News

Sonic Youth is making plans for its first official DVD releases, as well as an expanded reissue of its 1990 Geffen album “Goo” and the next in the SYR series of experimental LPs.
According to posts on the band

Great White tour manager Dan Biechele and the Station nightclub owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian were indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter yesterday, stemming from the February fire that claimed 100 lives.
Each of the three faces 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter, and each pleaded innocent to charges, the first criminal counts handed down after the tragedy. The Derderians were freed on $5,000 bail each, Biechele posted $10,000 bail.
The fire started just moments into Great White’s February 20th show in West Warwick, Rhode Island, when the band’s stage pyrotechnics ignited soundproofing foam in the venue. The fire quickly consumed the Station; 200 fans were injured and Great White guitarist Ty Longley was among those killed. The band and the club’s owners offered differing stories as to whether the pyrotechnics were authorized.
Source Rollingstone.com.

My Morning Jacket are suiting up for a tour starting early January. Allowing themselves only a couple days to recover from New Year’s festivities, the Kentucky group will hit the road starting in Nashville and move on through the Southern and Midwestern states.
The Jackets join in the NME Awards Show fun February 5 in London when they, along with Junior Senior and Ima Robot, rock The Astoria. Other NME Award Shows taking place around the same week will feature Ryan Adams, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Thrice, Coheed & Cambria, Hundred Reasons, and Million Dead.
According to the band’s Web site, additional shows are expected to be added to the tour If you go to the band’s website, they’re offering tickets to U.S. shows in an effort “to reduce the high surcharges from other online ticket vendors and to offer more convenient ticketing options.” They also have presale information. The increasingly high-profile group signed with Dave Matthews’ ATO Records last fall and released their latest full-length album, It Still Moves, this September.
Source Pollstar.com.

Spring will bring what is said to be the last disc of previously unreleased recordings late Grateful Dead guitarist/singer Jerry Garcia made with his friend, mandolinist David Grisman.
Due March 23 from Grisman’s Acoustic Disc label, the 12-track “Been All Around This World” includes covers of songs by Bob Dylan, James Brown and Jimmie Rodgers’ “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest,” Brown’s “I’ll Go Crazy” and Merle Travis’ “Dark as a Dungeon” and “Nine Pound Hammer.” Songs by George Jones, Freddie Hart and Mel Tillis are also featured, as are the traditionals “I’m Troubled,” “Handsome Cabin Boy” and the title track.
Source Billboard.com.

Ozzy Osbourne was seriously injured Monday in an accident on the grounds of his estate in England and underwent emergency surgery, a spokeswoman said.
The 55-year-old rock star was riding a “quad bike,” or all-terrain vehicle, on his Buckinghamshire property when the accident occurred, according to publicist Cindy Guagenti.

His injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, she said. An examination showed Osbourne broke his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in his neck, according to Guagenti. He was in surgery Monday evening at an undisclosed English hospital.
The operation was intended to lift the collarbone, which was believed to be resting on a major artery and interrupting blood flow to his arm. Surgeons also were trying to stem “some bleeding into his lungs,” Guagenti said.
Osbourne was taking a day off from promoting the United Kingdom release of “Changes,” a duet with his daughter, Kelly, when the accident occurred.
[I]Source CNN.com.

Funk music pioneer George Clinton was arrested and charged with drug possession after allegedly telling an officer he had cocaine in his pocket.
Clinton, of Tallahassee, was arrested Saturday and bonded out of jail over the weekend, according to jail officials, who wouldn’t release any other information. Clinton’s lawyer, Shoshana Zisk of San Francisco, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Clinton, 63, who headed the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic

Widespread Panic will release three live albums in 2004, one out in spring,another in summer and another in fall. Recorded during a three-night standin November at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the livealbums consist of one set with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, one acoustic setand one of straight ahead Widespread Panic.
The decision to release the live albums stemmed in part from the venue beinga “magical spot” for the band and also from a desire to showcase the impactof collaborating with the eight-man Dirty Dozen Brass Band on even the mostfamiliar songs in the Panic repertoire.
Source Rollinstone.com.

A Jimi Hendrix tribute disc being put together by the guitar legend

Geroge Carlin is continuing with what he does best: touring and making America laugh. The irreverent humorist has inked in new dates on his never-ending cycle of theatre tours.
At the end of the schedule, for the time being, is a multi-week run at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Carlin said he does 12 weeks per year at the venue, although we’re only counting 14 shows right now, which means he could possibly expect to return for another round of laughs. Last year, Carlin won a Grammy for his Napalm & Silly Putty book on tape/CD. It was his fourth such award. The book version of the project went on to spend 20 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. According to a post by Carlin on his self-maintained Web site, he’s working on plans for the “first one-man Broadway show,

Elvis Costello has scheduled a brief winter tour that will kick off Feb. 19 in Clearwater, Fla., and end March 11 in San Francisco. The 13-date trek comes in support of his latest album, “North.”
As was the case for a handful of appearances around the time of the release of the album of ballads, Costello will be accompanied by his longtime collaborator, Attractions/Imposters keyboardist Steve Nieve for the tour.
In addition, three dates Feb. 24 in Nashville, Feb.26 in New York and Feb. 27 in Boston

Japanese game machine maker Taito Corp said on Friday it plans to restart sales of “Space Invaders” in the United States, almost 25 years after the game first appeared in video arcades.
The classic arcade game centers on a fleet of invading aliens looking to take over earth, but they must first deal with a lone gunner — the player — holed up behind a fragile set of shields.
It has been one of the most popular video games of all time since it was developed in 1978.
“There has been a rebirth of classic video games in America,” said Taito spokesman Kengo Naka. “We thought it would coincide nicely with the 25th anniversary of its debut in the U.S.”
Taito aims to sell 10,000 of the stand-alone game machines at 300,000 yen (U.S. $2,772) a unit.
While the game will not change in this latest offering, inflation has taken its toll. One play will now cost 50 cents, compared with 25 cents a generation ago.
Source CNN.com.

US snowboarding is back on the East coast and hitting up Jersey, as Mountain Creek, located in Vernon, New Jersey prepares to host the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix finals, February 5

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers lead the Recording Industry Association of America’s latest pack of album-sales award-winners by claiming their first diamond award.
The RIAA has given its diamond award, which signifies U.S. shipment of 10 million copies, to Petty & the Heartbreakers’ 1993 best-of set, “Greatest Hits.”
Also putting up double digits during this certification round are Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and classic rockers Boston. Simon and Garfunkel’s current reunion tour apparently helped push the duo’s 1972 “Greatest Hits” collection past the 14-million mark, while Boston’s self-titled 1976 debut has shipped 17 million copies.
Other veterans hitting sales milestones include the late Johnny Cash, who scores his first platinum studio album with his final recording, “American IV: The Man Comes Around”; Rod Stewart, whose “As Time Goes By … The Great American Songbook, Vol. 2,” has gone platinum, and whose “Vol. 1” edition has achieved double-platinum status; Outkast, whose “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” is now certified quadruple platinum; and Michael McDonald, whose “Motown” covers collection is has gone gold, signifying U.S. shipment of 500,000 copies.
Also among the albums recognized are Alicia Keys’ “Songs in A Minor” with 6 million copies; Vince Gill’s “Souvenirs” with 3 million copies; Audioslave’s self-titled debut and Clay Aiken’s “Measure of a Man” with 2 million copies each; and Dido’s “Life for Rent,” Ludacris’ “Chicken & Beer” and DMX’s “The Grand Champ,” each with 1 million copies.
The Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” remains the top-selling album of all time, with certification of 28 million copies; Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” follows with 26 million copies.
Source Pollstar.com.

A federal judge has approved a settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of millions of record club members who alleged they had been overcharged in a price-fixing conspiracy.
Under the settlement signed Wednesday by U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby, the CD buyers will receive vouchers to give them 75 percent discounts for new compact discs, which they will receive with no shipping or handling charges.
Some members will be eligible for as many as three discounts, said an attorney for the plaintiffs, Michael Jaffe.
Hornby approved a $143 million settlement in a related lawsuit last July that accused major record companies and large music retailers of conspiring to set minimum music prices. Under that settlement, 3.5 million people are to receive checks for $12.60 and libraries and schools across the country will get $75.7 million worth of music CDs.
The lawsuit was signed by the attorneys general of 43 states and territories and consolidated in Portland in October 2000.
Defendants included Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music Distribution, Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp., Universal Music Group and Bertelsmann Music Group, as well as retailers Tower Records, Musicland Stores and Transworld Entertainment.
In agreeing to the settlement, the companies denied any wrongdoing.
Source yahoo.com.

Legendary for their relentless touring, Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons will play a two-night stand in Ensenada, Mexico on December 30th & 31st. Before that, they will play San Diego for two nights. They are scheduled to perform December 27 at Blind Melons and on December 28 at Winston’s.
The countdown to 2004 will commence in Mexico with Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons playing a sure to be epic set into the New Year’s Eve twilight.
Dextor Grove will be opening all shows
For more details please visit: http://www.jerryjoseph.com.

Phish rhythm guitarist Jeff Holdsworth, who left the band in 1986, rejoined the band once again last night at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, NY. In the second set, he took the stage to perform his own songs, “Camel Walk” and “Possum,” the Phish classic, “Run Like An Antelope” and longtime covers of The Hollies “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,” and an encore of Hendrix’s “Fire.”
Twenty years ago (12/2/83), Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, Trey Anastasio and Holdsworth peformed under the moniker, “Blackwood Convention.” Celebrating the 20th anniversary as a touring band and their first Boston show in 7 years, Phish plays tonight at the Fleetcenter.
Source Phish.com.

Stephen King was expected to remain in a Maine hospital on Thanksgiving as he recovers from pneumonia, a spokesman said.
Bangor Daily News reports there appears to be a connection between the pneumonia and a 1999 accident in which King was struck by a van and nearly killed while walking near his summer home. He suffered a punctured lung and a broken leg, hip and ribs in the accident.
The puncture resulted in a “fair amount” of scar tissue in King’s lungs, creating what doctors see as a vulnerability to ailments such as pneumonia, Silver said.
The best-selling author had been diagnosed with pneumonia in his right lung before a recent trip to New York to receive an honorary National Book Award for lifetime achievement. His condition worsened when he returned to Maine and the pneumonia spread to the other lung, Silver said.
King checked into the hospital Sunday. He underwent a procedure on Tuesday to remove fluid and scar tissue from the right lung, Silver said.
Source yahoo.com.

The Rolling Stones’ 2002-03 Licks world tour posted the second-highest gross ever, Billboard Bulletin reports. The tour grossed nearly $300 million and played to more than 3.4 million people, putting it behind only their own marathon Voodoo Lounge stadium tour, which grossed $320 million in 1994-95.
For Licks, the Stones played stadiums, arenas and theaters — sometimes all three in the same market — and filled venues to 99% capacity over 116 dates. Billed as the band’s 40th-anniversary tour, Licks began Sept. 3, 2002, in Boston, and ended Oct. 2 in Zurich.
Source Billboard.com.

Fans of the late Johnny Cash have a lot to keep them occupied: A box set being released Tuesday contains a staggering 64 never-heard-before recordings.
The five-disc box, “Unearthed,” is all material recorded during the last decade, during Cash’s fruitful partnership with Rick Rubin, who had been known best as a rap and rock producer.
Cash died September 12 at age 71 of complications from diabetes.
“It seems like a nice punctuation,” Rubin said. “It seems like a bookend with the beginning of his career and the Sun [Records] work. It’s a beautiful way to sum things up.”
The set includes a duet with the late Joe Strummer on Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” and collaborations with Fiona Apple, Nick Cave, Carl Perkins and Glen Campbell. Cash tackles two Neil Young songs, “Heart of Gold” and “Pocahontas,” as well as material by Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Steve Earle, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry and Willie Nelson.
Source cnn.com.

Rock duo Ween will release a new live disc exclusively through its official Web site, via its own Chocodog Records. The site will begin accepting pre-orders for the release — documenting an “All Request” concert the band played in July — on Dec. 1, marking the third straight year the band has made a live album available to fans during the holiday season.
The show, performed live on Weenradio.com, featured a set list entirely chosen by fans through voting on the band’s Web site. It includes such rare cuts as “Pollo Asado,” “Demon Sweat” and all five installments of the group’s “The Stallion” song cycle.
As previously reported, Ween kicks off a European tour Thursday (Nov. 27) in Stockholm. Fresh off the August release of its seventh studio album, “Quebec” (Sanctuary), which debuted at a career-best No. 81 on The Billboard 200, the band is also hoping to turn a recording of a recent three-night stand at Chicago’s Vic Theatre into a live DVD.
Source Billboard.com.