You gotta check out this new artist I found. His name is Wolfgang Carter and I just saw him live the other night. He did a solo acoustic set of 20 or so songs and each one seemed to be better than the last. I met him after the show and he told about a website where I could find some songs posted that are his in-progress demo. If you have a myspace or facebook accout you can use the link below to add him. Be on the lookout for this guy and catch him live if you get the chance!

on ilike.com: http://www.ilike.com/artist/Wolfgang+Carter

on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/ilike/artist/Wolfgang+Carter

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash recently published his autobiography and now has a solo album in his sights. Although he doesn't have a timetable for the project, Slash told The Pulse of Radio he already has a lot of ideas for what direction he wants it to take. "I really want to do a solo record and play with a lot of different people that I've worked with before, maybe some people I haven't worked with, and just do something really, really sort of interesting," he said. "'Cause I've played on so many other people's records, you know, and I want to write material for, like, different individuals to sing on and whatnot. So that's sort of like the main sort of backburner kind of thing going on at the moment."

Meanwhile, VELVET REVOLVER was forced to cancel a four-city Japanese tour after the band members were denied visas. A spokesperson for concert promoter Creativeman Productions noted in a statement that the group had previously toured Japan in 2005, but now explained, "The increasingly tough Japanese immigration officials are taking exception with the backgrounds of various band members, which have included arrests." VELVET REVOLVER is appealing the decision, but the process could take months to resolve. "We want to apologize to our fans in Japan that we won't be able to perform our scheduled concerts," the band said in a statement. "We don't understand why the authorities won't give us visas when they granted them for us in 2005 for what was a successful tour and a great experience. We love Japan and look forward to our return there."

VELVET REVOLVER is still scheduled to tour Australia in early December.

The group wrapped up a North American tour with ALICE IN CHAINS last month as it continues promoting its second album, "Libertad". The record has sold 250,000 copies in the United Staes since its release last July, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Slash will appear as a presenter at the 35th annual American Music Awards, which will broadcast live on ABC this Sunday (November 1 from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

VAN HALEN has been nominated for the "Favorite Reunion Tour" at the 34th annual People's Choice Awards. The People's Choice Awards are different from most industry awards sows in that that the winners are actually chosen by their fans. Also nominated are THE POLICE and GENESIS. ThePolice.com reported that voting ends on December 5 and the results will be determined shortly thereafter.

Go to PCAvote.com for information on how to vote for your favorite artists.

The 34th annual People's Choice Awards will air on CBS on January 8 live from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.

VAN HALEN blasted out its hits for 14,000 Research In Motion employees, co-op students and invited guests at a surprise concert last night (Thursday, November 15) at Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Air Canada Centre. One concertgoer said he'd been told in advance only that co-CEO of BlackBerry maker RIM, billionaire Jim Balsillie, had invited two of his all-time favorite bands to come and perform. Also appearing on the bill was the TRAGICALLY HIP.

Check out pictures from last night's show at this location.

VAN HALEN capped a stretch of East Coast dates on Tuesday night (November 13) with a sold-out show at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Despite reports of sound problems on a couple of recent stops, the Garden show

The quartet is now taking a week off before beginning a West Coast run on November 20 in Los Angeles that will end in late December.

VAN HALEN's tour, which features Roth behind the mic for the first time in 22 years, launched in late September to massive ticket sales and mostly positive reviews. The trek features Wolfgang Van Halen, teenage son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, playing bass instead of original member Michael Anthony, who was not invited to participate.

Aaron Thompson of the Las Vegas Weekly reports: Turns out, Tommy Lee vs. Kid Rock was only the undercard on [MTV Video Music Awards] night.

According to a Metro police report released Monday, the September 10 fight that landed MASTODON frontman Brent Hinds in University Medical Center's intensive care unit with brain hemorrhaging, a broken nose and two black eyes began as a skirmish between Hinds and Shavo Odadjian, bassist for multiplatinum metal band SYSTEM OF A DOWN.

According to the police report - based on firsthand accounts and corroborated by hotel-security video footage - an inebriated Hinds was leaving Mandalay Bay around 3 a.m. when he encountered Odadjian and musician William Hudson at the hotel's west valet area. Hinds took off his shirt and hit Odadjian with it, then struck Hudson in both the face and chest, prompting Odadjian to advise Hinds "to relax," several times, according to the police report.

The police report then indicates both Odadjian and Hudson punched Hinds in the face, knocking him to the ground. An unidentified friend of Hinds, who reportedly witnessed the event, rushed to the musician's aid and apologized to Odadjian and Hudson, saying Hinds was "just drunk," according to the police report. Odadjian and Hudson were both questioned by police on the scene.

No charges had been filed at press time, though the police report lists Hudson as a "suspect," facing a possible charge of "battery with substantial bodily harm." The police report lists Odadjian as a "witness."

According to the police report, tensions ran high after Hinds began drunkenly "annoying" Odadjian and Hudson inside the Palms following the conclusion of the VMAs.

METALLICA have issued the following update:

"We're still stuck in the studio, but when we were invited to participate in the 21st Annual Bridge School shows, we just couldn't say "no". We're going to record both nights (October 27th and 28th at Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, CA) and have them here (www.livemetallica.com) for you shortly after. It's an acoustic show that NEIL YOUNG puts together each year in the Bay Area, and this is the second time for us. And all proceeds from the sale of downloads from these two shows will go to the Bridge School.