Monday Morning Newsletter (3/2/09)

While promoting his recent solo release Happy In Galoshes, Scott Weiland let slip that Stone Temple Pilots will be releasing a record sometime in 2010. The stars are aligned the DeLeo brothers have begun writing music and Scott’s back on heroin.

The Swiss hardcore band Solid Ground has recorded one final EP This World Keeps Spinning Without You before breaking it off as a group. Let it Burn Records is making it available as a free download here

Faith No More has announced a reunion tour. The reformed lineup will include Billy Gould, Mike Patton, Mike Bordin, and Roddy Bottum. They even invited guitarist Jon Hudson, who only played on Faith No More's 1997's release Album of the Year. There is no planned US tour.

Jewel has copped out on performing on “Dancing with the Stars.” She attributes the bow out to tendinitis in both knees . The program would have started March 9. Jose was really looking forward to her cleavage. Bummer.

Lil' Wayne is now facing criminal gun possession charges at a trial scheduled to begin April 20, a New York judge said on Tuesday. Prosecutors allege a gun was found in his tour bus in July 2007 and if Wayne is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison

The Melvins are 25 years old! This may seem strange since King Buzzo is 45. For the anniversary they are planning a string of shows where they will perform the "Houdini" record in its entirety. Additionally they will do a set of material dating to their "Mangled Demos" circa 1983. Jose will not miss this tour.

Jane’s Addiction is putting out a box set this April. Despite a series of reunions much of their catalog remains rarities. Rhino Records will release A Cabinet of Curiosities. The box set includes one DVD and three CDs focused on the band's original lineup with Eric Avery.

Also dropping a box set this April is the Jesus Lizard. Their box set Inches contains exceedingly rare out-of-print material and will only be sold at independent record stores. Bob Weston remastered the material and Touch & Go Records does the honors.

Monday Morning Newsletter (9/9/08)

It’s been a very political week in what will surely be a political year. McCain managed to find some hot redneck babe in Alaska who was more conservative than himself and more tied to oil companies. Obama picked a dude as old and white as McCain. Hell, the police riot on the first day of the RNC was way bigger than the one at the RATM show. Jose says when in doubt vote brown.

The singers of the band Heart, Ann and Nancy Wilson, have issued a cease-and-desist letter to the RNC. They are demanding the RNC cease all use of the song "Barracuda". Apparently the Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song… again. If you recall they went through this just a few weeks ago with artist Jackson Browne. I guess he’s having a senior moment.

Travis Stever, guitarist for Coheed And Cambria, will be releasing his solo project Davenport Cabinet on Equal Vision. The CD mixed by Mike Major Sparta, Nostalgia In Stereo will be released on October 14, 2008.

After five years of lawyers stealing all the money, Great White will pay out $1 million to settle it’s remaining lawsuits. If you recall in 2003, 100 people died at Rhode Island nightclub fire including the group's own guitarist, Ty Longley. The blaze was started by stage pyrotechnics igniting soundproofing foam on the ceiling. Earlier this year, the town of West Warwick and the state of Rhode Island agreed to pay $10 million for each victim to settle all claims of negligence. When you burn the club down nobody remembers the opening band.

Kim Kardashian said last week on the E! satellite radio show that she would like to try her hand at singing. I quote: "I would be down, if it was something fun. I love music, so it would just have to be the right thing." On the upside this puts her that one-step closer to the nude pictorial / career comeback.

Fallen British rock star and pederast Gary Glitter is on the loose! Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, has been freed from a Vietnamese prison after completing his three-year sentence for the most recent time he was convicted of molesting two young girls. Glitter, now 63, was arrested back in November of 2005 at Ho Chi Minh airport trying to flee the country. He has announced his intention to return to the UK. Keep your eyes out for a touchy feely guy that looks like James Carville but with huge white shoulder pads.

The Osmonds are back as well! I’m not sure what’s more terrifying extreme wholesomeness or abject pedophilia. Donny and Marie Osmond are about to begin a 26-week stretch in Las Vegas. Their run at the Flamingo Showroom starts tomorrow. This will be their first stretch in sin city in 29 years. Don’t we all miss the days when the town was run by mobsters not baby boomers.

Los Angeles businessman Allan Brown is suing Kiss front man Gene Simmons for fraud and slander. Brown further accuses Simmons of excluding him from a marketing deal with the Indy Racing League. The lawsuit claims that Brown played a key role in negotiating the agreement whereas Simmons only wrote their theme song "I Am Indy.” Those MBAs get so jealous when they’re jilted.

Scott Weiland has announced to release his 2^nd solo album. The CD, titled Happy, finds a release on Weiland's vanity label Softdrive. The disc should land November 18^th, a full decade after the smack-head put out 12 Bar Blues, his previous solo effort. Jose admits the thing was under-rated.

Speaking of under-rated, Alice In Chains has announced plans to enter the recording studio this October. They will be starting work on their first album of new material with vocalist William DuVall. DuVall replaces Layne Staley who was also a little smack-head who died in 2002 of an overdose. In the intervening six years Jerry Cantrell tried his hand at vocals which was an equally bad idea.

Monday Morning Newsletter (03/17/08)

You have your SXSW hangover and St. Patty's Day hangover, and the only cure for that is Jose Fritz's Monday Morning Newsletter.

Lou Pearlman, the NAMBLA member and former manager of Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, pleaded guilty to federal charges of money laundering and lying at his bankruptcy hearing. The guilty plea was the end to a federal probe that Pearlman stole over $300 million dollars from banks and investors.

Somebody knocked up Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie Presley. The father is probably Michael Lockwood but might also be one of those Aliens that Elvis used to hang with. Where is world weekly news when you need them?

Scott Weiland has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car in November. Weiland had been arrested on November 21, 2007 after crashing his car on a California highway. In a lengthy statement given by his lawyer he claimed “I did not know that Keith Richard’s dad’s ashes contained actual drugs when I smoked them.”

Announced just this week, the prog-rock impresario band Yes is going to be back on tour. Original members Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White are booking a world tour. This will be their seventeenth reunion tour but the first one in 3 whole years.

The band Guystorm continues to not to exist despite two shows in their imagined hometown of Minneapolis and a gig at WEfest scheduled for May 25th. (Note to all who may think they are real and not figments please check for expired medications in your bathroom cabinets. In the case of accidental ingestion call the Poison control center.)

Inexplicably in the middle of SXSW Rachel Ray held a music showcase. The Beauty Bar will never live down the shame of letting Rachel Ray cater a show in the middle of BBQ country let along host one. The Cringe led by her hubby John Cusimano headlined. He was quoted as saying “Don’t look at me man, I can’t stop her.”

This week Merge Records joined the throngs of indie labels offering digital downloads. They now offer a selection of sides from their current and back catalog in both MP3 and FLAC formats. Label president Mac McCaughan said “Digital downloads are the new black, suing people over a download is so passé.”

SXSW wraps up this week leaving a legion of indie snobs, scensters, hipsters, and music fans bloated, sleep deprived and hung over. Stranded in Stereo Head Editor Dany Sloan was on scene to catch the countrified festivities. After 96 hours of straight rocking Dany was quoted as saying “mmm Frito pie.”

Prostitute Ashley Alexandra Dupre, now famous for banging Governor Spitzer at an hourly rate of over $1000 is now rumored to be signing to Koch records. Her self-released singles "What We Want" and "Move ya Body" have already made it into rotation on the New York pop station WHTZ. PD Sharon Dastur said “even I’d hit that.”