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Welcome to our Year In Rock Special holiday edition.  To celebrate New Years we thought it would be fun to pick the biggest stories of 2003.  Since the Day in Rock kicked off in July, we went back to the antiMUSIC archives for the first half of the year. Below you will find what appeared to be the biggest story of each month of 2003. 

Jan: Metallica Threatened Unsigned Band
antiMUSIC reports: Over the past few years Metallica has never shied away from using litigation to achieve their goals. In the past the band has taken on Napster, fans who swap their music online, a perfume company and even their own record label. Now it appears they have their legal guns aimed at an unsigned band out of Edmonton, Canada that is using the name Metallica without the California group's permission. 

The Edmonton Sun reported yesterday that attorney's for the original Metallica sent the Edmonton group a threatening letter, " promising serious action if the Alberta band doesn't change its name by Friday." 

The Edmonton Sun reprinted excerpts from the letter like the following, "Your use of METALLICA is particularly astonishing to the band, given that you have admitted in at least one interview that 'you know you are not allowed to use the name,' " wrote Metallica's lawyer Jill M. Pietrini, in an e-mail sent to bass player and singer Blair William Piggott. "METALLICA could recover significant monetary damages and obtain an injunction against any further acts of infringement, both in the U.S. and in Canada." 

The Edmonton Sun report had a tongue in cheek flavor to it courtesy of Piggott who doesn't seem to be taking the corporate Metallica's threats that seriously. The Sun reported that "Piggott denies the name has any immediate causal connection to the Napster incidents, though agrees it's another way the band has lost connection to its fans." 

Piggott attempted to take advantage of the situation by passing along a CD of his group's music to the members of the real Metallica and was told by Metallic's attorney that it was against the group's corporate policy to accept "unsolicited material." 

Piggott responded, "'What are you talking about, you're suing us?' There's solicitation. They were once really in touch with the sexual frustration of the pimply high school kid. 

"Now you can't even get them to listen to your music!" 

Published 1/16 Click Here for the Full Story 

Feb: Rhode Island Club Fire
antiMUSIC reports: The biggest story of Feb and indeed 2003 was the tragic fire at the Station Nightclub in Rhode Island during a Great White concert. Here was our first report on the tragedy. 

A Great White concert turned deadly last night (Feb 20.) at the Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, when the ceiling of the venue caught fire and the blaze quickly spread throughout the club. At press time 96 people are confirmed dead and more than 160 people were injured. Great White guitarist Ty Longley is currently missing. 

The fire started when flames from the band's pyrotechnics display ignited the ceiling above the stage. Fans in the audience at first thought it was part of the show but panic broke out once the fire quickly spread and filled the nightclub with dark smoke causing patrons to rush towards the exits. 

Flames consumed the entire club within three minutes, said Fire Chief Charles Hall. Fans rushed to the front entrance to the club instead of the fire exits and many became trapped in the burning building. "They tried to go out the same way they came in. That was the problem," Hall said. "They didn't use the other three fire exits." 

Because of the panic, the heavy smoke and the speed in which the blaze spread many patrons did not have a chance to make it out of the building. 

Hall told the Associated Press that the nightclub had recently passed a fire inspection but they did not have a permit to use pyrotechnics because the venue did not have a sprinkler system in place. 

"All of a sudden I felt a lot of heat," Jack Russell, Great Whites frontman, told CNN. "I see the foam's on fire. The next thing you know the whole place is in flames." 

Russell told local television station WJAR-TV that he checked with the club's manager before the show about the band's use of pyrotechnics and was given approval to use them. 

Published 2/21 Click Here for the Full Story 

March: Led Zep, MP3 Jail and Flying Sheep head
March had a few leading stories

Led Zep
Zeppelin Fans will have a great spring as two new releases are on tap from the band including a new DVD and a live album. The DVD simply dubbed "Led Zeppelin DVD" and the live album "How The West Was Won," will hit stores on May 27th and will feature some rare recordings and concert footage from the group's heyday. 

"Led Zeppelin DVD" will include approximately five and a half hours of features including footage from performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Earl's Court, Knebworth and Madison Square Garden. Apart from the live footage the DVD will also include bootleg footage, interviews and promo clips. 

The live album, "How The West Was Won" will be a testament to the band's assault on Southern California in 1972. The album will feature live recordings from two concerts, one at the Los Angeles Forum and the other the Long Beach Arena. According to Rolling Stone, "The set features a twenty-six-minute �Dazed and Confused,' a twenty-three-minute �Whole Lotta Love,' �Rock and Roll,' and �Stairway to Heaven,' as well as songs from the then-yet-to-be-released Houses of the Holy." Click Here for the Full Story 

MP3 Jail
antiMUSIC: It appears that the RIAA and MPAA have found yet another friend in the federal government of the United States. 

Wired.com reports that during a recent hearing of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, congressman John Carter (Rep � Tx) said that jailing college students who download copyrighted material would help stop piracy. 

This news comes on the heals of a story that we reported on February "Download An MP3, Go To Jail For 3 Years. " (see story) where we reported that lawmakers and the Justice Department were apparently planning to utilize a little known law called the "No Electronic Theft (NET) Act," to begin procecuting file traders. That law was passed by Congress and signed by Bill Clinton in 1997 with very little notice from the media. But last July, 19 members of Congress wrote a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft urging him to "to prosecute individuals who intentionally allow mass copying from their computer over peer-to-peer networks." Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif were among the 19 politicians urging the Attorney General to start taking action against online file swappers due to their concern over the "staggering increase in the amount of intellectual property pirated over the Internet through peer-to-peer systems." 

Now according to the Wired.com story congressman John Carter is ready to move forward with plans to jail student file swappers using the law. "What these kids don't realize is that every time they pull up music and movies and make a copy, they are committing a felony under the United States code," Carter said in an interview. "If you were to prosecute someone and give them three years, I think this would act as a deterrent." 

Published 3/23 Click Here for the Full Story 

Flying Sheep Head
antiMUSIC:In one of the strangest music related stories in a while, a fan in Bergen, Norway was injured during a concert last Thursday night when he was struck in the skull by a flying sheep's head. 

The Associated Press reports that members of Norwegian death metal band, Mayhem, were carving up a dead sheep on stage as part of their show "when the animal's head flew off lead singer Maniac's knife and struck 25-year-old Per Kristian Hagen." 

Hagen suffered a fractured skull from the assault. "My relationship to sheep is a bit ambivalent now. I like them, but not when they come flying through the air," Hagen told The Associated Press Monday from his hospital room. Click Here for the Full Story 

April: RIAA Sues - Weiland Joins ex Guns N' Rose'rs
The RIAA have finally followed through with their threat to go after individual file traders. Last Thursday the record industry trade group filed separate lawsuits against four student file traders. 

The suits were filed in federal courts in New York, New Jersey and Michigan and claim that four students, Daniel Peng, Joseph Nievelt, Jesse Jordan and Aaron Sherman, had offered more than a million songs to other users on local university networks. 

An RIAA spokesperson said that they are asking that the filesharing services be disabled and that damages of up to $150,000 per song be awarded. 

The file sharing services did not reach outside of the universities but were instead only available to students on the local networks servicing the universities. 

"These systems are best described as 'local area Napster networks,' " RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a statement. "The court ruled that Napster was illegal and shut it down. These systems are just as illegal and operate in the same manner. And just like Napster, they hurt artists, musicians, songwriters, those who invest in their work and the thousands of others who work to bring music to the public." 

Last October the RIAA sent letters to Universities warning them about illegal filesharing on their networks. They followed up shortly there after with similar letters sent to Fortune 500 companies. This new legal action seems to be the latest battle in the RIAA's war against Internet piracy, which is indeed heating up. 

Published 4/7 Click Here for the Full Story 

Weiland
Blabbermouth.net had this interesting tidbit about "The Project," the group that features former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. 

"The new band formed by ex-GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum has contributed a cover of PINK FLOYD's 'Money' to the soundtrack to the forthcoming remake of the 1969 British caper comedy 'The Italian Job'. Joining the group on the recording are STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman Scott Weiland, who is widely believed to be the top candidate to fill the 'permanent' singer slot in the band, presently known only as 'THE PROJECT', and keyboardist Teddy Andreadis, who has previously played with SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and CAROLE KING, among others."

 Published 4/25 Click Here for the Full Story 

May: Apple iTunes Huge Success
antiMUSIC reports: Apple, the company that brought the world the first mass market graphical user interface for micro-computers when they introduce the MacIntosh in 1984, have now become trailblazers in legal online MP3 distribution. 

Late last month the Cupertino, California based company rolled out their iTunes Music Store, which offers downloads of songs for $0.99 cents each. 

What sets iTunes apart from other services that offer legal downloads is the other services are based on a subscription model and the iTunes service offers popular songs for individual purchase. (an idea we here at antiMUSIC have been championing for sometime). 

The iTunes Music Store got off to a roaring start, with over a quarter of a million songs reportedly downloaded during the very first day of operation. This success should send a clear signal to record labels who have thus far taken a confrontational role towards the idea of distributing music online. 

iTunes is not for everyone, at least not yet. The initial role out of the service is limited to users of MacIntosh computers and the Apple iPod portable player. But the implications are pretty clear that the idea of selling songs for a dollar a piece is a winner considering that a quarter of a million songs were purchased by users of a computer system that represents roughly only 5% of the total personal computer user base. 

Perhaps it was that small installed user-base that sold the major labels on the idea of licensing their music to the iTunes service? What better way to experiment with the idea of selling individual songs online than with a small market segment? While this idea is a natural, up to this point the major record labels have shied away from using this business model and only recently reluctantly adopted the subscription model (which has not really caught on like expected). With the initial success of the iTunes service, look for the music industry to sit up and pay attention. While the changes may not come over night, Apple may have just sparked a revolution within the music industry. 

Published 5/5 Click Here for the Full Story 

June: U2's Bono Target Of Death Threats
antiMUSIC reports: One unidentified person is not too happy with Bono's efforts to eliminate Third World debt and the work he undertakes to aid other charities. In fact, this individual is so upset with the Bono, that he has taken to sending letters threatening to take the U2 frontman's life. 

Yahoo's Launch reports that Bono has tighten his personal security after receiving thirty-four letters at his management company in Ireland. The threatening letters reportedly were postmarked in London, and Bono began receiving them two years ago. 

The letter writer takes issue with Bono's philanthropic efforts to aid Africa by eliminating debt, fight famine and the spread of AIDS on the continent. 

The letters have now reportedly taken on a threatening form. The Sunday Mirror quotes one letter with the following, "You have been warned and you and your do-gooder friends had better watch out. f*** the foreigners and help your own people� If this carries on you will end up in a box." 

The threatening letters have been reported to British authorities and Scotland Yard and the Royal Mail service are reportedly conducting an investigation that is said to include examining the letters for DNA and fingerprints. 

Death threats apparently won't stop Bono. The Sunday Mirror quotes a reported friend of the U2 frontman as saying, "He is a key player in the campaign to end Third World debt, and will not be silenced by death threats." 

Published 6/29 Click Here for the Full Story 

July: Slipknot Songs Lead To Murder?
antiMUSIC reports: Can listening to Slipknot lead to murder? That's what two accused murders have lead police to believe. 

20 year-old Jason Lamar Harris and 16 year-old Amber Rose Riley have been charged with murdering their 22-year-old friend Terry Ray Taylor. The suspected reportedly stabbed Taylor over 20 times and slashed his throat. During an interrogation they told detectives that they listened to Slipknot before and after the murder. 

The suspects reportedly planned the murder months before they lured Taylor into a park where they assaulted him. Police found Taylor's body under at tree at Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino, California. 

Two detectives who are working the case testified in court last Thursday that the suspectes admitted that they used Slipknot's music to get fired up for murder. According to the San Bernardino County Sun, police told the court that the suspected quoted the following lyrics from the song "Disasterpiece", "I wanna slit your throat and f*** the wound/ I wanna push my face in and feel the swoon." 

The suspects are being held without bail and the case is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on July 18th. Prosecutors have stated that 16-year-old Amber Rose Riley will be tried as an adult due to the grisly nature of the murder. 

At press time, the Slipknot camp have yet to comment on this case. 

Published 7/9 Click Here for the Full Story 

This was the second most read news article on antiMUSIC in 2003

Aug: Phish Bassist Caught With 9-Year-Old Girl
antiMUSIC reports: Phish bassist Mike Gordon was arrested on child endangerment charges after being found with a nine-year-old girl in a secluded boathouse during a concert by the Dead in Jones Beach, New York.

 Gordon was also charged with trespassing. He reportedly told police that he was taking "art pictures" of the girl. The girl was reportedly uninjured. 

Some were quick to jump to Gordon's defense, challenging assumptions that his actions had a sinister angle to them. It was learned that the girl was the daughter of a Hells Angel, and some used the fact that Gordon was reportedly unharmed by members of the notorious motorcycle gang in his defense. However, we now find out that he did indeed have a nasty run in with members of the gang after they found him with the little girl. 

The New York Post reports members of the Hells Angels "beat Gordon up and held him until police arrived." 

Those that know the bassist say that it was all a misunderstanding, that Gordon didn't act with ill intentions. Andy Hurwitz of Ropeadope Records told the post, "If you knew Mike at all, you'd know he doesn't live on planet Earth. He's been making movies since he was a kid, and he's always taking photographs. He's an artist. The whole thing is a misunderstanding." 

According to the Associated Press, "Marcia Horowitz, a spokeswoman for the band, issued what she described as a joint statement from Gordon and the girl's family. The statement called the incident �an unfortunate misunderstanding, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us.'" 

Gordon will be able to explain the misunderstanding to the court. He was been ordered to appear at First District Court in Hempstead, Long Island, on September 29th. 

Published 8/21 Click Here for the Full Story 

Sep: Johnny Cash RIP 
AP reports: This special report is an excerpt of an obituary written by AP's John Gerome: 

Johnny Cash, "The Man in Black" who became a towering figure in American music with such hits as "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line" and "A Boy Named Sue," died Friday. He was 71. 

Cash died of complications from diabetes that resulted in respiratory failure, his manager, Lou Robin, said in a statement issued by Baptist Hospital in Nashville. Cash died at the hospital at 3 a.m. EDT. 

"I hope that friends and fans of Johnny will pray for the Cash family to find comfort during this very difficult time," Robin said. 

Cash had been released from the hospital Wednesday after a two-week stay for treatment of an unspecified stomach ailment. 

He had battled a disease of the nervous system, autonomic neuropathy, and pneumonia in recent years. His second wife, June Carter Cash, who co-wrote Cash's hit "Ring of Fire," died in May. 

"More than any single person I can think of, Johnny Cash broadened interest in country music all around the world. He was just a huge star, and became a cultural icon in America," said Ed Benson, executive director of the Country Music Association. "It's extremely sad. He's certainly someone who is irreplaceable in the music business, and in the hearts and minds of many Americans." 

Published 9/12 Click Here for the Full Story 

Oct: On Stage Suicide
It ended up appearing to be a PR stunt but an obscure band made headlines when they promised to have an onstage suicide during one of their concerts. Here was one of our reports on that story. 

There is massive confusion following the failed webcast of a live suicide during a concert by the band Hell On Earth. The event was scheduled to occur on Saturday night but the website for the band was reportedly attacked by hackers, which made it inaccessible and prevented both the concert and the live suicide from being broadcast. There are conflicting reports about whether the suicide took place after all. When it was learned that the broadcast would not take place, the operator of the company that reportedly hosts the band's website said that he was told by the band's vocalist Billy Tourtelot that the event would be postponed. The website also reportedly had a message posted on it Saturday night, for those who could actually access it, that read "Next week the show will go on" and also provided a link to another website evilnow.com, which belongs to a DJ for the internet radio station RadioFreeSatan.com. 

However, Tourtelot told the Associated Press late Saturday that the planned concert did occur and he did not know about the website attack until after the concert. He also said that he was unsure whether the person who was supposed to commit suicide actually went through with it. The suicide and concert were supposed to take place at different locations. 

There is yet another twist in the bizarre tale. Shane Bugbee, the online radio DJ that operates the evilnow.com website told the St. Petersburg Times that he had in his possession two video tapes. One with the live concert footage and another that may have been the suicide. 

"But I don't know if I believe it," Bugbee told the St. Petersburg Times. "I want some more information. 

"Until I see police taking a body out of a home, it could be Billy's girlfriend, for all I know." 

Published 10/06  Click Here for the Full Story 

Nov: Durst Stabbed in Face- Michael Jackson 
siN's metal news reported: This might come as good news to some, or simple travesty to others. Yesterday at KoRn / LIMP BIZKIT's New York show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, ol' Fred Durst whilst singing in the pit was bludgeoned in the face by some sort of hard or sharp projectile. He was quickly sent off to New York's St. Luke's Hospital for stitches, true meaning to "break yo' f*ckin' face tonite!" - Ironic, eh?

The New York Daily News review of the show says that Fred got cut in the chin during "Break Stuff". Wonder if Fred will encourage fans to "break stuff" in future concerts now that it appears that stuff includes his face? Published 11/24 Click Here for the Full Story 

Jackson Raided

 Officers conducting a criminal investigation searched Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch on Tuesday. The purpose of the raid was not disclosed. 

Court TV cited unidentified sources as saying the search warrant was tied to sexual-abuse allegations brought by a 12- or 13-year-old boy. Sheriff's officials and the district attorney's office refused comment. 

Jackson spokesman Stuart Backerman also refused to comment on any allegations and said neither he nor Jackson knew the details of the investigation. 

Sixty to 70 investigators from the Santa Barbara County sheriff's and district attorney's offices served a warrant as part of an "ongoing criminal investigation," Sgt. Chris Pappas said. No immediate arrests were made. 

Backerman said Jackson and his three young children were not at the ranch at the time and have been in Las Vegas, where Jackson is making a video. 

Jackson denounced media coverage of the search in a statement released by Backerman to The Associated Press. 

"I've seen lawyers who don't represent me and spokespeople who do not know me speaking for me. These characters always seem to surface with dreadful allegations just as another project, an album, a video is being released," the Jackson statement said. 

Detectives were expected to be gathering evidence into the night. The district attorney and sheriff planned to provide more details at Wednesday morning press conference.

Published 11/19 Click Here for the Full Story 

Dec: Ozzy Hurt in ATV Crash
Seattle PI reports: Ozzy Osbourne was seriously injured Monday in an accident on the grounds of his estate in England and underwent emergency surgery, a spokeswoman said. 

The 55-year-old rock star was riding a "quad bike," or all-terrain vehicle, on his Buckinghamshire property when the accident occurred, according to publicist Cindy Guagenti. 

His injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, she said. 

An examination showed Osbourne broke his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in his neck, according to Guagenti. He was in surgery Monday evening at an undisclosed English hospital. 

The operation was intended to lift the collarbone, which was believed to be resting on a major artery and interrupting blood flow to his arm. Surgeons also were trying to stem "some bleeding into his lungs," Guagenti said.

Published Dec 9 Click Here for the Full Story 

Ozzy was in intensive care for a while but is now out and is expected to take up to six months to recover.