QTheMusic.com

Wednesday, 9 May

Tom Gabel, singer in Florida punk group Against Me!, is to undergo treatment to change gender. The 31-year-old, who has suffered from gender dysphoria for some time, will soon begin hormone treatment to become a woman and plans to be known henceforth as Laura Jane Grace, remaining married to his wife Heather. "I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun," the singer said. "But that's part of what talking to you is about - is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind."
Rollingstone.com

Village People's Victor Willis has won a legal battle with his band's former music publishers, in what is being billed a landmark case in copyright law. Willis - the motorcycle cop, in case you were wondering - gave away the ownership rights to more than 30 songs he wrote for the band, including YMCA and In The Navy, when he left the line-up in 1979 to publishers Scorpio Music and Can't Stop Productions, who then tried to block his bid to reclaim those rights when the songwriter last year decided to reclaim them. A Californian judge dismissed the case in Willis's favour on Monday.
Billboard.com

Damon Albarn has criticised the upcoming London Olympic Games as "too corporate," suggesting organisers have placed too much emphasis on sponsorship. "The corporate side I find a bit depressing," the 44-year-old explained, insisting that Blur's upcoming Olympic Closing Ceremony Concert in Hyde Park on 12 August is "for London and people who hopefully want to sing their hearts out in a park."
bbc.co.uk/news

A new book by David Bowie and photographer Masayoshi Sukita was launched in London last night with an event attended by the likes of Jimmy Page and Martin Kemp. The 300 page "photo essay" is limited to 2000 copies signed by the photographer and the singer and comes with a seven-inch featuring parts 1 and 2 of Bowie's It's No Game. It costs £360...
Genesis-publications.com

Kevin Shields has suggested a new My Bloody Valentine record is "almost done". "I'm on the eighth song, and I've got to do vocals for that, then I've got to record the ninth song from scratch," he explained of his work on the follow-up to 1991's Loveless. "Then I've got to mix it. But that's Ok, because I'm not slow at mixing." He added some of the songs may boast a drum'n'bass influence.
Thequietus.com

Filmmaker Michael Moore has contributed a cover of Bob Dylan's Times They Are A Changing to a compilation in aid of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Listen to the track, which also features Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz, below (via Brooklynvegan.com).

Check out Simian Mobile Disco's "Music for (waiting around at) airports" playlist, featuring the likes of Actress, Heldon and Angus MacLise.
Qthemusic.com

The Beastie Boys were hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit a day before Adam 'MCA' Yauch's death (4 May), it has emerged. Music label Tuf America claims the rap trio illegally sampled songs by Washington crew Trouble Funk on four of their early tunes - The New Style and Hold It, Now Hit It from their 1986 debut album Licensed To Ill, and Car Thief And Shadrach from their 1989 follow-up record Paul's Boutique.
Allhiphop.com

Everyone takes style tips from their favourite bands, right? Well, here's the best homemade Blue Peter style attempts at Slipknot masks by fans of the metal group.
Vice.com

M.I.A has titled her upcoming fourth studio album Matangi, an apparent riff on her birth name, Mathangi. Between completing work on the album in London and India, the singer has also been custom-designing labels for bottles of Beck's beer, as you can see below. Spin.com

Who were the best acts at this year's Camden Crawl? Here's our pick from the urban festival.
Qthemusic.com

Ed Sheeran has denied reports that he is cancelling four upcoming shows in the US to enter drug rehabilitation. "Apparently [the] media are running a story tomorrow about how I'm coming home early to enter rehab," he told fans on Twitter yesterday (8 May). "I'm missing four days of a tour to see my family. No rehab just yet, but I am going to Legoland in a few weeks, so might need it after that."
bbc.co.uk/newsbeat

Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney are among the guests set to feature on Blow Your Pants Off, the first album by US talk show host Jimmy Fallon in a decade. The record is out on 11 June.
Rollingstone.com

Rhys Hutchings, the Goldie Lookin' Chain MC who was elected councillor of the St Julians' ward in Newport has explained he did not make a big deal of his comedy-rap background in the run-up to last week's local elections. "A couple of people recognised me, but I genuinely think the last thing people expected was a member of Goldie Lookin' Chain to knock on their door and say, Hi, what are your local issues?' It'd be a bit like Sting turning up at your front door," he reasoned.
NME.com

Today's Track Of The Day is Allah Las' Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)

That's it for today. More Hot List tomorrow at noon.

12:00 PM | 09/05/2012