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BLACK CROWES SUE GRETCHEN WILSON OVER INFRINGEMENT CLAIM
Black Crowes have filed a lawsuit against Gretchen Wilson, SonyBMG and publishing firm J Money Music, and even TV station TNT over a track set to appear on Wilson's new LP. The litigation relates to the singer's song 'Work Hard, Player Harder', which the Black Crowes seem to think rips off their 1991 song 'Jealous Again'. It's due to appear on Wilson's new album later in the year, but has been heard on a trailer for a show on TNT, hence their involvement in the lawsuit.
Commenting on the legal action, the band's manager Pete Angelus told reporters: "We find the musical verses of Wilson's song to be such an obvious example of copyright infringement that I expect all parties to reach a relatively quick resolution to avoid litigation".
Wilson and her people are yet to comment.
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WHITE AND KEYS RECORD BOND THEME
What with all that speculation about whether it would be Amy Winehouse, Grace Jones, Leona Lewis or Duffy doing it, we all went and missed the obvious choice for the next Bond theme. Yes, of course, it'll be a duet between Jack White and Alicia Keys. We were going to suggest that but we forgot. Honest. Anyway, 'Another Way To Die', the first duet in Bond theme history, was also written by White and was recorded earlier this year. The film it will open, 'Quantum Of Solace', will be released on 7 Nov, and the soundtrack album will be released on 28 Oct.
'Quantum Of Solace' producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: "We are delighted and pleased to have two such exciting artists as Jack and Alicia, who were inspired by our film to join together their extraordinary talents in creating a unique sound for 'Quantum Of Solace'".
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SPECTOR LAWYERS LOSE PRE-TRIAL MOTIONS
Phil Spector's defence team lost a number of pre-trial motions on Tuesday, ahead of the producer's retrial for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.
The judge rejected the lawyers' claims that Spector would fall foul of 'double jeopardy' if he was also tried for the lesser crimes of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, as well as murder. In the previous trial, which, of course, ended in a mistrial, these lesser crimes were not considered due to lack of evidence. I'm not sure how there can be insufficient evidence to try someone for manslaughter but enough to slap them with a murder charge, but that's what happened. Judge Fidler said: "I don't believe this is a double jeopardy matter".
He also refused to exclude the video evidence of a witness who has since died. The prosecution requested to use the televised version of Dianne Ogden's testimony in the original trial. However, the judge pointed out that he had not yet decided if the testimony of five other women who say Spector threatened them with guns would be allowed in the new trial and the video would be excluded if those witnesses were not admitted.
There will be another pre-trial hearing on 14 Aug.
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WINEHOUSE'S MUM CHECKS DAUGHTER'S PROGRESS ON TV
We all know what Amy Winehouse's dad, Mitch, thinks about all things related to his daughter. But what of her mother? Well, Janis Winehouse gave an interview to The Mirror yesterday and revealed that she stays up to date with her daughter's progress by watching TV, but fears that this could be the way that she finds out that Amy has died.
She said: "I reached the stage with Amy where I planned to ask her where she'd want to be buried. I was serious. The problem is that Amy is so high-profile. If I want an update on what state she's in at any given moment, I just have to turn on the television. Amy's problem is always in my face. There are a lot of people rooting for her. But I know I could turn on the TV and learn the worst".
However, she added that she thought Amy is now getting her life back together. She said: "I really don't think she's using [drugs] now. Being diagnosed with the early stages of emphysema was a real jolt to her. A bit of a wake-up call. Mind you, I think she does have the odd sneaky cigarette. Give her a break, she's not a miracle worker. In any case she's got a constant PA by her side, she needs a minder and he's a lovely person. Plus there's a security guard watching her. I think things are really beginning to take shape to the good. I hope one day Amy will be strong enough to be able to say publicly, 'Don't do what I did'".
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LEBANESE SINGER FOUND MURDERED
Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim, who was the winner of a TV talent show in the country in 1996, has been found murdered at her home in Dubai, according to reports. The singer is understood to have fled Lebanon to Egypt a number of years ago after a bitter legal battle with her second husband, music producer Adel Maatouk. She was though to have moved to Dubai last year.
Police in Dubai declined to comment on the case. However, reports claim that Tamim suffered multiple stab wounds and that her face was mutilated.
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RITCHIE BASES CHARACTER ON PETE DOHERTY
They say you should write what you know. So, it's of little surprise that Guy Ritchie has been sitting in his big house in the country writing a new film about London's grimy underworld. Again. The director has revealed that the main character in his new film, 'RocknRolla', is based on Pete Doherty.
The story follows crack-addicted musician Johnny Story, played by Toby Kebbell, who somehow manages to come into possession of a stolen painting, is declared dead, hides out in a crack den and becomes caught up in a battle between the Russian mafia and London gangsters.
Ritchie told Empire: "At the time I was writing it, Pete Doherty was everywhere. I think what we all like is someone who fell and then stood up again. And that's probably the story with Pete Doherty. There seems to be an implication that people want to see him jump. But at the same time there's a desire to see the likes of him being reborn".
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EP REVIEW: The Wave Pictures – Just Like A Drummer (Moshi Moshi)
"The sun came in like a pack of orange spaniels". That's quite a lyric. The Wave Pictures have quite a few good lyrics. "I sleep just like a drummer" is another one – and it's where the title of this six track EP comes from. The Wave Pictures are a Leicestershire three-piece who specialise in very basic lo-fi pop ditties. So basic and lo-fi, in fact, that the EP sounds more like a bad recording of a gig on a mobile phone, played by teenagers in the back of a bus, than a CD. The lyrics, sadly, are pretty much the only thing remarkable about this EP, and even they start to sound a bit too clever on repeated listens, right around the time the incredibly lo-fi recording starts to grate. 'Just Like A Drummer' is pleasant the first few listens, and mildly annoying thereafter. DG
Release Date: 4 Aug
Press Contact: Freeman PR [NP, RP], Create Spark [O]
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RADIOHEAD VIDEO DOWNLOAD
Radiohead have made a high quality version of their recent video for 'House Of Cards' "without the internet streaming pixellation squash". As you'll probably remember, the video was made using black magic. Well, it was shot without cameras, anyway.
On the band's blog, Dead Air Space, Thom York wrote: "It was a strange experience, sitting in front of a laser in the dark, then emailing back and forth with James the director as he sat in front of computers for a whole month with the amazing technicians who processed the data etc. But it says something about the song and came out better than I had dared hope".
To download the video, click here
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THE STREETS GIVE AWAY NEW TRACK
The Streets are offering a track from their new album as a free download, in exchange for nothing more than your email address. How nice. 'The Escapist' is the first full track to, er, escape from new album 'Everything Is Borrowed', which will be released on 15 Sep.
Download it here
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TRIVIUM PUT NEW SONG ONLINE FOR 24HRS
Metallers Trivium are making a new song available to download for just 24 hours. In fact, it's already online now. So, you've got even less time to go and get it. The track, 'Kirisute Gomen', taken from the band's forthcoming album 'Shogun', went up at 5am this morning and will be gone again at 5am tomorrow.
Vocalist Matt Heavy said of the new album: "We made a cohesive, epic metal album that combines all of the ingredients of everything we feel we have ever done 'right' musically, while adding a new direction that the music called for. We had so much fun creating this album and hope our fans feel that energy when they listen".
But we can't sit around here finding out what he has to say. Time is running out. Quick! Go here.
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CRADLE OF FILTH ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
Goth metal types Cradle Of Filth have announced that they will release their four millionth album, 'Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder' on 27 Oct. The album is apparently based on the fall from grace of historical figure Gilles de Rais, a wealthy French nobleman who was one of Joan Of Arc's brothers-in-arms. However, he was also a prolific serial killer and aspiring alchemist who was convicted of a number of crimes, including heresy, demonology and kidnapping.
Frontman Dani Filth says: "By far this is our most extreme, dramatic and deeply disturbing album to date. The legend of Gilles de Rais has been given fresh, vampyrical life in this conceptual meisterwerk, swathed in pitch-black magic and a viciousness unsurpassed in the annals of Cradle history. Screw what our detractors say, everyone who has heard this album has bruised their jaws on the pentagram-bejewelled floor".
By that, I assume he means it'll sound kinda like: "uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrr WWWAAAAAAAAAAH YADADADA vvvvvvvvvvvvvrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr".
Here's the tracklist:
In Grandeur And Frankincense Devilment Stirs
Shat Out Of Hell
The Death Of Love
The 13th Caesar
Tiffauges
Tragic Kingdom
Sweetest Maleficia
Honey And Sulphur
Midnight Shadows Crawl To Darken Counsel With Life
Darkness Incarnate
Ten Leagues Beneath Contempt
Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder
Corpseflower
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TILLY AND THE WALL ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
A band who could not be less like Cradle Of Filth, Tilly And The Wall have announce that they will also release a new album in October. 'O' will hit the shelves on 6 Oct, courtesy of Moshi Moshi.
Produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, Lightspeed Champion), you can expect clean-cut pop with tap-dance percussion on the band's third LP. The album's artwork will fold out to reveal seven different designs from artist friends of the band. Fans can refold the booklet to display their favourite.
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HATEBREED ANNOUNCE DVD
This is becoming quite a metal-heavy issue of the Daily. Good. Metalcore outfit Hatebreed have announced that they will release their first live DVD later this year. 'Live Dominance' will feature a show recorded in Detroit in March this year, as well as a collection of songs from shows in Germany, Phliadelphia, New York and New Haven. The band will also release a live CD, 'Live In Dallas', early next year.
Frontman Jamey Jasta says:"Our fans have been asking for a proper Hatebreed live DVD for a long time so it feels great to finally be ready to unleash this on the world. This is a top-notch DVD that we are all very proud of and it really shows how far we've come as a band and how truly diehard and dedicated our supporters are worldwide".
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METALLICA ANNOUNCE LONDON CLUB SHOW
Metallica have announced that they will play an intimate club show somewhere in London on 15 Sep to celebrate the release of their new album, 'Death Magnetic'. Tickets will be limited, obviously, and only available to members of the band's fanclub, MetClub, and those who signed up to the 'Death Magnetic' added value subscription type thing, Mission: Metallica.
If you fancy it, you better go here or here pretty sharpish.
Speaking of new Metallica stuff, the band have also just announced that they will be releasing their first three albums 'Kill 'Em All', 'Ride The Lightning' and 'Master Of Puppets' on deluxe, remastered vinyl on 4 Aug. Which is nice of them.
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FATBOY SLIM ANNOUNCES MORE BEACH PARTIES
Fatboy Slim has been granted a license by Brighton And Hove City Council to host two beach parties in Brighton this September. The shows will take place on 26 and 27 Sep with support from Layo & Bushwacka, The Whip and Beardyman. Tickets for the second night will only be available to people who live in the BN postcode area.
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BE YOUR OWN PET UK SHOWS
Cheeky scamps Be Your Own Pet have announced two UK shows ahead of their Reading and Leeds festival appearances next month.
The dates are:
25 Aug: Liverpool, Carling Academy
26 Aug: London, Dingwalls
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VMA ORGANISERS FEAR BRAND
The organisers of MTV's VMA Awards are already reportedly worried that Britney is going to ask to perform again. Now, they're getting scared about the host of the ceremony, Russell Brand. The presenter has apparently been given strict instructions not to mention two things at the ceremony in LA in September.
Brand told The Mirror: "I've been warned when I'm presenting there are two things I am never allowed to say. One - cunt. And two - Scientology. There is one sentence that could join both of those words but I'm going to try and not say it. I have a problem when people tell me not to do something. When I was going to meet the Queen the protocol people told me how to bow, not to curtsy, not to speak until I was spoken to. But all I could think of was, 'Grab her tit'!"
If he does mention cunts or Scientologists – or Scientologist cunts – it wouldn't be the first time Brand has been in trouble with MTV. He was, of course, sacked by the station in 2001 when he turned up for work dressed as Osama Bin Laden. However, he did not grab the Queen's tit when he met her.
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HACIENDA DOORS DISPLAYED IN MUSEUM
The doors of legendary Manchester nightclub The Hacienda are being displayed in the city's Museum Of Science & Industry (MOSI) as part of the new 'The Making Of The MOSI' exhibition for the museum's 25th anniversary celebrations.
Collections Manager at MOSI, Pauline Webb said: "The last 25 years have seen huge changes in Manchester's science and industry, as the city and region moves away from the core products of manufacturing and engineering, and into the service sector and creative industries. The Museum of Science & Industry is very much part of this story, as we are ourselves based in the original railway buildings which are part of Manchester's industrial past, and our collections reflect the changes in Manchester's economy. From the traditional looms of Manchester's cotton mills to the lights of Sankey Soap nightclub, this exhibition is a fascinating glimpse into the story of Manchester's most-visited museum and a reminder of just how much our city has developed in the recent past".
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MODULAR REPORT £3M LOSS
Australian record label Modular, who boast artists including Jack Johnson, Cut Copy, Klaxons, Chromeo, New Young Pony Club, Soulwax and Yeah Yeah Yeahs on their roster, have revealed that they made an accumulated loss of £2.8 million at the end of last year. Which is quite an achievement.
The company's accounts, filed earlier this month, show that the label lost £856,000 in 2007 and £1.2 million in 2006. They also show that receipts from sales brought in £3.8 million, but the company paid out £4.1 million to suppliers and employees.
Label boss Steve Pavlovic told Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph that the losses would begin to shrink as money invested in new talent began to pay off. He said: "You'll see it start to rise now as the records we've got out start to sell".
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MADONNA IS FINE AND EVERYTHING IS GOOD
Madonna is not unwell, despite the publishing of pictures that would suggest otherwise. The singer was snapped leaving a Kabbalah centre in New York looking gaunt and frail. But her spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg assures us that everything is fine.
Rosenberg told People: "I just think the photographer got a bad shot of her or it was touched up to make her look bad. I saw Madonna two days before and she looked amazing - glowing skin and working really hard on her show. She may look a little thinner than usual but she was dancing and singing better than ever and ate a nice healthy meal".
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LEEDS ACADEMY TO OPEN THIS AUTUMN
The Academy Music Group has announced that the Leeds Town And Country Club, which it acquired in November 2007, will reopen as the Leeds Academy in the Autumn after a £4.5 million refurb.
AMG boss John Northcote says this: "A landmark building, Leeds Academy is set to be the largest independent venue in the City. Adding to the existing vibrant music scene, the Academy is the perfect size to attract major touring acts. It's always exciting to develop a venue with such history and keep as many original features and grandeur of its former years by converting back to the theatre format, but adding up to the minute production values and new technology, with outstanding artist and customer facilities".
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NME RADIO ARRIVES ON FREESAT
NME Radio will be available via the satellite version of Freeview, Freesat, from tomorrow. That will be in addition to broadcasting on Sky, Virgin Media and online. The spin off radio service from the music weekly launched earlier this year, of course.
Sammy Jacob, MD of DX Media, the company behind NME Radio, said this: "We're committed to making NME Radio available on as many platforms as possible. We believe Freesat will become a significant platform, especially as the UK moves closer to total analogue switch-off".
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LIVE REVIEW: Ratatat at Cargo, London on 23 Jul
Brooklynite beat makers and hip hop remixers Ratatat amass a full Cargo for this date, their first London gig in support of their new album, the innovatively titled 'LP3'. It's a record that continues the good work of 'Ratatat' and 'Classics'; innovative, electric and, most importantly, full of brilliant, hook-laden singles. Equally significant is that it works live, with 'Mirando' impressing most with its swirling disco-rock synth, tropical beat and crunching metal guitar. Helpfully, those in attendance are open in their appreciation by grinding, springing and punching the air throughout. Unsurprisingly though, it's still the old material that really grabs the bull by its horns, with an overtly Thin Lizzy-styled 'Lex' and perfectly timed 'Wildcat' eliciting huge crowd reactions, particularly during the ubiquitous tiger growl during 'Wildcat', where the additional tour keyboardist mimics a clawing, erm, wildcat to the visuals on the screen behind him. Encoring with a really-fucking-loud 'Seventeen Years' cements our approval, and the crowd's, before they tepidly exit the stage, seemingly unaware of tonight's achievements. OS
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DOHERTY DENIES BEING A BAD INFLUENCE
Pete Doherty has denied that he is a bad influence on 'the kids'. In an interview with Loaded, he said: "I can't see why people call me a bad influence. I meet a lot of kids who are into music. I spend as much time as I can with them. I listen to their demos and I'm encouraging. No one's ever asked me for a drug dealer's number. It's music, music, music. That's my influence".
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TIMBERLAKE'S ANGER AT KUTSHER CAP CLAIM
Justin Timberlake is annoyed that Ashton Kutcher is claiming responsibility for trucker caps being popular because, the singer says, he wore them first. He told the Fashion Rocks supplement of this month's Vanity Fair: "It's funny, I keep hearing Ashton Kutcher say how he was responsible for trucker caps". Timberlake insists that he and Trace Ayala, with whom he set up his William Rast denim line in 2005, "were wearing them when we were seventeen".
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