Gary Glitter will appear before a Vietnamese court on June
15th to appeal a 3-year sentence for a child molestation conviction.
Whitesnake were forced to postpone their performance on May 30th at the London Hammersmith Apollo due to vocalist
David Coverdale coming down with a sudden illness. The band were able to return to perform the following night
and made up for the missed date on June 1st.
The June 30, 2005 disappearance of Olivia Newton-John's boyfriend Patrick McDermott during a fishing trip is now
in question as he has reportedly been seen on Mexico's Baja Peninsula as recently as 10 days ago according to the
Australian Daily Telegraph. It has also been rumored that McDermott had mounting debts and possible jail time
over non-payment of child support looming.
Some sources have told the New York Post that Tom Petty has been in discussions with his lawyers about mounting
a legal challenge against the Red Hot Chili Peppers over the similarity of their latest single, "Dani California,"
to his "Mary Jane's Last Dance." The Red Hot Chili Peppers' single, "Dani California," still
dominates the Modern Rock (7 weeks) and Mainstream Rock (5 weeks) charts.
Meat Loaf has filed a lawsuit against his former songwriting partner Jim Steinman for unfairly filing a patent
for the phrase "Bat Out Of Hell" in 1995 even though the singer had used it since both of them worked
on the Bat Out Of Hell album which was released in 1977. Meanwhile, Meat Loaf's new studio album will officially
be called Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose when it is released on Oct. 31st.
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences' 10th Annual Webby Awards honored Prince with a Special
Achievement award for his digital-music distribution and online music community (The NPG Music Club) which housed
the first full-album digital release by a major artist (1997's Crystal Ball.)
Alabama vocalist Randy Owens has recorded on a song, "You Can Thank Dixie," which will appear on Jake
Owens' upcoming album, Startin' With Me, due out on July 25th. Randy and Jake Owens are not related.
Paul Robb and James Cassidy have reunited to record new music under the Information Society name (vocalist Kurt
Harland will not be in the new line-up due to family and work obligations.) The album, Synthesizer, will feature
new vocalist Christopher Anton and keyboardist Sonja Myers. Some samples of their new music can be heard at www.myspace.com/informationsociety
The estate of John Lee Hooker has licensed 5 of his best-selling albums from the 80's and 90's to the Shout Factory
label for release in North America (2 for Europe.) Shout Factory plans to release an 84-track 4-CD box set before
the end of the year with about half of the material coming from the new license. A duets album is also in the
works using his previously-unreleased material.
After a BBC interview with former Specials frontman Terry Hall, rumors have been swirling about a possible reunion.
George Michael will release his new single, "An Easier Affair," on June 26th (or via download on June
19th.) He credits his recent arrest on suspicion of possessing Class C drugs in February as inspiration for the
song.
Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Session Band will perform, "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Time And Live?,"
from their new album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. Springsteen
has also teamed-up with AOL Music to offer one streaming video clip from every show on his current North American
tour the next morning at AOL.
In a recent interview with U.K. newspaper The Guardian, Brian Eno has confirmed he has reunited with Roxy Music
(and wrote 2 new songs for the upcoming album) but will not be touring with the group.
Phish's performance at Brooklyn's Keyspan Park on June 17, 2004 will be available on CD and DVD on July 11th under
the title Live In Brooklyn.
George Jones and Merle Haggard have been recording an album together, Kickin' Out The Footlights Again, which is
due out in October. They will each record versions of each others songs as well as some duets. Meanwhile, Haggard
is also recording with Willie Nelson and Nelson is recording with Ray Price. Haggard, Nelson and Price plan to
tour together this fall.
The Who will release the longest single to ever hit the official U.K. charts to mark their return after 23 years.
"Wire And Glass" (which is over 11 minutes long) is just one of the new songs they will perform during
their summer tour.
According to Twisted Sister manager Daniel Stanton, the band have signed a deal with Razor & Tie for the release
of a final CD, a currently-untitled album of Christmas standards, due out in October.
Ziggy Marley will release his second solo album, Love Is My Religion, exclusively through Target on July 4th.
This is Target's first 'one-to-one' agreement with an artist.
John Fogerty will release his live DVD, The Long Road Home: The Concert, on June 13th. The performance was recorded
in Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater in September 2005.
According to Bono, U2 plans to start work on their next studio album this summer with hopes to release it next
summer. The singer has also been taking piano lessons from his kid's teacher.
A new dance single, "New Horizon," by Tommyknockers due out on June 12th will feature a sample of John
Parr's 1985 single "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)."
Original Faith No More frontman Chuck Mosley has been working in the studio with his new band, Vandals Against
Illiteracy, on their debut album, Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food. Mosley is best remembered for fronting the
1985 single "We Care A Lot" which has been remade (with updated lyrics) for the new album and features
former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum.
Pixies frontman Frank Black has collaborated with PF Sloan on a song that will appear on, Sailover, Sloan's first
new album since 1993's (Still On The) Eve Of Destruction.
One Sydney district has decided to experiment with playing the music of Barry Manilow over loudspeakers in an attempt
to drive off "hooligans" in cars playing loud music that annoy residents and scare off customers from
local businesses. It seems a similar experiment with Bing Crosby music was used in an Australian shopping center
a few years ago on teen loiterers.
Sebastian Bach has been excited about his being asked on stage with Guns 'N Roses to sing "My Michelle."
It seems that he's even more excited about being offered the opening slot on their European tour as a means to
promote Bach's new CD, Angel Down.
Lee Greenwood has been in the recording studio working on a new album. One song, "I Can Let Go Now,"
was written by Michael McDonald. A new compilation, The Definitive Collection, by Greenwood hits stores this week.
Bad Religion have finished the songwriting process for what will be their 14th studio effort. Due out in November,
the title to the album is rumored to be The Ultra Tyranny.
The highly-anticipated reissues of Depeche Mode's albums (Speak & Spell, Music For The Masses and Violator)
hit stores this week in a double-disc format (CD and DVD) containing the original album, b-sides, remixes as well
as a 5.1 mix and a short film about the album on the DVD.
Rocker Rob Zombie has signed on to write, direct and produce a new Halloween film. Due for release in October
2007, the film will be a re-imagining of the Michael Myers character and not be or focus on any of the sequels.
Brothers Dave Davies and Ray Davies are discussing the idea of reforming The Kinks as their relationship has improved
ever since Dave's stroke in 2004. Plans for now are to write some new songs together.
After spending their entire career with Epic, the Indigo Girls have signed a new deal with Hollywood Records that
will include a new Mitchell Froom-produced currently-untitled studio album due out Sept. 19th.
Napalm Death are currently in the studio working on their new studio album, Smear Campaign, with hopes to release
it in September.
A new reggae hardcore punk supergroup called Mr. Green All-Stars (featuring Fishbone's Norwood Fisher, Suicidal
Tendencies' Rocky George, Bad Brains' Earl Hudson) have recorded their debut album, Seeing Is Believing, and are
shopping it to labels.
Former Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick, 51, passed away on June 2nd. Details of his death remain unclear at this
time. Welnick began his career with the Tubes and recorded with Todd Rundgren before officially replacing the
late Brent Mydland in the Grateful Dead in the early 90's. He had been a busy session musician since, appearing
on albums by Nenad Bach and Solid Air last year.
Spanish singer/actress Rocio Jurado, 61, lost her 2-year battle with pancreatic cancer on Thursday. Jurado recorded
more than 30 records during her career, appeared in almost a dozen films and performed for President Ronald Reagan
at the White House in 1985.