Sister Hazel Week: Day 5 "World Inside My Head"

Learn more about the new CD, preview some tracks and grab tour dates - here

Stone Temple Pilots Vs Atlantic

antiMusic reports: It's not just the less than favorable reviews of their live return that might have members of Stone Temple Pilots now regretting their decision to reunite, it's the fact that their label now expects the band to live up to their recording contract and deliver new music to them. Yup, Weiland's heading back to court.

Atlantic Records filed a lawsuit on Thursday against frontman Scott Weiland and drummer Eric Kretz after the two allegedly "threatened to stop performing under their contract and have indicated they would like to end the agreement unless Atlantic makes significant changes," according to Reuters.

It's unclear from the report, but it appears that the band's contract with Atlantic calls for giving the label the option on up-to three additional albums from the band. They claim that the contract was "written under New York laws and that the musicians are trying to use California laws to terminate it." - Read the Reuters report for all the details

Bloody Murder Video Pulled

antiMusic reports: If you are one of those guys that have a secret desire to hook-up with Ashanti. Aside from not having a snowball's chance in hell of realizing that dream, you might want to watch her latest video, it could change your mind altogether. Her label pulled the clip for her single, "The Way That I Love You," after the violent blood filed video sparked protest. Imagine that.

Billboard reports: The clip features a scorned lover, played by Ashanti, who gets revenge on her cheating boyfriend by stabbing him to death. A murder scene with the boyfriend's body in a tub and a bloody knife are among the images featured in it.

A separate promotional video includes a fake news reports about a killing spree allegedly inspired by Ashanti's love crime, as well as bloody walls with the words "black children will die" smeared on them. - Read a lot more details about this controversy

You Won't Believe This Stupidity

antiMusic reports: What follows is a strong argument on why we need to put chlorine in the gene pool. Litigious stupidity knows no bounds and reaches a new low with a new lawsuit filed against Jay-Z. You won't believe the claim! Here is TMZ with the highlights:

Jigga what? A guy wants $88 million bucks out of Jay-Z not for a lyric he jacked, or a sample he stole -- but for stealing that ultra-exclusive technique of ... rapping in a low whisper.

We're not kidding: Mitchell Rose, who tells us he's a boxer/lawyer/rapper, has filed suit in Brooklyn alleging that he created the technique of "whisper rapping." Rose says that Hova subsequently adopted the technique without properly crediting him -- and now he wants to get paid! - more on this story

R. Kelly Fate With Jury Now, Discover What MTV Considers Music These Days, Shinedown Returns, Jacko Rags?, Five Finger Death Punch Rockline and more

antiMusic reports: TGIF. No big preamble, let's get right to the quicks: R. Kelly's fate now rests directly in the hands of a jury of his peers. Ok, normal citizens. The jury in the R&B star's child porn trial is now deliberating whether they believe the prosecutor's claim that Kelly videotaped himself having sex with a girl that was as young as 13, or if they believe the Kelly and the alleged girl's claims that she wasn't the one on the video. Billboard will hook you up with more details

Curious what MTV considers music these days? Here is a blurb we received introducing a preview of the new Fall Out Boy hosted music show on the network: MTV has heard the cries to put music back on the channel, and will do so on the show with musical guests and real music videos. Check out the latest promo clip for FNMTV, the new Friday Night music event hosted by Pete Wentz. more

Reports today are saying Michael Jackson is getting together with Christian Audigier of Ed Hardy to design a line of clothing, but apparently it's still too early to say what kind of designs will surface. Gotta get a Jacko Jacket! Zippers are coming back into fashion. more

With The Sound of Madness hitting stores soon, Shinedown will be world-premiering the entire album on MySpace starting June 17th. Produced by Rob Cavallo (My Chemical Romance, Green Day) and featuring the hit single, "Devour," The Sound of Madness is hitting stores on 6/24. [the PR didn't provide a link to the Myspace page]

"Pressure Zone"--the new video from Birmingham, England's Beat Union--will debut tomorrow (Friday, June 13) at 11:00 AM Pacific Time on Buzznet.com. Visit the band's page at http://beatunion.buzznet.com/ to view the video.

The Americana Music Association has announced the nominees for the 2008 Honors and Awards ceremony – Justin Townes Earle received a nomination for New Emerging Artist of the Year. The winners will be announced September 18th in a ceremony at the historic Ryman Auditorium – the show will be hosted by Jim Lauderdale and features a band led by Buddy Miller.

Five Finger Death Punch will be the featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show ROCKLINE on Monday night June 23 at 8:30pm PT / 11:30pm ET. Fans are encouraged to call in to speak with the band at 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). For a station near you and for information regarding how to log onto the Internet for the broadcast go to www.RocklineRadio.com.

Innerpartysystem are confirmed to play the Projekt Revolution show at Milton Keynes Bowl June 29th. Headlined by Linkin Park, innerpartysystem join Jay-Z, Pendulum, N*E*R*D, Enter Shikari and The Bravery on a bill that threatens to be one of the gigs of the summer!

Portland, Oregon-based Asian dance-rock outfit The Slants were featured on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday, June 11th so consider this

Lukas Rossi, most recently known for winning CBS's hit reality show, Rock Star: Supernova, debuts an all new alt-rock band called Stars Down on Saturday, June 21 at the Viper Room (8852 W Sunset Blvd, W. Hollywood, CA 90069). Doors are at 8:00 pm and show starts at 9:30 pm. Tickets are available for $15.00 in advance and $18.00 day of show by calling the Viper Room box office at 310-358-1881 or through ticketbastard online.

The innovators of G-punk, (Hed)pe have debuted the new song "Ordo Ab Chao" on their Myspace page . The track is one of three brand new studio recordings that will be included on the group's upcoming 2-disc live album and DVD, "The DIY Guys", which is set for release July 8, 2008 through Suburban Noize Records.

Well-known San Antonio Express-News music writer and columnist Ramiro Burr, facing allegations that he hired a ghost writer to produce more than 100 stories and columns since 2001, tendered his resignation Tuesday afternoon - oops, read more

Bonnaroo Now Rightly Lonnaroo

antiMusic reports: Not going to Bonnaroo? Then why not experience this weekend's music festival vicariously through Lonn Friend? With all the inside stories etc, it might actually be better than being there! Aside from being the famed editor of Rip Magazine, MTV personality, syndicated radio show host, the man that actually tried to get Clive Davis to sign rock bands, and acclaimed author of "Life on Planet Rock," (not to mention an antiMusic contributor), you'll find Lonn's distinct writings in any number of publications these days.

So when a metal magazine asked Lonn if he wanted to venture to the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee for a cover story on his old friends Metallica, he readily agreed. But we discover another reason why he made the trip from So Cal. In a special Lonnaroo blog Lonn created for this weekend's festival, where Lonn plans to update fans with views, reviews and inside stories on the happenings at the event, he tells us in his first entry:

"But it ain't just the four horsemen of Bay Area thrash-turned global hard rock juggernaut that got me jazzed about the bountiful Bonnaroo '08. I'm also excited about reconnecting with old friends whose musical evolution I have also witnessed and enjoyed. The entities are scattered throughout the four-day festival, disparate deities of riff and word like Pearl Jam and Robert Plant, united with Allison Krauss and an old golfing buddy named T. Bone Burnett. Got a friend in Las Vegas who lives and dies for Widespread Panic yet I confess I've never had the live experience. My daughter is crazy about MGMT. Jack White does little wrong in my book so the Raconteurs are high on my list. I could go on and on but this is the debut entry so let me get back to the set up."

That's just a small taste of what's already up there and what's to come. - Check it out here

Real Rock Cults

antiMusic reports: If you haven't noticed, we absolutely love Gibson's site. While it's great for musicians, with tips, lessons and allows you to salivate over that sweet Les Paul you've been dreaming of buying, their decision to make the site a destination for music fans in general has succeeded.

Once of our favorite features is their "lists," mostly because they come up with interesting topics not the same old "top guitar licks" etc, etc. They published such a list this week that caught our eye. They researched some of the most notorious rock cults. We're talking real cults, not insane fans of karaoke singers from TV contests. While the lead off cult in their article, the Manson Family, is widely known, we discovered a couple we hadn't heard of. Here is one of those:

Circle One was the cult-like group that sprung up around Darby Crash and L.A.'s most notorious punk band, the Germs. Both Crash and guitarist Pat Smear met while attending an alternative high school with loose affiliations to scientology and a curriculum vaguely centered on methods of mind control. Crash took these lessons to heart and over the course of the band's lifespan attracted a large contingent of punk rock outcasts, disaffected teens, and runaways who followed Crash's every word. The mark of "Circle One," as they were dubbed, was a cigarette burn or "Germs Burn" as it's better known. The burn originated from Darby and you could only get a burn from someone who already had one. - Read more about Circle One and other rock cults here

Beck Announces New CD Details

PR reports: Beck's new album Modern Guilt, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, will be released July 8th on DGC Records in North America and July 7 on XL Recordings in the UK and Europe.

The new album contains 10 new songs, and with the exception of last year's Grammy-nominated, digital-only single "Timebomb", Modern Guilt is the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum Guero and 2006's universally acclaimed The Information.

Modern Guilt is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and Danger Mouse's shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration. - track info and tour dates

Candlebox Mapping Out US Tour

PR reports: Candlebox have announced preliminary dates for a full US tour this summer; full list of confirmed shows are below with more to follow in the coming weeks. Candlebox's new record, Into The Sun is out July 22nd on Silent Majority Group/ILG.

Candlebox's 2008 lineup features 3 of the founding 4 members...founding members that have led Candlebox to sell over 6 Million albums together. The original Candlebox songwriting team of singer Kevin Martin and guitarist Peter Klett along with original drummer Scott Mercado have been reunited and Into The Sun marks the band's first new record in ten years.

"Stand," the first single off Into The Sun, is off to a great start at radio. It's in rotation at over 75 Active/Alternative/Mainstream Rock stations across the country and was the track was the 4th biggest spin gainer this week at Active Rock!

Confirmed Candlebox Tour Dates:
06/13/08 Omaha, NE Rosenblatt Stadium
06/27/08 Maplewood, MN The Rock
06/28/08 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Plaza - Daquiri Festival
- a ton more

Paramore To Play Central Park

PR reports: Fueled By Ramen recording group Paramore has announced details of a very special performance at Rumsey Playfield in New York City's famed Central Park on August 28th.

The Grammy-nominated punk-pop quartet has added the NYC date to "The Final RIOT! – Paramore Summer Tour '08," which begins on July 28th in Reno, Nevada. In addition to "The Final RIOT! – Paramore Summer Tour '08," the Tennessee-based band will also appear at a number of upcoming summer festivals, including Milwaukee's yearly Summerfest celebrations on June 30th, an eagerly awaited slate of mainstage appearances on the upcoming Vans Warped Tour (July 1 – 6), the Virgin Festival 2008 on August 10th; and Seattle's annual Bumbershoot Festival on September 1st. Paramore will also find time in their jam-packed schedule to join John Mayer for two dates, August 19th in Charlotte, NC and August 20th in Burgettstown, PA.

Pre-sale ticketing for the NYC performance will be made available to members of the Official Paramore Fan Club on Friday, June 13th. - more on this story

Marky Mark Not Funky Enough For Reunion

idolator reports: Mark Wahlberg has squelched the hopes of dozens by revealing that he will not drop trou, flick his superfluous nipple, and rejoin his brethren in the Funky Bunch, despite the reunion of both that legendary ensemble and his brother Donnie's own esteemed act, New Kids On The Block.

"They asked me if I would partake and I had to decline," he told MTV. "Part of me would love to run around and act like a f**king a**hole again but I can't do that.

"I've got two kids. I saw something on VH1 or something about me in the '90s and I thought, oh my God, how am I going to explain this to my kids?" - more on this story

R.E.M. Signed Guitar To Be Auctioned To Benefit Music and Arts Education

antiMusic reports: A guitar signed by all four of the original members of R.E.M. will be auctioned to benefit music and arts education. Here is the press release we received: In keeping with AthFest's mission to educate people about music and arts, our staff is organizing a program that will bring musicians and music business leaders into local schools to make presentations to classes, as well as mentor kids interested in careers in music.

Savannah, Ga.-based Gretsch Guitars has a foundation that donates guitars that are decorated by artists or signed by musicians and then sold to raise funds for music and arts education programs. Because Gretsch CEO Fred Gretsch believes in "Enriching lives through participation in music," the Gretsch Foundation has generously donated a new hollow body style Brian Setzer Model Gretsch Nashville guitar to AthFest.

This beautiful instrument has been signed by all four of the original members of R.E.M., including retired drummer Bill Berry. This autographed Gretsch guitar, complete with a new deluxe case, will be sold on eBay to the highest bidder to support AthFest's educational efforts. The auction will begin on June 18, 2008 (the first day of AthFest), and end on June 27, 2008. - more on this story

Cinderella Injury Forces Tour Cancellation

Blabbermouth reports: The previously announced U.S. tour featuring Cinderella, Warrant, Lynch Mob and Lynam has been cancelled. The official statement from the Cinderella camp reads as follows:

"It's with unbelievably deep regret that I must announce that Cinderella's Tom Keifer's left vocal cord has hemorrhaged, thereby making it impossible for him to sing in the immediate future.

"Tom felt his throat give way last night (June 11) finishing the set in pre-production rehearsals, went to his vocal doctor (Dr. Stephen Mitchell) in Nashville this morning, and was told the grim news. In the short term, Tom's doctor told him it would be two to three weeks before the swelling and damage would recede to a point to where an assessment can be made as to whether surgery will be required. - more on this story

Gene Simmons Gets Roasted

antiMusic reports: We now turn the microphone over to Ace Frehley, Shock Me! Oh wait, having some KISS Alive II flashbacks. Here's Gene Simmons with details about his TV roasting this weekend: I know I often come off as a self centered, arrogant and delusional person. And your point is????

Wanna see me get my 'come-uppance?' -- tune in to Gene Simmons Family Jewels on A&E, Sunday, June 15th, 10 PM/9 Central (Marathon begins at 9/8C) and see the finest comics drill me a new one... along with some surprise guests.

This is real stuff. I had no clue what was going on, who was going to be there, or what they were going to say. Very little of it was edited out (except that stuff A&E just couldn't put on the air).

Some of it was very raunchy, and you may get to see that stuff on the web. - more on this story

Iron Maiden Offspring Lauren Harris Releases Debut Album

PR reports: Lauren Harris' debut album, Calm Before the Storm, hit stores nationwide this week as she continues to captivate audiences in support on the extensive Iron Maiden world tour (including her first visits to Australia and South America) and now the United States!

The 12-track hard-rocking opus, which features catchy up-tempo songs such as "Steal Your Fire" and "Get Over It," was produced by Tommy McWilliams (Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada,) and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Journey).

Harris was discovered by legendary British producer-writer-artist Russ Ballard who had no idea she was the daughter of Iron Maiden leader/founding member, Steve Harris. Following the successful studio session with Russ, Lauren assembled a live band and headed out on the road. - more on this story

Cheap Leppard Tour

Sleazeroxx reports: They've sold more than 65 million albums, played to more than 50 million fans and have produced a series of classic rock albums that helped define a whole generation of music. Just say the words 'Pyromania', 'Hysteria' and 'Adrenalize' and it can be no other than Def Leppard!

Andrew McManus Presents is thrilled to announce the British rock heavyweights will include Australia in the world tour for their new album "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" in what will be their first visit since 1992. The tour will kick off with a mighty big bang in Perth with a huge outdoor show on Friday October 31.

To celebrate the band's long overdue return to Australia, the ever-popular Cheap Trick will be along for the ride, making this one helluva double shot of rock! Local Melbourne band The Galvatrons are the lucky ones to have scored the support spot. - more on this story

Canada Eyes Fascist Copyright Law

punknews.org reports: As rumoured for many months, the Canadian Minister of Industry Jim Prentice today introduced Bill C-61, which has been described as a "Canadian DMCA law," referring to the controversial American law that has seen academics, like Princeton's Edward Felten, unable to present research papers.

The Canadian law notable includes anti-circumvention clause that will make it illegal to break digital locks on copyrighted material.

The controversy arises from the fact that this anti-circumvention clause will override existing rights, so the "fair dealing" right to backup, copy, cite and analyze commercial works will be restricted at the whim of copyright holders. Moreover, mashups and satire will be criminalized by the bill if they "distort or mutilate a copyright performance." - more on this story

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