Kanye is Retarded - Top Story of 07

Here are some excepts from the Straight.com story: Just before Hurricane Katrina cut a horrifying swath across the U.S. Gulf Coast in August of 2005, the members of metal quintet DOWN had gathered in their hometown of New Orleans to work on new material for their third CD, "Over the Under". Guitarist Pepper Keenan made the smart move of leaving the area before the storm hit, and apart from losing power for a month, his house was all right. But he didn't walk away from the experience unscathed, and neither did his Big Easy bandmates. 

The fortitude of Louisiana natives in the face of Katrina's destruction is cited on "Over the Under" tracks like "On March the Saints," but as Keenan explains, the city is still terribly wounded more than two years after the disaster. And it hasn't gotten much help with reconstruction from the Bush administration. "If they did as much in New Orleans as they're doin' in f***in' Iraq we'd be fine," blusters Keenan, before decrying Kanye West's assertion that Dubya's disregard for Katrina victims stems from his indifference toward blacks. "I don't care about Kanye West," he counters. "I mean, everybody was damaged in the storm. For Kanye West to make it a black thing was retarded."- read the full Straight.com article 

GNR CD Release Set - Top Story of 07

An astute reader informed us today that Amazon's UK store is now listing the release date for Chinese Democracy as Tuesday February 12, 2008. (which we confirmed) UK releases usually come out on Monday so this may be an exception or a typo but two other leading UK retailers list a February 11th release date. At press time the US Amazon site does not list the album. The UK site lists Geffen/Universal as the label. So news of Axl's split with the label might not be entirely true but obviously the label would like to recoup the millions they have sunk into the effort. Early mixes of few tracks leaked last year and were meet with rave reviews by the true believers and many expected an imminent release of the album when Axl announced a world tour late last year where he previewed some tracks from the CD. Then a management shuffle came and Axl issued a statement saying the release was coming soon. 

Now that you are jumping up and down in celebration we have to tell that this isn't the first time a UK based retailer has published a release date for "Chinese Democracy". In February, HMV's website excited GNR fans when they listed a September 2007 release date. Which will all know did not come to pass. A check of their site today shows a release date of February 11, 2008 which falls in line with the Monday release for UK releases. However, to add more fuel to the fire that this is legit, Virgin Megastore's UK site also lists a 2/11/08 release date. So with three leading retailers listing a release that week we may finally, at last see "Chinese Democracy" come to pass in February. [12/22 note: Amazon UK and HMV UK both show the same release date. Virgin, on the other hand, shows a release date of Jan 1, 2020.]- What to expect? Here is our review of the leaked tracks

Rolling Stone Boycott - Top Story of 07

This probably isn't applicable to many here since you're real music fans but Friedman is urging those that do buy Rolling Stone to stop in hopes of sending a message to Jane Wiener (we know how it's spelled. It just seems more honest spelled this way). You see Wiener is not only the publisher of Rolling Stone but also the man behind the Crock Hall of Shame. It's his handpicked minions that select the nominees each year that anger most real rock fans. Friedman says in his editorial that "Wenner's nominating committee consists largely of his current and former employees from Rolling Stone (Nathan Brackett, David Fricke, Jim Henke, Joe Levy, Brian Keizer, Toure, and Anthony DeCurtis)." (that explains so much). 

Of course, the sham nominees are voted on by mostly (clueless?) outsiders but all votes apparently are not equal as Friedman broke the story last year that Jane tossed out the inducting vote for Dave Clark Five and instead gave it to Grandmaster Flash. This year's nominees seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Friedman (and many others). Because we all know that a record scratcher and disco princess had far more impact on "rock" than say Iggy Pop or KISS. Friedman ends his boycott plea with "Until real rock is served by the Hall of Fame, please don't buy Rolling Stone or click on any of the ads on its Web site. Then maybe Wenner will get the message that no one can take his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seriously anymore."- Read the call for the boycott 

Tawn Mastrey RIP - Top Story of 07

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced soon. 

All of us here at KNAC.COM send our heartfelt sympathy to her family. [antiMusic 12/22 update: a few days later Heaven and Hell (Dio ear Black Sabbath) dedicated their show in Irvine, Ca to Tawn.]- read a tribute that KNAC posted 

Taking Back Sunday Split - Top Story of 07

"We are sad to see Fred go," says vocalist Adam Lazzara, "and we wish him well with his new project. As for Taking Back Sunday, we're alive and well. We've started working on the new album and it feels really good." 

"There's a creative spark that comes in this part of the process and for a band there's nothing better than when you hit it and start having two hour conversations about music," adds bassist, Matt Rubano. "That's where we are and we're excited to challenge ourselves and see what the future holds."- more on this story

Ex-Judas Priest Denies Child Rape, Plans To Write Book - Top Story of 07

Author Neil Daniels, who has now written and published The Story of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith, claims Holland wrote to him from his prison cell and is planning to write a tell-all biography of his life and career, as well as appeal against the court's decision. 

The letter, dated November 2006 and published in full in Mr Daniels' book, said: "I was convicted of a crime that I didn't commit and like so many others in similar situations to the one in which I find myself, an offence that never even existed in the first place...- more on this story

Green Day Not Impressed with Scene They Inspired - Top Story of 07

Green Day have a huge 45 songs primed and ready to record for their new album – but say they're finding it hard to draw inspiration from the current 'stagnant' music scene. 
Peter Pan-esque frontman Billie Joe Armstrong explains that the band are in the midst of a chaotic writing process in studios in Oakland and California, and that they hope to whittle down the songs soon. 

"We've been doing this for 20 years now. You want to make sure you're being honest with yourself. I also have to ask myself 'what's real out there?' Right now, it seems stagnant."- more on this story

NIN Drop Record Co - Top Story of 07

Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make the following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. 

I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. 

Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed- more on this story

Prodigy Going to Prison - Top Story of 07

The G-Unit star - real name Albert Johnson - was indicted on one charge of gun possession at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York on Tuesday (09Oct07). 

The charge relates to Johnson's arrest last October (06), when New York cops pulled over his Chevy Suburban Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) for making an illegal u-turn- more on this story

The Hellacopters Break Up - Top Story of 07

"Playing in a rock and roll band isn't always a walk in the park, but thanks to all of you who rocked out with us at sweaty clubs, rainy festivals or at home by the stereo throughout the years, it's been a fantastic trip. We'll never forget your support. 

"We recently finished mixing our seventh and last studio album and it'll be released early next year, according to initial plans. We feel like we wanna say one last goodbye to you and throw in the towel with a bang, so we're aiming to do a farewell tour through Europe and Scandinavia sometime in the spring. So you're not getting rid of us just yet."- See what we are going to miss, read Travis' most excellent review 

TI Arrested - Top Story of 07

The 27-year-old was arrested in a city car park on suspicion of collecting machine guns and silencers bought for him by his bodyguard. 

Taken into custody, TI was unable to collect his awards at the BET Hip-Hop gala or perform at the show.- more on this story

Linkin Park Injury - Top Story of 07

Mike Shinoda broke the news to fans on the Linkin Park Underground messsageboard. Here is what he had to say: yeah, chester broke his arm / wrist at the melbourne show. he broke it sometime around the fourth song in, and proceeded to play the entire show with a broken arm. it was amazing...

thanks very much for your "get well" wishes, i'll pass them on. BTW, he says he'll be fine to do all the rest of the shows and meet and greets, so don't worry! more to come later 
- more on this story

Feds Seize Death Cab Solo CD - Top Story of 07

Walla's new album is due out January 29, 2008 but according to his label, the Feds have done their part to keep that happening. Barsuk Records reports that "the project hit an unexpected snag when a data hard drive containing critical album files was confiscated by U.S. Customs. The drive was held 'to be analyzed' for several weeks on its way back into the U.S. prior to final mixing of the album. Interestingly, a strong political thread runs through the record's lyrics; Walla takes more than a few shots at US policy, both at home and abroad, and challenges at least one senator to find the exit door.... For whatever reason, the drive has still not been returned." 

But Walla won't let a little thing like the U.S. government keep him getting his album done. Barsuk Records says that " Despite delays in meeting his production schedule, Walla has finally begun putting the finishing touches on the album during breaks between his other commitments (using a back-up hard drive that was successfully shipped into the US following the seizure of the first drive.)" Walla should have just told them that he was bringing in toxic toys from China and he wouldn't have had these problems.- more on this story

Bon Jovi Give Fan Clubs a Bad Name? - Top Story of 07

The petition reads in part: "We, the disappointed members of Backstage with Jon Bon Jovi, sign this petition after much patience with and tolerance of the new fan club. We believe that the new fan club is not acting in the best interests of its members, in particular: 1. Promises made in exchange for the annual 06-07 membership fee, such as contests and online chats with you, have not been delivered 2. The fees charged for tickets, ticket packages and fan club events are heavily inflated 3. The online ticketing system is unreliable, taking an average time of 2-3 hours to purchase a ticket (comparable to 5 minutes for some other artists) with many issues and grief to fans 4. Local fan club members are unable to get tickets to local shows." 

Many fans are apparently afraid to speakout against the problems with the club over a fear of being bannished. We did manage to speak with one member who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity and this member laid out some of the major issues that spawned this online protest against the Bon Jovi fan club which says, "we seek an ethical and modern fan club that offers value for money that can be enjoyed by global fans from all demographics." 

Despite the heavy censorship on fan club message board where we are told it is difficult for fans to find out what is really going on because "the admins of the board keep deleting the fan complaints," the biggest complaint that fans have against the club is the fan club tour packages and their inflated prices, thus taxing fan loyalty.- more on this story

Yellowcard Lose Member - Top Story of 07

"Hello everyone, We wanted to let you know that I have chosen to leave Yellowcard and pursue other endeavors. It has been an honor creating music together and I want to wish them the very best in everything they put their hands to. its been a blessing to have been able to travel the world and perform music. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us through all these years and will continue to support yellowcard. Thanks, Peter" 

According to Wikipedia this isn't the first time that Pete has decided to pursue other endeavors.- more on this story

Zeppelin Plan New Songs - Top Story of 07

All eyes on are currently on the November 26th tribute concert for late Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun where Page, Jones and Robert Plant will reunite on stage for the first time in two decades with Jason Bonham taking the place of his late father John. And while Page wouldn't directly commit to the four musicians playing additional shows, when he was asked by The Winnipeg Sun about the possibility of them recording new material he had this to say, "Look, I'd be really surprised if there wasn't -- you know, I mean I just know the way we are. We're musicians ... as we're playing we'll probably be coming up with all manner of things. And that will be fun. I mean, that's what it's all about. 

"Let's do the 02 show, shall we? And then we'll speak to you afterward," he added. Bassist John Paul Jones sang a similar tune when he hinted that there may be a future for a reformed Led Zeppelin but right now they remain focused on the 02 show. "Basically, we are concentrating on this show," Jones told the paper. "That's where all the energy is going. I mean, who knows, but one step at a time." 

They had quite a bit more to say, read the Winnipeg Sun article- here

Korn Hospitalized After Attack? - Top Story of 07

Blabbermouth says that "contrary to published reports, Munky required no stitches for the injuries sustained in the altercation and he is taking 'total responsibility for the fight,' which was described as 'a dumb, drunken stupid moment' by a source close to KORN." 

Little Rock radio station The Edge has a different take on what went down in their "PuNk the MuNk(y)!" story: So last night at the Edge's Monster Ball, a lot of people were asking me why DROID, the opening band, didn't play. I chose to hold my silence until this morning. DROID is on Munky's record label, Emotional Syphon Recordings. Well, at first I was told DROID wouldn't be playing simply because "they got in trouble." Well, I later found out through reliable sources that Munky was at a local hospital getting stitches. THEN, I found out members or simply a member of DROID was the one who put Munky in the hospital. 

Well, I talked about this on the air this morning, and to validate my claims, a listener who chose to remain anonymous, emailed me a picture of Munky on the ground, knocked out, after drinking heavily, pissing off whomever it was in DROID, causing a "scuffle" to take place. Wanna see- the proof?

Paul Raven RIP - Top Story of 07

States Jourgensen: "I am in total shock. The world of music is a sadder, emptier place. Not only was Raven an extraordinary talent, but one of my closest dearest friends. Our condolences and prayers go to his immediate family. He will be truly missed by artists, musicians and his fans the world over. 

"The one consolation is knowing Raven's already hooked up with the right people and started a new project in the After Life. God's speed, Raven. Rest In Peace, you f*cking pirate."- more on this story

Winehouse Drug Bust - Top Story of 07

Looked at objectively, musicians shouldn't bother going to Scandinavia. Perhaps it's the screwy daylight hours, the overpriced booze or the proliferation of herring-based meals, but there's something about that corner of Europe that sends musicians slightly loopy. 

When Snoop Dogg went to Sweden he was arrested on a drug offence and when Axl Rose went to Sweden he ended up chewing on someone's leg. Right now Amy Winehouse is in Norway and, although she's done just about the dullest thing she's managed to do for months, she's still been arrested for it.- more on this story

Cop Attacks Poppunker - Top Story of 07

I'm writing here to set the story straight about an incident a few of you have heard about after our show in Philadelphia at the Fillmore this past Tuesday, the 16th. A basic summary of the night would be our drummer Dango was a victim of completely unnecessary force used by a Philadelphia Police officer for absolutely no reason. If you are queasy about swearing, as used by this officer and others, you can stop here. If you want the whole story, read on! 

After our show, as we always do, we waited by our merch table to meet anyone and everyone who would like to say hi, get a picture, or get something signed. We were told after a few minutes by venue security that there wasn't enough room near our merch area, and that we would have to go outside to the sidewalk. We went outside in front of the venue to meet and greet. After a few minutes, a Philadelphia Police officer came by with his bike, and threw his bike in front of the kids waiting in line, and gruffly told everyone to move, as blocking the entrance was a fire hazard.- the fun starts here

Kid Rock Arrested Following Brawl - Top Story of 07

"He and five members of his entourage were involved in a fight with a male customer inside the Waffle House," said Mekka Parish, a spokeswoman for the DeKalb County Police Department told the Associated Press. 

Apparently Rock and his entourage entered The Waffle House in the company of a woman that a male customer recognized. The customer then exchanged some words with her and "it escalated to a physical altercation between Kid Rock and that male customer and moved outside to the parking lot," Parish said. The male customer had bad aim because instead of punching out Kid Rock he knocked out a window. 

Kid Rock and his crew quickly hopped on their tour bus and left the restaurant but were pulled over shortly afterwards where he and five members of his entourage were arrested for misdemeanor battery.- - more on this story

Patti Smith Injured - Top Story of 07

The singer, 60, was performing in the British capital at a gig dedicated to poet Arthur Rimbaud when she tripped over a speaker, fell flat on her face and cut her elbow. 

But Smith insists the incident didn't leave her red-faced - as it wasn't the worst thing to befall her in her lifetime.- more on this story

Fans Sue Aerosmith - Top Story of 07

Sleaze Roxx has the story on the lawsuit: A local lawyer suing the rock band Aerosmith said dozens of fans have already contacted her about their losses. 

A lawsuit filed against the group said the band's late cancellation of its Maui concert last month was unnecessary and caused many fans to lose money they spent on plane tickets, car rentals and hotels. 

Lisa Sanchez is the first fan suing. She lost $120 in airfare. Her lawyer said many have said they lost much more. 

Fans may be eligible for a minimum $1,000 each if Aerosmith's cancellation is found to be deceptive, Faria said. If the class-action is approved by a judge, all ticket-buyers will be contacted. [that's a little steep. The Maui War Memorial Stadium holds 20,000 people. So doing the math, this attorney is looking for Aerosmith to fork over $20 Million dollars? How much goes to the attorney?]- here is a follow up story posted just this weekend with Aerosmith disputing.

Hate Crime at Tupac Center - Top Story of 07

The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) regrets to report that a series of attacks have taken place at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, 5616 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, Georgia. The first incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, October 20th, when vandals defaced the building as well as tying a noose around the neck of the bronze statue of Tupac Shakur located in the Center's Peace Garden. The attacks are being investigated as hate crimes by the De Kalb County Sheriff's Office. The second incident occurred at the Center at 2:00AM Monday morning when the statue was damaged further. A male has been arrested and is currently being held in custody.

The noose hung around the statue's neck is an imitation of other cases recently reported in the media after a surge of hate crimes. The statue was also plastered with handbills of garbled rants that include references to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina as well as vague threats against various record companies and rappers. The manner of the attack indicates it is the work of one or more individuals.- more on this story

Metallica Eye Feb Release - Top Story of 07

'Fans may be stunned by the decision to waive longtime producer Bob Rock for Rubin. "But for our own sanity, our own creative survival, we needed to work with a different set of circumstances and dynamics," Ulrich says. "So we've been stripped of our defense mechanisms, and it's been very invigorating to be challenged again. Rick's taken everything we've known about making records and completely turned it upside down." 

'Are the songs punchier, four or five minutes long? "Well, the most of the intros are four to five minutes," he says. "I don't know — Metallica and short songs just don't go that well together. But whereas 'St. Anger' was an exercise in over-pummelling the listener, these new songs echo some of our stuff from the '80s- long, epic journeys through different musical landscapes, heavier, but a lot more melodic." 

'The next album, set for release next February, its almost finished; the band will be polishing up vocal mixes until December.' [The article covers a lot of other ground including some working names for tracks, Lars the dad and more. - read it all right here

Police Against Against Me! - Top Story of 07

Apparently, the line "I was burning that f*cker And stringing my black flag high" was enough to bring in police. According to Missouri State's Expressive Activity Policy, the Bear Paw is an area on campus that has been designated a free speech zone for all people regardless of their connection to the university to express themselves.

However, expression that is obscene, defamatory or incites violence is not entitled to First Amendment protection and not permitted by the policy. [We won't go into the PC exceptions to these exceptions either but Punknews has a thought about it. - more on this story

Ricky Parent RIP - Top Story of 07

The one thing I will always remember about Ricky is that unfailing smile. There could be some of the usual rock n roll drama going on around him but that smile would never fail. Aside from that smile, he always impressed me because he honestly did live for the stage. He could be playing for thousands of people or a couple hundred and you could always see the excitement in his face as he sat behind his drum kit. I remember seeing the band during the "Tweaked" tour and Ricky was sounding amazing as usual only to find out after the show that he was playing with a broken foot. But that was just the kind of guy he was, he wouldn't let a little thing like a broken foot keep him off the stage and playing for his fans. 

And I know it does sound cliché but he truly did love his fans. As Chip once told me, "they were like oxygen to him." At every show you always knew where you could find Ricky before and after the show and that was out with his extended family, the fans.- more on this story

3 Injured After Akon Stage Collapse - Top Story of 07

"It's probable that the weight of the lighting may have contributed to the canopy falling," DeKalb County Fire Captain Eric Jackson told Atlanta's WXIA-TV. 

"In the midst of trying to prepare to get everything ready—specifically to perform a sound check, is when the canopy that is on this temporary stage collapsed."- more on this story

Fall Out Boy Injury - Top Story of 07

Wentz confirmed the break – which happened during the band's performance at the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans - in a message on his blog, which he accompanied with a picture of the injury. 

"For anyone who was at the Voodoo Fest, you got to see me jump around," he said. "I ended up breaking the bone that connects my shin to my foot."- more on this story

Shots Fired At Lordi - Top Story of 07

"One of the men with a gun took a fan, a girl, put the gun to her head and forced her to lie down on the ground," Mr. Lordi said. "Also one of the boys froze on the spot while the others fled away, including Rikk and the bodyguard while another man started shooting at them. Luckily he missed and no one was hurt. Rikk ran to the bar and called the police who arrived soon. 

"In a moment we were surrounded by like five police cars but the guys managed to escape. They were a group of drug addicts that had stolen the car earlier that night, and police were already looking for them but have still not managed to catch them."- more on this story

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