A bench warrant issued last week after Courtney Love failed to show for a felony hearing on two counts of drug possession has been recalled after the singer appeared in court today with an explanation. A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for March 16th . . . The DISTILLERS kick off a fifteen-date tour on March 25th in Chicago . . . Former NIRVANA bassist KRIST NOVOSELIC has decided not to run for lieutenant governor of Washington state, but will continue to work with Music for America, a voter registration organization . . . STING had to cancel tonight show in Oakland due to an illness that caused two previous cancellations. He also postponed his Las Vegas performance from February 15th to the 20th . . .

Former JUDAS PRIEST drummer DAVID HOLLAND was sentenced to eight years in prison for the attempted rape of a teenage boy . . . IRON AND WINE and HOLOPAW will begin an eight-date tour on April 2nd in Denver . . . Georgia musician MELVIN "PERCY" WELCH died on February 8th of kidney failure. LITTLE RICHARD, whose career Welch helped launch, attended his funeral on Saturday . . . TINA TURNER has signed on to appear in The Goddess, a new Merchant-Ivory film . . . MOTORHEAD will perform at London's Royal Opera House on February 22nd . . . Former NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK singer JOEY McINTYRE will release his next album, 8:09, on April 27th . . . The HIGH LLAMAS hit the road for a thirteen-date tour, starting Friday in Washington, D.C.

(February 17, 2004)