Keith Urban talks rehab on site

Keith Urban posted a video to his Web site this week, calling his extended stay in rehab "one of the most impactful times of my whole life." The 39-year-old country music star just finished a three-month stint at the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, California, for alcohol abuse. In the video, he said that he originally planned to stay just 30 days, but quickly realized that abstinence was just a small part of the recovery. "So, 30 days became 60, 60 days became 90, and with each week that passed, I found myself really learning to surrender especially with my career, with playing music, because it's what I've always done," he said. "I love playing guitar, I love touring, and I was going to be doing a lot of that right when I went in."

Urban entered rehab last October, just after his marriage to actress Nicole Kidman and just prior to the release of his latest album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing. Urban, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, said there was "no big, cataclysmic event" that triggered his rehab stint. Rather, it was "a lot of small moments that were starting to accumulate that were telling me very loud and clear that I was a long way from my program of recovery, and they were making my life unmanageable." Urban is preparing for a world tour that will begin in April with a short run of club shows in Britain and Germany. He will play arenas in his native Australia in May, and will launch the North American leg in June. "I'm looking forward to coming to your town to see all you guys, and thank you personally for the support I've gotten," Urban said.

Velvet Revolver frontman blasts Rubin

Velvet Revolver is nobody's second banana. That's the word from frontman Scott Weiland, who told Launch Radio Networks this week that the band dropped producer Rick Rubin from its forthcoming album because Rubin had too much else on his plate. The band, which features several former members of Guns N' Roses, began working with the much-acclaimed Rubin last year, but have since switched to Brendan O'Brien, who has worked with Audioslave, Pearl Jam, and Weiland's former band, Stone Temple Pilots. "If you're gonna work with a producer, unless you're gonna produce something yourselves, if you're gonna pay a producer, get in the trenches with us and work with us," he said. "The Rick thing didn't work out, and, you know, he was working on a couple of other things, Metallica and U2, and so we kind of became very uninspired." Velvet Revolver hopes to release its sophomore CD, titled Libertad, in late April or early May.

Mellencamp explains Chevy ad

John Mellencamp just wants to be heard, and if he has to do it through a patriotic Chevy ad, then so be it. In an interview with Reuters this week, Mellencamp defended his decision to allow his song "Our Country" to be used on an advertisement for motoring giant Chevrolet. Despite critics' claims the decision is against the 55-year-old's environmentally conscious liberal beliefs, Mellencamp insists it was the only way to get his music heard by a new generation. "I think the reason people are giving me grief about it is because I still don't think people should sell their songs for commercial use, but things have changed dramatically," he said. "For a guy my age, there's no place for our music to be heard. These records take too long. They're too hard to make, and they're too hard to do, and why would you want to do them unless people are going to hear them?" Mellencamp has taken aim at plenty of people over the years for their decision to license songs for ads, but the climate is different these days, he said. "I wanted people to hear the song," he said. "They've heard it. I don't know if it was the best way to present the song to them, but at least they heard it."

K-Fed producer commits suicide

Producer Disco D, who has worked with the likes of 50 Cent, Trick Daddy, and Kevin Federline, committed suicide last night, his associate Benny Blanco told SOHH.com today. "We send our deepest condolences," Blanco told the site. "He was loved and will be truly missed." Disco D--real name Dave Shayman--had reportedly battled manic depression, but details surrounding his death remain sketchy. The 27-year-old Grammy-nominated producer had worked with Pharrell Williams, crafted the original theme song for VH1's Hip-Hop Honors and commercials for Sprite, Best Buy, and Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. He was best known in the electronic world as a "ghetto tech" producer, mixing techno beats with Miami booty bass music. In 2005, Disco D produced the track "Ski Mask Way" for 50 Cent's Massacre album, and later produced the song "Popozao" for K-Fed. Most recently, he produced the song "I Pop" for Trick Daddy. Fans can post their condolences on Disco D's MySpace page.

Ska band, Coca-Cola reach deal over video

An unsigned London ska band has ended its dispute with Coca-Cola over the the soft drink giant's use of its music and video for a Coca-Cola Light ad in Argentina. The band, called 7 Seconds of Love, had argued that Coke used their video and song "Ninja" without permission.

Coke agreed Monday to an out-of-court settlement. The ads have been taken off the air, and the band retains all the rights. The amount of the financial settlement wasn't disclosed. "They [Coke] have a policy of not litigating against bands and we came to a nice agreement," lead singer Joel Veitch told the Associated Press.