| CMU Daily - on the inside 20 Jun 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Possible lead in Jam Master Jay murder case
• So Solid member does bird
• Cease & desist
• Review: Red Jerry Ft Bj Robson - When It Comes Around
• Craig David cancels Carey support
• Lollapalooza cancels opening night
• Goldfrapp outdoors
• BMG Warners merger still possible
• Good Charlotte may release another single before touring
• Radio 1 gossip at last
• Libertines singer free
• Alien Ant Farm back in the UK
• Review: The Mad Capsule Markets - Gaga Life
• Beck adds date
• Anti conglom war-lords
• Jet Johnson live in session
• Busted back
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POSSIBLE LEAD IN JAM MASTER JAY MURDER CASE
Reports suggest a media interview with Jam Master Jay's mother may have persuaded police to reinvestigate a long time friend of the Run DMC man, Randy Allen (aka MDA of Rusty Waters), with regards the DJ's murder last year. Suspicions were aroused when Jay's mother told the New York Daily News that she had not heard from Allen or his sister since her son's murder. Word is he may have further incriminated himself by not cooperating with subsequent police enquiries.
Jay's mother told the paper: "That hurts me more than words will ever say. All of these years, Jay and Randy have been friends. We were all as close as close can be, and I haven't seen Randy since my Jason was killed. You're his friend for 20 years and you don't want to talk to the police about what happened? You don't come to my house after he died? You want to say you don't know anything?"
Police last year ruled Allen out as a suspect after investigating allegations he stood to gain from a life insurance policy if Jay died. Last year Allen said: "It took me for a spin. That's the meanest thing you can do to somebody, to say that a best friend is involved with something like that. On the radio yesterday they said I was in jail. We make records, man. We're not into life insurance and shit like that. That's not a part of anybody in my clique. We don't go around worrying about things like that. It's all crazy. The part of it that hurts me the most is that's just some made up shit. I don't know why somebody would do that."
Police haven't officially commented except to say they continue to follow leads as they arise, and that they still welcome any other information from witnesses or the local community.
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SO SOLID MEMBER DOES BIRD
Jason Phillips, better known as So Solid Crew MC G-Man, has been handed down a four year jail sentence after being found guilty of possessing a loaded handgun. As previously reported, Phillips was arrested last November while fleeing the scene of a drug deal. As he ran he ditched his gun. He denied possessing a weapon and dumping it at his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, London.
The verdict comes only days after bandmate Shane Neil (Kaish) was cleared of drugs and gun charges after the case against him collapsed - prosecution's case was built entirely on evidence from a lip-reader who observed Kaish talking on CCTV.
So Solid's Asher D spent 18 months in prison last year, also for the possession of loaded firearm.
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CEASE & DESIST
The Recording Industry of America Association has confirmed they issued 'cease-and-desist' letters to five people accused of illegally sharing their music libraries over the internet last Friday. The letters demand that four customers of Verizon Internet Services and one of Earthlink Inc stop sharing immediately.
A spokesperson for the RIAA said that they obtained the names of the four Verizon subscribers just days after a federal court refused the internet service provider the right to appeal against having to give out the contacts of its customers.
The cease-and-desist letters are the culmination of a lengthy legal battle to decide whether the RIAA could force internet servers to hand over the addresses of people who share files. The basis for the court ruling is rooted in the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a provision of which permits copyright holders to gain the names of those suspected of infringement from ISPs.
Verizon object to the law saying it violates their customer's privacy - though this particular case was based on whether the Act covered people who made music available via email rather than on a website.
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REVIEW: Red Jerry ft BJ Robson - When It Comes Around (Hooj Choons)
Hooj's latest release comes from Red Jerry, and the 12" comes replete with 4 mixes, three of which are from the man himself. His 'Banned From The Roxy Mix' is a pumping house scorcher with that circa '96 prog sound. the 'Airtight' mix brings in the eighties 4/4 with and some soft synth. Novia Scotia's 'Aversion Version' has a solid New Order diso stomp beat and stacks of bumping bass. The best mix is the 'Cut One Mix', cruising at about 125bpm it's a deep groove with some nice bleeps and squelches. JG
Release date: 30 Jun
Press Contact: Hooj IH [all]
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CRAIG DAVID CANCELS CAREY SUPPORT
Craig David has had to come home after poor ticket sales for the Mariah Carey tour he was performing a support slot on forced gig promoters to reschedule the dates. The rescheduled dates collide with David's own European tour dates and so he had to pull out.
His tour begins in the UK in Sep and will run for 13 dates, While Mariah's tour will take in South Korea, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. She modestly admitted to the Sun: "It's all about the fans, I want to be close to them. I am besieged by artists who want to be on my tour."
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LOLLAPALOOZA CANCELS OPENING NIGHT
The opening night of the new and improved Lollapalooza festival has been cancelled. While the official statement says that 'technical and logistical' difficulties were to blame, many believe that poor ticket sales are the root of the problem.
Jane's Addiction, Audioslave, Queens Of The Stone Age, Incubus and Jurassic 5 are among the acts booked to play Lollapalooza's comeback tour, which was relaunched this year after a five year absence. Due to start 3 Jul in Michigan, it will now launch on 5 Jul in Indianapolis.
The festival organisers told reporters: "Jane's Addiction's set wouldn't fit on the stage in Michigan." They added ticket sales weren't to blame for the cancellation, despite reports that the festival wasn't selling well.
But Lionel Haskins, manager of the Michigan venue, wasn't very impressed with the official line: "They're making it sound like our stage was a factor, but they were never planning on using it anyhow. They bring in their own stage."
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GOLDFRAPP OUTDOORS
Goldfrapp will play a set in the courtyard of Somerset House, with special guest Colder and supporting DJs on 13 Jul. The event precedes the release of the band's new single 'Strict Machine' on 21 Jul.
Goldfrapp are currently touring Europe, and will continue on the international circuit after their Glastonbury appearance.
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BMG WMG MERGER STILL POSSIBLE
More news on the state of BMG / Warners merger negotiations following the collapse of a separate deal between the two major's parent companies over their publishing companies. According to reports in the Financial Times AOLTW Chairman Richard Parsons has sanctioned renewed negotiations following discussions between Bertelsmann Chairman Gunter Thielen and AOLTW US content chief Jeff Bewkes.
We'll see how negotiations continue - though more reports also that EMI is ready to leap in with its own bid for Warner Music.
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GOOD CHARLOTTE MAY RELEASE ANOTHER SINGLE BFORE TOURING
Good Charlotte said that if they release another single from their 'The Young and the Hopeless' LP it will be 'Hold On'.
Benji Madden said: "It's my favorite song on the record. I think it's sort of an anti-suicide song. It's about coping with life, and we feel that if we were to put out another single, we would want to put out a song that would actually help people. So that'd probably be the best bet."
The band will be touring through the year, including a European leg over the summer, and Japanese dates.
Joel Madden said: "It's coming together right now. We don't really have any bands together yet, but we have a lot of people that we love that we're probably going to ask. It's going to go back around the United States and then that'll be it. One more time the kids will get to hang out and we'll all have fun, and then we'll go away for awhile and make another record."
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RADIO 1 GOSSIP AT LAST
Radio 1 will relaunch its Sunday afternoon show 'Backstage' as a celebrity gossip programme in Sep when current presenter Rajesh Mirchandani leaves the station.
Inspired in part by the success of Heat magazine, the station is currently talking to various celebrities in the search for a couple to host the hour-long show before the Official UK Top 40 weekly chart show is broadcast at 4pm.
A spokesman for the station said: "The new show will cover a broader remit. We'll be at every big showbiz party, film premiere, festival and concert - it will be like Heat for the radio."
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LIBERTINES SINGER FREE
Libertines frontman Pete Doherty is believed to have left the band following a break up with fellow band-member Carl Barat. The news comes just as the band are due to play a series of UK gigs to precede their Glastonbury appearance.
Doherty claims that he wanted to accompany the rest of the band on their European tour, but that the band said that he wasn't welcome. The band have been touring without him so far.
Doherty has been replaced on tour with 'Nick' the guitar technician. Messages on the website suggested the band's performance was mediocre.
Doherty said: "I thought it was a sick joke when Banny [manager Banny Poostchi] said not to show up because the band would not welcome me. But having spoken to Carlos it's true - he doesn't want to play with me, in my current 'condition'. I'm not sure what he means but he's deadly serious. I can see it from their point of view, I have proven unreliable and let people down. My new songs are all I have, along with my liberty, and everything has to be just right from now on in. I need to start singing my new songs, and I want to play with other people."
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ALIEN ANT FARM BACK IN THE UK
Alien Ant Farm have confirmed their first gig in the UK since finishing the recording of the follow-up to 2001's 'ANThology', 'truANT'.
The band will play the Mean Fiddler in London on 19 Aug - a day after the album's release.
AAF are also due to play at the Reading and Leeds festivals.
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REVIEW: The Mad Capsule Markets - Gaga Life (Palm Pictures)
If only it were possible to spell guitar riffs. 'Jundudu-jundudu-junjunjaa, junjaajaaa' sounds a lot better on a pair of speakers than it looks in Micro***t Word. But this is the nasty, horrible, filthy basis of this fantastic single. Easily the most chart-friendly track from TMCM's '010' album, 'Gaga Life' is still undoubtedly as vicious as grizzly bears and, coincidentally, just as loud. Okay, so it's not likely to recreate its top ten Japanese success over here, but the man-meets-machine feel of the track clearly puts the nu back in nu-metal, and boasts what would be a great singalong chorus if only CMU had paid attention in language class. Synthetic drum machines compete with the living, breathing kind while bleeps and bloops woosh around the stereo field. All the while that unspellable riff crunches along like a tank tearing down a forest and Kyono raps his little socks off. Triffic. The B-sides feature a cool live version of the track, which is painfully and superbly close to the album version, and also a cheesy dancehall reggae remix which sucks. Let us now pray for the demolition of the charts, courtesy of The Mad Capsule Markets. DR
Release date: 7 Jul
Press Contact: Palm IH [all]
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BECK ADDS DATE
Beck has added a second London date after his Brixton Academy sold out. The new date is 21 Aug, the night before his Carling Weekend appearance.
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ANTI CONGLOM WAR-LORDS
Ministers are preparing to make a significant climbdown on their planned relaxation of the cross-media ownership rules.
Following concern in Parliament over reducing the limitations on media ownership, the Department of Culture has now said it will accept a compromise which would force a large media corporation to submit to a public interest test if, say, they wanted to take over a major media institution like Channel Five.
The compromise follows opposition in the Lords led by Lord Puttnam. He will now be involved in deciding how and under what circumstances the Culture Secretary could block media merger or acquisitions on public interest grounds.
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JET JOHNSON LIVE IN SESSION
Seriously Groovy's latest offspring Jet Johnson will be in the BBC 6 Music studios on 16 Jun performing a live session on the Liz Kershaw show.
The London-based trio combine the delicate vocals of native Norwegian Caroline Nesbø with the soaring guitars of Gavin Baker and soulful drumming of Kevin Smith. Debut single 'Donnie' is out 23 Jun. The live session is expected to air between 2.30pm and 3.00pm, so take a late lunch break or sneakily have the speakers on quietly!
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BUSTED BACK
CMU's favourite boy bad Busted have just announced that their new single 'Sleeping With The Light On' will be released on 11 Aug. The single will be released as an enhanced CD with backstage footage, feature a new as-yet-untitled Busted song, and include previously unreleased live versions of 'What I Go To School For' and 'You Said No'.
A 30-second clip of the video is available to view at the band's official website http://www.busted.com.
Busted will appear at the Liverpool Kings Dock on 4 Jul and at the CBBC Prom In The Park in Hyde Park on September 14, on a bill which includes Mis-Teeq, Big Brovaz and the cast of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.