Keyboardist/singer/songwriter Billy Preston is currently
recovering from a serious infection of the sac encasing his heart. Preston's manager has said that while he isn't
"braindead" as some reports suggest, he is still seriously ill, isn't walking around and cannot speak
because of his tracheotomy. Preston is also receiving dialysis treatments 3 times a week after a transplanted kidney
failed.
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has filed a lawsuit against Beverly Hills Classic Cars over an oral agreement made
to deliver two luxury sports cars after he paid a deposit of $20,000. According to the suit, the dealer never made
good on the promised 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo and 2005 Porsche GT3. The suit also claims that the dealer failed
to pay him $135,000 for selling his Ferrari Marinello on consignment.
An unnamed 20 year-old has filed a lawsuit claiming that Michael Jackson forced him to have cosmetic surgery and
stole his song ideas between 1987 and 1999. The young man claims that he was at Jackson's residences and other
places from the age of 2 to 14 and was molested many times over the course of those years. The case will be heard
on Feb. 14th in Orange County Superior Court. Meanwhile, Jackson's Hurricane Katrina charity record is expected
to be released very soon via Bahrain's 2 Seas Records. Jackson is also reportedly negotiating a position as a consultant
with a Bahrain-based company that plans to set up theme parks and music academies in the Middle East.
Lifetime Achievement awards will be given out to David Bowie, Merle Haggard, Cream, the Weavers, the late Robert
Johnson and the late Richard Pryor during a special ceremony the day before the 48th annual Grammy Awards.
Carlos Santana will be inducted into the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame during the 37th annual award ceremony takes
place on Feb. 25th. The award recognizes people of color who have made outstanding contributions in literature,
television, motion pictures and the recording arts.
U2 took home an award for Best Tour at Tuesday night's 32nd Annual People's Choice Awards. Award winners were determined
by Internet voting.
John Conlee and Wynonna and Naomi Judd are scheduled to be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Lexington,
Kentucky during their February ceremonies. Anne Murray will receive the Legacy Award at the event.
Tracii Guns and Quiet Riot have amicably parted ways after discovering that the "musical diversity of styles"
wouldn't work to their mutual satisfaction. The band still plan to enter the studio to start recording later this
month.
A&E plans to air their own reality series featuring Kiss frontman Gene Simmons entitled Gene Simmons' Family
Jewels. The show will follow Simmons, his partner Shannon Tweed and their two children. Meanwhile, Simmons has
recorded a theme song, "I Am Indy," for the Indy Racing League with a band called Bag that can be heard
at www.indycar.com.
Former Virgin Prunes vocalist Gavin Friday stars in the new Neil Jordan film Breakfast On Pluto which recently
opened in Europe. Friday also co-ordinated the music on the film.
Steely Dan frontman Donald Fagen has plans to release his first new solo album, Morph The Cat, since 1993's Kamakiriad.
Fagen is considering a theater tour to support the album.
Founding Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera has taken a break from the band to spend time with his new wife as they
await the birth of their first child together. Cavalera will be replaced on the upcoming European tour with former
Soulfly drummer Roy Mayorga.
The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley will release their new studio album, Baby Makin' Music, on Mar. 7th featuring
the new single, Just Came Here To Chill.
Vertigo to be U2's final tour? At a recent press conference, U2 guitarist The Edge told journalists that the band
may stop touring believing their current tour to be their best yet and that it would be best if the band bowed
out while still on top. "I'm ok to say bye-bye because I don't think we could top it." said The Edge.
Garth Brooks will release his second album via his exclusive arrangement with Wal-Mart stores, The Lost Sessions,
on Feb. 7th. The album includes a new duet, "Love Will Always Win," with his wife, Trisha Yearwood.
A Mike Oldfield retrospective entitled the Platinum Collection will be released in March and consist of 3 CDs spanning
his 30-year career.
Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is nominated in the best British male category at the 2006 Brit Awards to
be held on Feb. 15th. Paul Weller will perform and receive the outstanding contribution to music award.
The third single from Texas' album Red Book, "Sleep," (which is a duet with the Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan)
debuted at #6 on the U.K. singles chart.
The Charlatans U.K. will release their new studio album, Simpatico, on Apr. 10th featuring the new single, "Blackened
Blue Eyes," via Sanctuary Records.
The Goo Goo Dolls have finished work on their new studio album, Let Love In, with plans for a March/April release.
After seeing the success of Gene Simmon's Rock School reality series, television executives have greenlit a reality
series starring Ice T entitled Rap School. The series will debut later this year.
Expect to see Jon Bon Jovi in a cameo appearance on the Mar. 26th episode of NBC's The West Wing. He will portray
himself as he shows support for the show's fictional Democratic candidate and perform part of his band's recent
single, "Welcome To Wherever You Are."
An expanded double-disc reissue of Deacon Blue's Raintown is expected in late February. The second disc will include
unreleased, live and rare performances of each of the album tracks.
VH1 is scheduled to air the the 4-hour documentary, Heavy: The Story of Metal, starting May 1st until May 4th which
explores 4 decades of the music and culture from it's early beginnings to present day.
Pamela Bach has filed for divorce from husband David Hasselhoff after 16 years of marriage citing "irreconcilable
differences." The couple have two teenage daughters. Hasselhoff has canceled February tour in Australia.
Daryl McDaniels has plans to release the first singles, "Machine Gun" and "Watchtower," from
his forthcoming solo album, Checks, Thugs and Rock 'n Roll. The album is scheduled to hit shelves on Mar. 14th.
A video has already been shot for "Machine Gun."
Chaka Khan and Aaron Neville are the first two acts signed to Burgundy Records. The imprint will be distributed
by Sony BMG and release a new studio album by Khan and a soul standards album by Neville later this year.
Big Head Todd & the Monsters will soon be releasing podcasts through their official Web site (www.bigheadtodd.com)
containing 4 new songs every month for free.
According to vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, his all-star project with Journey guitarist Neal Schon, Soul SirkUS, will
come to an end due to Schon's heavy involvement with Journey and lack of promotion.
The Buzzcocks have been leaking some of the tracks from their upcoming album, Flat-Pack Philosophy, exclusively
via their MySpace account with plans to keep adding new tracks.
The Not Alone 5-disc set of music with proceeds from the sales to be donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors
Without Borders (which includes music from Marc Almond, Coil, Jim O'Rourke and Nurse With Wound among many others)
can be pre-ordered at www.jnanarecords.com. Marc Almond's contribution to the set is a cover of Charles Aznavour's
"Our Love, My Love."
Cheap Trick plan to reissue expanded versions of their Dream Police and All Shook Up albums on Mar. 7th.
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint will release their Hurricane Katrina-inspired album, The River In Reverse, in
May. Costello will also release an album, My Flame Burns Blue, on Feb. 28th that contains jazz standards and a
suite from "Il Sogno" he recorded live with the Netherlands orchestra Metropole Orkest.
Mute Records plans to reissue all of Depeche Mode's early albums in 5.1 surround. Re-mixing and re-mastering are
currently in progress with album sets expected to hit stores as early as late March. Former bandmate Alan Wilder
is in his own studio recording new Recoil material.
Rush drummer Neil Peart has released his first instructional DVD, the double-disc, Anatomy of a Drum Solo featuring
newly recorded, in-studio footage of Peart analyzing, discussing and dissecting his unique approach.
Bang Tango will release their 12-track new studio album, From The Hip, on May 9th via Perris Records.
Alison Moyet has recorded vocals for Moby's new single, "Slipping Away." Moyet also plans to return to
the stage this year in the new play, Smaller.
Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out will debut on Jan. 22nd at the Sundance Film Festival. The 74-minute Police
documentary by drummer Stewart Copeland is culled from the Super 8 movies he shot during the band's early days
through the early 1980's.
Bruce Sinofsky, one of the directors behind Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster, has started pre-production work on
a currently-untitled film starring Tommy Lee. Shooting begins in the spring.
Elijah Wood has signed on to play Iggy Pop for an upcoming biopic about the rock idol's life and career.
A community fund has been established in the memory of former House Of Freaks singer/guitarist Bryan Harvey and
his family. Contributions to the Bryan and Kathryn Harvey Family Memorial Endowment will go towards enriching Richmond,
Virginia, arts programs. The Harvey family were found murdered in their Richmond home on New Year's Day.