The 80s Nuts
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett (born Richard Ream) has an arrest warrant issued for him in Mississippi. According
to TMZ and the Neshoba County Sheriffs department, he is accused of allegedly raping a female guest in his hotel
room on Sept. 23rd of 2007 at the Silver Star Hotel & Casino in Mississippi. The woman reported the alleged
assault several days later when she went to the sheriffs department and filed a report. LAPD arrested Rockett at
LAX on Monday night on the warrant but let him go due to a decision by Mississippi law enforcement deciding not
to extradite him, pending official charges from the D.A. of Neshoba County.
Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was arrested for DUI early last week. TMZ has reported that the blood alcohol
test he submitted may be lower than the legal limit according to several sources with knowledge of what he drank.
It was also reported that Sambora had his 10 year-old daughter Ava, another juvenile and another adult female in
the car at the time. His ex-wife Heather Locklear was called by the cops and she authorized the adult passenger
to drive Ava home.
The Allman Brothers Band have been forced to cancel and postpone dates of their tour while Gregg Allman undergoes
treatment for Hepatitis C. He has been successfully treated for the last 6 months and the virus has been eradicated
from his system but the side effects of the treatment are taking longer than originally expected.
Jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson, 71, was hospitalized early on Monday at Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, California,
for treatment of a collapsed lung. She is expected to recover but will not be able to make an upcoming performance
next weekend. The Grammy-award winner has had some respiratory problems over the years.
Ricky Skaggs was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Boston's Berklee College of Music for his contribution
in keeping blue grass music "alive and kicking."
Alan Jackson's Good Time fell 9 places to #14 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Janet Jackson's Discipline dropped
9 spots to #17.
Michael Jackson's Thriller 25 retains the #1 spot on the Billboard Top Pop Catalog chart and Herbie Hancock's River:
The Joni Letters holds the #1 on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart.
Alan Jackson's "Small Town Southern Man" holds the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart after
20 weeks. George Strait's "I Saw God Today" climbed 3 places to #4.
Michael Jackson's Thriller 25 has retained its place at #14 on the U.K. Albums chart after 7 weeks.
Madonna's "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake has climbed 2 spots to #5 on the U.K. Singles chart.
U2 have signed a 12-year deal with Live Nation Artists that will include worldwide touring, merchandising and the
group's U2.com Web site. This is quite different from the 360-degree deal the promoter made with Madonna. It allows
the group to continue to release music via Universal Music and retain publishing. Live Nation have been executing,
promoting and producing their tours for some time. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes has been in the recording studio working on a new electronic album, Piccadilly, due out
later this year.
Lindsey Buckingham plans to release a new solo album this summer. He has also stated, "I don't think anything
is written in stone yet." when responding to Sheryl Crow's recent mention of joining Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham
has said that he has "a ton of new stuff" for the band's next album but he might want to step back from
producing.
The new MTV series Rock The Cradle will premiere on Apr. 3rd. The show takes talented children of music stars and
has them facing off each week by performing live in front of 3 judges and a studio audience. The performer with
the least online and text message votes sent home. Performers include Landon Brown (Bobby Brown's son), A'keiba
Burrell-Hammer (MC Hammer's daughter), Lara Johnston (daughter of Doobie Brothers' Tom Johnson), Chloe Rose Lattanzi
(Olivia Newton-John's daughter), Crosby Loggins (Kenny Loggins' son), Jesse Money (Eddie Money's daughter), Jesse
Blaze Snider (son of Twisted Sister's Dee Snider), Lil Al B Sure (Al B Sure's son) and Lucy Walsh (daughter of
the Eagles' Joe Walsh.)
VH1 have scaled back their usual Rock Honors. Instead of having an assortment of performers being honored, they
will focus on the Who for the 2-hour broadcast airing July 17th.
Irving Azoff and Andy Gould have signed an agreement to represent Guns N' Roses. Gould is a former senior partner
at the Firm and Azoff is currently the chairman/CEO of Front Line Management Group. Up until recently, Azoff also
managed Velvet Revolver and plans to continue to represent their former vocalist Scott Weiland. Guns N' Roses haven't
had management since the very public split with Merck Mercuriadis in December of 2006. Meanwhile, Dr Pepper have
announced that everyone in America, except former Guns N' Roses guitarists Slash and Buckethead, will receive a
free can of the drink if the album ships some time in 2008. Rose responded in a statement that he would kindly
share his Dr Pepper with Buckethead as some of his performances are on the album.
Carly Simon will release her first new studio album in 8 years, This Kind Of Love, on Apr. 29th via Hear Music.
Terry Hall recently was talking to BBC Radio about The Specials possibly reforming officially for a reunion tour.
Plans are to get into the studio first but tour dates could come as early as September/October. A CD & DVD
set entitled The Best Of The Specials is due out on Mar. 31st in the U.K.
Wondering what the Cover Up album by Ministry And Co-Conspirators will sound like when released on Apr. 1st. Well,
check out their MySpace page (myspace.com/ministrymusic) to hear a track featuring samples of all the tracks from
the album.
Al Green will release his new studio album, Lay It Down, via Blue Note on May 27th. The album is co-produced by
Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and James Poyser.
Depeche Mode plan to reunite with producer Ben Hillier, who worked on their last release Playing The Angel. The
new album is expected to be ready by the end of the year with a release dated in spring of 2009.
Former Thin Lizzy keyboardist/vocalist Darren Wharton will see two albums (2002's Belief and 2004's Beneath The
Shining Water) by his band Dare finally released in the U.S. on May 20th via Rock Ridge Music. The group's debut
album was 1988's Out Of Silence.
The reunited Kajagoogoo are currently rehearsing for several festivals and gigs. Inbetween, they are also writing
and recording throughout 2008.
Juliana Hatfield has posted a new song, "Shining On," on her MySpace page. The song comes from her new
studio album, How To Walk Away, due out June 10th via Ye Olde Records. The album features a guest appearance by
Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs.
Crowded House have started work on their next album at the Roundhead Studios in New Zealand. No word on if recording
will be finished before they start their U.S. tour dates in April.
Alan Jackson's wife Denise has completed work on her follow-up to her best-selling publishing debut, It's All About
Him: Finding The Love Of My Life. Her second book is due out by Mother's Day.
The Melvins plan to release their new studio album, Nude With Boots, via Ipecac Recordings on July 8th. Also due
out that month is The Fantomas/Melvins Big Band DVD entitled Live From London 2006.
Steely Dan's Walter Becker will release his first new solo studio album in 14 years, Circus Money, via his own
5 Over 12 imprint/Mailboat around late May/early June. Becker has also mentioned that there isn't a current plan
for any particular new Steely Dan album but they are heading back on tour.
Brazil's Sergio Mendes will release his new studio album, Encanto, via Concord Records and Starbucks Entertainment
on June 10th. Natalie Cole will be among the featured collaborators on the disc.
Former Pop Will Eat Itself members Graham Crabb and Adam Mole have a new project called Vileevils. They release
their digital single, F***ing & Fighting, on Mar. 31st (today) in the U.K. They also have also collaborated
with U.S. act 3kStatic on a download-able song entitled "Council Housed And Violent." A double 'A' side
vinyl (with both songs) is due out on Apr. 15th.
Information Society's 1997 album, Don't Be Afraid, has been remastered and will be reissued on Apr. 1st at iTunes.
Weird Al Yankovic recently teamed up with The Presidents Of The United States Of America to shoot the video for
the band's new video "Mixed Up S.O.B."
There is a rumor that was revealed by New York DJ Eddie Trunk that claims that AC/DC's next studio release will
be released prior to a farewell tour.
According to Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, deluxe hybrid SACD releases of the group's catalogue albums will
be released on June 2nd. The deluxe versions are expected to come in limited editions (6000 copies of all but Garden
Of The Arcane Delights which will have 3000.) Remastered standard CD versions will be released in August.
Former New Kids On The Block member Danny Wood will release his new solo studio album, Coming Home, in Australia
via Red Disc Records on Apr. 5th (no U.S. date announced yet.) The first single released from the album is "Beautiful
Bad Girl."
Keith Sweat will release his first new studio album since 2002's Rebirth on May 6th entitled Just Me via Keia/Atco/Rhino.
Queen + Paul Rogers new studio album will be titled The Cosmos Rocks when released on Sept. 1st. This will be their
first new studio effort in 13 years.
International remixers have started working on tracks that will make up a new Buzz remix album, Buzz Blitz Klub
/ Dancefloor De La Mort, due out in late summer or early autumn.
Chris Cornell has been working with hip-hop producer Timbaland on songs for his next solo album.
Sean Levert, 39, of Levert (who was sentenced last week to a year and 10 months in jail for failing to pay $85,000
in child support) died within an hour of arriving at Cleveland's Lutheran Hospital on Sunday night. According to
a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County's coroners office, Levert suffered from high blood pressure and had been hallucinating
in jail. Levert had reportedly been sick and guards were watching him at the jail's regular cellblock because he
had been acting strangely. An autopsy to determine the cause of death has begun and toxicology reports may take
4 to 6 weeks. His brother Gerald died in 2006 from an accidental mix of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Sean had been working on reviving Levert (which included Gerald and childhood friend Marc Gordon) last year after
finding a new third partner to round out the trio. Both Sean and Gerald were sons of O'Jays vocalist Eddie Levert.