Dead Milkmen bassist Dave Blood committed suicide on Wednesday.
A post by Blood's sister on the band's official message board broke the news to fans and added that they had just
lost their mother on Jan. 27th. She also said, "He left a note that I don't know all of what it said, he was
not elaborate but he just could not stand to go on any longer." Blood had also given up playing bass after
the Philadelphia band's last album in 1995 due to pain in his hands and went to graduate school to further his
interest in the former Yugoslavia.
John McGeoch, 48, recently died in his sleep. The guitarist was a co-founder of Magazine and had worked with Siouxsie
& The Banshees, Public Image Ltd, Visage, Generation X, Peter Murphy and Heaven 17. McGeoch stopped performing
in 1995 when he became a qualified nurse.
Diana Ross has been ordered to serve her 2-day jail sentence in Tucson, Arizona. Ross was given the sentence after
pleading no contest to DUI charges last month and arranged to serve her sentence in Greenwich, Conn., where she
lives. According to City Court Magistrate T. Jay Cranshaw, Ross left and returned more than once during her jail
time.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville announced yesterday that an audiotape containing defense
attorney Mark Geragos' interviews with Michael Jackson's accuser and his family early last year should remain sealed.
The judge also said the tape would identify areas of interest to the defense and that the investigative work by
the defense should not be turned over to the prosecution.
As appalled as the FCC has been about the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake Super Bowl halftime performance,
new items have been showing up on eBay celebrating the event. Photos, greeting cards, buttons and even a plastic
replica of the event have been available. Meanwhile, the NFL has cancelled plans for their opening-game kickoff
concert this year.
David Crosby is currently out of jail on $3,500 bail for marijuana and gun possession charges in New York. According
to an interview with Fredrick News-Post back in February, Crosby said, "I haven't been tempted by that stuff
for 15 years. You get past it."
Although Slash and Duff McKagan joined Axl Rose in a lawsuit filed Friday against Geffen Records in an attempt
to block the Mar. 23rd release of Greatest Hits which they call unauthorized, a federal judge cleared the way for
Geffen Records to release the album today. The band members claimed they weren't consulted on the tracks included,
the artwork or the remastering of the songs. Meanwhile, an album of 5 early demos recorded by Axl Rose and Izzy
Stradlin before they became Guns N' Roses titled Hollywood Rose - The Roots Of Guns N' Roses may see shelves by
November and will include new remixes. Velvet Revolver's debut album Contraband has been pushed back to June 8th
and a video for the first single, "Slither," will be shot in early April. A sample of "Slither"
can be heard at www.velvet-revolver.com.
Jackson Browne will receive an honorary degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Browne will be awarded an
honorary doctor of music degree at Occidental College's 122nd Commencement on May 16th.
Bob Geldof recently tipped off police to pirated DVDs of 1985's Live Aid Concert that were for sale online for
nearly $200 each. An official DVD release of the Live Aid Concert is expected around Christmas which will hopefully
cut down on illegal copies sold online. Organizers of the event have decided to auction the rights to release the
DVD but they will still need to get permission from all of the performing artists prior to release. Geldof hopes
the eventual release will raise more money for the charity the event helped nearly 20 years ago.
Bono, Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker have collaborated with Nancy Sinatra on her new album titled To Nancy, With Love.
"Let Me Kiss You" with Morrissey is expected to be the first single.
According to MTV, Lenny Kravitz and Lionel Richie have recorded three songs together. Two of the songs will be
included on Richie's Just For You album (which is number 5 on the U.K. charts) due out on May 4th. "Destiny"
will appear on Kravitz next album.
Kajagoogoo, who recently reformed for a single performance thanks to VH-1's Bands Reunited, have decided to reunite
to write and record a new album. Original singer Limahl has declined the offer to participate.
A limited edition version of Aerosmith's new blues album, Honkin' On Bobo, will be released on Mar. 30th in a special
deluxe longbox package that includes a collectible mini-harmonica keychain from Hohner.
Former Screamin' Mimi's and D'Molls drummer Billy McCarthy plans to issue the first ever single for a novel on
May 4th. The song, "The Devil Of Shakespeare," will be included in the hardcover editions of McCarthy's
debut novel of the same title on June 1st. The song was co-written with Enuff Z'Nuff's Chip Z'Nuff and features
Warrant's Jani Lane, Styx's James Young and 20/20's Ron Flynt. Meanwhile, Enuff Z'Nuff have plans to release their
first DVD titled Suck It And See which collects videos and interviews.
Alan Jackson received 8 nominations from the Academy Of Country Music. Also getting nominations were George Strait's
album Honkytonkville, Toby Keith and Willie Nelson's video for "Beer For My Horses" and Johnny Cash's
video for "Hurt."
Mission Of Burma have plans to release their as-yet-untitled new studio album in May via Matador Records. The band
have recently released Accomplished: The Best Of Mission Of Burma.
Not only are fans attending the theater showing of Prince's Musicology getting a copy of Musicology but copies
will also go to fans buying tickets to his upcoming arena tour. The album will also be available for download via
Prince's member's only Web site on Mar. 29th.
A DVD of ABBA's final concert (which was filmed at London's Wembley Arena for a 1980 television special) will be
released on Mar. 29th and include previously unused performances and interviews.
De-lovely, a new musical drama about the life of composer Cole Porter, will see a limited release on June 25th
with a possible wider release shortly after. The film features Natalie Cole, Elvis Costello and Diana Krall among
others.
Todd Rundgren will release his first new studio album in nearly a decade titled Liars on Apr. 6th. Rundgren plans
to tour to support the album with his band, The Liars, including a performance on The Late Show With David Letterman
on Apr. 28th.
You Are Here will be the follow-up to UFO's 2002 album, Sharks. The 12-track studio album hits stores this week.
Queensryche will release a new DVD titled The Art Of Live on Apr. 20th. The disc is made up of performances filmed
during their summer and fall 2003 tour in support of their Tribe album.
George Michael releases his new studio album, Patience, this week. Michael has also announced that he intends Patience
to be his last traditional album release as he plans to release his new music online for free instead with an option
to donate to charities on the Web site.
Aldo Nova's 1982 self-titled debut will be released in an expanded remastered version featuring bonus tracks and
new liner notes on Apr. 13th.
Linda Ronstadt has been working on a new studio album that is expected to be released in September. The album will
be her debut on the Verve label and will show a heavy jazz emphasis.
Cyndi Lauper's Shine album that was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2001 will now be released
on Apr. 21st only in Japan.
Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and his band Masque will release a new studio album titled Known Unknown on
May 4th.
Real Life's new US label A Different Drum has repackaged their recent album, Imperfection, and are releasing it
with a new song ("Oblivion") plus a bonus CD of remixes created by different producers round the world.
They have also scheduled a CD single release of "Oblivion" accompanied by a number of separate mixes
as well.
Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels has recorded a guest appearance on The Dilated Peoples new album, Neighborhood, due
out Apr. 6th.
A new compilation, Motown #1's, featuring songs by Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, DeBarge and Marvin Gaye from 1961
to 1994 will be released on Apr. 20th.
Public Enemy's Chuck D will co-host a daily show called Unfiltered. The show will air from 9 a.m. to noon E.S.T.
Monday through Friday on the new liberal talk radio network Air America Radio which launches Mar. 31st. Chuck D
is also behind the creation of a new cable music channel devoted to hip-hop.
A new 'best of' collection for the Housemartins is on the way Mar. 22nd under the title Now That's What I Call...
Really Good.
Fiona will see her self-titled debut and Beyond The Pale albums reissued via Wounded Bird Records next week.
Audioslave have already started writing material for their next album. About 20-25 songs have been written already
but no decisions have been made for a release date or tour.
According to Billboard, Carly Simon and Carole Bayer Sager have been writing songs together. The closest the two
got to working together before was with"No Body Does It Better" from the James Bond film The Spy Who
Loved Me which Simon sang and Bayer Sage co-wrote. 6 songs have been penned from the collaboration so far.
Expanded and remastered versions of Warrant's Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich and Cherry Pie will be released
on Apr. 13th.
The Allman Brothers Band plan to release a new live double-CD titled One Way Out on Mar. 23rd.
Slayer have started work on their first new studio album with the original band lineup since 1990. The band will
also perform on the Apr. 19th season finale of the Discovery Channel series Monster Garage. Slayer recently also
performed at the home of Bam Margera for an upcoming episode of MTV's Viva La Bam which may air at the end of April.
Judie Tzuke is in the recording studio working on her new studio release, The End Of The Beginning, which will
be her first new material since 1997's Under The Angels.