Monday Morning Newsletter (07/21/08)

Saturday 54-year old Sex Pistols singer John Lydon broke open a can of whoop-ass. On the receiving end was 25-year old Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke. The backstage mele led to the arrest of *Foals *singer Yannis Philippaki for his attempts to forcibly stop the dispute. Okereke claims that the attack was racially motivated. Lydon maintains that he's just fucking tired of being asked about Public Image Ltd. Jose would like to see the instant replay.

This week Christie’s auctioned off a lot items from the home of James Brown. Christie’s had projected a haul of 2 million from the sales but netted only $800,000. Sold from the South Carolina house were over 350 items including his medical bracelet, his Hammond organ, a black cape, pink leather couches, even the man’s astereo system. The proceeds are ear marked for Mr. Brown’s tax debt.

Deerhunter are planning to release their third full length, Microcastle, this October. The album will be availably on Kranky in the U.S. and is rumored to me less noisy and more listenable than anything previous. They’ve also been confirmed to be touring with Nine Inch Nails beginning in August. Does anyone else remember when they were just famous for putting pene de venado on their album cover?

Also this October, Gang Gang Dance will be releasing their third album, Saint Dymphn. The album contains no pene de venado but is more dancey than anything previous. Before the full album drops, they will be giving a digital download sneak peek.

A tragedy in Moscow last week, as dozens of ravers at the Aquamarine Open Air Festival burned their retinas. A laser light show ran amuck and caused 12 cases of laser-blindness. The owner of a Moscow laser rental company told Reuters that the accidental blinding were due to "illiteracy on the part of technicians.”

On August 16th the Queens Of The Stone Age will be holding a memorial show for their former bandmate Natasha Shneider at the Henry Fonda Theater. Shneider, died of cancer July 2nd. PJ Harvey, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Matt Cameron, Brody Dalle, Jesse Hughes, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Goss and Alain Johannes. Proceeds from the funerary go to pay Shneider's medical bills. Donations can be made at

Kylesa will be hitting the Jam Room studio next week to start recording a new album. The CD will be released on Prosthetic Records in 2009 . The untitled release will be produced by guitarist/singer Phillip Cope.

Jose just heard about Fratello Metallo this week and giggles uncontrollably at the sight of a 62-year old Capuchin Friar belting out cookie monster vocals in Italian.

The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti is working on a side project with his girlfriend, Binki Shapiro. The duo has recruited guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, of Los Hermanos to fill out their line up. It’s to be produced by Beau Raymond. Rough Trade will be releasing their first album this fall even though the trio has recorded nothing and has no name. This promises to be incredibly bad.

Monday Morning Newsletter (03/31/08)

I went to two great shows recently and have three more this week. Jose Fritz just sits around and gets you in he know with the Monday Morning Newsletter!

Duran Duran got its world tour off to a rough start. Wednesday, at the inaugural show in New Zealand singer Simon Le Bon forgot lyrics and bassist John Taylor stormed angrily off stage. In a statement to the press the band admitted that they were very frustrated with the generally low percentage of 50-year-old groupies that put out.

The soft drink company Dr. Pepper is attempting to coax former Guns And Roses vocalist Axl Rose into releasing his album, Chinese Democracy, in the year 2008. On the table is an offer to provide a free can of soda to every man woman and child in the United States. This is so retarded I can’t think of anything else to say.

Equal Vision Records is putting-together a new DVD/CD compilation slated for release on April 15th. It will feature videos and tracks from bands past and present including The Fall Of Troy, Converge, Chiodos and others.

Roadrunner Records will be reissuing Life Of Agony's River Runs Red on April 29th. The new version of the album will feature 4 bonus songs tacked onto the albums original track listing. This continues their decade’s long tradition of re-releasing albums to pay the rent.

This April will see the long-delayed release of Director Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Stones biopic flim. Readers over the age of 50 will remember an earlier band biopic named Gimmie Shelter. When asked about the similarities between the older film and the brand new Shine a Light Scorsese said “Well now they’re really old.”

On charges of rape Richard Ream was arrested at LAX this week. You know him better as Rikki Rockett, the sleazy 46-year-old drummer of '80s hair-band Poison. He was on a flight back from an oldies tour in New Zealand.

Yesterday, in an off-handed remark Moby explained the mid-1990s explosion of the indie-rock licensing. “Some decisions I've made were more fueled by desperation than anything; some of the more gratuitous licensing. Sorry about that.”

Champions of public drunkenness, Queens of the Stone Age will headline the SoCo Music Experience festival at Centennial Olympic Park l, scheduled for May 17. The Atlanta event is appropriately sponsored by Southern Comfort.

Anti-Emo Violence in the city of Queretaro, Mexico has escalated into flash riots. An anti-emo movement has grown into organized attacks on pink haired sissies wherever they may roam. In Mexico City gay-rights organizations suggest that the attacks are fueled by homophobia. The problem being that being emo doesn’t make you gay.; going to the bath-house at 21st and Sansom makes you gay. Read more here.