, publishing and touring revenues.

Will Velvet Revolver Continue On Without Scott Weiland?

Classic Rock's Jerry Ewing recently spoke to VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash for an article that will be published in the issue that goes on sale on April 30. A couple of excerpts from the story follow:

Slash: I was talking with Robert Plant the other night and he was casually naming certain ZEPPELIN songs and then in the same breath who it was ripped off from.

Classic Rock: Did GUNS N' ROSES ever get taken to court for allegedly ripping anyone off?

Slash: No. One of the things about myself and the other members of GUNS N' ROSES, with the exception of maybe Izzy [Stradlin], 'cause he was maybe a bit more freeform, was that we were huge sticklers for anything that sounded like anything else. Straight off the bat if you played a few chords and it really reminded you of something else we scrapped it. It's very different with VELVET REVOLVER. Even though myself and Duff [McKagan] are the same way, and Matt [Sorum], Scott [Weiland] will rip something. We'll be like, "No, we can't do that," and he'll be like, "Oh, go on, let's do it," and we'll do it.

Classic Rock: Going back to VELVET REVOLVER, there's been a lot said on the Internet between Scott and Matt. What's the current state of play?

Slash: We've got six shows, ha-ha.

Classic Rock: How do you deal with that stuff flying around?

Slash: I have no comment. Obviously I'm very aware of everything that's going on. The only thing I can add to that is, in contrast to what Scott says, there will be a VELVET REVOLVER after this tour.

Classic Rock: With Scott singing?

Slash: I have no comment on that [chuckles].

Serj Tankian Performs 'Empty Walls' On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian performed the song "Empty Walls" on ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on this past Friday's (March 28) episode. Watch the performance below.

As previously reported, Serj Tankian has been added to the lineup of this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, scheduled for April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. With SCARS ON BROADWAY, the new band featuring SYSTEM guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan, previously announced for the festival, speculation has started about whether the musicians will get together for a surprise SYSTEM reunion. The band has been on hiatus since the fall of 2006, with Tankian releasing his first solo album, "Elect the Dead", last fall. The SCARS ON BROADWAY debut is due out this summer.

Malakian recently told MTV.com that SYSTEM's hiatus may be permanent, saying, "If anyone's holding their breath for a SYSTEM record, they're going to turn blue and pass out. It's a long ways away, if it ever even happens."

Testament Kicks Off U.S. Tour, Set List Revealed - Video Interview

Veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT played the first show of their 2008 tour last night (Saturday, March 29) at The Independent in San Francisco. The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Over The Wall
02. Into The Pit
03. Apocalyptic City
04. Practice What You Preach
05. New Order
06. Demonic Refusal
07. Low (dedicated to Johnny Tempesta)
08. Trail Of Tears (dedicated to all Longest Walk participants)
09. More Than Meets The Eye
10. The Evil Has Landed
11. Souls Of Black
12. The Preacher
13. DNR
14. 3 Days In Darkness
15. Alone In The Dark
16. Disciples Of The Watch

TESTAMENT will play another show at The Independent tonight (March 30) featuring a different setlist — including three more new songs.

In other news, TESTAMENT will put on a free show this coming Wednesday, April 2 on the Alcatraz Island (more commonly known simply as Alcatraz). They need over 100 metalheads to be there to take part in a video shoot for MTV.

Located in the middle of San Francisco Bay, the Alcatraz Island served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963.

TESTAMENT's video for the 1987 classic "Over the Wall" was also filmed at Alcatraz.

TESTAMENT will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guests on Friday, April 18 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio show, aptly named "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the program live via the Internet between 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

TESTAMENT is strongly rumored to have been added to the upcoming summer tour featuring HEAVEN AND HELL, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD (as previously reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on January 17 and March 22). It should be noted, however, that this information has not yet been corrobated by an official source and should be considered a rumor only at this point.

A brand new TESTAMENT track, entitled "More Than Meets The Eye", has been posted on the group's MySpace page. The song comes off the group's forthcoming album, "The Formation of Damnation", due in North America on April 29 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The band recorded the effort in part with producer Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE) at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.

Prosthetic Records has just re-released TESTAMENT's "First Strike Still Deadly" album. Originally issued in 2001 on Spitfire Records, the updated version features new artwork.

Current TESTAMENT lineup interviewed on Fuse TV's "Uranium":

Testament (Uranium) - Exclusive Interview

Anthrax Drummer Says The Internet Ruins Every Surprise

IconsOfPunk.com recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante. An excerpt from the chat follows:

IconsOfPunk.com: You made a rather big announcement recently with Dan Nelson being named as the new lead singer for ANTHRAX. How has the reaction been to that announcement? Are things going well?

Charlie: "Yeah, you know what? To be honest with you, and it sounds funny for me to say this, but I didn't want to make a big announcement about it, because we are still in the early stages. We were almost kind of forced into making the announcement now because of the Internet; it ruins every surprise. One asshole finds out about something and they post it somewhere. You know?"

IconsOfPunk.com: Have you guys started recording, and if so, will it be a 2008 release?

Charlie: "An '08 release looks right, but we are still in the early stages right now. Dan has kind of jumped into this, so we just want to take it slow. I know that we haven't had a record out in years but, right now, I just want to not rush into things and take my time."

IconsOfPunk.com: ANTHRAX has had amazing career longevity, playing for more than twenty five years now. At any point have you all ever discussed throwing in the towel or do changes such as this give you a swift kick in the ass and help to reignite that flame?

Charlie: "I had this conversation yesterday with somebody, which it's pretty funny that it's coming up again. When I was born, I came out a musician. I didn't learn to play or anything like that. It was in me and there is no stopping that. My mother always said that from an early age that you could just tell that it was just in me. That's all I've ever wanted. Between art and music, that's pretty much my thing. That's my area, that's what I know the best, that's what I want to do. Music is a part of my DNA; I will never stop doing music. It was never a question for me to stop doing it...maybe it was a question to stop in this type of music, this band. The hardest part for me with this type of music is leaving it, because I have so many other different types of projects that I want to see come to fruition. But if I sit down with an electric guitar, this style of music comes out of me. If I sit down with an acoustic guitar, it's a totally different world. So to answer, it never dawned on me to stop. It dawned on others to stop. Others who have come from this band decided not to do this anymore; their priorities changed. I mean, my priorities changed too, since I have a little girl now. It definitely changed for me, but the music that's inside of me? That just never stops."

IconsOfPunk.com: Where do you think that ANTHRAX fits in today's metal landscape? Does your "new" sound tend to stay towards that old school thrash, or do you guys feel that you need to show that you are more relevant, so to speak, with the amount of new bands that are now out there in the metal world?

Charlie: "This is the thing about the way it happens. Nothing is ever really forced; it's all pretty much organic. The way a riff come out or a song comes out, it just comes out. It may unintentionally be inspired by something…by a movie, by something that happened to me earlier on or a song that I heard, but it's never sit down and, 'OK, it's 2:00 and I've gotta write this riff and it's gotta be a throwback to the '80s.' It's really never like that. There's a song that's called 'Fight 'Em Till You Cant Fight No More'. That is the most thrashiest song right now. It's kind of like 1986 thrashy kind of thing."

IconsOfPunk.com: I am wondering if there are any more surprises or anything that we can expect from ANTHRAX? Any sneak peeks that might be available?

Charlie: "I'm sure there's going to be a clip from something on our website, at some point. Yeah, there'll probably be a surprise or two, somewhere. For me, I like doing that, but I don't want to hear the bullshit that happens after. There are people out there that are such miserable pricks and everybody feels that they have to give their opinion. Now if you have a keyboard in front of you, you can do that."

IconsOfPunk.com: Yeah, all of these people safely placed behind their computer monitors must feel really big bashing everyone all that they can.

Charlie: "For me it's like, what have you accomplished in your life that gives you any credit to criticize anyone in music, or in anything? It just kind of fucking freaks me out sometimes. People think, 'Well, my voice needs to be heard about this!' Who gives a fuck about you? The people who do that should probably pay more attention to what's going on in their city, their country and fucking start protesting. The way they used to do it in the '60s, about shit, you know? This country, to me…I'm a proud American, but when I see bullshit about fucking sixteen-year-old girls getting pregnant and I read comments from stars like, 'I fully support her,' I'm like, 'Fuck you.' Don't fully support her. Kids look up to her because she's on a fucking television show. And try explaining that to your sixteen-year-old kid. I wish that whole thing would all come to an end. All of them, I just wish it would end. It's just gossip and it's disgusting."

Read the entire interview at IconsOfPunk.com.

Remy Ma To Wed Papoose In Prison

Rapper Remy Ma will marry long-term partner Papoose in prison next month. The hip-hop star - real name Remy Smith - faces 25 years in jail after she was found guilty of shooting of a woman outside a New York nightclub last year.

But rapper Papoose - real name Shamele Mackie - is determined to proceed with the nuptials.

In a statement released to website AllHipHop.com, Mackie says, "We always wanted to keep out personal lives personal so that's why we never went public with our relationship [until] right now. I just feel like she gotta live through me. Yes, we were scheduled to be married on a yacht April 27, but due to circumstances beyond our control we are now making arrangements to be married in prison."

Biohazard Frontman Slams Sh*t-Talking Blabbermouth.net 'Losers'

UK's Terrorizer magazine recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld of the reunited hardcore/metal band BIOHAZARD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Terrorizer: How did the reunion come about? Was it difficult to find the time with everybody's other projects and interests?

Evan: We had all been wondering what we were going to do to mark the twenty-year milestone in the BIOHAZARD history and it seemed like it was long overdue. Even though we are all busy with many different projects as well as other careers and music projects, it has been surprisingly painless to get everyone together. We had our first real jam three weeks ago and it was really amazingly tight considering it had been such a long time, the longest we had ever gone without playing together. Our former manager Scott suggested to me that I hook up with Bobby [Hambel, guitar] and we do a reunion. He was definitely integral in getting us all together. We think that since BIOHAZARD sold nearly four million albums worldwide and has performed in virtually every corner of the earth, lots of fans will come out to relive the even more famous live show, get a t-shirt, stage dive or just reminisce.

Terrorizer: Had you kept in touch with Bobby Hambel and was it easy to get him back on board?

Evan: I had not personally spoken to Bobby in over twelve years. A lot of things had gotten between us, and neither of us thought we would ever speak again. The other guys had very limited contact with him over the years as well, but I have to say, I truly missed Bobby, and I am really glad to have him back in my life. He was one of the main driving forces of the creation of BIOHAZARD and our first three albums. More importantly, we are all brothers, and to be estranged from each other for so long was really fucked up. Bobby and I hung out in L.A. [in January] at NAMM [National Association of Music Merchants trade show] and it brought me right back to the early days of our friendship. Bobby is one of the greatest stage performers with a guitar in the world, and a super-passionate musician.

Terrorizer: As BIOHAZARD only called it a day in 2004, how would you respond to people who are cynical about any sort of reunion?

Evan: People who are cynical and talk shit about bands, like the losers on BLABBERMOUTH.NET and other Internet wannabes, usually have nothing going on in their own lives, and think that by shit-talking bands or people, they can reduce them to their level. They are dead wrong. Anyone who wants to come is welcome, anyone who doesn't want to come can go fuck off. The funny thing is, the "cynics" usually pay to get in, so they can go home and blog that we suck.

For more information, visit www.terrorizer.com.

AC/DC Planning 'Farewell' Tour?

XM's Boneyard/VH1 Classic host Eddie Trunk revealed a rumor on his "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM earlier tonight (Friday, March 28) that Australian hard rock legends AC/DC will embark on a "farewell" tour later in the year once the recording sessions for their new album have been completed.

AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams told Spinner.com last month that AC/DC would enter the studio March 1 to begin recording its first new album in eight years. The web site caught up with Williams at the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in Los Angeles, where he said, "God I'm ready."

As for touring, however, Williams was less sure about the group's intentions. He explained, "If we go out again or when we go out again, you just never know. We've been around a long time, so we're going to get together and get in the studio and I fully expect we will (tour). I don't mean to be so negative about that."

The band itself is now international, with members scattered across the globe. Malcolm and Angus Young divide their time between Britain and Australia (with Angus also spending time in the Netherlands because he has a Dutch wife). Singer Brian Johnson and Cliff Williams are based in the U.S., while drummer Phil Rudd lives in New Zealand.

Reports surfaced in January that AC/DC was nearly finished recording its next album, but a spokesperson for the band's Australian label, Albert Records, denied the story.

AC/DC's last all-new set, "Stiff Upper Lip", came out in 2000.

Shadows Fall Singer, Brian Fair, Offers Update From The Philippines

Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL have just completed an exhausting run of shows on the far side of the globe in Australia, Korea, Japan and the Philippines. Each day this week vocalist Brian Fair will be recapping stories from the road in a guest-blog for MetalSucks. The latest entry focuses on the band's historic visit to The Philippines. An excerpt from the blog entry follows:

"We had never been to the Philippines before and honestly had no idea what to expect. There was no way we could have been prepared for the reception we were about to receive. The second we got off the plane, we knew this was going to be something special. We were greeted at the gate by an army of photographers from all the local newspapers and magazines. We were then whisked through immigration and customs and taken to a special VIP lounge where we discovered that we were on the front page of the local paper!! Unreal. After battling through the insane traffic of Manila, we headed to a local radio station to help promote the show. This was going to be the first metal show in the Philippines in years so the anticipation was incredibly high. We headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest and recovery and also to prepare for our trip to the beach the next day. Since we had two days off before the show, Vernon, the promoter, had set it up so we could head to the island paradise of Boracay to enjoy two days on the white sand beaches.

We hopped on a tiny-ass propeller plane, then an even tinier boat, then finally a crazy truck to make it out to this remote slice of heaven. It really just doesn't get any better than this. After two incredible days, we headed back to Manila to get ready for the show. As we walked into the venue, we noticed something incredible. Vernon and his crew had constructed a 30-foot replica of the 'Rootman' from the album artwork from 'Threads Of Life', complete with moving arms and lazers shooting out of its chest!!"

To read the rest of this entry, visit www.metalsucks.net.

Watch fan-filmed video footage of SHADOWS FALL performing live in Manila:

Michael Stipe Slams The U.S. Government

REM frontman Michael Stipe has slammed the current US government, describing the American administration as "despicable".

Stipe referred to the US government's reaction to the September 11 bombings in New York in 2001 to back up his comments, suggesting that they used the incident to further their own means.

"This American administration is despicable," he told The Sun's Something For The Weekend. "In 1973 I didn't realise it would be a big deal that a black man and a woman are running for President.

"I didn't get the future I wanted and was promised. It didn't happen because globally we have these people who are pulling us backwards for their own reasons.

"I want something more progressive. What will this decade represent when historians look back at the first decade of the 21st century? They're going to look at my government's over-reaction to 9/11 and how they used that to their own greedy end. How sad is that?"

Pop Star Ricky Martin In Cambodia To Raise Awareness About Human Trafficking

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Pop star Ricky Martin has taken his fight against child trafficking to Cambodia.

Martin, who arrived in the country Wednesday, met with Interior Minister Sar Kheng and visited various projects run by non-governmental organizations fighting child trafficking and sexual exploitation.

''This is a fact-finding mission for us,'' Angel Saltos, executive director of the Ricky Martin Foundation, told The Associated Press on Saturday. ''He wanted to see for himself.''

Martin learned of Cambodia's child trafficking problems in February during a three-day United Nations conference in Vienna. He joined Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak and other dignitaries in calling for action.

Some 2.5 million people are involved in forced labor as a result of trafficking, and 161 countries - on every continent and in every type of economy - are affected by the crime, the U.N. said.

Most victims are between the ages of 18 and 24, and an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year, U.N. figures show.

The Ricky Martin Foundation does most of its work in Latin America.

King Diamond: New Audio Interview Posted Online

TheRighttoRock.com has issued its latest podcast (episode #50), featuring King Diamond. King tackled a variety of topics, including his health, his band's latest CD, "Give me Your Soul … Please", and the video for the track "Give Me Your Soul".

The interview lasts approximately 40 minutes and can be heard at this location.

KING DIAMOND's video for "Give Me Your Soul" can be viewed below. The band's first clip in 17 years was shot in September 2007 with director Bill Schacht from video company Aestheticom, which has previously worked with DIO, ALICE COOPER and DREAM THEATER, among other artists. Speaking to MTV.com, the group's frontman/namesake — who is currently suffering from a herniated disc — said about the video shoot, "They limited what I had to do, of course, so I only did one day of shooting for 90 minutes, but just standing there moving a little bit in the full outfit was very difficult. And afterwards, I got one of those sharp attacks of pain that I hadn't had in a month and a half. The only thing I can compare it to is a really super-bad toothache or earache. And afterwards, I was like, 'OK, I'm not ready [to tour] yet.' "

KING DIAMOND recently received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the group's latest album, "Give me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" entered the Swedish national chart at position No. 28. The CD also landed at No. 58 on the Danish chart (the second highest new entry on the chart behind VELVET REVOLVER).

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Scars On Broadway Post First Song Online

Scars On Broadway, the new band featuring System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan and guitarist/ vocalist Daron Malakian, have posted a new song on their official Myspace entitled "They Say". You can check it out at http://www.myspace.com/scarsonbroadway. The song has also been made available as a free download.

The band will play their first show at the Coachella festival on April 26th which also features System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian as a performer.

Throwdown No longer Under Contract With Trustkill

During a recent interview with MetalSucks, Throwdown guitarist Mark Choiniere has effectively stated that the band has fulfilled their contractual obligations to Trustkill Records. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

"This was your last album for Trustkill, right?

Mark Choiniere: Right.

And I know Dave [Peters] has made some very public anti-record company remarks, do you guys feel like you're done with the industry?

Mark Choiniere: No, I don't think so. I think Dave was merely speaking from personal... it was definitely more him. I mean, the band definitely backs him, but just from personal experiences... not necessarily bashing record companies in general, which I know it sounded like."

Do you feel like you had a negative experience with Trustkill?

Mark Choiniere: I mean, I don't like to talk shit, but... I just think things could have gone better. Just from touring with other bands and hearing how their record label helped them be the band that they are... it's just kinda like, we could only imagine what it would be like to be on a label that really pushes you. That's all I can say, I guess."

Reformed Nine Inch Nails Announces North American Tour Dates

NINE INCH NAILS mainman Trent Reznor has issued the following update:

"Lots going on in the world of NINE INCH NAILS... Confirming a very poorly kept secret, the band has been reformed (details coming!) and we are about to embark on an extensive tour. The first wave of dates I can mention at this time appear below. Many more to come!"

NINE INCH NAILS tour dates:

Jul. 25 - Pemberton BC @ Pemberton Festival
Jul. 26 - Seattle WA @ Key Arena at Seattle Center
Jul. 28 - Edmonton ALB @ Rexall Place
Jul. 29 - Calgary ALB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
Jul. 31 - Winnipeg MAN @ MTS Centre
Aug. 02 - Minneapolis MN @ Target Center
Aug. 05 - Toronto ONT @ Air Canada Centre
Aug. 07 - Uncasville CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 08 - Worcester MA @ DCU Center
Aug. 12 - Knoxville TN @ Knoxville Civic Coliseum
Aug. 13 - Duluth GA @ Gwinnett Arena
Aug. 15 - Oklahoma City OK @ Ford Center
Aug. 16 - Houston TX @ Toyota Center
Aug. 18 - Dallas TX @ American Airlines Center
Aug. 20 - Saint Louis MO @ Scottrade Center
Aug. 22 - Cleveland OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
Aug. 23 - Auburn Hills MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
Aug. 27 - East Rutherford NJ @ Izod Center
Aug. 29 - Philadelphia PA @ Wachovia Center
Aug. 31 - Lexington KY @ Rupp Arena
Sep. 02 - Morrison CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
Sep. 03 - Salt Lake City UT @ The E Center Of West Valley
Sep. 05 - Oakland CA @ Oracle Arena (formerly Oakland Arena)
Sep. 06 - Inglewood CA @ The Forum

NINE INCH NAILS recently launched an online film festival showcasing short films made by fans to accompany music from the new NINE INCH NAILS album, "Ghosts I – IV". According to a press release, the NINE INCH NAILS channel on YouTube, which went live on March 13, is accepting submissions immediately through May 1. Music from "Ghosts I – IV" will be available for filmmakers starting on April 1 through YouTube's AudioSwap channel. Submissions will be personally reviewed by Trent Reznor, who will host a festival featuring the best entries at a later date.

Reznor released "Ghosts I – IV" online on March 2. The two-hour collection of 36 untitled instrumental tracks was made available in various high-quality DRM-free formats at different price levels. According to a press statement, a total of 781,917 copies of the project were transacted at NIN.com in the first week of release, including paid and free downloads, plus pre-orders for physical editions of the set. The total gross earned was reported as $1,619,420.

The expensive "ultra-deluxe" limited edition of "Ghosts I - IV" sold out almost instantly despite a steep $300 price tag. A digital version is available for five dollars, along with a $75 limited edition "deluxe" package. A $10 double CD version and a $39 vinyl edition will be available at U.S. retail on April 8.

Led Zeppelin May Release A New Album

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has hinted that his band may record a new studio album, following their reunion show on December 10 last year at London's O2 Arena.

Speaking in the May 2008 issue of our sister title Uncut, the bassist said he was uncertain about the future of the band but refused to rule out heading into the studio to work on a new album with his bandmates.

"I'd have to think about that," he said, when asked if he'd like to make another Led Zeppelin album. "We spoke afterwards [after the O2 Arena show] and we thought the same - it felt like the first night of a tour. You think, 'oh, I could do that a bit better, or change something in that song'. And we didn't get a chance to do any more."

When asked if the reunion began and ended at the O2 Arena, Jones said: "It's possible. It's possible."

Asked specifically about the possibility of a new album, he said, "I'm not sure. I'm not too certain about anything right at the moment. I've got no idea what's going to happen. But I'd certainly like to play with Jimmy [Page] again."

Chris Cornell Taps Hip-Hop Producer, Timbaland, For New Solo Album

Former AUDIOSLAVE/SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has tapped hip hop and R&B superstar Timbaland to produce Chris' third solo album.

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest of Los Angeles's 102.7 KIIS-FM this morning (Thursday, March 27), Timbaland — who has worked with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and a host of other big names — called his collaboration with Cornell "the best work I've done in my career."

Cornell stated about the unlikely pairing, "This is different from anything I've ever done. I've come from an indie rock world, where, if you have a producer, it's somebody who's not a musician, not a songwriter. He's just someone who twists knobs and can kinda tell you if they think a song is too long or too short or needs to be more aggressive. Tim's a songwriter, so I was working with him in a collaboration, sort of as if we were in a band."

According to the World Entertainment News Network, Cornell called the new album, which hasn't got a release date at present, "a highlight of my career."

Timbaland added, "This will be everybody's favorite album of this year."

Listen to Cornell and Timbaland's interview with Ryan Seacrest at this location.

Poison Drummer, Rikki Rockett, Reportedly Arrested For Rape Warrant

TMZ.com and LA Daily News are reporting that POISON drummer Rikki Rockett was arrested on a rape warrant issued out of Mississippi as he arrived at LAX after getting off a flight from New Zealand, police said.

Rockett (born Richard Allan Ream), 46, was arrested Monday at the airport and booked into the Los Angeles County Jail, according to Los Angeles police and the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Inmate Information web site. He was held on a strong-arm rape warrant stemming from Neshoba County, Missisippi, and appears to have been released from L.A. County custody, the Sheriff's Web site shows. His status today could not be confirmed.

Details about the warrant were not immediately available.

Billy Corgan Takes Opportunity To Blast Music Industry Executives

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan is using his band's new legal battle with music industry heavyweights at Virgin to attack the whole business. The angry rocker and his bandmates filed suit against Virgin bosses on Monday, accusing them of allowing firms to use the group's name and music for promotional purposes, without permission.

But the lawsuit has only fuelled the rocker's distaste for the state of the music business - and he's even taking aim at executives at his current label Warner Brothers.

In a fiery rant to rock magazine Rolling Stone, Corgan claims talking to today's music heads is like "talking to a brick wall."

He rages, "These people, they treat your music like it's worthless and they treat you like you're even more worthless. And that goes for our current label, Warner Brothers, too. There's no passion. There's no love. There's no respect. It's just, like you're just a number. You might as well be some cookies, or a rock... Warner Brothers treats us like we're from another planet."

And Corgan admits he's delighted to see the music business struggling as top acts find other ways to sell their music without the need of traditional record companies.

He adds, "The music business has sown the seeds for it's own destruction here. So we're not in any hurry to go back and help save them."

Whitesnake: 'Good To Be Bad' Preview Widget

SPV Records will launch a WHITESNAKE "Good to be Bad" preview widget on April 7, allowing fans to listen to a new full-length song every day from the band's forthcoming album.

For more information, click here.

WHITESNAKE will release "Good To Be Bad" through SPV/Steamhammer in Germany on April 18, the rest of Europe on April 21 and in North America on April 22. In addition to the regular jewel-case version, a limited-edition two-disc set will contain an extra CD in a cardboard sleeve, as well as a poster, photocard and sticker.

The track listing for the limited-edition two-disc version of "Good To Be Bad" is as follows:

CD (jewel case):

01. Best Years (5:16)
02. Can You Hear The Wind Blow (5:02)
03. Call On Me (5:01)
04. All I Want All I Need (5:42)
05. Good To Be Bad (5:13)
06. All For Love (5:14)
07. Summer Rain (6:15)
08. Lay Down Your Love (6:01)
09. A Fool In Love (5:14)
10. Got What You Need (4:14)
11. 'Til The End Of Time (5:32)

Bonus CD (cardboard sleeve):

01. Summer Rain (acoustic version) (5:21)
02. All I Want All I Need (radio edit) (3:58)
03. Take Me With You (live version) (7:51)
04. Ready To Rock (enhanced video) (4:19)

Commented frontman David Coverdale: "The new album contains all the elements I enjoy about WHITESNAKE, and more. I can hear moments that take me back to the bluesy, early years of the band all the way through the band's musical history to fully embrace the more electric aspects of where we are now, as a band. I'm thrilled with it and can hardly wait to unleash it on an unsuspecting public! If this is indeed the last WHITESNAKE studio record, then I'm happy to finish like this. It was a labor of love making this record...a joy... and I'm still enjoying listening to it. Can't be bad!"

The new songs, written by Coverdale and guitarist Doug Aldrich (who also co-produced the album with Coverdale and Michael McIntyre) provide a good balance of eight rocking tracks and three ballads. Coverdale feels it's the first "real" WHITESNAKE album in almost 20 years, commenting "It's very butch. Very muscular..."

Rapper Remy Ma Found Guilty of Gunplay, Faces Up To 25 Years

Los Angeles (E! Online) - In the end, Remy Ma couldn't beat the rap.

The Grammy-nominated rapper (real name: Remy Smith) was convicted Thursday of shooting a woman outside a Manhattan nightclub in July 2007.

She faces up to 25 years in prison when she is sentenced April 23.

Ma wiped tears from her eyes as the verdict was read and wept openly as she was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. The judge denied a request from her attorney, Ivan Fisher, to have her released on bail until her sentencing.

Her defense team had conceded that Ma, 26, fired a shot at a friend whom she suspected of stealing $3,000 from her but claimed that it was an accident.

In their version of events, Ma and her victim, Makeda Barnes Joseph, were struggling over Joseph's purse after Ma demanded to look inside for the missing money and Joseph refused. Amid the tussle, Ma's gun supposedly went off accidentally, launching a bullet into Joseph's gut.

However, Assistant District Attorney Michael McIntosh said that Ma "took every step you had to take to shoot somebody," including loading her illegal .45-caliber automatic with hollow point bullets and using both hands to cock the weapon.

Joseph survived the shooting, but required three operations on her abdomen and was hospitalized for several weeks, according to her testimony.

Ma was found guilty of assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion. She was acquitted of additional charges of witness tampering and gang assault, stemming from the beating of the boyfriend of a witness who ultimately testified against her.

Her attorney said he plans to appeal the ruling.

Motorhead's Lemmy To Judge 'Guitar Hero' Contest

Ever dreamt of living the life of rock and roll stardom? Those days may now be closer than you think, with a new Guitar Hero contest that gives you the chance to be immortalized when you visit www.releaseyourrockstar.com.

From now through June 13, 2008, consumers can submit a video of themselves either playing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock or rocking out to an air-guitar performance for the opportunity to become a character in an upcoming Guitar Hero game.

The winner of the competition will be chosen by rock legend, Lemmy from MOTÖRHEAD, and flown to Los Angeles for a special motion capture session for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see their image and likeness in a video game.

Additionally, two lucky runners-up will have the chance to hang out with Irish rockers THE ANSWER during a recording session for their upcoming album. Other entrants will have the chance to win other prizes, such as Addict clothing, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock video games and an Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Gamers can also check out an exclusive vodcast of THE ANSWER, who will talk them through the contest rules available on the site.

To kick-start the competition, an exclusive video showcasing some of the funniest and most outrageous Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock performances is now available on www.releaseyourrockstar.com. The performances show a man who built a rather surprising rig in his shed, so check it out now! The site will also be updated regularly with a montage of the best new entries to date, so remember to check back to see if you made the grade.

Please also note the contest is open to anyone aged 16 years and older.

More Violence Towards 'Emos' In Mexico

LA Weekly's Daniel Hernandez reports on his blog Intersections that a bizarre wave of mob emo-bashings ("emos" are followers of the "emo" subculture, which is short for "emotional") is sweeping across Mexico. According to Hernandez, "The movement is being generated on message boards and social networking sites by non-emo youth who highly dislike like the emo look and attitude. The spark came first in Queretaro on March 7. An estimated 800 young people poured into the city's Centro Historico hunting for emos to beat the crap out of. They found some. The next weekend it spread to Mexico City, where emos faced off against punks and rockabillies at the Glorieta de Insurgents, the epicenter of emo social space in the capital. There's also been reports of anti-emo violence in Durango, Colima, and elsewhere."

Read more of Hernandez's report here. An update on how the Mexican emos are fighting back can be found at this location.

Journey Set To Launch Summer Tour With Heart And Cheap Trick

Three legendary rock bands are teaming up for what is sure to be the tour of the summer. Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick are heading out on the concert trail starting July 9 in Denver, CO through October 4 in Albuquerque, NM. Fans should check local listings for on-sale dates, which begin Saturday, April 5.

Journey--Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums) and new lead singer Arnel Pineda-- is hitting the road to promote Revelation, the highly anticipated three-disc CD/DVD package set for release June 3 exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in North America.

Here are the confirmed dates for the Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick concert tour:
Wed 7/9 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Fri 7/11 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
Sat 7/12 Lake Tahoe, NV Harvey's Lake Resort
Tue 7/15 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre
Wed 7/16 Irvine, CA Verizon Amphitheatre
Fri 7/18 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Arena
Sat 7/19 Tucson, AZ Casino Anselmo
Tue 7/22 Council Bluffs, IA Mid America Center
Wed 7/23 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
Fri 7/25 San Antonio, TX Verizon Amphitheatre
Sat 7/26 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sun 7/27 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Amphitheatre
Wed 7/30 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
Thu 7/31 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Sat 8/2 Charlotte, NC Verizon Amphitheatre
Sun 8/3 Atlanta, GA Chastain Amphitheatre
Mon 8/4 Atlanta, GA Chastain Amphitheatre
Wed 8/6 Orange Beach, FL The Amphitheatre @ The Wharf
Thu 8/7 Nashville, TN Sommett Center
Sat 8/9 Birmingham, AL Verizon Amphitheatre
Sun 8/10 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Tue 8/12 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Amphitheatre
Thu 8/14 Jones Beach, NY Nikon at Jones Beach
Sat 8/16 Scranton, PA Toyota Amphitheatre
Sun 8/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino
Tue 8/19 Boston, MA Tweeter Center
Thu 8/21 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sat 8/23 Syracuse, NY New York State Fair
Sun 8/24 Saratoga, NY Saratoga PAC
Tue 8/26 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Wed 8/27 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
Sat 8/30 Bethel Woods, NY Center for the Arts
Sun 8/31 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Pavilion
Thu 9/4 Watertown, NY Watertown Baseball Diamond
Sat 9/6 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sun 9/7 Cleveland, OH Blossom Amphitheatre
Tue 9/9 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Wed 9/10 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Amphitheatre
Fri 9/12 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sat 9/13 St. Louis, MO Verizon Amphitheatre
Mon 9/15 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
Tue 9/16 Minneapolis, MN Target Center/Casino
Fri 9/19 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
Sun 9/21 Portland, OR Clark County Amphitheatre
Wed 9/24 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Fri 9/26 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Pavilion at Sacramento
Sat 9/27 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Tue 9/30 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Fri 10/3 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
Sat 10/4 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion

Mahatma To Co-Headline Philippines Annual Rock Event 'Pulp Summer Slam' With Darkest Hour

Korea's #1 thrash metal killing machine MAHATMA will be co-headlining this year's Pulp Summer Slam - the Philippine's biggest annual rock event - with DARKEST HOUR. Last year's Summer Slam had a total of 35,000 in attendance with Death Angel as the headliner. This year, the organizers are hoping to break last year's attendance by putting more foreign acts to the line up plus the Philippine's best rock/metal bands. With Mahatma and Darkest Hour as the headliners, the crowd will be treated to full metal assault with Darkest Hour's Americanized Gothenburg metal and Mahatma's 80's Bay Area inspired thrash metal. This is a certified headbanging galore and mosh inducing frenzy event. Summer Slam 8 will be held at Amoranto Stadium, Quezon City, Philippines on the 26th of April. For more info, please do visit pulpcommunity.com

Mahatma will also be headlining a pre-Summer Slam show on the 25th of April with some local metal bands from the Philippines. The venue and the official line up will be announced shortly, but the show is already confirmed.

The Philippine tour is in support of Mahatma's highly acclaimed sophomore album, "Perseverance." You can listen to some of the songs from the album on the band's MySpace.

Smashing Pumpkins Lawsuit Latest Step In Feud

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan said his recent breach-of-contract lawsuit against Virgin Records comes on the heels of a lengthy feud with the band's former label over the handling of its back catalog.

The rock band sued Virgin on Monday, claiming that the EMI Group unit used its name, music and image without its permission in a "Pepsi Stuff" promotion to market the soft drink and Amazon.com.

Corgan told Billboard.com that he had been at loggerheads with Virgin for years, but that the Pepsi/Amazon.com promotion "crosses the Rubicon. You're going to see more of this playing fast and loose with the rules, hoping they don't get caught. At face value, it's not a huge deal. But in terms of precedent, it is, because there will be much more of this coming."

The problem is that according to the contract the Pumpkins renegotiated with Virgin in the late '90s, both parties are partners on the catalog. Corgan, on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins in Australia, said his frequent overtures to Virgin about releasing archival material and expanded editions of the band's albums had met with resistance every step of the way.

"We've made offers to buy it all," he said. "Look, you have no interest. Let us just buy it. But they won't put a number on it. They've atrophied the catalog down so low that they probably hope we'll crawl back and ask for cash."

That won't stop the band from offering unreleased music to fans before the year is out. Potentially in the pipeline are rare early Smashing Pumpkins shows, studio tracks that have never seen the light of day or alternate versions of songs from sessions that spawned albums like "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness."

The group, which is now a free agent after the expiration of its one-album deal with Warner Bros., is also conceptualizing the gradual release of new music in bundles, culminating in an eventual album project. "We may start to release pieces as we go along, and the album comes out over two to three years," said Corgan, who labels this period as both "fun" and "exciting."

After a summer break, look for the Pumpkins to return to the road in September for shows in New York, Los Angeles and its Chicago hometown.

A Virgin spokeswoman declined comment on the lawsuit, citing a policy against discussing pending litigation.

Machine Head Puts Out Casting Call for 'Halo' Video

MACHINE HEAD's official web site has been updated with the following message:

"Attention all Bay Area MACHINE HEAD fans! The band will be shooting a video for the song 'Halo' off of their new album 'The Blackening' next Thursday, April 3rd in San Francisco and they want YOU to be a part of it! If you're 20 years of age or younger (no exceptions), live in or around the San Francisco Bay Area and can get yourself to and from the shooting location, you're eligible! Again, the shoot will be on Thursday, April 3rd, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in San Francisco, so if you fit the criteria and you can be there for the specified timeframe, e-mail your name and age to mike@mikesloat.com and you'll receive all of the details!"

MACHINE HEAD garnered the first Grammy nomination of its career for "Aesthetics of Hate", a monstrous track from the critically hailed album "The Blackening", released in March 2007. The song was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" (SLAYER eventually won the award for "The Final Six").

MACHINE HEAD performing "Halo" live at UK's Download festival in June 2007:

Tupac Report Was Based On Fake Documents

A recent newspaper report linking Diddy to a gun attack on late rapper Tupac Shakur is based on false documentation, it has been claimed. The Los Angeles Times ran an article on March 17 claiming the music mogul's former manager, Czar Entertainment CEO Jimmy 'Henchman' Rosemond was involved in a plan to ambush Shakur at a New York Recording studio in 1994.

Both Diddy (real name Sean Combs) and Rosemond have hit back at the allegations - denying any involvement in the attack which saw Shakur shot five times, two years before he was murdered in Las Vegas. No one was ever charged in connection with the shooting, which was believed to have started a "gang war" which eventually resulted in Shakur's death.

Chuck Phillips, the journalist who wrote the story, recently issued another response standing by his article.

But now TheSmokingGun.com claims to have obtained the 'official' legal documents - and alleges they are all fake.

According to the website, the supposed FBI files had been created by convicted con artist James Sabatino while serving time at the Allenwood federal prison in White Deer, Pennsylvania - because the FBI have no record of the 'reports'.

The Los Angeles Times has now launched an investigation into the authenticity of the documents.

Earth Day Concert - 8 Days

WASHINGTON - Looking for an excuse to avoid celebrating Earth Day? "There's nothing going on nearby" is probably not going to fly.

The Roots, Ricky Skaggs, Los Lonely Boys, the Neville Brothers and Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead are among the headliners for eight simultaneous Earth Day festivals planned at major cities around the U.S. on April 20, organizers said Tuesday.

The free events will be staged at parks in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. The flagship event will be the Earth Day 2008 celebration on the National Mall in Washington.

Organizers hope to get more people talking about global warming.

"I think the issue of the environment hopefully crosses party lines," producer Peter Shapiro said. "Our goal with this event is to make Earth Day more prominent."

The events are being billed as the nation's largest Earth Day celebration. Producers of the Green Apple Festival, which began three years ago in New York, and the Earth Day Network, a nonprofit created by the founders of the original Earth Day in 1970, are putting on the shows.

The Roots will headline the Washington event with the U.S. Capitol as their backdrop, along with political leaders, various speakers and other musical acts. Speakers will range from Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals, to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, members of Congress and possibly some presidential candidates, said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. (They're still trying to book Al Gore.)

In New York, country singer Ricky Skaggs will perform in Central Park, and the Latin group Menudo will take the stage in Miami with hip-hop group Arrested Development. Los Lonely Boys will be the headline act in Dallas while the Neville Brothers take their funk and R&B act to Denver. Mickey Hart is expected to perform at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Linda Stein: Male DNA Found In Slained Atty.'s Kitchen Sink

NEW YORK - Real estate agent and punk rock pioneer Linda Stein's blood was spattered around her penthouse after she was bludgeoned to death, but not a drop was found on the clothes of the personal assistant charged with her murder, a defense lawyer said.

Male DNA also was mingled with Stein's blood in a bathroom sink — suggesting her killer was a man, not the female assistant, the attorney argued.

The former aide, Natavia Lowery, was due in court Wednesday for a hearing.

Her attorney, Ronald Kuby, said the information about the male DNA was in a Jan. 11 medical examiner's report that prosecutors sent to him. He suggested in a letter Tuesday to Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Micki Scherer that the unknown man likely left the DNA while cleaning up after killing Stein.

Medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove and Manhattan district attorney's office spokeswoman Barbara Thompson declined to comment.

Lowery, 26, is charged with beating her 61-year-old boss to death with a heavy stick in Stein's $3 million apartment around 12:45 p.m. on Oct. 30. Surveillance camera tapes show Lowery leaving the building around 1:15 p.m.

Kuby has said the tapes prove Lowery's innocence. He filed with the court a medical examiner's report saying Stein's daughter, Samantha Wells, told police she spoke to her mother by telephone around 2 p.m. on Oct. 30.

"If there is evidence that Linda Stein was alive and well after defendant Lowery left the premises," Kuby said in court papers, "then Ms. Lowery could not have been the killer."

Stein was once a co-manager of the influential punk rock group the Ramones. She also was a real estate agent whose clients included Sting, Steven Spielberg and other show business figures, earning her the nickname "Realtor to the Stars."

Nate Dogg Rapped For Punching Ex's -New Guy

Los Angeles (E! Online) - It will be up to Nate Dogg to regulate his own behavior.

The rapper was sentenced to three years' informal probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to aggravated trespass and battery stemming from a 2006 domestic violence complaint brought by an ex-girlfriend.

Nate, whose real name is Nathaniel Hale, must also complete a batterers' treatment program and refrain from owning a weapon for 10 years, according to TMZ, which first reported the plea deal.

The Long Beach, Calif.-bred hip-hop star was charged with misdemeanor aggravated trespass, battery, telephone harassment, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and violating a restraining order from a previous domestic incident after breaking into the Newport Beach home occupied by his ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend and the boyfriend's mother.

According to police, after he forced his way into the residence, Nate punched the other guy in the face and then fled the scene. Both the unidentified beau and Nate's ex filed for additional orders of protection to keep him away.

But Nate's ire is something they haven't had to worry about for at least a few months.

The 38-year-old rapper continues to recover from a stroke he suffered over the Christmas holidays that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body.

"Time will tell everything, obviously," Nate's rep, Rod McGrew, told MTV News in January. "The doctor can only guess what the outcome will be. But based on situations with similar people his age, and based on his health, the prognosis is good right now."

Free Soda For Everyone If Axl Releases 'Chinese Democracy' This Year

Tired of a world in which Americans idolize wannabe singers and musicals about high schoolers pass as rock 'n roll music, Dr Pepper is encouraging (OK, begging) Axl Rose to finally release his 17-year-in-the-making belabored masterpiece, "Chinese Democracy", in 2008.

In an unprecedented show of solidarity with Axl, everyone in America, except former GN'R guitarists Slash and Buckethead, will receive a free can of Dr Pepper if the album ships some time — anytime! — in 2008. Dr Pepper supports Axl, and fully understands that sometimes you have to make it through the jungle before you get it right.

"It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love," said Jaxie Alt, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. "So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection — for something more than the average album. We know once it's released, people will refer to it as 'Dr Pepper for the ears' because it will be such a refreshing blend of rich, bold sounds— an instant classic."

Show your support for Axl and get on the nightrain of encouragement at this location.

In Flames: Entire New Album Available For Streaming

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have made their new album, "A Sense of Purpose", available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page (the stream will be available for one week). Due in North America on April 1 via Koch Records (April 7 in most of Europe through Nuclear Blast), the follow-up to 2006's "Come Clarity" was recorded at the band's own IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden and was mixed by Toby Wright (METALLICA, SLAYER). The group received assistance during the vocal-recording sessions from producer Daniel Bergstrand, who previously produced the vocals on "Reroute To Remain", "Soundtrack To Your Escape" and "Come Clarity". All artwork for the album was created by Alex Pardee for ZeroFriends. Alex also created the artwork for the first single, "The Mirror's Truth".

"A Sense of Purpose" track listing:

01. The Mirror's Truth
02. Disconnected
03. Sleepless Again
04. Alias
05. I'm the Highway
06. Delight and Angers
07. Move Through Me
08. The Chosen Pessimist
09. Sober and Irrelevant
10. Condemned
11. Drenched In Fear
12. March To The Shore

"The Mirror's Truth", the new video from IN FLAMES, is available for viewing below. The clip was filmed in January at an abandoned factory site in Skellefteå, Sweden with the Swedish company Popcore (NORMA JEAN, UNDEROATH, KHOMA, CULT OF LUNA).

Another new IN FLAMES track, entitled "Abnegation", is featured on the "Viva La Bands, Vol. 2" album, which was released on September 4, 2007 via Ferret Music and Filthy Note Records.

IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, JOB FOR A COWBOY and HIGH ON FIRE will play this year's Gigantour in North America beginning mid-April and running through the end of May. Headlining the trek will be MEGADETH.

Still Remains To Disband

Grand Rapids, Michigan's STILL REMAINS has released the following statement:

"Dear friends, fans, and family, this is a goodbye letter from us to you. We will be seeing most of you again I'm sure but not from on stage. We've decided to make this headlining tour our last as STILL REMAINS and Cornerstone Festival our last show. We want to thank all of the wonderful loving people we've met in the past few years for being there for us. It's been an amazing run but we are done for personal reasons. No, we don't hate each other or want to punch each other in the face. It's just time for us to move on to different things in our lives. Please come see us on our headlining tour and help us go out with a bang! We are extremely excited to see what the future holds for each and every one of us. So keep your eyes and ears open and God Bless!!!"

STILL REMAINS' sophomore CD for Roadrunner Records, "The Serpent", was released last August.

STILL REMAINS' "Dancing with the Enemy" video:

Kelly Osbourne Attacks Spice Girls Over Parenting

Kelly Osbourne has lashed out at the Spice Girls for showing off their kids onstage. The outspoken reality TV star, whose own mother and father Sharon and Ozzy have often come under fire for their parenting skills, has offered her own family tips.

The 23-year-old admits she admires Gwyneth Paltrow's celebrity parenting, but the Spice Girls are at the bottom of her list.

She explains, "I respect Gwyneth Paltrow because she covers her babies' faces - she never lets the paparazzi get that picture. I'm not going to put the Spice Girls down, but they took their kids on stage at every single show of that last tour of theirs. To be a child of three and have 25,000 girls screaming at you - I don't think that's necessarily good."

Smashing Pumpkins Sue Virgin Records

LOS ANGELES - The Smashing Pumpkins are suing Virgin Records, saying the record label has illegally used their name and music in promotional deals that hurt the band's credibility with fans.

In a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, the rockers said they have "worked hard for over two decades to accumulate a considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public," and that Virgin's use of the band in a "Pepsi Stuff" promotion with Amazon.com and Pepsi Co. threatens their reputation for "artistic integrity."

Virgin released the Smashing Pumpkins' music for more than 17 years, but the only active agreement between the two parties, the lawsuit claims, is a deal granting Virgin permission to sell digital downloads of the band's songs. The agreement does not give Virgin the right to use the band in promotional campaigns to sell outside products, the lawsuit said.

The band members said they would "never grant such authority to Virgin, or any other entity."

An after-hours call to Virgin Records wasn't immediately returned.

The lawsuit demands that Virgin pay with the profits earned in the promotion and asks for an injunction against using the Pumpkins' name or music in the future.

Tejano Singer Navaira Clings Onto Life

HOUSTON - Even if he survives a horrific head injury suffered in a bus crash, Grammy-winning Tejano singer Emilio Navaira faces a long recovery and an uncertain future, his doctors say.

Navaira, 45, known to his fans simply as Emilio, was behind the wheel of his tour bus before dawn Sunday following a weekend show when it slammed into an interchange barrier on a Houston-area freeway, propelling him through the windshield.

Police said while the crash remained under investigation, their preliminary probe showed Navaira was not licensed to drive the 26,000-pound bus. His agent said the singer loved to drive it and normally did.

The neurosurgeon who operated on the San Antonio-born Navaira to remove a blood clot warned that the performer "might not make it." Physicians hoped a research technique using hypothermia to lower his body temperature would keep Navaira's brain from further swelling and help his recovery.

"It's very difficult to predict any one person, how they're going to do," Dr. Alex Valadka, director of neurotrauma services at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and vice chair of neurosciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, said Monday.

"I think it is a good sign so far the pressures in his brain have not risen and have been controlled. The longer we can keep doing that the better it is for him."

Even if Navaira pulls through, the effects on his health "can be as bad as not surviving," Valadka said. They could include a coma, vegetative state, weakness or paralysis, difficulty speaking, memory loss and inability to concentrate.

He put the survival rate for those suffering similar severe brain injuries at 30 to 35 percent.

The singer was among six people — all but one of them band members — aboard the bus and hurt in the crash on Interstate 610 in Bellaire, an enclave in Houston. They were returning home to San Antonio after playing at a Houston club Saturday night.

The singer's blood will be tested for alcohol but the results likely wouldn't be known for a couple of weeks, he said. Also under consideration was the possibility that Navaira fell asleep.

Of those also hurt on the bus, bass player Rick Vega remained hospitalized Monday with undetermined abdominal injuries, said Joe Casias, Navaira's friend and agent. The others, including Navaira's brother, Raul, who sang in the band, were treated for cuts and bruises and released.

Staind Announces Tour Dates

STAIND has scheduled the following tour dates:

May 16 - Crown Coliseum Fayetteville, North Carolina
May 17 - Columbus Crew Stadium Columbus, Ohio
May 18 - Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, New Jersey
Sep 15 - MEN Arena Manchester, Midlands, UK
Sep 16 - Sheffield Arena Sheffield, Midlands, UK
Sep 18 - The NEC Birmingham, Midlands, UK
Sep 19 - O2 Arena London, London and South, UK

STAIND has posted the eighth webisode from the band's Western Massachusetts studio on MySpaceTV.com. Watch the clip below.

The band began writing its sixth studio album in November and sketched out more than ten songs so far. Guitarist Mike Mushok previously said the tunes so far are split between some of the heaviest material the band has written and some of its more standard melodic fare.

To bridge the gap between that record and the group's next album, STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis plans to release an acoustic disc of his solo work. Plans are fluid at the moment, he said, but he's considering a mix of live recordings and studio tracks for that album.

Aaron Lewis' three-night solo acoustic run at the Mohegan Sun Cabaret in Uncasville, Connecticut on February 22-24 was filmed for Lewis' first solo DVD.

In a recent interview with the Tonawanda News, Lewis stated about his solo shows, "It's kind of like you're at a party and somebody starts to play the acoustic guitar and play while he's sitting on the couch. The goal is more to have a good time and let people hear what they want to hear."

STAIND took a year-long hiatus after touring for most of 2006 behind its last studio effort, 2005's "Chapter V". The group also released both a greatest-hits and video collection in 2006.

Staind webisode 8

Slash: 'This Is Not Velvet Revolver's Last Tour'

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash has dismissed reports that the band will split up following its current European trek.

During the band's March 20 concert in Glasgow, singer Scott Weiland apparently told fans they were "watching something special ... the last tour by VELVET REVOLVER."

Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, Slash said, "Well, let's put it this way — this is not VELVET REVOLVER's last tour."

During the same interview, Slash said it is unlikely VELVET REVOLVER will support LED ZEPPELIN on a world tour but has stopped short of ruling it out completely.

Rumors linking the two bands emerged last week after VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan said that the band "have" the slot.

But Slash has told Newsbeat the band is concentrating on its next album.

He said: "There's been a huge rumor going around about us opening for them and I think that was something that was taken out of context.

"I think as far as ZEPPELIN doing a tour, that remains to be seen.

"I saw Robert last night [Saturday, March 22] and he's got his solo thing going on and as far as VELVET REVOLVER is concerned, we've got another record to do and we're not even thinking about that."

Mick Jagger: 'Performing Is Like Sex'

Mick Jagger will continue touring with The Rolling Stones because he finds performing on stage as pleasurable as sex.

The legendary rockers have been playing together since the 1960s and wrapped up their most recent major world tour last year. And Jagger insists the rush he gets at live shows is so addictive; he doubts he will ever be able to retire from the music business.

He says, "Performing is like sex. It is an addiction. It is why we are out there doing it. But you do have to be careful. To do it well, you can't do it all the time. It has to be the right time. It's like when you are young you think you should be having sex all the time. If you're reading a book, all you are thinking about is 'Why am I reading a book, why aren't I having sex? I'm wasting my time if I'm not having sex.'"

"It is the most amazing feeling. But to do it right you have to prepare for it, you go up and perform and you get into this zone."

Five Finger Death Punch To Tour With Disturbed

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will join multi-Platinum act DISTURBED on tour starting late April. Along with the Disturbed dates,
there will be several special headlining club shows and radio festivals starting April 18th in Sayreville, NJ.

FFDP released their acclaimed album, THE WAY OF THE FIST, late last year and hit the road to headline the Guitar Hero II stage on the 2007 FAMILY VALUES TOUR. FFDP followed Family Values by joining Korn and HellYeah last fall, as well as FFDP’s first headlining club tour. The Spring tour dates with Disturbed will be a precursor to the ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM TOUR, which kicks off later this summer with Disturbed, Slipknot, Mastadon, Dragonforce and many others.

“The Bleeding,” Rate The Music’s #1 testing song in the country for the 4th week in a row, has climbed the Active Rock Charts, arriving at #8 this week. The track is the only one from a brand new band in the Top 10 and has been for 5 weeks. The video for the single, directed by Bradley Scott, can be seen on the band’s Myspace at www.myspace.com/ffdp. The video for “The Bleeding” was one of Headbangers Ball’s Top 20 videos of 2007, as voted on by the viewers. The band remains in the Top New Artist Charts at #6 this week and have sold nearly 100,000 records to date.

Here are the latest Five Finger Death Punch tour dates prior to the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour:

April 18 Starland Ballroom; Sayreville, NJ
April 19 Northern Lights; Clifton Park, NY
April 20 Webster Theater; Hartford, CT
April 22 Chameleon; Lancaster, PA
April 23 The Norva; Norfolk, VA
April 25 The Fire; Jackson, MS
April 26 Edgefest @ North Shore River Walk Park East; Little Rock, Arkansas (w/Kid Rock, Disturbed, Sevendust, Saliva & Black Stone Cherry)
April 27 The Cotillion; Wichita, KS
April 29 Aztec Music Hall; Amarillo, TX
April 30 Cain’s Ballroom; Tulsa, OK
May 2 Shrine Mosque; Springfield, MO
May 3 Headliner’s Music Hall; Louisville, KY
May 5 House of Blues; North Myrtle Beach, SC
May 6 Valarium; Knoxville, TN
May 8 House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL
May 9 Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark; Birmingham, AL
May 10 Tinker Field (WJJR Radio Show); Orlando, FL
May 11 Raymond James Stadium (WXTB Radio Show); Tampa, FL
May 14 Bogarts; Cincinnati, OH
May 15 Piere’s; Ft. Wayne, IN
May 18 Rock On The Range Festival; Columbus, OH (Papa Roach, Seether, 3 Doors Down, Kid Rock)

More tour dates to be announced.

Trent Reznor: Singlehandedly Fixing The Music Industry?

Will new marketing techniques, a la Radiohead's In Rainbows, be able to fix the music industry? Trent Reznor is the latest example that they certainly have a chance.

Earlier this year, Radiohead released their album In Rainbows as a digital download for whatever price one wished to pay for it. Radiohead was lauded as the first to take the steps toward redefining the broken record industry.

However, Radiohead’s manager has also made it known that they probably won’t try a similar marketing strategy again. Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, has decided to take things one step further.

In an interview with the Australia Broadcasting Corporation, Reznor was quoted as saying, “I think the way [Radiohead] parlayed it into a marketing gimmick has certainly been shrewd…if you look at what they did, it was very much a bait and switch, to get you to pay for a Myspace quality stream as a way to promote a traditional record sale.”

It sounds as if Mr. Reznor is not as starry-eyed as seemingly everyone else about Radiohead’s against the grain tactics.

He was further quoted as saying, “…to me that feels insincere. It relies upon the fact that it was quote-unquote ‘first,’ and it takes the headlines with it.”

As a man with well-known and verifiable beef with the record industry, it seems as if Reznor has taken it upon himself to change things.

Reznor is following up his previous viral marketing strategies for Year Zero -- clues hidden in tour merchandise that led fans to fake web sites detailing a post-apocalyptic and desolate United States in the year 2022 and unheard songs on USB drives hidden in NIN concert venues across Europe -- with more tricks that show the depth of his understanding for the future of music.

On March 2, he released Ghosts I-IV, a 36-track instrumental album via the Nine Inch Nail’s web site. The record is available in a variety of ways, either as a free download of the first nine tracks, a $5 download of all 36 tracks, a $10 two CD set, a $75 deluxe edition package and a $300 ultra-deluxe limited edition package which featured a Reznor autograph, along with a variety of other merchandise. The limited edition package has already sold out all 2,500 copies.

It might also be noted that all of the Ghosts downloads came with wallpapers, a 40-page PDF of abstract pictures to go with the albums, and other multimedia. The track are high-quality DRM-free MP3s compressed at 320 kbps. In Rainbows came with nothing other than the tunes and as 160 kbps DRM-free MP3s.

Like any other destitute college student, I downloaded the first nine tracks for free and gave them a listen. Described by Reznor as “music for daydreams,” it sounds a lot like Year Zero slowed way, way down and without voices; it won’t hold your attention for long, but it's good background noise for a pensive acid trip.

In a little over a week, Reznor reported that he made over $1.6 million from Ghosts.

While critics have argued over schematics and implementationof Radiohead’s and Reznor’s nascent business models on a mass scale, it is nice to see someone as skilled as the Nine Inch Nail’s frontman trying something new. The record industry here and overseas has been floundering recently and in need of rescue. The question is, will they be able to learn from Reznor’s success?

Corinne Bailey Rae's Husband Found Dead

Jason Rae, the musician-husband of soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae, was found dead Saturday in a London flat of a suspected drug overdose.

He was 31.

According to British media reports, police have arrested an unidentified 32-year-old man for allegedly "supplying controlled substances." He was subsequently released on bail.

Rae, who played the saxophone, was scheduled to perform with his band, Haggis Horns, on Sunday night at the HiFi Club in Leeds. That gig has subsequently been cancelled.

No word on his more famous wife's whereabouts or whether she was with him when he died. An autopsy was inconclusive and police are currently waiting on the results of toxicology tests before making a final determination on cause of death.

Corinne Bailey Rae is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who shot to fame two years ago with her self-titled debut album which spawned the hit, "Put Your Record On." She shared a Grammy Award this year for Album of the Year with Herbie Hancock for her contributions to his new disc, River: The Joni Letters. Last year's Best New Artist nominee was also up for a Grammy this year for her single, Like A Star.

The songstress reportedly met Jason Rae when she attended the University of Leeds and worked as a hat check girl at a local jazz club, occasionally sitting in with various groups when business was slow. The two fell in love and eventually tied the knot in 2001 after which she added his last name to her own.

Per the band's Myspace page, Haggis Horns touts itself as "an eight-piece live funk extravanganza" mixing heavy breakbeat funk, soul, hip-hop and afrobeat "with the virtuosity of trained jazz musicians."

Rae and other members have performed with such acts as Cinematic Orchestra, Nightmares on Wax, Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse among others.

No word yet on funeral arrangements.

Vans Warped Tour 2008, Launches June 20, Kick-Off Party Confirmed for 4/11 at The Key Club in West Hollywood, CA

The 46-date VANS WARPED TOUR® 2008 Presented By AT&T kicks off June 20 in Pomona, CA and wraps August 17 in Los Angeles, CA. For a full list of tour dates and venues for North America’s longest-running touring festival, go to www.warpedtour.com. The traveling punk rock summer camp features a diverse array of artists as well as a variety of lifestyle attractions for a traditionally low ticket price.
The annual early Internet ticket pre-sale is on now. Pre-sale prices range from $27-$28.50 and include a concert ticket and a copy of the VANS WARPED TOUR 2008 compilation CD (SideOneDummy), a 25 cent donation to the Camp Hollywood Heart* charity and all service fees. A limited number of pre-sale tickets will be available for each market via www.warpedtour.com. Those who purchase pre-sale tickets qualify to potentially win exclusive prizes like “jump-the-line” passes and a trip to the show of their choice complete with VIP passes.
In other news, while tour dates and various bands for the 14th annual trek have been revealed on the tour’s website in recent weeks, a more complete list is now available. Please see below and stay tuned to www.warpedtour.com for the most current information. This list is subject to change and not all bands will perform on the entire tour.

3OH!3
A Day to Remember
Against Me!
Aggrolites
Alesana
All That Remains
All Time Low
Anberlin
Angels and Airwaves
As I Lay Dying
August Burns Red
Automatic Love Letter
Beat Union
Bedouin Soundclash
Between the Trees
Bouncing Souls
Bring Me the Horizon
Broadway Calls
Charlotte Sometimes
Cinematic Sunrise
Classic Crime
Cobra Starship
Confide
Danger Radio
Dr. Manhattan
Evergreen Terrace
Every Avenue
Everytime I Die
Family Force 5
Forever the Sickest Kids
Four Year Strong
From First to Last
GBH
Greeley Estates
Gym Class Heroes
Horrorpops
Jack's Mannequin
Just Surrender
Katy Perry
Ludo
Madina Lake
Mayday Parade
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
MC Chris
Norma Jean
Oreska
Paramore
Pennywise
Pierce the Veil
Protest the Hero
Reel Big Fish
Relient K
Rise Against
Say Anything
Set Your Goals
Shwayze
Sick City
Sky Eats Airplane
Stick to Your Guns
Story of the Year
Street Dogs
The Academy Is...
The All-American Rejects
The Audition
The Briggs
The Bronx
The Color Fred
The Devil Wears Prada
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Fabulous Rudies
The Higher
The Human Abstract
The Lordz
The Maine
The Morning Light
The Pink Spiders
The Saint Alvia Cartel
The Secret Handshake
The Vandals
We the Kings


The VANS WARPED TOUR has also revealed the date and line-up for the annual tour kick-off party. The event will be held Friday, April 11 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, CA and will feature performances by Broadway Calls, 3OH!3, Beat Union, Katy Perry and The Aggrolites. Tickets are now on sale for $10 via http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09004064CCD788A7 and at The Key Club box office.
In other news, the tour will continue to implement and develop its “Warped Eco Initiatives” (WEI), including: biodiesel fuel for touring trucks and buses, environmentally friendly catering for bands and crew courtesy of Tada Catering and a solar-powered sound system on the Kevin Says Stage. WARPED will also again team with Philippe Cousteau’s environmental organization Earth Echo International to develop environmentally-friendly programs that create awareness through action, and to publicize these initiatives to fans. VANS WARPED TOUR strives to develop multiple ways to help the environment and create awareness through action.

Municipal Waste New Video Interview Online

Antti Turpeinen of Get in the Pit TV conducted interview with Virginian thrashers MUNICIPAL WASTE at last month's Finnish Metal Expo in Helsinki, Finland. Watch the eight-minute clip below.

MUNICIPAL WASTE last year filmed a video for the track "Headbanger Face Rip" from the group's latest release "The Art of Partying". The clip was shot by the legendary '80s cult splatter/horror independent film company Troma Entertainment and features such Troma characters as the Toxic Avenger and Kabukiman.

MUNICIPAL WASTE will team up with AT THE GATES and DARKEST HOUR for a North American tour in July.

Former Ankla Vocalist Explains Decision To Leave Band

Former ANKLA vocalist Ikaro Stafford has issued the following update:

"I know a lot of you have been wondering what I have been up to, so I decided it was time to give everyone an update!

"First regarding ANKLA, after almost seven years and lots of hard work, I had to make the hard decision to leave the band, I put my heart and soul into ANKLA, but at this time I felt it was the right thing to do. Without going in to many details, the last eight months on the road have been hard, and sometimes in hard times you see how some people really are… and I just didn't agree with some of the decisions being made for the band. That being said, I want to let everyone know that I'm working on a couple of new projects right now, one with Pepe and Tony from ANKLA, and guitar player Eddie (from ONESELF) we have been rehearsing together and we have come up with a really killer sound with this project, it sounds like a car crash between metal and southern rock! Once we get something recorded we will update everyone.

"The other project is a band with the Brazilian drummer Fabricio Ravelli from the '80s band HIRAX, and also Paulo Guerra from FLATLINE. The band is called IMBRYA. Fabricio approached me last week about going in to cut vocals for the album, and after hearing the songs, I was very excited! Amazing stuff; thrash with a little Brazilian influence and killer melodic parts. I will be recording the vocals next week sometime, and we should have something ready real soon for all to hear!"

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ikarostafford.

50 Cent To Film Fat Joe's Funeral?

50 Cent has stepped up his feud with fellow rapper Fat Joe by posting a mock funeral for the star on the internet. The short film shows an American military funeral interspersed with clips of 50 Cent crying and paying tribute to the 37-year-old.

The In Da Club hit-maker - real name Curtis Jackson - is then seen revealing the real reason for the tape, pointing to the poor sales of Fat Joe's latest album The Elephant In The Room. Fat Joe's record sold 46,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S., while 50 Cent released a spoof mix tape on his website the same week and scored over 400,000 downloads. And 50 Cent is determined to emphasize his dominance in the music scene.

Speaking into the camera he says, "(Fat Joe's record sales are) actually terrible. That's when you know you are not relevant. The boss (myself) is there looking good with his number one album and he shouldn't stand next to that fat piece of s**t. Because you know how I get."

Meshuggah Drummer: 'This Album Is Like A Sample Plater Of All Our Albums'

Adrien Begrand of PopMatters recently conducted an interview with MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's sixth full-length album, "obZen":

"This album is almost like a sample platter of everything that we've done through the years, and in that it's less focused if you will, but that's a good thing, I think. Focus can easily turn into something too linear as well, like the Nothing album in retrospect, it's kind of mid-tempo all the way through, but I think that album is more focused because of that."

"This is the first time that we really spent the time that we felt that we needed for the album, especially production-wise and doing mixes and all that. We spent months on mixing, and we did a shitload of different mixes before we felt that we nailed it, and I'm really happy with the final product. To me it's everything, it's powerful but it doesn't just turn into this big wall of mud, you can still kind of make out what everyone is doing, and I think to achieve that is not too easy with the music that we play, especially with the more downtuned stuff, with the eight string guitars it's sometimes really hard to get everything across.

"We have been kind of anal when it comes to the guitar stuff, everything's been recorded I don't know how many times, just to get everything synched and really nailed with the drums. That's also a dangerous thing, I think…you can get somewhat of an edge when it's not overly tight all over the place, the drums can go down or up in tempo and it can be a bit sloppy, and sometimes that actually brings more life to the music. But I think for this one, we really did spend a lot of time making everything really tight, and the production together with that just works really well. It doesn't sound too dead or too cleaned up, in my opinion. There's a certain amount of sludge in the guitar sound and in the bass."

"What I think is cool with this album is that it is really advanced in a lot of ways, but a lot of the tracks don't come out sounding like that, and that's a really cool aspect. The tracks are really tricky to play, and some of them, for reasons like the very tempo they're in…for example the title track 'obZen' is at 170 BPM, and for me that's a super-awkward tempo for me to play. I have somewhat of a gap from 160 to 180, and then it's cool again, but that tempo is really hard when it comes to doing double-bass drum patterns. So some stuff is difficult for those reasons but most of the tracks are actually kind of advanced as far as the rhythmical structures and the guitar riffs and everything."

On MESHUGGAH's previous album, "Catch Thirty-Three":

"For what that album was, even though each of our albums is to some extent an experiment, 'Catch Thirty-Three' was just so much more of that," he says. "We also noticed pretty early on that for what we wanted with a more guitar-driven album, the programmed drums really worked well. So we just went ahead and did it. I guess to some extent also it's so much of a taboo, especially in metal and especially in progressive music, and it kind of feels good to do it just to see the expression on people's faces when you tell them it's programmed. Because it is very much a taboo, and even though we know a lot of bands that do use programmed drums on albums, they would never admit to doing so…There seems to be a shortage of thinking as far as that it doesn't really matter what tools you use to get somewhere, it's all about the final product, in my opinion. I don't care whether a band programs everything or uses another vocalist on the albums. At the end of the day, if they're a live band they're going to have to go out there and play it live, and to me it doesn't matter how you get there. If it's a good product, who gives a shit?"

Read the entire interview at PopMatters.

Killswitch Engage: New Video Interview Posted Online

The Australian branch of Roadrunner Records has posted a video interview with members of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE conducted during the Soundwave Festival tour, which took place in late February and early March. Watch the clip at this location.

Australia's Beat TV has posted an latest episode featuring an interview with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and drummer Justin Foley from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

You can watch the episode below.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio recently told Billboard.com that his group is unlikely to release a new studio album before 2009.

"We are considering starting an album at the end of [2008] at this point," D'Antonio said. "We're not gonna stop touring on this record ('As Daylight Dies') until at least the end of April, and I know we're probably going to do a run of all the festivals in Europe in June and July. After that, I believe then we're gonna start talking about writing a new record."

Mambo Creator Dies

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Cuban-born bassist, band leader and mambo pioneer Israel "Cachao" Lopez died on Saturday in Miami, media reports said. He was 89.

Lopez, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1962, is credited with introducing the mambo musical genre to generations of adoring fans. He died on Saturday after complications from kidney failure, the Miami Herald reported in its online edition.

Known for years by a singular name, Cachao, Lopez was a Grammy Award-winning artist whose work was chronicled in a 1993 documentary by Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia.

Lopez, a classically trained bassist, continued to perform until the final months of his life. He had lived in south Florida for the past three decades and died at Coral Gables Hospital near Miami.

Born in Havana to a musical family in 1918, Lopez took to music early and in his teens had already become an accomplished classical bassist.

His contribution to modern music began in the 1930s. Like many other jazz musicians of his day, Lopez and his brother, Orestes Lopez, improvised with traditional music. He experimented with Afro-Cuban music and developed a new sound that became the mambo.

Though originally rejected, the musical genre took flight in the 1950s and became a jazz staple through much of the next few decades. After a period of obscurity, Lopez regained international attention in the 1990s thanks in part to Garcia's work.

Lopez received a Grammy Award in 2004 for his album "Agora Si!" He also received accolades in 2006, including concerts at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Earlier this month, Lopez traveled to the Dominican Republic to receive a lifetime achievement award, the Herald reported.

Funeral services were scheduled for Wednesday. Hospital officials declined to comment and Lopez' daughter, Maria Elena Lopez, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ankla Announces New Vocalist

ANKLA, the Los Angeles-based band led by former PUYA guitarist Ramón Ortíz, has issued the following update:

"2008 has brought ANKLA an exciting new world of limitless possibilities. The writing and pre-production of the new album is taking place as we speak. This record will be a monster! The culmination of a lifelong musical quest!

"This year has also brought some lineup changes which were destined to fullfill the universal plan for ANKLA. The first one we are ready to announce is our new singer Eddie Macias.

"Eddie is a former musical partner of Ramón; he was the original vocalist in an embryonic form of PUYA that played in Puerto Rico in the early Nineties and also bands like ONGO, SITH, and SONS OF YOU.

"The musical chemistry between Eddie and Ramon is undeniable as the upcoming album will prove

"We'll keep you all posted as events keep unfolding."

ANKLA's debut album, "Steep Trails", was released in July 2006 through Bieler Bros. Records.

Dark New Day Post New Song Online

DARK NEW DAY — the band featuring Clint Lowery (guitar; ex-KORN touring member, SEVENDUST) Troy McLawhorn (guitar; EVANESCENCE, ex-DOUBLE DRIVE), Clint's brother Corey Lowery (bass; ex-STEREOMUD, STUCK MOJO) Brett Hestla (vocals; ex-CREED, VIRGOS MERLOT) and Will Hunt (drums; EVANESCENCE, ex-SKRAPE, TOMMY LEE) — has posted a new song, entitled "Goodbye", on the group's MySpace page. The track is set to appear on DARK NEW DAY's long-awaited second album, due later in the year.

In other news, DARK NEW DAY drummer Will Hunt has shot down reports that the group has called it quits following an apparent disagreement with the band's record label, Warner Bros., over the new album's release. "We are not broken up!" he writes on the band's MySpace blog. "DARK NEW DAY will continue as long as we want it too, and as long as people like you share the passion of this music we make! Thank you all again so much for the love! Good things coming very soon, stay tuned."

Other songtitles that are expected to appear on the new DARK NEW DAY CD include "Simple", "Hail Mary", "Fiend", "Outside" and "Vicious Thinking".

DARK NEW DAY released its debut album, "Twelve Year Silence", in June of 2005. The disc featured the single "Brother".

Watch video footage of DARK NEW DAY performing an acoustic version of the song "Follow the Sun Down" in June 2006 at the Rehearsals.com studios:

Serj Tankian Q&A, spread the Word About Social Justice

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A few days before the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, rock musician Serj Tankian is sitting in an Austin hotel room and ruminating on the costs of the endless battle. But Tankian isn't talking about dead soldiers or civilians; he's talking about the cost to the Middle East's environment, an issue that few people have raised.

"The topsoil there has been destroyed," he says, "and who knows what kind of damage all those bombs have caused to the ecosystems in the Middle East?"

Many bands these days are claiming the "green" label, but their concern often starts at the merchandise table and ends at the recycling bin. Not so for the System of a Down frontman-turned-solo artist, who sees beyond silos and realizes that issues like electoral reform, recognition of the Armenian genocide, poverty and the environment are all related.

As South by Southwest, the four-day music industry conference and party, rages below him, Tankian is serious but not humorless; clad in jeans and a T-shirt, he fiddles with his iPhone and shows off pictures of his dog before settling in to ponder weightier issues. Later that night, he brings the seething, schmoozing Stubb's crowd to a halt when he plays three haunting acoustic tracks at a show to celebrate the release of the "Body of War" documentary.

For Tankian, preaching about taking action is not enough. Rather than paying lip service to green issues, he founded a Web site, skyisover.net, to connect his fans to environmental and social justice organizations.

He also founded a nonprofit organization, Axis of Justice, with former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

"The organization has grown and morphed, and we really see the environment as being tied to social justice and human rights causes," Morello says. "We both realize that while people can do things on a person-by-person basis to make the world more green, massive levers need to be thrown to cause any real change."

Tankian is spreading his green message on the road and working with environmental nonprofit Reverb to make sure that his current tour leaves as small a carbon footprint as possible. With the organization, he ensures that all the food served backstage is organic and locally grown, that recycling bins are available throughout the venues and that fans can buy energy credits to offset their travel to the show. Still, Tankian recognizes that it's not enough.

"This is all great," he says, "but it's not going to stop the destruction. Right now the Earth has a fever, and based on the accelerated rate of population growth, the way we live now is completely unsustainable."

Q: Many artists are becoming more active in promoting green issues, but you seem to be one of the few who actually go a step beyond and connect environmental issues to issues of poverty and war. How do you see the relationships between these causes?

Serj Tankian: For me, it all stems from the need to promote justice. I called my organization Axis of Justice because I didn't want to focus on only one issue. The connections can be drawn because they are present in so many places; for instance, poor urban neighborhoods have higher asthma rates. When a city wants to build a dump or get rid of radioactive waste, they don't put it in the nice part of town. Even materials that are supposed to be environmentally friendly can be harmful to poor communities. Biodiesel, for example, uses up farmland that could otherwise be used to grow food for starving people.

Q: How did you first get involved in green issues?

Tankian: I've been a supporter of Greenpeace and the Sierra Club for years. I have a place in New Zealand, and I was really impressed with a Greenpeace action that took place down there recently. Greenpeace folks boarded a Japanese whaling ship to try to shut it down, and in the midst of the conflict, both ships ran out of fuel. When a rescue ship came, the Greenpeace people tried to disconnect the fuel lines to the whaling ship, even though it meant they'd be stuck as well. It was kind of crazy, but sometimes you have to be ballsy and put yourself out.

Q: This is all great, but I'm wondering how you justify being part of an industry that produces so much waste. You've sold more than 10 million CDs, and many of those were in plastic containers that had to be shipped to stores.

Tankian: Basically, we're all hypocrites unless we go out and live off the land. That way of living is a model for me, because I think those people are clued in about climate change and the way we're going to have to alter our lives. I spend a lot of the record talking about the end of civilization, and I don't mean an apocalypse. I think that we are going to have to come to terms with the fact that the way we live now will not exist in 50 years, period.

Q: Along those same lines, you have been touring for this record, and while you have carbon offset programs in place, you are still using a lot of resources and putting a lot of goods out there. How do you reconcile that with your belief system?

Tankian: Again, I realize I am a hypocrite by going on the road and doing this. I've had an idea for a long time, which might sound a little crazy, but I really want to look into holographic touring. I think we could reduce our need to travel if we could project ourselves into meetings and concerts. We have the technology, and we're not using it right now.

For instance, I have a studio next to my house and a live performance room in the studio. I could broadcast a show in real time and could interact with the audience as if we were in the same room. After all, it's not like the audience can touch me, anyway. (laughs) It would open up a whole new world for touring -- shows wouldn't have to be limited to bars or clubs. There would be no travel costs, so bands with very little money could play shows, and tickets would cost less.

Q: Well, even though that is still in the future, at least bands right now are starting to become more conscious. Do you worry, though, that being green might just be another trend for musicians and will be forgotten in a few years? After all, how many people do you hear still talking about Tibet?

Tankian: I'm not a big trend follower, so I don't know if this is just another blip. I think that with the ice caps melting and everything changing, bands and everyone else on the planet won't have much of a choice about becoming green. I look at a place like New Zealand, which is ecologically one of the most progressive places on Earth. People down there are unconsciously conscious -- they don't get self-congratulatory when they recycle, they just do it as a way of life. I think we need more education to get us to that place.

Q: While bands are also becoming greener, they seem to be less interested in other issues, like electoral politics. Would you agree with that?

Tankian: I think a lot of bands are coming out for this election, many more than the previous few. Howard Dean had some good support and momentum in 2004, but it collapsed quickly. I'm an Obama fan, but I have to say I was disappointed when I found out he wanted to expand the defense budget. Still, he has done a good job getting younger people invested in the process and teaching them about the way party politics work.

Q: You've used your position as a popular musician to spread the word about a number of causes. Have you gotten any backlash or flack from your fans?

Tankian: I wrote an essay called "Understanding Oil" after 9/11 that led to me being called a traitor and stations dropping our songs. The sad thing is, now that the war has been on for five years, people are coming up to me and telling me I was right.

Q: You just performed at a concert for the antiwar movie "Body of War" and have a song on the soundtrack. What other musical plans do you have for the near future?

Tankian: I'm going to continue touring behind the new record, and I'm also working on some music for film. I might be working on a score for a theatrical production, too. My next record will be a jazz orchestral record; I want it to have a whole different vibe than the last one. I want to be able to play Carnegie Hall with the new one. I'm planning on releasing it in 2009. I never studied music; I ran a software company before I did any of this. I've been lucky that I've done so well and been able to make the music I want to make.

Israeli Singer, Yael Naim, Embraces Britney, Apple For Success

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Folksy French-Israeli singer Yael Naim found commercial success after her song "New Soul" played in Apple's MacBook Air laptop ads, pushing the song to No. 7 on U.S. music chart Billboard's Hot 100.

She already had gained fame for what some saw as a comic choice to cover pop singer Britney Spear's "Toxic," singing a soulful, poignant version of the commercial hit while playing piano.

But Naim, 29, whose self-titled new album was just released in the United States two months earlier than originally planned following the success of the Apple ad, says she's not worried about being seen as too commercial.

"It opened a great window for us, for a lot of people to have a chance to hear about our music," she told Reuters in New York. "We had a lot of propositions ... but we thought Apple and Macintosh have some connection because today we work with computers to do our music."

The singer-songwriter, who was born in Paris but spent a large part of her childhood in Israel, recorded her new album in her Paris apartment with her music partner, percussionist David Donatien.

"We did not have a label," she said. "We did not have a lot of money so we did it just with a computer."

NAME HALVED

She became disillusioned with the "big studio" experience after her first album "In a Man's Womb" was released in 2001 through EMI, which insisted she keep her name to just Yael.

"It was like they took half of my energy," she said.

Both "Toxic" and "New Soul" appear on her new, second album, which was recorded in English, Hebrew and French and has received warm reviews. Rolling Stone magazine noted: "The way Naim purrs any word with a hard 'ch' will make your loins tingle."

Naim, who spent two years in the Israel Air Force Orchestra, said she was surprised audiences in France had embraced the mixed-language album.

"I did not think anyone would want to listen to ballads in Hebrew," she said. "It is not considered a very sexy language."

She also didn't expect the success of her version of "Toxic," which Rolling Stone described as "a stripped-down, slow-motion, kinda-brilliant cover."

"I don't particularly like her (Spears) as a musician, the voice, but this song is a good song," she said. "I wanted to take something that is completely opposite of the music we do."

Audiences at live shows, such as one last week in Manhattan, react excitedly to "Toxic," as well as to her current hit.

She confided to the crowd of several hundred that she once believed she was an old soul.

"Then my real life began and I figured that maybe I'm not an old soul," she said before launching into "New Soul."

Apple Sues Over 'Beatles' Bootleg

A legal attempt has been made to block the release of early recordings by The Beatles recordings.

Lawyers for the group's surviving members have claimed the eight tracks, apparently played in Hamburg in 1962, were taped without permission.

The songs include Paul McCartney performing 'Lovesick Blues' by , and McCartney and Lennon singing together on 'Ask Me Why'.

The Miami company trying to sell the music, Fuego Entertainment, has insisted the recordings were legal.

The firm's president, Hugo Cancio, told the Associated Press he planned to release the songs as an album entitled 'Jammin' With The Beatles and Friends, Star Club, Hamburg, 1962'.

He said : "It's unfair to millions of Beatles fans not to allow this recording to be put out. The world deserves to hear these tracks."

The Beatles company Apple Corps, said Cancio had no right to distribute them, however.

They claim the music was of poor sound quality and "dilutes and tarnishes" the band's memory.

Apple Corps lawyer Paul LiCalsi said: "This appears to us to be a garden-variety bootleg recording."

However, Cancio said he had not expected to be facing a claim for $15 million (£7.6 million) in damages from Apple Corps .

He told BBC : "I'm surprised because up to a few weeks ago, we were in good-faith conversations with Apple."

Scott Weiland Fires Back At Matt Sorum: 'Ego And Jealousy Can Get The Better Of Anyone'

VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"Responding to our drummer's [Matt Sorum] rant about why the band is in a state of flux:

"Well, first of all, the state of my family affairs is really none of his business, since he is too immature to have a real relationship, let alone children. So don't attempt to stand in a man's shoes when you haven't walked his path. Secondly, 'keeping rock 'n' roll alive?' I've made many attempts to remain cordial with the members of VR, but mainly, the likes of you. Funny though — this is your FIRST band, as opposed to being a hired gun. I've been making records (now on my ninth), which have sold over 35 million copies worldwide and have maintained a level of professionalism regardless of how many drugs I've ingested into my system. I have only cancelled one tour during the entire course of my 16-year run and that was the 'make-up' Australia tour. Now, shall I open that can of worms, Matthew? Release the Kraken? Serve... Volley! You cancelled the Aussie tour in the fall because you went to rehab, but I won't say why… we'll just let Blabbermouth find out for themselves.

"As for our fans — I will sweat, bruise, and bleed for you. And will continue to do so until the end of this tour. However, you deserve to hear VELVET REVOLVER playing… not certain individuals singing along to get a muddied up sound. God forbid — could one imagine if I grabbed a guitar and started soloing along with Slash? That would never happen because I know my place. It's a shame… we were a gang. But ego and jealousy can get the better of anyone. I wish the best and plan to annihilate the stage in the last few shows.

"On a separate note, we did an STP [STONE TEMPLE PILOTS] photo shoot before this tour and it was fun, inspiring and it gave me that thrill — that feeling that got my rocks off from the get-go."

According to several fan accounts and online media reports, Scott Weiland stunned fans at last night's (Thursday, March 20) VR concert in Glasgow, Scotland, UK by dropping a huge hint the band's time may be up.

He told the sell-out crowd: "You're watching something special... the last tour by VELVET REVOLVER."

In an online posting from earlier today, Matt Sorum stated about the Glasgow concert, "So last night was interesting. Had a little band turmoil on stage, as you probably all could tell.

"Being in a band is a lot like being in a relationship. Sometimes you just don't get along. I guess there has been more turmoil lately, I guess, with the cancellations and all. It has been frustrating, I am not going to lie.

"My career and life in rock 'n' roll has come with its ups and downs. Unfortunately, some people in this business don't realize how great of a life they have. Touring the world, meeting great people and fans all over the world. And just playing music for a living. I feel truly blessed. But sometimes the road can be draining for some. Being away from home and family does grind on you sometimes. With all the travelling and different beds. Personally, I love this shit and sometimes can’t believe I am so lucky to still be doing what I do for a living.

"Everybody could see who was unhappy last night, but all I can say is let's keep the rock alive, people!!!! In this life, you just pick up and keep moving. And don't ever let anybody stand in your way."

Weiland, who recently spent time in rehab at an undisclosed location, has struggled with substance abuse problems for more than a decade, although was reportedly clean for nearly four years until a few months ago. Questions about his condition flared in January when he missed a VELVET REVOLVER performance at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, claiming transportation problems.

Weiland will reunite with his STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bandmates for the first time this spring/summer for a number of shows, including an appearance at the Rock on the Range festival, to be held May 17-18 at Columbus, Ohio's Columbus Crew Stadium.

RIAA's Tactics Neraly As Bad As The Actions Of Mobsters

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- As any fan of "The Sopranos" knows, the mob often takes out its enemies in a gruesome fashion as a way to warn others to fall in line.

The same can be said of the campaign over the past four years instigated by the dreaded Recording Industry Association of America, more commonly known as the RIAA, which has been on a mission to stop or slow down the practice of illegal music downloading online.

Their special target, as most people know, has been college students, with some seeing their very education come under threat for what used to be a time-honored tradition -- copying their friends' music.

That copying, of course, has taken on a much larger scale with the Internet, which allows students to share songs and albums by the thousands -- often without paying a dime.

"This is a form of tough love," said Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the RIAA in Washington, which is made up of the biggest music industry labels. Last February, in an effort to step up the pace, the RIAA began sending "pre-lawsuit letters" to universities, which then forward them on to students associated with certain Internet accounts in question. The RIAA asks first for a few thousand dollars in payment and warns that the computer owner could face a federal lawsuit.

No room for negotiation

Much like the New York mob family in "The Sopranos," the RIAA is trying to send a blunt message -- that downloading free music using peer-to-peer networks could cost them dearly.

I don't condone music piracy, but the RIAA's tactics are nearly as bad as the actions of mobsters, real or fictional. The analogy comes up easily and frequently in any discussion of the RIAA's maneuvers.

Lawyers, who are defending alleged music pirates, say the biggest problems are: There is no room for negotiation with the RIAA, many students are wrongfully targeted, and most are settling for several thousand dollars because they fear even bigger legal costs or fines down the road.

"My students were saying it's extortion," said Robert Talbot, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Talbot teaches an Internet and intellectual property clinic, and now many of his law students are volunteering to help those who receive threatening letters from the RIAA.

"The letters are kind of scary," said Talbot. "These are usually kids who are 17 or 18 years old, they don't have any money and they are scared."

Talbot said his students are working on one case where four kids share one computer. "Students are trying to negotiate, but I don't have much hope. They don't want to negotiate. It's pay up or we go into federal court."

Going to court

The music industry had its first big win last October when a jury in Duluth, Minn., found Jammie Thomas, a single mother of two, liable for copyright infringement and ordered her to pay $9,250 for each of the 24 shared songs cited in the lawsuit, or a total of $222,000.

The tactics by the RIAA were highlighted in a more recent lawsuit, filed last week in a federal court in Portland, Ore., which alleged that the group is violating federal racketeering laws under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.

In that case, which was nearly thrown out by the judge, plaintiff Tanya Andersen alleges in an amended complaint that music industry defendants engaged in a campaign of "threat and intimidation," "using flawed and illegal private investigation information," in an attempt to "coerce payment from private citizens across the United States."

The RIAA says it has been sued at least four or five times in cases involving RICO statutes, and none of these suits has prevailed.

"They have been invariably rejected by the courts," Lamy said. He also said that the RIAA has negotiated with many students. "We don't have any interest in bringing a lawsuit against the wrong person," he added.

The original RIAA case against Andersen was eventually dismissed. It was discovered that her computer was not used to download the music in question, but she has countersued for legal fees. The amended complaint filed in Oregon seeks class-action status for other people victimized by the anti-piracy campaign by the RIAA and at four record companies.

When asked for financial specifics on what kind of damage students are doing to the recording industry, the RIAA says it does not have data on piracy at universities, but global music piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year and 71,060 jobs in the U.S. have been lost, citing data from the Institute for Policy Innovation.

Another data point, however, seems to indicate that though the RIAA's efforts are filling its coffers with millions of dollars, its letters and suits may not even be deterring music piracy. Fred von Lohmann, a senior intellectual property attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said recent data from Big Champagne of Los Angeles indicate that there is "more file sharing than ever before." Lamy of the RIAA said peer-to-peer traffic is "essentially flat."

Defense lawyers say most students who get these letters are settling for an average of $4,000. The RIAA says settlements suggested in the pre-lawsuit letters are within the bounds of copyright laws, and are even less than what the law allows.

"Copyright law allows from $750 up to $150,000 per work," Lamy said.

It isn't right to jeopardize someone's education. Granted, some wealthier students just show the letter to their parents, who quickly pay to make the case quietly go away. The RIAA should just charge students double the rate of a song on iTunes (99 cents) for every song they are found downloading. But Lamy said settlements need to be of "consequence" to deter the activity in the first place.

Von Lohmann and the EFF have long been arguing that the RIAA campaign is unwise and unfair. The music industry is using scare tactics to bilk millions of dollars from college students who can ill afford it as a stop-gap measure while it tries to figure out a business model as it goes through its biggest seismic shift ever. Even Apple, which created the most successful way to sell digital music legally through iTunes, is reportedly looking at new options for selling digital music. See full story.

"In three to four years when you figure out your business model, what are you going to say to the thousands of kids who had to drop out of school?" von Lohmann said. "Are you just going to say, I'm sorry?"

Lita Ford Is Back: 'It's Been Way Too Long Since I've Rocked A Crowd'

'80s hard rock queen Lita Ford has signed a deal with Coallier Entertainment, the New York-based company whose list of clients include such artists as TWISTED SISTER and SEBASTIAN BACH.

In a statement released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET today by Lita Ford regarding her comeback performance in July, she had this to say: "It's been way too long since I've rocked a crowd. Broke out my axe and turned it up loud. Always in my heart — forever in my soul. On July 11th I'm gonna rock 'n' roll. At Rocklahoma I'll hit the stage with thousands of you maniacs. Close My Eyes — Kiss Me Deadly — can't forget the leather pants!"

Rocklahoma festival will be held July 10-13, 2008 at the Catch The Fever Festival Grounds, four miles north of Pryor, Oklahoma. TRIUMPH and EXTREME are among the bands reuniting with all or most of their original lineups for this year's festival, which will also feature sets from NIGHT RANGER, CINDERELLA, Bret Michaels, TESLA, ARMORED SAINT, L.A. GUNS and many more. More than 85 bands in all will perform on three giant stages throughout the four days with several more big names to be added in the coming weeks.

Pearl Jam Unveils Summer Tour Dates

The Pulse of Radio reports: PEARL JAM has unveiled the details of a 10-date summer tour that will begin on June 11 in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to Billboard.com. The dates are scheduled around the group's mid-June appearance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee and will be the band's first live shows since playing just two concerts in 2007. KINGS OF LEON will support the group from June 11 through June 17, with TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS doing the honors on the rest of the gigs.

Bassist Jeff Ament told Billboard.com that he's looking forward to the band's first Bonnaroo appearance, where they'll be playing with METALLICA. Ament said, "The thing that's probably the most exciting to me is that we've been a band for 17 or 18 years and there's still things like this that we haven't done."

PEARL JAM recently got together for a week to begin putting together ideas for their next album, although Ament warned, "It doesn't mean there'll be a record our next month, but it's the start of the process. Sometimes it takes six months and sometimes it takes two years."

Singer Eddie Vedder will start his first-ever solo tour on April 2 in Vancouver, Canada.

Confirmed PEARL JAM tour dates:

June 11 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
June 12 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
June 13-15 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival
June 16 - Columbia, SC - Colonial Center
June 17 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Center
June 19 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
June 22 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
June 24 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
June 25 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
June 27 - Hartford, CT - Dodge Music Center
June 30 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center

Fans Take 'Wiki' Over Myspace For Band Info

DENVER (Billboard) - Search for an artist on any of the popular search engines, and the top three results are practically guaranteed: the artist's official Web site, Wikipedia entry and MySpace page -- often in that order.

But while artists and their handlers devote massive attention to the Web site and MySpace, the Wikipedia page is often overlooked. Recent data suggests they may want to reconsider their priorities.

According to data provided to Billboard from Yahoo -- the second-most popular search engine on the Web after Google -- those searching for artist information are selecting the Wikipedia entry link over artists' MySpace pages by a factor of more than 2-to-1. The Wikipedia entries are also more popular than artists' Web sites.

"The interest that people had to go to MySpace to find out more about their favorite band is waning in favor of going to Wikipedia," Yahoo head of programming and label relations John Lenac says. "In the last six months, it's surpassed it."

Yet when compared with the number of artist profiles on MySpace, Wikipedia entries are noticeably fewer. MySpace claims 3 million artist profiles. Wikipedia does not have an exact count of artist entries, but estimates that it's in the "tens of thousands," according to Wikipedia Foundation head of communications Jay Walsh.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

What's more, because of Wikipedia's low profile relative to the MySpace hype machine, many artists and their managers remain ignorant of the resources available to them.

"There's been many people I've talked to that didn't even know they could upload a Wikipedia page," Lenac says. "There's been some managers that didn't even know what it was."

For those in the latter category, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that relies on everyday users to submit the information listed about a given topic, using a collaborative software system known as "wiki." It contains more than 7 million articles in 200 languages and receives some 300 million page views per day. Anyone can contribute to a given article, BUT they must first past muster from a team of volunteer editors with a particular passion about the subject before the text appears live.

The result is a rather tight, focused and vetted overview of the subject, which some online marketing experts feel is why fans are selecting Wikipedia over other options.

"Wikipedia is a fantastic landing page," says Jason Feinberg, owner/president of On Target Media Group, a Web promotions consultancy. "It's so clear, so concise, and it's standardized. That's something I think is a draw over MySpace, where you never quite know the experience you're going to get. Is it going to be a horrible jumble of images and video and text that's difficult to read? Also, (Wikipedia is) rooted in fact. It's not promotional. Especially these days when the Internet is full of artists trying to essentially ram their message down your throat, I think a fan is a lot more receptive to a simple, no-hype approach."

But don't expect to see Wikipedia offering full-song streams or links to buy digital songs anytime soon.

"That's not what we're about," Walsh says. "We're about knowledge. We're about bringing the reader to other free content ... content they can use and enjoy without worrying about violating any copyrights."

Amon Amarth: 'We Have A Handful Of Great Songs Already'

Swedish Viking metallers AMON AMARTH have issued the following update:

"Back from a two-week vacation we've continued working on new songs for our upcoming release. We have a handful of great songs already, soon-to-be AMON AMARTH classics, and we still have plenty of great song ideas. On March 27th we’re taking a break from the songwriting, heading out to sea, raiding and pillaging (the bars) at the Sweden Rock Cruise."

The 24-hour Sweden Rock Cruise, which departs from Stockholm on March 27, is organized to celebrate of the 50th issue of Sweden Rock magazine and also serves as a warm-up for the Sweden Rock Festival in June. On board there will be three metal bars/night clubs with metal DJs, a record fair, metal karaoke, a pool/sauna area, casino, tax-free shopping, restaurants and more. Also scheduled to appear are EDGUY, ARTILLERY, CRAZY LIXX, THRESHOLD and BONAFIDE.

AMON AMARTH is scheduled to enter Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden in May with producer Jens Bogren to begin recording its new album for a late 2008 release via Metal Blade Records.

Fan-filmed video footage of AMON AMARTH performing the song "Fate of Norns" live at the Medley in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on December 5, 2007 can be viewed below. The track was dedicated to the memory of DECAPITATED drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka, who died on November 2 in a Russian hospital from injuries sustained in a road collision. He was 23 years old.

Marilyn Manson Tries To Protect Private Parts

After making a career out of spectacle, shock value and other open displays of eccentricity, Marilyn Manson is now looking to cover up.

The heavy-metalist has filed a motion requesting that all of his financial and business records be kept sealed during the discovery process pertaining to his ex-band mate's pending lawsuit against him.

Former Marilyn Manson (the band) keyboardist Stephen Bier, aka Madonna Wayne Gacy, sued Manson for breach of contract in August, claiming the milky-eyed singer had used the group's money to, among other things, finance a drug habit, pay for his wedding to Dita Von Teese and decorate his Chatsworth, Calif., home with an array of oddities, including Nazi memorabilia and a human skeleton.

Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, countersued in December, accusing Bier of failing to meet contractual touring, recording and merchandising agreements. He's been collecting royalties, Manson says of his former ivory-tickler, but during his tenure with the band frequently showed up late and otherwise "failed to render services to the best of his ability and in a practical and cooperative manner."

Because Bier's allegations directly reference Manson's cash value, his attorney argues, he should be allowed an order of protection protecting the confidentiality of his records, akin to the order Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern granted to Lindsay Lohan in her recent civil tangle with a bus boy who accused her of being drunk at the time of their 2005 car accident.

Stern, incidentally, is also the presiding judge in this case. A copy of the order granted on Lohan's behalf was included in the latest filing.

"A protective order is necessary to protect the confidentiality of that information against competitors and from the media and to preclude the plaintiff from using Manson's confidential information for improper purposes," the motion states.

Meanwhile, Bier's attorneys say "hogwash," citing Manson's well-known penchant for public displays of… whatever.

"Manson lives his life in the public eye," a filing opposing the defense's motion states. "He communicates frequently with the press regarding his personal affairs, openly discusses his frequent drug use, his failed marriage with burlesque model Dita Von Teese, his current relationship with actress Evan Rachel Wood, and his wild, rock 'n' roll lifestyle."

He also drinks absinthe and openly discusses his friends' and band members' sexual proclivities, as well, Bier claims.

Stern heard arguments Wednesday but has yet to rule on the request.

If the order is granted as per Manson's specifications, Bier's lawyers will have access to the records but they would not be made part of the public record and his camp would not be allowed to show them to anyone else.

The order is necessary before the two sides can proceed with depositions, Manson's lawyer says. A hearing during which Bier's side is set to renew its petition to depose the "Beautiful People" rocker is scheduled for Apr. 10.

Music Rights Flap Jamming Bob Marley Biopic

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The family of Bob Marley has refused to license any of his music for an upcoming Weinstein Co. film drama about the late reggae star even though his widow, Rita Marley, is its executive producer.

The reason? There is a competing Martin Scorsese documentary being produced by the Marley family-owned Tuff Gong Pictures and Steven Bing's Shangri La production banner, the first theatrical documentary to license Marley songs.

The family members involved in the Scorsese documentary say they were unaware that the Weinstein project would be unveiled so soon and believe that its projected late-2009 release date would interfere with their film's February 2010 opening, which is timed to coincide with Marley's birthday.

"Martin Scorsese doesn't want to go out with a competing project, and Steven Bing has made deals with companies" that are now compromised, Blue Mountain Music president Chris Blackwell said. "The Weinstein project has put the documentary into jeopardy."

Blue Mountain Music is Marley's music publisher.

"All our efforts and support are currently directed toward the documentary," said the reggae legend's son, Ziggy Marley, who is executive producer of the untitled Scorsese film. "We believe that this project is the best way to represent our father's life from his perspective, and any other film project pertaining to our father will be empty without his music to support it."

"When I sold the film rights to my book (for the Weinstein film)," Rita Marley told The Reporter, "the contract did not include any rights to use my husband's music."

The Marley family's lawyer, Terri Dipalo, denied the latest move was a negotiating ploy to compel the Weinsteins to buy Marley music rights or to up the price for those rights. She did suggest that "anything's possible" when asked if Marley's songs might end up in the Weinstein feature.

Music publisher Blackwell would like to see the Weinstein biopic delayed until at least 2015 to avoid the two projects colliding. He said he talked with Harvey Weinstein on March 13 about the issue, but so far nothing has been resolved.

Blackwell told The Reporter that he expects a deal to be reached soon whereby the Weinstein Co. would take a stake in the Scorsese documentary and agree to postpone its drama.

Weinstein Co. spokesman Matthew Frankel responded, "We have great respect for the Marley family and Chris Blackwell and are in discussions to look at ways to mutually benefit both projects."

The Dillinger Escape Plan: New Video Interview With Greg Puciato

Hungarian metal magazine "Kettõnégy" has uploaded an interview with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN frontman Greg Puciato conducted prior to the band's March 12, 2008 appearance at the A38 club in Budapest, Hungary. Watch the footage below.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's video for "Milk Lizard", the first single from the band's acclaimed new album "Ire Works", can be viewed at this location. The clip, which was shot in Los Angeles with Ilan Sharone of Pneuamtic Pictures, debuted on the Jan. 26 edition of "Headbanger's Ball" on MTV2.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN recently completed a U.S. tour with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and EVERY TIME I DIE. The band is currently in the middle of a headlining European tour, which includes support from BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and STOLEN BABIES in the UK, and STOLEN BABIES and POISON THE WELL in the rest of the continent.

Lawsuit Settled Over Beach Boys Name

LOS ANGELES - Two former members of the Beach Boys settled a five-year legal dispute over use of the band's name, a lawyer said.

Al Jardine and Mike Love reached an agreement after a two-day conference in Superior Court, attorney Lawrence Noble, who represents Jardine, said Thursday. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.

"Mr. Jardine feels very happy and feels that this is a friendly settlement that allows them to focus on the talent and future of this American iconic band," Noble said.

Love sued Jardine in 2003, claiming he fronted a group that used various versions of the Beach Boys name. The lawsuit said Love was the sole licensee to perform under the name, and that Jardine was denied use because he did not agree to abide by terms of a proposed license.

Love was seeking $2 million in court costs and $1 million he said Jardine collected from using the name.

A judge ruled in January that the case could go to trial. It was set to begin April 14.

The Beach Boys were founded in 1961 by brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Love and Brian Wilson's friend Jardine.

Dennis Wilson died in 1983 and Carl Wilson died in 1998.

Jay Z Denies Excessive Money Demands For Label

Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z has fired back at reports claiming he has been asking record companies for "way too much" money to launch his self-titled label. The "99 Problems" rapper quit his post as president of Def Jam Records in December and was alleged to be planning to start his own venture on another label.

He has since been linked to Warner Music Group and computer company Apple as he bids to launch Carter Music Group, but neither reported deals have come into fruition.

And, according to an industry insider, the label failures are down to Carter's demands for money.

The source tells PageSix.com, "(He wanted) way too much. He wants a label to give him $100 million for the Carter Music Group and provide for overhead, development and digital investment. It's crazy. He wants the labels to basically be his venture capital fund, but, unlike a venture cap, they won't get 50 per cent."

But a representative for Carter insists the reports are untrue, disgarding them as "rumors."

Fergie: I'm Not Pregnant!

Black Eyed Peas star Fergie has dismissed rumors she is expecting her first child with fiancé Josh Duhamel. The singer - real name Stacy Ferguson - sparked speculation she was pregnant after flaunting a more shapely figure while dining out with her beau at Hana Sushi in Santa Monica earlier this month.

However, the 32-year-old's representative has laughed off the reports, insisting the star is "not preggers". Duhamel's spokesperson also denied the pregnancy tales, explaining, ""It's not true. She is not pregnant."

Fergie has spoken out on her plans to settle down before, insisting the only thing she is considering nurturing is her next solo project. She says, "I want a marriage and family on the one hand, and on the other hand, I want to do another solo album, one where I can have time to sit in the studio and really nurture it."

Christian Black Metal Documentary In The Works

According to Christian Metal News, a new black metal documentary, entitled Light in Darkness - Nemesis Divina, is currently in the works. However, what separates this documentary from countless others that have explored black metal's controversial aspects is that the focus is not on the satanic spectra of the genre, but the opposite - the Christian concept of black metal. Producer Stefan Rydehed, who recently finished completed work on the Pure Fucking Mayhem documentary, which focused on the Norwegian black metal band MAYHEM, and David Nilsson have set their sights on the Scandinavian Christian scene, with particular focus on such bands as CRIMSON MOONLIGHT, ADMONISH and FROSTHARDR.

Rydehed comments: "The topic is very interesting because the genre has a major contradiction because it has evolved from the Satanic black metal and there have been death threats, church arsons, murders and so on but never have there been a documentary about the Christian bands and their point of view of the music genre."

A trailer of this documentary is available below:

Motley Crue's Sixx and Mars Settle Up With Manager Carl Stubner

E! Online reports that MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist Mick Mars have tentatively settled a lawsuit against Carl Stubner, the manager of the band's drummer Tommy Lee, whom they accused of orchestrating a campaign of "self dealing" to "divert revenue" from the group.

In CRÜE's original lawsuit, which was filed on June 18, 2007 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, three of the group's founding members (Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Mick Mars) through Motley Crue Inc., claimed Stubner forced Tommy Lee to "to become engaged in 'reality' projects that were bad career moves for Lee, harming [Sixx, Mars, Neil and Lee], the MÖTLEY CRÜE brand and Lee's own image." The suit called the low-rated NBC show "Tommy Lee Goes to College" a "critical disappointment and a ratings disaster," adding it painted Lee as "incoherent, lazy and incompetent" and made him "look like a laughing stock who could not carry a drum beat." The suit also claims Lee's participation on "Rock Star: Supernova" "diminished the public's interest in Lee and their overall perception of his musical talents."

Because Lee was so busy doing reality TV, the band says he was unavailable to tour with the CRÜE, thus causing the cancellation of several key concert dates. The band claims that they lost $8 million in ticket and merchandise revenue because of Lee's scheduling conflicts. The band claims these conflicts were "both real and concocted" by Stubner to "leverage his control over Lee to his financial advantage and to MÖTLEY CRÜE and Lee's detriment."

According to a two-page settlement agreement, a request for dismissal will be filed by May 31 based on the successful completion of the undisclosed terms arrived at by the warring parties. A hearing scheduled for Friday has been canceled.

A judge had ordered Sixx and Mars to amend their complaint with more evidence of wrongdoing before the lawsuit could go further.

Darkest Hour to Play the Philippines

Washington, D.C. metallers DARKEST HOUR will make their debut live performance in the Phillipines on April 26th at
Amoranto Stadium as part of the Pulp Summer Slam 2008, in Quezon City.

As previously reported, Darkest Hour will be taking part in the Suicidal Final Tour 2008 along side the all mighty AT THE GATES.

At The Gates' Suicidal Final Tour 2008 dates are as follows:

July
10 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
11 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
12 - Montreal, QC - Le Medley
13 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
14 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
15 - Sauget, IL – Pop's
17 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
18 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
21 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
23 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
24 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
25 - San Francisco, CA- The Fillmore
26 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse
27 - Hollywood, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre

Britney Spears Former Manager Challenges Commissioner Ruling

Britney Spears former manager Sam Lufti has filed an official objection to the Superior Court commissioner being allowed to oversee Britney Spears’ conservatorship.

The objection was filed on Friday, but did not reach the courtroom in time for the a hearing on Monday when a restraining order against Lufti was extended for another month by the Commissioner.

Lufti filed the papers himself, bearing just one line that said “Please take notice that Osama "Sam" Lutfi will not stipulate to the above-referenced case being heard by Reva Goetz, commissioner presiding, to whom the above-entitled case has been assigned."

Lufti is representing himself in the case and can appeal for the case to be assigned to a judge on April 16.

He once called himself Spears’ manager but is now not allowed to come within 250 feet of the troubled pop star. The restraining order was filed by her mother Lynne Spears who says Lufti drugged her daughter and hid car keys and mobile phone chargers from her.

Dio Will Not Perform At Ride For Dime In U.S.

RONNIE JAMES DIO has issued the following announcement:

"Please be aware that the DIO band is not playing any North American dates this year, and that there is a person going around booking fictitious dates with unsuspecting promoters.

The only dates this year that are legitimate are the UK/Scandinavian dates as listed on the tour section."

It was reported yesterday that Dio would headline the 4th annual Ride For Dime charity concert on August 16th - apparantly this is false information. Rob Eichelberger, Vice President of Ride For Dime, Inc has issued the following statement:

"As you are probably aware this comes as devastating news to Ride For Dime. We put our faith in a person that represented himself as Doug Goldstein, management for RJD. I actually paid a deposit to the gentleman to secure the date and he went so far as to give me his federal tax ID and have a signed contract from him. Again we are very sorry to have mislead anyone, it was not done intentionally. I hope the RJD Management will forgive any embarrassment our site may have caused them. We will pursue this matter."

Dio is currently working on a new Heaven and Hell album with the Heaven and Hell era Black Sabbath lineup.

Fans Indignation Over Kurt Cobain Inspired Shoes

Fans of late Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain have launched a scathing attack on footwear manufacturer Converse - for planning to pay tribute to the grunge star with a series of shoes.

The company announced this week it is going to release a new line of Converse One Stars featuring Cobain's autograph alongside a selection of the rocker's diary entries. Nevertheless fans have posted a barrage of furious messages on music website nme.com, branding the move "exploitative" and demanding people boycott the commemorative sneakers.

One fan says, "This is disgusting, exploitative and goes against everything these artists stood for. Kurt Cobain should be remembered as a talented musician, not a brand. This idea is more about boosting the brand image of Converse. This has nothing to do whatsoever with music. It goes against everything Nirvana were about. It's simply corporate, marketed bollocks (rubbish)."

However, Cobain's widow Courtney Love has supported the move and given her permission for the diary entries to be used as part of Converse's 100th birthday celebrations.

Brain Drill Disbands Over Drug Use

SO BEFORE ALL OF YOU GET PISSED I NEED YOU ALL TO CLEARLY READ THIS AND I ( DYLAN) HOPE EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE I’M COMING FROM.

3 of the 4 members of brain drill being steve, marco and jeff all have huge weed smoking habbits if you hadn’t already noticed. I dylan do not and couln’t be more aggainst smoking weed i don’t have a problem if you do it but just be smart about it. Before we left for this tour with the black dahlia murder and animosity I told them a million times not to bring weed, pipes or papers with them in the van because we are literally driving across the country and the last thing we need is to get pulled over and arrested for posession of marijuana. The laws in california are nothing compared to the laws in other states. And of course they don’t listen to a word i say and go ahead and bring pipes weed, papers and jeff even brought an ounce of mushrooms. Sure enough we get pulled over rite outside of salt lake city utah. Emediatley after the 3 of them had just smoked a blunt. So needless to say the car completely smelled like weed. So the cop comes up to the window and the first thing he says is " i smell pot", so sure enough they take us out of the car and they completely search the entire van. They tear everyhting apart and even use a k-9 dog to sniff out everything. Sure enough they find all of marco steve and jeffs weed, they find 6 pipes and they even find jeffs ounce of mushrooms. At that point i was convinced that we were going to jail but for whatever reason they let us go. After we pulled away i (dylan) told them " from now on the rule of the band is to not ever bring weed pipes or other illegal drugs into the van and also not to smoke inside the van" jeffs response was " i don’t think thats gonna happen bro" so sure enough they neglected to listen to me and the next day there was more weed pipes and smoking accessories in the van. So we then get pulled over another 4 times before we make it to our first show. Miracualously we didn’t get searched again. SO we play the tour with bdm and we had an awesome time. Our last show was supposed to be in buffalo new york. Keep in mind they all still have weed and pipes in the van. I (dylan) had bought a huge stockpile of firecrackers which are 100% legal in south carolina so i was not 100% innocent but alot less innocent then the 3 of them. So we start driving and soon we see a sign for canada, I asked everyone it looks llike we are headed for canada are you guys sure we shouldn’t stop and turn around??? jeffs response was " no it would say it on the gps if we were headed there" i even took a wrong turn and as we were looking for the freeway i asked again "are you sure we are going the rite way?? the sign says canada strate ahead" no one answered me so i continued to drive. Sure enough we get to the canadian border after i had said i have a feeling we are going to canada. Sure enough they ask us for our passports i said we only have our id’s. We show the guy our id’s he then writes us a ticket and makes us pull over to the side. The guy said " since you guys don’t have passports we are going to have to search yuor vehicle". sure enough they find marco jeff’s and steves weed. They find steves knife and jeff’s knife and they find my firecrackers.For whatever reason steve and jeff start to flip out on the border patrol cops and start cursing and saying "this is bullshit, this is the first and last time i’m ever coming to canada" etc. The cops asked " why are you guys making this such a big deal??" they responded "because this is bullshit" etc. The cop then responded " well since you think it’s bullshit we are now going to give all of you FULL BODY CAVITY SEARCHES". So I was the first one to get searched. They completely stripped me naked had me lift my ballsack up so they could check underneath it, and then they had me bend over and spread my asscheaks apart so they could look inside my asshole. After they finished searching all of us needless to say we were never going to make it to the buffalo show in time. All of this shit could have been prevented if they had just listened to me when i said dont bring weed and pipes in the van. Also keep in mind they let me keep my firecrackers and told me rite before they searched me" THE REASON WE ARE SEARCHING YOU IS BECAUSE WE FOUND WEED IN JEFFS VAN" they said nothing about the firecrackers other then you can keep your firecrackers and go back to the us or we can keep them and you can conitnue through canada but by that time we were never going to make it to the show in buffalo regaurdless of which way we went. I had done nothing wrong but becuase people in the van didn’t listen to me i was stripped naked and had to go through the most humiliatiing experience of my life.So rite after that happened i took my cut of the money which was $1,000 dolars out of the $5,000 we had made. I told everyone there" I am taking my cut of the money before anything else happens" of course no one responded. Since we couldn’t make it to that show we figured we would just drive to tinley park and the canadian even let me keep my firecrackers becuase they didn’t care about them. At this point i am so mad i thought to myself " i can either beet the shit out of all of them , scream my head off at them or just keep calm and quiet". I figured i would be mature and keep quiet. After we checked into the hotel room they told me " we are going to the promoters house" they didn’t say they were going to go set up and get ready for the show they just said "we are going to the promoters house" So i sat there and waited and thought, " i can either take more risks and stay with them in the van and risk getting pulled over again and sent to jail again, or i can take a plane home safe and sound.. My phone had died so i figured they were going to just come pick me up at the hotel when it was time to play the show. Sure enough several hours go by and finally by 1:am they show up to the room grab there stuff hop into the van and drive off. They had completelty desserted me in chicago with no way of getting home. I was lucky enough to stop them so i could get a small amount of cash so that i could atleast take a taxi to the airport they asked me if i wanted to come with them but I didn’t want to risk getting pulled over and cavity searched again so I said I’ll leave. If i didn’t run up to the van they were going to dessert me anyway so what is the point of staying in a van with a bunch of people who betrayed and hate you?? It was a 309 dolar flight one way from chicago back to san jose california but i had no choice. So after all of this happend none of them bother to apolagize even once the entire trip after i had warned them several times about the consequences of keeping weed in the van and none of them listened. I am sorry but being stripped naked and having your scrotum and butthole spread open for doing nothing wrong is where i draw the line. The ironic thing is that all of them acted like it was my fault that all of that shit happened. So after they all got home i told them " i am willing to talk if you guys have something to say" no one replied , so i said " then are you guys done??" and they said " yes" so as of now I am the only one left in brain drill. Keep in mind THEY DECIDED TO LEAVE not me, and I didn’t fire any of them. I hope to some day atleast do one last recording but for now its all over.

-DYLAN RUSKIN
(CREATOR OF BRAIN DRILL)

Madonna To Release New Album Via Phone

Madonna has announced that she will release her forthcoming album 'Hard Candy' via mobile phones a week before it hits stores.

The pop star, who previously refused to allow iTunes release her music, will make seven tracks from the new album available to Vodafone customers beginning April 21 -- a week prior to the album's April 28 global release.

Vodafone customers will be able to download one track each day of the week from 'Hard Candy', which features collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams.

Madonna has also made her new single '4 Minutes' available as download for Vodafone customers in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Belgium beginning today (March 19).

The material girl is reportedly the first artist to release an album via mobile phone prior to its general release.

Amy Winehouse Poses For Naked Photos

Amy Winehouse has posed naked for a British magazine.

The singer appears nude – save for a strategically placed guitar and some duct tape over her nipples – in Easy Living's April issue.

Winehouse was photographed by Carolyn Djangoly as part of a campaign to raise breast cancer awareness among young women.

Singer Sade and actress Helena Bonham Carter have also been photographed naked for the campaign.

Raconteurs Cut to The Chase With New Album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rock group the Raconteurs, whose members include Jack White of the White Stripes, is bypassing the standard months-long wait between finishing an album and releasing it with "Consolers of the Lonely," which will hit stores only weeks after completion.

The Third Man/Warner Bros. release, scheduled to hit retail shelves March 25, was completed the first week of March, according to a statement from the band.

"The purpose: to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised," the band says. "We wanted to get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the EXACT SAME TIME so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it's availability, reception or perception."

"Consolers" will be available on CD, vinyl and digital through leading retailers. "Some places couldn't move this fast, so they will join in as soon as they can," reads the statement, without elaboration.

The band's Web site will offer the album as a complete download in 320-kb fidelity. Individual tracks will be available at iTunes and Amazon.com. A video for the first single, "Salute Your Solution," will hit the Web on March 25.

The Raconteurs, a collaboration of White, Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence, released its debut album, "Broken Boy Soldiers," in May 2006. The band's move here extends the experimentation of acts like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails in delivering music outside the traditional label system.

"We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter," the band says. "The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by its first-week sales, pre-release promotion or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it."

While many of the indie retailers Billboard spoke with praised the band's approach, some questioned whether the rush strategy was a way to skirt potentially negative reviews.

"Are they rushing it because they think it'll get murdered?" asked Jim McGuinn, owner of Walla Walla, Washington, independent music store Hot Poop. "They have a good track record, but it could also just be a collection of leftovers. It's kind of like when bad movies are released without being screened for critics."

"I admire the band's attempt to keep it under wraps until the last minute and provide all formats at once," said Doyle Davis, co-owner of Nashville's Grimey's. "We've been trying to get vinyl to (go on sale) the same day as CD as much as possible, and I'm ecstatic over the fact that here's a release that doesn't go to iTunes a month before I get to sell it."

"Typically with a major-label setup, the single is out a month or more at radio before we get anything to sell," said Carl Mello, head of purchasing at Newbury Comics. "All that time, people are coming in but we can't sell them anything because it's not out yet. Now, with the Raconteurs, they can hear the song on the radio, come in, and it's right there for purchase."

Journey Schedules Rockline Appearance

American rock legends JOURNEY will be the featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline", hosted by Bob Coburn, airing Wednesday, May 28 at 11:30 p.m. EST/8:30 p.m. PST. Fans can talk live with JOURNEY by calling 800-344-ROCK (7625). To find a station near you or to listen to the show live via the Internet, go to www.rocklineradio.com.

A new chapter in the legendary career of JOURNEY — Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums) and Arnel Pineda (vocals) — will begin on June 3 with the highly anticipated release of "Revelation", a three-disc CD and DVD package to be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in North America.

The first disc will consist of 11 re-recorded classics, the second is filled with 11 new songs, and the third is a live, in-concert DVD. All of the music on "Revelation" was produced by Kevin Shirley (who previously worked with JOURNEY on their platinum-certified "Trial By Fire" album).

JOURNEY will take "Revelation" on the U.S. concert trail later this July, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.

JOURNEY performed its first show with new singer Arnel Pineda on February 21 at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Viña del Mar, Chile.

Arnel Pineda ("pin-eh-da") replaced Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band last year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.

Arnel hails from Quezon City in the Philippines and has been singing JOURNEY songs — in addition to original material — with his band, THE ZOO, for the past couple of years in clubs all over his homeland.

JOURNEY has been confirmed for the Arrow Rock Festival, set to take place June 15 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Also scheduled to appear are DEF LEPPARD, KISS, WHITESNAKE and TWISTED SISTER.

Motley Crue To Tour With Drowning Pool And More?

MÖTLEY CRÜE is rumored to be teaming up with several other acts from the Tenth Street Entertainment management stable — BUCKCHERRY, PAPA ROACH and DROWNING POOL — for a U.S. tour that will kick off in early July. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the trek will go out under the moniker Cruefest — which is not to be confused with the association that organizes concerts at various locations around the world throughout the year to raise money for the various CRÜE-affiliated charities (including Skylar Neil Memorial Fund, Nikki Sixx's Running Wild in the Night foundation, Tommy Lee's charity of choice St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Mick Mars' charity Spondylitis Association of America).

CRÜE will officially announce its touring plans on April 15 in Los Angeles, according to a press release. All four members of the group will be present at a location yet to be determined for what the release hyped as "by far...one of the biggest music announcements of the year!!" The band is also launching a contest in which one grand prize winner from each major city in the country will be flown to Los Angeles to cover the announcement, complete with a chance to interview the band and have the interview broadcast live. Details can be found at the official CRÜE site.

The band is currently working on its ninth studio album and first featuring all four original members since 1997's "Generation Swine". Bassist Nikki Sixx said in an online posting, "Tommy's (Lee, drums) kickin' ass, Vince (Neil, vocals) sounds insane and (Mick) Mars is shredding on guitars. It doesn't feel like one song is better or worse than any other. It feels so good to be excited about something you've worked on so hard...I'm so excited for you all to hear it."

The album, titled "The Dirt" after the group's memoir of the same name, is tentatively due out on July 8.

All That Remains Frontman Answers Fans Questions - Video

MySpace's "A Place for Metal" has posted a video interview with ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte featuring fan questions posed by Metal Sanaz. Watch the footage below.

ALL THAT REMAINS is continuing to support its latest effort, "The Fall of Ideals", which saw a July 2006 release through Prosthetic Records. Also recently released were a reissue of the band's previously out-of-print debut "Behind Silence and Solitude" as well as the band's first-ever DVD, "Live".

BLOG CHECK: All That Remains

Student Record Label Finding It's Groove

PHILADELPHIA - When the Redwalls recently performed on David Letterman's "Late Show," it wasn't just a boost for the indie rock band trying to make a name for itself. It was also a point of pride for the band's label — student-run MAD Dragon Records at Drexel University.

"Everyone around the country could see something that we were working on," said junior Amanda Melczer, 20.

At a school more known for engineering and technology, Drexel's music industry program is an emerging gem. It's one of the most selective programs at the Philadelphia university, with close to 600 applications for 54 freshman seats, school officials said.

What makes the program unusual is a deal with Ryko Distribution that MAD Dragon chief executive officer Marcy Rauer Wagman helped secure in 2005. While other college-run labels sell mostly locally or through Web sites, Drexel's artists get their CDs in stores across the country, from mom-and-pop shops to Best Buy.

"When we got the deal with Ryko, that definitely put us on the map nationally," said senior Christianna LaBuz, 22. "People started taking us a little more seriously."

MAD Dragon's latest release, the Swimmers' album "Fighting Trees," came out March 4 and the label expects to put out a CD by rootsy musicians Hoots and Hellmouth in June.

Drexel's program, which gives students real-world experience and a bachelor's degree in "music industry," has about 220 students — almost double the number when MAD Dragon was born in 2003.

MAD Dragon President Terry Tompkins, who previously worked for two major record labels, monitors their work during class, asking for reports on everything from artists' airplay to in-store appearances to displays and posters.

The label's big coup was signing the Redwalls, a group of promising Chicago rockers that had been dropped by Capitol Records. MAD Dragon released the band's self-titled CD in October and filmed a video for the single "Modern Diet."

"We started to gravitate toward what they were doing ... because of the college market aspect," said band tour manager Ronald "Rono" Polito. "Who better to get that message out there than the kids themselves?"

MAD Dragon takes its name from the university's Media, Art and Design college plus the university mascot. The venture was started with $250,000 five years ago, but school officials won't reveal its current budget.

Even at a time when more people are forgoing physical CDs to download songs, MAD Dragon's distribution deal is important, said Randy Derebegian, who works with the label at Ryko Distribution.

Small-label bands are constantly touring and doing in-store appearances, Derebegian said, making the physical availability of CDs very important.

"When a touring band plays throughout the country ... they want to be able to go into a store and see their CD there," he said.

Derebegian said he didn't even realize some of his MAD Dragon contacts were students when he first started dealing with the label, and was impressed enough to hire one after he graduated. Polito, the Redwalls' manager, agreed the students work hard but added that "they're still in a learning curve."

Everyone is still learning, said Wagman, an industry veteran. Noting the label's new D3 Digital Music unit, she said the program has to evolve as the music business changes.

"(It's) the most dynamic time that I can remember," she said. "It's so fascinating right now to be at the edge of this wild, wild west."

LaBuz, a student who headed the label's related booking agency, said the experience at MAD Dragon has been invaluable. Her work led to an internship at a booking agency in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she'll return for a full-time job after graduating in June.

"I've always loved turning my friends onto new music, which is why being a booking agent ... seemed natural," she said. "I feel like in my 3 1/2 years at Drexel, I've gotten 15 years of industry experience."

Busta Rhymes Gets 3 Years Probation

NEW YORK - A judge sentenced Busta Rhymes to three years' probation Tuesday for assaulting his former driver and a fan, and warned the rapper to stay out of trouble.

The 35-year-old Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Smith, was also ordered to perform 10 days of community service; pay a $1,250 fine, plus court costs; and enroll in a drunken driving program.

After the sentencing, Rhymes said the terms of the plea deal won't be a problem. "I have no trouble being a good dude because that's what I am," he said.

Scott Leemon, Rhymes' lawyer, said a private agency called Rock Corp. will work out the community service program. He said he doesn't know yet what it will be. He also said Rhymes has paid most of the fines and surcharges he owed.

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Larry Stephen put Rhymes on notice that he must abide by the conditions of his probation.

"If you mess up, you're going to jail," he said. "I've given you a chance."

Rhymes said after the sentencing, "I couldn't feel better, and this couldn't have happened at a better time. I thank the judge for giving me a chance and I thank everybody for being supportive."

The rapper said he wanted to get back to "having fun, making music, running around and showing love."

Rhymes pleaded guilty in January on the day he was set to go to trial on the assault and driving offenses related to four separate incidents.

At that time, Stephen revoked Rhymes' driver's license for six months and signed an order of protection directing him to stay away from his former driver.

Known for eye-catching outfits and an antic performance style, Rhymes was dressed at his court appearance in a conservative gray suit and lavender pocket square, a lavender shirt, and a gray-and-lavender floral patterned tie.

His hits include "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," "Dangerous" and "Touch It." He also has appeared in movies, including "Shaft" and "Finding Forrester."

Top 10 Weirdest Rock N' Roll Deaths

Ex-Abba drummer Ola Brunkert is the latest in a long line of musicians to have met their maker in shocking fashion, writes Kevin Lynch.

1. French pop star Claude François - who penned My Way - was accidentally electrocuted when he tried to fix a broken light bulb while standing in a filled bathtub.

Click below to watch Claude perform Comme d'habitude" (the original version of "My Way") .



2. Ozzy Osbourne’s much acclaimed guitarist Randy Rhodes was killed when the light aeroplane he was a passenger in attempted a risky fly-past of Osbourne's tour bus but crashed into the back of it.

Click below to watch news reports from the time of the incident.



3. Mamas and Papas star Cass Elliot is rumoured to have met an untimely end after choking to death on a sandwich in 1974.

The original article that appeared in The Times which kick-started the rumour.

4. Blues and R&B legend Johnny Ace went out in spectacular style playing Russian Roulette back stage at a concert in Houston, Texas on Christmas Day, 1954.

Below: Johnny performing his most famous song, Pledging My Love



5. Taking a lead from Ace, Terry Kath, the original guitarist of jazz pop act Chicago accidentally killed himself while jokingly playing the same game in 1978. His last words were, 'Don't worry, it's not loaded'.

Terry Kath’s official tribute website http://www.terrykath.com/

6. Leslie Harvey, guitarist of Stone the Crows, was electrocuted on stage by a live microphone in 1972.

Explained: The Physiological effects of electricity
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_3/2.html

7. Keith Relf, guitarist for The Yardbirds, died four years later in similar circumstances while practicing his electric guitar. He sustained a fatal electric shock due to the fact that his axe wasn’t properly grounded .

Below: Rare footage of Keith playing with the Yardbirds in 1968



8. Legendary Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro suffered a fatal heart attack in 1992, after suffering an allergic reaction to pesticide in his garden.



9. Cher’s other half Sonny Bono died after striking a tree while skiing in Nevada in 1998.

Click below to watch Cher's moving tribute to her former husband and singing partner,



And finally...

10. After dying of a drug overdose, country rock pioneer Gram Parsons’ body disappeared from the Los Angeles International Airport.

Maintaining his alleged promise, Parsons’ road manager Phil Kaufman and a friend managed to steal the star’s body from the airport and, in a borrowed hearse, drove Parsons' body to Joshua Tree national park in California where he attempted to cremate it.

The pair were arrested several days later but got away with a $700 fine for burning the coffin, as stealing a body was not recognised as a crime in the state.

Click here to watch the trailer for Grand Theft Parsons, the 2004 film based on the extrordinary story starring Johnny Knoxville.

Down's Philip Anselmo: 'Our Music Is Your Music, In Turn, It's all about You!'

DOWN/ex-PANTERA vocalist Philip Anselmo has issued the following update:

"A message to the children of extremes from Philip---

"From the very beginning, 'til the well-oiled end of the American leg of the tour, supporting our latest offering, 'Over The Under', from my viewpoint, 'An Evening With Down' was an absolute unique success, and a tremendous wake-up call for the disenchanted music fans out there.

"I cannot remember one bad show. There wasn't one uneventful audience. It's that fucking simple.

"I've been thinking, and I figure that I ought to blog you awesome folks more often, because every crowd, at every show, in every town, had its own vibe and life, and personality! There were always memorable characters in the audience that would stick out in my memory every show. Christ! I need to address you fuckers via the Down-Nola.com web site, because you deserve to be recognized!

"When we play live, and the lights are up, I mean it when I tell you that I can really see all of you standing in the crowd! (I strain my weary old eyes to see all the people way in the back or on the sides, but I do see you). As for the masses I can lay my eyes on, face-to-face…I can truly feel, and feed from your energy! I stare directly into your eyes and see your addictive fire, and it's hard to put into words the spiritual surge it sends through me! All of your voices singing every song, night after night is the only true payoff! I take it to heart. When we walk out on stage, and spend that designated, intimate night with our most loyal horde, that's notoriously jamming side-by-side with us, in a floor-quaking frenzy…

"It's the ONLY realistic reward! It's all about the music! Our music is your music, so in turn, it's all about you!

"As I've stated many times before… without you, we'd be nothing.

"It's stirring to our emotions, because it means so much to us that you're out there! There' no better sensation!

"You are the next generation of true music fans, (from 15 to 60+ yrs old!) who know that DOWN is the band that fills the gap, and sews up the wound that bleeds in the heart of music today. We also fill the void in 'BLATANT' regurgitation heard in today's 'HEAVY METAL/HARD ROCK,' with DOWN's own brand of organic originality; a sorely missing element within street-level, blue collar rock and roll, that today's younger fans need to know exists!!!

"'YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION?'

"…I thank all of you sincerely, for helping to breath life back into the stagnant music scene, and for giving back the best time of my life, and DOWN's. There's a long, prosperous road that we'll travel together in the near future…

"P.S.: DOWN hasn't come halfway close to hitting every city in the U.S. or Canada, so fear not if you haven't had the opportunity to catch us yet, we'll show up soon enough and have a blast together all night. Meanwhile, we'll be devastating Russia, all of Europe, and the U.K. in March and April.

"See you back in the U.S. in the hot summer months!"

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN's February 21, 2008 concert at the Southport Music Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana can be viewed below (courtesy of "NoleCore").

Miley Cyrus is Ditching Destiny

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hannah Montana is leaving destiny behind. Miley Cyrus, whose given name is Destiny Hope Cyrus, has filed papers in Los Angeles Superior Court to change her full legal name to Miley Ray Cyrus.

The 15-year-old singer and TV star is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who filed the papers last Friday with wife Leticia. Her father writes in the filing that the request was ''to make her commonly used name the same as her legal name.'' The name-change request was first reported by the celebrity Web site TMZ.com.

Miley Cyrus has said her father gave her the nickname ''Smiley Miley'' as a baby because of her sunny disposition. On the Disney Channel tween hit ''Hannah Montana,'' she plays a teen who hides her singing stardom.

Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus are hosting the Country Music Television ceremony together at Nashville's Belmont University on April 14.

The Clash Producer/Reggae Star Mikey Dread, Dead At Age 54

Mikey Dread, the Jamaican producer/reggae star who produced the 1980 single 'Bankrobber' by The Clash and contributed to songs on their 'Sandinista!' album, died of a brain tumour on Saturday (March 15).

After being introduced to Jamaican sound engineer/producer King Tubby after studying electrical engineering in Kingston, Dread began recording his own material and recorded a series or successful singles, as well as becoming a radio DJ.

Dread, who was born in 1954, went on to tour and record with The Clash, gaining wider international acclaim. He went on to play with UB40.

Dread was diagnosed with a brain tumour last summer and moved to North Carolina for treatment before succumbing to the illness on Saturday. He is survived by his wife Monika and six children.

Converse to Release Kurt Cobain Inspired Taylors

Late Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain is to be commemorated in a series of shoes from footwear manufacturer Converse. The shoes, which so far include a pair of Converse One Tops and several pairs of Converse High-Tops, feature Cobain's autograph and select drawings and writings first published in 2002's Journals scrawled on them.

Morbidly, the black Converse One Tops are the same shoes that Cobain was wearing when he shot himself dead at his Seattle, Washington home in April 1994.

The footwear line, which is being launched to help celebrate Converse's 100th birthday, has the support of Cobain's widow Courtney Love.

Line-Up Finalized For Los Angeles Murderfest

The running order for this year's Los Angeles Murderfest has been announced. The event will take place in April at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, CA. Here's the entire lineup and schedule:

Friday, April 18th

FRONT STAGE
Black Sheep Wall 7:45 - 8:15
The Unborn 8:45 - 9:15
The Funeral Pyre 9:45 - 10:15

MAIN STAGE
Genghis Tron 8:15 - 8:45
Baroness 9:15 - 9:45
The Red Chord 10:15 - 10:45
Converge 11:00 - ??:??

Saturday, April 19th

FRONT STAGE
Eyes In The Fog 2:30 - 2:50
Fatalist 3:05 - 3:25
Addiction King 3:40 - 4:00
Forever In Terror 4:15 - 4:35
The Cauterized 4:50 - 5:10
Willow Wisp 5:25 - 5:45
Mictlantecuhtli 6:00 - 6:25
Abysmal Dawn 6:40 - 7:05
Rise 7:20 - 7:45
Letum Ascensus 8:00 - 8:25
Impaled 8:40 - 9:10
Monstrosity 9:25 - 10:05
Vital Remains 10:45 - 11:25

MAIN STAGE
Demoralizing Sickness 2:40 - 3:00
Element 3:15 - 3:35
Gravehill 3:50 - 4:10
Unsanctified 4:25 - 4:45
Epicedium 5:00 - 5:20
Denial Fiend 5:35 - 5:55
Morgion 6:10 - 6:35
Meat Shits 6:50 - 7:15
Sepsism 7:30 - 7:55
Waco Jesus 8:10 - 8:35
Anal Blast 8:50 - 9:20
Repulsion 10:05 - 10:45
Massacre 11:25 - 12:05
Entombed 12:30 - 1:30

Sunday, April 20th

FRONT STAGE
Gutsaw 1:30 - 1:50
Population Reduction 2:05 - 2:25
Eat The Living 2:40 - 3:00
Semtex Vest 3:15 - 3:35
Call The Paramedics 3:50 - 4:10
Ivebeenshot 4:25 - 4:45
Cardiac Arrest 5:00 - 5:25
Magrudergrind 5:40 - 6:05
Watch Me Burn 6:20 - 6:45
The Dolemite Project 7:00 - 7:25
Bad Acid Trip 7:40 - 8:05
Terminally Your Aborted Ghost 8:20 - 8:45
Trap Them 9:00 - 9:25
Cattle Decapitation - 10:05 - 10:45

MAIN STAGE
Arkaik 1:40 - 2:00
The Nauseating Stab 2:15 - 2:35
Thousandswilldie 2:50 - 3:10
Sacrificial Slaughter 3:25 - 3:45
Cessation Of Life 4:00 - 4:20
The_Network 4:35 - 4:55
Devolved 5:10 - 5:35
Complete Failure 5:50 - 6:15
At All Cost 6:30 - 6:55
Strong Intention 7:10 - 7:35
Scarecrow 7:50 - 8:15
Ghoul 8:30 - 8:55
Today Is The Day 9:25 - 10:05
Extreme Noise Terror 10:45 - 11:25
Napalm Death 11:50 - 12:50

Heather Mills Awarded $48.6M From Mcartney

LONDON - A judge has awarded Heather Mills a total of $48.6 million in the financial settlement of her divorce from former Beatle Paul McCartney.

A document released by the Family Court says the judge awarded Mills a lump sum of $33 million plus assets she currently holds worth $15.6 million. Mills says she is "very happy" with the settlement.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LONDON (AP) — Paul McCartney arrived at court Monday to learn how much of his fortune he must hand over to estranged wife Heather Mills. The rest of the world may have to wait a bit longer.

British law dictates that divorce cases are heard in private, and Judge Hugh Bennett will deliver his ruling at a closed-door hearing at London's Royal Courts of Justice.

Still, given the huge interest in the case, he could decide to release some or all of the details of the settlement after he hears arguments from the couple Monday, court officials said.

The settlement also would become public if either side challenged it in the Court of Appeal.

McCartney, wearing a dark suit and a black-and-white scarf, was the first to arrive, followed five minutes later by Mills, who wore a blue-and-brown pantsuit.

McCartney, 65, and Mills, 40, went to court last month to decide on Mills' share of his fortune, which is estimated at as much as $1.6 billion. Media reports have suggested McCartney offered Mills around $50 million, and that she was seeking at least double that amount.

"Heather Mills is obviously going to get what in common terms is a large financial settlement," said Patricia Hollings, a divorce specialist with London legal firm Finers Stephens Innocent. "How large it is going to be compared to his assets is another matter."

London's Evening Standard newspaper Friday quoted an unidentified source as saying the settlement would be around $50 million, but that it was unclear whether that included provision for the couple's 4-year-old daughter Beatrice.

Hollings said Mills might receive as much as $100 million — and that the judge might give her more in exchange for keeping quiet about the marriage and the divorce.

"My guess is he is going to be fairly inventive in how he deals with it," Hollings said. "He may give her a heightened sum of money to make up for the fact that she won't be able to go out and publish her autobiography as she would like."

The settlement has been a long time coming for the couple, who separated two years ago, after four years of marriage. At the time they said the parting was "amicable" and insisted "both of us still care about each other very much."

But the split has grown fractious since McCartney filed for divorce alleging his wife's "unreasonable behavior."

Mills — a former model whose left leg was amputated below the knee after a motorcycle accident in 1993 — claimed McCartney had failed to protect her and their daughter from slander, death threats and other abuse, and accused the media of persecuting her. In November, Mills said she had been "treated worse than a murderer or a pedophile," despite years of work for land mine victims and animal welfare charities.

When the couple and their lawyers appeared for a six-day hearing before the judge last month, photographers craned to catch a glimpse of them entering the grand, neo-Gothic court building, and reporters huddled outside the courtroom door.

But few details emerged.

Legal experts said the fact that the couple have a child would be taken into account in a settlement — but so would the relative brevity of the marriage and the fact that most of McCartney's wealth was generated before he married Mills.

McCartney met Mills in 1999, the year after the death from breast cancer of his first wife, Linda. That marriage was one of rock's most enduring unions, and produced three children, including fashion designer Stella McCartney.

Mills and McCartney married at an Irish castle in June 2002, amid rumors the former Beatle's children disapproved of their new stepmother. The couple's daughter was born the following year.

ABBA Drummer Found Dead

MADRID, Spain - A former drummer for the Swedish pop band ABBA was found dead with cuts to his neck in the garden of his house on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Police said Monday an autopsy showed it was an accident.

A neighbor found the body of 62-year-old Ola Brunkert on Sunday evening at his house in a coastal area outside the eastern town of Arta, a Civil Guard spokesman told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

He said an autopsy was carried out and confirmed initial investigations. "It was an accident," he said.

The spokesman said Brunkert hit his head against a glass door in his dining room, shattering the glass and cutting himself in the neck. He managed to wrap a towel around his neck and left the house to seek help, but collapsed in the garden.

Brunkert lived in the coastal apartment complex of Betlem in the municipality of Arta, in the eastern part of Mallorca.

Brunkert had lived in Arta for around 20 years. His wife, Inger. died less than a year ago, an Arta municipal official told the AP. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the case.

ABBA band member Benny Anderson told Swedish daily Expressen he was sad to hear of the drummer's death. "It is tragic," he said.

Band member Bjorn Ulvaeus added that Brunkert had been "one of the best."

"I remember him as a good friend when we worked together in the mid-1970s. He was a very creative musician who contributed a lot when we toured together and worked in the studio," Ulvaeus told Expressen.

According to ABBA's official Web site, Brunkert and bass player Rutger Gunnarsson were the only musicians to appear on all ABBA albums.

Brunkert first played with ABBA on the group's first single, "People Need Love," and toured with the band in 1977, 1979 and 1980.

He had been a jazz drummer and a member of the blues band Slim's Blues Gang, before joining pop group Science Poption in the mid-1960s.

ABBA, with the four regular members Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Ulvaeus and Andersson, was one of the world's most successful bands, with album sales of more than 370 million. The group has not performed together since 1982, but continues to sell nearly 3 million records a year.

SXSW Wrap-Up It's 2,000-Course Feast

AUSTIN, Tex. — Adam Elliott, the drummer and singer of Times New Viking, summed up the South by Southwest Music festival between the frenetic songs by his band, a three-piece from Columbus, Ohio. Even if Times New Viking were no good, he said, “there’s a thousand other bands.” He added, “Those odds are pretty good.”

He underestimated both his band and the choices. South by Southwest, known as SXSW, presented 1,775 bands in its official showcases, and with unofficial shows there were easily more than 2,000 bands performing in Austin during the festival’s four busy days, Wednesday through Saturday, along with a few stragglers on Sunday.

So this is not exactly an overview of SXSW, where showcases and daytime symposiums are well organized and what surrounds them is a ruckus of business and pleasure. One person could attend only a small percentage of the music.

There were about 12,500 registered participants at the convention, as well as the members of those 1,775 bands. Unofficial events — parties, promotions, and concerts like the 10-hour “Mess With Texas 2” show on Saturday — have swarmed around the official festival, providing additional chances to hear groups as word-of-mouth spreads.

White Denim, the Austin band that was the supercharged finale for my own SXSW — a power trio with a rocketing, punk-speed take on twangy Texas garage-rock — played seven shows from March 11 to 15. Lykke Li, a Swedish singer who delivered pop love songs with a cutting voice and wily acoustic arrangments, performed in four places on Friday alone.

SXSW Music takes place after the SXSW conventions on film and digital media, and the music festival is thoroughly Internet-savvy. Hundreds of songs from bands performing at the festival are available as free mp3’s at sxsw.com, along with video of presentations and performances.

Although SXSW is well adapted to the digital era, in some ways it is firmly old-fashioned. While it is a showcase for young bands, it’s an all-ages event. Lou Reed, whose keynote for the convention was an onstage interview, also dropped by to perform with younger groups paying him tribute. Daniel Lanois, who has produced albums for U2 and Bob Dylan, showed his new in-the-studio documentary, “Here Is What Is,” and performed his own songs and guitar pieces around town in duets with the drummer Brian Blade that moved between serenity and clangor. The Minimalist composer Steve Reich was also at SXSW to speak and to play host for performances of his compositions.

Lesser-known bits of rock history resurfaced, including a revival of the Homosexuals, a punk-era British band that made only one album of its jumpy, idiosyncratically structured songs. Its 57-year-old leader, Bruno Wizard, cackled and mocked the music business during a set at Spiro’s.

SXSW is a bastion of that endangered artistic unit, the album. The Lemonheads played through “It’s a Shame About Ray,” a 1992 album being rereleased this year.

Van Morrison, R.E.M. and My Morning Jacket built nearly their entire concerts on material from their new or coming albums, and each one played a committed, enthralling set. Mr. Morrison’s new songs held the sting of the blues; R.E.M. has reinvigorated its old guitar-band style for an album aptly titled “Accelerate”; and My Morning Jacket’s new songs put a streak of R&B — from funk riffs to falsetto vocals — in its ringing, expansive Southern rock. (R.E.M., My Morning Jacket and many other bands, including the perky collegiate New York City rockers Vampire Weekend, had their SXSW performances broadcast on NPR, where they can still be heard at npr.org/music.)

The most pervasive old-school choice at SXSW is gearing the festival toward live performance far more than recording. While recording companies (mostly independent ones) are well represented, SXSW also draws the booking agents, managers and club owners who provide more immediate support for musicians. In an era of plummeting CD sales and free downloads, most musicians survive on live performances, as the ancient model of the troubadour returns in the digital age.

At SXSW concert promoters can sample bands that are being, in essence, battle tested: playing abbreviated sets on hastily assembled equipment to unfamiliar audiences in Austin’s peculiarly shaped clubs. It’s a good test too for longtime rock stars who are, for the moment, not entirely in control, choosing to prove themselves against the energy of younger bands.

Another model for a musician’s career is to sell rights to songs as background music for soundtracks and commercials. That encourages exactly what live performance does not: reticence and generality rather than the vividness and specificity of a performance. Yael Naim, whose song “New Souls” grew popular through an Apple commercial, played a set determined to show she has more than 60 seconds of worthwhile music; she poured her rich voice into songs about loneliness and longing, and got a tent full of music-business professionals to sing along.

But some of my favorite bands at the festival were those that made their impact on the spot. Times New Viking merged guitar-rock and the keyboard drive of German rock; the Dodos, from San Francisco, worked up to manic propulsion with hard-strummed acoustic guitar and plinking toy piano. Atlas Sounds filled a club with guitar drone; then one member proffered an amplifier to audience members for knob-turning and extra feedback.

There were also gentler performers, like Laura Marling, a British teenager who writes folky, haunted songs, and Hanne Hukkelberg, a Norwegian songwriter who sang (in English) about the forces of nature in complex, odd-meter songs that sometimes had a tuba for their foundation.

With so many bands, SXSW encompassed genres from art-rock to zydeco. Although SXSW started in 1987 as a showcase for regional Southwestern music and independent bands and is still a vital stop for roots-rockers, it has also recognized that hip-hop entrepreneurship is every bit as do-it-yourself as indie-rock’s. Top-tier rappers including Ice Cube performed at this year’s festival, along with acts like David Banner, Clipse, Del the Funky Homosapien, the Cool Kids, and Cadence Weapon.

The festival is also treated as a gateway to the American market by foreign governments, which subsidize delegations of musicians. Britain had its own “embassy,” with a full schedule of bands through the convention. And it sent bands that have already been winnowed at home, including the irresistibly catchy Ting Tings, a duo who now have a major-label contract in the United States. They pump out danceable riffs echoing the 1960’s and 1970’s, while Katie White gets worked up with complaints like, “That’s not my name.”

Two other British bands also played fiercely kinetic groves: Does It Offend You, Yeah?, which ran on the dance-rock beats and synthesizer buzz of the late 1970’s, and These New Puritans, whose dissonant stomp and dark lyrics reached back to Public Image Limited and the Fall.

Yet South by Southwest is more than a marathon audition. It’s a chance for social networking in real time and space. The exhilaration of so many performances in such a short time is a morale booster for both business people and fans, and an annual reminder that the fortunes and misfortunes of the recording business don’t stop the music.

Motley Crue To Make 'Collossal' Announcement In April

All four ORIGINAL members of America's most notorious rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE will make a "colossal" announcement in Los Angeles on April 15 (location to be determined). According to a press release, "this will by far be one of the biggest music announcements of the year!!"

MÖTLEY CRÜE will fly out one lucky grand prize winner from each major city across the country for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cover this announcement in Los Angeles and the chance to interview the band and have it broadcast live. Fans can go to this location for all of the details.

MÖTLEY CRÜE is currently working on the first full-length recording by the original lineup in more than a decade. According to bassist Nikki Sixx, "Tommy's [Lee, drums] kickin' ass, Vince [Neil, vocals] sounds insane and [Mick] Mars is shredding on guitars. It doesn't feel like one song is better or worse than any other. It feels so good to be excited about something you've worked on so hard... I'm so excited for you all to hear it."

The new CRÜE album, "The Dirt", named after the band's memoir of a few years back, is tentatively due out on July 8, with a world tour slated to commence around the same time.

Texas Beach Rap Concert End In Fights

GALVESTON, Texas - Police say officers were overwhelmed trying to restore order as a spring break rap concert ended in multiple fights on the beach at Galveston, Texas.

Galveston police Lt. Jorge Trevino says it took officers almost four hours to clear the streets after the concert on Sunday and at least 12 people were arrested.

Four officers were initially assigned to patrol the concert but eventually all of Galveston's on-duty officers were sent to the scene.

The concert was called the "Spring Break Party Beach Bash." It was hosted by a Houston radio station that said scheduled performers included 2 Pistols, Colby O'Donnis, Lil Wil & Lil Keke, and Webbie.

The Future According To Radiohead

Sunday afternoons, Thom Yorke enjoys taking his kids to Oxford University's Museum of Natural History, a stately, neo-Gothic building on the outskirts of the city center. They wander around the grand atrium, past the skull of the humpback whale, propped up like a massive bear trap, and the stuffed dodo bird behind glass, and the creepy statues of Great Men of Science. The statues are extremely lifelike except for their eyeballs, which, thanks to some odd sculptorial decision, have been rendered as entirely blank orbs, giving boyish, pensive Newton and bearded, stoic Darwin and an unreasonably furious-looking Aristotle all terrifying dead-eyed stares. And, of course, Yorke's kids love the enormous dinosaur skeletons, which dominate the room, rearing up in fearsome poses.

Approximately 150 years earlier, a sickly, stuttering Oxford mathematician named Charles Dodgson would come to the museum with his college dean's young daughter, Alice Liddell; to entertain her, he would make up fantastic stories about the dodo and various other animals, which he eventually published under his pen name, Lewis Carroll, as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Yorke, who is thirty-nine — he has a three-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son — also occasionally writes about animals, though not in a way meant to delight children. "Myxomatosis," from the 2003 Radiohead album, Hail to the Thief, is named for a horrible disease that kills rabbits and opens with the line "The mongrel cat came home holding half a head. . . . " Then there is "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi," a track on the most recent Radiohead album, In Rainbows, in which Yorke imagines himself at the bottom of the ocean being nibbled upon by fish and worms. Pluralizing "fish" as "fishes" is an unusual choice, and whenever Yorke howls the words "weird fishes," the questionable grammar makes him sound like a demented schoolboy.

The rest of the song has a muffled, underwater quality, with the titular arpeggio underlaid by a spare, insistent percussion and the guitar notes occasionally warping to sound like a steel drum might be buried deep in the mix. In another strange turn of phrase, Yorke croons, "Your eyes, they turn me," creating an interesting tension by never adding the expected "on." With all of the references to freedom — "why should I stay here"; "everybody leaves if they get a chance" — the song could almost pass for a morbid parody of early Springsteen, as if the protagonists of "Thunder Road" had busted loose from small-town Jersey by throwing themselves off a bridge.

"Hit the bottom," Yorke sings in the final lines, "and escape."

Nikki Sixx: 'I F*cking Love This New Motley Crue Album!'

Motley Crue Bassist Nikki Sixx has issued the following blog:

"I fucking love this new MÖTLEY CRÜE album. Tommy's kickin' ass, Vince sounds insane and Mars is shredding on guitars. It doesn't feel like one song is better or worse than any other. It feels so good to be excited about something you've worked on so hard... I'm so excited for you all to hear it."

Ygnwie Malmsteen First Footage With Tim 'Ripper' Owens Posted Online

Low-quality video footage of YNGWIE MALMSTEEN's March 14, 2008 concert at the Musikmesse Frankfurt 2008 fair in Frankfurt, Germany can be viewed below (courtesy of "3Pietro" and "blueser76"). (NOTE: Audio in second clip is distorted to the point of being unlistenable.) The performance marked the legendary Swedish guitarist's first appearance with his new lineup, which includes Tim "Ripper" Owens (BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) on vocals, Bjorn Englen on bass, Michael Troy on keyboards and Patrik Johansson on drums.

Owens and Malmsteen previously collaborated on a cover of OZZY OSBOURNE's "Mr. Crowley", which appeared on the "Flying High Again: The World's Greatest Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne", released in March 2006 via Magick Records. Listen to the track on YouTube.

Owens's predecessor, Doogie White, was a member of Yngwie Malmsteen's band for six and a half years. Doogie joined Malmsteen's band in September 2001 and recorded two albums with the legendary Swedish guitarist: "Attack" (2002) and "Unleash the Fury" (2005).

Keith Richards Warns Amy Winehouse Off Drugs

The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards has warned Amy Winehouse off drugs, stating that she 'isn't going to be around long' if she doesn't stop.

The guitarist also said that the singer is his favourite modern artist.

Richards explained: "There's only one [singer I like], that girl Amy. Mind you, that girl isn't going to be around long unless she sorts herself out pretty quick. Amy's got to get smart.

"I'm not a preacher. But I've been there and you have to pass it on."

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday, Richards also compared her legal problems with those of The Rolling Stones in the 1970s, saying: "It completely took over our lives creatively and we couldn't do this and couldn't do that.

"You had to spend all your time trying to deal with the police. The same thing has happened to Amy Winehouse."

Duff Mckagan: 'Scott Weiland is OK As Far As I Know'

VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland's latest battle to get clean led to the cancellation of VR gigs Down Under and there are no assurances the UK leg of the tour will finish as planned. At least not from the group's bassist Duff McKagan. "Scott is OK as far as I know but I can't say he'll be fine when the tour kicks off or when it finishes," McKagan told UK's JournalLive. "You just never know. Addiction is crazy and I should know. I can't be cagey and say, 'Oh no, we're going to be fine and everything's going to go without a hitch.' The truth is I just don't know what will happen. I don’t want to read this interview where I've said there'll be no problems and then for us not to finish the tour. I don't want to have to eat my words. All I can say is that right now I'm confident it will happen and we've never sounded better as a band."

McKagan added, "VELVET REVOLVER is something that's going to be around for a long while yet. Because of the individuals involved, there are always going to be things going on around the band that will confuse fans once in a while but we're here to stay. Slash and I have been doing this job for 20 years and nothing is going to get in the way of what we're doing now.

"This band is the main thing in my life. It's the thing that I need to fulfil myself mentally. It's the perfect way for me to express myself musically and artistically. It's not something that I look at in a commercial sense at all. That's what will guarantee its longevity."

Read the entire interview at JournalLive.

Natasha Bedingfield Slams Industry Peers

British singer Natasha Bedingfield has launched a scathing attack on her pop rivals, insisting they take drugs and drink in excess because they are desperate for attention. In a message to fans on her MySpace page, she blames her troubled counterparts' turbulent lifestyles on their desire to be praised for doing "stupid things."

She writes: "Unlike some artists around I like to have fun just for the sake of it, not just to attract attention. This industry is so obsessed with image and what everyone thinks of you and I've found that you have to fight hard within yourself not to let it affect you. I'm aware that I've been labeled a good girl by some because I'm different to some of the other female artists - the main difference being I don't do drugs and I'm doing my best not to be messed up."

UCLA Medical Center Fires Employees For 'Peeking' Into Britney Spears Medical Files

LOS ANGELES (AP) - UCLA Medical Center will fire some employees and discipline others for snooping at the confidential medical records of Britney Spears, who was hospitalized in its psychiatric ward, a hospital official told The Associated Press.

Jeri Simpson, the hospital's director of human resources who was involved in the investigations of the confidentiality breach, confirmed the action but could not say how many employees were affected. The hospital did not say when the snooping took place or which of Spears records were looked at.

The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Friday that the breaches occurred during Spears most recent hospital stay. While the disciplined employees were unable to access her psychiatric records, they did look at non-psychiatric records from her previous visits to the medical center, the Times reported.

The newspaper said more than 13 employees, none of whom are doctors, would be fired. Twelve others, including several doctors, will be disciplined otherwise for looking at her computerized records, it reported.

There is no evidence that any employee leaked or sold the information about Spears, who is a tabloid favorite, according to the Times. Still, such snooping is a violation of state and federal medical privacy laws and the state Department of Public Health had opened an investigation of the hospital, the newspaper reported.

This is not the first time the hospital has had to reprimand employees for looking at Spears' records. Several workers were fired after they were caught snooping after Spears gave birth to her first son, Sean Preston, in September 2005.

''It's not only surprising, it's very frustrating and it's very disappointing,'' Simpson told the newspaper, adding that she felt ''horrible'' that it happened again.

Spears was admitted to the hospital twice in January under a state law allowing patients to be held against their will for up to 72 hours for evaluation if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others. On her second trip to the medical center, Spears stayed for nearly a week.

Leading up to the hospitalizations, Spears had been behaving bizarrely. She shaved her head, was seen in public without underwear, ran over a celebrity photographer's foot and attacked a vehicle with an umbrella.

After her Feb. 6 release, a judge placed Spears and her estate under a temporary conservatorship. Conservatorships are granted for people deemed unable to take care of themselves or their affairs.

Spears has since had very limited contact with her toddler sons who are under the sole physical and legal custody of her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Testament: New Alex Skolnick Interview, Performance Posted Online

RoarnKatt of LateNightSinners.com conducted an interview with TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick during this year's winter NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 17-20 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The 10-minute clip, which includes footage of Skolnick performing, can be viewed below.

A brand new TESTAMENT track, entitled "More Than Meets The Eye", has been posted on the group's MySpace page. The song comes off the veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers' forthcoming album, "The Formation of Damnation", due in North America on April 29 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The band recorded the effort in part with producer Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE) at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.

"The Formation of Damnation" track listing:

01. For The Glory Of
02. More Than Meets The Eye
03. The Evil Has Landed
04. Formation Of Damnation
05. Dangers of The Faithless
06. The Persecuted Won't Forget
07. Henchmen Ride
08. Killing Season
09. Afterlife
10. F.E.A.R.
11. Leave Me Forever

Prosthetic Records will re-release TESTAMENT's "First Strike Still Deadly" album on March 18. Originally issued in 2001 on Spitfire Records, the updated version features new artwork.

"First Strike Still Deadly" is a compilation of early tracks re-recorded in 2001 by Chuck Billy (vocals), Alex Skolnick (guitar), Eric Peterson (guitar), Steve DiGiorgio (bass) and John Tempesta (drums) to give the songs a "modern, updated" feel. Also making an appearance on "First Strike Still Deadly" is the group's original vocalist — in the days when TESTAMENT was known as LEGACY — Steve Souza (EXODUS, DUBLIN DEATH PATROL), on "Alone In The Dark" and "Reign Of Terror".

Man Claims The Game Assualted Him

LOS ANGELES - This game may prove costly for The Game.

A man filed a civil suit against the rapper, claiming he assaulted him during a pickup basketball game last year, celebrity Web site TMZ.com reported Friday.

In court documents posted on TMZ, Shannon Rodrick said The Game, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor, told him his "team is garbage" and "sucker-punched" him, causing him to fall backward.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in Superior Court alleges that Taylor went to his vehicle to get a gun and approached Rodrick saying, "I'm going to blast this fool."

Taylor served eight days in jail this month after pleading no contest to felony possession of a firearm in a school zone.

Rodrick's suit, which alleges assault, battery, a civil rights violation and negligence, seeks unspecified damages.

A phone message left Friday with Taylor's agent was not immediately returned.

Shadows Fall Parting Ways With Atlantic Records?

MTV.com's "Metal File" has posted a "blind item" involving "one of the country's best-known metal acts [which] looks to be parting ways with its major label and plans to return to its original label home in the next few months." Speculation is that the band in question is the Massachusetts-based metal group SHADOWS FALL, whose last studio album — and Atlantic Records debut — "Threads of Life", has sold 93,000 copies in the United States since its April 2007 release — a fraction of the 301,000 sales total achieved by its predecessor, 2004's "The War Within", which was released by Century Media.

In a June 2006 interview with MTV.com, SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair spoke about jumping ship from Century Media Records to Atlantic for their most recent studio effort.

"We were friends with [the folks at Century Media] before we signed with the label, and they definitely went above and beyond what we thought an indie label could possibly do," he said. "They did offer us a great deal [to stay with the company before we signed with Atlantic], but we wanted to ... see if we could take it to another level.

"It was a tough decision [to sign with Atlantic], but one we felt we really needed to make. We've been together 10 years, so we came with a contract and we knew exactly what we wanted. If people weren't into that initial thing, we knew we could cut them off right away. We weren't settling. We were brutally honest right at the beginning, and it stopped a lot of those dinners right away.

"These labels knew they weren't signing BRITNEY SPEARS," Fair continued. "They were just getting a bunch of Masshole metalheads. We were just psyched to get some free pizza and beer."

Vampire Weekend End Their SXSW On A High Note

Vampire Weekend capped off their first-ever South by Southwest experience with what they deemed to be their best gig at the Austin festival.

The New York rockers were in top form during their packed showcase at Antone's late Friday night (March 14), with people queuing around the block to see one of the festival's most hotly tipped acts.

"This is already our best South by Southwest show, and it's also our last one," frontman Ezra Koenig told the loudly cheering crowd after playing just one song - 'Mansard Roof'.

The band performed several tracks from their debut self-titled album, including crowd pleasers 'Oxford Comma' and 'One (Blake's Got A New Face)', which resulted in a mass sing-along.

At one point, keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij mentioned that the band are preparing to head to the west coast to do some research for their new album, adding: "We're proud to have an independent record label and an independent booking agent."

The packed house danced throughout most of the band's 45-minute set. Before leaving the stage, Koenig said, "Thank you guys - this has honestly been our best experience here."

Paramore Return To SXSW After 'Internal Issues'

Paramore made their live return at South By South West tonight, with a show at La Zona Rosa in Austin.

The show was the first for Paramore since canceling dates due to \"internal issues\" within the group.

The all-ages show show provided Guitar Hero facilities to gig-goers who were belting out Weezer songs as NME.COM arrived at the venue.

Paramore frontwoman Haley Williams inspired one of the keenest crowd reactions in an audience this week, encouraging sing-a-longs and call-backs.

"This doesn't just require knowing our band... you at the back are not getting off that easy!" she explained. "Don't think you're too cool for this! Despite what you think, being in a band is not about being cool, it's not that hard to put your hands in the air and say woah-oh!"

Addressing the band's recent personal problems head on, Williams told the audience: "I know there's been a lot of craziness going on and if you follow our band you may have heard about it in the press or whatever, but the music is never gonna stop for us, and thanks for believing in us."

Williams was also enthusiastic at being asked to play this week in Austin: "We are really honoured to headline a show at South By Southwest, it's huge! For anyone who is here, you should give yourselves a pat on the back for being here because it's all about the music"

She added: "This was our first show in about a month, and it couldn't have gone any better."

Nine Inch Nails Net $1.6 Million From Online Sales

DENVER (Billboard) - The online release of the new Nine Inch Nails album, "Ghosts I-IV," resulted in just under 800,000 transactions in its first week, totaling $1.6 million in revenue, the industrial-rock band has revealed.

The tally includes free and paid downloads, as well as advance orders for physical configurations like various limited-edition vinyl releases, CDs, and a boxed set.

"Ghosts I-IV," the band's first release since becoming a free agent last October, went on sale March 2 at its Web site, http://www.nin.com. Fans can receive the first nine songs from the 36-track project for free, or can pay $5 for the entire digital album.

NIN will not release traditional sales figures to SoundScan, whose data are used to compiled the Billboard 200 albums chart.

A $10 double-CD set will reach stores on April 8. A $70 deluxe edition and a $300 autographed version will ship May 1.

After Nine Inch Nails' contract with Interscope expired, the label released a remix album, "Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D." The band's last studio release, "Year Zero," debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 last April with 187,000 copies.

Gorgoroth: Controversial Krakow Concert To Be Released On DVD

Video footage of GORGOROTH's infamous February 1, 2004 concert in Krakow, Poland will finally will see the light of day! Metal Mind Productions will release the first-ever GORGOROTH DVD, entitled "Black Mass Kraków 2004", featuring the legendary Polish concert, on June 9 in Europe and June 10 in the U.S.

GORGOROTH drew the attention of the international media in early 2004 after their show in Krakow. They were accused of "offending religious feelings" during the gig, as well as suspected of breaching Polish law concerning the protection of animal rights by using severed and impaled heads of sheep as part of their stage design. The controversial concert in Poland resulted in the group being investigated for the possible breach of Article 196 of Polish penal code concerning offense of religious feelings (the maximum penalty for breaching this article is five years in prison).

The Norwegian band, which is widely known for its antichristian ideology, had promised on its web site that the Polish concert would be an "amazing show with lots of pyro, gallons of blood, live crucifixion and nude models." Despite this, the employees of the Krakow branch of TVP claimed that they had no knowledge of what the musicians and the promoters had in mind until they saw the actual performance. The concert, which was recorded at the studio of a TV station in Krakow, "was never meant to reach the media," according to the band’s vocalist Gaahl. "Producers Metal Mind Productions bought the sheep heads at a butcher shop. We weren't involved in animal torture of any kind."

In one of the band's first interviews after this controversial concert, Infernus told Canada's Unrestrained! magazine, "We didn't plan to really have an outcome like that, our only intent was to go there and film the DVD. All the chaos and media reaction that came from this was a surprise of sorts." Asked if they "were worried when the authorities were called," Infernus answered, "Not worried, really. I mean, what was the worst thing they could do? Destroy the tapes? I don't think they would do that and I don't think they could really do any harm to us, though they might be able to put the Polish producer away in prison for a few years. For us, this will probably help us sell a few more records. As of now, I can only think that the DVD will be put out eventually. It would be almost like they are stuck in the Middle Ages in Poland if they destroyed the tapes by burning them. I hope to get them back one day… I hope."

The "Black Mass Kraków 2004" DVD will contain the Krakow show as the main feature. Additionally, it will include bonus video material performance footage recorded live at the With Full Force Festival in Leipzig, Germany in 2000, biography, discography, photo gallery, desktop images, weblinks, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and more. The DVD will be available in two versions: as a standard DVD and as a very unique star metalpack DVD edition limited to 5,000 copies.

"Black Mass Kraków 2004" (cover artwork) track listing:

Live in Kraków, February 2004:

01. Procreating Satan
02. Forces of Satan Storms
03. Possessed (by Satan)
04. Bergtrollets Hevn
05. The Rite of Infernal Invocation
06. Profetens Apenbaring
07. Of Ice and Movement...
08. Ødeleggelse og Undergang
09. Blood Stains the Circle
10. Unchain My Heart!!!
11. Revelation of Doom
12. Destroyer
13. Incipit Satan

Bonus video:

Live at With Full Force Festival, Leipzig, 2000 (bootleg)

01. Destroyer
02. Incipit Satan

Also includes:

* Biography
* Discography
* Photo gallery
* Desktop images
* Weblinks
* Logo
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Check out photos from the gig at this location.

Polish TV report on the GORGOROTH concert in Krakow:

Britney Has Tattoo Removed

Troubled pop princess Britney Spears has spent $2,000 having a Hebrew healing tattoo laser-removed from the nape of her neck. Spears had the letters etched in 2004, after spending time with Kabbalah devotee Madonna.

The Toxic singer studied the offshoot of Judaism and even contemplated joining other celebrity followers including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

Spears had the mark of Mem, Hey and Shin inked on the back of her neck as a symbol of healing. According to experts, the combination of letters evokes the consciousness of healing.

The tattoo suggested Spears was taking responsibility for everything in her life and accepting she can heal herself in all ways.

Four years on, her career is in trouble, she has two failed marriages behind her and she's battling for visitation rights to her two sons, after losing custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James to ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Friends say Spears had the tattoo removed to show the world she can't cope.

A pal says, "When she got the tattoo, Britney was in control of her life and her career. The whole world can see she's lost control, and the tattoo made her feel like a hypocrite."

Michael Jackson To Keep Neverland

Michael Jackson is to keep control of his Neverland estate in California.

As previously reported,
the self-styled \"king of pop\" was set to have his estate auctioned on March 19 due to unpaid arrears of $25m.

However, Jackson’s lawyer said the singer had worked out a "confidential" agreement with Fortress Investment Group, a private investment organisation.

Speaking to BBC News, a family friend, Matt Fiddes, said: “I know for a fact that he wasn’t going to lose it. It’s quite normal for anyone who’s a success to have a mortgage on their property, because they can get better rates for their money.”

Jackson hasn’t lived in Neverland since 2005, when he was acquitted on charges of child molestation.

Reznor: Radiohead Offering Was Insincere, Industry Is Inept

Major musicians are exploring the market potential for directly interacting with their fans and releasing music independently. Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead both made headlines recently for experimenting with Internet-based releases, but NIN frontman Trent Reznor has just called Radiohead's effort "insincere."

Related StoriesWill fans pay? Reznor opens books on ‘Net music experiment
"I think the way [Radiohead] parlayed it into a marketing gimmick has certainly been shrewd," Reznor said when speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Michael Atkin. "But if you look at what they did, though, it was very much a bait and switch to get you to pay for a MySpace-quality stream as a way to promote a very traditional record sale."

Reznor is referring to Radiohead's release of "In Rainbows" as lossy 160kbps (max) MP3 downloads, which many would argue are sub-par when compared to DRM-free offerings from Amazon and iTunes Store (both of which offer 256kbps DRM-free music). Furthermore, Radiohead's album is also no longer offered as a digital download, as the band openly stated that they were still going to rely on traditional labels and distribution channels for the rest of In Rainbows' sales.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Reznor continued, "but I don't see that as a big revolution [that] they're kinda getting credit for." In addition to the quality of Radiohead's MP3s, NIN's frontman also took issue with the band's omission of artwork and altogether not taking care of the fans. "To me that feels insincere. It relies upon the fact that it was quote-unquote 'first,' and it takes the headlines with it."

This new movement of independent, DRM-free music distribution is indeed undiscovered country, and both of these bands have wildly different approaches. Nine Inch Nails was among the first major acts to completely break ties with its label, diving head first into the new realm of fan interactivity and digital distribution. Radiohead, on the other hand, is clearly still depending on its label, in hindsight classifying its "In Rainbows" experiment as more of a toes-in-the-water move than the sort of bold departure on par with Nine Inch Nails'.

Were both bands' experiments a success? There's no doubt. While Radiohead has declined to offer actual numbers from its "pay if you want" experiment, frontman Thom Yorke has stated that "in terms of digital income, we've made more money out of this record than out of all the other Radiohead albums put together, forever."

Nine Inch Nails, on the other hand, told the Chicago Tribune on March 12 that "Ghosts" has brought in 781,917 transactions from the website so far, netting a total revenue of $1.6 million in just one week. Not too bad for virtually zero marketing of an instrumental album. Instead of offering a limited digital download, then switching to CD distribution like Radiohead, however, Nine Inch Nails has offered a variety of formats—including lossless downloads, optical discs, and even vinyl—on its own from the start. Reznor also doesn't show any signs of cutting off digital downloads, either.

When Atkin asked whether the labels would learn from successes like "Ghosts," Reznor didn't sound enthusiastic. "The level of ineptitude I've seen at the major labels is stunning. The people in charge of a lot of the digital technologies and the aspects that are decimating their business that I've seen are people that seem to not even be on the Internet."

To be sure, any venture into the online distribution space that favors the consumers fans is a good one. Reznor may have a point, however, in saying that Radiohead didn't quite go far enough. By controlling both the creative process and distribution method for "Ghosts," then offering a wide variety of formats and even a "try before you buy" free sample, Nine Inch Nails produced a quality experience that sets the bar pretty high for those who follow.

Iron Maiden Singer's Horror Film To Be Unveiled At Cannes Film Festival

BBC News reports that IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's upcoming supernatural horror-thriller will be unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

"Chemical Wedding" will then be released in British cinemas in the summer.

Dickinson, a trained pilot, is due to fly invited guests to Cannes on the band's own Boeing 757 jet for the premiere on May 17.

"Chemical Wedding" wrapped principal photography in September with Julian Doyle at the helm. The film stars Simon Callow as a reincarnation of Crowley, once dubbed "the most evil man in Britain." Callow's character, Haddo, is a shy, stuttering professor.

"My experience with stages is obviously IRON MAIDEN and that sort of stuff," Bruce said. "I've directed a few videos over the course of my rock 'n' roll past and I enjoyed them, I enjoyed directing videos. Writing movies a completely different thing. I wrote a couple of absurd comic novels — that came out as well, and you know, they did OK actually. So, writing is something that's always sort of interested me, so this seemed like a good opportunity to learn the process, really."

Dickinson is not the first rocker to be inspired by Crowley, who died in 1947. LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page was a big collector of Crowley's writings and even bought his Scottish estate. OZZY OSBOURNE, meanwhile, eulogized him in the song "Mr. Crowley".

Reuters last year posted a five-minute interview with Bruce Dickinson about "Chemical Wedding". The video, which includes footage from the "Chemical Wedding" movie set, can be viewed at this location (click on "Iron Maiden front man's film gets underway" to launch video). The entire video can be downloaded at this location.

Nikki Sixx Admits He and Kat Von D Are 'Together'

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has issued the following update:

"The studio has been flowing nicely. We [MÖTLEY CRÜE] were all together again today plotting, planning, designing, listening and the band seems to have the old bite back, but we will let you be the judge of that when it's time. I do know the people around us, the ones we can trust, are feeling the magic from the songs, so maybe it's not only in our heads? Aah ha.

"And yes, Kat [tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D] and myself are together. Yes, we've been 'just' friends since last summer. She was going through a brutal divorce (as was I) and we were friends. Along the way, she met a great guy (Orbi) and we were friends through that too. They broke up and we were still 'just' friends… I've never had a friend become the girl. Yes, it caught us both by surprise, as I'm sure some of you. It's understandable; on her TV show, she is still in a relationship (welcome to TV… it's not live). Point being, we understand that some of you don't. It's cool… With that being said, we are very very happy together… I hope it shows in our art and music. Nothing is better for artists than complete connection.

"One last thing: when I felt myself falling for her, she was all walls and barigades [sic], an invisible bodyguard on call every time I even tried to allude to or use the evil smirk to get closer to her heart. So if you think bad of anyone, let it be me…

"Lost a dear friend (Bob Timmons) and saw how many people's lives he has touched. His time here was done and I feel good in knowing that's the destiny for us all. He taught me a lot about recovery and I hope to pass that. My time is up… It's the least we can do. Lead by sober example to those who still struggle…"

Unearth 'March of the Mutes' Video Posted Online

UNEARTH's video for the song "March Of The Mutes" can be viewed below. The track comes off the group's latest album, "III: In the Eyes of Fire", which was released in August 2006 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at a Seattle studio with producer Terry Date (PANTERA, DEFTONES).

UNEARTH's first-ever DVD, entitled "Alive from the Apocalypse", is scheduled for release in Europe on March 25 via Metal Blade Records. (March 20 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy; March 18 in the U.S.).

Filmed at the Glass House in Pomona, California on October 9, 2007 by Doug Spangenberg and his team from Space Monkey Studios (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, ALL THAT REMAINS) and mixed by UNEARTH's Ken Susi, "Alive from the Apocalypse" puts you on stage and behind the scenes with one of the most exciting and crucial bands in metal.

Commented vocalist Trevor Phipps: "This DVD is something we are all extremely proud of. It combines our live show with our story put out for the world to see. It is honest, real and complete from our start in 1998 to today. Nothing is left out as there is footage from shows and tours throughout our career to backstage happenings, interviews and commentary from some of our friends peers."

"Alive from the Apocalypse" DVD (cover artwork) contains:

Disc 1 – DVD:

UNEARTH live on October 9, 2007 at the Glass House in Pomona, California:

01. Giles
02. This Lying World
03. This Glorious Nightmare
04. Zombie Autopilot
05. Endless
06. March of the Mutes
07. Only the People
08. Sanctity of Brothers
09. The Great Dividers
10. Black Hearts Now Reign
11. One Step Away

Disc 2 - DVD:

Features the 90-plus-minute documentary covering UNEARTH's formative underground roots in Eastern Massachusetts, early D.I.Y. tours, plus the highs and lows experienced while carving out global success as harbingers of heavy metal! Also featured are all of the band's music videos, two additional live songs, a career-spanning photo slide show, bandmember interviews, commentary from some of the biggest names in metal, including KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SLIPKNOT, Vinnie Paul (HELLYEAH, ex-PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), LAMB OF GOD, ALL THAT REMAINS, AS I LAY DYING and much more.

Disc 3 - CD:

UNEARTH live on October 9, 2007 at the Glass House in Pomona, California:

01. Giles
02. This Lying World
03. This Glorious Nightmare
04. Zombie Autopilot
05. Endless
06. March of the Mutes
07. Only the People
08. Sanctity of Brothers
09. The Great Dividers
10. Black Hearts Now Reign
11. One Step Away


Unearth "March Of The Mutes"

Goth Killing: 999 Play Called In Court

A 14-year old girl, who witnessed the killing of goth Sophie Lancaster, in Bacup, Lancashire, in August 2007, told emergency services she and her boyfriend were assaulted "for no reason".

The girl, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, dialled 999 when she and two male friends witnessed the attack on Lancaster, 20, and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, 21, in Stubbylee Park.

The recording of her 13-minute call was played in Preston Crown Court yesterday (March 12).

She told the operator: “This mosher’s just been banged because he’s a mosher. It’s a mosher just been banged for no reason.”

As previously reported, the couple were set upon by five teenagers in an apparently unprovoked attack – Lancaster died of her injuries two weeks later, while Maltby survived, but has still not made a full recovery.

According to The Times, the girl also described the state of the victims to the operator, saying: "His girlfriend is on the floor as well. They’re still breathing but they are full of blood. Please just send an ambulance quick. She’s choking on her blood, please will you help us quick?"

After placing them in the recovery position, the 14-year old said: “They’re just laid there with blood all over their face [sic], they can’t even move, they just look like dummies.”

The case continues.

Eddie Van Halen Not In Rehab, Says Ex-Wife

According to Reuters, actress Valerie Bertinelli has said her ex-husband Eddie Van Halen is not in rehab, but she declined to say exactly what is ailing the rock guitarist, People.com reported on Wednesday.

"The reports about him being in rehab are wrong. Eddie is sober," Bertinelli said at a New York luncheon hosted by cable TV's Hallmark Channel, according to the Web site of celebrity magazine People.

VAN HALEN postponed its tour until April 19 in order to allow Eddie Van Halen to get some unspecified medical help. Seventeen shows are affected by the postponement, stretching from this past Tuesday night (March 11) in Charlottesville, Virginia to April 15 in Baltimore. According to tour organizers, the guitarist is "currently under doctors' care" and will "continue medical tests to define a course of treatment."

VAN HALEN has reunited with original frontman David Lee Roth for the first time in over two decades. Eddie's teenage son, Wolfgang, has taken over the bass guitar from original member Michael Anthony.

Mexican Metal Fans Clash With 'Emos'; 28 People Arrested, 4 Injured

According to La Crónica de Hoy, several hundred Mexican heavy metal, "skate punk" and alternative rock fans joined forces last Friday (March 7) in the in the center of Querétaro, Mexico to confront a group of "emos" (followers of the "emo" subculture, which is short for "emotional") who regularly use the city center as a gathering place. Four people were injured and 28 persons were arrested (22 of them minors) when more than a thousand youths clashed in the area of Jardín Guerrero, Plaza de Armas (front of the Government Palace).

Authorities in Mexico are reportedly concerned that similar incidents could happen in other cities, especially Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

An Internet campaign is reportedly being waged to launch attacks against "emos" in other parts of the country, with various web postings portraying emos as "homosexuals" who give a "bad image" to tourists who visit their towns.

Watch Mexican TV footage and Internet video report on the anti-"emo" violence in Querétaro below.

The Raveonettes Draw Massive Crowd at SXSW

Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner, aka The Raveonettes, played to a packed house today (March 12) at SXSW.

The Danes supported the release of their latest album ‘Lust Lust Lust’ at Emo’sp/b], where the audience spilled into the outdoor bar and enjoyed the show in beaming sunshine and toasty temperatures.

Saying very little throughout the 30-minute set, the band concentrated mostly on material from their new LP, with a few older tracks such as [b]‘Let’s Rave On’ and ‘My Tornado’ thrown in for good measure.

The Raveonettes played:

‘Hallucinations’
‘Dead Sound’
‘Lets Rave On’
‘Lust’
‘Love In A Trash Can’
‘Attack Of The Ghost Riders’
‘My Tornado’
‘You Want The Candy’
‘Aly, Walk With Me’

Meshuggah Guitarist: 'Chicks That Are Into Math Aren't Into The Type Of Music We Play'

Swedish metallers MESHUGGAH are featured on the cover of the March/April issue of Metal Maniacs magazine in an interview conducted by Liz Ciavarella and JJ Koczan, discussing their latest album, "obZen", and their participation in MINISTRY's upcoming "C U La Tour". Excerpts follow:
On practicing:

Tomas Haake {drums): "I'm shitty like that. I wish I had somewhat of a practice routine like I know some guys do, but I don't. As far as being a drummer, I'm really up and down. For example, right now I'm a really lousy drummer. [At press time] It's been since July since I actually played the drums. When we have these off periods, I usually don't play a lot of drums. Of course things get really intense prior to tours and recording and such. It's then that I regain my competence."

"As a kid, I took some classes and Mårten [Hagström, guitar] had a guitar teacher for a few years but that was classical guitar with the nylon strings; that doesn't have much to do with what we're doing so people are very surprised. They paint up this image of us as introverted weirdos who are professors in music but of course that's not the case. We're just lazy assholes who lucked out, really."

On touring with MINISTRY:

Mårten Hagström: “Most of the time, when you're onstage and in front of a crowd, it's a good time — even though there's a lot of hassle, a lot of waiting, a lot of shit that goes along with it. It still comes down to the fact that you're out there performing your own stuff in front of people who are hopefully enjoying what you're doing. That's a feeling you never grow tired of, regardless of whether it's in the States for this particular tour, or anywhere else. We're just anxious to get out on the road."

On the "obZen" sound:

Tomas Haake: "We're always kind of linear as far as having a certain sound; we have a certain kind of output and regardless if it's 'obZen' or 'Catch 33' or 'Nothing', which was kind of the trippy one, you can still hear that it's us. We wanted this record to be more direct as opposed to the more introverted kind of thing we had on 'Catch 33'. We wanted to have songs you could actually play live or that were at least easier to play live. We only played like 10 minutes off 'Catch 33' live from the middle. We could never play the full song."

On MESHUGGAH groupies:

Mårten Hagström: "[Laughs] To be honest, I'm one of those dudes who, after the show, I take a shower, grab a couple beers, go back to the bus and play videogames. I'm not the party guy in that respect, but I guess the chicks that are into math aren't into the type of music we play anyway. It doesn't mix."

The March/April issue of Metal Maniacs is on sale now.

For more information, visit www.metalmaniacs.com.

Ice Cube Goes 'Raw' On New Album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Veteran rapper Ice Cube is putting the finishing touches on his new album, "Raw Footage," and plans to celebrate by cybercasting his concert at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin on Saturday.

The gig will stream on Ice Cube's online television channel, UVNTV.com, which he created with partner DJ Pooh.

"Raw Footage," Ice Cube's ninth solo album, is due in stores on June 17 via his own Lench Mob Records. It includes guest appearances from Musiq, Nas, Scarface and WC.

His previous release, 2006's "Laugh Now, Cry Later," sold 547,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and ended a six-year gap between albums. Ice Cube, 38, has become better known in recent years for acting in such comedy features as "Are We There Yet?" and "First Sunday."

In Flames Guitarist Slams Blabbermouth Sh*t Talkers!

Paolo Bianco of Italy's Metal Shock magazine recently conducted an interview with IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte at the band's own IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. In addition to discussing the group's new album, "A Sense of Purpose", Björn spoke about IN FLAMES' newly revamped fan club "The Colony", which is being described as a community for metalheads to chat and meet as opposed to the "time-wasters" who post comments on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, leaving only negative feedback.

Said Gelotte: "I hate all these… when you read on Blabbermouth, for instance. Like somebody writes, let's say, this and this band is going on tour and they're bringing these bands. I would be [like], 'Yeah, this is great! One of my favorite bands and they're bringing three bands I haven't heard. But I heard they're good.' I would write that. But the first thing you read in the comments is, like, 'Oh, fuck them. I don't like that band. And that band sucks even worse. I would never pay… blah blah blah.' Where do you find the energy to be so negative? It's, like, stupid. So we wanted to do something for people that are positive and like what's going on and what's surrounding us. And especially, it's a great way for us to interact with these people and, hopefully, to meet most of these people as well. I mean, if you're a member there, you can always go into the different competitions, you can win stuff, or you can just apply for meet-and-greets — stuff that's only for these people — and I think that's way more interesting. And talk to these people directly in the forums or on their own messenger, or whatever. It's way more fun. And everybody feels connected and comes a little bit closer to each other. I like that."

A couple of audio excerpts from the interview (plus an exclusive photo of the band playing videogames in the studio) is available at the Italian news blog Musica Metal. (Note: The audio of Björn Gelotte talking about BLABBERMOUTH.NET can be heard in clip labeled "Part 2".)

Sperm Donors Offered Free Festival Tickets

Sperm donors are to be offered free tickets to any music festival in Europe under a new initiative.

Passes to a festival of their choice will be offered to any donors in Europe who contribute to Ireland’s sperm reserves.

Irish stocks are apparently dwindling, with demand far higher than is sustainable, and donations down by 40% over the last four years.

The Sperm For Tickets initiative makes use of special donation containers and a fast courier network to offer donation via mail.

Anyone in Europe can request a donation pack, indicating which European festival they wish to attend via Spermfortickets.com.

Coachella New Line-Up Additions, Premium Camping

Aphex Twin and Goldfrapp have just been added to the COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL 2008 bill. Kate Nash, Serj Tankian, Redd Kross, and Adele have also joined the line-up (see full list below) for this year’s ninth annual festival set for Friday, April 25, Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA.

In addition, based on the popularity of onsite camping, COACHELLA is now offering onsite lodging with premium tent accommodations. Two, four or six person tent packages include brand new tent accommodations ready for guest arrival. The comfort packages feature airbeds with sleeping bag and pillows for each camper. Beyond the sleeping accommodations, campers in this special area will enjoy larger camping plots with more privacy, as well as access to upgraded amenities including deluxe showers and restrooms, complimentary breakfast buffet and adjacent parking. Various premium camping configurations range from the “Tent Hotel” to the “Safari Tent”--a fully furnished air-conditioned bedroom with an outside seating area. Additional details and prices for these camping packages is available at www.coachella.com.

The updated COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL line-up (as of 3/11) is below. To hear songs from all the COACHELLA artists, go to www.coachella.com and click on the media player.

Roger Waters • Portishead • Jack Johnson • Kraftwerk • the Verve ● the Raconteurs • Death Cab for Cutie ● Love and Rockets ● My Morning Jacket • Aphex Twin • the Breeders • Justice • Café Tacvba • Fatboy Slim • Spiritualized • Tegan and Sara • Goldfrapp • Serj Tankian ●the Swell Season ● Sasha & John Digweed • Gogol Bordello • Rilo Kiley ● Chromeo • the Streets • Dwight Yoakam ● M.I.A. • the National● Metric • Hot Chip • Cold War Kids • Animal Collective • Kate Nash ● Mśm • Slighty Stoopid • Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks● Above & Beyond • Danny Tenaglia • Pendulum ● DeVotchKa ● Booka Shade • Simian ● Mobile Disco • Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings ● Murs • Stars ● Flogging Molly • Mark Ronson • Redd Kross • Dimitri from Paris ● Battles • Turbonegro • Autolux • Aesop Rock • the Field ● Les Savy Fav • Scars on Broadway • Linton Kwesi Johnson● Midnight Juggernauts • Islands • the Cool Kids • Does it Offend You, Yeah? • Enter Shikari • Sons & Daughters • Minus the Bear • Sia ● Calvin Harris • Holy F*ck • Spank Rock • dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip • Boys Noize • Black Kids • Diplo Junkie XL • Black Mountain • Adam Freeland • Annuals • Cinematic Orchestra • Santogold • Jamie T ●Jens Lekman • Kid Sister with A-Trak • the Teenagers • John Butler Trio • Duffy • I’m From Barcelona ● Vampire Weekend • VHS or Beta • Deadmau5 • Carbon/Silicon • Manchester Orchestra • Dan Deacon● Erol Alkan • Architecture in Helsinki • Man Man • Sandra Collins • Yo! Majesty • AUSTIN TV • Adele • Busy P Little Brother • Cut Copy • Shout Out Louds • Bonde Do Role • Plastiscines • Black Lips • St. Vincent ● Brett Dennen • Datarock • Akron/Family • MGMT • Professor Murder • Surkin • Para One • Orgasmic Curses • James Zabiela • the Bees • Reverend and the Makers • SebastiAn • Kavinsky • Porter • Rogue Wave Dredg • the Bird and the Bee • Yoav • Modeselektor • Grand Ole Party • New Young Pony Club • 120 Days American Bang • Luckyiam • Electric Touch • Yelle • Uffie featuring DJ Mehdi.


Tickets for COACHELLA are available via TicketMaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 and at all TicketMaster retail ticket centers or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are as follows: 3-day general admission: $269.00 + applicable service fees. Single day general admission: $90.00 + applicable service fees. Camping events: General admission camping: $55.00 per person + applicable service fees.

Hold Steady Star: 'Motley Crue is Embarrasing the Industry'

The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn has accused fellow rockers Motley Crue of "embarrassing" the music industry by failing to age gracefully. In a blistering attack on the music industry, the rocker also accuses funk metallers the Red Hot Chili Peppers of being "bland".

He says, "You have artists like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young that have aged very well and then you have a thousand other examples that have aged poorly. Anything that's part of a trend or a group hasn't aged well, like hair metal. Motley Crue didn't age very well and even Red Hot Chili Peppers are terrible now. That doesn't even sound like rock'n'roll to me. It's kinda like bland, elevator (music)."

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page New 2 Part Video Interview

A two-part video interview with LED ZEPPELIN's Jimmy Page conducted during the guitarist's visit to Japan in late January has been posted on YouTube. The clips can be viewed below.

LED ZEPPELIN bassist John Paul Jones said at BBC Radio 2's annual Folk Awards in London on February 4 that the band has "no idea" about its future plans yet, according to Gigwise.com. When asked if the group members had spoken with each other since their acclaimed reunion show in December, Jones told the BBC, "I am obliged to say we have and we have absolutely no idea of what we are going to be doing."

Jones had said shortly after the reunion concert that the band would meet in January to discuss its future.

Guitarist Jimmy Page said at a press conference in Japan in January that the band was "musically ready" to go on a world tour, although the earliest that was likely to happen was September. The delay seems mainly due to the schedule of singer Robert Plant, who will be touring with singer Alison Krauss to support "Raising Sand".

When asked recently in New York about the chances of a full-blown ZEPPELIN tour, Plant said, "You never know what is around the corner."

Page, Plant and Jones performed together for the first time in nearly two decades at the December 10 show in London, joined by late ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham's son Jason behind the kit. Since the show, speculation has been rampant that ZEPPELIN will launch a full tour, with massive offers reportedly on the table already.

Part 1:

Question 1: Tell us about the reunion concert?
Question 2: What do you think of Jason Bonham?
Question 3: You have a lot of famous tunes. How did you select tunes for the show?
Question 4: Was "For Your Life" a present to the fan?
Question 5: How was there such a splendid performance after not playing together for years?



Part 2:

Question 1: Recently, more young people haven been buying CDs and DVDs of LED ZEPPELIN. Why do you think that young fans are getting turned on to LED ZEPPELIN now?
Question 2: How do you think that the young fan thinks about the music of LED ZEPPELIN?
Question 3: At the time of first visit to Japan of 1971, ZEPPELIN played it for 3 hours 30 minutes. Why would there be such energy in those days?
Question 4: Please tell me about "The Song Remains The Same".

Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Madonna

Leave it to Madonna to make the right gesture. For her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she didn’t worry about whether her career as a pop hitmaker, image maker, sex symbol and provocateuse qualified her as a important figure in any narrowly defined genre of rock ’n’ roll. She just brought on an unquestioned rocker — Iggy Pop, the blunt, anarchic and durable songwriter and performer who’s a fellow Michigan-born musician — to sing punk-chorded versions of her hits “Burnin’ Up” and “Ray of Light.”