News Round Up

BY Dave SynyardPublished Sep 21, 2007

The return of Smashing Pumpkins with Zeitgeist wasn’t exactly the greatest thing the band have done; it mostly came across as another mediocre attempt by an over the hill band past their prime. Yet their official website is giving back to the fans by offering 21 full-length unofficial bootlegs from live shows over the last 19 years.

Thanks to the internet people can buy just about anything, regardless of how stupid the item in question is. Mogwai are auctioning off their old drummer’s pacemaker . So if you’re a big fan of the band or looking for a used heart monitor here’s your chance to score big.

There aren’t many things worse than getting smashed, talking smack and getting your ass kicked. Guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds of Mastadon got the best of those worlds after an altercation with System of a Down’s bassist Shavo Odadjian after the MTV VMAs. Hinds spent the next few nights in the hospital’s intensive care unit and suffered a brain hemorrhage, a broken nose and two black eyes. He is expected to make a full recovery, but his ego will be shattered for a while.

Zack De La Rocha’s return is imminent, but he’ll be doing it alone. After seven years his solo album is finished, hopefully much like all the rage about his former band’s reunion. De La Rocha worked with Joe Theodore (formerly of the Mars Volta), Trent Reznor, DJ Shadow and ?uestlove. The album is said to sound like "Led Zeppelin and Dr. Dre.”

Beastie Boys are looking for some new voices for their upcoming release, a vocalised version of their recent album, The Mix-Up. So far they have spoken with M.I.A., Lily Allen and Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, which could very well mean we can expect a British twist on North American classic.

Latest Coverage