Paper Rival Week: Day 3 "Bluebird"

The song is about a friend of mine who murdered his parents. The song doesn't go in to gory detail and I won't either. But, the point of the song is for someone to hear it, not knowing what it's about, then relate to it, then when they find out it's about someone who did such a horrible thing, they have related to the story already and maybe feel the way I do about him. He's still a friend and I still love the guy. - check out streams from the new album, plus grab tour dates here

Thugs Abduct NFL Star

antiMusic reports: Not music related but we know a lot of sports fans read this site and this is a pretty big story, so here it is. TMZ reports: Just moments after getting oral surgery to fix his busted face, NFL star Javon Walker blew the lid off his mysterious beatdown -- claiming he was abducted out of his Las Vegas hotel room by gun-toting thugs early Monday morning.

In an exclusive statement to TheDirty.com Walker said, "I was just back at my room and at about 5:30 in the morning, I got a knock at the door, I opened it and 3 guys with guns were there, they cracked me in the head a few times knocking me unconscious.

"They then robbed me of everything I had -- my watch, money -- everything! Somehow they got me to the car and dropped me off in the street. That's what happened."
- more on this story

Drummer Dies on Tour

Blabbermouth reports: Drummer Traci Michaelz of the long-running Hollywood, California glam band Peppermint Creeps passed away on Friday, June 13 after the group's concert in Ft. Worth, Texas.

He was 34 years old. According to the surviving members of PEPPERMINT CREEPS, "the cause of death is still unknown" and will likely take several weeks to determine. Commented the band: "[We] were with him for two weeks on the road. He was the happiest we have seen him in such a long time. He was doing what he loved the most.

"Let us put to rest any OD rumors. None of us saw anything but alcohol, and yes, he was drinking a lot, but not unusually for Traci. Anyone who knows him, hung out with him or drank with him knew his tolerance was high. - more on this story

Rolling Stone Trash Pete Wentz And Show How Behind The Times They Are

punkbands reports: Rolling Stone has a fairly scathing look at Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy's latest endeavor, his TV show FNMTV. The magazine described the program as "a celebration of awkwardness than the art of lip synching and cheesy acting."

Among the crimes committed by the show are "Wentz's repeated references to his wife and (impending) kid" and a crowd that finds Blink-182 more important than The Who. After all, how could "Baba O'Riley" compare to "What's My Age Again?"

[Isn't the Blink reference a bit outdated? What was that, like 10 years ago? Doubtful that many Blink fans still watch MTV, they've grown up since then. A My Chemical Romance reference would have been more relevant. It kind of kills their argument. Not to defend MTV or Wentz, the sentiments expressed by RS are spot on, but are they really that out of touch with current music to make a relevant-to-today's-MTV-tween-market reference? Will they show Fred Durst half naked on the cover next?] - more on this story

Winehouse Still Hospitalized

BBC reports: Amy Winehouse's stay in the hospital was extended according to the following from the BBC: Amy Winehouse remains in hospital in London after fainting at home on Monday afternoon, with tests on the singer so far proving "inconclusive".

"She seems to be fine in herself, but they are taking their time to be sure," her spokesman said.

Winehouse had been "doing admin" when she fell ill but "quickly recovered". Her manager's assistant had stopped her falling and Ms Winehouse's father, Mitch, had taken her to hospital "as a precaution", the spokesman added. - more on this story

Big Success for Lil Wayne, Grab Your Chain Saw and Rock, Free Futurheads Show, Fresh Meat Plans Spoiled, Canada Blacklists Blacklisted, Lollapalooza and More

antiMusic reports: Here are some hump day quicks for you: With "Tha Carter III," Lil Wayne becomes the first artist since 50 Cent in 2005 to sell more than 1 million copies of an album in a single week, according to chart reports that will be issued tomorrow morning (June 18) by Nielsen SoundScan. more

Jesse James Dupree, the chain-saw wielding lead singer from multi-platinum Jackyl, will release Rev It Up and Go-Go on Mighty Loud Records July 15th. The tunes on Rev It Up range from one extreme to the other. The first half of the cd features the intense hard rock you'd expect for the wildman, while the second half is shit-kicking country that sounds like a retro radio show. The Dixie Inc band features members of The Kentucky Headhunters, Doubledrive and Blackberry Smoke. wanna taste and more info

Attn: NYC Futureheads fans. The band is playing a Brooklyn Vegan Secret Show at Pianos tonight (Wed) So if you missed buying a ticket to the sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, you have another chance to see them and it won't cost you a thing. more info

To all of you in Canada expecting to see Blacklisted live this week, sorry, but the band was denied entry into the country on Sunday. Details regarding the denial haven't been disclosed, but according to the group, "We are now banned forever from entering Canada." more

On Tuesday June 24 Los Angeles will be host to the first-ever American appearance of the multimedia London art rock group CIAM at KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. The following night (June 25), CIAM will be performing publicly for the first time at Tangier in Los Feliz. The group seeks to be more than a band, but rather, in the words of founding member Jeff Shapiro, an "art and music movement." CIAMySpace

Eye Alaska re-released their debut EP, Yellow & Elephant, on iTunes Tuesday. The release includes re-recorded tracks plus a bonus song titled, "Cheetah and The Tiger." The re-release coincides with the much anticipated nationwide release of Yellow & Elephant in retail stores July 22, 2008.

One of our old writer's once joked that all you needed to be a rapper was a drum machine and the ability to cuss to the beat. Looks like all you need now is a cell phone. Check it: Ludacris has teamed up with Disney- backed company VoodooVox create a "mobile recording studio" for WeMix users. The partnership allows members to use any phone as a microphone, and lay down original vocals, tracks, and beats and instantly broadcast original content recordings worldwide. Any user can call in from any phone and record their demo for all to hear.

Metal Blade's Fresh Meat Tour which was to feature Rose Funeral, Epicurean, The Destro and The Absence has been cancelled. more

Documents unsealed from the R. Kelly child pornography trial include claims from the prosecution's star witness that an employee of the R&B star threatened her. more

Beck and the Black Crowes will headline the annual San Diego Street Scene festival, scheduled for September 19-20. more info

Lollapalooza has revealed its daily schedule. The three-day festival runs August 1-3 at Chicago's Grant Park. Radiohead, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party CSS, The Kills, Cat Power, The Go! Team and Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks will kick things off on Friday. - more

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten Coming To DVD

SonyBMG reports: The ongoing 30th anniversary salute to the Clash etches a new peak with the long-awaited DVD release of Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, a film by Julien Temple, which will arrive in stores July 8th on Legacy Recordings, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

The intimate biographical portrait of Clash frontman, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primal lyricist Joe Strummer (b. Aug. 21, 1952 – d. Dec. 22, 2002) underscores his passion for the music, and his instincts as a committed social and political activist. His body of work, alongside his partners in the Clash, led the band to be inscribed in rock history as "the only band that mattered" then – and the only band that really matters now.

Filmmaker Temple's 30-year association with John Graham Mellor aka Joe Strummer resounds throughout the course of the film, as the Clash City Rocker's life and times and influences unfold. THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN – with narration throughout by Strummer from his BBC radio show – is a major musical event in its own right, featuring some 65 songs heard in full or in part. - more on this story

Eminem Emerges For Remix

PR reports: Eminem emerges from the shadows to rework Masta Ace's classic "Slaughtahouse" for Delicious Vinyl's RMXXOLOGY.

Originally released on 1993's Slaughtahouse, the track called for a "death to the wack MC's" and the gangsta rap era. The original video featured Masta Ace and crew rhyming in an actual slaughterhouse.

Dressed in white butcher suits, drenched in blood, and with axes in their hands, they explicitly made fun of the corny rappers of the day. Eminem tones down the heavy West Coast bass of the original and morphs it into a thumping groove that feels like a purposeful, pissed march. The seriousness of the beat is balanced by the playful metaphors of Masta Ace and his early 90's flow.
- iTunes Link

Unearth Plot Next Album for Rocktober Release

Blabbermouth reports: Unearth have begun work the follow-up to 2006's "III: In the Eyes of Fire", tentatively due in October via Metal Blade Records. The bulk of the CD's instrumental tracks are being recorded at Massachusetts' System Recording Studios with producer Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage guitarist), while the album's drum tracks are being laid to tape by drummer Derek Kerswill (Kingdom Of Sorrow, Seemless) at Zing Studios.

The as-yet-untitled record is said to feature the band's "most dynamic material to date," combining strong tension and release, abundant guitar solos and a bulldozing power-groove.

"Heavy Metal Shred Mayhem! Now With 50% More Guitar Solos!! If the new Unearth songs were laundry detergent, then this is what it would say on the box," dishes Unearth lead guitarist Buz McGrath. "Fortunately for all you metal maniacs, it's not laundry soap but a mind-blowing journey consisting of epic mosh and shred, so we had to call in the one man who could wrangle such a massive beast — Adam Dutkiewicz. - more from Buz and a lil taste

Fear Factory Plan Comeback CD and Tour

Blabbermouth reports: According to Fear Factory's official MySpace page, the long-running Los Angeles-based metal band will release a new album and embark on a world tour in 2009.

Fear Factory is currently on hiatus while the band's frontman, Burton C. Bell, focuses his attention on the Ascension Of The Watchers project, which recently inked a deal with Ministry mainman Al Jourgensen's 13th Planet Records.

Fear Factory is presently unsigned, having parted ways with Liquid 8 Records, the label that issued the group's last two albums — 2004's "Archetype" and 2005's "Transgression". - more on this story

Heaven and Hell Recording New Studio Album

Sleazeroxx reports: Heaven and Hell is recording a new album. Heaven and Hell is the Ronnie James Dio edition of Black Sabbath, following the departure of Ozzy Osbourne in 1980.

The line-up regrouped last year and recorded three songs for the compilation 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years', but when they wanted to tour, Sharon Osbourne, beholder of all legal things Sabbath, refused to allow them to use the Black Sabbath name. [surprise, surprise. Maybe she's saving it for a stupid reality show?]

The new album will be the first ever full-length album as Heaven and Hell. It will be released through Rhino in early 2009. - more on this story

Major Deals on Digital Albums, Not Obscure Crap Either, Try Coldplay for 2 Bucks

antiMusic reports: Amazon's music store has been pretty much ignored until now. Their video offering is horrendous, with so many limitations that it's not worth the effort or the expense, but their DRM free MP3s are a pretty good deal. When they debuted, they had so few known titles available it was easy to forget that they were trying to take on iTunes.

But things have changed. How about buying an album from a popular band for just $2 bucks? According to Billboard, "To support the new Coldplay album 'Viva la Vida,' Amazon will feature each of the band's past four albums for $2, with 'Brothers and Sisters' going for only $1."

That's not all, they also have a promo called Friday Five where they sell five different albums for $5.00 bucks. While they are offering deals, eMusic with is filled mostly with the obscure indie stuff you never heard of, is jacking up their rates. Read more about both here

It's not just Coldplay, check out all the other albums you can get for under five bucks - right here

Cancer Conspiracy In Serious Accident

Lambgoat reports: Mike Poorman of Strangeways Recordings has issued the following regarding The Cancer Conspiracy guitarist Daryl Rabidoux:

This past week my best friend, and partner here at Strangeways, Daryl Rabidoux, was involved in a serious car accident that has left him in the hospital with a list of serious injuries. Daryl sustained two punctured lungs, many broken ribs, a torn liver, a fractured sternum, and head trauma from the accident.

Daryl was released from the ICU Saturday and is still in the regular ward at RI Hospital while he is healing. One of the most tragic parts of the accident is that Daryl does not have any health insurance. When all is said and done his hospital stay will total near two weeks. That is a serious expense for anyone, with or without insurance, but even more so without. - Find out how you can help

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