Mar 28

Velvet Revolver frontman vandalises hotel
[source: NME.com] The wife of Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland has been arrested after setting the singer's clothes on fire outside their home in Toluca Lake, California.
The incident followed a fight between the couple that took place at a luxury hotel in nearby Burbank, in which they vandalised two rooms.
Mary Weiland was charged on Saturday March 24 with felony arson vandalism after police responded to a call suggesting a woman was burning clothes.
She was allegedly at the hotel with the couple's children when police arrived to question her. She went voluntarily to the police station to give a statement.
Scott Weiland later appeared at the station with his attorney to do the same, although no charges were filed against the singer.

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Franz Ferdinand enter publishing
[source: NME.com] In a throwback to the 80s, Franz Ferdinand have published a 2007 Annual for fans. The book, designed by guitarist Nick McCarthy's sister Anne, features problem pages, puzzles, stories, fact files and cut-out dolls.
It follows singer Alex Kapranos's foray into food writing and last year's Sound Bites publication.
In other news, the band are about to start work on their third album, the follow-up to 2005's You Could Have It So Much Better.

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Rage Against The Machine start rehearsing
[source: NME.com] Rage Against The Machine have broken the silence surrounding rehearsals for their reunion shows.
The band are set to play the Coachella Festival in California in late April, plus three dates at the Rock The Bells hip-hop festival in July and August.
"It sounds awesome in the room," guitarist Tom Morello said of rehearsals. "We remember how to play those songs; it's pretty much like riding a bike."
Morello also said he felt now was a good time for the band to return.
"These times, I think, demand a voice like Rage Against The Machine.
"Rage was certainly the most outspoken and radical voice in music in the 90s, and in the seven years Rage was away the country went to hell. So I think it's overdue that we're back."

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Brody Dalle announces new band
[source: NME.com] Details of The Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle's new band have emerged.
Spinnerette will consist of Dalle, Distillers bandmate Tony Bevilacqua and Alain Johannes, who has worked with the likes of PJ Harvey and Eagles Of Death Metal.
Dalle told NME she needed to form Spinnerette because the songs would have seemed "out of context" with The Distillers.
"Spinnerette get a clean slate. I get to start over and be the new kid in town, only I ain't no kid. [The Brody Dalle in Spinnerette] is quirky and sexy and she f##ks around."
However, Dalle was quick to point out The Distillers have not broken up, despite not making an album since 2003's Coral Fang.
Spinnerette will record their debut album in Los Angeles. No release date has been set.

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Best Of V festival venue change
Promoters claim "unforeseen circumstances" have forced a change of venue for the Best Of V events in Adelaide.
The dates remain unchanged, but the shows, originally scheduled for large arenas, will now take place in smaller venues.
Tuesday April 3 sees Pixies, Jarvis Cocker, New York Dolls and Phoenix relocate to the Thebarton Theatre, while the Pet Shop Boys, Groove Armada, Gnarls Barkley and The Rapture will appear at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Wednesday April 4.
Tickets for Memorial Drive shows remain valid for the new venue on the original date, with no need to be exchanged. Refunds are available for ticket holders who are unable to attend the relocated shows.
Following their Adelaide performance, The Rapture will head to Sydney to support Phoenix at The Factory on Thursday April 5.

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Shirley Manson becomes PETA pin-up
Former Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson will appear on posters around the world next week in support of animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
Wearing a Stella McCartney evening gown, Manson is shown holding a skinned fox. Beside her, the caption reads: "Here's the rest of your fur coat".
The dramatic shot aims to show consumers that every fur coat, collar or cuff is made from living creatures who endure tremendous suffering.
"I believe very strongly in the ethical treatment of animals," the 40-year-old singer said. "A lot of my fans are very pro-animal rights and have often, when I have been wearing fake fur, said, 'Is that real?'. I have had to reassure them it's fake."
Garbage are currently on indefinite hiatus while Manson, now based in Los Angeles, records her first solo album. Jack White, Billy Corgan and Beck are all rumoured to be contributors.

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Giant Jackson robot rumoured for Vegas
Reports from the US claim Michael Jackson has signed off on a project that will see a 50-foot robotic replica of himself created to roam the Las Vegas desert.
The robot is apparently the centrepiece of an elaborate Jackson-inspired show in Vegas, according to designer Andre Van Pier.
Luckman Van Pier, his partner at the company behind the proposal, claimed blueprints have been drawn up for the show and approved by the star.
"Michael's looked at the sketches and likes them," he told the New York Daily News. "[The robot] would be in the desert sands. Laser beams would shoot out of it, so it would be the first thing people flying in would see."
After stints in Bahrain and Ireland, Jackson is now living in Las Vegas and working on a comeback album. Collaborators include Will.I.Am and 50 Cent.

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New QOTSA bassist?
LA rockers Queens Of The Stone Age have apparently hired Michael Shuman as the band's new bassist.
Numerous online sources report Shuman, formerly of Los Angeles act Wires On Fire, has accepted an offer to join the band, although there's been no official confirmation.
Former bassist Nick Oliveri was the band's last permanent bass player, until he was ousted by frontman Josh Homme in 2004. Since then, Oliveri has been concentrating on Mondo Generator, although he has expressed a desire to rejoin Queens.
Alain Johannes, multi-instrumentalist and member of Eleven, has been filling in on bass duties for QOTSA since Oliveri's departure. The new QOTSA album, Era Vulgaris, is due out in mid-June and follows 2005's Lullabies To Paralyze.

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Latest Seattle tribute to Nirvana
As the 13th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's passing (Thursday April 5) approaches, details of an unusual tribute to Nirvana's music has come to light.
Artistic Director of The Spectrum Dance Theatre Donald Byrd told the newspaper his interpretive dance production isn't meant to be a biographical study of Cobain.
"His life is just an inspirational departure point," Byrd said. "One of the things I was struck by was how many contradictions there were in the music, from the sweet and tender to the loud and angry."
Byrd cites the divorce of Cobain's parents at a young age as a key event and one that is reflected in the dance piece.
"He was shifted around and he never had a sense of security in his life after that happened."
Some of the "scrambling, reaching and clinging" movements between the dancers apparently represent Kurt and his wife, Courtney Love, as they "aim to reflect a yearning for unconditional love".
The Spectrum Dance Theatre's Nevermind act opens in Seattle on Friday April 13.

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