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Indictments in Great White Fire
Reuters reports: Three people were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday in the first criminal counts over a Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people and injured some 200 in February. 

Capping a nine-month investigation into the deadly blaze at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a grand jury returned indictments against two of the club's owners and a former road manager for the rock band Great White. 

The Station went up in flames on Feb. 20 during a pyrotechnic display at the start of a Great White concert. It was the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. 

During separate arraignments in front of Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Netti Vogel, club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, and the band's tour manager, Dan Biechele, were each charged with 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter with criminal negligence, and 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in violation of a misdemeanor. All three pleaded not guilty. 

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, prosecutors said. . Click Here for the Full Story

Korn's anti-single
Blabbermouth reports: KORN have chosen "Y'all Want a Single", a song railing against their record label's insistence on including some radio-friendly fare on their heavy-handed new album, "Take a Look in the Mirror", as their next single, according to MTV.com. The song, which follows the track "Right Now", won't be pushed to radio outlets in the traditional sense. Instead, the band is urging fans to request the song at radio, though it's unclear how successful such a campaign for airplay will be given the track's expletive-laden chorus..Click Here for the Full Story

Coke MP3s
NME reports: COCA-COLA are to launch their own UK music-download service in the New Year, which they claim will feature the largest available catalogue of songs online

The soft drinks company will offer a legal alternative to file-sharing and boast 250,000 available tracks from over 8,500 artists.

Coca-Cola's marketing director Julia Goldin said: "We're delighted to bring downloadable music to more people and we are working in close partnership with the music industry to do so."

She told The Guardian: "Consumers have told us that downloading music is confusing and complicated and what they want is an easy, simple to use downloadable service from a trusted brand."

January will see the launch of mycokemusic.com, which will also mark the first high-profile brand to become involved directly in the music business.

The service will face market opposition from the now legal Napster and Apple's iTunes. The service has currently sold 17 million tracks to US customers, despite being just seven months old.

The move follows last week's announcement that Coca-Cola will sponsor the official single and album charts.

The agreement will see the company name checked in Radio 1's weekly Top 40 countdown as well as being mentioned in the closing credits of BBC 1's 'Top Of The Pops'. .-Click Here for the Full Story

"Tell the RIAA to have a Coke and a smile and shut the..." 

Ozzy in Bad Shape
icBirmingham reports that OZZY OSBOURNE could take two months to fully recover from his serious quad bike accident, a doctor said today.

Osbourne had to have emergency surgery after suffering a cracked vertebra in his neck, eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a damaged blood vessel.

The former BLACK SABBATH frontman is now on a ventilator to help his breathing as he starts his recovery.

Dr. Annabel Bentley said with so many injuries it could be six to eight weeks before Osbourne was fully recovered, so long as there were no further complications.

"How long treatment will take depends on the severity of the injuries and what happens in the first few days. It sounds like he is having all the right treatment done. He is in intensive care on a ventilator. The reason for this is because when someone breaks that many ribs and his collar bone it makes it difficult to breathe. They tend to take only shallow breaths because of the pain caused by their injuries," she said.

Dr. Bentley, assistant medical director at BUPA, said Osbourne could be helped to breathe for a day or maybe longer, and may be in hospital for at least a week or more.

She said he would also be receiving physiotherapy to help his breathing, and may have been given a thoracic epidural to control his pain.

Antibiotics would also be given to reduce the risk of the patient getting a chest infection.

But Dr. Bentley, who has worked with similar injuries in A&E, said that patients in his situation would be expected to make a full recovery.
Click Here for the Full Story 

Van Halen Semi-Reunion
Blabbermouth reports: One half of the Hagar-era VAN HALEN � vocalist Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony � has been booked to play the Houston, Texas pre- Super Bowl XXXVIII party, SuperBash, late next month, according to the Houston Chronicle.

On Monday plans for SuperBash, a five-day downtown fiesta of live music and 32,000 square feet of revelry, were announced by Louis Messina, CEO of Houston-based concert promoters the Messina Group. 

From Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, SuperBash's heated tent and three stages will take over two city blocks, bounded by Austin, LaBranch, Prairie and Capitol. Capacity will be approximately 15,000. 

Other artists booked to play the two indoor and one outdoor stages include EVE 6, DEANA CARTER, TRICK PONY, BETTER THAN EZRA, BR5-49, REV. HORTON HEAT and ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL.-Click Here for the Full Story

In other news Robert Plant and John Paul Jones are.... 

Dick's New Year's  
Billboard reports: Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, 3 Doors Down and the Black Eyed Peas are among the artists pegged to perform Dec. 31 on ABC-TV's Dick Clark-hosted "New Year's Rockin' Eve" special. The annual year-end celebration will be split into three portions, each laden with musical performances.

"Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve" will kick things off at 10 p.m. ET/PT with Clark introducing performance highlights from 2003 tours featuring Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Elton John, KISS, Avril Lavigne and Tim McGraw..Click Here for the Full Story 

Dick Clark has hosted the program since it's debut in 1923, and he hasn't changed a bit... 

God Forbid
The PRP reports: God Forbid have now released their new EP "Better Days" through Century Media. The effort will be available for a low-price, but will only be released to select stores, aside from Century Media's own webstore located at www.centurymedia.com. The outing serves as a precursor to the groups new album "Gone Forever", which will see a release on February 24th. In related news, the band expect to begin touring in support of the album in February, while the recently filmed video for their track "Better Days" is set to begin airing next month...Click Here for the Full Story 

Loves Rehab AWOL
Much Music reports: Courtney Love took a little break from her residential re-hab stay in Malibu to hit the Los Angeles club scene. Love was spotted last week checking out rock trio the Hard Place at the Tangiers club, before turning up at another club where she joined indie rockers Let's Go Sailing onstage. Love was reportedly decked out in a tube top, fishnets and low-top Chuck Taylors. Courtney is due in court on Thursday to face drug charges. Love reportedly checked into the Malibu live-in rehab facility in late November. Her solo album, "America's Sweetheart", is scheduled for a February release.. Click Here for the Full Story 

That will impress the judge.  

Otep Implodes 
siN's metal news reports: Rob, guitarist of OTEP has been given the boot from the band. Not much information has been released about his firing, much the same way about their ex-drummer Moke's firing earlier this year. 

Here's Rob's message on the OTEP forum:

"just so everyone knows.. I DID NOT quit the band.. and neither did moke for that matter..I will say goodluck to J.. you have been a great friend and it's been great working with a _real_ musician.. 

This is the LAST thing I will ever say on this website. Thank you all for supporting our music..."

-Rob 

Here also is OTEP frontwoman Otep's followup:

"tears dry, bruises fade, and laughter is fleeting.

from a very early age, i knew that nothing lasts forever. people change, agendas change -- the very nature of life is change. so if the strong are to survive, tough decisions have to be made. in stating this, i would like to announce that there has been a necessary 'change' in the line-up. rob is no longer the guitar player for OTEP and we wish him the best of luck. this has no effect on the 2nd album in any way. all of the songs that will be used were authored by myself, the producer, and evil j -- with a little help from joey of slipknot. 

art is war, there will be casualties."

-Click Here for the Full Story

O-who?

Zombie's Creepy Co. 
Billboard reports: Rocker Rob Zombie and horror author Steve Niles have banded together to form Creep Entertainment International, a production company through which the pair will develop horror-inspired projects in music, comic book, films, video games and books.

The first projects from the Los Angeles-based company will be three comic books -- "The Nail," "Bigfoot" and the comic book/music hybrid "The Lords of Salem." All three are co-written by Zombie and Niles.

"I think this is a perfect opportunity," says Niles in a statement. "Zombie and I are very like-minded and we've spent our lives digesting horror, and we both have our own take on the genre at the same time. I think combining our unique imaginations will result in some enjoyably twisted material."- Click Here for the full story

Jackson Banned. 
The silly news item this week comes from E! 

Next time you're surfing Amazon.com, keep the Michael Jackson jokes to yourself. 

The online retail giant has removed the customers' advice section from its page for Jackson's latest greatest-hits album after the suggested picks ranged from books on child molesters to a baby-gift set called Thank Heaven for Little Boys. 
mazon.com spokeswoman Patty Smith said the jibes were deleted late last week. 

"If people were making serious recommendations, they'd be making recommendations for other bands...[and not ones] so clearly tied to legal issues," Smith said Monday.  -Click Here for the Full Story 

Do you think John Hinckley would do it all over again if he knew one day Jodie Foster would look like a blond Michael Jackson? They do practically have the same nose job.  

ATF Head Turns Anti-Pirate
AP reports: The director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leaving his post next month to lead the recording industry's efforts to stop music piracy. 

Bradley A. Buckles, who served ATF for 30 years and was named director in 1999, will come head of the Anti-Piracy Unit of the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group announced Tuesday. 

"Brad's appointment should signal to everyone that we continue to take piracy, here and throughout the world, very seriously," said Mitch Bainwol, RIAA's chairman and chief executive officer. 

Over the past six months, RIAA has filed more than 380 copyright lawsuits against computer users its says are illegally distributing songs over the Internet. The RIAA also says music copyrights are increasingly threatened by easy-to-produce counterfeit compact disks. 
-Click Here for the Full Story 

Pixies DVD
Billboard reports: While reports that the Pixies will reunite for concerts in 2004 remain unconfirmed, Billboard.com has learned there are two archival projects in the works. 

The group's manager, Ken Goes, says 4AD is prepping "a very nice DVD," as well as a newly compiled "best of" album to replace the 1997 release "Death to the Pixies," which is now out of print in the U.S. No release dates have been announced. 

The DVD will feature eight Pixies videos, for such tracks as "Debaser," "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven." Also included is the documentary "Gouge," which was shown on British television a few years ago and sports interviews with Radiohead's Thom Yorke, David Bowie and U2 frontman Bono. 

Rounding out the package is a 1988 concert taped at London's Town and Country on the Pixies' maiden tour of the region. "Finally, it'll include some off-stage stuff, sort of behind-the-scenes, on tour and in the studio; about 30 minutes or so," Goes reports. "It'll be a great package for fans and a nice introduction for others." ..-Click Here for the Full Story 

Adema Abloom
The PRP reports: Abloom, a band comprised of members of Soulfly and Onesidezero fame, will be playing the following stops in support of Adema:
December 16th Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
December 17th Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
December 18th Santa Barbara, CA - The Coach House
December 19th Bakersfield, CA - The Dome
-Click Here for the Full Story 

Maverick Solo CD
(press release) The voice of The Mavericks, Raul Malo, teams with renowned musicians Pat Flynn, Rob Ickes and Dave Pomeroy for The Nashville Acoustic Sessions, an 11-track CD of classic tunes from Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" to Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go," to Mancini and Mercer's "Moon River." The collection, on CMH Records, arrives in stores March 30, 2004.

The tracks featured here are a perfect blend and balance of traditional pop, country / bluegrass, and Americana, each chosen to highlight Malo's unmistakable vocals over the pure, uncluttered feel of acoustic instrumentation. 

Produced in Nashville by John Wooler (Buena Vista Social Club guitarist Eliades Ochoa, The I-10 Chronicles, Wanda Jackson), and engineered by Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Bill Laswell), The Nashville Acoustic Sessions displays Malo's remarkable versatility alongside the superb musicianship of Flynn (guitar), Ickes (dobro) and Pomeroy (bass). The CD also features the talents of Siedah Garrett (background vocals), percussionist Larry Castro and harp master Jim Hoke.

Other songs included on the disc include Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road," The Louvin Brothers "Great Atomic Power" and "When I Stop Dreaming," Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" and the Hank Williams classic "Weary Blues From Waiting.". -Click Here for the Full Story 
 

ISC Have Faith in Unfaith 
(press release) The Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition (ISC) just unveiled its finalists for the 2003 edition of its contest, and among the 9 chosen entries in the pivotal Rock category is Unfaith's "LET ME BECOME ME", written by Montreal's own Erik Ashley. 

Also among the 9 finalists is Toronto's Tara Slone, singer/songwriter for Joydrop, whose hit single "Sometimes Wanna Die" (/w video featuring Motley Crue's Tommy Lee) dominated Canadian radio in the summer of 2002.

"Just being on the same list as some of these established artists elevates all of us," says Unfaith singer/songwriter Erik Ashley. "And the fact that someone from Quebec with no professional contacts of any kind could make it this far in a competition of this stature helps restore my faith in the process. 'LET ME BECOME ME' was recorded on an average home computer, and uploaded directly to the ISC at the 11th hour of the entry deadline."

There have been over 11,000 entries in this year's ISC edition. The judges who will determine the final winners include Universal Records President Monte Lipman, Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas, Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida, DJ/Producer Paul Oakenfold, Blues legend B.B. King, and Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, among others.-Click Here for the Full Story 

Mail Bag 

A follow up to a letter published yesterday

From  Nat: I ran into Ike Reilley recently at a performance of the Nightwatchmen in Chicago. He said that the new album should be out in February 2004. Just so you know, he did another EP that he was selling at shows. It's called Cars & Girls & Drinks & Songs. He said he was going to bring a bunch to my store to sell (Dog Ear in Libertyville, his hometown), but, he never did. I believe that the new album is on Lost Highway, but, I can't remember if that is for sure. Glad to see some people like good music!

Response:Thanks for the update Nate. 

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