Apr 18

Former Stones bassist launches metal detector
[source: NME.com] Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has launched his own metal detector.
The Bill Wyman Signature Detector is a lightweight and adjustable implement and comes with a free informational DVD, according to the press release. Wyman, who quit the band in 1993, issued a statement explaining why he had decided to lend his name to the device.
"Metal-detecting is not just for anoraks or eccentrics; it's probably the best and the most enjoyable way of learning about our history," he said. "On any garden, country field, footpath, woodlands, beach or moorland you can find a huge variety of historical objects, all easily located with this high quality metal detector.
"I hope with this new detector more people take up the adventure and delight in personally discovering our nation's history."
More information can be found at www.billwymandetector.co.uk.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Rolling-Stones-The.aspx


Johnny Cash house to be preserved
[source: NME.com] Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb has vowed to protect the foundations of the legendary Tennessee home of the late Johnny Cash.
The lakeside residence was the site on which Cash wrote many of his songs and lived with wife June from 1968 until their deaths in 2003.
Gibb bought the house in 2006 and was renovating the site when the exterior caught fire last week. Investigators are yet to release a report on the cause of the fire.
In a statement, Gibb said he and his wife would build a property near the original.
"Linda and I have decided to build our own home on the higher ground surrounding the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash home.
"The original foundations shall be kept intact and preserved for the people of Hendersonville and the people of Nashville."

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Johnny-Cash.aspx


Sum 41 name new album
[source: NME.com] Sum 41 will release Underclass Hero on Monday July 23.
The self-produced effort was recorded in Los Angeles at Ocean Way and is the band's first new material since the departure of guitarist Dave Baksh.
The band completed the follow-up to 2004's Chuck earlier this year and are currently looking for a new guitarist.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Sum-41.aspx


Stephen Malkmus begins work on album
[source: NME.com] Stephen Malkmus has begun recording the follow-up to 2005's Face The Truth.
Posting on Stephenmalkmus.com, the former Pavement frontman said he hopes to be finished in late June.
"Apparently, the songs are so big that [record label] Matador is pushing for an early 2008 release. The world needs preparation, preparation, preparation!"
Malkmus's band, The Jicks, now include former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss and will join him at the UK's Green Man festival on Wednesday August 15.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Stephen-Malkmus.aspx


Splendour In The Grass line-up announced
Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs will all appear at this year's Splendour In The Grass festival.
The annual Byron Bay event announced the first instalment of bands for what promises to be a memorable weekend (Saturday August 4 and Sunday August 5).
The "big three" are joined by Hot Chip, Lily Allen, Klaxons, The Shins and The Hold Steady, while Australian acts Powderfinger, The Cat Empire, Dirty Three and Airborne will also appear. Tickets go on sale Monday May 14, with further acts still to be announced.

Saturday: Powderfinger, Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen, Sarah Blasko, Tilly & The Wall, Hot Chip, Sara Tindley, The Hold Steady, The Cat Empire.

Sunday: Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Hilltop Hoods, Klaxons, The Shins, The Dirty Three, Expatriate, Josh Pyke, Airbourne, The Ride.

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Police close in on Run DMC killer
An investigation into the murder of hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay – a member of seminal trio Run DMC – has seen US federal prosecutors reveal the identity of a second armed gunman.
Court papers in Washington this week named Ronald "Tenad" Washington – a suspect in a 1995 murder of a close friend of slain rapper Tupac Shakur – as the accomplice in Jay's death. The family of Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, have welcomed the development.
"We're relieved there's some information coming out, although we understand that it's not the full story," family spokeswoman Fern Yates said. Washington has denied any involvement. Jay was shot on October 30, 2002, at the trio's 24/7 recording studio in New York City.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Run-Dmc.aspx


Britney fires manager
Fresh-outta-rehab pop princess Britney Spears has reportedly fired her manager, Larry Rudolph.
According to the influential Page Six column in yesterday's New York Post, Spears partially blames Rudolph for her recent troubles. She claims he introduced her to blonde heiress Paris Hilton late last year.
The split will cost the singer dearly. Spears signed a multi-year deal with Rudolph just after she announced her separation from ex-husband Kevin Federline. The singer has also re-hired former publicist Sloane Zelnik in an attempt to stem the negative media tide.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Britney-Spears.aspx


Bryan Ferry apologises for Nazi slur
Former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry has been forced to apologise for comments he made last month in German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag. "The way the Nazis staged themselves and presented themselves, my Lord!" Ferry said. "I'm talking about the films of Leni Riefenstahl. And the buildings of Albert Speer and the mass marches and the flags… just fantastic, really beautiful."
Ferry was slammed by Jewish leaders in Britain and was forced to issue the following statement yesterday.
"I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused by my comments on Nazi iconography, which were solely made from an art history perspective. I, like every right-minded individual, find the Nazi regime, and all it stood for, evil and abhorrent."

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Bryan-Ferry.aspx


Something For Kate deny split
Melbourne-based trio Something For Kate have been forced to deny rumours of a split following the announcement that singer/guitarist Paul Dempsey has started work on a solo album.
In a post on the band's website, Dempsey denied the rumours and insisted the band were still very much together.
"Let me state right now that no one is splitting from anything," Dempsey said. "I've been talking about doing a record by myself for years and after five SFK albums in a row it seems like the right time to take a step to the left and do something different for a while."
It won't be Dempsey's first solo project: fans will recall the hard-to-find 1998 LP An Empty Flight, which Dempsey released under the Scared Of Horses moniker.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Something-For-Kate.aspx


Backstreet Boys and *NSync manager wanted by FBi
The man behind two of the biggest boy-bands of the 90s – Backstreet Boys and *Nsync – is on the run from the FBI.
Lou Pearlman is accused of swindling 1400 people out of hundreds of millions of dollars in a pyramid scheme. It's alleged he was part of a syndicate that sold hundreds of senior citizens "false securities" – billed as "employee investment savings accounts" – through his company, Trans Continental Airlines.
Currently managing pop band US5, Pearlman hasn't been seen since an appearance at a Berlin awards show back in February, and now the federal police want talk to him.
The company has allegedly scammed more than AU$164 million from its victims.
Florida lawyer Robert Persante, who's representing eight people who lost their life savings in the scheme, said Pearlman would charm his clients with his showbiz connections.
"He even gave some people paraphernalia from the boy bands."

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