legal

In the grand tradition of Rosa Parks vs. Outkast and Mariah Carey vs. Mary Carey comes this wacky bit of legal news, straight off the wires of the Associated Press: Yes, daredevil motorcyclist is suing over Kanye s Touch the Sky , in which the rapper/producer portrays a daredevil motorcyclist named Evel Kanyevel.

Evel, are you kidding?? That video rules!

Apparently, Knievel doesn t think so. That video that Kanye West put out is the most worthless piece of crap I ve ever seen in my life, vented the legendary cyclist, and he uses my image to catapult himself on the public. Guy has a point-- would anyone even know who Kanye West is if he hadn t siphoned all his fame and credibility from a 70s pop culture footnote?

Evel, whose real name is Robert Craig Knievel, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against West, video director Chris Milk, and Roc-A-Fella records in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida on Friday.

And not only does Knievel want money, but he wants distribution of the video to be stopped. Some labels are content with modest periphery pursuits-- hosting a club night, printing some t-shirts, rallying a street team-- while a few have substantially grander designs.
Upping the ante set by Omaha s -- who, as reported in August, have a in the works-- Athens, Georgia s -affiliated imprint has just received the go-ahead from the city and surrounding county s mayor to embark on an ambitious community endeavor.

In the works for some time now, the will consist of a 155 acre pedestrian-based intentional community of homes and common spaces clustered in two villages amid farmland and forest just a few miles outside Athens, according to Orange Twin s Laura Carter (who also plays in and several other E6 acts, including Neutral Milk Hotel when that band actually exists). Precisely one month ago today, a magical little stretch in Oklahoma City s Bricktown, an alley..

.littered with open dumpsters, and..

.poorly lit at night , a quiet little corner of the universe that was one city council vote away from being transformed forevermore by three little words: . (Or, okay, two little words, if the city decides to nix the the .

)
That vote went down on Tuesday (December 5), and according to the Associated Press, the good people of OK City s council decided in the Lips favor. Which means, hallelujah amen, Flaming Lips Alley is for real and you and your buds have a new spring break road trip destination.
It s not just a typical, Give them a street, give them a statue, give them a handshake, Lips frontman Wayne Coyne-- who still resides in Oklahoma City-- told the AP.

It s like some little secret special thing.
So many bands despise their hometowns, he also said. I guess we re just lucky or it never felt that way to us.

Oklahoma City never rejected us. Go! Team License Song to Honda, Admit Hypocrisy
Ian Parton: Ad was a concession so that there would be someone to clear the samples.

Today s subjects in the Great Sellout Debate: Brighton s brightest, sampledelic popsters , whose Huddle Formation (from the Pitchfork-adored ) appears in a commercial for the Honda Civic (scope it below). Fair enough-- you can t sneeze at a television these days without getting snot all over some indie jam.
But here s where things get sorta controversial (oooh!

). As alert Pitchfork reader brought to our attention recently, the Go! Team have, in the past, quite plainly vocalized their distaste for licensing music to television advertisements.

As founding Team member Ian Parton explained in a July with Kansas City (MO) weekly , I think music should be kept special, and I don t think selling it for a commercial is a good way to do that.
Parton claimed the Team had already turned down offers from Nike and McDonald s at that point, and also told The Pitch, If there was a band I liked and I saw them advertising something, I d probably be disappointed, and I d look at that song a bit differently.
So the Civic commercial came as quite a surprise to devoted Go!

fans. Rather than grumble about it on his MySpace blog, however, Immer went straight to the Go! Team s and politely asked the band what was up with the ad.

Less than 24 hours later, he received a response from an unnamed member of the Go! Team (as confirmed by their publicist). This is a fair comment, the reply began, and I knew people would be disappointed (including me).

It s old news to those of you who were waiting slavishly by your computers this weekend, checking torrent and p2p sites every half hour for one of the big name fourth-quarter rap albums to leak (and pretty much all of them did), but s Kingdom Come (out November 21 on ) now has a tracklist.
Just Blaze, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, the Neptunes, and Swizz Beatz all produced tracks on the album, and featured guests include Beyonce, Usher, Pharrell, Ne-Yo, John Legend, and Coldplay s Chris Martin, who produced the track on which he is featured, album closer Beach Chair .

According to various reports, Jay will literally phone it in on November 18 as he teams with Cingular Music for The Jay-Z Hangar Tour , a 17-hour jaunt via G5 jet to the airports of Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas (where the tour will end).

He will perform for radio contest winners in these cities, and Cingular customers with video capability will be able to watch the performances on their phones. Carl Dobson, aka MC Crazy Titch, was sentenced to 30 years in prison yesterday for the murder of 21-year-old producer Richard Holmes in November of last year, according to a . Dobson (23) and his associate Anthony Green (35), who also received a life sentence, confronted Holmes over the lyrics to a song by Sabar Shah, aka Shak, a friend of Holmes.

They were upset that Shah insulted Dobson s half-brother, Dwayne Mahorn, aka Durrty Goodz (an MC featured on the first Run the Road compilation). The Shak lyrics in question: Over the years, things change in the hood. I used to have a lot of respect for Durrty Goodz-- Not no more.

They were apparently unfazed by the fact that the lines do not exactly scan.
Shah refused to apologize for the lyrics on the day of the murder. According to the BBC, when Holmes then stood up for his friend, Dobson and Green approached him with a Mach-10 machine gun and shot him in the back and leg as he ran away.

A teenage rap fan and witness of the shooting identified Dobson from having seen him on TV. Durrty Goodz, meanwhile, was cleared of murder and manslaughter charges.
Jokes aside, we hope the families and friends of all involved are coping in the midst of this ridiculous and tragic situation.

And not in the cool way, either It ain t easy being a folk collective in the tumultuous twenty-first century. Philadelphia s discovered that sad truth firsthand this weekend as they attempted to fly out of Los Angeles LAX airport following their performance at the city s festival. While the band members emerged unscathed, one of their treasured instruments did not.

Understandably infuriated, Espers bassist/percussionist Chris Smith told all in a recent bulletin.
According to Smith, airline policy allows a musician to carry on a guitar, provided it s in a soft case. The band have done so numerous times so far this year.

Sometimes we have to assure folks that it is cool, wrote Smith, as the agents at the very front gates can be unaware that it is OK to carry on, but it always works out. We always confirm this when tix are purchased as well as day of flight via phone call.
We did all of this with , the airline in question for this trip.

While Espers had no trouble flying out of Philadelphia for the Arthur gig, flying home was a different story.
It's a sobering feeling to have the law be completely lawless, and feel like there's absolutely nothing I could do. When Pitchfork reached on the phone yesterday to talk about the at their Houston, Texas show on Friday night, singer/guitarist Adam Stephens and drummer Tyson Vogel sounded tired, angry, and slightly bewildered.

And they have every right to be. It s been a confusing few days, Stephens said. I guess I m getting over feeling absolutely powerless in a so-called free and democratic society.

It s a sobering feeling to have the law be completely lawless, and feel like there s absolutely nothing I could do. I think everyone there that night felt the same. Quick catch-up: On Friday night, the band headlined a show at the Houston club .

and opened. After receiving a noise complaint, the Houston Police Department sent officer G.M.

Rodriguez to the club. Rodriguez took the stage as Two Gallants played, and demanded that the band stop performing. When they refused, a melee ensued.

Rodriguez shot several people with a Taser gun, and there were numerous arrests. Vogel and Trainwreck Riders vocalist/guitarist Andrew Kerwin and bassist Sean Kohler were arrested and spent the night in jail. Stephens was Tasered, but escaped.

On Sunday, the Houston Chronicle reported that HPD Sgt. Nate McDuell claimed that Rodriguez had been attacked and had acted out of self-defense. Stephens and Vogel said that was far from the truth, and explained their side of the story.

An indie rock show descended into chaos Friday night in Houston, Texas, when a police officer investigating a noise complaint at the club allegedly attacked the band and its fans. According to various sources, Adam Stephens, singer/guitarist for the two-piece, was shot with officer G.M.

Rodriguez s Taser gun, as were the band s tour manager and two audience members--one, a 14-year-old boy. Two Gallants drummer Tyson Vogel and vocalist/guitarist Andrew Kerwin of opening band were arrested. Accounts vary as to the exact sequence of events.

The Houston Chronicle reports Houston Police Department Sgt. Nate McDuell as saying that Rodriguez approached management about the noise complaint, filed by a neighbor, and the volume was turned down-- but that as the officer was leaving, the volume went back up. The officer then took the stage and confronted Stephens.

Stephens then used a sexual obscenity and shoved the officer with his shoulder, according to McDuell. Stephens told the Chronicle that is absolutely not what happened. Stephens said he was sideways and singing on the stage just before he turned around and saw the officer, who then shined a flashlight at him and said, Stop.

Stephens, who denied shoving the officer, said he responded, Why? He said the officer moved closer to him and yelled, Stop! Stephens said he again asked why and that the officer then grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the floor.

The photo that accompanies this story shows Rodriguez tackling both Two Gallants simultaneously, before the officer reached for his Taser. More photos, as well as video of the event, can be found and . In the scuffle that followed, the Taser was discharged several times, a 90-year-old stand-up bass belonging to opening act was destroyed, and Rodriguez allegedly sustained minor injuries.

The Chronicle quotes McDuell as saying, An officer gets attacked by dozens of people in a club who have been drinking. If anything, the officer was abused. Stay tuned for updates on the situation.

We hope to talk directly to the band members today.

Meet the new Weezer, same as the old Metallica Like plenty of bored rock stars before them, have taken up legal pursuits during their hiatus from such traditional musical pastimes as recording and touring (i.e.

actually playing music). According to reports from TMZ.com and E!

Online, the band filed a lawsuit against the Miller Brewing Company in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday over three ads that ran in Rolling Stone in 2004.
The suit claims that Miller used the band s name and image without their permission, and, in return, they are asking for all profits received by Miller and fellow defendants from the ads in question; punitive damages amounting to three times either the actual damages or the defendants profits, whichever is higher; and an injunction against any further use of the band s image, according to the E! report.

Weezer also named Miller s marketing company, Young Rubicam, and the production company responsible for the layout of the ads, Giannini Creative Imaging, as defendants in the suit.
And just to add that extra dash of ridiculous to the mix, the band claimed that the other musical acts featured in the advertisements (including Audioslave, who filed last year), are bands and musical performers with whom [Weezer] do not wish to be associated in any advertisement. Those performers included Velvet Revolver, Bon Jovi, Puddle of Mudd, Trapt, and Incubus.

Come to think of it, we d be a little pissed too. But don t Weezer have anything better to do?
Good, your CyberPatrol software let you get this far British people acting like squares?

Way to live up to the stereotype, guys! a move that thoroughly irked Ron and Russell Mael, aka , BBC London 94.9FM refused to play the pair s new single, Dick Closing another chapter in a horrific saga, jurors this week recommended the death penalty for 29-year-old Ricky Javon Gray, the first of two men believed responsible for the gruesome murders of Bryan Harvey (49), his wife Kathryn Harvey (39), and their daughters, nine-year-old Stella and four-year-old Ruby.

The report comes from the , and also states that Gray will be officially sentenced on October 23.
, the Harveys were found murdered in their Richmond, Virginia home on New Year s Day of this year. Gray and alleged accomplice Ray Joseph Dandridge (who will stand trial September 18) bound and gagged the family, slit their throats, and set fire to the bodies before making off with two laptops and Bryan s wedding ring.

The two men are also charged with robbing and murdering another Richmond-area family-- husband and wife Percyell Tucker (55) and Mary Baskerville Tucker (47), and Mary s daughter Ashley Baskerville (21)-- on January 6, mere days after the Harvey tragedy.
Bryan Harvey was known as the singer/guitarist for noted rock duo House of Freaks and as a member of college rock supergroup Gutterball. A passionate musician, he had been performing as part of the band NRG Krysys at the time of his death.

His wife co-ran a local toy store, World of Mirth.
In memory of the slain Harveys, friends have established the Bryan and Kathryn Harvey Family Memorial Endowment, which aims to provide music, visual art and performing arts enrichment in the Richmond area. Learn how you can contribute by visiting the endowment s .

Sad to say, but fulfilling today s unsurprising news quota is , who was arrested on drug charges yesterday in midtown Atlanta and later released on bond, according to the Associated Press. Apparently Weezy was found with several drugs in his possession. No specific substances were named, but those who have listened to the Dedication mixes will probably be able to guess.

There is no information about a trial date, and we re also unsure whether or not the arrest affects Wayne s upcoming tour with Ne-Yo, Juelz Santana, Chris Brown, and Dem Franchize Boyz. But if it doesn t, you can see him at the dates listed after the jump.
In some ways, the band is the self-appointed Monica Lewinsky of indie rock.

No, the Baltimore and publicizing a fake split with Arab on Radar. For Monica, the scandal had to do with a certain blue dress; for Oxes, it s a t-shirt.
On Wednesday, August 9, the band filed a trademark infringement permission.

(And all this time, didn t you just assume Old Navy made up Although the lawsuit sounds like an elaborate Oxes publicity stunt, the band assures us this is definitely not a prank. So how did the t-shirt scandal materialize? Jason Foster, owner of Monitor, said he received an email last April from a confused fan in Texas who d seen the shirt at Old Navy.

Since that point we and...

if the t-shirt was a real Old Navy project. We assure fans that used without their permission.
Back in 1992 and 1993, had a bass player by the name of Linda Kay.

She performed on the original version of the band s album Background, but wasn t featured on the actual recording. Her photo does, however, appear in the disc s artwork. Over the past 13 years, Kay hasn t exactly followed a usual punk rock career path-- solo records, starting a label, other musical endeavors, etc.

Oh no. She s been stripping at an all-nude Union, New Jersey bar called Hott 22..

.and apparently collecting human body parts in her South Plainfield home, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. On Friday, July 28, Kay was arrested after police found a human hand in a jar of formaldehyde and six human skulls in her basement.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that yesterday, August 1, Kay pleaded not guilty to unlawful disposal of human remains. She is currently in the Middlesex County jail, with bail set at $50,000. Lifetime s currently reunited members have no comment.

No surprise there. can t just let it be. When it comes to the , quite a few of us wish task of remastering (and digitizing) those classic LPs.

Recently, though, one Harrison s 1960 passport) for 250,000 to undercover police officers in Amsterdam. According to the London Times, on Friday, a London court ruled that Oliver, who is schizophrenic and was found unfit to plead at a previous hearing, should be placed under psychiatric supervision for two years. The BBC reports that another man, Colin Dillon, was also who originally stole the tapes, which include 80+ hours of footage of the band playing over 200 songs, including covers of Maggie May , Blowin in the Wind and Great Balls of Fire , as well as songs by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.

The sessions original sound engineers identified the tapes as legitimate, having recognized their own voices among the arguments, banter and jokes of the band. whole mess. We hear Ringo had a killer stand-up routine back in the day.

Harry Potter to Wyrd Sisters: Fuck You, Pay Me Phil Selway and Jonny Greenwood, you do not sue Radiohead! And you sure as folks in Canada recently. In the fourth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry, Ron, and Hermione attend a school dance where the tunes are supplied by a band called the Weird Sisters.

As Goblet of Fire made its way closer and closer to the big screen, the film s creators hired some big-time rockers to play the band in the movie. Their picks? Selway, Greenwood, and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker.

CBGB Sets New Closing Date, Move to Vegas arena for some of the country s best (and worst) musicians, has cemented Although October 31 was originally revealed to be the club s closing date, September 30 will mark the end for New York City s famous punk rock venue-- or sort of, anyway. After efforts failed to locate an affordable venue space in CBGB s hometown of New York City, Kristal has made the questionable decision to the same shape, but I am going to have all the things that matter there, Kristal said in a recent interview with MTV.com.

I am taking the bars with me, I am taking the stage - I m taking the urinal that Joey [Ramone] pissed in with me. I m going to take a lot of things - anything that makes this
Authorities: Oh yeah, and his music sucks, too. may never follow up.

..um, what is Chinese Democracy supposed to be the follow-up to again?

Use Your Illusion? The Spaghetti Incident? Bro s horrendous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards way back in 02?

Point is, he may constantly disappoint fans by shelving and delaying the release of the album, but Axl will be adding to his Hagg, the spokeswoman for the Stockholm police that arrested and are holding to causing damage to the hotel at the site of the alleged confrontation, was quoted as saying Axl was deemed too intoxicated to be questioned right away. He will face questioning when he is sober enough, and then the decision of whether or not to press charges will be made. the meantime, will someone just give this guy a reality show already?

It s about the only thing he s good for at this point.
, Biggie, Biggie, can t you see, your removable hat, cane and bling accessories just hypnotize me. Legendary hip-hop icon the Notorious B.

I.G. may no longer be of this earth, but this fall, Mezco Toys has plans to resurrect him-- in plastic!

According to the website, the nine-inch-tall boy-doll captures the very essence of a talented artist who met an untimely death. No comment yet from the late rapper s essence on how it feels about being pitted against Darth Tyranus and Yu-Gi-Oh Fusion Monsters on playgrounds across America. In other, slightly more consequential Biggie news, a Los Angeles judge ruled earlier this month that the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the Wallace family against the city of Los Angeles in 2002 may proceed.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a controversy almost derailed the case, but on June 9, U.S. the court.

Thus, the case could move forward. January 16, 2007 has been Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently?

Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity.

(Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.