Adler Holding Out Hope For Guns N' Roses Reunion

With the big "Appetite For Destruction" 20th anniversary show behind him, original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler is looking forward to taking his Adler's Appetite band worldwide. But he's also holding out hope for a blowout reunion bash with his former bandmates.

"I believe I made it this far for some reason," Adler tells Billboard.com. "I want to finish what we started, and ... with the love and support I got from those guys, I think we can (reunite). I'm gonna leave it up to Axl [Rose]. That's gonna be Axl's call, and I love Axl and I know he'll make the right call."

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[I saw Adler's Appetite perform once in Philly - he had Jizzy Pearl on vocals and Robbie Crane on bass. Adler himself was an embarrassing mess, the payoff from years of drug abuse.]

Band Review: Reality Stricken

Reality Stricken
Hometown: Norristown, PA

A steady rock band (think emo meets Brazil and The Cure) with the right ideas but poor execution. With some real time in a professional studio and a producer willing to lend a hand in structure, these songs could become the true havens of power anthems that are harbored within what Reality Stricken has thus far projected as "their best work". The band has a good sense of arrangements and overall song design, but something is lost between their heads and my ears.

www.myspace.com/realitystricken
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Social networks 'lure music fans'

Social networks are changing the way people consume music at a time when piracy is on the rise and the rate of growth of legal downloads has slowed.

Those are the key findings of a new survey conducted by analyst firm Entertainment Media Research.

The survey found that some 53% of people actively surf social networking sites to find music.

A further 30% said they went on to buy or download music that they had discovered on a social network site.

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Music from indie labels to be sold via cell phones

EMusic, the nation's second-largest online music seller after Apple's iTunes, plans to announce on Tuesday a deal with AT&T that will allow people to buy songs from independent labels through their cell phones, without the need to go through a personal computer.

Several services, including those run by Sprint and Verizon Wireless, let people buy songs directly over the air. But they focus on songs by mainstream performers like Prince, who has a deal with Verizon. EMusic sells music only from independent labels, a category that these days includes the new album from Paul McCartney as well as obscure punk bands. The arrangement with AT&T Mobile Music will make those songs available just as easily as the more conventional ones.

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Gwar Frontman Gives Advice

Oderus Urungus of Gwar is a saint. He has spent much of his time on Earth helping those in need, when not butchering politicians and useless celebrities onstage in front thousands of screaming fans, that is. He cares so much about the starving people in Africa that he introduced AIDS into the populace to help lessen the number of people needing food. Now, he goes a step beyond that, as the great and mighty warrior has signed on with Anarchy Music to give lonely and lost souls some much needed advice. Love, career, family, friends... no situation is outside the realm of subjects that Oderus has contemplated upon and can help you through. Of course, if you have an issue in your life that could use the intelligent and caring advice from a god among men, just send an email to anarchy@anarchymusic.net with "Dear Oderus" in the subject line.

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$210 million music copyright lawsuit filed against bar

A group of music licensing companies has filed a $210 million copyright infringement lawsuit against an East Side Tucson bar.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, names Michael Cesario, who holds the liquor license for the Salty Dawg II, 6121 E. Broadway.

Artists and songwriters represented by the 13 companies suing Cesario include Huey Lewis & the News, Paula Abdul, Color Me Badd, Taylor Dayne, Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Starr, Dave Koz, Tommy Page, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Chris Isaak and Janet Jackson.

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Clear Channel's Accused of Payola. Again.

As Clear Channel owns five major stations in the Dallas market -- among them, KHKS-FM (KISS 106, home to Kidd Kraddick), KDGE-FM (102.1, Your Alleged New Rock Alternative) and KZPS-FM (92.5, the recently rechristened Lone Star) -- this certainly qualifies as local news. And if you're an unsigned local artist trying to get heard on a local Clear Channel station, well, this directly affects you.

Because, see, the Washington, D.C.-based Future of Music Coalition today filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, in which the FMC basically accuses San Antonio-based Clear Channel of payola. Again.

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OK, who REALLY wrote that song?

Of all the names in music, Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least likely to appear in a headline. Though she recently released her own album, the songwriter usually stays behind the scenes to pen hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.

But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by suggesting that Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly retracted her comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: "singer-songwriters" who do much less songwriting than their publicists would have you believe.

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The first record label to use only USB flash drives

Small independent record label Superfrothco has become the first record label to release their signings record albums on a flash drive.

It would appear that they are rolling this out right across the companies catalogue, so that any future orders for older albums will also come on a flash drive. This is a unique way of promoting bands, by only using flash drives to get the music out there, it is bound to cause some sort of stir that will get the media interest flowing. This will create hype and lead to sales, great business.

The first artist to get the honour of being the first artist to solely released on flash drive is Jeffery Scott Holland’s The JSH Combo, who is some sort of modern jazz group. His or her album will be released on the 1st September 2007, the album will cost around $10 and has more music on it than on a CD album, and so it looks like everyone is winner.

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Last.fm and 21st century payola

Bill Wilson, of hardcore punk label Blackout Records, asks some pretty pointed questions in his blog saying, among other things:

It pains me to write this, as I’m a huge fan of Last.fm and what they’ve done (or could do) for indie labels, bands and music fans. However, it seems that their new media conglomerate sugar daddies are having an influence on their policies already. I was on their site today, doing some cleanup of my catalog that I offer for streaming and looking for some plugins to put on the upcoming revision of my label site. What I discovered should make anyone who is trying to build a career in indie music very concerned about their future.

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Bret Michaels, "Rock Of Love" Comeback Star

Bret Michaels, lead singer of 80s hair-band Poison, hasn't been in the news much this century. In fact, I pretty much hadn't heard anything about him or the rest of the band since the days when I was listening to the cassette of "Open Up And Say... Aah!" I stole from another kid at summer camp.

But he's back now. He's the big attraction on "Rock Of Love," where a bevy of women - including two porn stars, according to the very-NSFW Fleshbot - compete to date him. Plus, he's on the cover of both major diabetes magazines this month: Diabetes Health and Diabetes Forecast.

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Marilyn Manson: Love Him, Hate Him, Eat Him, Drink Him

Marilyn Manson, the self proclaimed ‘Antichrist Superstar’ and ‘God of Fuck’ has been through hell and come out the other side with a new album, Eat Me, Drink Me. A marriage break up leading to dark periods of depression, and a new found love have set the foundation for Manson’s current work, though it nearly didn’t happen at all.

“I was at a point after making my greatest hits record where I thought I didn’t have anything to say, but what I didn’t realise was that what I had yet to say, on this record, was something that was very simple, the simple human idea of how you feel as a person” explains Manson of his difficulty in wanting and being able to continue on as a musician.

“I didn’t even care if this record came out, I was making something that made me feel like I had a reason to get up in the morning. I was at a point where I didn’t know who I was and I didn’t know who I wanted to be any more”.

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Sponsored concerts are great deal, but is it a fad?

Make no mistake, Ozzfest tickets may be free this year, but it is hardly an act of charity.

"I'm not trying to be the Mother Teresa of the music industry, because I like money more than anybody else," Sharon Osbourne said, then let out a wicked laugh.

Whether it's the MTV show "The Osbournes," the British reality show "The X Factor" that she co-hosts with Simon Cowell, or her famous quote about dropping Smashing Pumpkins as a client for medical reasons ("Billy Corgan was making me sick"), Osbourne has never had a problem attracting attention and profiting from it.

At a concert industry symposium in February, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne made the dramatic announcement that the struggling Ozzfest would be free this year, supported instead by sponsorship. The nationwide tour kicked off the second week of July and continues through Aug. 30.

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How Guns N' Roses Mixed Drugs, Punk, and Classic Rock to Make 'Appetite for Destruction'

Axl Rose was lying nude inside a Manhattan recording studio's darkened vocal booth, working out some unorthodox last-minute overdubs. Tape was rolling, and he knew something wasn't right. Beneath him was a cute nineteen-year-old stripper named Adriana Smith, who happened to be his drummer's girlfriend. "Come on, Adriana, make it real," Rose barked, pausing mid-coitus. "Stop faking!"

More: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/15690883

Guns N' Roses: The Early Years (Rolling Stone Photo Gallery): http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/15524336/guns_n_roses_the_early_years

Iron Maiden's "Can't I Play with Madness" in a TV commercial?

Yep. Go see for yourself. It's for Sony.

Independent Music Conference Director Takes Sonicbids to Task Over Quality Control

Independent Music Conference director Noel Ramos has taken issue with the popular musicians promotional website - Sonicbids.com - over their allowance of a specific website to appear on theirs and offer to review the music of up and coming artists. Though the site is never named by Ramos himself, his target is MoreInTheMonitors.com. According to him, by allowing this site to offer the Opportunity to bands, "Sonicbids has slipped disastrously below the standards that made them the standard."

Ironically, Ramos' own Opportunity, the Independent Music Conference, was removed from the Sonicbids website in March 2007 after he launched a "Bypass Sonicbids" campaign and claimed that the site had "deteriorated into a playground for petulant children". The IMC has also been documented in the book Swimming With Sharks by Bernadette Giacomazzo and Melissa Deskovic (collectively known as Akasha Multimedia). The article takes a scathing look at the event as well as the business practices of Ramos himself.

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Band Review: Sick of Sarah

Sick of Sarah
Homebase: Minneapolis, MN

Here's a fun band that probably gets some asses movin' at the local bars. This all-chick quartet bring the pop-punk angst with not-so-hidden lyrical intent. The guitar work is fantastic - each note is handled with purpose while the drums are meaningful in supporting the song as a whole. The harmonies and vocal accents flesh out the tunes appropriately.

My favorite tunes are "Mr. Incredible" with it's exciting chorus and "Mother Fucker" with it tasteful clash of your-loss-not-mine lyrics and stylish acoustics.

"You know you'll never meet another motherfucker like me", sings Abisha Uhl in that innocent Lisa Loeb type of way.

The only complaint I have for the recording is the bass tone - I think it needs to more flavor and definition, especially since it plays such a vital roll in several tunes.

The last track was recorded live. Without the original recording to go by, it made me dislike this song even more - beyond the fact that it was poorly recorded. I think the audio was taken from a video recording or handheld tape deck. For an EPK that's designed to impress potential fans and promoters, this song does not represent the band very well at all -but don't hold that against them. They're on tour now so go see 'em.

www.myspace.com/sickofsarah
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Band Review: Papertrigger

Papertrigger
Homebase: Philadelphia, PA

I love this band. Utilizing an unconventional format and an ensemble of gross anachronistic doom, Papertrigger will hypnotize any audience of open-minded listeners. The silent-movie piano, the driving drums (drummers are rarely given credit, so kudos to you Brian James) and strategically placed horns and keys... the music is fucked up, but in a good way. The vocals will eat you alive.

Radiohead fans will love "Fox Hunting" with its creepy piano swoon and dark melodies. Hell, I'm getting the shivers jus listening to it now. And while I'm thinking about it, I want to be MySpace friends with this band - one moment please while I make the official request - ok, done.

www.myspace.com/papertrigger
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The White Stripes Play a One-Note Show in Canada

It's been an interesting Canadian tour for Jack and Meg, and last night they ended their shenanigans on a good note. An "F," to be precise. We'll let reader Colin Ryan explain...

"The White Stripes finished up their Canadian tour (covering every Canadian province and territory) tonight in St. John's, Newfoundland, with an amazing set. But the afternoon was just as interesting, seems Jack and Meg had a bit of fun with the fans here."

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Band Review: Chris Merritt

Chris Merritt
Homebase: Provo, UT

Brian Wilson would be proud - the innocent lyrics and well-constructed harmonies will leave you breathless. "Virginia" best supports my claim. Merritt's piano-driven offerings delivers pop rock color to the 88 keys and a pile of good stories. His vocals are warm and honest - making each tune ready for listener accompaniment. Additional instrumentation - mostly drums and bass - dovetail the music in creating a more eccentric flow in song and story.

His double-duty obligation to the keys and vocals leave neither feeling unloved.

"Dance Karate" is whole different animal. The verse is straightforward, but once the chorus hits - look out. It jams with 70's Bee Gee's style (minus the falsetto) with excitement and groove. This song completely caught me off guard. The vocal mutations, organ and synth jams with Atari "punch" samples really make this a tune for dancing.

www.chrismerrittmusic.com
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Band Review: Countershock

Countershock
Homebase: Long Beach, CA

Ah, the classic results of poor recording, or maybe it's just that I can't really get into chick singers. More times than not, vocalists have a hard time finding their nitch; their style - with female vocalists it's even harder. Vocalist M'Lisa Black has a strong voice, but no real distinction behind it. She can stay on key, but the melodies have all been done before. It's like that whiny chick thing. Really, I'm not making fun of her, but would I buy this album? No.

As for the band, they need to spend more time experimenting with more than just the presets on their effect pedals. The arrangements are good, but so much more can be done. The recording is hollow and without real depth. It's sounds amateur.

"Crown of Thorns" would be my mixtape selection though. It's got a decent guitar progression and I like chorus.... I'd like it more if the harmonies were better though.

www.whoiscountershock.com
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Live Earth performances equaled big record sales for Metallica, Foo Fighters and more

Foo Fighters were rocking for climate change on Saturday but came away enjoying a boost sales of around 1000%, it has been reported.

As with Live 8 in 2005, bands signing-up for the event saw the huge viewing figures translate into serious album sales, and U.S. rockers the Foo Fighters did best according to Tesco's combined in-store and online download sales.

Metallica weren't far behind, increasing their sales by around 800%, while the Queen of Pop, Madonna, saw a more modest rise of 420% in album sales during the week before the Live Earth concert at the new Wembley Stadium.

An industry pundit told the Daily Star this week, "Some cynical observers might say there was more to it than just playing for a good cause."

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Heavy metal festivals proliferate across Europe

It's summertime, so plenty of heavy metal and hard rock festivals and tours are rolling across America, shaking the rafters with loud guitars and screaming fans. But for all the hoopla surrounding OzzFest, Warped Tour, Sounds Of The Underground and other traveling rock and roll circuses, not to mention the steady growth of annual events like the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival, there are even greater numbers of heavy music festivals in England and across Europe that are attracting tens of thousands of fans per weekend and making an even greater cultural impact. Volume-driven events like Wacken Open Air, Download and Graspop have become the major destinations for headbangers of all persuasions.

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"I constantly have to redefine what real life is for myself...."

Gerard Way will not be tied down. It's not that the My Chemical Romance frontman wouldn't like to be, it's just that he hasn't quite figured out how to do it.

Selling a few million copies of his band's latest album, The Black Parade? Easy done. Real life, that's the hard part.

"I constantly have to redefine what real life is for myself," says Way, half an hour after stepping off stage at a German gig where My Chemical Romance supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"I'm still homeless, and it's starting to get to a point where it's getting really old, and I really need to settle down somewhere.

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