Grammy Winner Accused of Masturbating On Airplane

When asked by police at the airport about the accusation, the 37-year-old Puerto Rican singer said: "I don't recall doing that." - more on this story

Motown Legend Dies

Reuters reports: Motown drummer Uriel Jones, whose hard-driving funk propelled classic tunes by the Temptations and Marvin Gaye, died in a Michigan hospital on Tuesday after suffering complications from a heart attack, a family member said. He was 74.

Jones, the last surviving drummer in the Motown session band known as the Funk Brothers, was stricken in mid-February but had been showing signs of improvement, said his sister-in-law Leslie Coleman.

He relapsed last Tuesday, and died at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn, she told Reuters. - more on this story

Red Hot Van Hagar Supergroup Album Details

PR reports: Chickenfoot, the band which features former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Joe Satriani, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, have announced the global release of their debut album Chickenfoot. The album will be released by earMUSIC in Germany on June 5th and in the UK on Monday June 8th. The album will be released by Best Buy in the US on Sunday, June 7th.

The album, hailed as the most intense rock'n'roll album since Led Zeppelin, coincides with a European tour that will consist of outdoor festivals, including Montreaux, Switzerland, and Bospop, Holland, plus various intimate indoor rock shows including the London O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 25th.

The debut album will be packaged in heat sensitive artwork (pictured), which means when you put hour hand on the CD inlay, photos of the band members will be revealed behind the Chickenfoot band logo. "People have this idea of what this band is about, or what Sammy Hagar is about as a lyricist and a vocalist," says Joe Satriani. "We manage to get each guy to up his game in a non-confrontational way. When I play with Chickenfoot, I want to give them more all the time, and I don't hold anything back. I think the rest of the guys feel the same way." - more on this story

Metallica Talks About Fan Rip Offs and Not Needing Record Labels

Blabbermouth reports: Metallica's Lars Ulrich, spoke to Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times and set the record straight on key issues facing the group, including its relationship with its longtime label Warner Music Group and the proposed Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger.

On whether Metallica needs a major label: "Without offending any of the good people from the record company in the room, no. Let's cut to the chase. . . . The primary — not the only, but the primary — function of a record label is to act as a bank. When you're fortunate enough to be successful and so on, you don't need to rely on record companies as the banks. . . . We're doing a bunch of shows with Trent [Reznor, Nine Inch Nails] this summer in Europe. I look forward to sitting down and talking to him about what's on his radar."

On the proposed merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster: "We haven't sold out to Live Nation, and we are certainly not planning on it. And we are very, very fortunate that we do not need what they offer to continue to be who we are. Certainly, some of the practices that come in the wake of this — like direct reselling and all the stuff that Bruce [Springsteen] was up against in January and some of these other things — obviously are very distasteful, and downright . . . it's just ripping people off. It's impure. So obviously I'd stand up and scream from every rooftop that I think that's . . . impure." - Watch Lars Ulrich's interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Adler Taps Slash for Solo CD and Says Axl Is Not Guns N' Roses

antiMusic reports: Original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler is planning on recording a new solo CD and he's looking to get a little help from his friends on the effort. Most notably his former bandmate Slash, who Adler said in an interview, will be co-producing the effort.

Adler told Sonic Excess, "I am going to play a song on Slash's solo record too, so I will be doing some recording with him on that, but he is going to be producing my record." He went on to describe his plans for this solo CD, "we want eight cover songs. With each song we do we want at least one person who played on the original version to play on my record. I am thinking about changing the name to Adler's GNR too, because you cannot copyright the letters. I am one-fifth of the band just like he is one-fifth of the band (Axl Rose). At least I'm out their playing the songs people want to hear."

That opened the door for Sonic Excess to ask Steven about the current incarnation of Guns N' Roses and their new CD "Chinese Democracy," and Steve's previous comments that Axl Rose was not Guns N' Roses and he responded "Axl should have named the band W.A.R. for W. Axl Rose and I think that would have been much better."

He went on to talk about comments Axl made recently about the impossibility of a Guns N' Roses reunion due to legal issues that Adler supposedly brings to the table. You can read that and the rest of the interview - here

Band Arrested For Cop Assault- Summer Tool Tour- Bizkit Reunion Tour- Kelly Clarkson and U2- New KISS CD- Judas Priest Boxset- Blink-182 Tease and more

antiMusic reports: Blackheart Records Group indie/punk outfit Girl in a Coma found themselves arrested in Houston after an altercation with police. According to a report, Jennifer Alva, 28, and Nina Diaz, 21 were arrested at Chances nightclub around closing time on charges that one slapped a police officer and the other threw a beer bottle at another officer, then punched him in the face.more

According to a post on Tool's official web site, the band will embark on a tour this summer. No dates have yet been announced, but it is widely expected that Tool will fill one of the remaining headlining slots for this year's Lollapalooza festival.more

The reunited original lineup of Limp Bizkit will embark on the "Unicorns N' Rainbows" tour in late May. 3 Dollar Bill, Chocolate Starfish, Unicorns N' Rainbows.. can you spot a pattern? Confirmed dates are here

It's a hold-steady kind of week on the Billboard 200 as Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted" (S/19/RCA) remains at No. 1 for a second frame, shifting 90,000 (down 65%). U2 were No 2 details

KISS is recording its first new album in 10 years and they're rehearsing for a South American Stadium Tour, which starts April 1st. Then they head to Canada. more

Nuclear Blast Europe has issued a 5 CD box set featuring Judas Priest's as part of the Original Album Classics series. Albums featured are Sin After Sin, British Steel, Turbo, Painkiller and Angel Of Retribution.more

Blink 182 have launched a video teaser for their upcoming summer tour. It was directed by Haven Lamoureux and features some music from their final album, 2003's Blink 182more

The family of Deftones bassist Chi Cheng has started a web site asking for donations to help pay for his medical costs. Cheng's insurance has reportedly refused to continue coverage for his ongoing treatment.more

At a New Jersey rehearsal show, Bruce Springsteen brought out new faces and new songs for an intimate crowd FMQB has all the details

While Muse are still holed up recording that "orchestral" fifth studio album, they've at least confirmed plans to tour this autumn including with U2.more

A Danko Jones Best Of compilation called This Is Danko Jones will be released in Canada on April 7thmore

Sworn Enemy will team up with For The Fallen Dreams, ABACABB, and Suffokate this spring for a U.S. tour.more

Kanye West will headline Wireless Festival in London this July in what is likely to be his only UK festival date this year.more

Eminem, Dr Dre and 50 Cent have hit the Palms Casino in Las Vegas to film the video for Ems new single. The three rap legends hooked up to play poker for the music video to future single We Mademore

The Chariot will release their next album for Solid State Records on May 5th. Titled "Wars and Rumors of Wars" more

Raven will release its new album, "Walk Through Fire", on March 25 in Japan through King Records.more

Zac Efron has dropped out of a remake of Footloose after reportedly deciding against more musical roles. Remaking Footloose? Who else thinks that the Botox has seeped into people's brains in Hollywood. That's the only explanation for all of these bad rehashes of bad movies and TV shows. It's either that or they are hiring creatively bankrupt people like say music labels A&R folks?more

Over The Rainbow, Neal Morse and Dan Baird & Homemade Sin have been confirmed for the Sweden Rock Festival, set to take place June 3-6, 2009 in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
- more

2009 Warped Tour Announced

PR reports: The Warped Tour celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, and organizers are promising the most memorable jaunt yet for North America's longest-running touring festival.

The 46-date tour commences June 26 in Pomona, CA and finishes August 23 in Carson, CA. The tour's kick-off party is confirmed for Thursday, April 2 at the Key Club in West Hollywood with performances from the Adolescents, TSOL, Sing It Loud, TV/TV and TAT.

The tour will feature one main stage instead of two. This tour evolution will allow artists to give fans a full 40-minute set as opposed to 30-minutes in past years. Ten bands will rock the main stage at each date, and set changes will run like clockwork at only 20 minutes, encouraging fans to check out side stages as well. - more on this story

Green Day's New CD Set For Release

PR reports: Reprise Records will release Green Day's long-awaited eighth studio album, entitled 21st Century Breakdown, on Friday, May 15th, 2009. The album is the best-selling trio's first studio album since 2004's two-time Grammy Award-winning pop-punk-rock opera American Idiot, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, spawned five hit singles, and went on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide.

21st Century Breakdown is divided into three acts: "Heroes and Cons," "Charlatans and Saints," and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades," and follows a young couple, Christian and Gloria, through the mess and promise of the century so far.

Songs include "Know Your Enemy", "21 Guns," "East Jesus Nowhere," "Before the Lobotomy," and "Restless Heart Syndrome." - more on this story

Acoustic Versions of Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland Up for Grabs

MusicRadar reports: A quarter-inch tape of Jimi Hendrix acoustic demos is to be auction in April. The 14 songs of Jimi and a single acoustic guitar are demos that Hendrix made in 1968 in advance of recording his third album, Electric Ladyland. A few tracks include an unknown second musician playing harmonica.

One of the tracks is a demo of the Bob Dylan song Tears Of Rage, which did not feature on Electric Ladyland. Instead, Hendrix covered Dylan's All Along The Watchtower.

"This tape shows his very sensitive, creative side," says Ted Owen, the CEO of rock memorabilia site Fame Bureau, which will auction the tapes. "The wild man of rock is not there at all." - more on this story

MxPx Frontman Gets His Twang On

PR reports: The front-man for MxPx has a new side project, Mike Herrera's Tumbledown, and will be releasing the self-titled debut album on May 19 through End Sounds. The hard-core country band just announced their signing with the Austin-based record label, which the band celebrated with a showcase at SXSW and to top things off, famed tattoo artist Oliver Peck created Tumbledown's album cover art.

The pop-punk-a-billy, country group out of Bremerton, WA consists of Herrera as songwriter/lead vocals/guitar, lead guitarist Jack Parker, standup bassist Marshall Trotland, and drummer Harley Trotland. They kick off their debut album with the twangy single, "Homeward Bound", following up with a grungier number, "Butcher of San Antone." The country music sounds, which Herrera has been writing since 1998, are influenced by such American music/songwriting legends as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Bill Monroe. Mike Herrera's Tumbledown captures the punk rock energy of MxPx, while also displaying the soulful experiences of Herrera's travels along the lonely, open road. The result is an old-school, country-western swagger, with Herrera strumming a big dreadnaught acoustic over a chugging snare drum and stand-up bass. Guitarist Jack Parker adds to the Americana, with swiftly meandering, mean lead work. - more on this story

Bad Brains Frontman Launches Solo Tour

PR reports: Fresh off of a multi-city tour with legendary punk rock band, Bad Brains, Paul "H.R" Hudson will hit the road starting with a west coast headlining tour in support of his recently released album, "Hey Wella" off the newly established label DC Hardcore.

As one of the most highly anticipated albums to be released in years, many agree this is H.R's best work to date.

Released on October 21, 2008, the album's music was written by Grant "OG" Garretson (drums and guitar) and produced by three time Grammy Award winner, David Darlington. - dates

Metal Frontman's Open Heart Surgery A Success

PR reports: Despite further complications Susperia singer Athera (Pal Mathiesen) successfully underwent open heart surgery on Monday 16th March 2009 at Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Originally scheduled to have a triple by pass operation, surgeons discovered further problems which resulted in the vocalist also having a main artery - which previously ran to his lungs - connected directly to his heart. Athera will remain in hospital to recuperate and has been advised by doctors that full recovery will take between three and five months.

Still in some agony from his ordeal and in reflective mood, Athera said: "Wow - Well what happened there!! It looks like this time my name wasn't on the guest list at the pearly gates or the other place down below. I got through the surgery and I'm now back in the regional hospital after five days at the specialist heart clinic. Here in my hospital bed I'm contemplating the enormity of what happened - the what if's and the what might have been. I'm in agony but the strong medication helps. It was a heavy operation having my body parts re-arranged - If a musician ever needed a "TUNE UP" I hope this was it. There are some tough times ahead but I will get there in the end." - more on this story

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