The great LA-based counterculture magazine Arthur needs to raise $20,000 by July 1 or it will have to cease publishing.

LA Weekly's Randall Roberts summarizes the sorry scenario on our sister paper's blog here.

If you're so inspired, you can donate money to Arthur's worthy cause by using the widget below.

Boy George: He plans to make up those missed dates.

Ex-Culture Club front androgyne Boy George has had to cancel his upcoming US tour (including a July 13 date at the Grove of Anaheim) after being denied a work visa. In recent years, George has forged a career as a DJ who plays mediocre house music in fairly sizable clubs.

Read the statement from his management after the jump.

An employee at a Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon mistakenly ordered vinyl LPs of R.E.M.'s latest album, Accelerate, instead of the CD-DVD version, and a funny thing happened: 20 of the vinyl copies sold the first day they were put on the shelves. Now this retailer is going to stock the format that the music industry hoped would die a quarter century ago in 60 of its stores in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

“It's not just a nostalgia thing," Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer, told an AP reporter. "The response from customers has just been that they like it, they feel like it has a better sound." Other large companies like Best Buy are testing the waters for wax, too. Amazon.com created a vinyl-only section on its site last fall, as well.

Manufacturers' shipments of vinyl records increased more than 36 percent from 2006 to 2007, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, reaching a total of more than 1.3 million. Vinyl sales still lag way behind those of CDs and digital downloads, but many consumers are realizing that the analog format still has some crackling, popping life in it. The tables may be turning for vinyl yet.

[From cnn.com]

Here's a news segment by CBS Sunday Morning that touches on this phenomenon.

British prog-rock icons Yes have had to cancel their upcoming 26-city tour commemorating 40 years of incredibly long, complicated rockin'—including dates at Honda Center (Aug. 20) and Gibson Amphitheatre (Aug. 22)—due to singer Jon Anderson's health problems.

“In the wake of my recent respiratory attack, doctors have advised me to spend the coming months resting and recovering,” the 63-year-old Anderson said in a press release. “Unfortunately, this means I won't be able to tour with Yes this summer as originally planned. I'd like everyone know how deeply disappointed I am by this turn of events. I was looking forward to celebrating our music with the amazing family of Yes fans once again; but as we all know, health must come before anything else.”

Doctors diagnosed Anderson with acute respiratory failure and advised him not to perform for at least six months or possibly face additional health complications. We at Heard Mentality wish Anderson a speedy recovery and hope that Yes will make up those nixed tour dates sooner rather than later.

Ticket refunds will be available at the point of purchase.

Now please enjoy one of the most recondite songs ever to tickle the American charts.

Allen Shellenberger, drummer for Orange County’s Platinum rock band Lit, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor earlier this month.

After biopsy, it was discovered that Shellenberger’s cancer is malignant glioma ‑ a type of primary central nervous system tumor that usually occurs in the brain.

At only 38 years old, he is currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments with world-renowned neurosurgeons at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute.

This is the same type of cancer Senator Edward M. Kennedy is battling.

On Wednesday, Shellenberger was interviewed for ABC's World News Tonight, shown below.

It's the musical equivalent of J.D. Salinger emerging from seclusion. A mere 16 years since their last visit to this continent, shoegazer-rock masters of the omniverse My Bloody Valentine return to feed us with their bliss. Among the eight dates [see below; ht- Pitchfork], there'll be two at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Oct. 1 and 2. (Oohh, nurse, the smelling salts.)

09-19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)
09-22 New York, NY - Roseland
09-23 New York, NY - Roseland
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh
09-27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic

I saw MBV in Detroit and Toronto back in 1988 for the Isn't Anything tour and again in '92 for the Loveless jaunt; those shows remain towering landmarks in my gig-going experience (apocalyptic half-hour versions of “You Made Me Realise,” anybody?). As great as their albums and EPs are, MBV are even more riveting live—well, they were back in their prime. Whether they can still manifest that same sort of exalted, gorgeous whirlwind of noise pop remains to be heard. But it's a risk many will surely be willing to take.

Here's a video of “Swallow,” which showcases My Bloody Valentine's sublimely tranquil side, which really doesn't get enough respect.

Sly: Stumbling on the comeback trail.

How's that comeback going, Sylvester? Apparently, not so hot, according to a blog post by Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The leader of Sly and the Family Stone has canceled the performance schedule for Saturday [May 3] at the Vic Theatre -- 'due to health reasons,' according to promoters Jam Productions.”

We are shocked—shocked—by this development.

A second memorial/tribute show for OC-born-and-raised musician Chris Gaffney, who passed away last week from liver cancer, has been announced. In addition to this Sunday's wake at the Doll Hut in Anaheim, this new one will take place next Wednesday, April 30, at the Cellar nightclub in downtown Long Beach (201 E. Broadway, on the Promenade; 562-495-9000; all-ages; free admission). Doors at 3 p.m., with live music starting at 6 p.m. Several bands will be playing, but one of them isn't supposed to be officially announced due to a contractual obligation, so we'll just say that it's led by one of Gaffney's best friends—a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter extraordinaire, who shares a last name with the first name of one of the Chipmunks, and whose backing band is the opposite of the Innocent Women (and if you can't figure it out after those clues, then you probably weren't gonna show up anyway). Comedian Andy Kindler will host.

The death last week from liver cancer of OC music icon Chris Gaffney hasn't quashed the benefit show for him that had been planned for the Doll Hut this Sunday, April 27. The day-long bill is still on, though now it's unfortunately become a memorial, with proceeds going towards Gaffney's family.

Here's all the info, from a press release sent out by former Doll Hut owner Linda Jemison. Sounds like it'll be a great wake:

"Former owner of Linda’s Doll Hut, Linda Jemison and Hacienda Brothers Guitar player, Dave Gonzales have put together a benefit in honor of the memory of Chris Gaffney. The show will feature a wide range of music. There will be a BBQ on the patio and a limited amount of vintage Linda's Doll Hut shirts will be for sale. (Proceeds going to Chris's memorial fund)

Cover Charge $10.00
All proceeds will go to the Chris Gaffney Memorial Fund
Doors are at noon

Artist Line up:
Big Sandy 7pm
The Ziggens at 6pm
Kid Ramos and the FAB-U-LOCOS at 5pm
Manny (from the Original Blazers) at 4pm
Mike Eldred 3pm
Torquays 2pm
Hellbound Hayride 1pm
Sitting in throughout the day members of The Hacienda Brothers and special surprise guests."

Currently on the endangered species list: your local record store. (You remember those, right?) In a valiant attempt to raise awareness of their existence and importance (and perhaps move some stock), hundreds of independently owned music emporia throughout North America are celebrating Record Store Day by holding special events and sales Friday April 19. Close to OC, Long Beach's Fingerprints and LA's Amoeba are participating.

I highly recommend frequenting a shop or two Saturday and showing some monetary love to these feisty survivors of music retail, which also serve as communal hubs for music freaks to exchange knowledge and bond. Buy some records, meet some cool people who often become friends for life. This has happened to me over and over. It's hard to do this while sitting at your computer. It's the difference between watching concert footage on YouTube and actually being in the venue for the show.

Over 3,000 record stores have gone out of business in the last decade. The causes are many: freeloading downloaders with a bloated sense of entitlement (maybe you've heard this rationale: “Why should I pay for music when I can get it for free on teh Internetz?”), the decrepit economy, the increasing popularity of video games and iTunes, Wal-Mart's ruthless CD-pricing practices, the looming specter of Al-Qaeda and other factors.

As someone who's spent a significant amount of his life in record stores, I am deeply saddened to see so many going under. It's like witnessing the erosion of your soul (or some equally self-pitying analogy). Every time an indie record shop folds, the culture becomes a little more bland and monolithic.

Nick Hornby, author of High Fidelity, has an eloquent take on the matter:

Yes, yes, I know. It's easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what's playing on your favourite download store when you walk into it?

Nothing, that's what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody. Where are the notice boards offering flatshares and vacant slots in bands destined for superstardom? Who's going to tell you to stop listening to that and start listening to this? Go ahead and save yourself a couple of quid. The saving will cost you a career, a set of cool friends, musical taste and, eventually, your soul. Record stores can't save your life. But they can give you a better one.

Anyway, Record Store Day is a nice gesture, and I hope it stirs a resurgence in people supporting these establishments, though I'm not optimistic about its positive long-term effects.

On a similar tip, a film titled I Need That Record is opening soon. It features Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Ian MacKaye, a lot of other musical luminaries... and Noam Chomsky. The movie is a paean to the importance of record stores and an examination of their plight (spoiler alert: consensus here is that record stores rule). Get a taste of it in the trailer below.

I Need That Record

Former Weekly music editor Jim Washburn just emailed us with the sad news of OC musical icon Chris Gaffney's passing:

"I apologize for not calling personally to pass this on, but I'm finding it hard to speak: Chris Gaffney's brother Greg called to say that Chris passed away this morning. His family was with him, the goodbyes were said and he wasn't in pain. Would that could be said for the rest of us. He leaves a gap that can't be filled, though I'm sure we'll all do what we can. Love to you all. -- Jim"

Gaffney was only recently diagnosed with liver cancer; he had also recently begun chemotherapy treatments. No additional info as of yet on the website established to help raise funds for Gaffney's treatment (www.helpgaff.com), but keep checking. Also, no word as of yet on the status of the Gaffney benefit at the Doll Hut scheduled to happen on Sunday, April 27, which is/was to have feature/d Big Sandy, the Ziggens, Kid Ramos, the Torquays, and others....

Tickets are on sale today for a Monday, April 28 show at the Anaheim House of Blues -- a benefit gig for the family of Avalon Bar owner/M.I.A. frontman/all-around swell guy Mike Conley, who passed away in February. Dubbed Beautiful Noise, the lineup is pretty impressive: a performance by M.I.A. with Jello Biafra (we assume Jello will be taking over vocal duties in Mike's absence); Kevin Seconds of 7 Seconds; an acoustic set from Social Distortion; the Cadillac Tramps with all the original members; and tributes to two of Mike's post-M.I.A. bands, Jigsaw and Naked Soul. Tickets are on sale at www.hob.com.

Also, if you visit the Mike Conley family fund website, you can purchase a sweet-looking Ross Morgan-designed Mike Conley tribute T-shirt...

Beginning in May, Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa will devote Tuesday nights to on-the-rise Orange County and Long Beach bands. Please read the press release below from Detroit booker/co-owner Jon Reiser and start dreaming big, players.

Attention all Orange County and Long Beach Bands: Starting in May we will launching a new night on Tuesday to showcase up and coming bands from Orange County and Long Beach.

The format will be 2-3 bands per Tuesday. There will be no cover so there will be no pay to the bands. However, for the bands we like, can draw etc. we will book you for future shows to open for national headliners or headline your own night. For which pay is involved.
This will be the way for Detroit to showcase up and coming talent, and filter through all of the bands for future shows.
If you're interested in being considered for this, please email: jon@detroitbar.com

Richie Sambora: Livin' on a prayer?

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was arrested Tuesday night on Coast Highway in Laguna Beach for drunk driving. The popular axeman was commandeering a black hummer, in whose confines sat three women, two of whom were (and still are) minors. OC Register has the story here.

In June 2007, Sambora entered rehab for alcohol abuse, after reportedly flubbing his parts during taping of MTV's Bon Jovi Unplugged.

Here's a case where one only hopes both parties lose. Whom do you root for: the whiniest, most annoyingly precious recording artiste extant or a huge record label (now owned by the cuddly Capitol Music Group) that is flailing for its existence in a dismal economic climate? Gosh, I'm torn, even if Virgin Records did release these two awesome Faust albums back in the day.

Apparently, Virgin has used Pumpkins songs (sans their composer Billy Corgan's permission) to shill for companies—Amazon and Pepsi—repugnant to the adenoidal band leader. Stupid move on Virgin's part; greedy machinations on Corgan's. Everybody comes out smelling like Dumpster™ juice. Yay.

Read the whole soul-curdling press releases after the jump—and then enjoy one of the Pumpkins' better songs, "Rhinoceros."

Chris Gaffney, who for years has been pretty much OC's go-to guy for quality country music playing, singing and songwriting, has been diagnosed with liver cancer. And, like far too many musicians, he needs help to pay for his very costly chemotherapy treatments. Even though Gaffney has health insurance, it's still not enough, and an additional $60,000 must be raised.

As former OC Weekly columnist and music editor Jim Washburn writes:

(H)e's never been that well off, but he's always been the first to sign on to help someone else, whether it's playing a benefit or moving a fridge. He's also a great songwriter and my favorite living country singer. He'd stack up well against most of the dead ones, too, but I'd very much prefer we keep him in his current category. That's going to take a lot of help and hope. Any of either that you can spare would be greatly appreciated, by me, his family, and a whole lot of other people.

For more info, including where to donate, click right here.

Earlier today, the Justice Department approved Sirius Satellite Radio's proposed $4.59 billion (!) aquisition of satellite old-schooler XM Satellite Radio.

This decision created one single US satellite radio provider.

In response to questions fearing a monopoly, the Justice Dept. said " the combined company won't be able to raise prices profitably because of competition from such forms of audio entertainment as broadcast radio and MP3 players."

Read the rest of the article here.

In an Arkansas Democrat Gazette article, a 38-year old mother plead innocent to charges of selling pirated music CDs at a local flea market.

The bailiff locked her up in solitary, then forgot about her and went home for the weekend.

[For] four full days, Adriana Torres-Flores was locked away and forgotten in 8 1/2-by-9 1/2-foot cell in the Washington County Courthouse, with only a metal table, two benches and a light bulb that never went out. She had nothing to eat or drink. There was no toilet. Thursday passed. Then Friday, Saturday and Sunday - although Torres-Flores had no watch to tell the time. She slept on the floor with her head on a shoe. She drank her own urine, she said.

Panicked and afraid she would die, Torres-Flores pounded on the steel door with her hands and feet, and yelled. No one heard her. The threat of snow had thinned the courthouse staff Friday. The building was closed all weekend.

It was Monday morning before the bailiff who had put her in the holding cell, intending to have her taken to jail, opened the door and realized his mistake.

All info from a MySpace bulletin posted about Mike Conley by DJ Poppa of the Double Fisted Underground/Suck My Disco crew:

Memorial: 4pm Sunday Brookhurst Street & Pacific Coast Highway Huntington Beach At The River Jetties You can enter the beach one block north of Brookhurst Street @ Magnolia Street. Or you can park on Brookhurst Street and walk in. www.mikeconleyfamilyfund.com

Wake:
6pm Sunday.
Detroit Bar.
Corner of 19th & Placentia.
Costa Mesa, Ca.
www.detroitbar.com

The Weekly has received reports and the Chicago Tribune has confirmed that Avalon Bar owner Mike Conley was found dead early Thursday in a hotel parking lot in Leyden Township, Illinois.

From the Tribune:

Michael Conley, of Costa Mesa, Calif., was found unresponsive at 5:40 a.m. by a person staying in the hotel in the 2300 block of North Mannheim Road, sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said. He appeared to have suffered head injuries.

Conley was taken to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, where he was pronounced dead at 6:25 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Conley was staying in the hotel while working on a construction project, Mateck said.

The vocalist for '80s punk band M.I.A., Conley was an important figure in Orange County's music scene, as Costa Mesa's Avalon Bar became one of the county's premier venues for high-quality DJ nights, including Double Fisted, Dirty Money and 41Dub.

UPDATE: Nostalgia on Wheels says: "According to Goose, one of Mike's closest friends, the Chicago police have arrested two males in connection with Mike's untimely death."

UPDATE 2: From a MySpace bulletin making the rounds:

There will be an event on Sunday night at the Avalon Bar in Costa Mesa at
5:30 pm to help raise money for his family. We would really appreciate it if you all could attend to pay your condolences. [Mike's family members] are really having a tough time and need all the help, love and support they can get. There will be food and lots of friends.

Please come and tell everyone that knew him.

UPDATE 3: Fox News Chicago has a report on Conley's death, including interviews with his close friend Ross Morgan and the hotel clerk who was working on the night Conley died.

UPDATE 4: Detroit Bar is hosting a memorial to Mike Conley Sun. March 9 at 6 p.m. To make donations to support Conley's family, go here.

Photo Credit: John Gilhooley

More bad news for a local band: Matt Costa and his band, currently in the middle of the North American leg of his worldwide tour, had their gear stolen after playing a show in Winnipeg, MB.

For any struggling musician trying to bring their music to your cities, this is probably the worst thing that could happen. Check after the jump to see a message from the Costa camp asking for help tracking down their stolen equipment.

P.S. This happened in Winnipeg of all places? Really?

Every year the Grammy Awards ceremony proves—among other things—how far out of step my tastes are with mainstream music, a state of affairs with which I came to terms, oh, in the early '80s. It also reveals the dearth of imagination/adventurousness of the nominating committee. Most of the music that charts and excites people of mainstream sensibilities just strikes me as bland and insipid. Must be the way I'm hard-wired. I like weird, edgy shit, generally speaking, the sort of stuff the powers that be in the music biz don't know even exists. (The music industry ignores Dave Segal's aesthetics at its own peril.) C'est la mort.

But there are always a few exceptions, and this year I have to admit I'm pleased that Amy Winehouse did so well, racking up five wins for best songwriter (“Rehab”), record of the year (“Rehab”), best new artist, best female vocal pop performance (“Rehab”) and best pop vocal album (Back to Black).

I hope that this avalanche of trophies will motivate the genuinely gifted Winehouse to get off the pipe, though I fear that it will instead inspire record-company moguls to encourage their artists to start smoking crack in order to acquire that golden Grammy magic. If there's one thing you can count on, it's major labels copying what's been successful. Winehouse's impressive display at this year's Grammys will likely lead to boom times for coke dealers and paparazzi.

Here's the complete list of Grammy results (in the best dance/electronic album category, LCD Soundsystem wuz robbed! That Chemical Brothers album was weak). Do not read while operating heavy machinery.

Below you can view that subdued, humble performance by Daft Punk and Kanye West, in case you missed it last night.

A MySpace bulletin making the rounds has the details:

White Ford Econoline E-150 w/ Lime Green curtains in the back windows (may be taken down already) and ladder racks.

License plate number # 7U15238 with a license plate holder that says : "It's not easy being Puerto Rican!"

Call Jonny if you see a van by this description: (714) 345-5729. Equipment list coming soon.

The LA Times is reporting, via their Buzz Bands blog (monitored by the fabulous Mr. Kevin Bronson), that the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana will shut it's doors forever in two weeks. Set to take its place, according to the LAT: a 25,000-square-foot club called RevolveR, which will "cater to upscale clubgoers, offering multiple rooms of entertainment, myriad VIP areas, fireplaces, indoor/outdoor seating and eight full-service bars. Additionally, plans call for RevolveR's design theme to change every few months -- sort of a planned makeover."

Apparently it's part of a countywide club-opening spree spearheaded by the restaurant/nightlife conglomerate the MOR Project, which will also soon debut the Rustic Vine club at the Irvine Spectrum, as well the Irezumi Sushi Lounge in Costa Mesa and Fleur de L'age in Laguna Canyon.

We assume the Times' report is accurate, as a click over to the Galaxy web site reveals a slate of cancelled shows for March, April and May (though some have been moved over to Galaxy owner Gary Folgner's other club, the Coach House, in San Juan Capistrano), plus, a Feb. 21 Agent Orange/TSOL/DI bill is being called "the Galaxy's final punk show." The venue's final, final show goes off Feb. 22--a death metal extravaganza featuring Athens, Greece black metal band Rotting Christ. (duuude!)

I'm actually bummed about this. I've often thought that the Galaxy was the best place to see live music in OC, ever since its opening in 1995 (basing my calculations on the Times' 13-year-old age estimate--though I could swear the place bowed around '91 or so, but hey, I'm old). The Galaxy had plush, comfy, half-circle booths arranged amphitheater style, so all the sightlines were terrific, and if you wanted to get closer to the bands, the floor immediately in front of the stage was always open for standing. Capacity was a cozy 500 (though on some nights, like that surprise Beck show right around the time of Odelay, you'd swear that there were well over 1,000 bodies in the joint). Other shows that come to mind: Wilco's first tour in 1995, John Hiatt, and, of course, the Weekly's fifth anniversary party in 2000--or was that a Best of OC bash?

Don't know the "why" as of yet, but I'll have to guess that the Anaheim House of Blues, as well as the Grove, had to have siphoned off the touring bands significantly in recent years. Which makes sense, because as nice as the Galaxy was, those rooms are just a lot nicer -- hell, if I was a road manager, I know where I'd rather put my bands in. I hadn't been to the Galaxy in years, though, even in my waning years as the Weekly's Music Editor, but I certainly did notice as a large preponderance of death metal bands, tribute acts and what seemed like monthly appearances by Robin Trower began to fill the Galaxy's calendar. I'll miss going there--but only a little bit.

Besides, for us Weeklings, there's already a positive in all these new MOR Project rooms: MORe grub for our food writer, Edwin Goei, to review!

Scarlett has Tom on her side.

Scorching-hot actor Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Ghost World, Match Point) will be releasing her debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head (I have some suggestions), May 20 on Atco/Rhino. The disc includes one original Johansson composition and 10 interpretations of Tom Waits songs. TV on the Radio's David Sitek, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' guitarist Nick Zinner, Celebration's Sean Antanaitis and others lent their talents to the Scarlett opus, which was recorded at Louisiana's Dockside Studios.

Police near Yuma, Arizona have arrested Southern rap star Lil Wayne for possession of “dangerous” drugs, narcotics and drug paraphernalia, TMZ is reporting. This incident follows a 2007 arrest in Idaho, also for drug possession.

If Wayne (real name Dwayne Carter Jr.) had kept in the responsible company of Zac Efron, this mess probably would've never happened.

In other news, somebody has absconded with Lil Wayne's chin.

Jason Handelsman reports on our sister paper Miami New Times' blog that Wu-Tang Clan mastermind/producer extraordinaire the RZA has left the tour. This is akin to Eye leaving the Boredoms or Keith Richards bailing on the Rolling Stones. It can't bode well for future dates on this current tour.

As his departure is alleged to be partially due to financial disagreements, it seems relevant here to view the Wu's “C.R.E.A.M.” (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) video.

Ever since you read this story in OC Weekly (or perhaps even before that momentous occasion), you've been eager as hell for The Crosby to open its damned doors over on 4th and Broadway in Santa Ana. Now it appears that the time is imminent for this club/bistro/bar/book shop/art gallery/epicenter of the cultural universe to make its splashy debut.

After the jump please read The Crosby's call for employees. Maybe you have that special bundle of qualities it will take to work for what potentially could be the OC's hippest joint.

Ike Turner died this morning at his home in San Marcos, in northern San Diego County, according to Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment Group, the company that managed Turner's musical career. Cause of death is unknown at this time. Turner was 76. Please see our sister paper Riverfront Times' blog for more information. (Turner grew up in the St. Louis area.) TMZ is the publication first to report on Turner's passing.

Turner was one of the 20th century's most vital blues, rock, soul and funk composers and performers, but his creative feats became overshadowed by his abusive relationship with his ex-wife, Tina Turner. In 1991, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Tina.

Below are two videos from different periods in Ike Turner's career.

“Baby Get It On”

“I Wanna Take You Higher”

OC Weekly's music editor wouldn't complain if you bought him this.

Need to find a gift for your music-fanatic family member/friend but don't want to brave the harsh environs of the internet? Then you may want to head to the Rhino Pop-Up Store, which is a brick-and-mortar manifestation of www.rhino.com, Rhino Entertainment's website and a treasure trove of Warner/Elektra/Asylum's quality-rich and voluminous back catalog. The shop—located at 8032 W. Third St. in LA—will only be open for the month of December to service frantic holiday consumers seeking those Nuggets boxed sets and reissues by bands that peaked before many of you were born.

In addition to sating rapacious music-retail needs, Rhino's Pop-Up Store will host in-store signings and concerts and DJ sets by semi-famous and obscure but highly knowledgeable DJs. If this isn't a great argument for the continued existence of off-line record stores, then I'll eat my hard drive.

Read about these Rhino-esque happenings after the jump.

Sweet Jesus Juice!

The scandal-factory that is the Jackson family are rumored to be working on a reunion tour set for 2008. Basically, it will be the Jackson 5 plus Janet.

And Michael? Promoter Leonard Rowe says yes...maybe.

Rowe (who promoted Jackson’s Off The Wall tour in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s) stated:

“We wanted to go this year, but [Michael] said it would take a lot of preparation. He didn’t say no...His brothers are ready. Janet is ready. But the motor of that car that makes the car run isn’t just yet.”

Come on, Michael! You need the cash!

Hellcat just got estrogenetically enhanced.

Long Beach vicious vixens Civet have inked a deal with LA-based Hellcat Records, which is run by Rancid front man Tim Armstrong. (Read our feature on Civet here.)

Press release after the jump; “Pay Up” (live) video before it.

Pretentious (but in a good way) purveyors of grandiose, prog-rock concept albums the Mars Volta return to the fray Jan. 29 with The Bedlam in Goliath. An online game based upon that album—called Goliath the Soothsayer—can be accessed at amazon.com/music from Jan. 2-29. You don't need to order the album in advance to play the game.

According to the press release, “The Bedlam In Goliath chronicles The Mars Volta's time with the 'Soothsayer' a/k/a the Ouija board owned by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and its mutation from a source of amusement during the tour supporting the band's Amputechture album into a malevolent psycho-spiritual force that nearly tore the group apart, collectively and individually.”

Cue Twilight Zone theme...

Here's the trailer for the game, which I guarantee I will never play.

And below's a video of the Mars Volta performing “Day of the Baphomets Part 2” on Hank Rollins' show (note Ikey Owens on keyboards).

Martin Brown, producer of the Orange County Music Awards, gives us the news that Lance Romance, lead singer of longtime OC band the Attraction, died of a heart attack in his Huntington Beach home on Saturday, November 10th. He was only 36. Writes Martin:

"Lance (real last name: Faulk) was living on borrowed time, having had heart problems for many years. Known for his crazy antics and incredible energy, both on and off stage, Lance believed in living life to the full. In Orange County, where even musicians blend in easily with the standard crowd at generic restaurants and bars, Lance stood out. His preference for makeup and hats (a la Clockwork Orange) made him noticeable in a positive way. He was having fun at the world’s expense!

As the lead singer and main songwriter of his band, Lance will be irreplaceable. But, more than this, he will be missed by his young son Wylan, who was such an important part of Lance’s life. Why these things have to happen is completely beyond my comprehension, and I just count myself as lucky to have had the pleasure of working with Lance on many different musical projects. Lance Romance may have died, but his two-foot silver sparkling penis will live on forever."

Southern California indie label Gold Standard Laboratories announced it will be ceasing operations this month after 14 years of championing uncompromising underground music. Although GSL will stop releasing new music, it will continue to sell its gem-laden back catalog through Redeye Distribution/11spot.

A rationale for folding is offered on GSL's website, presumably by founder Sonny Kay (of the bands Angel Hair, the VSS and Year Future): “In recent years, we've experienced the onset of factors that have seriously limited our ability to maintain what we feel is the essence of the label; the experimental attitude and artistic freewheeling of times past are simply no longer sustainable. Rather than compromise our goals and beliefs, or allow our course to be charted by financial constraint and an industry in flux, we've decided the time has come for GSL to cease releasing new music, and to close this chapter of our story.”

Begun in Colorado in 1993, the LA-based label is best known as the home for the Mars Volta (their vinyl releases anyway) and that stadium-prog group's various satellite projects, including solo works by co-owner Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (he partnered with Kay in 2001). Other notable artists whose records have worn the GSL logo include Crime in Choir, the Rapture, !!!/Outhud, Anavan, the Locust, Gogogo Airheart, An Albatross and many others.

Tip: Pitchfork

Below is a video by one of GSL's better new artists, Crime in Choir.

Oh, sweet, sweet irony. Remember in the mid-'80s when major labels crowed about how the advent of compact discs would hasten the death of vinyl? A quarter century later, it looks like the (turn)tables are reversed: vinyl's popularity is resurgent while the CD's fortunes are looking as bleak as Iraq's, according to this article in Wired by Eliot Van Buskirk.

Vinyl's sonic superiority long has been an axiom among audiophiles and Neil Young; now the format's popularity is rising, along with sales of turntables. Buskirk writes:

Pressing plants are ramping up production, but where is the demand coming from? Why do so many people still love vinyl, even though its bulky, analog nature is anathema to everything music is supposed to be these days? Records, the vinyl evangelists will tell you, provide more of a connection between fans and artists. And many of today's music fans buy 180-gram vinyl LPs for home listening and MP3s for their portable devices.

"For many of us, and certainly for many of our artists, the vinyl is the true version of the release," said Matador's Patrick Amory. "The size and presence of the artwork, the division into sides, the better sound quality, above all the involvement and work the listener has to put in, all make it the format of choice for people who really care about music."

Matador and other labels have been including coupons in their vinyl releases that can be used to download MP3 versions of the songs. Amory says the coupon stratagem is "hugely popular."

Buskirk sounds a familiar refrain with this sentence: “Big labels still aren't buying the vinyl comeback, but it wouldn't be the first time the industry failed to identify a new trend in the music biz.”

And the boom times for fans of major-label schadenfreude continue apace...

While I hope vinyl continues to gain favor among all sorts of demographics, and not just with graying audiophiles and analog-purist DJs, I'm skeptical that it will happen in significant enough numbers to revive the music industry at a time when millions of people think they're "entitled" to get music for free.

Whatever the case, I do have a request: As someone who's moved thousands of records six times over the last five years, I sincerely hope somebody will start manufacturing quality wax that's not so damned heavy.

Friday's VR show at the Verizon Wireless (Irvine Meadows) Amphitheater has been canceled due to ongoing fire-related health concerns. The show, with Alice in Chains and Sparta, was to be band's final U.S. gig before stops in Japan and Australia.

A Live Nation rep said the show has been *tentatively* rescheduled for December 12 at the Gibson Amphitheater, meaning a trek up to Universal City for O.C. fans of Scott Weiland, Slash, and Co.

The BBC reports that British and Dutch police today have shut down the popular and flagrantly illegal music-downloading site OiNK and arrested its overlord, a 24-year-old man from Middlesbrough, England. That sound you hear is the celebratory high-5ing of major-label employees worldwide and Metallica.

OiNK's ringleader, who works for a multi-national corporation, “is being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and infringement of copyright law,” the article states. OiNK's Amsterdam-based servers were seized in raids last week. The site—which had leaked 60 major-label albums before their release dates this year—had 180,000 paid members.

An International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) spokesman commented: "Once an album had been posted on the OiNK website, the users that download that music then passed the content to other websites, forums and blogs, where multiple copies were made.

"Within a few hours of a popular pre-release track being posted on the OiNK site, hundreds of copies can be found further down the illegal online supply chain."

mtv.com relates that industry estimates show a third decrease in sales in the last six years. The defeat of OiNK may be a temporary boon for major labels, but until they start releasing better product, stop litig