Aaron Fuller, lead singer of the Misfits-inspired punk band Plan 9, died late on Monday night in San Francisco from a motorcycle accident. While traveling home, Fuller went off the side of an overpass then died on impact. The accident is still under investigation by police who are unsure of the exact cause.
As one of the original members of Plan 9, Fuller was known for his incredible stage presence and vocal range.
Fuller’s family has stated that they "want Plan 9 to continue because that is what Aaron would want." The band has not yet commented.
Plan 9 thanks all their fans for the emails and messages, and sends the family of Aaron Fuller their deepest sympathies.
Even though the house killed the financial bailout bill yesterday, Brian Wilson proceeded with the announcement of an upcoming tour that will see him performing That Lucky Old Sun (TMT Review), plus other tunes, in its entirety. The announcement is being seen on both sides of the aisle as "terribly timed" and "unpatriotic."
"I just don't understand why Wilson has to make the announcement right now," says Jerry Brucken, financial expert. "Doesn't he know there's a financial crisis? We need to stop making tour announcements and start bailing out the filthy rich -- they have kids to feed, too, you know."
The people on main street are upset too. "This is ridiculous," says Jill Haas, some chick who has a couple loans under her name. "We have to focus all our energy and work on this bill so we can pass it in this time of panic and frenzy." Bob Range, her longtime boyfriend, added: "Okay, okay, we're using socialism to bailout capitalism. But just this once, okay? Like McCain and Obama, I have faith in the free market."
Here's a video of Ralph Nader on the financial bailout bill, which, if you use a little creativity, sorta kinda implies why he might think Brian Wilson's decision to schedule a tour was a bad political move.
Leading a coalition of internet advocacy groups and web-related companies, Google Inc. recently testified in front of the Department of Commerce in Washington. The issue at hand was the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a developing international treaty that aims to reduce piracy and counterfeiting of copyrighted material. While the treaty is yet unwritten, the proceedings surrounding its composition have been conducted in secrecy.
Though the treaty also concerns such physical goods as electronics and pharmaceuticals, it is its provisions toward digital media that garnered Google’s attention. A leaked outline of the treaty indicated that it might endow corporate copyright holders with the ability to hold ISPs (internet service providers) responsible for any copyrighted material distributed using their services. While internet issues had allegedly not yet been discussed in the hearings, the Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the U.S. trade office, demanding it publicize the details of the negotiations.
Although signing the treaty would require no change to existing U.S. law, Google urged the Bush administration not to sign (or to at least exclude the internet from the treaty), as doing so would freeze the law in its current state. In a changing media climate, argued representatives from Google, the U.S. Congress and courts have not yet found the appropriate balance between copyright protection and free exchange of information. Asked Google policy counsel Johanna Shelton, “Why would we want to enshrine one view of U.S. law?”
In the opinion of this writer, this balance (between copyright and fair use) will never be “settled.” As our methods of media distribution adapt to rapidly-developing technology, there may be no “end point” for U.S. copyright law. Gone are the days of a static approach to an unchanging media environment. There now exists, rather, a constantly shifting equilibrium that must be maintained by both the government and its citizens as the circumstances develop.
In a welcomed update to a story we posted two weeks ago (TMT News), the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act Bill -- approved last Friday by the Senate -- seems geared for a veto after the Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce issued a joint statement September 23, 2008 voicing concerns over the increased bureaucracy and the weakened separation of powers mandated by the bill.
The White House successfully lobbied the Senate to remove language tasking the Department of Justice with suing copyright and trademark infringers on behalf of Hollywood, the recording industry, manufacturers and software makers. But the Bush administration also doesn't want a copyright czar, a position on par with the nation's drug czar Congress created in 1982 to wage the War on Drugs. Lawmakers, however, sent him the package anyway.
The EIPRA would grant federal prosecutors with the authority to pursue file-sharers in violation of copyright laws and create an IP Enforcement Coordinator within the executive branch — an intrusion into federal authority and federal spending which would afford copyright holders with pro bono representation from Department of Justice prosecutors. And remember, we live in an era of “fiscal responsibility,” as the DoJ’s letter states.
(BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, the potential veto on the EIPRA bill totally ruins the wicked awesome, yet wholly imaginary “The RIAA is Conspiring with the Federal Government to Eradicate All Traces of Internet Privacy in a Desperate Ploy to Recoup Diminishing Revenue / Name that Tune Contest!” So, I guess by default, the prize goes to the Department of Justice for stickin’ it to the RIAA. And to teddy bear companies, screw those guys. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read our first story on this bill so you don't miss out on my sharp wit!)
My consumer confidence in rock shows for this quarter just went through the roof. Seriously, find your day planner and pencil in some quality time with Gang Gang Dance and Marnie Stern, the sickest tour announced in quite some time.
If you're a Marnie Stern n00b and need a quick lesson, here's what you should know: First, this girl rips on the axe. We're talking rapid-fire EVH finger-tapping solos on double-necked Gibson SG Supremes and Fender Jaguars. Second, she shreds with the likes of Pterodactyl and Hella. Third, indie rock nerds turn into teenage boys around her. And finally, she'll be traveling the countryside spreading gospel from her new album on Kill Rock Stars, out October 7, titled This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That, demonstrating a love for pronouns equal to her love for Sleater-Kinney and Melt Banana.
Gang Gang Dance is also celebrating a new album, Saint Dymphna, out October 21 on The Social Registry label, and will have Marnie join them on their Midwest and West Coast dates. Gang Gang Dance brings a "worldbeat" slant to the table without sounding anything like NPR bumper music. Psychedelic, tribal, art-damaged -- many labels are tossed, but ultimately, Gang Gang Dance are one of the very elite groups of musicians who've cultivated a sound that defies categorization. See the rest of GGD's jaunt here.
This is a one-of-a-kind tour, so if a community near you is on this list, you have plans, my friend (no matter who's getting married that day)
11.03.08 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle 11.04.08 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry 11.05.08 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall 11.07.08 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge 11.08.08 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court 11.10.08 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door 11.11.08 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret 11.12.08 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan 11.14.08 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club 11.15.08 - Los Angeles, CA - El Ray Theater 11.16.08 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
Yes, my protest sign is a coffee table, and it also didn't make it into the special Under the Radar Magazine's Summer Protest Issue, but who's counting? (Next year, I will spend more time on my tree disguise.) Artists like The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Built to Spill, Sharon Jones, Shout Out Louds, Les Savy Fav, R.E.M., Chuck D, Talib Kweli, and oh so many more donated their art skills and pretty faces to make up a photographic representation of their various protestations. From the plight of polar bears to paper ballots to health care to the right to live in Woody Guthrie's America, these artists ran the gamut of righteous grievances, and you can check out photos and clips from the issue here.
As if that wasn't dece enough, many of these artists donated their signs to be auctioned off for charity, specifically War Child, an organization working to help children in war-torn areas around the world, which recently announced a compilation benefit CD (TMT News). You can check out the signs up for grabs here, and remember, the auctions begin today!
