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Nirvana Bassist For Lt. Gov.
AP reports: Nirvana co-founder and bassist Krist Novoselic, who announced in August that he was fed up with the music industry, says he may run for Washington state lieutenant governor. 

Already active in Democratic party circles, Novoselic indicated he was wary about challenging two-term Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, also a Democrat and occasional rock musician, but doesn't want to remain on the sidelines in 2004 and has been talking to party leaders. 

"I've been really contemplating how I want to get involved next year and make a contribution," the 38-year-old told The Seattle Times. "It's going to be a big year and I'm trying to find a way to fit into it."- Click Here for the Full Story

"In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

EMI Makes Play For Warner Bros.
Hostile takeover? Where's Boesky and Milton? Drexel Burnham Lambert? 

AP reports: EMI Group PLC, the world's third largest music company, said Thursday it had been notified that Time Warner Inc.'s board was considering a rival bid for Warner Music Group, the media giant's music unit. 

"Time Warner has tonight informed us that they are now considering a possible proposal from another party as an alternative to our own firm offer," EMI Chairman Eric Nicoli said in a statement. 

The British company behind acts like Radiohead, Kylie Minogue  and Norah Jones has reportedly offered Time Warner about $1 billion in cash plus a stake of about 25 percent in a merged company for the music division of Warner Music Group. 

Time Warner's board met Thursday to discuss EMI's bid and an estimated $2.5 billion offer from an investor group that includes former Universal Music head Edgar Bronfman Jr. and Hollywood billionaire Haim Saban, two sources familiar with the matter said.  

However, Time Warner has given the Bronfman-Saban investor group only a few days to show it can complete its bid, one of the sources said. 

Time Warner and a Bronfman representative declined to comment on the matter Thursday. EMI officials said they had no comment beyond their release. 
. Click Here for the Full Story

Strummer Fans Take NY
NME reports: The video for JOE STRUMMER's second single from the posthumous 'STREETCORE' was recorded on Sunday (November 16) in NEW YORK.

The promo for 'Redemption Song' focuses on the making of a mural of the late Clash singer. The spray-painted mural is on the wall of the East Village Bar, Niagara.

The video features appearances from Rancid, actor Matt Dillon, Jesse Malin, and many more of Strummer's New York friends.

Archive footage of The Clash's 1982 Shea Stadium shows, and footage of Strummer's last band The Mescaleros at London's Brixton Academy, will also be used in the video..-Click Here for the Full Story

The Offspring Tour
Aversion reports: The Offspring are ready to become a touring band once again, as it takes the road to promote its upcoming album and showcase its new drummer. 

The band's short trip around North America will be its first chance to show off drummer Atom Willard who replaced Ron Welty earlier this year. It's also the first peek many fans will have of Splinter, due out Dec. 9 from Columbia Records. 

The Offspring's tour dates are: 

Nov. 29 - Tweeter Center, Philadelphia
Nov. 30 - CSU Convocation Center, Cleveland
Dec. 1 - The Opera House, Toronto
Dec. 4 - WHFS Radio Show, Washington D.C.
Dec. 6 - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York
Dec. 9 - Denver Coliseum, Denver
Dec. 12 - TBA, San Francisco
- Click Here for the Full Story 

Wait there is more. Rockdirt had this little tid bit.. : The Offspring frontman Dexter Holland talks to Radio 1's OneMusic and was asked about if he could see the internet radically changing the way music is distributed. "The internet will eventually change the way people distribute and listen to music," Holland said. "There needs to be a middle ground that makes the advantages of the internet work for everybody - for example, streaming new music allows the public to sample a band's music, and if a record label can provide a convenient and economical way of selling that band's music online, then everyone's best interests are served. We're starting to see that with Apple iTunes."- Click Here for the Full Story 

02/29/04

Andrew W.K. Loses Axeman
Digital noise reports: Andrew W.K. guitarist Jimmy Coup (a.k.a. James Mercherle) has reportedly quit the band over "musical differences".

The departure of Coup won't have any effect on Andrew W.K.'s current tour as they are utilizing the services of W.K.'s guitar tech Ken until a more permanent replaced can be found...-Click Here for the Full Story

Plug: As strange as it sounds Jimmy and the Rembrandts crashed the antiFEST 02 and rocked out the first night with tunes from the former band and lots of Thin Lizzy covers. We got photos here  - We're looking at holding antiFEST 04 for February or March

Metallica Say Goodbye
(statement) The Metallica family is saddened by the loss of our good friend and 'S&M' collaborator, Michael Kamen on Tuesday, November 18th. Michael lost his battle with multiple sclerosis at the age of 55.

In addition to working with us on 'S&M', Michael enjoyed a very successful career composing for films such as 'Lethal Weapon' and 'Die Hard'. He worked with Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, and many others pioneering the fusion of orchestral arrangements with rock, and is the winner of several Grammy Awards, including one for 'S & M'. 

'S&M' was Michael's idea, Michael's brainchild. He said he had always felt that our music lent itself to a collaboration with an orchestra, and from the time he approached us with the idea at that first breakfast meeting in 1997, to the day after the final mixes were complete on the record and the DVD, through the performances in Berlin, New York, and Las Vegas, we enjoyed two extremely fun, challenging, and creative years together. Michael will be missed by all of us, and will always remain an integral part of the Metallica family. 

Please join us in paying our respects to Michael and his family. If you would like to make a contribution in Michael's memory, the Kamen family asks that donations be made to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. After composing the music for the film of the same name, Michael was inspired to do something to keep music alive in schools across the country, and through this foundation he has made it possible to continue to inspire and teach future generations of musicians. Donations may be made by mail, phone or online.". ..Click Here for the Full Story 

Motley Reunion
From BW&BK: Bassist Nikki Sixx told us that the band members - including frontman Vince Neil, guitarist Mick Mars, and drummer Tommy Lee - have had their personal issues in the past, but that they seem to be ready for a reunion tour: "I talked to Tommy a couple nights ago, and he's like, 'I've looked forward to going (and) making some new music,' and we talked about that. Who knows what it'll sound like, what it'll be like, but it'll be us. We've been offered the OzzFest twice, but it's been hard to get Vince and Tommy on the same page as far as wanting to play together. I think all that water's under the bridge now." 

In other Crue news, the band's official website (www.motleycrue.com) reports that the S'Crue store from Melrose Avenue is back. The new official Motley Crue store will stock merchandise from the band's 22-year career, including the complete Crue CD catalog, DVD's, collectables, books, JVC Signature Line Amps, guitar picks, backstage passes and the NSIXX clothing line designed by Nikki Sixx. .- Click Here for the Full Story

Ozzfest?  - "I always tell the truth. Even when I lie." - Hum, lie rhymes with die... "Dude, I Lied Dude!"

Drowning Vocalist
To confirm our reports of DROWNING POOL dropping their newly found lead singer, reports are indicating that the previous appointee had strict ties to his LA band, forcing him to not be able to commit 100% to the gig with the DROWNING POOL guys - obviously meaning that they are still without a voicebox.

On top of that, SW1TCHED frontman Ben Schigel also gave up the chance to sing for them, in order to pursue new project SKY FALL DOWN . Click Here for the Full Story 

Slayer Reign In Store
From BW&BK: Official SLAYER website (www.americanrecordings.com/slayer/) reports that on November 24th the band will be signing copies of their new box set, Soundtrack To The Apocalypse, at 12am for all fans that come and purchase the box set at Tower Records at 2525 Jones St. in San Francisco.

Also, a posting at the site reads: "For everyone checking the band out on tour you should make sure to pay special attention to the encore cause the band will play the Reign In Blood album in it's entirety!"

Upcoming live dates include:

November
20 - Mesa Amphitheater - Mesa, AZ
21 - 4th & B - San Diego, CA
23 - The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
25 - Moore Theater - Seattle, WA
26 - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
28 - Ventura Theater - Ventura, CA
29 - Universal Amphitheater- Universal City, CA
.-Click Here for the Full Story

It will be a Thanksgiving to be grateful for in LA this year!

Warped 2004
It's a little strange hearing about an upcoming summer tour in November.. but so be it. 

Billboard reports: New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday and Coheed and Cambria are the first bands lined up for the 10th Vans Warped Tour next summer. The 2004 trek will wrap with a star-packed 10-year reunion show, featuring bands from throughout the tour's history.   

"We've had a lot of interest and will have confirmations in the coming months," says tour founder Kevin Lyman. 

Beforehand, four unsigned acts will compete for a slot on the tour at a Dec. 10 battle of the bands at the Key Club in Los Angeles. The show will also feature a "very special guest," according to organizers. 

After the holidays, the Warped Tour will make its Japanese debut with Jan. 10-11 shows at Tokyo's Studio Coast. Thursday, Bouncing Souls, the Vandals, Poison The Well, Slick Shoes, Audio Karate and Useless I.D. are among the bands that will participate. .  Click Here for the full story

Crosby Nash Together Again
Billboard reports: David Crosby and Graham Nash will enter the studio in January to record their first album together as a duo in almost 30 years. 

"We are excited as hell because we have a terrific bunch of songs for it," Crosby told Billboard.com. The last Crosby & Nash studio album, "Whistling Down the Wire," their third as a duo, was issued in June 1976. 

The pair is in discussions with several labels, including Sanctuary, says Crosby, adding that the set will be produced by drummer/producer Russ Kunkel (Jimmy Buffett, Carly Simon ). 

Backing Crosby and Nash will be bassist Lee Sklar and guitarist Dean Parks, as well as Crosby's son, keyboardist James Raymond, and guitarist Jeff Pevar of Crosby's side project CPR. Conkel's son, Nathaniel, will engineer. 

"We'll make it in January and hope to have it out in the summer, because I think, God willing, there's gonna be another CSN&Y tour next summer," Crosby said.
.-Click Here for the Full Story 

Eventually, you do plan to have dinosaurs on your dinosaur tour, right? 

US Festival Remembered
Chart Attack reports: "To the best to my recollection," laughs a good-natured and faithfully long-haired Mike Levine [of Triumph], "Quiet Riot opened the show, then Motley Crue, Ozzy, Priest, Triumph, Scorpions and Van Halen. Our day was called Heavy Metal Sunday; that drew the half million people, and the other two days drew maybe a hundred thousand each. Steve Wozniak was a huge music fan and his whole thing, the Us concept, was that we can all get together and have a great time and music is really what binds us. And in those days he was right; music was such a big piece of everybody's life. Although in high school, this was always the story, half the high school cafeteria would be wearing Triumph shirts and the other half would be wearing Rush shirts and you couldn't sit on the other half, right? [laughs] That kind of thing. But people were huge fans of the bands they loved. And Wozniak felt that, and he made a ton of dough from Apple and really wanted to do this big event. And he practiced in '82; there was an Us Festival in 1982, just a one day thing." 

Amazingly, Triumph's Live At The Us festival is the only document of the event out at this time, due to the fact that the band's contract with Wozniak allowed them to do this at some date. The album contains all the hits and the fidelity is very good. The DVD contains the set plus all sorts of interview footage, other performances, pyro and sound gear talk, as well as amusing shots of MuchMusic VJ J.D. Roberts, the same Roberts who is now the much classier John Roberts of CBS news. -Click Here for the Full Story 

Actually Showtime taped the entire event and showed parts of it on the air. Maybe one day they will dust off the tapes and do a DVD and we can watch a very drunk David Lee Roth do the splits!  --- holding breath. 

Let It Be Free
Wired reports: Record labels have long been accused of stealing musicians' copyrights as soon as the ink is dry on the contract. Now, one small independent label in Great Britain is doing the opposite: It's giving the rights to the artists -- and anyone else who wants to use the music, too. 

Loca Records wants to foster experimentation and freedom in music by building a stable of free music which can be shared, remixed and manipulated by anyone. Songs are not locked by digital rights management technology. 

The music is available for free in MP3 format, but the company sells its CDs and vinyl in retail stores throughout Europe. Artists earn a percentage of any record sales; Loca Records makes its money through record sales, gigs it promotes and merchandise.  

"You're free to copy it, give it to your friends and you can play it. If you're really interested, you can sample it and then re-release it," said David Berry, managing director of Loca Records and an artist himself, known as Meme. "Because at the end of the day, if you sample the work and create a fantastic remix, we think you're entitled to try and make some money from it." .-Click Here for the Full Story 

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