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Day In Rock 1/8: Durst, Davis, Manson Fight Club- RIAA Bogus Claims- Cheap Trick & Aerosmith Tour- Dope Bassist Finds Love Quits Music- A Perfect Spring- New Green Day- GNR Bio- Web CD Sales Under Fire- plus The Ramones - Baby Robinson- Rare Beatles DVD- Bon Jovi- Puddle of Acoustic- More Warped Bands- more
by Keavin Wiggins
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The Day in Rock Thursday- antiMUSIC.com's look at Top Rock News Stories From the past 24 Hours

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Durst, Davis, Manson Fight Club
MTV reports: After reuniting for a fall tour, Korn and Limp Bizkit are ready to throw down. 

Don't go looking for Back 2 Brawling Tour tickets just yet, though, as the bands are set to battle only in the cyber world, in a video game Jonathan Davis is developing called "Pop Scars." 

"It's basically a celebrity fighting game, but in the context of a 'Soul Calibur' or 'Mortal Kombat,' where it's a real fighting game and it's not just a cheap fighting engine, just for the hell of it because it's celebrity fighting," Davis said, pointing out the alleged difference between his game and "Def Jam Vendetta" "It's going to be this real killer fighting [game] with these incredible different worlds where you can go." 

Along with Korn and Limp Bizkit, the game is slated to feature some of Davis' other musician friends, like Staind and Marilyn Manson. 

"It's not going to be just rock people, though," Davis said. "It's going to be everybody. Mary J. Blige and some more on the pop side that I've got to go after, just a well-rounded roster, so it'll be cool." 

Spokespeople for Blige did not return phone calls. 

Each celebrity will have a world catered to his or her personality. "With different traps and things that can just really eat them up," Davis said. "It's going to be gory and it's going to be good." Click Here for the Full Story 

RIAA Bogus Claims
Tinfoil music reports: The New York Daily News just reported some interesting facts concerning the RIAA's position regarding P2Ps and file-sharing. Specifically, that sales are NOT significantly down as the RIAA claims. To wit: "...one of the main reasons the RIAA insisted it had to start blasting downloaders out of the water last summer was that CD sales were plummeting - by almost 11%, the RIAA said. Well, Nielsen Soundscan figures for the year are out, and they show CD sales in 2003 were 687 million, compared to 693 million in 2002....that's an overall drop of less than 1%, which is hardly apocalyptic in a rough year when purchases of everything from cars to movie tickets were also down...."Click Here for the Full Story 

Cheap Trick & Aerosmith Tour
BW&BK reports: CHEAP TRICK are preparing to hit the road with AEROSMITH. The first confirmed date for the upcoming tour is April 18th at Le Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City. Click Here for the Full Story 

Dope Bassist Finds Love Quits Music
siN's metal news reports: The following message was posted on DOPE's official website: 

"Mosey has decided to retire from the music business in search of a more normal, stable life in conjunction with his fiery, monogamous romance with a lovely girl that he coincidentally met while on tour (all you ladies who sucked, f***ed or just did coke with him over the last year or so, don't call the DOPE house anymore� he doesn't live here). From Virus, Ricci, and of course, Edsel....Congratulations Mosey!!! 

Adrian of POWERMAN 5000 will be joining Edsel, Virus and Racci on the upcoming DOPE tour. A permanent replacement with be named at a later date. Click Here for the Full Story 

A Perfect Spring
siN's metal news reports: We have a handful of US Spring Tour 2004 A PERFECT CIRCLE tour dates to add onto the ones we've reported on yesterday. They are as follows:

 March 18th - E-Center - Salt Lake City, UT 
March 20th - Magness Arena - Denver, CO 
March 21st - Convention Center - Albuquerque, NM 
March 23rd - NextStage - Dallas, TX 
March 24th - Lloyd Noble Arena - Norman, OK 
March 26th - Amarillo Coliseum - Amarillo, TX 
March 27th - Don Haskins Center - El Paso, TX 
March 28th - Dodge Theater - Phoenix, AZ
March 29th - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV 
March 31st - Memorial Auditorium - Sacramento, CA 
April 1st - Long Beach Arena - Long Beach, California
April 2nd - Cox Arena - San Diego, California
April 3rd - Bill Graham Civic Center - San Francisco, California
April 5th - Bank of America Building - Boise, Idaho
April 6th - The Opera House - Spokane, Washington
April 8th - Queen E. Theater - Vancouver, British Columbia
April 9th - Tacoma Dome - Seattle, Washington
April 10th - TBA - Portland, Oregon
April 12th - Valley Ice Garden - Bozeman, Montana
April 13th - Rushmore Center - Rapid City, South Dakota
April 15th - Municipal Auditorium - Kansas City, Kansas
April 16th - UIC Pavilion - Chicago, Illinois
April 30th, or May 1st, or May 2nd - Washington D.C

 The tour, which is expected to last until May, and according to sources close to management of A PERFECT CIRCLE, it appears that MARS VOLTA and CURSIVE are both still very distinct possibilities as support for Maynard and co., but, they are just two possibilities of many - so hypothetically, another support act could be confirmed instead of the two aforementioned bands. Click Here for the Full Story 

New Green Day
Ananova reports: Green Day are planning to release their first new album in four years. 

Singer Billie Joe Armstrong says the new material is "really blowing me away". 

In an audio message on the band's website, he said: "We have a new album. I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to blow some people away. It's really blowing me away and that's why I play music. 

"I know it's taken me about three and a half years so far to blow myself away, but I just want to make sure. I wouldn't say I'm a perfectionist, but I just want things to be great. I want things to be exceptional." Click Here for the Full Story 

GNR Bio
Blabbermouth reports: According to Barnes & Noble, a brand new unauthorized GUNS N' ROSES biography will be published by Chrome Dreams later this month. Titled "The Band That Time Forgot: The Complete Unauthorised Biography of Guns N' Roses", the book was written by journalist Paul Stenning, who has previously contributed to Powerplay, Record Collector, and Terrorizer. 

This is what the publisher says about the book: 

"The personal and musical history of GUNS N' ROSES is detailed in this revealing band biography. Timed to coincide with the highly anticipated release of 'Chinese Democracy', their first album in 10 years, this compelling account offers complete, updated information on the band's incredible past and current ambitions. New interviews with ex-band members, including lead guitarist Slash and bass player Duff, provide fresh revelations about the band's key players. Previously unpublished color photographs from the group's early days gathered from ex-members' personal collections offer an intriguing visualization of the band's past."Click Here for the Full Story 

The Ramones Live
Billboard reports: Marky Ramone says his two-date "Marky Ramone and Friends (an evening of music by the Ramones)" mini-tour is designed to gauge audience interest in hearing the music of the legendary New York band live in concert again. 

"I've been getting so much email and things from kids saying, 'Why don't you come out and play some Ramones songs?' because a lot of them were too young to see the Ramones," he told Billboard.com. "So I figured I would put something together, do a few shows, have some fun and make some Ramones fans happy." 

The idea for the shows -- Detroit (Jan. 15, Alvin's) and Cleveland (Jan. 17, Beachland Ballroom) -- came to Ramone last summer when he played Ramones material at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum with Cleveland musicians C.J. Gunn (guitar), Aaron Dowell (bassist) and David Divine (singer) sitting in. He says original member Johnny Ramone is no longer interested in playing music. But fans attending the upcoming special shows can expect to hear material from all eras of the Ramones' 20-plus year career. 

"I want to see how it is going to go over," said Ramone. "But this isn't a tribute band, I want to make that clear. I just want to show people what I played in the Ramones, who weren't able to see the Ramones and how other bands have, I guess, imitated or copped things from the Ramones, and have put it in their own style, which is fine." 

He says a good response will more than likely result in a full-fledged tour later this year. Click Here for the Full Story 

Baby Robinson
AP reports: Actress Kate Hudson and her husband, musician Chris Robinson, have had their first child, a boy. 

Ryder Russell Robinson was born Wednesday in Los Angeles, weighing in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces. 

Hudson, 24, the daughter of Goldie Hawn, and former Black Crowes singer Robinson, 37, have been married since 2000. Click Here for the Full Story 

Harrison's Guitar Pt II
AP reports: A doctor accused of coercing ailing ex-Beatle George Harrison into signing a guitar offered on Wednesday to donate the instrument to charity. 

A lawyer for Harrison's relatives rejected Dr. Gilbert Lederman's offer as "spin" and said they would not drop a lawsuit against the Staten Island cancer specialist, who treated Harrison. 

The lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses Lederman of holding Harrison's hand and forcing him to sign the physician's son's guitar over the weakened musician's protestations. 

The ex-Beatle died in November 2001, about two weeks after the signing. He was 58. 

Lederman's attorney, Wayne Roth, responded in an e-mailed statement Wednesday that: "Dr. Lederman developed a close personal relationship with Mr. Harrison, who freely autographed his son's guitar." 

Lederman would like to donate the guitar, which has been valued at less than $10,000, to a charity agreed upon by the doctor and Harrison's estate, Roth wrote. Click Here for the Full Story 

Rare Beatles For DVD
Ananova reports: Candid footage from the height of Beatlemania is to be seen for the first time to mark the 40th anniversary of their US debut. 

The access all areas film recorded their first footsteps in America, capturing John, Paul, George and Ringo's effect on a massive new audience. 

It is now to be issued on DVD next month along, and includes groundbreaking moments such as The Beatles' legendary appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. 

The intimate scenes were shot by pioneering film-makers Albert and David Maysles. 

They formed part of a black and white 40-minute film shown in the US and on UK TV in 1964. But the footage has now been upgraded and extended to 80 minutes using unseen footage. 

And the DVD - called The Beatles First US Visit - also includes a 50-minute 'making of' with further scenes which have not been used before.Click Here for the Full Story 

Web CD Sales Under Fire
Reuters reports: Britain's record industry said on Wednesday it is investigating a number of Web retailers, including Amazon.com, to determine whether they are breaking the law by selling discounted compact discs. 

The probe is being conducted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), a music industry trade association which of late has stepped up its monitoring of Web sites' selling practices. 

According to UK law, retailers must sell compact discs sourced from within the European Economic Area in accordance with broader European laws. 

A BPI spokesman said the group recently began looking into whether Amazon, among others, is selling to UK consumers CDs obtained from overseas wholesalers. 

Many Web retailers have built a brisk business by selling music titles at a discount to high street chains. The BPI's crackdown, industry observers say, may kick off the biggest probe into how Web retailers source their product. 

The BPI has already launched law suits against two online music retailers -- CDWow and Play.com -- arguing they are able to undercut high street retailers by sourcing product from cheap overseas suppliers. 

The industry's concern is that online retailers will rely heavily upon discount wholesalers and distributors, particularly in Asia, to circumvent strict import laws and put downward pressure on the market price for music. 

The industry is in a tight spot, though, because it often acknowledges that Internet retailers have become an important source of revenue at a time of crisis over declining sales. Click Here for the Full Story 

Bon Jovi's New Arena
AP reports: A two-minute minimovie starring Jon Bon Jovi and John Elway that will preview the upcoming Arena Football League season will be distributed in movie theaters this month. 

Bon Jovi and Elway both own teams in the indoor league, which begins its 18th season in February. Bon Jovi, whose hits include "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "It's My Life," is co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul. 

Elway is co-owner of the Colorado Crush. 

The AFL and Regal CineMedia have announced an agreement that will run the entertainment segment in nearly 400 Regal Entertainment Group theaters nationwide from Jan. 9-29. 

In the feature, Elway goes to Bon Jovi's house to welcome him to the AFL. The greeting isn't well received and both men decide to "take it inside" and play a game between their teams inside Bon Jovi's house. 

After Colorado's quarterback is injured, Elway puts on a uniform, leading to a spectacular conclusion. Click Here for the Full Story 

Puddle of Acoustic
MTV reports: During Puddle of Mudd's club tour last fall, the band regularly dropped into rock stations along the way to perform a live acoustic song or two. 

Puddle of Mudd liked what they heard. So much so that an acoustic album is in the works for later this year. 

"Most of our songs were written on acoustic guitars, so you're inevitably gonna have to record 'em [that way]," singer Wes Scantlin said backstage during KROQ-FM's recent Almost Acoustic Christmas show. "And it's a cool, raw way to record your music." 

The acoustic album is one of several projects Puddle of Mudd want to release as fan treats prior to their third studio record. It's also a way, as guitarist Paul Phillips put it, "to buy ourselves some time, so we can actually take a break." A live album and DVD are in the works as well. 

"It's what the fans want to see," Scantlin said. "Actually, a lot of times fans want to see backstage stuff more than [performances]. But you've gotta have some guts to release that stuff." Click Here for the Full Story 

More Warped Bands
Punkbands.com reports: Avenged Sevenfold, IMA Robot and The Beautiful Mistake have been added to this summer's Vans Warped Tour. Keep an eye for more additions to the Tour. Click Here for the Full Story 

Sense Field No More
Aversion reports: After 13 years, Sense Field has called it a day. 

The band's statement says its members remain friends, but after 13 years look to move past the Sense Field realm. No solo plans or other musical endeavors were revealed for any of its members. The band's final album was last year's Living Outside (Nettwerk America) Click Here for the Full Story 

Devy Fan Only CDs
BW&BK reports: Hevy Devy Records website (www.hevydevy.com) has posted the following message from DEVIN TOWNSEND: 

I will release two website only records in late February (the albums go to the layout place January 13th). These records are fun and not meant to be taken very seriously. 'Fan-only' records, but both of them are excellent and at least 72 minute long. I did the art and layout as well... (Haha!!!) 

One is Ass-sordid II with all the old demos from my early bands Noisescapes and Grey Skies as well as a whole whack of lost songs from the early days. A full 72 minute CD worth! 

The second album is called Devlab, and in a explosion I assembled together all my year long laptop workings when I got home from the Symphony X tour. I wanted to make a completely f***ed record that compliments schizophrenia or Flu symptoms... 

Honestly, some people will absolutely HATE it, so I don't recommend it to everyone. Just people who want to hear what a Devin Townsend 72 minute long ambient record would be like (and even them I strongly caution). 

That being said, I LOVE it, but just so I don't kill my career, I'll only make it available through the site. There's a bit of writing in the booklets as well. Just descriptions and ramblings. Lots of pretentious s***...either you like it or you don't... If not, buy Meshuggah, Opeth, Dimmu, and Ween instead. They f***ing RULE! Click Here for the Full Story 

Gibson Expands
Hollywood Reporter reports: Gibson Guitar Corp. chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz is intent on keeping Gibson on the cutting edge of technology. 

The company has established a consumer electronics division called Gibson Audio and developed its first product, the Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox. The product is being launched Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and has been awarded the Consumer Electronics Assn.'s best in audio award. 

The Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox allows consumers to store as many as 1,000 CDs in Windows Media format and access 100 channels of digital radio as well as a download store. 

"I'm totally focused on what people want," Juszkiewicz says. "I don't determine what they want, I don't determine the price points; I just really study the situation." Click Here for the Full Story 

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