Grapevine 784

Forget gangbanging -- now even rapping about the thug life can get you locked up. Sacramento, California, gangsta rapper C-Bo -- neT Shawn Thomas -- was jailed after the California Department of Corrections determined that the lyrics on his new album, Til My Casket Drops, violate the terms of his parole. (Thomas served time on a 1996 conviction for illegal use of a firearm.) According to CDC spokeswoman Katie Corsaut, when Thomas was paroled in June he agreed not to "engage in any behavior which promotes the gang lifestyle, criminal behavior and/or violence against law enforcement." But Thomas' attorney, Jeffrey Rosenblum, argues, "He never thought these conditions would apply to his music. I'm appalled by the fact that the CDC is so insensitive to the First Amendment." So, apparently, was the Board of Prison Terms, which found that although Thomas was in violation of his parole for traveling beyond fifty miles of his residence, he can't be punished for his music. It agreed to set him free after thirty days. . . . See what you learn from touring with Oasis? Cornershop -- who opened for the bad-boy Gallagher brothers on their recent U.S. roadshow -- trashed a hotel room in Bristol, England, causing more than $800 in damage and the cancellation of that night's gig. No arrests were made. Perhaps the boys were excited that their Fatboy Slim-remix version of "Brimful of Asha" knocked Celine Dion from the top of the British charts, giving Cornershop their first Number One hit. The remix will be released in the U.S. in early April. . . . "Broken Homes," the gospel-tinged first single from Tricky's upcoming album, Angels With Dirty Faces, features vocals from Polly Jean Harvey. The two became friendly when Tricky opened for Harvey on her 1995 tour. Look for Tricky's album -- which also includes guitar parts from Anthrax's Scott Ian -- on June 2nd, while Harvey's new album is expected this fall. . . . Veruca Salt's guitarist and singer, Nina Gordon, has left the band to go solo. According to the band's label, DGC Records, Veruca Salt's future is up in the air. . . . It's a done deal: Three former members of the Grateful Dead -- Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir -- are re-forming as the Other Ones and will headline this summer's Furthur Festival, which begins in late June. The trio will be joined by keyboardist Bruce Hornsby, sax man Dave Ellis, drummer John Molo and guitarist Stan Franks. "It's been three years since Jerry's death, and it seems like the right time to do this," says Hart. "The shows will be a reinterpretation of the Grateful Dead's material. We'll do an acoustic set, which we haven't done in years. Basically, we want to enter the zone and play the shit out of the music." The group has no plans to record new material and won't make a decision on playing additional dates until the tour is over. What would Jerry Garcia think of this? Says Weir, "He'd be flat fucking pissed off if we didn't do it." (RS 784)
MATT HENDRICKSON