COLD, who have just pulled off the Lollapalooza tour and their previously announced European excursion with STAIND (due to kick off August 27 in London), will be touring EVANESCENCE sometime this year, according to Pollstar. Exact dates are expected to be announced soon.

In related news, EVANESCENCE have been forced to postpone their short European tour when lead guitarist Ben Moody was found to be suffering from a lung illness, according to their European concert promoter, Marek Lieberberg. Dates for that are likely to be rescheduled in the autumn.

Santa Barbara, California's DEATHRIDE, the new project featuring COAL CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara, have officially changed their name to DEVILDRIVER.

The band, whose sound is being described as "much heavier than [that of] COAL CHAMBER" and featuring "more technical" musicianship than that found in Fafara's main band, are currently finishing up work on their debut album, tentatively titled "Thirteen", with producer Ross Hogarth (COAL CHAMBER, MÖTLEY CRÜE, FASTER PUSSYCAT). A fall release through Roadrunner Records is expected.

DEVILDRIVER will team up with DANZIG and SUPERJOINT RITUAL for the fall 2003 installment of the "Blackest Of The Black" tour, tentatively set to kick off in early October.

Portugal's MOONSPELL have recruited Aires Pereira (ex-MALEVOLENCE) as the temporary replacement for recently departed bassist Sérgio Crestana. "[Aires] has gathered the professional and spiritual conditions to walk on stage with us," the band said in a statement posted on their official web site.

MOONSPELL will release their new album, "The Antidote", on Sept. 29 through Century Media Records.

The follow-up to 2001's "Darkness And Hope" was recorded at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (H.I.M., SENTENCED, AMORPHIS).

The band, who utilized the services of AMORPHIS bassist Niclas Etelävuori during the recording sessions for "The Antidote", will release a new single, "Everything Invaded", on July 28. A video clip for the track will be filmed shortly with director Tiago Guedes, who had previously worked with the group on the clip for "Nocturna" (off "Darkness And Hope").

Upcoming MOONSPELL tour dates:

Jun. 27 - Langreo, SPA - Deramme Rock
Jul. 06 - Roitzschjora, GER - With Full Force
Jul. 12 - Arvika, SWE - Arvika Festival
Jul. 13 - Joensuu, FIN - Ilossarirock
Jul. 18 - Odemira, POR - Faceco

Legendary Swedish grincore merchants GENERAL SURGERY, featuring DISMEMBER singer Matti Kärki, are planning on issuing a split 7" with Spain's most-wanted horror-grinders MACHETAZO, and a split 12" with Japan's own toilet-flashers BUTCHER ABC. Both releases will surface through the newly-formed Escorbuto Recordings. In addition, plans exist for the group to release their split CD with THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS on a couple of different vinyl formats. Each release will include exclusive tracks, among them a cover of the XYSMA classic "Foetal Mush".

A woman is claiming that Ozzy Osbourne fathered her child six years ago, but the BLACK SABBATH singer said he has proof the child is not his, according to the Associated Press.

Osbourne told People magazine that he had a vasectomy 17 years ago.

"The most precious thing I have in my life is my marriage and my children and now someone is trying to destroy the harmony in my family," Ozzy said of the woman who's looking for an out-of-court settlement. "This is not going to happen."

METALLICA were presented with a Gold Album award in Spain for sales in excess of 50,000 copies of their new album, "St. Anger", during its first two weeks of release.

The award ceremony took place on Saturday, June 21 in the press room of Estadio Olimpico de Montjuic in Barcelona, Spain, two hours before METALLICA's appearance at this year's Doctor Music Day festival. Check out the pictures: Photo#1, Photo#2, Photo#3 (copyright holder: Javier Perez / RockFever 98.1 FM).

Veteran Dutch death metallers THANATOS have signed a deal with Black Lotus Records from Greece.

The group, who are led by guitarist/vocalist Stephan Gebedi, will enter Excess studios in Rotterdam, Holland in late October to begin recording their fourth full-length album, tentatively titled "Undead. Unholy. Divine".

The follow-up to 2000's "Angelic Encounters", which is scheduled for a March 2004 release, will contain approximately 10 songs. Among the songtitles set to appear on the CD are "Lambs To The Slaughter", "The Sign Of Sadako", and "Born To Suffer".

An official inquiry into child neglect has been opened against a German couple who took their nine-day-old baby with them to a concert by ear-blasting heavy metal rockers AC/DC, according to Independent Online.

Other fans at Sunday's (June 22) gig at the Hockenheim Formula One motor-racing ring in south-western Germany warned police after seeing the 41-year-old mother in the spectators' seats holding the baby.

The couple only agreed to leave after a doctor at the scene warned them of the danger of exposing the infant to such noise levels.

AC/DC's mammoth power-chord rock sound has made the group one of the world's longest-lasting — and noisiest — bands of their genre.

THE WILDHEARTS have set "The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed" as the title for their forthcoming CD, tentatively due in August/September. Among the tracks set to appear on the effort are "It's All Up To Me", "Top of the World", "Nexus Icon", and "It's Only Love".

Florida-based, female-fronted act WYKKED WYTCH will enter Studio 13 in Deerfield Beach on June 27 to begin recording their third full-length album, entitled "Nefret". The CD will be produced by Jeremy Staska (POISON THE WELL, MARILYN MANSON, MALEVOLENT CREATION) and will mark the first recorded appearance with the group of new members Gio Geraca (guitars) and Steve Brubaker (drums). Among the tracks set to appear on the album are "Cursed Destiny", "Nefret", "Eternal Lies" and "Trauma".

Immediately following the recording of the album, WYKKED WYTCH will shoot a video for the title track, "Nefret".

Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach has posted the following message to his official web site:

"Hi all! Just wanted to say THANK YOU to each & every one of you who have sent me a package in the mail regarding the band auditions! I have a veritable MOUNTAIN of CDs/tapes/etc. so it is taking me a while to check them all out. But there are definitely some ass-kicking musicians out there that I was previously unaware of, so this has been an eye & ear-opening experience & a pleasant surprise! I am trying to email everyone who sent me a package so please include your email address when you send me a package. There was one drummer named 'Craig Buchman' that I was interested in, but the dude left no email address or phone # to get back to him, so Craig, if you are out there reading this, email me so we can possibly get together!"

Former BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd performed live at the Key Club in Hollywood, California on Thursday, June 19. Check out pictures from Film Magic.

Todd recently completed work on his debut solo album, titled "You Made Me". The CD, which took three months to complete, was recorded in Los Angeles with Chris Johnson producing and Rob Chiarelli mixing.

Norway's EINHERJER have set a September 8 release date through Tabu Recordings for their as-yet-untitled new album. Among the tracks set to appear on the follow-up to 2000's "Norwegian Native Art" are "Ware Her Venom", "Dead Knight's Rite", and "The Eternally Damned". The band were most recently releasing their recordings through their own label Native North Records.

THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX, featuring MONSTER MAGNET guitarist Ed Mundell, will embark on a 12-date European tour in July.

THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX tour dates (subject to change):

Jul. 09 - The Camden Underworld - London, UK
Jul. 10 – TBA - IRE
Jul. 11 - TBA - IRE
Jul. 12 – Sjockfestival - Gierle, BEL (w/ NASHVILLE PUSSY)
Jul. 13 - Exeter festival - Exeter, UK
Jul. 14 - Fleece - Bristol, UK
Jul. 15 - Shed - Leicester, UK
Jul. 16 - Nighttown - Rotterdam, NETH
Jul. 17 – Sojo - Leuven, BEL (w/ CABRÓN)
Jul. 18 - Stoned From The Underground - Erfurt, GER (w/ ASTROSONIQ)
Jul. 19 - Gloppe - Leeuwarden, NETH
Jul. 20 - JB's - Dudley, UK

According to URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box, a new CD is currently being recorded in Florida by the following lineup of musicians:

Lee Kerslake (URIAH HEEP, OZZY OSBOURNE) – drums
Bob Daisley (OZZY OSBOURNE) – bass
Jimmy Barnes (COLD CHISEL) - vocals
Jon Lord (DEEP PURPLE) – keyboards
Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE) – guitars

No further details are presently available.

In other DEEP PURPLE-related news, the last DEEP PURPLE Mk III (Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord, Ian Paice) concert, recorded on April 7, 1975 in Paris, France, will be released on a double CD later this year.

The track listing for the two-CD set will be as follows:

01. Burn
02. Stormbringer
03. The Gypsy
04. Lady Double Dealer
05. Mistreated
06. Smoke On The Water
07. You Fool No One
08. Space Truckin'
09. Going Down
10. Highway Star

The set will be released in August/September on Purple Records in Europe and VAP/Purple in Japan. A CD box will also probably be released at the end of the year containing the last three Mk III concerts in Graz, Saarbrucken and Paris.

A PERFECT CIRCLE have reportedly set "The Outsider" as the first single from their forthcoming sophomore album, tentatively due on August 19.

In related news, A PERFECT CIRCLE bassist Jeordie White (a.k.a. Twiggy Ramirez) is slated to lend his voice to the forthcoming animated/puppetry (a la "The Nightmare Before Christmas") film "Live Freaky! Die Freaky!", taking on the role of a TV anchorman. Written by independent filmmaker/California punk scene veteran John Roecker and produced by RANCID's Tim Armstrong, the film will also feature Jeordie's APC bandmate Josh Freese, ex-WHITE ZOMBIE bassist Sean Yseult, members of GREEN DAY, AFI and BLINK 182 along with "Lord of the Rings" actor Viggo Mortenson. A brief synopsis of the story appears on the film's official web site as follows: "It is the year 3069 and the earth has been raped of all its natural resources, destroyed by war and ozone depletion, and is now only a barren desert. The humans who inhabit this empty vessel search not only for food but for a god to save them. Their search will soon be over when Charles Manson returns to save them." The film is scheduled for limited release in the Fall and will be available on DVD everywhere in time for the holidays."

(Thanks: Base Tendencies)

A brand new KISS compilation, titled "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection", is scheduled to be released on August 5 through Universal Music, according to ICE magazine. This is the latest in a long series of best of albums from Universal artists (there are literally over 100 of these titles in the series). Other groups who have similar collections include STYX, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, TESLA, THE WHO, HUMBLE PIE, WHITESNAKE, SCORPIONS, and DEEP PURPLE, to name just a few. No set track listing is currently available, but no more than 12 songs are expected to be included, as that's the usual amount of material available on these collections.

CRISIS, the reformed group which up until recently performed and recorded in Los Angeles under the name SKULLSICK NATION, have lined up the following dates during July/August:

Jul. 11 - Hollywood, CA @ The Garage
Jul. 12 - Huntington Beach, CA @ Liquid Den
Jul. 16 - Newport Beach, CA @ Hogue Bar Michaels
Jul. 18 - Concord, CA @ Bourbon St.
Jul. 20 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
Aug. 02 -Bellflower, CA @ Club Alondra
Aug. 06 - Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory

CRISIS are currently writing and demoing material for their next studio album, due to be recorded later in the year with producer Billy Anderson (CLUTCH, BRUTAL TRUTH, ORANGE GOBLIN, NEUROSIS, SLEEP). A late 2003/early 2004 release through an as-yet-undetermined label is expected.

Swedish neo-classical metallers NARNIA will support DIO in Västerås, Sweden on July 4. NARNIA will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. As NARNIA's keyboard player (Linus Kåse) is temporarily unavailable, the band will use Andreas Lindahl from PLATITUDE.

In other news, NARNIA filmed their March 29 headlining appearance at Owener Rocknacht in Owen, Germany for an upcoming DVD. No further details are currently available.

NARNIA's latest album, "The Great Fall", features guest appearances from former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/current HAMMERFALL drummer Anders Johansson and SAVIOUR MACHINE singer Eric Clayton.

Earache Records has posted a couple of shots of MORBID ANGEL bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker laying down tracks for the band's new album, tentatively titled "H2K3". Check them out: Photo#1, Photo#2.

MORBID ANGEL — Tucker, guitarist Trey Azagthoth, and drummer Pete Sandoval — are recording the follow-up to 2000's "Gateways To Annihilation" at D.O.W. (Diet Of Worms) studios in Seffner, Florida. The CD will be Tucker's third with the group, who recently rejoined the band after a two-year hiatus (he was temporarily replaced by HATE ETERNAL bassist/vocalist Jared Anderson). A September release through Earache Records is expected.

Worried sponsors severed their links with a planned ROLLING STONES concert in a continuing row over the group's support band.

T-Mobile and NDR 2 radio station earlier this month scrapped plans to help publicize the August 8 concert in protest over the act who are alleged to have had a racist past.

A spokesman said the appearance on the bill of BÖHSE ONKELZ, the popular German punk band once outlawed for their allegedly hate-filled, neo-Nazi lyrics, "fitted neither the image nor the musical direction of the program".

However the STONES said they were happy to go ahead with the BÖHSE ONKELZ in Hanover, the only venue at which the band feature on the British group's tour.

STONES lead singer Mick Jagger said two weeks ago: "They seem to have renounced any tenuous links they may have had to any right-wing organizations so we take that as proof of their good faith and we will keep them on the show."

BÖHSE ONKELZ, a German misspelling which translates as Evil Uncles, were founded in 1980 as a punk band, and initially had a skinhead following.

They have admitted writing racist lyrics at the start of their musical career, but renounced the skinhead scene when it became linked with the political far right.

They are now considered a mainstream rock band, one of the biggest in the country.

Sweden's DREAM EVIL, the band featuring acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, etc.) and drummer Snowy Shaw (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, NOTRE DAME), have announced a one-off U.K. date in London on September 27. Also set to appear on the bill are fellow Swedes FALCONER.

Guitarist Gus G. states: "Finally!! We will get to play in the UK... We're very excited for our debut gig in England. Thank you to all our fans over there, we hope to see you all!!"

DREAM EVIL recently announced plans to release a mini-CD containing previously unreleased songs and a video clip of "Children Of The Night". No further details are currently available.

As previously reported, DREAM EVIL's sophomore effort, "Evilized", entered the national Japanese Album chart at position #70. "Evilized" was recorded in late 2002 at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden and was issued on the European continent in January.

According to last week's U.K. Sunday Mail newspaper, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott has been invited to take part in an upcoming Alex Harvey tribute album. The CD, which is due later in the year, will feature THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND accompanied by a host of singers such as Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, punk icon Johnny Rotten, and Ian Astbury of THE CULT. No further information is available at this time.

In other news, DEF LEPPARD's No. 1 hit "Love Bites" has been covered by the American dance act QED. The track is the first single off their new album and can be heard at their web site. QED had a No. 1 Billboard dance single last April via a reworked version of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful".

EVANESCENCE have held on to the U.K. No. 1 spot for the third week running with their debut single, "Bring Me To Life" — and their album "Fallen" has also shot up to No. 1.

LINKIN PARK slipped from 15 to 25 with "Faint" and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS entered the U.K. Top 40 at 27 with "Universally Speaking". MARILYN MANSON is at 39 this week with "mOBSCENE" and AFI are at 44 with "Girl's Not Grey".

As for the albums chart, METALLICA have slipped from four to eight with "St. Anger". The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' "By The Way" is up from 16 to 12, LINKIN PARK's "Meteora" is up from 28 to 20 and MARILYN MANSON is down from 34 to 38 with "The Golden Age Of Grotesque".

Unlike his bandmate Lars Ulrich who prefers to keep his political opinions to himself, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett appears to have no problems voicing his views in a public forum.

When asked recently during a question-and-answer session with the readers of Ireland's Hot Press magazine for his opinion of President George Bush's performance during his first two years in office, Hammett said, "He won this election by proxy. I don't think he was qualified in the beginning to lead this country and I don't think he is qualified now. In my opinion he's got a lot of blood on his hands."

In the same Q&A session, Hammett reiterated the band's disappointment over the news that the military is using their songs to "break down" Iraqi captives in Baghdad, calling the interrogators' use of METALLICA's tracks, including "Enter Sandman", in the hope of extracting information about weapons of mass destruction a "tragedy." "That, to me, is a very sad thing," he said. "It's a Goddamn shame. It's a serious misuse of our music."

(Thanks: The 4 Horsemen)

Former MACHINE HEAD guitarist Ahrue Luster has officially joined ILL NINO as the replacement for recently departed axeman guitarist Marc Rizzo. Also newly appointed in the ILL NINO camp is percussionist Danny Couto (ex-POINT4HOPE/GOD IS I), who replaces Roger Vasquez.

ILL NINO are currently mixing their sophomore release, "Confession", with Michael Barbiero (METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, LOSTPROPHETS, SNAPCASE).

The album, which was produced by Bob Marlette and ILL NINO drumer Dave Chavarri, is expected to be surface in the fall through Roadrunner Records.

In other news, a new ILL NINO track, titled "How Can I Live", will be released as the first single from the upcoming "Freddy Vs. Jason" film, due in theaters on August 15. The song will go for radio adds on July 22 while the soundtrack to the film is scheduled for release on August 5 through Roadrunner Records.

A 22-second video clip featuring various parts of VELVET REVOLVER's performance at El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, California Thursday night (June 19) has been posted online at this location (file size: 4.9 MB).

As previously reported, VELVET REVOLVER — the new band formed by STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland and former GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum — have five original songs in the can, and have about 50 tunes in various forms of completion. The band hope to do some touring in the summer and release an album by the end of the year. So far, they do not have a record contract, and are keeping their options open. The group's songs "Set Me Free", which is featured on Decca/Universal's soundtrack to "The Hulk", is among the most-requested tracks on alternative stations WBCN in Boston and KROQ in Los Angeles, and is one of the most-downloaded tunes on Apple's new iTunes download service.

(Thanks: www.velvet-revolver.com)

IGGY POP was awarded the medal of honor by the French Minister of Culture Sunday (June 22) in Paris, France. Check out pictures from Wire Image.

Iggy's upcoming Virgin Records album, "Skull Ring", will reportedly feature four songs from the reunited THE STOOGES. Due Sept. 30, the album will be led by the single "Little Know It All", which includes an appearance by SUM 41. Also featured on the CD are GREEN DAY and Pop's band THE TROLLS.

KISS founding members Gene Simmons (live in the studio) and Paul Stanley (on the phone) spoke with air personality Stacey X at Sirius Radio in New York City on Tuesday, June 3 for the satellite radio broadcaster's "Big Rock" music stream about their upcoming tour with AEROSMITH, the "Kiss Symphony: Alive IV" album, and various other projects.

The following are some of the highlights of that conversation:

On their decision to start their own record company, Kiss Records (via a partnership with Sanctuary):

Paul Stanley: "We had spent probably more than 25 years in a relationship with Casablanca Records, which ultimately was bought by PolyGram, and has gone through many permutations, [in addition to] being bought, and we've seen heads of companies come and go. We really thought they should put a revolving door, because people were coming in and going so quickly. We reached a point where once our contract ran out, we felt… although certainly it's the team that makes for the win, we were so instrumental in knowing what we wanted from KISS that once our contract was up, we really felt that it was time for us to do this on our own… more or less on our own, but to expand the team to involve this great company, Sanctuary Music, where people really feel very much like us. Record companies, for the most part now, are run by people who last year may have been running Goodyear tires. There was a time where the executives at record companies loved music and would nurture the bands and stay with them until they had success. Now it's really about bottom line, and if your album doesn't sell, you're off the label. We don't feel like that, and we certainly wanna make sure that our fans get the best from us, and we wanna make sure that the packages and whatever we put out are more than just albums of music. We come from a school where we wanna make it more like a Cracker Jack box — you open it up, you get what you expect, and you also get a prize. With 'Kiss Symphony: Alive IV', not only are you getting this fabulous concert, but you're gonna get all kinds of little extras, like booklets and posters and… you know, it's KISS as people expect KISS."

On the originally planned (and ultimately scrapped) version of "Alive IV":

Gene Simmons: "We played the stadium in Vancouver New Year's Eve, we're proud to say, and did very well, where most of the Millennium concerts were advertised but bombed. Ours did very well, thank you, and that's because of the eternal loyalty of our fans. And we decided to record that event, because, you know, of the big deal about the Millennium. In retrospect, it's just another year. And when we listened back to what we had, we thought it was OK — we played well, the audience had a great time, it was an event. And also the record company was in flux. 'Flux' means you don't know if you're coming or you going. There were new people coming in, old people going out, and the best time to go to war is only when and if your troops are well-trained and motivated. So we decided to hold it off until we were ready. And what happened in the meantime, actually a few months ago, was we recorded the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for the Kiss Symphony, and I don't remember exactly where the idea came from, but it became very obvious that in order for 'Alive IV' to stand on its own two feet, it had to have something else besides, 'Here is KISS in the 21st Century playing the songs that made them who they are 30 years ago.' The Kiss Symphony is really taking this a quantum leap forward. This is something the fans have never heard that we never imagined, and it sounds grand, I tell you that."

On the "Kiss Symphony" performance in Melbourne, Australia:

Paul Stanley: "We had the 70-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which is rated as one of the top ten orchestras in the world. So they were in full KISS regalia, full KISS makeup. We had people backstage, we had a throng of makeup people backstage. We had pyrotechnics like haven't been seen before, we were playing for 35,000 people at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne. This was this huge undertaking, where we literally came out, did five songs, just the band… 'Just the band' means KISS with full pyrotechnics and lights and everything else we do. From there, we did, I believe, six songs with the Melbourne Symphony Ensemble, which is the scaled-down version [of the orchestra]. The great thing was Act II, so to speak, [which] was the 'unplugged' segment, where we really got a chance to do some songs that we don't usually play, like 'Sure Know Something', like 'Shandi', 'Forever', 'Going Blind', and 'Beth', and then after that, we took a short break, and did Act III, which was the 70-piece orchestra bombastically, with pyrotechnics, full KISS gear, us being everything we possible could, playing 'Detroit Rock City', 'God Of Thunder', 'Love Gun', 'Shout It Out Loud', 'Do You Love Me', 'Black Diamond', 'Rock And Roll All Nite', 'I Was Made For Loving You', 'Great Expectations'… It was really a stunning night, and something that left us speechless, because no one should ever forget, although we're members of KISS, we're huge fans, and this really lived up to everything we could have expected this to be, and way beyond."

Gene Simmons: "It has already been broadcast in Australia as a pay-per-view. Eventually, it will come over to these shores. These things are designed contractually. The very first thing that's coming out is 'Kiss Symphony: Alive IV' in a double-CD format with a big, 40-page booklet and a poster on Kiss Records/Sanctuary Music. And thereafter, a few months, the DVD will come with all kinds of special stuff, the 'Making Of', the behind-the-scenes, and the fans have a lot to do with it, actually."

On the "Platinum Package" available for select shows on the upcoming tour with AEROSMITH consisting of a ticket in the first four rows and a chance to meet the band afterward:

Gene Simmons: "The idea is that, as often as possible, we try to make time for the fans and so on and so forth, but this is gonna be such a hectic tour, and it's so big that bands started doing special meet-and-greets, and you're limited to a certain number, and some of these are done through radio stations and blah blah blah. But certain packages give you extra — there's food and lots of stuff. We only have a limited amount of time in every city so it's limited to a certain number of people. You've gotta think of a it as a 747 flight: You can the buy the first-class tickets, or you can buy the economy, but they all get you to the same place. If you come to our shows, we're thrilled to have you there, everybody gets the same show. We don't look at the front and say, 'You're cool and the back row is not.' We play to everybody. However, if you wanna be in first class, blah blah blah blah, that's available, too. And you can do it [via] kissonline.com."

Sirius (www.sirius.com) is the only satellite radio service bringing listeners more than 100 streams of the best music and entertainment coast-to-coast. It offers 60 music streams with no commercials, along with over 40 sports, news and entertainment streams for a monthly subscription fee of $12.95. Satellite radio products bringing Sirius to listeners in the car, truck, home, RV and boat are available at major retailers including Circuit City, Best Buy, Car Toys, Good Guys, Tweeter, Ultimate Electronics, Sears and Crutchfield. Automotive brands currently offering Sirius radios in select new car models include BMW, MINI, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Nissan, Infiniti and Mazda. Automotive brands that have announced plans to offer Sirius in select models include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Audi, Volkswagen, Land Rover and Aston Martin.

If you've been wondering what former OZZY OSBOURNE/BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee has been up to during the recent years, you're not the only one. Seems that even the webmaster of Lee's Official Fan Site can't quite keep the tabs on the ever-elusive Lee, who has been rumored to be involved with a variety of projects, none of which have seemingly panned out beyond the planning or recording stage.

The following is the latest posting from the webmaster of www.jakeelee.com outlining the "current state of affairs":

"Well, as the weeks, months, years roll on nothing here really changes apart from Jake seemly becoming more and more reclusive.

"I continually receive emails from both fans and people within the music industry wondering what on earth Jake is doing these days?? I have received countless enquires for Jake to involve himself with some well-established and connected people within the music scene. Inevitable nothing comes of it, why? Well, the answer is always without exception — Jake.

"It's been over 6 years since we last heard anything new from Jake (the 'Dusk' album [from BADLANDS] doesn't count since that was recorded in the early 90's). The WICKED ALLIANCE album, which in its own right would now be nearly 10 years old, isn't going to see the light of day — at least in its current incarnation. It really would be just short of a small miracle if anything were released this year given that we are halfway through the year.

"Jake was moving to Las Vegas at the beginning of the year, but as far as I'm aware, that move still hasn't taken place. I currently understand that Jake is without Internet access as well. Not looking to good, is it, folks...

"I've really stopped replying to most emails now as well. There really is little point in me trying to answer anything because I really DON'T KNOW what is going on. So please if you have emailed me and not received a response its because your email has probably fallen into one of several categories:

- What is Jake doing?
- When are we going to hear new music?
- What does Jake think of...?
- Can you ask Jake a question for me?
- Can you pass on to Jake a message?
- Song configuration, technical queries etc.
- An Ozzy Osbourne question.

"I can't answer any of the above questions/queries as I either just don't know the answers or I can't get Jake to answer any of the questions/queries. The best source of information at the moment would have to be the message board. There are a lot of experienced and knowledgeable people registered and posting on the message board, so please if you have a technical or music related query I would encourage you to try posting your question there. I'm sure someone on the message board will be more than willing to help out if they can — and if all else fails at least you may get a laugh or two out of some of the responses!

"I will let everyone know via this news page when/if any news worth reporting breaks. In the mean time as hard as it to be a Jake fan these days, I encourage you to stick in there and who knows one day soon we may finally see the pot at the end of the rainbow..."