Johnny Cash set to clean up

Johnny Cash is up for three honors at the second annual Americana Awards, to be held Sept. 19 in Nashville. Cash is nominated for album of the year for "American IV: The Man Comes Around" (American/Lost Highway), song of the year for his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" and artist of the year.

Polyphonic Spree on the hunt for the french.. Horn that is

The 24-member orchestral pop ensemble the Polyphonic Spree is in search of a french horn player to substitute for the group's upcoming New York City shows. The Spree is set to play an Aug. 12 show at the Bottom Line, an Aug. 15 engagement at Warsaw and Aug. 16 in Central Park, as well as taping an Aug. 15 appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." An e-mail distributed by the band's publicist says the Spree's current french horn player will be unable to perform at those shows. "The [back-up] candidate must be able to improvise, be a bad ass at his/her instrument, have a good demeanor and [be] willing to don a robe," it reads. Interested parties should email Chris Penn at chris@goodrecordsrecordings.com with personal contact information.

Rock's Sam Phillips Dead

Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the rock 'n' roll revolution, died Wednesday at age 80. Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch the career of Presley, then a young singer who had moved from Tupelo, Mississippi.

TSOL singer to run for California Governor

SANTA MONICA, California — A singer perhaps best known for a song called "Abolish Government" is now hoping to join it. Jack Grisham, frontman for the veteran punk group T.S.O.L., announced on Wednesday (July 30) that he is running for governor of California in the controversial October 7 recall election to unseat incumbent Democrat Gray Davis. "I can't afford heath insurance, so I figure if I'm governor, at least they have a good health insurance plan," Grisham joked. The charming singer made light of his first interview as a politician, but insisted his campaign is entirely serious.

Push to get street named after Run DMC DJ

Plans have been set in motion by the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council to honor Jam Master Jay by renaming 203rd Street in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York, after him. The Youth Council was hoping that the block would be dubbed "Jam Master Jay Way" by October 30 — the first anniversary of the Run-DMC DJ's death — but the first step in the process has to be reviewed by Community Board 12 in Queens and the board's spokesperson said it received the Youth Council's petitions too late to be considered before the board adjourned for the summer. The Youth Council said it turned in all required signatures in ample time. Regardless of the dispute over the paperwork, a street name change is usually a lengthy process that can take upwards of a year if approved.

Gotta wait for Outkast

The release date for Outkast 's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below has been pushed back yet again, this time to September 23rd.

Libertines singer on burglary charge

A singer with rock group The Libertines, Pete Doherty, has appeared in court on a burglary charge. The vocalist and guitarist, who has been absent from the band's line-up in recent months because he was "unwell", is accused of burgling an address in Harley Street, central London. He made a brief appearance at Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court on Monday, where he was listed as having no fixed address, and is reported to have been bailed to return on 11 August. The Libertines are one of the most successful new British rock bands of the last year, with four top 40 singles.

The Four Rooms Of Kharon

Very cool flash game. In the MYST vein, only darker. CLICK HERE TO PLAY
found at milk and cookies

This Day in Music

1968 - The Beatles' Apple Boutique in London closes after heavy losses.--- 1966 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Wild Thing," The Troggs. Because of a legal dispute, the song is simultaneously released on two different labels, something unique for a No. 1 single.

iTunes Music Store is coming to the PC

Apple Computer says it is on pace to launch a Windows-based version of the iTunes Music Store by the end of the year. In the afternoon keynote session yesterday (July 29) at the Jupiter Plug.In conference in New York, Peter Lowe, Apple's director of marketing for applications and services, said the company intends to launch a PC service with broad content-usage rights similar to those enjoyed by iTunes consumers using Mac computers. Additionally, Apple says it has sold more than 300,000 iPod portable players since the bow of iTunes in April. Lowe maintained that Apple is not looking to music to serve as a loss-leader business for iPod sales. In recent months Apple has strengthened the iTunes music inventory with the addition of several Indy record labels. This being great news for most of us who hate the music from the majors. More songs and albums are being added daily. The addition of PC users is expected to big a huge boom for the iTunes music store.

Ramones, Clash Top Punk Box

Rhino Records will release a four-disc punk box set, Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated? The '70s Punk Rebellion , on October 28th. Following in the footsteps of the garage-rock anthology Nuggets , the set is designed to serve as a punk rock primer, spanning 1973 to 1980. "I'm not doing this set for people who were there the first time or to 'give the kids a history lesson,'" says the collection's producer Gary Stewart. "I'm hoping that somebody new to rock & roll who just picked up albums by the White Stripes, Good Charlotte or Radiohead will find much to love here." The 100-track compilation features songs from punk headliners like the Clash, the Ramones, Elvis Costello, the Pretenders and the Cure as well as outer-limits bands like Suicide, the Ruts and Mink DeVille -- but no song from the Sex Pistols, whose frontman Johnny Rotten gave the collection its title when he asked the audience the same question at the end of the band's 1978 farewell show. "I wanted to turn people on to some of the great nooks and crannies of early punk," Stewart says. "If you're buying this set, you're probably aware of the Buzzcocks and the Ramones, but I want you to know about the Rezillos, the Rich Kids and the Heartbreakers."

SPACE INVADER BLING BLING

Aurifaber is this pimp ass company in Finland that makes some of the coolest rings that I have ever seen. CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT Hell a Space Invader ring.. How cool is that!

American Music Club Re-Opens

Nearly a decade after what singer Mark Eitzel terms a "pretty friendly breakup," the members of San Francisco's American Music Club have reunited and are in the midst of recording a new album. "We're pretty different now," says Eitzel of bassist Dan Pearson, drummer Tim Mooney and guitarist Vudi, who split in 1995. "I think we've changed a lot. You'd have to in ten years, right?" Eitzel helped spark the reunion by visiting Vudi in Los Angeles recently, where the guitarist holds down a day job as a city bus driver and fronts the band Clovis de la Floret. Though he plied Vudi with drinks and persuaded him to give the band another shot, Eitzel says the elusive guitarist hasn't yet joined them in the studio due to his work schedule. In the meantime, the core trio has recorded basic tracks for seven songs over the past two weeks at Mooney's San Francisco studio, Closer. The free studio time was one of the keys to the reunion, as the band has not yet signed a record deal, despite interest from several independent labels. "Interest, but no money," Eitzel says in his typical deadpan.

SUPERSUCKERS- ROCK N' ROLL RECORDS (AIN'T SELLIN' THIS YEAR)

New video for the new single from Seattle's own SUPERSUCKERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime

NEW SOPRANOS

The new season of the Sopranos starts in March 2004. I can't wait.

SOME (EXPENSIVE) TIME IN NEW YORK CITY!

A private film of JOHN LENNON has sold for $53,775 (£33,235) to an anonymous bidder at an auction in NEW YORK. The student film, which features the former Beatle imitating baboons to entertain children and taking over an ice-cream van, was expected to fetch up to $50,000 at Christie 's auction house on Friday (July 25). The two reels of footage were the most expensive of the several Lennon items under the hammer, which also included written lyrics to the Beatles song 'If You've Got Trouble' and a 1971 letter, which both went for $38,240 (£23,600) each. The film was shot in 1974, when an anonymous student met John Lennon on a New York street and asked him to star in the film for the day. He is also seen feeding monkeys, playing a bandstand organ and performing magic tricks. Some of the film has been used in documentaries, though the majority remains unseen by the public. The 45-minute film was cut from 12 hours by the student and was sold privately to an unknown collector ten years ago. Christie's film specialist Margaret Barrett said the film was "amazing".

Melt-Banana- Cell-Scape (Album Review)

Japan's Melt-Banana, one of those "gotta hear 'em" bands, are one of the most creative units working the noise-hardcore scene this decade. Singer Yasuko squeals out staccato bursts of what is apparently English, though rarely particularly distinguishable. Song titles have rarely been of much help, either. Cell-Scape is no different in this regard ("Chain-Shot to Have Some Fun," "A Hunter in the Rain to Cut the Neck Up in the Present Shape"), but does the band fall prey to the hardcore trend of giving the songs names more interesting than the songs themselves (looking at you, The Locust)? Fortunately, Melt-Banana has been more of an"experimental" (cringe) band than straight-ahead rockers since the beginning. While it's reasonable to say that the band has been working with the same tools for their whole discography to this point, be pleased to know that Cell-Scape sees the Banana expanding their palette. The songs are longer, many over three minutes, allowing for the band to see ideas through before ricocheting off again. There's more shout-along moments along with the standard frenzied yelping on Yasuko's part (especially in the almost-catchy "If it is the Deep Sea, I can See You There"), and guitarist Agata is excellent as usual. The bass is higher in the mix than past LPs, allowing for the petite Rika to lead on some of the tracks. A misstep comes with the 10-minute long closing track, a droning lump of bloopy electronica, but at least the band's made us able to hit the stop button sooner and not miss a thing. Were this "just another" Melt-Banana album, there'd be little reason for any but the band's already-converted to care, but as it is, Cell-Scape is a record of interest for those who already pack their shows and the newly curious alike. Cell-Scape is far from a complete departure, but a little change never hurt anyone.

Sundance goes Hi-Fi

The Sundance Channel will once again turn to music for Friday nights in October, with two back to back series, "Docs That Rock" and "Sonic Cinema" branded as "Hi-Fi Fridays." The former is a series of music-focused documentaries, while the latter is an examination of music and film hosted by Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore. From Oct. 3-24, the channel will air a different feature documentary each Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, followed at 11 by an original episode of "Sonic Cinema." On Oct. 31, Sundance will wrap the series with a "Sonic Cinema" marathon. Other artists featured in this season will include DJ Shadow, Spoon, Flaming Lips, Devo, John Cale, Jack Johnson, Underworld and Supergrass.

I'M 39% FREAK ACCORDING TO THIS TEST.

Honest Eminem, KISS go to bat.

Just when we think it's finally safe to give up on the intellect of the American public altogether, something comes along to give us a ray of hope -- like a new poll that indicates that a majority of Americans think that Eminem is more honest than George W. Bush. The survey, conducted by the Euro R-S-C-G advertising agency, found that fifty-three percent of the 1,016 folks surveyed found the rapper's rhymes more believable than the speeches given by the current resident of the Oval Office. The Prez's next opponent? We're thinking Milli Vanilli . . . Once upon a time, we thought that introducing the members of Kiss to the business end of a Louisville Slugger would have been a fine idea. And while we've mellowed some over the years, we couldn't help feeling a twinge of nostalgia when we found out that just such a meeting would be taking place on the Atlantic City boardwalk this weekend. No, the grizzled geezers aren't heading for a Sharks-versus-Jets styled rumble with fellow senior citizens on the early-bird dinner special line: Rather, they're putting in an appearance at, of all things, a sports collector's convention, where they'll introduce the latest addition to the ever-growing Kiss product line: a customized baseball bat. The timing kinda makes you wonder about Ace Frehley's recent "accidental" head injury . . .

THE RETURN OF NAPSTER

NAPSTER is to relaunch before Christmas after signing agreements with the five major record labels and top independents. The new service, Napster 2.0 , will allow users to access up to 500,000 tracks by paying for individual downloads or a monthly subscription. The company expects to cover music by all artists from "Eminem and Miles Davis to the Dixie Chicks and Bob Marley. a statement said. Chris Corog, chairman and CEO of Roxio Inc, the new owners of the service, said, " Napster 2.0 is being built from the ground up to reflect the essence of independence and innovation that the brand is known for. Consumers want flexibility, and for the first time they will not have to choose between downloads or subscriptions." The original Napster, started by college student Shawn Fanning, filed for bankruptcy last year.

Bob Hope Dead at 100

Bob Hope, whose quick wit, daring personality and ski-sloped nose identified him as an icon of 20th-century entertainment, has died. He was 100. Known as "Mr. Entertainment" or "the King of Comedy," Hope appeared in more than 75 films, starred in more than 475 TV programs and 1,000-plus radio programs. He also toured tirelessly for the U.S. armed forces.

How Not To Get Sued By The RIAA For File-Sharing
(And Other Ideas to Avoid Being Treated Like a Criminal)
CLICK HERE FOR HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS AT EFF
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE AD THE EFF IS RUNNING AGAINST THE RIAA

THIS DAY IN MUSIC

2002 - The Who's John Entwistle is found dead in his hotel room in Las Vegas. He has cocaine in his system, and the death is ruled accidental. He is 57.---- 1986 - Queen becomes the first Western act since Louis Armstrong in 1964 to play in Budapest, Hungary.----1976 - John Lennon receives his "green card" from U.S. immigration authorities.

28 Days Later gets a new ending

As if a film about a virus that wipes out London and turns its victims into shrieking, blood-spewing zombies weren't bleak enough, "28 Days Later" now has a darker alternate ending. Moviegoers who stay in their seats past the closing credits will see the five-minute coda, which began appearing in theaters Friday. Newspaper ads tout it as "the ending so terrifying, it will haunt you for days!" Director Danny Boyle and Fox Searchlight, which is distributing the film, decided to add the second ending after buzz about its existence sprang up on the Web. The original finale, while open for interpretation, is vaguely optimistic. "(The film) was released in England last November, and when it came out on DVD there a couple of months ago, it had the alternate ending," said Steve Gilula, Fox Searchlight's president of distribution."The Internet was alive with debate about this new ending," he said. "American viewers were frustrated because they weren't able to see it." So.. The new ending was added for the U.S. viewers.

KINGBLIND RECOMMENDS:

Here is what is on the Kingblind stereo this week.
(The Kinks: Something Else)--(The Zombies: Odessey and Oracle)--(PJ Harvey: Rid of Me)--(Shellac Live: ATP 4.20.02)--(The Stooges: Complete Funhouse sessions)

KINGBLIND'S QUICK MUSIC NEWS:

ROB ZOMBIE is planning masks inspired by his horror film "House of 1000 Corpses" for this Halloween. Zombie has already signed on to direct a sequel to the feature, which was his first... PAUL McCARTNEY has taken out a full-page ad in the Courier-Journal, Louisville's daily newspaper criticizing Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is headquartered in the city, for animal cruelty... The SHINS will follow up their acclaimed 2001 debut, Oh, Inverted World , with a new album due October 21st... The Sun studio, where ELVIS PRESLEY, JOHNNY CASH, ROY ORBISON and CARL PERKINS made some of their early, legendary recordings, will receive a national historic landmark designation this week... KISS guitarist ACE FREHLEY will not be with the band on its upcoming tour with AEROSMITH. Frehley will instead be writing and recording a solo project... The SUPER FURRY ANIMALS will begin a thirteen-date tour with GRANDADDY, starting September 18th in San Francisco... PEACHES will release her second album, "Fatherf**ker," this fall. IGGY POP makes a guest appearance... The Chicago Police Department issued an apology this week to ICE CUBE after issuing a community alert about a rapist-at-large, claiming the suspect resembled the rapper...

80's Ending

Not a single cliche' missing. Parody on the ending of every 80's movie. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOVIE

GBV To Give Out Box Set, Wonka Style

Who's got a golden ticket? In the classic Roald Dahl tale "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," such a rare item contained in chocolate bars granted its lucky owner the chance to take a tour of the magical factory. Indie-rock mainstays Guided By Voices will give fans who purchase their new Matador album a similar option, gracing a random few listeners with a forthcoming box set. Twenty-five copies of "Earthquake Glue," due Aug. 19, will include a golden ticket. Lucky GBV fans who purchase the adorned copies will receive the upcoming GBV box set, "Hardcore UFOs," to be released Nov. 4 on Matador. The box will feature six discs -- a greatest-hits CD, a DVD version of the 1998 documentary "Watch Me Jumpstart" replete with music videos and live footage, a CD of unreleased songs, the band's hard-to-find debut EP "Forever Since Breakfast," a Matador B-Sides/singles/compilation tracks disc and a CD of live recordings.

How to piss off a redneck

Great prank call to a NASCAR fan in mississippi. Oh my god.. I am still laughing. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MP3

Audiopad: Linux-based musical gizmo

Audiopad is a musical composition and performance device that tracks the positions of objects on a flat surface, then converts their motion into music. Developed by MIT PhD students James Patten and Ben Recht, the system is is powered by Debian Linux. It consists of a set of electronically tagged objects on a tabletop, a matrix of antennae that track the objects, and an LCD projector which displays an animated UI. LINK to quicktime movie

Strummer Strolls Down One Last 'Street'

More information has come to light about Joe Strummer's final studio album. As previously reported, "Streetcore" is due Oct. 7 from Hellcat/Epitaph. The set features nine originals and a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," produced by Rick Rubin. Several other cuts, including opener "Coma Girl" and "Get Down Moses," were a part of Strummer's live set lists before his sudden death last December. The track "Midnight Jam" is an instrumental. Writing on Strummer's official Web site earlier this year, his bandmates in the Mescaleros said, "the four of us just got in there, jammed, slowed the bass down and just dubbed around it, without changing anything." Meanwhile, Strummer's site reports that "an exciting, official film documentary project is about to begin." The site is seeking "personal movie (film, video or digital) footage of Joe from any period of his career, particularly non-concert footage." Fans in possession of such footage are encouraged to e-mail documentary@strummersite.com with details. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE OFFICIAL JOE STRUMMER SITE

NEVER TRUST A HIPPIE

I could not agree more.. I guess dub legend Adrian Sherwood agree's with me too.. In fact his new album is called just that N.T.A.H. and he even has a great new video for the first single Boogaloo CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT Required Quicktime 6

ALIENS ON THE M1?

ELBOW caused panic on england's M1 MOTORWAY last week, when drivers mistook the two 12ft statues seen on the cover of new album 'CAST OF THOUSANDS' for aliens. The 'Elle' and 'Bo' giants were removed by police on July 18 after they received reports from worried motorists who were reporting 'alien' type figures looming at the side of the road. Upon investigating the authorities declared the statues a distraction and a safety hazard to motorists and ordered them to be taken down.

A Tribute to Metallica's St. Anger

This is one of the funniest things I have heard in a very very long time.. A tribute to Metallica's new album St. Anger CLICK HERE FOR THE MP3 First the internet hoax.. now this.. AWESOME.

Weller signs to V2 records

PAUL WELLER has signed a worldwide multi-album deal with V2 RECORDS after months of speculation. The move comes after the singer parted company with Independiente in March. A statement from V2 said, "As a highly respected singer, musician and writer and one of the most influential artists of his generation V2 are very excited to this fantastic addition to its roster. "Paul Weller has been making vital music, whether with his time with The Jam, Style Council or solo, for well over two decades in his ever-changing career. Always cool, consistently classic and contemporary, Paul Weller still inspires and excites in equal measures."

QOTSA touring until January

Queens Of The Stone Age have extended their touring plans with a series of North American club dates, beginning Sept. 28 in Montreal and wrapping with an Oct. 30 Halloween show in Santa Barbara, Calif. Afterward, bassist Nick Oliveri said he will tour the U.S. in November and December with his side band, Mondo Generator. In January, QOTSA, Mondo Generator and the Distillers will keep things going with a trek through Australia. What that means for fans eagerly anticipating the follow-up to QOTSA's acclaimed 2002 album "Songs for the Deaf" is that the band may not hit the studio until February. Echoing statements QOTSA principal Josh Homme made in May, Oliveri says the group has a host of new songs in the pipeline but doubts they will make it into the live set lists. "We're itching to record these new ones, but we've said yes to these tours first," he says of the new cuts, which include "Paper Thin" and "Everybody Knows You're Insane." "You never know in the meantime what new songs are going to come up, and you could be glad you didn't go in and record straight away. You might get a whole other record's worth of songs that are better."

Indie Bands sell your music thru the iTunes Music Store

CD Baby is now accepting music to be sold via digital distibution through iTunes Music Store, Listen.com and others. Their cut is 9 percent. The artists get 91 percent of the sale and retain all the rights to their music. There is a $40 fee for each album submitted. It will be interesting to see how much indie music gets on and how it does. Imagine being a touring indie band and be able to tell people to go to iTunes and buy your songs; it seems this could be a huge boon to musicians wanting to circumvent/boycott/avoid/destroy the RIAA. CHECK IT OUT HERE

Neptunes remix the stones

Re-mix gods The Netunes remix the classic Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil" CLICK HERE TO LISTEN From BBC Radio 1 (requires real player)

NEW KINGBLIND.COM

Well.. after 72 hours and 6.. NO 7 different total design re-do's.. Here is the new and improved Kingblind.com.. Ain't she purty. shoot me an email and let me know what you think.. (hint.. email is to the right..) or just type it .... info at kingblind dot com ....

Kingblind's favorite new internet hoax

Metallica is taking legal action against independant Canadian rock band Unfaith over what they feel is unsanctioned usage of two chords the band has been using since 1982 : E and F. "People are going to get on our case again for this, but try to see it from our point of view just once," stated Metallica's Lars Ulrich . "We're not saying we own those two chords, individually - that would be ridiculous. We're just saying that in that specific order, people have grown to associate E, F with our music." Metallica filed a trademark infringement suit against the indie group at the US district court for central California on Monday. According to the drummer, the continued use of the two chords causes "confusion, deception and mistake in the minds of the public". Thanks for the heads up steve.. It got me .. D'OH. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WHOLE HOAX

RICK RUBIN IN ON NEW WEEZ

WEEZER have enlisted the skills of über-producer RICK RUBIN for their fifth album, after scrapping plans to record the follow-up to 'MALADROIT' last year to have some time off. The band posted 20 new songs on their official website in 2002, including 'Private Message' ,'Prodigy Lover' , and 'The Victor' , but abandoned them after last summer's 'Enlightenment Tour'. Guitarist Brian Bell said, "Right now we're just playing acoustically. There might be more textures to this record." He also added that the demos from the 2002 sessions are no longer strong contenders for the forthcoming record: "It's all new stuff... we're still open to suggestions - especially if Rick says, 'I want you to have a second look at this song you did last year.' It's not likely, but nothing's out of bounds at this point." Currently in the pre-production stages, Weezer and Rubin are expected to enter the studio in the next few weeks.

Tommy Stinson Joins Guns n' Roses, Readies Solo LP

Old rockers don't die, they just join new bands and tour endlessly. Which is why Tommy Stinson, the founding bassist for seminal indie rockers The Replacements, is heading out on a new solo tour. Stinson is hitting the road while on a break from his current project, the reformed but eternally in-limbo Guns N' Roses. Stinson is also finishing a new solo album; he's written and recorded sixteen songs, and is currently looking for a label to release it. Stinson played most of the instruments on the album, with some help from Josh Freese (drummer for GnR and nearly everyone else in rock), GnR pianist/keyboardist Dizzy Reed, and Richard Fortus. On tour, Stinson will be accompanied by The Figgs, an upstate New York rock band who've been around since 1987. Stinson's sets will include both solo acoustic songs and performances with backing from The Figgs. He'll be playing songs from his forthcoming album as well as tracks written for his previous two short-lived post-Replacements bands, Bash & Pop and Perfect.

Coldplay / Radiohead rush for the mercury

Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head and Radiohead's Hail to the Thief are the highest profile finalists for the 2003 Panasonic Mercury Music Prize, which celebrates the U.K.'s top album from the past year. Radiohead have been short-listed twice previously, Coldplay once. The list of twelve albums includes eight debuts and represents a broad spectrum of music, as the Mercury Prize takes into account all genres. In addition to Radiohead and Coldplay, rock is represented by the Darkness' Permission to Land and the Thrills' So Much for the City. Soweto Kinch's Conversations With the Unseen represents for jazz, while folk and soul are covered by Eliza Carthy's Anglicana and Terri Walker's Untitled, respectively.

Exploding Hearts Lose Three Members in Crash

At approximately six in the morning yesterday, Matthew "Matt Lock" Fitzgerald, Adam "Baby" Cox, and Jeremy "Kid Killer" Gage of the Pacific Northwest pop band The Exploding Hearts were killed when their van flipped over near Eugene, Oregon. The band was on their way home to Portland after a performance at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill venue. They had also reportedly been in talks with Lookout! Records while in town about the possibility of a record deal. Also in the van were Hearts guitarist Terry Six and manager Ratch Aronica, both of whom were treated for minor injuries. Ratch, who was kind enough to return our call while recovering from the accident, told us, "Terry and I don't know why we got out [alive]. I was sleeping, most of us were asleep when it happened. Matt was driving and when I woke up Adam was yelling just 'stop, stop.' I opened my eyes and saw the van going back and forth. I could just see him trying to steer back onto the road. We were told we hit the shoulder, the gravel area, and we just started slipping..." The resilient manager of the Hearts, Ratch Aronica was in nearly every way the band's mother. She was its biggest fan, its go-to shoulder, and its guardian in a music industry that otherwise preys on the young and talented. Ratch was tireless. During the entirety of the band's recent visit to Cambridge, MA, she slept not at all, opting instead to help smooth out the slapdash planning of two admittedly uncertain concerts, the band's only East Coast appearances. Ratch was reportedly the only person in the van wearing a seatbelt. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to Ratch, Terry, and all the friends and family of The Exploding Hearts.

N.A.G. ROCKS

N.A.G. (Network Auralization for Gnutella) is interactive software art for Mac OS X and Windows 2000/XP which turns the process of searching for and downloading MP3 files into a chaotic musical collage. Type in one or more search keywords, and N.A.G. looks for matches on the Gnutella peer-to-peer file sharing network. The software then downloads MP3 files which match the search keyword(s) and remixes these audio files in real time based on the structure of the Gnutella network itself. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

'Air Guitar' Takes Karaoke To New Level

Air guitar has gone high-tech, as Hollywood Records is using CD entertainment technology from MusicPlayground to bring karaoke into a whole new sphere. "The World's Greatest Air Guitar Album" is the first full-length commercial release to offer the bonus, which enables consumers to play an instrument along with 24 different anthems, including Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Boston's "More Than a Feeling." What makes this experience different from holding a tennis racquet while posing is MusicPlayground. Using either a computer keyboard or a separately available V-Pick "interactive guitar pick," fans can play along with what the company calls an onscreen Rhythm EKG. This display shows cues and lyrics, turning consumers into a guitarist the same way a karaoke machine would make them a vocalist. Allen Kovac of 10th Street Entertainment, who manages such artists as Blondie, Meat Loaf and Motley Crue, thinks the technology can dissuade people from pirating music and encourage them to support their favorite artists by purchasing the genuine article. "Music is something that the new generation of computer users have decided is free because there's no interaction," Kovac said. "With MusicPlayground, music becomes a one-on-one relationship instead of a product." MusicPlayground's Web site has a jukebox of songs by the Beatles, Britney Spears, Motley Crue, the Who, Madonna, Smash Mouth, No Doubt and many others -- all of which have been rerecorded by MusicPlayground's own musicians. Some tracks also are included on CDs in V-Pick and V-Stix packages.

STUDIOS GETTING SAFER?

Recording studios are bumping up security in an attempt to stop leaks of albums before their release. As the music industry looks at different ways to combat songs getting onto the Internet months before they hit the shops, recording studios in the US are being fitted with safes as one way of decreasing the chance tapes will be stolen. When Radiohead ’s ’Hail To The Thief’ appeared online earlier this year, the band claimed the tracks were unfinished, sparking speculation the leak came from within a studio. "There's a safe now in every studio, and eventually we're going to build those safes into the walls," Kelly Garver , studio manager at NRG Recording Services in LA told Reuters . "We are designing a new studio with safes built right into the floor."

The Band: Mogwai -- The Video: Hunted by a freak

I just finished watching the video for "Hunted By A Freak ," by Mogwai. Freak is the operative word here, folks. I can see the folks at PETA huddled in a room already.

The Beatles: A Hard Days Night

Bored? Well then read the entire script to the Beatles film "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" CLICK HERE I can't believe the stuff you can find on the net..

KINGBLIND RECOMMENDS

(Prefuse 73: One Word Extinguisher)--(Pedro the Lion: Control)--(Adrian Sherwood: NTAH)--(The Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium)--(Everything I learned about love I learned from Motown: V/A)

Top 11 Signs your ISP has given you up to the RIAA as a dangerous KaZaA user :
11. All the files in your favorite MP3 play list are now "Lars Ulrich sings 'Feelings'"
10. Your KaZaA rating changes to "Defendant"
9. Eminem insults your mother in his next single
8. Recording Industry Association of America president Hillary Rosen sends you e-mail messages with embedded .wav files of heavy breathing
7. All the spam in your inbox is from Motion Picture Association CEO Jack Valenti
6. You get a bill retroactively charging you 99 cents per downloaded track. Total bill: $29,700
5. A Tommy Mottola screen saver suddenly pops up on your computer
4. Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer picket your home with signs that read, "Piracy don't pay my bills"
3. You receive a request from someone using outdated hacker wannabe slang claiming a friend said you could "hook me up" with the latest Snoop Dogg album
2. You suddenly have numerous songs from someone named Avril Lavigne
1. CD-shaped crop circles appear in your backyard

The Kids are Alright come to DVD

The Who's classic 1979 rockumentary "The Kids Are Alright" will make its DVD debut Sept. 30 in a release from Pioneer Entertainment, The title, which comes at a time of heightened consumer interest in classic rock DVDs, will mark the 40th anniversary of the band's first recording and first performance of a song composed by guitarist Pete Townshend. "The Kids Are Alright" documents the band members' musicianship and personality through live performance footage and interviews. The DVD has a newly restored print, with remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS sound.

JACKSON 5 are back

My God is this reunion week or what... WELL .. THE JACKSON FIVE are to reform for a reunion album and tour complete with MICHAEL JACKSON. Jermaine Jackson told the BBC 's Liquid News the new album would be released to coincide with the tour. The last time the original members performed together was at a one-off concert in 2001. Jermaine said he was not worried about his brother Michael 's incredible fame and notoriety eclipsing that of the family when they went on tour. He said: " Michael turned into this beautiful entertainer because of the foundation of The Jackson Five ."

PREFUSE 73: One Word Extinguisher

Question: What are the two words all electronic music producers fear most? Answer: Ah yes…how do you say…Sophomore Slump?! And it’s completely understandable. You work so hard in your bedroom for years gathering up all of your ideas and influences to create your debut-- a bona-fide masterwork. All of a sudden you’re the hottest artist in the underground. Then you license a track to that car company and everyone is blasting your album in their cars as they go out on Saturday night. But time passes, the spotlight dims and you go back to the bedroom for your follow-up. And that’s where it gets all fuzzy. DJ Shadow certainly saw it coming. No wonder why he took nearly seven years to make his follow-up to Endtroducing. And you all know what happened after Private Press was released. So can someone explain to me why Prefuse 73’s follow-up to the inventive debut Vocal Studies & Uprock Narratives is so fucking good? It’s not supposed to be this way. Vocal Studies pretty much invented glitch-hop and spawned hundreds of copy-cats. Oh, and the album was fucking great. Excellent hip-hop beats manipulated and twisted and mixed with outstanding samples and live MCs made it one of the most essential electronic releases in years. One Word Extinguisher breaks the electronic sophomore slump because it actually builds on its predecessor’s strengths. Drum tracks run all the way through without being hidden behind a ton of cut and paste techniques. Soul, funk and jazz samples add new layers to Prefuse’s inventive use of beats. And the guest appearances really make One Word Extinguisher shine. Diverse’s lyrical prowess is all over "Plastic," one of the strongest hip-hop tracks I’ve heard in ages. The melodic keyboard touches and rhythmic bass lines on "Uprock and Invigorate" show maturity and growth in Herren’s style with the help of Dabrye from Ghostly International fame. So why does One Word Extinguisher break the standard and sound so great? Maybe it’s because Scott Herren is the most talented electronic producer working today. (tiny mixed tapes rock)

Hipster Bingo

How To Play: Print this out and take it to the next show you go to. When you get a bingo, scream "BINGO!" at the top of your lungs, then break a bunch of beer bottles on the floor and get thrown out. CLICK HERE TO VIEW BINGO BOARD

Guided by Voice back with new single and album

As the release of the-- we think-- 14th Guided by Voices album draws near, the band has announced the details of the new full-length's first single. "My Kind of Soldier" will drop July 29th, and at this time is said to be limited to a mere 1000 seven-inch vinyl copies. It will be accompanied by the non-LP track "Broken Brothers". As previously reported, the forthcoming full-length, titled Earthquake Glue , will be released on August 19th via Matador.

Joe Jackson Band To Break Up In Brisbane

Joe Jackson is bringing his original Joe Jackson Band to Australia for the very first time and they plan to break-up in Brisbane. Brisbane is the last stop on their 25th Anniversary tour with the band disbanding to cap off the reunion after the show at the Lyric Theatre on September 17. This Joe Jackson band features Joe Jackson (vocals and keyboards), Gary Sanford (guitar), Graham Maby (bass), and Dave Houghton's (drums). It is the same band featured on the classic debut 'Look Sharp' (1978), 'I'm The Man' (1979) and 'Beat Crazy' (1980). The band had gone their separate ways before Joe's first Australian tour in 1983 off the back of the 'Night and Day' album. Only Graham Maby has been the mainstay in most of Joe's bands and was here with Joe for the '83,'91 and '94 tours. 'Look Sharp' was Jackson's debut and featured 'Is She Really Going Out With Him', 'Sunday Papers' and 'One More Time'. The album hit at the start of new wave, an angry but intelligent rock genre for punks with a brain. Out of that same era came Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Ian Dury, The Police and XTC..

Hiss man bitten by snake

New HISS bassist JOHNNY KRAL got a rude awakening on his first US tour after being bitten by a poisonous snake. The band had just played a show at the Congress Club in Tuscon, Arizona (June 28) when Johnny decided to retire to his bunk. As he was drifting to sleep he felt a strange, cold presence crawling up his leg. He then felt a stabbing pain and leapt out of bed to find the snake, which had crawled, had bitten him into his bed. "I really thought that was it," Johnny said . "And to be bitten by a snake when you’re in a band called The Hiss , it all seems a little freaky."

Pretenders Singer Protests At Paris KFC-

Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders gave her vocal chords a workout today (July 16th), joining animal activists in a loud protest outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in central Paris. The rock star and a dozen others, including leaders of the animal rights group PETA, were briefly detained by police after blocking traffic on a main boulevard and smearing red paint across the restaurant's window to symbolize the blood of dead chickens. The activists were protesting what they called inhumane methods used to kill the chickens used by the fast-food chain. "The protest won't end here," said Hynde, who was scheduled to perform Friday at a festival in western France. "Even if I shout for two hours I can assure you, I'll still have a voice for the concert."

White Stripes Cancel Tour

As we begrudgingly reported on um, Sunday Jack White fractured his left index finger in a car accident, forcing the dynamic duo to relinquish their headlining slots at the T in the Park and Witness festivals to The Flaming Lips. Now, as reported on their official site-- as well as the major news media-- the finger fracture has forced the postponement of their U.S. summer tour. Furthermore, the verdict is still out on whether tha finga will heal in time for the Reading/Leeds festival in late August. The city of Milwaukee has reportedly just fucking given up, since the now postponed August 8th show had already been rescheduled from a July 5th cancellation. To satisfy your curiosity, Jack has posted a statement on the official website which reads, "I broke my finger, three breaks, car wreck, horrible left turn in front of me, no chance of escape, air bag, the air near my fingers, devil in my left hand, doctors say no way, lots of pain, typing with one finger, made it through year of rock'n'roll death, got off with just a warning. Apologies to those wishing to see my hand live, soon enough I'm sure, now me and meg can share war stories, I love when we share, like once there was a monkey, and we shared the experience as children do." Harrowing.

AMAZING SPIRITUALIZED-

SPIRITUALIZED mainman JASON PIERCE has said the "energy" of THE WHITE STRIPES made him radically reconsider how he approached making the band's new LP 'AMAZING GRACE' .The record, released by Sanctuary on September 8, showcases a feedback, garage-driven sound totally at odds with the mammoth orchestration of their last album, 2001's 'Let It Come Down' . And Pierce , who calls 'Amazing Grace' the greatest record he's made in his career, admits the prevalence of raw garage rock over the last couple of years influenced his thinking. He said: "I was excited about people putting guitars around their neck and making noise again rather than showing fantastic ability or showing the kind of intellectualism that sometimes comes into music.

Epic Preps Blondie Set For International Release

Blondie will release its first studio album for Epic, "The Curse of Blondie," Sept. 18 in Australia and Japan and Oct. 6 in Europe. The band's manager, Allen Kovac, is understood to be in negotiations for a North American deal for the album. The single "Good Boys" will be released internationally Sept. 22. The new set falls under a deal struck in 2001 between Sony Music International (SMI) and Kovac's now-defunct Beyond label, after its arrangement with BMG collapsed. SMI's deal also included rights outside the U.S. for Blondie's 1999 album "No Exit," which featured the hit single "Maria," and the subsequent "Live" set.

The New Pornographers- Electric Version

How do you prepare yourself to release your second album after receiving critical acclaim on your first release? You are aware that everybody is watching you very carefully and are monitoring your every step taken. So perhaps you should change your lyrical style? Perhaps you should include more instrumentation to your songs? Perhaps you should collaborate with popular singers or musicians? Or maybe you should completely duplicate your previous record! What do you mean? That would never work. Yes, I agree in most cases, except for The New Pornographer’s Electric Version, the follow up to their debut Mass Romantic. I could probably play both albums simultaneously and find no changes to their original formula. And why should they change anything; they have created one of the most astonishing indie rock albums with Mass Romantic . It was full of modern pop melodies, catchy hooks and heart-felt, dramatic vocals creating a record reminiscent of Brit Pop’s olden days. Electric Version continues in the same fashion, making a tighter and bolder statement; indie rock is here to stay. “All for Swinging Around You” is the new “Letter to an Occupant,” as Neko Case wails her sultry vocals behind an up-tempo, appealing groove. Dan Bejar seems back to form with the anthem “Chump Change”, the finest song he has performed since Streethawk: A Seduction. So why would Electric Version receive such a high rating even though there is no growth to The New Pornographers’ musical style. Maybe Electric Version is a perfect sampler of what to expect from the superstars in The New Pornographers. Neko Case was impressive on Blacklisted ; now we have something to hold us together until her next album is completed. As for Dan Bejar of Destroyer, I am glad that he has shaken the demons of This Night (even though it wasn’t that bad of an album). On a whole, Electric Version fits beautifully beside Mass Romantic in my music collection. And to be honest, I was getting a little tired of playing Mass Romantic on a daily basis. Now I have something new to play….well, not new but new! You know what I mean! (from tiny mixed tapes)

Bowie is back with his 25th record

"It rocks quite hard," says David Bowie, describing his new CD, Reality , due in September. Despite the laughter that follows, he's not kidding. Aided by longtime producer Tony Visconti, the ever-evolving rocker has turned up the volume on his twenty-fifth album, which includes a loud stomp through the Modern Lovers' classic "Pablo Picasso." "I've always wanted to do it," Bowie says of the song. "It's just a treat. On Heathen (2002), I did a piece by the Pixies, called 'Cactus.' 'Pablo Picasso,' at least the way we've done it, occupies a similar place on the album." There are a few departures -- "Bring Me the Disco King" is a spare piece performed by Bowie with keyboardist Mike Garson, and "Try Some, Buy Some" is a relatively faithful remake of an obscure Ronnie Spector/George Harrison collaboration. "At that time," Bowie says, "it was the only single by a solo artist that actually had all four Beatles on it. The Beatles had kind of disbanded, but they all loved Ronnie, and it was George Harrison producing it, so they all crept in and different times to put parts on it. We were pretty true to the original arrangement, but the overall atmosphere is somewhat different. It's a dense piece." Also completed is a track produced by the Matrix, the team behind Avril Lavigne's hits and Liz Phair's controversial new album. "[ Reality ] doesn't have any particular through line -- it's not a conceptualized piece in any way," says Bowie. "It's very diversified. It comes from having an incredibly diverse fondness for so many different kind of musics. I've always tried to bridge different kinds of music -- or sometimes jam them together -- when maybe they'd seem uneasy bedfellows."

The Laws have changed- Music Video- by The New Pornographers

Great new video. On one hand, it's this clever narrative about a St. Anthony-style ascetic being brought into an idealized sexy Western youth culture, and on the other, it's just a bunch of cute mod people dancing. CLICK HERE TO VIEW REAL Player needed. Their new album "Electric Version" is just great. Listen to the entire record HERE Thanks to Apple's Streaming Quicktime 6.

Daltrey Goes Extreme

Having already proved he can survive four decades of the rock'n'roll lifestyle, Who lead singer Roger Daltrey will now try his hand at the more dangerous lives of historical explorers. As the star of the History Channel's new weekly show "Extreme History with Roger Daltrey," the strapping vocalist/actor will travel to various locations to demonstrate survival techniques used by explorers and historical figures to overcome harsh terrain, unexpected climates and scarce food sources.

KENNA- FREETIME

One of the best music videos that I have seen in a long time.. all from the knees down.. CLICK HERE TO VIEW Quicktime is needed to view the movie. (Thanks to CRAP LOG for turning me onto the song)

Stay out of the dark!

Boktai is a new Gameboy game out later this year. Players take the role of a vampire hunter, Buffy style, But the interesting bit is that amount of natural light absorbed by the game cart itself affects what happens in the game. You will soon be pulling up the blinds in order to vamp up your score.. too cool. CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS

The Return of My Bloody Valentine?

Well, first the Pixies announce they may decide to reform, and now this! What the hell is going on with the 1990s these days? We all knew the jig was up twelve years ago when My Bloody Valentine walked out of their final studio session. And I mean, okay, maybe reclusive frontman Kevin Shields has been just slightly more musically active in the past few years than he initially was after MBV broke up, but there were virtually no indication that any new music would ever be released under the MBV name. And yet, Pitchfork has now received word from secret sources that members of the band are presently holed up a Berlin studio, recording material for a forthcoming My Bloody Valentine box set. The trio of Kevin Shields, Colin O'Ciosiog and Bilinda Butcher (vocalist Debbie Googe is apparently not present) are reportedly re-recording five songs that the band abandoned for their 1989 EP Glider . The EP, released in between 1988's Isn't Anything and the group's undisputed masterpiece, the dream-pop landmark Loveless , was originally meant to be a nine-song full-length album, but the band, as usual, was took too long to record it and eventually caved to pressure from the industry and released the four finished songs as an EP. The remaining five unfinished songs from the sessions were shelved indefinitely as the band proceeded to work on Loveless -- and with the group's breakup soon after, "indefinitely" seemed to turn into "forever" for those missing tunes. Now that could all change. The box set, which is tentatively due out this winter, is said to contain the long-awaited full version of My Bloody Valentine's Glider album, fleshed out by the new recordings. There is, however, no word yet as to what else the box set might contain, or even what label may decide to release it. Meanwhile as reported here earlier, Kevin Shields has also recorded some music on his own. see the 7/10 post for details.

Frank Black Says Pixies Considering Reunion

On the heels of the reissuing of virtually their entire back catalog, The Pixies, that most upstanding of classic late 80s/early 90s alternative rock bands (who I'm sure need no introduction here) may be just a few baby steps away from a full-fledged reunion. Pixies frontman Frank Black (formerly known as Black Francis, for those who may have needed to ask) recently said in an interview with London radio station XFM that the group has been getting together every once in a while to play informally. Black isn't 100% sold on the idea; he told the station, "I do dream about the Pixies reunion... It's like those schoolboy dreams when you don't do your homework and you don't study for the test, but I'm at the gig and we're hanging out, but it's an utter failure and I don't know the songs, and hardly anyone turns up for the gig and people walk out. That's what I'm afraid of, that it'd be a big, big failure." Despite Black's hesitation, he does admit that the Pixies "do get together and have private jams together, but not for public consumption." It's a huge step, considering the well-publicized bad blood between Black and second singer/bassist Kim Deal. It was this tension that originally split up the band in 1993, leaving Deal to form The Breeders with sister Kelley. Black's confirmation that the original line-up of himself, Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago, and drummer David Lovering still play together is a big step toward the band overcoming their past difficulties and reforming for a tour-- or possibly a new album. My god folks.. Keep your fingers crossed !

Commodore brand to be relaunched

Tulip Computers NV, which owns the Commodore brand name, plans to relaunch the brand to take advantage in an upsurge of interest in the obsolete Commodore 64 (C64) computer and its 1980s-era games, the company said in a statement Friday. Tulip estimates that there are still 6 million Commodore users, who can choose from a range of 6,000 games that were developed for the system. Tulip is working with Ironstone Partners Ltd., which will handle all sales of Commodore 64-related products worldwide and take over the main C64 Web portal. Enthusiasts have made over 10 million game downloads, the site owners have said. Unauthorized use of the Commodore name by other organizations will be stopped, Tulip said in the statement. Even if the Commodore 64 hardware is obsolete, enthusiasts have written emulators for Windows PCs, Apple Macintoshes and now PocketPC-based PDAs (personal digital assistants) to enable original Commodore games to run on those systems. Commodore was one of the pioneers of the PC industry, entering the market in 1977 with its 8-bit PET (Personal Electronic Transactor). The C64 was launched in 1982, followed a few years later by the Amiga. Slowly, the crucial graphics edge that these systems enjoyed was eroded by successive improvements in other platforms, and Commodore went into liquidation in 1994. Tulip, based in Amersfoort, Netherlands, bought the Commodore brand name and other assets in 1997.

MOVIE OF THE YEAR?

Only in America. Well, no, I guess an ugly guy could become a pr0n star pretty much anywhere. As a short, fat, harry man, nicknamed the Hedgehog, Ron Jeremy is the worlds most unlikely sex star. Now there is a movie chronicling his life. CLICK HERE FOR RON JEREMY THE MOVIE

YOU GOT TWO TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE

ONLINE HIPHOP SCRATCH SIMULATOR- GET BUSY AND START ROCKIN' THE BEATS AND DON'T FORGET THE MC !! CLICK HERE TO START SCRATCHIN'

KINGBLIND RECOMMENDS

Here is what is on the Kingblind stereo this week
(The Kinks- Village Green Preservation Society)--(TAR- Jackson)--(Dismemberment Plan- Change)--(Jason Lowenstein- Sixes and Sevens)--(The Kinks- BBC Sessions)