2 Die at Concert
AP reports: Two fans died during the weekend Bonnaroo music festival, which drew more than 150,000 people, and investigators said drugs appear to have been involved. 

They were the first deaths in the festival's three-year history. 

"When there is drug usage and the heat has been like it has, we have been expecting it every year. ... This year our luck ran out," Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said. 

Preliminary toxicology tests showed both victims had been using drugs, investigator Dale Brissey said. 

The festival, at a farm halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga, offered a diverse lineup that included Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews and The Dead. [see full story for more] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Love Tour Canceled?
MTV reports: Due to Courtney Love's legal problems, her summer tour plans appear to have been severely compromised. 

Though the singer's representatives anticipated that the outing, which was to begin this week, would be "slightly delayed," about half of Love's scheduled concert dates are being listed not as postponed, but canceled.- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: MTV also has news on Usher, Alicia Keys Record Duet, 50 Disses Headliner R. Kelly, Storms Off Summer Jam Stage Two Fans Die At Bonnaroo Music Festival, Beastie Boys Serve Up Ill Classics At Weenie Roast, The Olsen Twins, Usher, Britney Spears, The Pixies, Avril Lavigne, Modest Mouse and more click here to check it out

Ray Charles Movie 
Variety reports: Universal is going ahead with plans to open "Ray," a biopic about the late singer Ray Charles, on Oct. 29. 

Studio acquired the rights to the project in March when it was named "Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story," 16 years after the project first went into development. Taylor Hackford, who directed and is a producer on the film, issued a statement about Charles on Friday. 

"For the past 15 years, I've had the privilege of collaborating with Ray on a feature film about his life. It didn't take us that long to make the film, only to find the financing." 

Production on the pic, starring Jamie Foxx, wrapped in July 2003. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Velvet Revolver Best Seller
Blabbermouth reports: According to Hits Daily Double, VELVET REVOLVER's "Contraband" remains on track to snag the top slot on The Billboard 200 chart from USHER, whose "Confessions" just finished its ninth winning week. 

As the sales reports are tallied, it continues to look like VELVET REVOLVER will debut at No. 1 on first-week sales approaching 250,000, putting the album on top by a comfortable margin. "Contraband" also looks likely to top the Australian album chart, having debuted at number one on the Australian HMV midweek chart last week. [more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: Blabbermouth also has news on OCTAGON: Recording Sessions Postponed, MALICE IN WONDERLAND To Release Debut In September, DAMAGEPLAN's DIMEBAG Talks Guitar, SLIT: New Song Available For Free Download, TWISTED SISTER, MOTORHEAD, SODOM Perform At Italy's GODS OF METAL, UNLEASHED: Live Video Posted Online, and more click here to check it out

Aerosmith Cancel Dates
Pollstar reports: Aerosmith has canceled several dates of its ongoing North American tour, reportedly due to illness. 

The axed shows include a June 6 performance in Birmingham, Ala., June 12 in Atlantic City, N.J., and June 14 in Scranton, Pa. The Birmingham show has been rescheduled for June 30. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Fear Factory Remastered
IAYM reports: A remastered re-release of Fear Factory's 1992 album "Soul Of A New Machine" will land in stores on September 14th through Roadrunner. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Chimaira RoadRage
IAYM reports: Chimaira are expected to team up with three other bands on Roadrunner Records' roster for a co-headlining "Road Rage" trek in the U.S. this August. All the details relating to the tour will be announced shortly. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: IAYM also has news on Woven: summer tour, Dew-Scented: new album in progress, Dark Tranquillity: new album mixed, Black Sabbath acquire new keyboard player, One Mile Wish live shows , Anal Blast: "Battered Bleeding Bitch", dredg dates confirmed, and more click here to check it out

McCartney Bans Meat
ArrowFM reports: Crew members on the set of Paul McCartney's concert are upset because he banned the eating of meat by anyone working on the tour. "It's completely crazy," one worker in Oslo, Norway (where McCartney is performing tonight) told the local rag. "We're supposed to work from eight till eight each day, and aren't served anything but salad and vegetarian food. I can't live without meat doing this kind of work, and will defy the band and bring my own lunch packet with meat." According to other sources, the crew is also prohibited from wearing leather belts or shoes. "We can't control what they do in their spare time," a spokesman for the concert organizers said. "But as long as they're inside the stadium area, it's correct that they are banned from eating meat."- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: ArrowFM also has news on Stars Gather to Mark Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, Exhibit Revs Up Springsteen's Engine, Hung Shames the Queen and the People, J. Garcia Wine Sells Out and more click here to check it out

James Brown Pleads Guilty
TVNZ reports: Singer James Brown pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge stemming from an argument with his wife and was let off with a $US1,087 fine. 

The 71-year-old 'Godfather of Soul' was arrested in January and accused of pushing his wife, Tomi Rae Brown, to the floor and threatening to kill her. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Maverick Deal
Financial Times reports: Warner Music, the record group run by Edgar Bronfman Jr, has patched up a messy legal dispute with Madonna by agreeing to buy out the pop diva's share in their Maverick Records joint venture. 

Warner said on Monday it had agreed to buy out shares in Maverick owned by Madonna and Ronnie Dashev, the label's chief operating officer, giving it a majority stake in the joint venture. It also extended its agreement with Maverick and signed Guy Oseary, who is credited with spotting many of the label's new acts, to a multi-year deal. [see full story for more] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Sevendust Nonpoint Tour Coming
The PRP reports: Sevendust will be hitting the road alongside Nonpoint in July, dates and venues will be announced shortly. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Kittie Tracks
The PRP reports: The tentative track listing has been revealed for Kittie's upcoming new album "Until The End", it looks as follows: 01 - "So Pretty" - 02 - "Career Suicide"- -03 "Until The End"- 04 - "Red Flag"- 05 - "Pussy Sugar"- 06 - "In Dreams"- 07 - "Into The Darkness" -08 - "Burning Bridges"- 09 - "Loveless" - 10 - "Daughters Down"- The effort will see a July 27th release through Artemis. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: The PRP also has news on October Gets Dehumanized Pt. 2, Spill More Blood, Recoil To Dust, Screaming Bubblegum, Remastered Soul, Breaking The Megalomaniac, Reinventing Your Video, Staind Alive , Live Instructions, This Is Live and more click here to check it out

A Perfect Murder EP
siN's metal news reports: A PERFECT MURDER will be releasing one more EP with Cyclop Media before unleashing their next full length via Victory Records. The EP, aptly titled "Rehearsal," will feature new material that hints at the band's forward movement. [more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Children of Bodom Covers EP
siN's metal news reports: More information regarding CHILDREN OF BODOM's upcoming EP, "Trashed, Lost & Strungout", which is set for a late Summer release is reported to feature two new songs, and a number of covers, has been released. ALICE COOPER's 'Bed of Nails', and ANDREW W.K's 'She Is Beautiful' will be the featured cover songs according to Finnish paper Sonera Plaza. The disc was completed, mixed, and mastered just this past April.- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: siN's metal news also has news on Nonpoint to support Sevendust on Summer Tour, SKOM - Moved release date, SOiL - Tour journal update!, Trivium - Road Update, Chimaira / Machine Head - RoadRage Tour, First Milwuakee Metalfest Bands Announced, New Unleashed Track Posted Online, Misery Index To Record New EP, Hit The Road and more click here to check it out

Papa Roach Pull Off Another
Digital Noise reports: Papa Roach will be releasing their new album, titled "Getting Away With Murder", in September through Dreamworks Records. 

The follow-up to 2002's "Lovehatetragedy", was produced by by Howard Benson (P.O.D., Blindside, Cold) and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge (Billy Talent, GlassJaw, P.O.D., Stone Temple Pilots). [see full story for some upcoming tour dates]- Click Here for the Full Story 

(hed) sign to Koch
Digital Noise reports: (hed) (formerly (hed)p.e.) have reportedly signed a record deal with Koch Records. 

The band is currently in pre-production and are slated to drop a full length CD (13-15 joints) in September 2004. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Million Band March
tinfoil reports: [the following is just a small excerpt from The Rosenbergs frontman, David Fagin's recent rant against Clear Channel - see the full story for it all] It occurred to me that smart, free thinking citizens are the "Delta House," and the FCC and Clear Channel are the Dean Wormers and Douglas C. Neidermeyers of this generation. And what did the Deltas do when they knew they were going down with the ship? That's right! Toga Party! Now, as much fun as a "Toga Party for the First Amendment" would be, I doubt it would do any real good for the future of said amendment, or for the liberation of our airwaves in general (although I'd love to see Sheryl Crow in a toga). 

Instead, I propose a "Million Band March" on Capitol Hill. Think of it! A "musical colonic"! One sunny day in May, thousands of artists, writers, producers, actors, directors, disc jockeys, and anyone else crazy enough to be there, takes to the streets and gathers in front of the headquarters of the FCC to say "We're Mad As Hell And We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore!" We hold a rally, complete with fiery speeches and powerful performances from artists not afraid of Clear Channel (basically, me and Don Henley), then we break down the door of Michael Powell's office, strip him to his underwear, and pass him over our shoulders through the crowd! (The latter is just a joke. He doesn't wear underwear.) [most of the rant is rather series, so click the full story link to check it out.]- Click Here for the Full Story 

RIAA Targets Digital Radio
Wired reports: Digital radio broadcasts that bring CD-quality sound to the airwaves could lead to unfettered song copying if protections are not put in place, a recording-industry trade group warned on Friday. 

Without copy protections, music fans could cherry-pick songs off the air and redistribute them over the Internet, further deepening the copyright woes of record labels, the Recording Industry Association of America said. 

U.S. regulators at the Federal Communications Commission should ensure that the broadcast format limits such copying so radio stations don't turn the airwaves into a giant file-sharing network, RIAA officials said. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Pedro The Radiohead
Pitchfork reports: Pedro the Lion, who, following the death of Creed, may now claim the title of Christian Rock's Biggest Band (except Stryper), know how to swing them some bonus tour cash, and are officially ready to strike the fear of God into your wallet on their latest U.S. jaunt. The merch? A brand new tour-only EP containing live in-studio recordings of three previously released tracks, and three covers of songs by Radiohead, Cat Power, and Randy Newman. Though these things always seem to show up somewhere after the fact, you can be reasonably sure that this one's going to sell out. Unless it doesn't. Tracklist: 

01 Transcontinental (live in-studio recording) 
02 I Am Always The One Who Calls (live in-studio recording)
03 Slow and Steady Wins The Race (live in-studio recording)
04 Political Science (Randy Newman)
05 Metal Heart (Cat Power)
06 Let Down (Radiohead)
[see full story for more including dates and how to get your hands on some mp3s...] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: Pitchfork also has news on Bigmouth strikes again!: Morrissey fans divided as singer slams George W. Bush, Sufjan Stevens tours for reissue, Joan of Arc finish new album, New Pornographers' Carl "A.C." Newman plans summer tour to support new solo LP, Nick Cave readies double album, DVD and more click here to check it out

Beastie Rehash
New York Daily News reports: There's a fine line between celebrating your roots and rehashing your past. The Beastie Boys - Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch - fall on the wrong side of it on their latest CD, their first release in six long years. 

So many elements of the album yearn for a time gone by - beginning with the cover drawing, which depicts a New York skyline with the twin towers gleamingly intact. 

Musically, too, the CD looks back in ardor. It's a return to the electro-charged hip hop of rap's first commercial era. But the Beasties Boys' approach is so literal-minded, the 12 tracks all seem like variations on Afrika Bambaata's groundbreaking 1982 smash, "Planet Rock." [see full story for the rest of the review] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Shame on them, they should have hired Timberlake to supply the beats and asked a five year old to write they raps, and then they could get praised like Missy. 

The Pixies Release 1st New Song in 13 Years
antiMUSIC reports: OK, all of you Pixies fans, the moment you've been waiting for has arrived - the PIXIES have written and recorded a brand new song, the band's first in thirteen years, and you can get it [right now] exclusively on Apple's popular iTunes Music Store [it was released at 12:00 A.M. this morning.] "Bam Thwok" was penned by Kim Deal and produced and recorded by the Pixies at Stagg Street Studios in Los Angeles this past March. The 2:35 "Bam Thwok," with Deal singing lead, can be downloaded from the iTunes Music Store for 99-cents. [see full story for more] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Sparta Replace The Vines, Plot July Release
antiMUSIC reports: The wait is almost over for Sparta fans. Geffen will release the follow-up to Sparta's critically acclaimed debut on July 13th. The three former members of At the Drive-In have dubbed their sophomore release "Porcelain", with the lead off single "Breaking the Broken". 

We just got word that the band will hit the road later this month with Incubus to support the new album. The band was previously booked as part of this year's Lollapalooza festival, but it appears this opportunity opened up with The Vines pulled out of the Incubus tour earlier this month. An official announcement of the change is expected soon. The outing with Incubus kicks off on June 24th at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. [see full story for tour dates and a stream of the new song] - Click Here for the Full Story 

The Format Debuts
press release reports: The Format's Interventions and Lullabies continues to pay off as they prepare to kick off their headlining tour on the heels of the band's opening stint with Dashboard Confessional. The Format-- Nate Ruess and Sam Means -- will be taking Steel Train, Jenoah, Hellogoodbye, Reubens Accomplice, Maxeen, Days Away and Robbers on High Street for the trek, which will begin July 7th in Anaheim, CA and wraps up back in California in Los Angeles. 

The Format's debut album on Atlantic/Warner, Interventions and Lullabies, continues to build interest and sales and the band will soon be working new material.- Click Here for the Full Story 

The Cure for The Cooper Temple Clause
press release reports: Already looking ahead to this summer, The Cooper Temple Clause have announced their place on the all-star line-up of The Cure's "Curiosa Festival 2004". This month-long trek kicks off July 24 in West Palm Beach, FL and continues through the end of August. The headlining bill will include The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture and Mogwai. The Cooper Temple Clause will be sharing the second stage along with Muse, Thursday, Cursive, Melissa Auf Der Maur, and Head Automatica. 

Never one to rest, the band have already been busy writing and laying down preliminary tracks in their own studio just outside London. Bassist Didz Hammond recently told NME: "It's very early stages at the moment. It's going to be a little more rocky-just shorter. We were just happy to have the opportunity to do a second album last time and now we've got more of a plan." TCTC will commit to recording their third album immediately following the "Curiosa Festival" dates. 

The Cooper Temple Clause first released their US debut Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose (RCA Records) on February 24. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Choronzon's Psychick Journey 
press release reports: Recorded during a far ranging psychick journey, the new album from US Industrial Black Metal entity, Choronzon, far outstrips past accomplishments. Elements of ritual, classical orchestration and a very visual sense of musical color characterize this documentation of a deeply felt spiritual journey. 

Choronzon have always been known as anarchic and occult practtioners of sonic Magickal craft, but past releases were mere previews of this releases harrowing scope. Claustrophobic tunnels of darkness open up into vast churning heavens into which the listeners are thrown. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Baghdad: The Musical
Reader submission reports: The war we haven't seen on TV. 

The videos feature American soldiers rapping about the war; another doing a Hendrix inspired "Star Spangled Banner" on the roof of Uday Hussein's Palace. It's not really a musical, it's real and it's happening now. As a soldier says in the film, "For y'all this is just a show, but we live in this movie." [click the full story link to check it out.]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Tuesday Media
Today's multimedia pick comes from Simple Kid. The CD hits stores today and Simple Kid is creating quite the buzz "The Irish-born London-based singer-songwriter arrived�somewhere between Beck and David Lowery of Cracker, but with a voice of his own." raves the Los Angeles Times. We should have a review for you soon on antiMUSIC but for now check out this video for the first single. 

 click the full story link to get more current selections from our Mandatory Media section! - Click Here for the Full Story