News that Rocks
| Jimi Hendrix Experience Drummer Mitch Mitchell Dead At 62 |
PR reports: Mitch Mitchell, the innovative drummer who anchored the Jimi Hendrix Experience, has died at the age of 62. Mitchell passed away on November 12 in Portland, Oregon of natural causes. The London native had completed an 18 city American tour as a featured performer with Experience Hendrix, a series concert series celebrating the legacy of Jimi Hendrix featuring an all-star line-up of artists including his one-time Hendrix bandmate and dear friend Billy Cox. Portland was the tour’s last stop and Mitchell had been staying in town for some vacation time before his planned return to England. Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, LLC commented, “We’re all devastated to hear of Mitch’s passing. He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend. His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated. Over the course of the recent tour, he seemed delighted with the interchange with the other musicians and the audiences. There is no question that he was doing what he loved.” From: Anti-Music |
| AC/DC Beaten By Twilight |
After a two week reign, AC/DC have been relegated to No. 2 on the album charts after their album “Black Ice” sold 160,000 units last week, just 5,000 units less than the album that took the top spot. Here is PR about the album that took “Black Ice’s” place: “Twilight—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,” the musical companion to the upcoming Summit Entertainment film, has made an explosive No. 1 debut atop this week’s SoundScan/Billboard 200 album chart. The Chop Shop/Atlantic Records soundtrack—highlighted by Paramore’s brand new single, “Decode”— also claims the #1 spot on SoundScan’s Digital Albums chart. With first-week sales of 165,000 units, this marks the largest debut for an Atlantic Records soundtrack since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. In addition, “Twilight” marks the biggest digital album debut of a theatrical soundtrack in SoundScan history. Twilight, the film, is slated to open in theatres nationwide on November 21st. From: Anti-Music |
| Big and Rich Star Sued For Ass Kicking |
| TMZ reports: The dude who got his ass kicked by the dude from Big and Rich is finally fighting back — ’cause even with a busted nose, he can still smell a payout.
Jerry Montano (ass-kickee) is suing the chaps off John Rich (ass-kicker) for that October beatdown in which the country singer turned Jerry’s face into a swollen, gushing, bloody mess inside Rich’s room at the Mondrian Hotel in L.A. In the lawsuit, filed Monday in L.A. County Superior Court, Jerry claims that before the violence, he was warned by Rich’s business manager that the star often became “extremely violent when drunk” — but even with that warning, he decided to go back to the guy’s hotel room anyway. While in the room, Jerry claims Rich became “increasingly violent and belligerant” over a girl — and that’s when all hell broke loose. From: Anti-Music |
| Metallica’s Lars Ulrich loves Black Sabbath |
| LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Metallica’s Lars Ulrich loves Black Sabbath and Deep Purple — and so does his 10-year-old son. Guitar Hero 
Ulrich may have played songs from those old rock bands around the house on his stereo, but he gives credit for his son’s excitement to another source: video games. Myles Ulrich is a fan of games such as “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band,” which have spawned a comeback for rock music. “It’s a cool generational thing to share that with your kids,” said Ulrich, the drummer for the multi-platinum quartet. “My [son's] favorite bands are … the same bands that are my favorite bands — the bands I grew up on.” A few years ago, rock music was struggling on the charts. With hip-hop and teen pop ruling, rock was finding it hard to break through with new music — or sell more of the old. But “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” have prompted kids born in the ’90s to discover artists from the ’70s and ’80s such as Aerosmith, Twisted Sister and Pat Benatar. The games’ amazing popularity — last year, the two brought in more than $935 million in revenue, according to the NPD Group market research company — has helped create success in other markets, according to observers. Video Watch Ulrich and others praise the games on “American Morning” » Geoff Mayfield, senior analyst and director of charts for Billboard magazine, said he sees a direct cause-and-effect for some of the artists who have licensed their songs to “Guitar Hero.” “A few weeks ago, when the game featuring Aerosmith ['Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'] came out, there was more than a 40 percent increase in their catalog sales. I expect you’ll see that again when Metallica gets the same kind of treatment in a few weeks,” Mayfield said. iReport.com: Do you shred on “Guitar Hero?” Once wary of downloading, Metallica has changed its tune with its upcoming album. “When ‘Death Magnetic’ comes out in September, you can actually download the new album the same day it comes out, and play it on your ‘Guitar Hero III,’ ” Ulrich said — fully aware of the irony, given his band’s past litigation with the Internet music file-sharing service Napster. Even in an uncertain economy, the video games also have increased interest in guitars, according to the nationwide Guitar Center chain. And bars holding “Guitar Hero” nights also have enjoyed a boost in business: Big Wangs sports tavern in Hollywood, California, reports a 25 percent to 35 percent increase in sales. The results have played out at such places as Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, where most teens have grown up on a steady diet of hip-hop and R&B. Recently, heavy metal blared from the school’s darkened auditorium as it sponsored a three-day “Guitar Hero Face-Off.” Spotlights illuminated the competitors, and an audience full of enthusiasts screamed wildly at the end of each song. It was enough to make 16-year-old finalist George Gomez nervous. “You got fans cheering you on,” he marveled shyly. For Mayfield, the marriage of music and video games makes perfect sense, especially for an ailing record industry that’s been having trouble selling CDs. “This is a chance for something that’s been a competition to actually be an ally, if you will,” he said. Mayfield has never played “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band,” but he said he understands the irresistible appeal of kids and adults indulging in some harmless headbanging — albeit with toy instruments. “If you’ve ever played air guitar, more than likely, you weren’t doing it to a Michael Jackson song. You were doing it to an Aerosmith song,” he said. |
| BEATLES MUSEUM?? |
 Apparently, there are talks between Paul McCartney and Louise Harrison—George’s sister, who’s lived in the U.S. since before the Beatles blew up—to open a Beatles museum in Branson, Mo., Harrison’s home city. There’s already one museum dedicated to the band in Liverpool; given the band members’ later residencies in New York and Los Angeles, you’d be forgiven for imagining (sorry) a museum to be constructed in one of those cities. But Louise has the memorabilia, and in a city where Yakov Smirnoff can make a living, it’s hard not to imagine something like this doing well. |
| DAVE STEWART’S SONGBOOK ? |
 Dave Stewart is perhaps best known for his work with Annie Lennox as the Eurythmics, but he’s also an accomplished writer, having penned tracks for the likes of Gwen Stefani, Bono and many others. But he’s got a new album out now, the Dave Stewart Songbook Volume 1, and he told us what inspired the project. “That actually came about because of a necessity to play live again, I was going mad being in the studio all the time or writing all the time and you need to go out and sort of play and I’m a guitar player and a performer and so I thought how would I like to do this and I thought well to record a double album with 21 songs and glue them all together even though they were all written with and for different people.” The Dave Stewart Songbook Volume 1 is out now. He’ll tour the record with his Rock Fabulous Band, which is composed of a 30-piece orchestra. |
| SEBASTIAN BACH TO PLAY PLAYBOY MANSION ? |
 Things seem to be going pretty well for Sebastian Bach. His latest album, Angel Down, is a hit, crowds are flocking to his current tour with Poison and now, Bas will be playing the Playboy mansion. The rocker is set to perform at the Rock the Mansion event at Hef’s place on the 30th. Sound enticing? Well, you can go too.A press release states, “Men and women, here’s your chance to play rock star groupie as you hang at the most famous mansion. It will be a true rock star Mecca with playmates dressed as naughty school girls, free open bar all night, amazing buffet, strippers in the main rock room, the world-famous grotto and tours of the mansion grounds.” To buy tickets, head to RockTheMansion.com or to try to win a pair, head to LAWeekly.com. |
| GNR’s ‘Democracy’ To Be Retail Exclusive? ? |
| Negotiations are underway for Guns N’ Roses’ 14-years-in-the-making “Chinese Democracy” to come out as an exclusive at one of the big box retailers — either Wal-Mart or Best Buy, Billboard has learned. Negotiations are also ongoing to have conventional record company distribution, another source says. |
| JIMMY PAGE TO PLAY OLYMPICS’ CLOSING CEREMONY? |
 Many viewers were thrilled by the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, so how will producers top the closing of the event? According to the U-K’s Daily Mirror, they’ll make an attempt with a duet between Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and pop star Leona Lewis. An insider told the paper, “Having a rock god like Jimmy Page and a singer like Leona Lewis performing together for the first time will certainly be something to remember. The amount of planning is staggering. It will be truly momentous — and a fitting send-off as London takes up the 2012 challenge.” The show will reportedly also feature hundreds of ballet and break dancers from England. While the reports haven’t been confirmed yet, we’ll all see what the closing ceremonies hold when they take place on August 24th in Beijing. |
| SNIDER REVEALS TWISTED CHRISTMAS MUSICAL DETAILS |
 Have you heard rumors that Dee Snider plans to bring his group’s A Twisted Christmas concept to the Broadway stage? Well the singer has confirmed that they’re true. Dee told TheTourBus.com, “I have turned A Twisted Christmas, the album, into a musical, and in 2009 there will be a new Twisted Sister album, which will be a companion piece to go with the existing A Twisted Christmas album.” Snider explained that the musical will be a combination of the Christmas album, Twisted Sister classics and their upcoming album, which will have new metal songs on it. The rocker has finished the script and revealed, “When you hear the concept, everybody who hears it just smiles ear to ear and goes, ‘Man, that’s awesome.’” Snider called the musical unique and added, “It tells a story, but it’s very much a concert event. But there’s a storyline going on between. The show is about 20 songs. The band are the only actors. There is a narrator who fills in the spaces, he’s on video screen, and he helps move the story along and tell the story.” For the time being though, Snider is writing the new album which the band plans to record in January and February and release next year. |
| NEW U2 ALBUM ON HORIZON FOR NOVEMBER? |
| According to a report in U-K paper The Sunday Mirror, U2’s new album will be called No Line on The Horizon. An official announcement has not been made, but NoLineOnTheHorizon.com was registered as a Web site by Universal Records, the label U2 is signed to. The Mirror also said that U2’s new album will hit stores on Friday, November 14th. No word on whether the U-S release will be the Tuesday before or after that date or that Friday itself. |
| GARY GLITTER TO RETURN TO LONDON ON TUESDAY |
| Gary Glitter, who has spent the last 27 months in a Vietnamese prison, is being deported home on Tuesday. The former glam rocker, who was convicted of obscene acts with children, was sentenced to three years, but that stretch was trimmed by a few months for good behavior. It turns out that Glitter didn’t want to go back to England, but Vietnamese law requires he be deported to his home country. Gary’s lawyer told the Associated Press, “Police booked his ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to London and I have already paid for the ticket on his behalf.” Glitter has said he plans to resume his singing career and might move to Singapore or Hong Kong. |
| JACKSON BROWNE TO SUE JOHN McCAIN |
| Singer-songwriter, and well-known liberal, Jackson Browne has decided to file suit against Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The Democratic supporter is angry because the politician used his popular song “Running on Empty” without permission in an ad attacking Barack Obama. Browne is suing for copyright infringement, as well as alleging that McCain has slandered his name by making it seem that he is a supporter of the Republican Party. The musician’s lawyer issued a statement saying that the suit would seek an immediate injunction that would stop McCain from ever using his music again, as well as damages. |
| SIXX’S EX SELLING OFF PERSONAL ITEMS |
| Ever want to own something that used to belong to Nikki Sixx’s ex-wife? Well, now is your chance. Former Baywatch babe, Donna D’Errico, who was married to the Motley Crue bassist for ten years, is selling some personal items on eBay. Included in the lot are her wedding dress, a chrome hearts bracelet, a trinket box with 11 of Sixx’s picks and keys with a personalized key ring Nikki once owned. Sixx and D’Errico separated in April of 2006 and divorced officially a year later. |
| JUDGE ORDERS U2, CHER CDS DESTROYED |
 A judge has ordered a U2 fan’s entire music collection to be destroyed.Karl Wiosna, 44, of Graig, South Wales, played the Irish rockers at such a high volume that his neighbours complained to the police, reports The Sun. After he admitted breaching the peace at Pontypridd court, a judge ordered Wiosna’s entire collection of CDs, tapes, records and audio equipment to be destroyed.Speaking of the case, one neighbour said: “The noise was unbearable. It was like a drag queen’s party.” Wiosna is also reported to have repeatedly played Cher’s 1998 hit ‘Believe’ at full volume, prompting complaints. |
| Cash ‘Folsom’ Box Loaded With Unreleased Tracks |
 A new three-disc CD/DVD box set that features unreleased material from Johnny Cash’s legendary 1968 concerts at Folsom State Prison in California will be released Oct. 14 via Columbia/Legacy.Disc one of the forthcoming “Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition” features Cash’s entire 65-minute first concert, with seven previously unreleased tracks, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “This Ole House,” “I’m Here To Get My Baby Out of Jail,” “I Got A Woman” and “June’s Poems,” among others.Disc two contains the entire 75-minute second show, with 24 previously unreleased songs, including duets with his wife June Carter Cash and others. The DVD component of “Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition” reveals footage from inside Folsom Prison, and contains interviews from country acts as Merle Haggard, Rosanne Cash and Marty Stuart, as well as former Folsom Prison inmates who witnessed the legendary concerts. The DVD also features unpublished photographs by Jim Marshall. Additionally, the new box set includes a 4,000-word essay by Cash biographer Michael Streissguth, who penned such books as “Johnny Cash: The Biography” and “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of the Masterpiece.” The booklet will also feature liner notes written by Cash and Steve Earle in 1999. |
| Britney Spears Heading Back To The VMAs? |
 Britney Spears may get a shot at redemption during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Following a disastrous 2007 VMA performance, the artist is in negotiations with MTV to make an appearance at the Sept. 7 ceremony and is already appearing in promo ads for the telecast. |
| MADONNA PLANS ANOTHER LESBIAN KISS |
| Madonna is planning a lesbian kiss with ‘I Kissed A Girl’ singer Kate Perry when her ‘Sticky And Sweet tour hits London in September.The singer, who famously kissed Britney Spears at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, has already claimed that Perry’s song ‘Ur So Gay’ is her favourite song of the moment (Metro).
Meanwhile you can check out the original here: |
Recent Comments