--Lamb Of God Frontman's Prague Trial Delayed

Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe will have to wait at least a few more weeks before hearing his fate.  The rocker's trial on manslaughter charges got under way in Prague Monday, but the court announced Wednesday that it will be delayed until early next month because a key witness is sick.  WTVR.com and the "Prague Post" report that another witness will testify on Thursday, but after that the trial will take a break until March 4th.  Blythe will be allowed to return to the U.S. until the trial resumes, and he reportedly assured the court that he will be back in the Czech Republic next month.

Blythe is accused of pushing a fan off the stage during a 2010 Lamb of God concert back in 2010.  The 19-year-old fan ultimately died of head injuries.


--Jack Russell Playing Benefit -- But Not For Station Fire Survivors

Jack Russell, who now fronts his own version of Great White, is taking the stage tonight in Hermosa Beach, California to raise money for charity.  But he's not supporting the cause he originally intended.  The rocker had planned to play a benefit for the Station Fire Memorial Foundation.  But he says he was forced to change his plans when the foundation's vice president contacted him saying his donation would be refused, because the survivors and families of the victims "do not wish to have any association with Jack or his Great White."  Russell admits he's "saddened by the response of the foundation and the motives behind it," but will respect their wishes.  Instead, he'll give the money from his show to B.E.A.T.S. -- Bringing Everyone A Tremendous Smile.  Acey Longley, the son of Great White guitarist Ty Longley who died in The Station fire, established the charity in honor of his father.  The organization provides toys, musical instruments, and other gifts to hospitalized children.

February 20th will mark the tenth anniversary of The Station fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island.  In addition to Longley 99 others were killed and more than 200 were injured in the blaze, which was sparked by Great White's pyrotechnics.


--Roger Waters, Springsteen, Madonna Tours Among Nominees For Pollstar Awards

Roger Waters is once again being recognized for his "The Wall" trek.  He's a two-time nominee heading into the 24th annual Pollstar Awards.  The elaborate trek is in the running for Major Tour of the Year as well as Most Creative Stage Production -- a prize he won at last year's event.  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is among Waters' competition for Major Tour.  Other contenders in the category include The Black Keys, Coldplay, Jason Aldean, and Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, who teamed up last year for a tour.  Rogers faces Coldplay again for the Most Creative award, as well as Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber.  The Pollstar Awards will be presented in a ceremony in Los Angeles Thursday night.

The Pollstar Awards recognize excellence in various aspects of the touring industry.  In addition to the top tours and touring artists, the event also includes categories honoring venues, festivals, promoters, managers, and other behind-the-scenes people and companies involved in staging concerts.  The production managers for Waters, Madonna, KISS, and Rush are among those nominated for Road Warrior of the Year.


--John Lennon's Popularity In Brazil Reflected In New Crime Wave

The late John Lennon's name is cropping up a lot lately -- on police reports in Brazil.  "The New York Daily News" says the city of Belo Horizonte is undergoing a bizarre crime wave of suspects all sharing the name of the former Beatle.  The first to be arrested was John Lenon Camargos Gomes, who was picked up on December 19th in connection with five murders in the Southeastern Brazilian community.  On January 8th police picked up John Lennon Fonseca Ferreira during an attempted robbery.  A day later John Lennon Sebastiao da Silva was found dead in what police believe was a revenge killing.  And last Friday the fourth "John Lennon," John Lennon Ribeiro Siqueira, was taken into custody as he was allegedly preparing to rob a store.  

The four "John Lennon" suspects range in age from 18 to 22.  Local authorities attribute the high number of "John Lennons" in the community to the popularity of the rock legend, and say women have been naming their sons after him since his death in 1980.


--Jack White, Gibby Haynes Team Up On Valentine's X-Ray Single

Jack White is showing off his heart by contributing to a limited edition Valentine's Day single that will be pressed on old medical x-rays.  The former White Stripes leader plays guitar on the new three-song set, which features Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes on vocals.  Dubbed "The Gibby Haynes Blues Series," the single features the originals "You Don't Have to be Smart" and "Horse Named George," as well as a cover of Eighties punk band Adrenalin O.D.'s "Paul's Not Home."  It will be released via White's Third Man Records on February 14th, and a seven-inch vinyl version can be pre-ordered now at ThirdManRecords.com.  But a "very limited number of copies" of the so-called "flex-ray disc" version will only be sold from Third Man's Rolling Record Store at next month's South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.

SXSW gets under way March 8th, and more information about where the Rolling Record Store will be during the event is expected soon.


--Beck Records Bowie Cover With 170 Member Ensemble

Beck says he wanted to do "something completely irrational" when it came time to record his own version of the David Bowie classic "Sound and Vision."  And for the eclectic singer-songwriter, that meant performing the song on a Los Angeles movie soundstage with about 170 other musicians playing everything from mandolins to a bent saw blade.  According to "Rolling Stone," Beck joked that his new band also does "weddings and bar mitzvahs."  But on Tuesday, they were there to record his re-worked version of "Sound and Vision" as part of the Lincoln Motor Company's new "Hello, Again" ad campaign.  Footage from the performance -- which was guided by music video director Chris Milk -- will be posted at Lincoln.com starting this Sunday, February 10th.

Beck ultimately played a 45-minute set at the invitation-only event, breaking out more covers and a few tracks of his own, including "Girl" and "Where It's At."  He told "Rolling Stone" that he tried to "conjure some scenario" that he could never do on a normal tour stop, adding that he wanted something that could only exist during that one-time performance.


--Today's Birthdays

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan is 51.
Godsmack frontman Sully Erna is 45.
Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland is 38.


--Today In Rock History

In 1959
A funeral for Buddy Holly was held in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas.  More than a thousand people attended the service.

In 1964
The Beatles arrived in the U.S. for the first time, and were greeted by ten-thousand fans at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

In 1967
Mick Jagger sued a British tabloid journalist who had erroneously reported that Jagger was bragging about his use of LSD.  It was Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones who was doing such bragging.

In 1970
Led Zeppelin hit number one on the UK album chart with "Led Zeppelin 2."

In 1980
Pink Floyd performed its stage spectacle "The Wall" for the first time.

In 1984
Motley Crue's album "Shout At The Devil" was certified Platinum.

In 2001
Bruce Springsteen lost his bid to obtain the name brucespringsteen.com for his official Web site.  The Bruce Springsteen Club won its appeal to the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization's arbitration center to retain use of the domain name.

In 2005
3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold announced that Puddle of Mudd drummer Greg Upchurch was joining his group.  3 Doors Down's drummer Daniel Adair had left the band to join Nickelback.

In 2006
Great White tour manager Dan Biechele [[BEEK-lee]] was in a Providence, Rhode Island, Superior Court room to formally accepted an agreement with prosecutors in the criminal case stemming from The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island in February 2003.  In the deal he pled guilty to 100 of the 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter filed against him, and prosecutors dropped the remaining counts he was facing.

Fuel announced in a post on the band's website that frontman Brett Scallions had left the group.

In 2010
The Who was the halftime show performer at Super Bowl 44 in Miami.

In 2012
New releases included Van Halen's "A Different Kind of Truth," their first album with singer David Lee Roth since the mid 1980s