ARCH MUSIC NEWS for 2/28/13

ARCH MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

The latest dramatic turn in the career of Stone Temple Pilots finds the band firing its frontman Scott Weiland. A one-sentence announcement was released by STP’s publicist on Wednesday, simply stating “Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland.” Weiland recently announced a solo tour, during which he planned to play the entirety of STP’s first two albums, Core and Purple. Oddly, Weiland just spoke to Rolling Stone yesterday about rumors he had been fired from the band, and told the magazine, “STP has not broken up. I haven’t quit. I haven’t been fired.” Wednesday afternoon, Weiland released an official statement, saying, “I learned of my supposed ‘termination’ from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be ‘terminated’ from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday.” STP reunited in 2008 after five years apart, released a self-titled album in 2010 and have toured extensively in recent years.
After touring the world last year promoting Push And Shove, No Doubt is back in the studio working on a new album. The band posted on a message on their website explaining that they became inspired to write while on tour.

Janet Jackson is pretty adept at living her life on the sly, and on Monday, she admitted that she married her Qatari businessman boyfriend, Wissam Al Mana, last year. The admission came in order to squash media reports about an upcoming wedding. “The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony,” Jackson and Al Mana said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. “Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favorite children’s charities.”

 
Aerosmith and Modern Lovers are going head to head in the Massachusetts legislature. “The Patriot Ledger” says Representative Marty Walsh recently submitted a bill to designate the Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner,” from their 1976 self-titled debut album, the official state rock song. The measure prompted Representatives James Cantwell and Josh Cutler to team up on a bill of their own to give the honor to Aerosmith’s 1973 hit “Dream On.” Both bands hail from Massachusetts, and both songs are on the “Rolling Stone” list of the “Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” While a number of Massachusetts locations are referenced in the lyrics to “Roadrunner,” Cantwell believes “Dream On” should get the nod because Aerosmith is “so well associated with Massachusetts.” He adds that “Dream On” carries a positive message, and cites its use in the trailer for the Oscar-winning film “Argo” as proof of its ongoing relevance. Massachusetts already has two other official songs. Arlo Guthrie’s “Massachusetts” is the state folk song, and Lenny Gomulka’s “Say Hello to Someone from Massachusetts” is the state polka song.

The guys in Styx believe their label owes them a lot of money, and they’re taking legal action to get what they’re due. According to TMZ.com, they claim in their lawsuit that A&M Records created a “phony business model” so the company could “avoid its royalty obligations” from digital downloads and ringtones. They further allege that A&M pocketed a significant percentage of profits that rightfully belong to the group, saying that for every dollar they were paid they should have received “anywhere between two and five dollars.” Styx filed their suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court last Friday. The band hasn’t said exactly how much money they’re seeking, but will let that figure be determined at the trial.

Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck are going to camp. They’ve both signed on for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp taking place in Las Vegas from April 18th through the 21st. The rock legends are serving as “guest star performers,” and will be on hand to jam with the campers. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps give participants the chance learn about the music industry directly from those in the business, and fulfill their rock star dreams by meeting and performing with some of rock’s biggest stars. Chicago’s Danny Seraphine; Dino, Desi, & Billy’s Billy Hinsche; and bassist Billy Sheehan, who has played with David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, and Mr. Big; are among the “rock star counselors” for this particular camp session.  Other upcoming camps will feature Vai, Sammy Hagar, Lita Ford, and Def Leppard. Vai, Hagar, and Ford will join in on the camp running from March 5th through the 9th. Ford and Def Leppard are set for the April 4th through 7th camp session. All of the upcoming fantasy camps will take place at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Vegas. Additional details are available at RockCamp.com.