He's the band starter

PRODIGY 's KEITH FLINT has formed a new band - and here's an exclusive look at what's in store. we have unearthed the first, exclusive pictures of Keith in action with his band Flint during filming for his first ever video, which has been directed by controversial director Jonas Akerlund , who made Prodigy 's notorious 'Smack My Bitch Up', as well as working with the likes of U2 ,Smashing Pumpkins and Madonna .The band has four confirmed members - Keith on vocals, Jim Davies , formerly of Pitchshifter , on guitar, Kieran Pepper and Tony Howlett (no relation to Prodigy 's Liam ), both on drums. A bass player has yet to be confirmed. An insider told us that Keith hasn't left Prodigy , who are likely to release their own, long-awaited new album before the end of the year. Liam Howlett is currently in the studio, "finishing the album", according to Prodigy 's spokesperson.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:

1965: The Kinks begin their first U.K. tour.

Today's Birthdays: Bobby Vee (1943), Willie Nelson (1933)

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Sonic Youth Split 7" With Erase Errata On Mariah

Narnack Records has unveiled the 'Buddy Series', a 7" album that feature a track from an established act and a track from a side A-approved up-and-comer. The first features Sonic Youth and Bay-area art-punkers Erase Errata, and both tracks on the disc are about Mariah Carey and her now famously fabulous breakdown from a couple years ago. Sonic Youth's contribution is a song entitled 'Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream', while the Erase Errata track, 'Glitter', is titled for the Carey-starring film/album..

Life's a Gas: A Tribute to Joey Ramone

The entire rock and roll community was saddened by the tragic loss of Joey Ramone last year to cancer. AMP Records has released the ultimate tribute album to this punk rock pioneer. 'Lifes A Gas: A Tribute To Joey Ramone' features 31 bands from 13 countries playing homage to the voice of a generation. Includes heartfelt liner notes written by Mickey Leigh; Joey's brother. This is not a covers album!! It is 31 bands playing songs about Joey Ramone and the Ramones, all united by the desire to express their sympathies about his untimely passing and their sincere thanks for the musical legacy he has left us. The compilation also features liner notes written by Joey's brother Mickey Leigh and includes short anecdotes and stories by the bands about their Ramones memories. Celebrate the life of Joey Ramone with the most important and personal compilation cd ever released. Hey Ho Let's Go!! To purchase the CD.. (It's only 8 bucks) CLICK HERE

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:

1976: Bruce Springsteen tries to climb over the fence at Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in an attempt to see Presley. He is escorted off the premises by guards.

Radiohead maps and legends

The elaborate artwork for the new RADIOHEAD album is yet again set to become a collector's item as 'HAIL TO THE THIEF' is revealed in the form of a road-map. The group, who based the artwork to last album 'Amnesiac' on an old library book, have designed and made 'Hail To The Thief' in the format of a road map and a number of early copies of the album come in the form of a real fold out map, as pictured above. The sleeve also gives an alternative name for each song. Thom Yorke explained the thinking behind it. He revealed that in the political fall-out of the September 11 attacks on the US and subsequent war in Afghanistan, certain phrases used on the radio stuck out to him. "I was listening to lots of UK Radio 4 ," he said. "Whenever I heard words that rang bells in my head, I'd write them down, until I had this really long list, which is basically much of the artwork."

Jack Osbourne in Rehab

Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon were spotted visiting son Jack at the Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, California, where the young Osbourne is being treated for an undisclosed addiction. The pair looked shocked when they came face-to-face with Jack at the private clinic. Then they cuddled and consoled him in the California sunshine during a 90 minute visit. Hmm.. Like father like son..

Ministry Of Sound Bows Download Program

London-based dance-music brand Ministry of Sound (MoS) has begun offering almost 100,000 tracks for legitimate download (1/2 of apple's service) from its Web site, MoS relaunched the site yesterday (April 28), declaring its ambition to become the "No. 1 global legal music download and streaming site." All five major label groups (BMG Entertainment, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group) are offering content to the service. Users can purchase downloads for 99p ($1.57) apiece from ministryofsound.com . Tracks can be burned to CD or transferred to a portable device. Alternatively, a monthly payment of #4.99 ($7.94) gives the user 500 credits; permanent downloads cost 100 credits, while 30-day timed-out downloads are 10 each. Ugh.. sound like a lot of work to me.. I am sticking with apple..

Apple's new music service now online

Apple today introduced the iTunes Music Store , an online music store that Apple bills as "Downloads done right." The service provides users with access to over 200,000 songs without any subscription fees. The iTunes Music Store -- designed to work hand in hand with Apple's new iTunes 4 software and the new iPod models also announced today -- provides users with the ability to burn songs onto an unlimited number of CDs for personal use, listen to songs on an unlimited number of iPods, and play songs on up to three Macs. What's more, the iTunes Music Store is Mac-exclusive, at least for the moment -- Apple says a Windows-compatible version will come later this year. Artists from the five major commercial music publishers -- BMG, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and Warner -- are all represented on the iTunes Music Store, and Apple's new service has even managed to secure exclusive tracks from more than 20 artists like Bob Dylan, U2, Eminem, Sheryl Crow and Sting. Users can listen to free 30-second excerpts from songs, search by title, artist, album, browse by genre, artist and album, watch free videos, then purchase and download their favorite songs or complete albums. The iTunes Music Store leverages Dolby's Advanced Audio Codec, or AAC -- a key QuickTime 6 and MPEG-4 audio technology that produces smaller files at 128Kbps with superior sound quality than MP3 files, according to Apple. For more information visit Apple's Website

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:
1999: Members of British rock band The Verve issue a statement which claims they have "mutually agreed to split."

Today's Birthdays: Duane Eddy (1938)

Wilco rewards fans online

Wilco, one of a handful of major bands to embrace and exploit the Internet's music-distribution capabilities, will offer six new songs on its Web site, Wilcoworld.net, beginning at midnight Tuesday. The songs will be free to fans who bought copies of the last Wilco album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Listeners who put the CD into their personal computers will be directed to the band's Web page, Wilcoworld.net, where they can access a media player that will stream the six songs in high-quality audio. By punching in a five-digit code, the fans can then download the songs onto their hard drive. Artwork, graphics and recording information will also be offered as part of the download, with three optional covers and titles: More Like the Moon, Australian EP and The Bridge. The six songs were issued in Australia as an EP-length CD last January to coincide with the Chicago quintet's first antipodean tour. Initially, the band had planned to release the EP domestically through its label, Nonesuch, but decided "that they didn't want to sell a 21-minute record for 10 bucks or whatever it would cost to get into stores," So.. online it is. Thank you Wilco !

Elbow walk the walk

It's not all that rare for a band to talk the talk about thinking of the audience as an extended part of the family, but when it comes to walking the walk, we've gotta hand it to Brit mood-mongers Elbow . They've posted an "urgent request" on their Web site, asking fans to drop a line in order to be credited on the band's upcoming album -- and they're not even soliciting a buck or two in return. The catch -- if you happen to value honesty -- is that you must claim to have been at the band's performance at last year's Glastonbury Festival, where thousands of drunken revelers shouted along with the "we still believe in love, so fuck you" chorus of "Grace Under Pressure." All who joined in on backing vocals will receive credit -- but no teeny-tiny royalty checks . . . Well kids if you were there you can let Elbow know by going to their website www.elbow.co.uk

GETTING IGGY AT COACHELLA

The fourth installment of CALIFORNIA ’s COACHELLA festival wrapped up last night (April 27) following a rousing performance by a reunited IGGY AND THE STOOGES .Following a demanding set by The White Stripes ,Iggy Pop and co. took to the stage a little after 9pm. The outfit performed classics including ‘1969’ ‘, ‘No Fun’ and ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ to a crowd of enthused patrons. The Hives , who performed on Saturday, returned to the site on Sunday to catch the group and witnessed Primal Scream ’s Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield leap on to a pole to get a better view of their show. The festival was peppered with a host of Hollywood stars and musicians who came out in droves for the popular two-day event which featured performances by Hot Hot Heat ,The Libertines and Queens Of The Stone Age as well as The Mars Volta ,Interpol ,The Von Bondies ,The 22-20s ,Underworld ,Sonic Youth ,The Polyphonic Spree ,The Rapture and Dirty Vegas . Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore were spotted hanging out with Blur ,Elijah Wood with South ,Juliet Lewis with Jack White and raving over The Von Bondies and Woody Harrelson running to catch Jack Johnson . Also cropping up throughout the weekend were Jared Leto ,Tommy Lee ,Rachel Hunter ,No Doubt ’s Tony Kanal , former Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson ,Paul Nichols ,Sean Maguire and Kelly Osbourne.

Sinead O'Connor to retire from music

In a message posted in the forum on her official Web site, enigmatic Irish artist Sinead O'Connor has declared that this summer she will seek to discard her celebrity. "As of July 2003 I shall be retiring from the music business [in] order to pursue a different career," she writes. A spokesperson for Vanguard Records, O'Connor's U.S. label, confirmed that the message is authentic. The decision may be linked to a fatigue syndrome that recently caused the O'Connor to cancel a string of European performances with U.K. act Massive Attack. Afterward, her site's Webmaster reported that the artist was "advised to rest as much as possible over the next few months." Before retiring completely, O'Connor has several projects to finish. "The last recordings I will make will be (believe it or not) a track for Dolly Parton's upcoming tribute album and a track for [Irish accordionist] Sharon Shannon's forthcoming album," she writes. The tracks will be recorded sometime next month. The final release of O'Connor's career will be a concert and documentary DVD she says will be released in July. Titled "Goodnight, Thank You. You've Been a Lovely Audience," the artist says it will feature "tracks from way back," as well as songs from last year's Vanguard album "Sean Nos Nua." "Thanks to all of ye for a great time and a great education," O'Connor glibly states in her farewell announcement.

This is what happens when you mix Black Sabbath and the Electric Six.. Ladies and Gentlemen.. GAYPARANOIA 2.3mb MP3

Slash beats Axl to the punch.

While we wait and wait (and wait) for Axl Rose to release the Chinese Democracy album, Guns 'n' Roses may find Slash and other ex-Gunners along with Scott Weiland beat him to the punch. The former Gunners band featuring Slash, Duff McLagen, Matt Sorum along with Dave Kushner have recruited Scott Weiland to lay down vocals on a cover of Pink Floyd's 'Money' for the remake of the movie 'The Italian Job'. Mark (Marky Mark) Wahlberg plays the lead character Charlie Parker who Michael Caine made famous in the original 1969 movie. The other star of the original movie was the Mini Cooper. The reissue of the new Mini Cooper by manufacturer BMW was one of the inspirations for this new movie. With everything old being new again, it was a short leap to recruit Slash, gather up his old band mates and reconstruct a song now 33 years old. There have been lots of rumours that Weiland will be the voice of the former G'n'R band for a full album but that is still to be confirmed. As for Chinese Democracy, well as early as this week guitarist Richard Fortus was asked in an interview for Anderson Guitars if he had one wish for the world what would it be? His answer "Actually finishing and releasing "CHINESE DEMOCRACY." So with that in mind, don't hold your breath.

Winona's Next Victim -- Conor Oberst

Winona Ryder was spotted locking lips with Bright Eyes rocker Connor Oberst, 22, in the back of a parked car in L.A.... It's like your sister kissing your brother.. YUCK..

Phantom Menace

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS ' forthcoming new album 'PHANTOM POWER' is already on the Internet - three months before its official release in July. The Welsh band's sixth studio album, which is set for release on July 14, was leaked by a pirate group called Escape and placed on file-sharing networks over the Easter weekend. A spokesperson for the Super Furry Animals , who have endorsed file-sharing in the past, told us : "I suppose it was going to be inevitable, but this is earlier than we expected." However, Gary Farrow of Sony Music said illegal downloaders haven't acquired the finished mix of the album.

Radiohead dances with Sigur Ros

Radiohead and Sigur Ros will create new music for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's piece "Split Sides," which will debut Oct. 14 at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood reveals to us that on opening night, each group will perform 20 minutes of live music with a twist: the dancers "won't have heard the music until they start." "It is raising lots of interesting problems about what dance music is," Greenwood admits. "We're talking about the bands crossing from one to the other or sorting out a structure. It could be interesting. Maybe we'll all kind of surprise each other and do the opposite kind of music that we're known for."

Time to get the Blues

Columbia/Legacy will release a two-CD blues anthology on June 3 as a prelude to Martin Scorsese's seven-part PBS series on the genre. Titled "The Story of the Blues," the 42-song set compiles cuts from the Sony vaults, stretching as far back as 1927 and as recent as 1998. Selections from Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Bessie Smith stand alongside tracks from Bob Dylan, Santana, and more.

Apple to unveil new music service

High-quality design and simplicity of use are expected to be the hallmarks of the new digital music service from Apple Computer, to be unveiled Monday.

The Doors Sued By The Morrisons

The Doors revitalised career is suffering another setback. Now the parents of Jim Morrison are suing Ray Manzerek and Robbie Krieger. In a suit filed in the Los Angeles Supreme Court George and Clara Morrison are claiming the current Doors activity is "maliciously misappropriating" the good name of The Doors and that the current members are using the poetry and image of their son Jim without permission. The Doors reunion is turning into a legal monstrosity with suits already filed against Manzerek and Krieger by founding member John Densmore and replacement drummer (who was also quickly removed) Stewart Copeland. The new suit from the Morrison family states "The plaintiffs recently discovered that defendants Krieger, Manzerek and Astbury have along with another individual who is unknown to the plaintiffs formed a rock band to when the defendants have variously referred and / or caused othersto refer in advertising, interviews, personal appearances the internet and other promotional medial as The Doors or variations of The Doors whereThe Doors is emphasised and the words "21st Century" are underplayed or subordinated if used at all as 'The Doors, 21st Century', 'The Doors 21st Century', 'The Doors In The 21st Century', The Doors of the 21st Century' and / or 'The 21st Century Doors'. The family has accused the current line-up of "launching a national and international tour in order to wrongfully enrich themselves." The Morrison family are joined in their pursuit by Pearl Courson, the mother of Jim's late common law wife Pamela. The Morrison / Courson family own 25% of the business of The Doors with Ray Manzerek, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore. The Doors 21st Century have a new album to be released soon and plan a world tour over the next 18 months to support the release.

Cheap Trick offers something 'Special'

Veteran rock act Cheap Trick will release its first new studio album since 1997, "Special One," on July 8. The set will be issued through the band's own Cheap Trick Unlimited label in conjunction with a new licensing deal with BIG3 Records. The agreement also includes the rights to the band's albums "Cheap Trick II," "In Color," "Woke Up With a Monster," "Silver," and "Music for Hangovers."

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:
1977: Talking Heads begins its first European tour, supporting the Ramones.

Beastie Boys in Taiwan

When the Beastie Boys traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, for an April 20 Tibetan Freedom Concert, they found themselves advocating their old cause in a unique political middle ground between the U.S. and China. On Monday, Adam Yauch (MCA) and Michael Diamond (Mike D) commented on issues related to both superpowers, namely corporate censorship of anti-war music in the U.S., and their continuing crusade against Chinese government oppression in Tibet.

Jane's Addiction to release new album

After months of speculation, Jane's Addiction is close to signing a new deal with Capitol Records. The group is hoping to release its first studio album in 13 years, "Hypersonic," on June 24, although a number of details are still being hammered out. The 11-track set was produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Kiss) and is the group's first new album since 1990's "Ritual de lo Habitual."

Clinic Nursing New Album

Clinic will begin recording the follow-up to last year's Grammy-nominated Walking With Thee in May at Elevator Studios in their hometown of Liverpool, England. The band will work with producer Ken Thomas and is eyeing a late summer/early fall release. "The album's brighter, more upbeat and party sounding," says singer/guitarist Ade Blackburn, who says he's been inspired by the sounds of Seventies proto-punks the Electric Eels and the Mirrors, as well as rollicking bluesman Professor Longhair. "There's a fair chunk of fuzz guitar, barroom piano, weird percussion and off-the-wall effects. You can also pogo to at least three-fourths of it." The electronically inclined band aims to make a more organic album this time out by avoiding computers whenever possible. According to Blackburn, the group selected Elevator, formerly a courthouse, because "it has a really lived in atmosphere, rather than a sterile studio environment. It's ideal for the music."

BLACK HUMOUR

THE MOONEY SUZUKI have recruited famous fan JACK BLACK to help out on their new video. The actor and Tenacious D star plays the role of the band's manager in the video for the new US single 'In A Young Man's Mind' . At the start of the video, Black is seen in the back of a car, giving 'advice' to the band, as well as screaming down the phone at nightclub owners. The Mooney Suzuki are keen to return the favour and will be making a cameo in the forthcoming Tenacious D movie.

Who's Next is back

Who fans should check out the recently re-issued 'Who's Next'. An early version of the band's all-time classic 'Won't Get Fooled Again' has been released for the first time. The version of the deluxe edition of the album predates the one we all know. It was recorded March 16, 1971 at the Record Plant in New York and features a different synth pattern, the lyric "meet the new boos, same as the old boss" before the final synth break and drum pattern and minus Roger's scream. According to Pete Townshend's liner notes "no tape was used. We we did was play an organ through a VCS3 live with the session. So we had to keep in time with the square wave, but the shape was moveable. It was an experiment initiated by Roger and was fairly successful". Disc 2 features yet another version of 'Won't Get Fooled Again'. The CD2 version was recorded live on the Rolling Stones mobile studio during a concert at the Young Vic Theatre in London on April 26, 1971. Again, it is a previously unreleased version. The Who's Next album grew from Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse, the follow-up to the rock opera Tommy. After the release of Who's Next he continued to work on the project and some of the songs found their way on to subsequent Who albums in the 70's. Lifehouse was finally released independently by Pete's Eel Pie records in 1999. There is also a DVD version of it out through Warner Vision. Who's next has been re-released through Universal.

It's official… Twisted Sister are back together.

The classic line-up of lead vocalist Dee Snider, co-lead guitarist/vocalist Jay Jay French, co-lead guitarist/vocalist Eddie Ojeda, bass guitarist/vocalist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza and drummer/vocalist A.J. Pero will hold a press conference at the Sea Air Space Museum in New York to announce that after 16 years apart they are going back on the road. Twisted Sister disbanded in 1987 after being together for 15 years. The only time they have played since then was headlining the NY Steel benefit concert in November 2001 for firefighters and police officers after the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11. So funny and so sad at the same time.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:

1991: Punk rock forerunner Johnny Thunders dies of a drug overdose in New Orleans at age 38.

Today's Birthdays: Roy Orbison (1936)

White Stripes have begun their week on TV

Starting last night on NBC the Conon O'Brian show began their week long run with musical guests The White Stripes. Last nights song was 7 Nation Army. Both Jack and Meg wore the outfits that they wore on the cover of their new record 'Elephant'

Pixies albums re-released in May

After being tied to Elektra since, like, forever, 4AD's contracts with the major label are slowly expiring, gradually winning back the British indie's complete rights to their back catalog. As such, the label has plans to reissue countless albums that have long been available co-branded with the Elektra logo some in their first-ever exclusive 4AD pressings. Earlier this year, the label won back the rights to the Pixies catalog, and needless to say, the repackaging process is already well underway. All of the band's formal studio releases 1987's Come On Pilgrim EP, 1988's Surfer Rosa,1989's Doolittle 1990 Bossanova, and 1991's Trompe le Monde as well as The Pixies Live at the BBC, and Complete B-Sides (the latter receiving its first stateside pressing ever) are slated to hit stores on May 20th. According to a label spokesperson, though, the discs won't be receiving any embellishments. In fact, the new editions will be-- perhaps unfortunately for those of us digging for that last bit of fire we hadn't yet heard virtually identical to the originals: no remastering, no additional artwork, and no bonus tracks. "[4AD has] already released all the songs on the B-Sides compilation, and then there's Live at the BBC. there wasn't much left over." However, the label is currently planning two final Pixies releases for September: the current two-disc best-of/live release Death to the Pixies will be discontinued to make room for a brand new best-of compilation, and an as-yet-untitled DVD featuring multiple concerts in their entirety, along with all the band's videos, and exclusive interview footage.

Jardine Sued Again Over Beach Boys Name

Brother Records Inc. yesterday (April 21) sued former Beach Boys singer/guitarist Al Jardine for using the band's name when he tours. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Jan. 28 that Jardine cannot use the Beach Boys name, which belongs to Brother Records, a company jointly held by Jardine, Mike Love, Brian Wilson, and the estate of Carl Wilson. Love is the sole licensee performing under the name. Brother Records says Jardine was denied use of the name because he "did not agree to abide by terms of a proposed license." Monday's lawsuit in California Superior Court claims Jardine is touring under the names Beach Boys Family & Friends; Al Jardine, Beach Boy; and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys. Brother Records wants a court order preventing Jardine from using the name, $2 million in court costs, and unspecified damages from loss of earnings due to unfair competition pitting Jardine's concert appearances against Love's. The issue has been in litigation since 1998. Jardine has appealed a 2002 ruling in favor of Love, whom Jardine says excluded him from Beach Boys concerts in 2001. In that suit, Jardine is seeking $4 million in damages.

Country Feedback

THE WHITE STRIPES joined country music legend LORETTA LYNN onstage in NEW YORK on Saturday night (April 19). Jack White jumped onstage to perform two country classics, 'Fist City' and 'Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man' , with the 69-year-old during her support slot at the Hammerstein Ballroom .The White Stripes dedicated their third album, 'White Blood Cells' , to Lynn and recorded a version of her song 'Rated X' for the B-side to 2001 single 'Hotel Yorba' .During their duet, Lynn praised the band and exchanged compliments with Jack White .She said: "This is a very special night for me because I'm working with my idols, The White Stripes ." The band later took centre stage for an hour-long set, dedicating 'Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground' to Lynn . Highlights included new album tracks 'I Want To Be The Boy Who Warms Your Mother's Heart' ,'Ball And Biscuit' and 'The Hardest Button To Button'.Meg White received a rapturous reception during her performance of 'In The Cold, Cold Night' before Lynn joined the band during the encore for a version of her 'Rated X' .

Ric Ocasek Joins Elektra A&R Team

As expected, Ric Ocasek has been named senior VP of A&R at Elektra Entertainment Group (EEG), Ocasek, frontman for legendary Elektra act the Cars, has in recent years produced material for Weezer, No Doubt, Guided By Voices, Hole, Bad Religion, and others. "I'm elated about becoming part of Elektra again," Ocasek said in a statement. "In 1970, Elektra was the first record company I ever visited. I was just a kid from Cleveland, but I idolized Elektra bands like the Doors, Love, Joni Mitchell, and all the others." EEG chairman/CEO Sylvia Rhone says Ocasek's "ear for discovering and nurturing talent and his incredible rapport with artists has resulted in a host of career-making records. His keen insight, and his endless devotion to finding great music makes him a once-in-a-lifetime addition to all of Elektra. The entire company joins me in welcoming Ric back to the label that launched his great career."

The Fleshtones Do You Swing? (Yep Roc)

The Fleshtones kept the garage rock torch alight in the Eighties, but their last few CDs lacked the shamanistic power of their earlier work. Do You Swing?,recorded with Southern Culture on the Skids' Rick Miller, marks the quartet's triumphant return to form, complete with twangy tremolo guitars, wailing keyboards and frontman Peter Zaremba's maracas and harmonica. The gritty "Double Dipper" sounds like a twenty-first century "Louie Louie," while the simple, exuberant "One Four Five" is a garage rock how-to. But the album's centerpiece, the confident "I'm Back Again," really says it all.

Nina Simone 1933-2003

One of the greatest jazz and soul singers of all time, NINA SIMONE, has died. Simone, famous for the hit ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’, died yesterday at her home in southern France, aged 70. Her manager, Clifton Henderson , told us that the singer, who had been in France for a number of years prior to her death, had been ill for some time. Born in North Carolina,Simone changed her name from Eunice Waymon .A musical child, she started to make a name for herself in the late ‘50s and in a legendary career that lasted until her death, Simone was also closely associated with the black civil rights movement. She is survived by a daughter.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC:
2001: R.E.M.'s Peter Buck is arrested at London's Heathrow Airport for allegedly assaulting two crew members on an overnight flight from Seattle to Boston. Buck is charged with two counts of common assault, a public order offense, criminal damage, disobeying an aircraft commander, and being drunk on an aircraft.

Today's Birthdays: Robert Smith (1959), Iggy Pop (1947)

Pope Refused QANTAS Flight At Easter

Shane MacGowen from Shane MacGowen and The Popes fame (and The Pogues) missed his first shows in Australia this weekend after QANTAS refused him permission to fly when he presented himself at Heathrow Organisers for the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival don't explain the circumstances behind the QANTAS decision but confirm MacGowen was eventually allowed to fly British Airways. He eventually arrived in the country on Sunday morning. The delay meant that MacGowan could not play at the Gaelic Club in Sydney on Saturday night. The show has been rescheduled for Tuesday. However, The Popes played without their pontiff with support from Augie March, Fans who held tickets for the Sydney show will be treated to the Tuesday show for free or can ask for a full refund. MacGowen was born on Christmas Day 1957. (We threw that fact in because of the irony). In 1982 he formed The Pogues. They disbanded in 1996, although MacGowen was expelled form the band in 1991 because of erratic behaviour. MacGowen formed The Popes in 1994

Buy the Mc Cartney Flu

A British fan claiming he caught the flu from Paul McCartney has tried to sell the germs on eBay. Ian Mears says he spent last Sunday with McCartney who had recently cancelled a show because of illness. Mears says by Wednesday, he too had the flu. The winning bidder will receive the germs via mail. Mears is offering two options. He will cough into a seal tight bag or send you a vial full of mucus. So how much are Macca's germs worth? No much at all. After two days the highest big was only £1.20 (about $USD 3).

Queens of the Stone Age confirm Permanent lineup

Queens of the Stone Age have put a lock on their revolving door line-up. The band have confirmed that the current line-up of Nick Oliveri on bass,Josh Homme on guitar and vocals, Mark Lanegan on vocals, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar and keyboards and Joey Castillo on drums will be permanent. Since the band formed in 1997 following the demise of Kyuss (Homme and Oliveri's former band), the QOTSA line-up has been far from stable. Various members of the band at one time have included Screaming Trees Van Conner, Soundgarden's Matt Cameron, Dinosaur Jr's Mike Johnson and Foo Fighters Dave Grohl. Now with the addition of Screaming Trees Mark Lanegan and A Perfect Circle's Troy Van Leeuwen, the band will move forward with stability. Upcoming gigs for QOTSA include Coachella later this month, Lollopalozza this year and a support slot with Red Hot Chili Peppers. QOTSA plan to tour for the rest of this year and attempt to record in between dates on the road. They expect to have their 4th album ready for release in early 2004.

Elvis Costello gets happy

Rhino Records' extensive reissue campaign for Elvis Costello's albums will continue this summer with the release of Get Happy!! ,Trust and Punch the Clock in a two-CD format, each release paired with a bonus CD of rare and unreleased material. The reissues have been released in bundles of three, starting last year. So far three waves of reissues have put My Aim Is True ,This Year's Model ,Armed Forces ,Imperial Bedroom ,Blood and Chocolate ,Spike ,Mighty Like a Rose ,Brutal Youth and All This Useless Beauty back in record stores with remastered sound, new liner notes and more than twenty bonus tracks per record. Released in 1980, Get Happy!! was Costello's fourth album. Trust , issued a year later, isn't one of the singer-songwriter's best-known albums, but remains one of his favorites

Nice try Madonna. But you don't fool us.

Over the last couple of days the official Madonna site madonna.com was designed to look like it was hacked and the entire new 'American Life' album offered for a free download. Every song from the Madonna album was available to save as MP3 just as the album was shipping into store. So.. is this a real hack or a crafty promotional stunt? A real hacker you would think would be directing the downloads to a third party site but all of the MP3 files are coming off a madonna.com server. All 11 tracks from 'American Life' are there to grab as of early Sunday morning. We shall all see how long it lasts.Meanwhile, it looks like it could be a very clever publicity stunt. Madonna is certainly suffering a backlash from her highly emotional, newly discarded anti-Bush video and the preceived attack could be viewed as a strategic plan to win back 'votes' from the disillusioned fanclub. Well done Maddie. It almost fooled us.

Buzzcocks Singles Boxset is on the way:

Punk pioneers the Buzzcocks will be celebrated June 10 by EMI/Capitol with the release of "Buzzcocks: Inventory -- Singles Box Set." The set will collect the group's 14 singles recorded for EMI, from its first single, "Spiral Scratch EP," to 1981's "What Do You Know," each complete with all the original B-sides.

Radiohead live show to air on MTV

Radiohead will warm-up for its June 7 headlining slot at Long Island's Field Day Festival with a show the night before at New York's Beacon Theatre. MTV will tape the performance for broadcast at a later date; the network previously broadcast a Radiohead live show from the group's 1998 tour in support of the album "OK Computer." The band is making a pair of front row tickets for the Beacon show available for auction via eBay , with proceeds benefiting the TJ Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer, and AIDS Research. Bidding, which began at $300, was up to $2,275 at deadline. The auction ends April 25. Beyond the Beacon show and Field Day, Radiohead's further North American tour plans have yet to be revealed. The group will embark on a sold-out tour of mid-sized venues in the U.K. and Ireland this May and June, to be followed by European dates in July. A U.K. tour is also in the works for the end of the year.

Interpol Drummer in Hospital

INTERPOL drummer SAM FOGARINO has been hospitalised in Italy after becoming unwell during a gig. The group were playing at the Bologna Estragon club (April 16), when shortly into the band's set, Fogarino lost the feeling in his arm. A spokesperson for the band explained: " Sam had been feeling poorly for the past couple of days with pretty bad flu. He left the stage shaking but duly tried to continue the set. After a few more songs he simply couldn't even hold the drumsticks. The band had to stop playing and Sam was rushed to hospital. After some X-rays he was told that he had a stressed nerve in his arm."

Beck back on road.

Beck will embark on an eighteen-date, bi-coastal tour beginning May 24th in Boston and ending in Irvine, California, a month later. This is his third outing in support of his fall 2002 release Sea Change. Beck will be accompanied by strange bedfellows Dashboard Confessional and the Black Keys. His last tour, a two-month jaunt around the United States, was with the Flaming Lips, who opened and served as his backing band. Dashboard's opening duties will compliment the upcoming re-release of their debut record, Swiss Army Romance , on April 22nd. In addition to a rigorous touring schedule, Beck also found time to appear on Macy Gray's latest release, The Trouble With Being Myself , due in May.

Sonic Youth down with wilco

Experimental rock pioneers Sonic Youth have lined up a fourteen-date tour this June, with Wilco accompanying the band on six of those dates. In addition to further supporting last summer's Murray Street , Sonic Youth's touring efforts will back this month's re-release of 1992's Dirty , which has been re-mastered and padded with an entire disc of bonus tracks. There are also plans to reissue 1990's Goo and 1988's Daydream Nation . "After the years go by, I don't really pull out any of our records and listen to them," singer/guitarist Thurston Moore told Rolling Stone of the reissuing process. "Sometimes they just sound immature to me, personally. There's moments on Dirty that I find I can hardly even remember where we were at that point. It was ten years ago.

Madonna is pissed

The Madonna camp is looking to clamp down on online peer-to-peer piracy of her new Maverick album, "American Life," by flooding file-sharing networks with decoy files. Those who download tracks from such services as KaZaA are greeted by the voice of Madonna asking, "What the f*** do you think you're doing?" The new album is due April 22; the title track is No. 37 this week on the Billboard Hot 100.

POP SHOW

IGGY POP is to make a guests appearance on the second album from electro-punker PEACHES.The legendary former Stooges frontman features on a track called 'Kick It'. Peaches admitted she wrote the track specifically for Iggy, and the tow teamed up in Miami in March to record it. She told Rolling Stone : "The song is more about rock 'n' roll than sex." Peaches is currently in a Berlin studio recording the follow-up to her acclaimed debut, 2001's 'The Teaches Of Peaches'.

Quote of the Day from Mr. Chris Rock:
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon'. Need I say more?"

Rave act passed thru congress:

In a sneaky, last minute maneuver this week by Senator Joseph Biden (a Democrat from Delaware), who is no friend to the music industry, the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (i.e. "Rave Act") passed though Congress on the coattails of the Amber Alert bill (a piece of legislation to help find missing children). The constitutionality of the bill has been in question from day one as it has primarily been targeted at dance music and DJ culture events.However,now that it has passed, it threatens free speech and musical expression of all kinds. It places at risk any owner of an establishment ( hotels, bars, arenas, stadiums, nightclubs ), concert promoter or event organizer for the drug violations of any third party (real or alleged) even if the event promoter and/or property owner made a good-faith effort to keep their event drug-free.The law not only applies to electronic-music parties, but to any type of public gathering, including theatrical productions, rock concerts, DJ nights at local bars, and potentially even political rallies. It gives heightened powers and discretion to prosecutors, who may use it to target events they personally don't like such as hip hop events and gay and lesbian fundraisers. More than 13,000 faxes were reported to have been sent this week alone against the bill. In their defense, Senators Durbin, Kennedy and Leahy alongside Representatives Conyers and Scott were the only opposing voices to passage of the Rave Act.

PJ Harvey hits the festival circuit

PJ Harvey is confirmed for a handful of summer European festival appearances, beginning Aug. 16-17 at the V2003 festival in Stafford and Chelmsford, England. On the heels of its appearance earlier this year on the Big Day Out of Australia and New Zealand, the Polly Jean Harvey-led group will also play Aug. 23 at Slane Castle in Meath, Ireland, and the following day at the Glasgow Green in Scotland.

BLACK SHOWS A NEW ALBUM

FRANK BLACK AND THE CATHOLICS are set to release their new album 'SHOW ME YOUR TEARS' on September 8th. The former Pixies frontman has collaborated with ex-bandmate Joey Santiago and composer, Van Dyke Parks on the follow-up to his dual released albums of 2002, 'Black Letter Days' and 'Devil's Workshop'. Black said it is not one of the most optimistic of the nine albums he has recorded.

Modest Mouse Drummer Quits, Band Entering Studio This Week to Begin Recording Fourth Full-Length

Last week, rumors began flying that longtime Modest Mouse drummer Jeremiah Green had left the band after more than ten years serving as their inimitable backbone. His departure from Modest Mouse, it was said, would allow him to focus his energy on The Vells, a newly formed pop band he's been drumming with recently. The Vells, which features members of Red Stars Theory, Stagger Lee, and The Blessed Light, just released their self-titled six-song debut EP on Luckyhorse Industries, the Pacific Northwest label run by ex-Built to Spill/Red Stars Theory/764-HERO bassist James Bertram and photographer Amanda Graham. Concerned fans suspected that this might mean the end of Modest Mouse, but frontman Isaac Brock, speaking from Portland on Friday, assured us that he and bassist Eric Judy are soldiering onward. The band has temporarily hired on Benjamin Wiekel (aka one-half of the indie pop duo The Helios Sequence) to fill in for Green on drums at live shows and on some of the next Modest Mouse full-length, which the band is already in the process of laying down new tracks for. We will report anymore news as it comes available.

Whole Lotta Zeppelin Coming

In 1970, a camera crew filmed Led Zeppelin at London's Royal Albert Hall, right after the release of their second album and right before they became international rock stars. "It was just four guys flailing away," says singer Robert Plant. "We had no expectations, but we knew we had something between us that was special." Last year, guitarist Jimmy Page bought the footage of that memorable night and set out on a painstaking one-year project that culminates May 27th with the release of Led Zeppelin DVD , a five-and-a-half-hour two-disc collection that includes the 1970 London performance, three other classic live concerts and TV appearances from that decade. It's the first new footage of Zeppelin to be released in more than twenty-five years. "Jimmy bit the bullet and decided it was time to push the old door open," says Plant. Once Page procured the Royal Albert Hall video reels, he rummaged through Zeppelin's storage facilities in London for the accompanying audio reel. In his search, he came across the tattered audio and video remains of a series of shows from London's Earl's Court in 1975 and outtakes from Zeppelin's concert film, The Song Remains the Same , shot at a Madison Square Garden gig in 1973, as well as two performances at England's Knebworth Festival in 1979, only a year before the death of drummer John Bonham. The Albert Hall show reveals a young band still honing its onstage persona. The raw energy of "What Is and What Should Never Be," the extended jams on the blues stomp "We're Gonna Groove" and Page's snarling guitar on "How Many More Times" presage much of Zeppelin's work that was yet to come. Page has mixed all of the DVD tracks in SurroundSound. "We were a great band," says Plant, "but there were times when it was a superlative performance." But Plant dismisses reunion rumors..

Aretha Franklin says farewell

R&B legend Aretha Franklin has confirmed that her 2003 tour will be the last such full-scale endeavor of her career. The tour will carry the moniker Aretha Sings Her Musical History and is expected to last into the fall. Ten dates are set so far, beginning June 5 in Vienna, Va., but Franklin has two concerts on tap this week in Canada (Wednesday in Toronto, Saturday in Sarnia, Ont.). The artist still plans to play one-off dates in the future.

Willie Nelson 4th of July picnic is back

Country music icon Willie Nelson will reprise his annual Fourth of July Picnic this year at the Two River Canyon Amphitheatre in Spicewood, Texas. The event, first held in 1972, will this year be expanded into a two-day festival featuring musical performances by the likes of Toby Keith, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Pat Green, Billy Bob Thornton, and, as previously reported, the Dead.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC

2001 - Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman), the gangly punk rock icon whose signature yelp melded with the Ramones' three-chord thrash to signify the New York punk revolution, dies at the age of 49 of complications from lymphoma.

Ween Cues Up 'Quebec'

Ween's highly anticipated next studio album will be called "quebec," but guitarist Dean Ween (real name: Mickey Melchiondo) says a few wrinkles still have to be ironed out before the 16-song set sees the light of day. "I can't give you a definitive release date right now," he wrote on the band's official Web site . "We were in negotiations with a record label and things fell apart, setting us back even further." "I have no idea how this will affect our summer touring plans just yet as we planned on having the record out by June at the latest. It is still possible that this may happen," he continued. "As for the record itself, it is heavy, dark, psychedelic and musically intricate at times, and musically really f***ing cheap at times as well. All and all it's a great record that we put a lot of time and love into and it was produced by Andrew Weiss, mostly recorded in his living room." Will have have more infomation on the new ween record as it becomes available.

One Hundred Albums You Should Remove from Your Collection Immediately

But we have no intention of recommending hot new CDs you should play -- we trust you and know that you'll make great decisions about which albums to buy in the future. No, we have our sights locked on the CDs that you already have. We understand that from time to time, people make mistakes and we sincerely want to help excise the guilt of a pretentious, over-hyped, and simply bad music collection from your life. More importantly, we're going to help you turn your purchasing mistakes into cold, hard cash! This site is guaranteed to get a reaction. Both good and bad.. Enjoy

Top Stars Line Up For Japanese Festivals

Radiohead, the Strokes, Travis, Puddle Of Mudd, Blur, Blink 182, and New Found Glory are scheduled to play Japan's Summer Sonic Festival, to be held Aug. 2-3 in Tokyo and Osaka. Other bands on the bill include Cheap Trick, Blondie, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the Doors, Placebo, the Datsuns, and Starsailor. For the Strokes, Summer Sonic will be the group's first scheduled show of 2003 (manager Ryan Gentiles tells us, "when we're ready to go public with other dates, we'll do so"). The Strokes are still in the midst of a two-song "trial" recording session with acclaimed producer Nigel Godrich and had pledged not to play live until work on their next RCA studio album was completed. Gentiles expects the group to spend about two more weeks recording with Godrich. My God.. How long does it take to record two songs!!

White Stripes, Room 5 Lead U.K. Charts Again

The White Stripes' "Elephant" (XL Recordings) still wears the No. 1 crown on the new U.K. album chart yesterday (April 13). It was a quiet week that saw only one top-10 entry, "The Very Best of the Lighthouse Family" (UMTV), which contains the many hits the British-based duo has released since 1995. On the singles survey, "Make Luv" by Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheatham (Positiva) leads for a third week.

Radiohead, Beasties To Headline Field Day

As had been rumored for several weeks, Radiohead and the Beastie Boys will headline the inaugural Field Day festival, set for June 7-8 at Enterprise Park in Calverton, Long Island, about 70 miles east of Manhattan. Among the other performers confirmed for the event are Sigur Ros, the Roots, Elliott Smith, Spiritualized, Interpol, Liz Phair, Tortoise, Blur, N*E*R*D, and Beck.Tickets go on sale Friday (April 18) Tickets are available thru ticketmaster.

NICK CAVE WANTS YOU-

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are to release a new double A-side single in June, kingblind.com can confirm. 'He Wants You' /'Babe I'm On Fire' is the second single to be taken from the band's 'Nocturama' LP, and will feature two exclusive new tracks, 'Everything Must Converge' and 'Little Ghost Song' ."'Little Ghost Song' was a happy accident in the studio," Cave explained recently. "Where the slave reels misaligned and began playing some elements of two songs at the same time. We were dumbstruck at the beauty of it". The single is to be released on both CD and limited 10" vinyl on June 2 - timed to coincide with the band's upcoming residency at London's Hammersmith Apollo. Nick Cave and the Bad Seed will also be headlining the All Tomorrow's Parties Music Festival in Los Angeles (curated by Matt Groening)

Tommy Lee the math wiz

Over the course of his decade-plus in Motley Crue ,Tommy Lee demonstrated the ability to count all the way up to four without losing his place -- at least some of the time. A Los Angeles judge, however, was probably a bit optimistic in assuming that the drummer would be able to extend his mathematical skills to the point where he could reach 450 -- as in the number of hours of community service he agreed to serve after pleading no contest to battering Pamela Anderson several years back. Lee claims that he should be given credit for his appearances at several "Save the Music" benefits, although authorities apparently disagree. Lee may have a point: As far as we're concerned, hanging out with a margarita in hand is probably about the biggest service this guy can do for his community.

Stencil Revolution

Collectively reconstructing the urban canvas.

International Guardians of Rock 'n' Roll

This week sees the release of 'International Guardians of Rock 'n' Roll 1983-1999', a modestly entitled collection of tracks released on Creation Records during its 16-year lifetime. he tracklisting for the album is as quirky as the label's life and not without its own share of controversy. From seminal tracks such as Primal Scream's 'Loaded', Oasis ''Wonderwall', The Jesus And Mary Chain's 'UpsideDown' to lost epics such as The Boo Radleys ''Lazarus' and on through Slowdive, Swervedriver and Ride - the vanguards of the shoegazing era - the album is a strange but welcome brew. The controversy comes in the shape of the double-album compilation not featuring a single track by the band many believe to be Creation's most innovative act My Bloody Valentine. Even though the original tracklisting compiled by Alan McGee himself included three songs by My Bloody Valentine, not one made the final cut. The tracks were not the the best of due to legal issues with Kevin Sheilds and Sony music. For more information on Creation Records check out their fan site. Alan Mc Gee now runs Poptones records in the UK

THE D4 LIVE

Last night at the Echo Lounge (Atlanta, GA) I saw the D4 again.. They were amazing.. and here are the photos of the show. Do yourself a favor and see them next time they hit your town. The D4 come back to the USA in may to tour with The Foo Fighters. Don't miss it. To get the full lowdown on The D4 check out their official website here

Apple to buy Universal Music?

The Los Angeles Times is reporting this morning that Apple Computer Inc. is in talks with Vivendi Universal to buy the world's largest music label, Universal Music Group. The reported price for the company could be as much as US$6 billion. While Apple and Vivendi Universal declined to comment, LA Times sources said Apple might make a bid for the company before Universal Music's April 29 board meeting. "Defying conventional wisdom, Jobs apparently is betting that music is finally on the verge of becoming a profitable presence on the Internet," wrote the Times. "Apple has been quietly testing a service that some music business insiders believe could pave the way for widespread online distribution of songs. People that have used Apple's much anticipated music service said it makes "downloading and purchasing music as simple and nontechnical as buying a book from Amazon.com." However, analysts say making the download and purchase easy is just the beginning, Apple would also have to make the music cheap for consumers, possibly as little as 10 cents per song. Quoting people close to Jobs, the article says that he feels the music industry is about to turn a corner in the copyright war. The continued crackdown on pirates will force users to look for a legitimate source for music downloads. While the service will be targeted to Mac users, the Times anticipates a version of the service for Microsoft Windows users, as well.

Sigur Ros' Secret CD

Iceland's Sigur Ros have quietly released a follow-up to their 2002 album, ( ) . The new record, Hlemmur , is the soundtrack to a documentary by Icelandic director Olafur Sveinsson about a Reykjavik bus station and the homeless people who gather there. Sigur Ros sold Hlemmur at shows on their recent U.S. tour and plan a formal release in the future. The band recorded Hlemmur last year in its studio, a converted swimming pool near Reykjavik. "We just did it ourselves -- everything was improvised," singer-guitarist Jonsi Birgisson says of the atmospheric, all-instrumental score. "The movie is quite sad. It is funny, too -- the people in it are telling jokes. But they are homeless and have no families." Sigur Ros return to the U.S. in October for a collaboration with Radiohead and choreographer Merce Cunningham at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The two bands will create music for Cunningham's troupe, which will dance to their live performances. "It's going to be quite experimental," says Birgisson. "On the day it's performed, we get to see the dance for the first time, and they hear the music. It will be spontaneous -- and strange."

Jacko the wacko is back

The Michael Jackson television frenzy isn't over. Jackson, who delivered millions of viewers to ABC, NBC and Fox during the February ratings sweeps, will be the subject of a two-hour Fox special to kick off the next sweeps month. The program, with the working title "Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies," will offer a peek into the pop star's private home movie collection, Fox said.

7 HEAVEN

KINGBLIND.COM brings you another WHITE STRIPES first: exclusive stills from the band's new video to the forthcoming single '7 NATION ARMY' from their new album 'ELEPHANT' .These pictures are released on the week the band sailed to the top of the UK album charts and went all the way to #6 in the USA. The four-minute clip sees a highly stylised White Stripes performing the track in one ever decreasing shot. The video borrows from aspects of '60s classic movie 'Jason And The Argonauts' where special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen brought an army of skeletons to life. While Jason has to beat the undead on his way to seize the golden fleece in the sci-fi classic, this time the skeletons are working for a devilish Jack White .The video also contains nods to Queen 's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and, in one shot, to occult novelist and figurehead Aleister Crowley .'7 Nation Army' is released on April 21. Meanwhile, The White Stripes announced last week they would play a show in New York later this month, supported by one of their heroines, Loretta Lynn . Tickets for the Hammerstein Ballroom show (April 19) sold out in seven minutes. To see the video CLICK HERE

Funk Brothers come to DVD and they hit the road.

The surviving Funk Brothers will celebrate the impending release of the DVD version of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" by embarking on a short North American tour last night in Boston. The critically acclaimed film about the history of the Funk Brothers -- the Motown Records house band that played on hundreds of hits during that label's heyday -- will be released April 22 from Artisan Home Entertainment.