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DJ AM’s mother adds wrongful death claim to lawsuit

November 16, 2009 / Christopher Glotfelty

In September 2008, DJ AM (real name Adam Goldstein) and Travis Barker were involved in a terrible plane crash. Although four people died, Goldstein and Barker managed to escape with severe burns. Goldstein, a former drug addict, starting using again after the crash. By August 2009, he was dead at the result of an accidental overdose. Now Goldstein’s mother is adding a wrongful death claim to the one Adam filed against the plane manufacturers and the estates of the pilots responsible for the crash.

“The crash ultimately caused Adam Goldstein’s death at a later date,” the papers state.  

  Friends and associates of the musician have widely blamed his trauma from the September 2008 plane crash as leading to his fatal relapse in August. 

  A trial is set for March 2. A number of opposing lawsuits have been filed in the case. 

  Learjet has previously denied all responsibility for the crash.

Well, friends and family believe Goldstein’s fragile state after the crash led to his relapse. That may be so, but the plane manufacturers and the pilots didn’t force Goldstein to take drugs years before he boarded one of their planes. I understand that a plane crash must be incredibly traumatic. Nevertheless, Goldstein chose to turn to drugs. The defendants didn’t suggest that Goldstein take drugs following the accident.

The defendants should be held responsible for any injuries, lost earnings, etc. However, they are not responsible for Goldstein’s drug overdose.

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Foreigner: Can’t Slow Down

November 16, 2009 / R. David Smola

RIYL: Boston, REO Speedwagon, Survivor

Mick Jones recorded without Lou Gramm once before on 1991’s Unusual Heat. Now with the seemingly permanent departure (although in the world of sports, music and professional wrestling, never say never), Foreigner has released Can’t Slow Down, exclusively through Wal-Mart. Kelly Hansen, formerly with Hurricane, fills the large shoes of Lou Gramm rather admirably with a sincere and effective effort on the new material. Interestingly enough, Hansen, although without the same depth and power as Gramm, has a very similar voice and pulls off the classic foreigner stuff very well. The three-disc collection includes the new album, a collection of remixed classics and a concert DVD of this line-up performing the hits. The new material like the title track and “In Pieces” will fit in well within the catalog. Formulaic as it may be, complete with the big production of veteran Rock Producer Marti Frederiksen, it is full of hooks and incredibly well executed. Jones is not appreciated enough for his ability to write crunchy but catchy rock tunes. Can’t Slow Down features a couple of ballads, as Foreigner records are required to by law, to do and they are decent. The remixes take the old material and tweak them to where the audiophile will only be able to tell (they are the originals and not re-recorded by this line-up). The concert DVD is a blast, and to see the 60+ year old Jones lead his band through the classics with energy and great guitar chops, is a pleasant surprise. Watching him sing lead on “Starrider” is a gas. (Foreigner 2009)

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Gov’t Mule: By a Thread

November 16, 2009 / Lee Zimmerman

RIYL: Allman Brothers, Robin Trower, Mountain

Gov’t Mule treads that narrow divide that links jam band excess, raucous Southern rock and blustery white boy blues. Founded by guitarist Warren Haynes and the late Allen Woody, both of whom had been drafted to serve with the Allman Brothers during one of the band’s frequent reshufflings, the duo subsequently launched Gov’t Mule as an active side project in the mid ‘90s.

Since then, Gov’t Mule hasn’t digressed all that much from the rambling jams and blustery exhortations that distinguished the music Haynes and Woody created as employees in their day job. In fact, if the band was actually striving to set itself apart, it was never all that evident. For the most part, the group’s recorded catalog has been dominated by concert recordings, which have emphasized their instrumental prowess over more concise songcraft.

To a certain extent then, By a Thread marks something of a turning point in their recording campaign, placing a focus more on the material rather than their usual pyrotechnics. To be sure, there are the usual overwrought growls and howls, as evident in such blazing rampage of “Broke Down on the Brazos,” “Steppin’ Lightly” and “Monday Morning Meltdown,” each a searing onslaught that finds them adhering to more turgid testimonials. On the other hand, “Forevermore” and “Frozen Fear” suggest the band might be willing to treat the material with a hint of subtlety by toning down the more aggressive posturing. Of course, fans need not worry about an abrupt change of course, but it is worth noting that By a Thread might provide something of a kick to Govt Mule’s newer recruits. (Evil Teen 2009)

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Nirvana: Live at Reading

November 16, 2009 / James B. Eldred

RIYL: Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, The Melvins

Although they’re credited with “changing everything” nowadays, more people remember remember Nirvana for the tragedy surrounding Kurt Cobain’s life and untimely death than their killer live shows. Live at Reading should help remedy that. This 1992 performance by the band, recorded at the height of their popularity, shows everything that was great, exciting and dangerous about not only Nirvana, but the “grunge” rock scene as a whole. Surrounded not only by unheard-of popularity but also rumors about Kurt’s drug use, his health and his relationship with Courtney Love (who just gave birth to daughter Frances Bean less than two weeks earlier) the group seemed to focus all that energy, both negative and positive, into what has since gone down in history as one of their best performances. Everything is perfect here, from the set list (which includes just about everything you’d want to hear), to the feedback-drenched guitars and an ecstatic audience that goes absolutely batshit crazy for “Lithium.” From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah was good, but Live at Reading is absolutely essential. If you were a fan of Nirvana back in “the day,” then watching live footage now sometimes usually be a bit of a downer. But Live at Reading is so powerful, energetic and flawless that it can even lift the band out of its own dark legacy. At least for a little while. (Geffen 2009)

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50 Cent: Before I Self Destruct

November 16, 2009 / Jeff Giles

50 Cent – nee Curtis Jackson – is one of the more brilliant entrepreneurs to come out of modern hip-hop, but as a rapper, the man has problems: He’s been locked in a sales slide since releasing his seven-times-platinum debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, in 2003, and these days, you’re more likely to see him in theaters (where he’s popped up in horrible movies like (“Righteous Kill”) or video games (such as “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2”) than hear him on the radio. 50’s artistic confusion is reflected in Before I Self Destruct’s troubled birth: Originally slated for release in 2007, Destruct was bumped in favor of the roundly panned Curtis, then shoved all over Interscope’s schedule for months; no fewer than six singles from the album have been released since October of 2008, and tellingly, none of them have had half the impact of earlier hits like “In da Club” or “Candy Shop.” Whatever 50’s been doing to this album for the last two years, it hasn’t helped much: Whether he’s engaging in unintentional self-parody with ludicrous gangsta tracks or raging against seemingly everyone in his personal and business life, Self Destruct lacks any of the menacing, mush-mouthed charm that made him a star.

He’s clearly making a desperate effort to make up for embarrassing pop concessions like “Amusement Park,” but none of it works; the production (courtesy of top-shelf producers like Dr. Dre, Polow da Don, and Rockwilder) is as dull and played out as 50’s subject matter – his current single, “Baby By Me,” even samples his own “I Get Money.” Meanwhile, 50 himself strains to sound dangerous, but it’s hard to take tracks like “Death to My Enemies,” “Crime Wave,” and “Gangsta’s Delight” seriously coming from a guy who just debuted his first fragrance for men. His laconic flow has always been part of his appeal, but here, 50 Cent just sounds flabby and tired, and at 16 deeply uninspired tracks, Before I Self Destruct is a painfully long slog. Try to imagine the musical equivalent of being peed on in a rainstorm while an escaped mental patient with a speech impediment shouts at you, and you’ll come close to the experience. With a long list of movies in production and a contract-sealing greatest hits collection on the way, it could be some time before we hear new music from 50 Cent; hopefully, the time off gives him a chance to recharge his creative batteries. (Aftermath/Interscope 2009)

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