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Dem Franchize Boy Arrested in Raid
A member of Atlanta crew DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ was among the eight people, eleven pounds of marijuana, two firearms and more than $150,000 in cash seized from an Atlanta recording studio on June 13th. Police charged MAURICE "PARLAE" GLEATON, 23, with allegedly trafficking marijuana. Maybe this was what the lyric "Call me Teddy/I've got grams" (from the Franchize hit "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It") was all about.
Preview of Posthumous Cash Goes Online
Posthumous marketing goes viral as new songs from JOHNNY CASH?s upcoming July 4th album, American V: A Hundred Highways -- the fourth in a RICK RUBIN-produced series -- are available on MySpace. The twelve-track disc -- which features songs recorded during the late legend?s final studio sessions in 2003 -- includes Cash?s final song, "Like the 309," as well as country-tinged covers of songs by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and GORDON LIGHTFOOT.
Frank Black and Family Hit the Road
Following seven European PIXIES? shows, beginning July 14th in Trencin, Slovakia, frontman FRANK BLACK will temporarily split from his August gig opening for the FOO FIGHTERS to perform a handful of solo dates -- the first under his own name since 1995 -- kicking off August 9th in Salt Lake City and ending August 31st in Sacramento, California. Black, who will introduce audiences to material off his upcoming solo album, Fastman/Raiderman (due June 20th), will warm up the stage for the Foos during a week?s worth of shows beginning August 15th in Washington, D.C.
Etheridge to Judge Gore's Documentary Contest
MELISSA ETHERIDGE can add ?judge? to her resume this summer, when she will join actor ED NORTON and comedienne MARGARET CHO on the bench to oversee an amateur filmmaker contest of short videos that address hot-button issues ranging from racism, sexism and homophobia. Sponsored by Current TV, the viewer-driven network co-founded by AL GORE, Seeds of Tolerance will award $100,000 to the most moving short-form documentary.
Lou Reed Gets Elevated in Telluride
Come fall, New York?s night watchman LOU REED will be sniffing the good stuff -- mountain air, of course -- when he headlines the thirteenth annual Telluride, Colorado, Blues and Brews Festival on September 15th. The former VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman, who is set to play five other U.S. dates this year, joins a lineup for the three-day fest that includes JOHN MAYER and BRUCE HORNSBY.
Yellowcard Man Rebounds From Surgery
Just a month after undergoing emergency surgery to remove a cyst from his vocal cords -- and being forbidden from speaking for ten days -- YELLOWCARD frontman RYAN KEY has returned to the road to promote the Florida band's gold-selling 2006 release, Lights and Sounds.
Tom Petty Producer Takes on New Found Glory
In a move no one predicted, NEW FOUND GLORY are wrapping up a new record with producer Thom Panunzio (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, TOM PETTY), according to MTV.com. Making matters even more unexpected is the hiring of current HEARTBREAKERS member and former JOHNNY CASH and BOB DYLAN sideman BENMONT TENCH on keyboards.
Usher Lends a Hand in NOLA
USHER hit New Orleans on June 13th to join clean-up efforts at a Hurricane Katrina-damaged school. He also visited storm-ravaged neighborhoods and met with nearby college students whose campuses had flooded. The multiplatinum-selling R&B artist -- who founded Project Restart to help affected families find housing in the storm's aftermath -- also made an appearance at the state capitol.
Gary Glitter Denied Molestation Appeal
The People's Supreme Court of Vietnam upheld the three-year jail sentence of GARY GLITTER this Thursday. Glitter was convicted on March 3rd of molesting two eleven-year-old girls in the southern resort town of Vung Tau. He may be eligible for parole in December and will be deported from the country once the sentence is served.
Joan Jett Takes New CD on the Road
After a decade-long studio absence, punk goddess JOAN JETT is kicking off the summer with the release of her new album, Sinner. The BLACKHEARTS effort includes the politically charged, Bush-bashing opener "Riddles," as well as the lead single "A.C.D.C.," which features CARMEN ELECTRA in its music video. Jett's headlining stint on this summer's forty-three-city Warped Tour kicks off June 15th in Columbia, Maryland.