No VMA Fight Charges for Kid Rock

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Kid Rock will not be charged in the fight with Tommy Lee at the MTV Video Music Awards, Las Vegas authorities said Monday.

"The Clark County District Attorney's Office will not pursue a battery charge," Chief Deputy District Attorney Ron Bloxham tells Extra. "It should be noted that Tommy Lee has requested that there be no prosecution relating to the incident and there were no injuries to either person."
Rock, 36, was cited by police after he got into a shoving match with Lee, 45, at the Palms Casino Resort in the audience of the VMAs last month. Both men used to be married to Pamela Anderson, 40, who recently wed Rick Salomon, her third marriage.

Rock still faces a misdemeanor battery charge in a waffle house brawl in Atlanta. His latest album, Rock N Roll Jesus, is topping the charts.

Arctic Monkeys, Band of Horses lead Plug Award winners

Arctic Monkeys and Band of Horses were among the big winners at this year's Plug Independent Music Awards show, held Saturday (2/10) in New York City.

The British indie-pop Monkeys walked away with the award for New Artist of the Year, continuing the surge that followed the release of the band's 2006 debut album, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not."

Band of Horses accepted Album of the Year honors for "Everything All the Time," which also picked up Song of the Year for "The Funeral" as well as the award for Americana Album of the Year.

Neko Case [ tickets ], whose most recent album was last year's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," was honored as Female Artist of the Year, and Sufjan Stevens won Male Artist of the Year.

The complete list of Plug Award winners is available at the event's website.

The awards show was hosted by comedian David Cross, who introduced a roster of live acts that included Tokyo Police Club, Deerhoof, El-P, Silversun Pickups, and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, according a press release.

Malkmus accepted the Plug Impact Award for "his contribution to independent music through his prolific career in Pavement, Silver Jews and his solo work."

Rounding out some of the other main award categories, Yo La Tengo accepted the award for Indie Rock Album of the Year for the band's most recent set, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass," while Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke nabbed the prize for Electronic/Dance Album of the Year for "The Eraser."

Band of Horses 'Begin' new life as trio

Indie rockers Band of Horses have weathered the departure of founding guitarist Mat Brooke and will return to the road this fall with a new studio album set for release in October.

The band was down to sole remaining member (and co-founder) Ben Bridwell following Brooke's resignation last year, but are back up to trio strength with the addition of new members Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett. Brooke's stated reason for splitting with Bridwell was to focus attention on his other going concern, indie rockers Grand Archive.

The reformulated Band of Horses will kick off its fall/winter outing Oct. 14 in Atlanta, with the group expecting to hit 21 cities on a trek that runs late into November. All dates are listed below.

"Cease to Begin," due in stores Oct. 9, is the follow up to last year's critically lauded "Everything All the Time," the band's full-length debut on the Sub Pop label. For the new disc, the group worked once again with producer Phil Ek, splitting studio time between Seattle and Asheville, NC. The album will ship in both CD and vinyl formats, with the CD version including eight removable photo cards featuring pictures by longtime Band of Horses photographer Christopher Wilson.

Bridwell and Brooke formed Band of Horses in 2004 out of the ashes of their previous band, Carissa's Weird, which released three indie-label albums. Already well known in Seattle indie circles, the duo signed with Sub Pop and toured extensively with Iron & Wine and Okkervil River before cutting their debut album.

Band of Horses Cease to Begin

If Ben Bridwell felt any pressure in crafting a worthy successor to his group's debut breakthrough, "Everything All the Time," it hardly shows.

Fitting of a man who wrote a song called "Weed Party," "Cease to Begin" finds Bridwell--his unkempt beard approaching hippie proportions these days--unapologetically baring his dude-bro demeanor. Between albums, he moved back home to South Carolina (from Seattle), inspiring a regional warmth, the musical equivalent of Southern hospitality.

There are no songs here quite as epic or grandiose as "The Funeral" or "The Great Salt Lake," but Bridwell is just as happy to seek peace and comfort in more humble doses. "Cease to Begin" checks in at 10 tracks (that is, if you include the 50-second "Lamb on the Lam") and 35 minutes.

The payoff here is not in sprawling guitar jams, but in Bridwell's high-on-life outlook that is equal parts corny and endearing. On the down-home "Ode to LRC," Bridwell wonders: "The town is so small, how could anybody not look me in the eye and wave as I drive by?" Then, with no hint of irony, he soars: "The world is such a wonderful place."

But Bridwell is at his romantic best on "No One's Gonna Love You," a misleading title given the chorus: "No one's ever gonna love you more than I do." If Bridwell didn't mean it so much, you'd half-expect to hear the friend from "Wayne's World" chime in, "No, I love you, man."

Chuckle if you must. But Bridwell, whose former Horses bandmate Mat Brooke left to work on other projects, seems to thrive on an infallible spirit and certain sincerity in which only the harshest of cynics would find fault.

Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Paramore Usher Invasion Into L.A.

September 15, 2007 - Home Depot Center, Carson, CA

Saturday at the Home Depot Center, usually home to David Beckham and the LA Galaxy, KROQ transformed the center for their annual Invasion concert. For the first time, KROQ re-located their large festival from the Inland “909″ to good ol’ Los Angeles, and what a great idea it was. With an amazing turnout at the beautiful venue, Paramore, an MTV favorite, opened up the main stage around 3:10pm. They started off their set with an old single, a crowd favorite that took the fans from dead to screaming and alive in seconds. It was my first time seeing them live, and what a show it was. Hayley Williams, the insanely dyed-redhead lead singer, played to the crowd as all the young fans in the front row yelled her name back at her. I couldn’t tell if I left Paramore’s set deaf because of the music blasting from the speakers or from the massive crowd screaming at my back. Either way, seeing Paramore perform live for the first time was well worth it!

One hour later Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party took the stage, and man do they know how to put on a show. Between Perry and his wife Etty (backup singer) making out onstage, to Perry jumping into the photo pit to pour his bottle of wine into the fans’ beer cups, this set was over the top. Only at a KROQ concert would you ever see something like that.

Later on, Tommy Lee’s “best friend” Kid Rock took the stage. Let me say, out of all the musicians at Invasion this year he was by far the biggest surprise to me when it came to talent. At one point during his 40 min set he walked around to every instrument (guitar, drums, mixing table, etc.) and proceeded to play each as if he was a master at every instrument. It was absolutely incredible, and it definitely gave me a newfound look on Kid Rock’s musical talents.

Thanks to a rotating stage, providing a non-stop live show, the next band was able to set up their equipment on the other side. After Kid Rock finished his set and escorted his four go-go dancers off the stage, the rotating platform begin to move to reveal Velvet Revolver to the crowd. Of course like always Slash played the crap out of his guitar as if he came out of mother’s womb with it, as Scott Weiland screamed out some amazing vocals.

Following Velvet Revolver was by far the best performance of the night. The infamous Foo Fighters took the stage. Dave Grohl opened their set with a solo to ease the crowd into an amazing one-hour show. The best part of their set had to have been the moment where Dave Grohl jumped into the photo pit onto the shoulders of a large security guard. Thank God for wireless technology because the next 5 minutes of their set Dave Grohl played his wireless guitar on top of the security’s shoulders as he ran him through the crowd from one side of the arena to the other. I have never seen something like that before! What an amazing performance!

Joining these bands were other amazing artists, such as Hot Hot Heat, Against Me!, Cypress Hill, Chris Cornell and Smashing Pumpkins closing the night out. Overall it was a great day filled with insane performances. Check out just a couple of photos I was able to take from the photo pit thanks to KROQ!

Paramore stages another Riot

Pop-punk quintet Paramore continues to tear up the road behind its latest album, "Riot!," with a whole new slate of North American dates booked for the fall.

The Tennessee-based band will finish a run of West Coast radio festivals next week before heading to Japan and Australia for a handful of shows into early October, and will then return to North America for a headlining trek, which is scheduled to crisscross the US and stop by Toronto. The outing takes off Oct. 23 in Sayreville, NJ, and runs through a Nov. 28 finale in New York City.

The Starting Line will join Paramore on the tour with special guests The Almost and Set Your Goals each having a turn in the opening slot. North American dates are listed below.

"Riot!," Paramore's sophomore set on the Fueled by Ramen label, debuted at No. 20 on The Billboard 200 in June and recently jumped to No. 15. The album's first single, "Misery Business," is in the Top 10 at modern-rock radio and the video is making serious waves at MTV. The song and video are streaming at the band's MySpace page.

Fronted by 18-year-old Hayley Williams, Paramore has already been supporting the album all over the globe this year with tours of Japan, Australia, Europe and the US, including a mainstage slot on the Vans Warped Tour.

The group has been on many "bands to watch" lists since releasing its 2005 debut, "All We Know is Falling," which spawned the singles "Pressure" and "All We Know."

Paramore Tour Dates

September 2007
15 - Carson, CA - Home Depot Center/KROQ LA Invasion
16 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Electric Park/KFMA Fall Ball
22 - Seattle, WA - Qwest Field/KNDD Endfest

October 2007
23 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
25 - Utica, NY - Utica College
26 - Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
27 - Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo's
29 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
30 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater

November 2007
1 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
2 - Maplewood, MN - The Myth
3 - Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont Club
4 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
6 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
8 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
10 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theatre
11 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
15 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
17 - Dallas, TX - The Palladium Ballroom
18 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Que
19 - Houston, TX - Meridian
21 - Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium
23 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
24 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
25 - Buffalo, NY - The Town Ballroom
27 - Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory
28 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

Paramore Announce Tour Dates

Paramore will play their own headline tour dates in early September, after the Tennessee four-piece perform at this Summer's Reading and Leeds Festival on August 25th-26th respectively.

The quartet will only play five dates in Portsmouth, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Cardiff and London, with all tickets priced at £12 or £13.50 or London. Tickets go on sale this Saturday July 7th at 9am.

Paramore will be heavily promoting the release of their recent Riot! album!

Paramore Tour Dates

September 2007
15 - Carson, CA - Home Depot Center/KROQ LA Invasion
16 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Electric Park/KFMA Fall Ball
22 - Seattle, WA - Qwest Field/KNDD Endfest

October 2007
23 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
25 - Utica, NY - Utica College
26 - Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
27 - Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo's
29 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
30 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater

November 2007
1 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
2 - Maplewood, MN - The Myth
3 - Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont Club
4 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
6 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
8 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
10 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theatre
11 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
15 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
17 - Dallas, TX - The Palladium Ballroom
18 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Que
19 - Houston, TX - Meridian
21 - Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium
23 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
24 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
25 - Buffalo, NY - The Town Ballroom
27 - Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory
28 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]