Welcome to CraveOnline's latest feature - a weekly run-down of all the worthwhile news the week had to offer, plus a little bit of what to look for next week.
Dave Grohl's 'Open Letter To Metallica'... Wasn't
Here's Dave Grohl's response to widespread reports that he wrote a gushing love letter to Metallica and posted it online: Just wanted to write a quick note to clear up this whole "Open letter to Metallica" fiasco......For the record, I never "wrote" anything to Metallica. I was asked by a journalist, at the end of a long interview (about the Foo Fighters) to give a quick message to Metallica in the studio. So, I rattled that quote off the top of my head. No biggie, right? Somehow it became my "open letter" to the band, and now it's been picked up by everyone from Blabbermouth to Rolling Stone (as if anyone really cares!). Now, it's true that I've been a loyal fan of this band for 25 years, and I can't wait to hear the new shit, but an "open letter" to the band?!!?? Nah. Not my style. I'd rather just text 'em......
The Grammy-nominated rapper was sentenced on Tuesday to eight years in prison for shooting her friend after discovering that money was missing from her purse. The sentencing judge told the courtroom that Remy, whose real name is Remy Smith, is "an extremely angry young woman whose anger is completely out of control." Smith, who was nominated for a 2004 Grammy for her part in Terror Squad's song "Lean Back," was found guilty in March of assault, weapons possession and attempted coercion.
Salt was effectively rubbed into the wound when Remy's jailhouse nuptials to fiancé Papoose were cut short when it was discovered that Papoose - real name Shamele Mackie - had smuggled a handcuff key into the jail. The wedding has obviously been cancelled.
After turning himself in to authorities Monday night, Stone Temple Pilots and apparently former Velvet Revolver vocalist Scott Weiland served only six of his 192-hour sentence before being released.
Weiland abruptly left Velvet Revolver last month to reunite with his former band Stone Temple Pilots for an upcoming 65-city tour, the band's first in five years.
Weiland, known just as much for his rehab-hopping junkie ways as his signature serpentine grunge-born pipes, was set to serve time for a drunk driving arrest in November of 2007. We wouldn't exactly call six hours "serving time," but that's neither here nor there. His considerable talent is heading in a new direction, and with any luck he'll stay on the wagon long enough to not only put out the solo album he's talking about, but get some new material together with STP. It's been a while.
Alice In Chains Hard at Work On New Album
Original Alice in Chains members, instrumentalists Mike Inez, Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, have recruited new singer William Duvall and are carrying on the Alice name by recording their first studio effort in thirteen years. Come on, guys. Layne's gone. Let's move on. Cantrell and Co. have tremendous potential, but it's better to take it in another direction and help restore a little bit of dignity to a guy who went out in one of the saddest, loneliest ways possible - and with very little recognition, at that.
Aging crooner Neil Diamond's new album Home Before Dark debuted at no.1 on the Billboard chart this week, upstaging Madonna's latest effort, Hard Candy (it's better than her last album but still terrible, by the way). The "Forever in Blue Jeans" balladeer's latest sold 145,840 copies in its first week, landing Diamond the first top spot on the charts in his 48-year career. He owes no small part of the success to the King Midas of producers, Rick Rubin, who manned the knobs for the album. Rubin's track record is perhaps the most remarkable in the history of the music business, producing breakthrough or landmark albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta, The Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash and many, many more. He's currently working with Metallica, and will undoubtedly steer their ship in the right direction.
A Perfect Circle is Alive!!! After years of near-total silence and discouraging hints from those involved, the industry's premier male vocalist and A Perfect Circle/Tool/Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan recently set the torch of hope ablaze for fans of the alt/prog/hard rock group in an email to fans. "As many of you may have heard, Billy and I are engaged in our own little projects for the moment," Keenan wrote. "His is called ASHES DIVIDE and mine is called PUSCIFER...Please be advised that A PERFECT CIRCLE and TOOL are still alive and well. This is simply MORE." Reports have also surfaced that Tool will be returning to the studio in the fall to record the follow-up to 1996's magnificent 10,000 Days.
