MAN WHO LEAKED GUNS N' ROSES TRACKS ARRESTED

A 27-year-old blogger named Kevin Cogill was arrested on Wednesday (August 27th) at his Los Angeles home on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws for leaking nine Guns N' Roses songs online, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cogill, who used the name Skwerl, was accused of posting the songs at a website called Antiquiet in June, where they were available for public access. The site crashed from the amount of traffic it received once word of the leaked tracks got out. Cogill admitted to federal agents that he posted the songs and was expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon. Cogill operates Antiquiet himself and used to work in the distribution department of Universal Music, which owns Guns N' Roses' catalog. It is not yet known how Cogill obtained the tracks, which are taken from the yet-to-be-released Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy. He told Rolling Stone that he received them from an "anonymous online source," and took them down after being contacted by "a really cool guy from the G N'R camp that was a middleman between someone who was very angry and me." Cogill was also visited at his office by two FBI agents who questioned him about the leak. Kathy Leodler, director of investigations for the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) Western region office, told the Times, "The arrest of Kevin Cogill is great for the recording industry related to our online investigations. We are very pleased with the FBI's interest and the U.S. attorney's office's aggressiveness in pursuing this investigation. We think we'll see more and more of these pre-release cases."

PAUL McCARTNEY TO EARN $4.3 MILLION FOR ISRAELI CONCERT

Paul McCartney will earn $4.3 million for his September 25th Israeli debut at Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park. Ynet News reported that the show's promoters, who have been victims of last-minute cancellations by other acts, are withholding the transfer of funds until moments before McCartney's concert begins. According to the agreement, "the money would be deposited in the trust of a New York firm's account and transferred to the singer just 30 minutes before the show... McCartney's agents, the trust company and the ticket box office were all signatory to the agreement." A source close to the concert said of the unusual transaction, "On the one hand, the singer will be sure that the money is at his disposal and that there won't be a problem with the payment and on the other hand, the organizers in Israel will insure their money in case the singer does not arrive for one reason or another." Tickets for McCartney's Tel Aviv show are on sale now and run from $285 to $1,440. August 28th -- On This Day In Beatles History: 1964: The Beatles appear on the cover of LIFE magazine. That night they perform in New York at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. Afterwards in their suite at Manhattan's Delmonico Hotel, Bob Dylan turns them on to marijuana for the first time. 1965: The Beatles perform in San Diego, California at Balboa Stadium. 1966: The Beatles perform in Los Angeles, California at Dodgers Stadium. 1968: The band begins recording John Lennon's "Dear Prudence" at London's Trident Studios. The session lasts from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 the following morning. 1969: Linda McCartney gives birth to Paul's first child, daughter Mary McCartney. The following year, McCartney officially adopts Linda's seven-year-old daughter, Heather See, from her previous marriage.

AC/DC'S 'TRAIN' LEAVES THE STATION

AC/DC's new "Train" left the station at midnight on Thursday (August 28th) as "Rock 'n' Roll Train," the first single from the band's new album, made its world premiere at iHeartMusic.com, shortly after being sent to radio stations around the country. The group's new CD, Black Ice, is its first in eight years and will arrive on October 21st, to be followed by a world tour that tentatively kicks off on Halloween in Chicago. "Rock 'n' Roll Train" is classic AC/DC from start to finish, with bluesy riffs, a rock-solid tempo and a scorching solo from Angus Young. Young told us a while back that you never know when or where a song will come from: "You know, you might have an old riff thing that you've had kicking about -- over the years, you know, you might play it -- and then one day, you know, somebody goes, 'Hey, you know that riff you had four years ago?' And you go, 'Yeah?' And they go, 'What was that again?' And you play it." Black Ice will sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and acdc.com. All three plan multiple promotional campaigns aimed at the group's millions of fans. AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. The band has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including 69 million in the U.S. alone. No Bull: The Director's Cut, a chronicle of the band's famed July 1996 concert at the Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray September 9th. AUDIO: ANGUS YOUNG SAYS OLD RIFFS COULD BE CALLED INTO SERVICE FOR NEW AC/DC ALBUMS

DAVE MASON SAYS ROCK HALL INDUCTION WITH TRAFFIC STILL A BAD MEMORY

Dave Mason says that over four years after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Traffic, the way the night played out for him still leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Mason told azcentral.com that the 2004 Rock Hall induction ended with him not joining his bandmates on stage, recalling, "Steve (Winwood) was basically dictating that I play bass and we do it exactly like we did the record, which is like, 'Excuse me?' Why would we do it exactly the same, when part of being Traffic was that we were a jam band? We would stretch out and change. I said, 'Why don't we just get up there and have me and you play electric guitar?' From the point of view of an audience, how cool would it have been for us all to have been up there doing it? So it was kind of weird." Mason says that Winwood and Traffic co-founder Jim Capaldi's need to recreate the way the track was recorded was ridiculous: "They were somewhat insistent that, 'Well, we have to do it like the record.' But I think, you know, my point is clearly shown when they finished the whole show with my song 'Feelin' Alright.' I mean, there was a guitar-fest going on up there that was crazy (laughs), and, you know, and Steve's on piano, and Jim (Capaldi) is on congas, and Jackson (Browne) sang a verse. And that's the spirit it should have all been done in." Mason is back out on the road and prepping his first new album in 20 years. He says that he's performing all his classic hits on the current tour -- including "Only You Know And I Know," "We Just Disagree," Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy," as well as the band's "Feelin' Alright" -- although he doesn't necessarily think of it as a Traffic standard anymore: "Of course, I do 'Feelin' Alright,' I just don't think of that one as a Traffic song. It's been covered by so many people and Joe Cocker's version is really the most well-known, so I kind of forget that it was originally on the second Traffic album." Dave Mason co-formed Traffic in 1967 with Winwood, Capaldi, and Chris Wood. Mason left after the band's first album, 1967's Mr. Fantasy and left after it's release. Mason rejoined halfway through their second album, 1968's Traffic, after which the band temporarily broke up and reformed the next year without Mason. Dave Mason tour dates (subject to change): August 28 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre August 29 - Indio, CA - Fantasy Springs Resort Casino August 30 - San Diego, CA - Anthology September 11 - Maryland Heights, MO - Harrah's St. Louis Casino & Hotel VooDoo Lounge September 12 - Palatine, IL - Durty Nellie's September 13 - Keosauqua, IA - State Line Rally September 19 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre At Regency Park October 5 - Glen Ellen, CA - B.R. Cohn Winery October 8 - Milwaukee, WI - Northern Lights Theater October 10 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse October 14 - Austin, TX - Antone's October 16 - The Woodlands, TX - Dosey Doe October 17 - New Orleans, LA - Harrah's New Orleans Theatre October 18 - Natchez, MS - Great Mississippi River Balloon Race November 7 - Las Vegas, NV - Santa Fe Station Hotel & Casino November 11, 12 - Exeter, CA - Orange Blossom Junction November 20 - Stuart, FL - Lyric Theatre November 28 - Champion, PA - Seven Springs November 29 - Collingswood, NJ - Scottish Rite Auditorium November 30 - Uncasville, CT - Wolf Den December 1 - New York, NY - B.B. King's Blues Club December 3 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse December 4 - Foxboro, MA - Showcase Live! December 5 - Great Barrington, MA - Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center December 6 - Atlantic City, NJ - House Of Blues AUDIO: DAVE MASON SAYS TRAFFIC'S INSISTENCE ON RECREATING THE PAST WAS SILLY

GENESIS BOXES UP ITS CATALOG

Genesis will be out with a comprehensive boxed set on November 11th, called Genesis: 1970-1975. The seven-CD/six-DVD collection will feature studio albums with original frontman Peter Gabriel, along with rare material and footage. According to Billboard.com, the set will feature the albums Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Also included with each disc is an accompanying DVD with film footage from the '70s, as well as recent interviews with the band. Some of the previously unreleased material will show up on the rarities disc, which features a demo of "Going Out To Get You," three tracks from the BBC show Nightride and the seven-inch single "Happy the Man." There are also four unreleased songs in the collection that were recorded in 1970 for a documentary about painter Mick Jackson. Genesis toured last year with Phil Collins on vocals for the first time since 1992.

JOHN MELLENCAMP SAYS LATEST ALBUM REFLECTS THE DARK ISSUES OF AMERICAN LIFE

John Mellencamp says that his latest album, Life, Death, Love And Freedom, harkens back to the honesty of the classic American folk music. Mellencamp commented on the brutal honesty and darkness reflected in the album's songs, telling Rolling Stone, "If you listen to Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, those were traditional topics in American folk songs -- the songs are about the parts of life that most people don't really want to discuss. Which doesn't necessarily work for pop music that record companies really want to put (it) out. I made this album for me." He's adamant that after 30 years in the business his opinion is the only one that matters to him: "I'm trying to live up to what a guy my age should be doing. I'm trying not to look silly. You know, it's like people say, 'Hey, you're a rock star, man.' And I don't see myself that way anymore. I'm just, like, a journeyman electrician or something." Mellencamp makes no apology for making music that isn't as immediately accessible or radio-friendly as his classic hits. He says that he recognized that some fans were upset that he allowed Chevy to use his 2007 song "Freedom's Road" for their TV spots: "I don't think people like the idea that I did that. But you know what? I've done so many things in my career people didn't like. If I thought it was the end of the line every time I did something' that people didn't like, hell, I'd been done with Johnny Cougar." T-Bone Burnett, who produced Life, Death Love, And Freedom, says that he walked away from the sessions a bigger fan then ever of Mellencamp as both an artist and a man: "I love John Mellencamp, he is a powerful musician, and he rocks like crazy, I have to say. He's a really great singer -- we did the thing live. He's a great storyteller, he's a great songwriter, he's a terrific painter. Y'know, he's made a beautiful life for himself up there in the woods of Indiana (laughs). He's never left. Now he's a little like the madman up in the woods." T-Bone Burnett recently produced Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' Grammy Award-winning album Raising Sand. John Mellencamp will next appear at Farm Aid on September 20th in Mansfield, Massachusetts at the Comcast Center. Among the other musicians appearing on the bill are Arlo Guthrie, Dave Matthews, Jakob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Neil Young, Steve Earle, the Pretenders, and Willie Nelson. AUDIO: T-BONE BURNETT ON PRODUCING JOHN MELLENCAMP

MOTLEY CRUE ISSUES UNCENSORED NEW CLIP

Motley Crue has issued an "uncensored" version of its new video for the song "Mutherf***er of the Year," according to Blabbermouth.net. The clip has appeared on YouTube and other outlets, while the song is taken from the band's recently released ninth studio album, Saints of Los Angeles. The CD, the Crue's first all-new offering in eight years, has sold 207,000 copies since its release in late June. Motley Crue is currently wrapping up its first-ever festival-style tour, Crue Fest, which stops in Toronto on Thursday (August 28th) and finishes on Sunday (August 31st) in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. The tour's lineup also features Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Crue bassist Nikki Sixx's side project, Sixx: A.M. Following the end of the trek, the Crue will take a month off before heading to Mexico, Argentina and Japan in October.

QUICK TAKES

Rolling Stone reported that the Doors and Santana have settled their suit against the Wolfgang's Vault website for streaming their unreleased concerts and selling copywrited merchandise. The website mainly trades in the archive of the late concert promoter Bill Graham, who kept numerous pieces of memorabilia from his historic venues, such as San Francisco's the Fillmore and Winterland, and New York City's the Fillmore East. Graham recorded most of the shows on multitrack tape and filmed many of them as well. In 2006, the Doors, Santana, the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin sued the site's owner Sagan for copyright infringement. The Dead and Zeppelin have yet to come to an agreement with Sagan, who is still streaming live concerts by them and Santana. For more information log on to wolfgangsvault.com. The third Cabo Wabo Cantina opened for three private parties this week in Fresno, California, according to fresnobee.com. Although Sammy Hagar, who created the franchise, will not be on hand for the public opening tomorrow night (August 29th), his son Aaron Hagar will perform. Sammy is said to be planning a stop at the new Cabo Wabo soon, with representatives saying that his ex-Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony is set to appear at the establishment sometime next week. The two other Cabo Wabo restaurant and bars are in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Oscar Winning director Ang Lee best known for such dramas as Brokeback Mountain and The Ice Storm, will direct the upcoming film Taking Woodstock. Rolling Stone reported that the movie is based on a true story of interior designer Elliot Tiber, who allowed the legendary concert's organizers the use of his Catskills, New York hotel to help plan the 1969 three-day festival. Taking Woodstock is set for release in June 2009. Mick Jagger's ex-wife Bianca Jagger has lost a $295,000 platinum-and-aquamarine ring over the weekend. AFP reported that Jagger was in Salzburg, Austria attending an annual music festival. A police representative said that Jagger believed she lost the ring in the street, adding, "Ms. Jagger expressly said she had lost the ring and that this wasn't a theft." Mick and Bianca Jagger were married from 1971 to 1980.