WEEKLY MUSIC NEWS

[FH]

PRIMUS To Sell Live Recordings Through Newly Launched Web Site - Oct. 12, 2003

PRIMUS have announced plans to offer downloadable soundboard recordings of every single performance from their upcoming North American theater tour, dubbed "Tour de Fromage". The shows will be available in both standard MP3 and CD-quality FLAC audio formats via the newly launched web site www.primuslive.com.

All of the October shows will be available starting November 7. The November shows will each become available 48 hours after the show.

Downloadable artwork for use in CD jewel cases will also be included with the fans' purchases. Taping will be allowed at the shows as well.

As previously reported, each show on the tour will be split into two full sets, with old and new songs, plus some fresh material, making up the first half, and the second portion being a start-to-finish performance of 1991's classic album, "Sailing the Seas of Cheese".

PRIMUS' DVD/CD set, "Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People", was released on October 7 through Prawn Song/Interscope Records. The DVD contains all 13 PRIMUS videos, including the little-seen "Lacquer Head" (an anti-drug clip banned by MTV for its drug references), along with 1992's "Cheesy Home Video" documentary, award-winning cartoon "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and previously unreleased live footage. Included on the CD are five new songs recorded in June during a session at Rancho Relaxo.

[FH]

JIMI HENDRIX to Be Immortalized by MCFARLANE TOYS - Oct. 13, 2003

Experience Hendrix L.L.C., the family company dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Jimi Hendrix legacy has joined forces with McFarlane Toys to create a collectible figure of Jimi Hendrix. Working to keep the spirit of Jimi alive through music, education and community involvement, Experience Hendrix sees this venture as an opportunity to create a tangible memento for Hendrix enthusiasts to enjoy. The figure is to be released in November 2003, 37 years after the formation of the JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE in London on Oct. 12, 1966. The release also comes in celebration of what would have been Jimi's 61st birthday, Nov. 27.

This beautifully rendered and intricately detailed, six-inch action figure will come in a deluxe box set and a standard blister pack. The box set includes a replica of Jimi's six-string guitar and a custom base, memorializing Jimi's iconic stage presence at the historical Woodstock concert in August of 1969. The life-like figure recreates the persona of Jimi, dressed in his blue velvet pants and white fringed shirt, with the familiar scarf tied around his hair and another wrapped around his left leg. With his left-handed guitar strapped around his neck, the performer is leaning back from his mic stand in front of two amplifier stacks. The message spoken by this rendering is made clear by the hand of the guitarist raised, giving the "peace" sign to his adoring crowd. The base replicates an authentic section of the wooden stage with metal framing and a cloth awning. The scene is made complete with guitar effects pedals placed on the stage. The standard figure will include a guitar, smaller stage section, one amp stack, mic, mic stand and guitar effects pedals.

"We are thrilled to work with McFarlane to create quality action figures that fans of all ages can enjoy," says Jimi's sister, Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix.

The Jimi Hendrix figure will be available at major music and specialty retailers, as well as select toy retailers. The anticipated price is $12 to $15, with the box sets estimated at a $20.

Experience Hendrix is a family-owned company formed by Jimi's dad, James "Al" Hendrix. The company is now overseen by Jimi's sister Janie Hendrix (President and CEO) and cousin Bob Hendrix (Vice President). For more information on Experience Hendrix events and news, visit their Web site at www.jimihendrix.com .

Grammy- and Emmy-winning Producer/Director Todd McFarlane, best known as the creator of Spawn and the founder of spawn.com, is the creative force behind McFarlane Toys. The international award winning company is one of America's top action figure manufacturers with several successful music lines, including KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, THE BEATLES' Yellow Submarine, METALLICA, Jim Morrison, IRON MAIDEN's "Eddie", Rob Zombie, Janis Joplin, Angus Young and Jerry Garcia, as well as movie licensing tie-ins, including Warner Brothers' "The Matrix" trilogy, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines", "Shrek", "X-Files", the company's seminal Movie Maniacs series featuring horror icons from past and present classic films and much more. The company also makes official league- licensed figures for baseball, football, basketball and hockey under its Sports Picks(TM) line, as well as electronic gaming and McFarlane's signature creation, Spawn. Check out www.spawn.com for more information.

[FH]

METALLICA's HETFIELD And ULRICH Profess 'Mad Love' For Each Other In AOL Commercial - Oct. 13, 2003

METALLICA's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich are featured in a new commercial promoting the Talk Phone add-on for instant messages as part of AOL's new 9.0 Optimized service. According to Adweek, the ad sees "a hardcore-looking dude IMing another bulky, studded type. 'I'm madly in love with you,' the first types. 'I'm madly in lust with you,' responds the second. This is an advertising shocker: starry-eyed beefy men professing their love — not over beers but on the Internet. We start getting the picture when the first types back, 'I'm madly in anger with you,' then picks up the phone and plays a dazzling guitar riff. They are James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of METALLICA. The song, 'St. Anger', is off their latest album. The spot is honest and funny, with a dazzling build."

The METALLICA commercial is one of nine ads as part of a campaign which debuted in September and continues to roll out this month.

METALLICA will shortly begin another round of touring in support of "St. Anger". Released in June through Elektra Records, the set debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.4 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

[FH]

Brain Tests For OZZY? - Oct. 14, 2003

Britain's Daily Record is reporting in its October 15 online edition that OZZY OSBOURNE is undergoing tests for Parkinson's disease.

The ex-BLACK SABBATH frontman has been seen shaking throughout the MTV hit reality show "The Osbournes".

Former heavy-duty drug abuser Ozzy, 54, is allegedly having checks for the brain disease in a Boston hospital. A source told the paper: "He's worried about his shaking and wants to know what's causing it."

[ericgtr]

I could have told him that years ago when the show first started. He's got the shakes pretty bad, I bet it's something neurological I would want to know too [img]images/smilies/dunno.gif[/img]

[Stiglar]

why would you go so long without having it checked ? ...

if i was shaking that bad i'd go in straight away !

i dunno if it's parkinsons .. but it'd definately be something neurological as eric said

[FH]

Former PANTERA Members To Release New Album In January - Oct. 15, 2003

The band formerly known as NEW FOUND POWER, which features in its ranks guitarist Dimebag Darrell (ex-PANTERA), Dimebag's drummer brother Vinnie Paul (ex-PANTERA), DIESEL MACHINE/ex-HALFORD guitarist Patrick Lachman (on vocals) and ex-JERRY CANTRELL guitarist Shawn Matthews (on bass), will be releasing their debut album through Elektra Records in January. "[NEW FOUND POWER] was a working title, and the official [band] name will be announced shortly," Lachman revealed in a recent e-mail.

Musically, the material "picks up where PANTERA left off and there is a lot more depth and dynamics to it," Patrick explained. "Vocals are everything from brutal to just pure melodic hook, but no falsetto."

As previously reported, the much-anticipated effort will include a guest appearance by SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor in a track called "Fuck You". OZZY OSBOURNE/BLACK LABEL SOCIETY axeman Zakk Wylde is also said to have contributed backing vocals and a guitar solo to the album.

[FH]

More than twelve years have passed since Guns n' Roses issued an album of new, original material. And while last fall's busted tour only teased at a potential release for the long-awaited Chinese Democracy, fans will finally have some material to scoop up on October 28th with the release of Welcome to the Videos and two Use Your Illusion: World Tour 1992 in Tokyo on DVD.
The video collection will cover the band's first clip, for "Welcome to the Jungle," through the group's epic Andy Morahan-directed videos for "Don't Cry," "November Rain," "Yesterdays," "Estranged" and "Garden of Eden."

The two Illusion DVDs were originally released on video in 1992 after their counterpart albums of the same title.

As for Gn'R's current doings, there has been no word about the status of Chinese Democracy. A message that read, "Stay tuned for news and information on Chinese Democracy coming soon," was posted on the band's official Web site in March, months after the plug was pulled on its 2002 winter tour.

ANDREW DANSBY
(October 15, 2003)

[FH]

Former KISS Guitarist BRUCE KULICK Shot In California - Oct. 16, 2003

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick was reportedly shot outside the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, California late last night and is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.

According to a report posted at the Metal Sludge web site, "Around 1:30 a.m., there was a shooting outside the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. As the story goes, earlier in the evening there was a fight, and after the fight, one of the guys came back with a gun and opened fire into the crowd by the patio at the Rainbow, hitting Bruce Kulick and hitting one of [CYPRESS HILL frontman] B-Real's friends in the foot. A total of three shots were fired, and when the pussy was out of bullets, a crowd of about 30 people basically beat the shit out of the guy in the middle of Sunset Blvd. He was hit with bottles, kicks, fists, and shit like that.

"Bruce was being attended to down by the Key Club, where [MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] Vince Neil was performing, and will be OK but was naturally very shaken up. The latest report is that Bruce was hit in the leg from a ricochet, though some say he was hit in the head from a ricochet. Either way, we was obviously very lucky!

"As for the guy who opened fire, he was last seen being put into the ambulance and was really fucked over. The entire street was shut down and we will have more on this when it becomes available."

[FH]

MÖTLEY CRÜE's VINCE NEIL And NIKKI SIXX Reunite On Hollywood Stage: Photos Available - Oct. 16, 2003

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil was joined on stage by his CRÜE bandmate Nikki Sixx (bass) during Neil's solo performance at the Key Club in Hollywood, California Wednesday night (October 15). The duo (plus L.A. GUNS/BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION guitarist Tracii Guns, among others) jammed on several MÖTLEY CRÜE classics, including "Shout At The Devil", "Piece Of Your Action", "Girls Girls Girls" and "Looks That Kill".

Check out the pictures here.

[FH]

Countless rock films start with rousing shots of a band onstage, then tell the artists' stories through a combination of interviews, concert scenes and fly-on-the-wall footage. Not "Some Kind of Monster," a movie about the hardships, struggles and frustrations Metallica experienced while creating St. Anger.

"Our mantra in the editing room was, 'Our film ends where most concert films begin,' " said director Joe Berlinger, who created the film with partner Bruce Sinofsky over the past two and a half years. "The last scene of the movie is Metallica taking the stage in Europe for the first time in three years. Before that, you see all the stuff that happened after the band started to work on St. Anger, and a lot of it is heavy stuff that would have sunk many other bands."

Berlinger and Sinofsky are accomplished documentarians whose résumé includes the acclaimed documentary "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," and they weren't interested in the normal rock-movie fare.

"On the surface it's about the making of St. Anger, but it's much more a film about human relationships and the creative process," Berlinger said. "It asks how you manage the multiple issues of being big rock stars while approaching middle age, being fathers and not wanting to party the way you used to party. And most importantly, how do you stay vital musically when you're incredibly successful?"

Berlinger and Sinofsky first met the band when Metallica gave the pair permission to use their music in "Paradise Lost." Drummer Lars Ulrich, who's a film buff, spoke with the pair about collaborating, but they were unable to coordinate their schedules until 2001.

The directors entered the project thinking it would be an intriguing diversion from their loftier material but soon discovered it would become one of their most intimate, revelatory projects to date. The duo were granted unlimited access to the band, and during their time behind the camera they shot 1,200 hours of material.

Filming began shortly after bassist Jason Newsted quit the band, and the movie includes footage of Ulrich's crusade against Napster, the band's struggle with musical direction, frontman James Hetfield's battle with alcoholism, and the interpersonal conflicts that erupt between musicians who have worked together for over 20 years.

Early on in "Some Kind of Monster," the bandmembers discuss their problems with a therapist. "James and Lars talk about how they've never discussed their feelings towards each other," Berlinger said. "It's been very competitive between the two of them over the years, and they could never acknowledge to each other what each of them brings to the table."

Following one of those meetings, Hetfield decided to check into rehab to clean up. Suddenly, the Metallica machine was again on hold. Then, when Hetfield finally returned, he dropped a bombshell on his already frustrated bandmates.

"James says he can only work from 12 to 4 during the day because that's part of his rehab program, and he doesn't want people to listen to [any of the] music while he's gone," Berlinger revealed. "Lars gets really fed up and lets it all hang out and literally yells right into his face after a huge emotional buildup. There was so much unspoken tension between these guys for 20 years, and it all comes pouring out."

During filming, the members came to some important realizations about themselves and their music. Much of the movie shows Metallica in the kind of unflinching light publicists and managers usually try to shut off, and as a result, the film offers viewers the kind of emotional and human insight the normally guarded band has never before exposed.

"For a good half of the film, these guys are not likeable because they're constantly squabbling with each other," Berlinger said. "Some people might think they're spoiled babies because the idea of heavy metal stars in therapy is something people are cynical about. But I think instead of being reduced to media stereotypes, you see the fullness of who these people are and you forget that they're rock stars and you see them as regular people."

Berlinger and Sinofsky have submitted "Some Kind of Monster" to the Sundance Film festival for consideration, and they have distributors interested in releasing the movie, which should be in theaters by March. Berlinger expects the movie to show across the country, but possibly not all at once. Metallica's management is considering releasing the movie to cities a week or two before the band's tour plays there.

Meanwhile, Berlinger is writing a book that'll document his experience in greater detail. "It will be designed to tie into the DVD release of the film, which will be in late summer or early fall of next year," he said. "The movie gives a really great portrait of these guys, but we shot 1,200 hours of material, and now the film is a hair over two hours long. There's so much more to tell."



—Jon Wiederhorn