Thursday, July 18, 2002
Sharon Osbourne still fighting cancer
Doctors have informed Sharon Osbourne, who earlier this month underwent surgery to treat early-stage colon cancer, that the cancer has spread.
Doctors have informed Sharon Osbourne, who earlier this month underwent surgery to treat early-stage colon cancer, that the cancer has spread.
“It was not the best news,” the 49-year-old Osbourne said of her post-surgical test results in a recent interview with People magazine. She will begin chemotherapy on July 29, according to the magazine’s website.
The matriarch of the Osbourne family, whose members have become pop-culture icons due to the success of their MTV real-life sitcom, “The Osbournes,” said that she plans to include footage of her chemotherapy treatments in the show’s second season.
“You think nothing will ever happen to you,” she told People. “You’re invincible. Then after you get over the shock and panic, you realize how lucky you are to be alive. That’s where I’m at now. I simply have to take care of this thing.”
Osbourne said that her prognosis is “very, very good,” and that she has insisted that her family--particularly husband Ozzy, whose career she manages--return to its various projects.
The first two dates of the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted Ozzfest tour were postponed earlier this month due to Sharon Osbourne’s July 3 cancer surgery. About one foot of her colon was removed during the procedure, the Associated Press reported.
Photo: MTV Networks
Rapper Mystikal accused of rape, extortion
Rap artist Mystikal was arrested Thursday (7/19) on rape and extortion charges stemming from a July 3 incident in his Baton Rouge, La., apartment, according to police.
Rap artist Mystikal was arrested Thursday (7/19) on rape and extortion charges stemming from a July 3 incident in his Baton Rouge, La., apartment, according to police.
Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, reportedly spent about four hours in jail before posting a $250,000 bond. Also arrested were two of the rapper’s friends. The three men stand accused of raping a 40-year-old woman.
According to police, the woman arrived at Tyler’s home to braid his hair when Tyler “allegedly confronted the victim about an incident involving several checks written to her by another individual out of his account, and without his consent.”
Tyler threatened to hurt the woman and to expose her alleged fraudulent-check writing to police, police reports said. He then allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him.
“Tyler then contacted two male associates and told them to come to his residence immediately, which they did,” police said. “Upon their arrival, Tyler raped the victim in the presence of the other two individuals and again forced her to perform oral sex on him. She was also sexually assaulted by the two men and raped by one of them.”
The woman was allowed to leave the apartment after the attacks, after which she was treated at a local hospital and released.
According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, much of the alleged attack was videotaped. “Detectives viewed the video cassette and confirmed that the accused and two co-defendants had sexually assaulted the victim,” the arrest warrant reportedly said.
Tyler, who turned himself in to police on Thursday, reportedly proclaimed his innocence. “Of course not,” he said in response to questions about whether he had committed the crime, according to the Advocate.
The victim signed an affidavit, which detectives reportedly obtained on July 9, in which she said she had consensual sex with Tyler and the two other suspects. She later told detectives that she signed the affidavit because she was confused and afraid, and that she still wished to file criminal charges, according to the arrest warrant.
Mystikal’s most-recent CD, “Tarantula,” was released last December, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping more than 500,000 copies in the U.S.
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Hope Sandoval crawls the club circuit
Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval is set to play a month of dates to support her debut album with the Warm Inventions, a side project featuring Colm O’Ciosoig of My Bloody Valentine.
Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval is set to play a month of dates to support her debut album with the Warm Inventions, a side project featuring Colm O’Ciosoig of My Bloody Valentine.
The club tour is scheduled to visit more than a dozen U.S. cities in August. The Soledad Brothers, backing their March release “Steal Your Soul & Dare Your Spirit to Move,” will open.
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions released “Bavarian Fruit Bread” last October to follow up their 2000 EP, “At the Doorway Again.”
Though Sandoval has kept a relatively low profile outside of her work with the Warm Inventions, she has appeared on albums from Chemical Brothers (co-writing and singing on “Asleep From Day”, from 1999’s “Surrender") and the Jesus and Mary Chain (singing on “Perfume” from 1998’s “Munki").
Mazzy Star hasn’t released a new album since 1996’s “Among My Swan.”
Juliana Hatfield takes to the road with new band
Singer-songwriter Juliana Hatfield, on the heels of a new best-of and rarities collection, has lined up an August tour that hits small U.S. clubs.
Singer-songwriter Juliana Hatfield, on the heels of a new best-of and rarities collection, has lined up an August tour that hits small U.S. clubs.
On most dates, Hatfield will be backed by her new band, Some Girls, which features her Blake Babies bandmate Freda Love on drums and Heidi Gluck on bass. Hatfield’s shows in Iowa City, Minneapolis and Denver will be solo.
The debut album from Hatfield and Some Girls has been recorded, and Hatfield recently told the Boston Globe that she hopes it will be released this fall.
“Gold Stars 1992-2002,” a compilation album that chronicles Hatfield’s solo career, was released in June. Besides tracks from each of her solo albums, “Gold Stars” also features four new tracks and three previously unreleased songs (including a pair from the unreleased album “God’s Foot").
Live Review: The Flaming Lips, Folk Implosion at the Knitting Factory, Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES—Before the opening band came out on Wednesday night (7/17) at the Knitting Factory, the Flaming Lips bounced giant balloons into the audience and we batted them around.
LOS ANGELES—Before the opening band came out on Wednesday night (7/17) at the Knitting Factory, the Flaming Lips bounced giant balloons into the audience and we batted them around.
The balloons were covered with squiggles and writing--"YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL I COULD JUST CRY"--and contained confetti--not so much confetti that you couldn’t bounce them with ease, but enough so that we were doused with confetti when a balloon hit a spotlight.
Those of us who got our tickets early in the month (and didn’t subsequently choose to sell them for $250 apiece) were pleasantly surprised to learn that Folk Implosion was opening.
Since the departure of John Davis last year, Folk Implosion is a trio (and according to PitchforkMedia.com, is now spelled Foke Implojun), featuring Lou Barlow of Sebadoh and Imaad Wasif and Russell Pollard, both of the band Alaska. Barlow (whose birthday it was) and Wasif came out for a couple of slow songs, including Sebadoh’s “Spoiled,” and then they did a couple of new songs. The intensity of the songs crescendoed as Pollard came out to join them, then Barlow left and Alaska’s drummer, Lesley Ishino, came out, and Alaska finished the set.
The Flaming Lips opened with “Do You Realize” from their out-this-week album “Yoshimi vs. the Pink Robots.” “Yoshimi” carries on the Lips’ tradition of making rarely equaled-and never imitated aural experiences. Musically, in kind of a ‘70s way, it’s both astral and pastoral. I suppose it’s probably a concept album--or maybe not, whatever--and it suffers in comparison with their 1999 album “The Soft Bulletin” only in its artiness, which occasionally acts as an obstacle for the listener.
The show consisted mostly of songs from “Yoshimi” and “The Soft Bulletin,” as well as “She Don’t Use Jelly,” from 1993’s “Transmissions from the Satellite Heart,” and a cover of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
The Lips are showmen. Bunny costumes and a dog costume and a frog costume--though no costume for frontman Wayne Coyne, who, in his cream-colored suit jacket and open-collar button-down shirt, looked like a successful Florida restaurant owner--and more confetti and a singing monkey puppet and toy birds and a video screen with multi-colored starbursts, topless women and Conan O’Brien, among countless other images.
If it sounds like this is great theatrical rock, it is, sort of. I hate to critique any band who puts that much energy into putting on a rock show, but here’s the thing: there’s over-the-top, and then there’s clutter, and too often, the Lips’ show went over the over-the-top top and became an artistic Applebee’s, or TGIF, or whichever eatery has that chaotic crap all over the place. There were two main problems: the talking and the blood.
The Flaming Lips have a song on “The Soft Bulletin” called “The Spark That Bled,” about a guy who touches his head and finds that he’s bleeding. During the show, Coyne turns away, then turns back with blood on his forehead, and he touches the blood, then looks at it. It’s a very disturbing moment, and disturbing is fine, except you stand there thinking, “It’s not fun Halloween/Troma blood, it’s a guy quietly staring at the blood in his hand. Surrounded by men in bunny costumes. What the fuck?” Even over-the-top needs restraint in order to work, and seeing the blood in this show--there was also a bloody video sequence--was like watching the Rose Parade and seeing a war-crimes float.
And even the quiet bleeding might have worked as part of a long theatrical experience, except the show isn’t a long theatrical experience, because Coyne punctuated--or punctured, really, like the balloons--the experience by talking in between songs--thanking us for coming out, letting us know that he’s grateful to do what he loves and that they’re not one of those bands who don’t play hits, because he knows what it’s like to see a favorite band who doesn’t play their hits. I never saw Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” live, but I’m pretty sure it would have been a lesser experience had Roger Waters talked to the audience between songs to say, “Hello, Los Angeles!” and “Hey, thanks for coming out tonight,” and “These aren’t real bricks, of course, they’re made of cardboard, but they’re pretty cool, am I right?!”
Of course, after two decades, Coyne is an elder statesman, and no doubt his fans do want to hear what he has to say. And he is clearly having a great time up there, and there are independent moments that no other band could create. Just don’t try to make sense of it, and shift gears when they want you to.
Ticket Window: Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen
This week’s major new on-sales also include tickets for Aerosmith, Creed, George Strait, Santana, Sheryl Crow and Tool.
This week’s major new on-sales also include tickets for Aerosmith, Creed, George Strait, Santana, Sheryl Crow and Tool.
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Aerosmith
Read about the tour.
- Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (Blossom Music Center, 9/12), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. ET
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Bruce Springsteen
Read about the tour.
- Las Vegas (Thomas & Mack, 8/18), on sale 7/20, 10 a.m. PT
- Portland, Ore. (Rose Garden, 8/20), on sale 7/20 at 9 a.m. PT
- Tacoma, Wash. (Tacoma Dome, 8/21), on sale 7/20 at 9 a.m. PT
- St. Louis (Savvis Center, 8/30), on sale 7/20 at noon CT
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Creed
Read about the tour.
- Charleston, W.Va. (Civic Center, 8/28), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. ET
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George Strait
Read about the tour.
- Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace, 9/12), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. ET
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Paul McCartney
Read about the tour.
- Milwaukee (Bradley Center, 9/21), on sale 9/20 at 10 a.m. CT
- Hartford, Conn. (Civic Center, 9/27), on sale 9/20 at 10 a.m. ET
- Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse, 10/5), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. ET
- Columbus, Ohio (Schottenstein, 10/10), on sale 6/20 at 10 a.m. ET
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Santana
Read about the tour.
- Las Vegas (Palms Casino, 9/29), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. PT
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Sheryl Crow
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Tool
Read about the tour.
- Detroit (Cobo, 8/26), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. ET
- Milwaukee (US Cellular Arena, 9/1), on sale 7/19 at 3 p.m. CT
- Green Bay, Wis. (Resch Center, 9/2), on sale 7/20 at 10 a.m. CT
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All ticket on-sale times and concert dates are subject to change without notice. Confirm with your local venue and/or ticket seller.
SoundSpike’s Ticket Window feature is updated each Thursday evening.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
Album Chart: Chili Peppers can’t oust Nelly from No. 1
Nelly’s hit single “Hot in Herre” proved to be too hot for even the Red Hot Chili Peppers this week.
Nelly’s hit single “Hot in Herre” proved to be too hot for even the Red Hot Chili Peppers this week.
“By the Way,” the follow-up to the Chili Peppers’ multi-platinum, 1999 release, “Californication,” sold about 282,000 copies during its first week out, according to industry sources, while “Nellyville” moved another 340,000 copies. The St. Louis rapper’s sophomore effort has now sold a total of 1.5 million copies, and will spend its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The Chili Peppers were, however, able to out-do the Top 10’s other dominant rap release, Eminem’s “The Eminem Show,” which falls to No. 3 after spending five weeks at No. 1 and the past two weeks at No. 2. That album has now sold more than 4 million copies.
Climbing one spot to No. 4 is Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go,” which is now the only debut solo-artist release of the SoundScan era to post five consecutive weeks of increased sales, according to a press release from Arista Records CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid. The 17-year-old singer-songwriter’s debut went from selling 62,000 copies in its first week to about 147,000 copies during its most-recent week out. The album has been propelled by its hit single “Complicated,” which recently hit the No. 1 spot on MTV’s “Total Request Live” countdown.
The Counting Crows’ “Hard Candy” debuts at No. 5 with about 138,000 copies sold, and Styles’ “Gangster & a Gentleman” at enters the chart No. 6 with about 135,000 copies sold.
Murder Inc.’s “Irv Gotti Presents ... the Inc.”, which features the hit single “Down 4 U,” slips from its No. 3 debut to No. 7 with sales of about 109,000 copies.
In at No. 8 is Josh Groban’s self-tiled debut, which leaps 17 spots from No. 25 in the wake of Groban’s recent appearance on “Oprah.” The album’s sales more-than doubled for a one-week tally of about 77,000 copies.
Down three spots is Ashanti’s self-titled debut at No. 9, followed by Aerosmith’s latest hits compilation, “Oh Yeah! Ultimate Greatest Hits,” which slips from its No. 4 debut to No. 10.
Debuting just outside of the Top 10 is E-40’s “Grit & Grind,” which enters the chart at No. 13.
Korn’s “Untouchables” and N.O.R.E.’s “God’s Favorite” both take their leave of the Top 10, dropping from Nos. 7 and 8 to Nos. 15 and 17, respectively.
Other debuts happening further down the chart include Onyx’s “Bacdafucup II” at No. 46, Dolly Parton’s “Halos & Horns” at No. 58, Andy Griggs’ “Freedom” at No. 77, Glassjaw’s “Worship & Tribute” at No. 82 and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Jacknife to a Swan” at No. 131.
Rare recordings unearthed for ‘A Cellarful of Motown’
Motown Records will release on July 30 a digitally remastered collection of 40 rare tracks recorded in the 1960s by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips and others.
Motown Records will release on July 30 a digitally remastered collection of 40 rare tracks recorded in the 1960s by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips and others.
Recordings by the Marvelettes, the Isley Brothers, Jimmy Ruffin, Tammi Terrell, Martha & the Vandellas and 19 other artists are also included in the two-disc set, dubbed “A Cellarful of Motown.”
The album features 39 previously unreleased recordings, 20 of which were “previously heard only by their creators,” according to the label. The only previously released track on the album is “Riding High On Love” from Jr. Walker & the All Stars, which makes its first appearance on CD.
According to the label, nearly all of the recently unearthed tracks included on the album were recorded in “The Snakepit,” Motown Records’ famous basement studio in Detroit.
Many of the songs are recordings by an artist other than the one whose version was released. Included are “I Wish I Liked You (As Much as I Love You)” (Gaye, also recorded by Marv Johnson), “Are You Sure Love is the Name of This Game” (Wonder, also recorded by the Supremes), “Lucky Lucky Me” (Jimmy Ruffin, doing a Marvin Gaye track), and “Danger, Heartbreak Dead Ahead” and “I Like Everything About You” (Contours, covering the Marvelettes and the Four Tops).
The album also includes several unreleased, alternate versions and mixes of previously available tracks: “Why When Love is Gone” by the Originals, “Don’t Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today” by the Monitors, “If This World Were Mine” by the Fantastic Four, “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” by Chris Clark, “Baby Hit and Run” by the Contours, “I Know How to Love Her” by Ruffin, and “Here Are the Pieces of My Broken Heart” by Gladys Knight & the Pips.
P. Diddy to mold new group on ‘Making the Band II’
Rapper-impresario Sean “P. Diddy” Combs will star in “Making the Band II,” a reality series that will follow a group of prospective hip-hop-R&B artists from auditions through recording.
Rapper-impresario Sean “P. Diddy” Combs will star in “Making the Band II,” a reality series that will follow a group of prospective hip-hop-R&B artists from auditions through recording.
The 10-episode series will premiere on MTV on Oct. 12. Beginning next week, auditions in eight cities will determine 20 finalists who will travel to New York to be evaluated by Combs. Combs will then narrow the field to eight finalists, who will live together as they’re narrowed down to the winning group.
“I have been creating stars since I was 19, and this show will give insight into what it takes to be at the top,” Combs said in a statement. “I’m excited to be working with MTV and doing what I love to do--create and nurture new talent.”
The first “Making the Band,” which premiered on ABC in 2000 and later moved to MTV, spawned the platinum boy band O-Town.
“Making the Band II” audition dates (participants must be age 18 or older):
July
22 - Detroit, MI - State Theater
26 - Miami, FL - Billboard Live
29 - Atlanta, GA - Cotton Club
August
2 - Los Angeles, CA - To be announced
5 - Baltimore, MD - To be announced
6 - Washington, DC - VIP Club
10 - Philadelphia, PA - To be announced
11 - New York, NY - To be announced
In Brief: Aaliyah, Sammy Hagar, David Lee Roth
Release date set for Bonnaroo festival album. Foo Fighters’ fourth. Buckcherry splits.
Release date set for Bonnaroo festival album. Foo Fighters’ fourth. Buckcherry splits.
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The Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation announced Tuesday (7/16) that the pilot in the August plane crash that killed Aaliyah and others had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system.
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The start of the second leg of the Sammy Hagar/David Lee Roth http://www.soundspike.com/story/374>co-headlining tour has been pushed back two days due to “production logistics,” according tour publicists. The tour’s July 23 stop in Bossier City, La., has been canceled, and the outing will now kick off in Oklahoma City on July 25.
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A double-CD compiling some of the best performances of the inaugural Bonnaroo Music Festival hits stores on Sept. 24, and a “documentary style” DVD of the event will follow in October, according to Sanctuary Records.
Bonnaroo attracted about 75,000 jam-band fans to Manchester, Tenn., from June 21 to 23 for a festival that featured Trey Anastasio, Widespread Panic, the String Cheese Incident, Gov’t Mule, Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade, Phil Lesh and Friends, Ben Harper and many others.
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The fourth Foo Fighters album, which hasn’t been titled, will be released on Oct. 22, according to the band’s official website.
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Buckcherry frontman Joshua Todd has quit the band, prompting the remainder of the group to part ways, according to the fan site Buckcherry.net.