FBI To Probe Sean Levert Death?

AP reports: The family of R&B singer Sean Levert wants the FBI to look into his death after a jail medical emergency. FBI spokesman Scott Wilson says agents would meet with Levert's family.

His cousin, Michael Gibson, said Levert never had any outburst such as the type described by Kevin McDonough, warden at the Cuyahoga County jail.

The 39-year-old Levert died Sunday night at a hospital after he was taken from the county jail where he was serving a one year and 10 months sentence - more on this story

Weiland Fires Back At Velvet Revolver

antiMusic reports: Scott Weiland's publicist sent over a statement from the outspoken singer where he fires back at Velvet Revolver's announcement from Tuesday that they have decided to carry on without him (hopefully with a better name for the band, not to mention a better sin...). The statement is about what you'd expect from Weiland. Watch the bridge burn as you read what he had to say:

After reading the comment by Duff, Matt, Dave and the illustrious "GUITAR HERO," Saul Hudson, a.k.a Slash, I find it humorous that the so called four "founding members" of Velvet Revolver, better known to themselves as "the Project" before I officially named the band, would decide to move on without me after I had already claimed the group dead in the water on March 20 in Glasgow.

In response to Slash's comment regarding my commitment, I have to say it is a blatant and tired excuse to cover up the truth. The truth of the matter is that the band had not gotten along on multiple levels for some time. On a musical level, there were moments of joy, inspiration, fun…at times, but let's not forget the multiple trips to rehab every member of the band had taken (with the exception of one member, no need to mention his name). - he goes on about STP while taking potshots at VR

Mariah's The New Elvis

antiMusic reports: No. 1 hits sure aren't what they used to be as evidenced by the following Reuters story: Two leading ladies of pop music, Mariah Carey and Madonna, surpassed the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the Billboard charts record book this week.

As expected, Mariah Carey moved past Elvis Presley and into sole possession of second place for most No. 1 singles in the rock era, as "Touch My Body" soared 14 places on the Billboard Hot 100 to become the 18th chart-topper of her career.

With her latest album, "E=MC2," yet to hit retail, Carey might equal the Beatles' record of 20 No. 1 hits before her set runs its course. - see what the Madonna bit was about.

Band Robbed At The Movies

Lambgoat reports: Oh, Sleeper were the victims of some thievery while on tour in Cleveland, Ohio. Here's the official word from bassist Lucas Starr:

"Well, we've been back on the road for two days now. Things were going awesome. We got to Cleveland, Ohio tonight to start the Artery Tour tomorrow night. We decided to find a movie theater to see the new Kev[i]n Spacey movie, 21.

"After the movie was over, we went out to our van and the driver side door's lock was busted. All of our personal belongings were stolen from us. All of the laptops, cell phones, phone chargers, ipods, ipod transmitter, books, money, cameras, backpacks, cash box, all of the band's money, briefcases, jackets, our GPS, and many other belongings were taken from us. It's very unfortunate, and very discouraging. - shouldn't have gambled on that film, more on this story here

Head Virgins

PR reports: Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson announced today the headline acts for the third Virgin Mobile Festival, the largest music and arts festival on the East Coast, being held August 9-10 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival headliners are Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and Stoned Temple Pilots.

Branson announced the headliners during a keynote at the 2008 CTIA Wireless convention in Las Vegas. He said the rest of the diverse two-day lineup and additional information about the Festival will be announced in the coming weeks. - read come corporate hot air here

New England Metal and Hardcore Fest Lineup

PR reports: 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, Mass., has been confirmed.

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 Tap Dance 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. - more on this story

Fear Factory Threat Signal Supergroup

PR reports: Fear Factory members Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar) and Raymond Herrera (drums) are proud to announce the debut album of their new group, ARKAEA. The band also features one of metal's hungriest young singers, Jon Howard (Threat Signal).

ARKAEA has just finished up preproduction and are scheduled to enter the studio to begin recording. This album promises to be as pummeling as anything the gold-selling team of Olde Wolbers and Herrera has ever written. The band's yet untitled album is due out fall 2008 on KOCH RECORDS and plans for touring are under way in support of the record.

Olde Wolbers comments: "These songs were designed like the Fear Factory songs that Raymond and I always wrote. However, we've been able to push the boundaries and go out of that context, while remaining heavy." - more on this story

Berkeley Study Proves Rap Glorifies Drugs, Random Guy on a Corner Confirms It

Reuters reports: There is a shocking new study out about rap music. The fact that rap glamorizes drug use isn't shocking to almost anyone with minimum exposure to the genre and an IQ over 75, but what is really shocking is that a university has so few real issues to waste their money on studying, that they actually researched drug references in rap music. The next thing you know, they'll have a study to tell us that rap music glorifies crime, violence and disrespects women. That report should come out shortly after the "Berkeley Study Proves The Earth is Round" blockbuster.

A little on this groundbreaking study from Reuters: Rap music has increasingly glamorized the use of illegal drugs, portraying marijuana, crack and cocaine as symbols of wealth and status, according to a new study by the journal Addiction Research & Theory. The report found that rap artists had moved away from the lyrics of the early days of the genre when they often warned against the dangers of substance abuse. "This study showed that in fact much early rap music either did not talk about drugs at all, or when it did had anti-drug messages," said Denise Herd, of the University of California at Berkeley, who headed the research team.

After sampling 341 lyrics from rap music's most popular hits between 1979 and 1997, the researchers found references to drugs had increased six-fold over that period. [but they didn't point out that the uniqueness or creativity in rap had dropped six-thousand fold during that same period.] - Read more about this ludicrous waste of money here.

Thursday Envy

PR reports: Thursday have been fans of the Japanese experimental outfit Envy for some time now. Thursday decided it was time to team up with both Envy and it's label Temporary Residence (Explosions In The Sky, Mono, By The End Of Tonight) to release a split LP+CD.

There is no street date for the release yet but the label is eyeing Sept/Oct as a timeline. The LP and CD will be packaged and sold together as one piece and will only be found in independent retail stores. There will also be a deluxe-limited edition release that will have hand-screenprinted artwork and will be sold exclusively through Temporary Residence's website.

THURSDAY'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT: "It's our pleasure to announce a split release with one of our favorite bands in the world. We are currently in the studio recording tracks for a 12" release with Japan's Envy. For those of you unfamiliar with Envy, they are an experimental, epic, lush post-rock band that's heavier than just about anything we've ever heard. Despite the enormous geographical distances between us, the bands have evolved from the same thrashy underground post-hardcore scene (They've toured the states and shared stages with our friends in Malady and Hot Cross). Honestly, there's no way to properly describe them. - See for yourself"

Heaven and Hell, Priest and Motorhead Dates Leaked

Blabbermouth reports: Forget whatever sad form Ozzfest may take this year (announcement coming soon), or that crew of washed-out glamrock junkies tour, the real American metalheads will be at the Heaven and Hell, Judas Priest and Motorhead tour. On Wednesday, Pollstar.com made a little boo boo and may have leaked some of the dates for the tour before it's official announcement.

According to Blabbermouth the dates listed had Testament playing various arena this August. While Testament is a great band, they're not headlining arenas, but they are rumored to be acting as the opening act on this metal megatour.

Rob Halford more or less confirmed the tour and the line-up in a radio interview last week and an announcement is expected soon. The dates have since been yanked from Pollstar.com, but Blabbermouth still has them if you're curious. Check em out - here

Futureheads Third Act in May

Filter reports: After two years, U.K. dance-punks The Futureheads are back with their third full-length This is Not the World dropping May 27. The Sunderland quartet is releasing the album independently due to a parting of ways from their former record label 679.

Recorded over three weeks in Spain with legendary producer Youth (The Verve, Primal Scream), this album promises the same feet-stomping punk-pop with twice the energy.

The Futureheads are busy touring Europe, but a stateside tour is in the works. - more on this story

Hammerfall Guitarist Flies the Coop

antiMusic reports: Hammerfall guitarist Stefan Elmgren has decided that he would much rather fly the friendly skies then ride in a smelly tour bus. So he has left the band to pursue a loftier career. He explained on the band's Myspace page:

I have decided to leave Hammerfall, the reason is that I have been offered a job as a pilot within an airline. My interest in aviation has been growing very strong, and now I feel its time for me to take a step and be a pilot on a professional level.

We have been discussing the possibility of combining the work with HF and both me and the rest of the band realized that it would be very hard indeed. - more on this story

Celebutard Blogger Gets All Pissy at Sony

antiMusic reports: We got a good laugh when we heard that a record exec thought a gossip blogger, with pretty bland taste* in music, should be a talent scout for them. Now the same blogger is pitching a hissyfit after being sued by a major label for illegally posting Britney Spears songs to his/her/it's blog. Guess the blogger in question was too busy concentrating on what outfit Lindsey Lohan was wearing, to pay any attention to how the major labels have reacted in the past decade or so to unauthorized use of their products online. Ooops, Idolator has the sad, sad story:

"It's on now, Sony BMG! Perez Hilton is planning to boycott all Sony BMG artists in response to the lawsuit they've filed against the professional canker sore. Perez is unable to understand why Sony BMG is angry that he streamed Britney Spears songs on his site, as the attention he's given her obviously has helped the sales of Blackout, which has currently sold a quarter of what 2003's In The Zaa-own pulled. As much as it will pain him not to scribble on the faces of artists such as Britney, R. Kelly, Leona Lewis, and Kenny G, he swears their faces will grace his blog no more. Gasp!"

* the bland statement is obvious but to bring home the point, said blogger listed Celine Dion as one of the stellar acts that will no longer appear in his cyber-rag. If that doesn't do it, then we raise you one J.Lo. This bozo was actually hyped as a tastemaker that could save the music biz! - Read the blogger's hissyfit as you contemplate this statement, "the only thing sadder then a celebutard meltdown is a celebutard blogger that cares about the meltdown"

Heart Trouble for Idol Contestant

TMZ reports: TMZ has learned that "A.I" contestant David Cook was taken to the hospital after experiencing heart problems during Tuesday's show. We're told Cook's heart was palpitating at a high rate and his blood pressure was high as well. Producers wanted him to go to the emergency room before the show ended, but David wanted to stay until it was over.

TMZ has learned David Cook is out of the hospital and in his hotel, but his medical problem has not yet been resolved. Cook was examined by medics at the show and then taken to the hospital (not by ambulance) and treated by a private doctor to keep everything on the down low. The doctor gave Cook medication to bring his blood pressure down and he will monitored again Tuesday.

The "A.I." exec says the stress and anxiety from being on "Idol" and dealing with his brother's illness (see link) was just too much. - more on this story

Radiohead Remix iTunes

Filter reports: Once again Radiohead has turned to the internet for something In Rainbows related. The band has announced a collaborative effort with iTunes and GarageBand for an interactive remix project of the song, "Nude".

Ambitious fans can purchase five separate tracks of the recording (voice, bass, guitar, drums and strings/effects) from iTunes.

After buying all five elements, an access code will be sent that will complete the remixing task via GarageBand - find out what to do with them after that

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