In a move to regain control of Nirvana's master recordings, Courtney Love has filed suit in late September in Los Angeles Superior Court against Universal Records, and Nirvana's surviving members, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, alleging that when Geffen Records (who Nirvana signed to in 1991) was acquired by Vivendi Universal back in the late '90s, the band's contract with the label became null and void.

A spokesperson for Love said that Novoselic and Grohl were named for "technical and legal reasons" because they didn't join Love in the suit. Love is also asking for $3.1 million in royalties she says Universal Music Group unlawfully withheld.

Back in June, Love filed a lawsuit to dissolve Nirvana LLC, the partnership she entered with Novoselic and Grohl in 1994 which splits the rights to the band's music among all the three. Love claims that the LLC was formed "when I was stoned, so I had to remove the LLC, which I'm in the process of doing and will succeed at," and has further downplayed Novoselic and Grohl's contributions to the band, stating that Nirvana was more of a solo project of her late husband Kurt Cobain than a band with equally contributing members.

If that wasn't enough for you, a Washington State Superior Court judge granted an injunction on Love's behalf in the June lawsuit against the release of "You Know You're Right," a song recorded by Cobain in 1994 before his suicide. Novoselic and Grohl wanted to include the song in the 45-song boxset that was supposed to be released in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Nevermind, but Love claims that the track isn't necessary to the box set's success.

And to mangle things further and completely ensure no stone has been left unturned here, UMG gave notice to the three that Nirvana is in breach of contract for having failed to deliver the box set by its June deadline.

Tune in next month where we find out if Courtney sues Satan for not giving her a better return on her soul, claiming that she was duped into believing that selling it to the Lord of Darkness would ensure "power and riches beyond imagination." Said Love: "[I sold my soul to the devil] when I was stoned, so I had to remove [Satan], which I'm in the process of doing and will succeed at."

RIAA Sues Peer-to-Peer Services

In other lawsuit happy corners of the music world, in its ongoing efforts to crush, pulverize, jump up and down on, and give a massive wedgie to anything it doesn't like, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed suit recently against Morphius, Kazaa, and Grokster, three peer-to-peer file download services.

The three companies (based in Nashville, Amsterdam, and the West Indies, respectively) use FastTrack, a technology similar to Gnutella created by Kazaa's owners Consumer Empowerment BV, which allows users to swap files directly with one another without having to go through a centralized server, which was how Napster functioned. You remember Napster, don't you?

The RIAA, who is joined in the lawsuit by The Motion Picture Association of America, accuses the three file swapping services of profiting by the trading of copyrighted music and movies. Profiting not by selling files (the files are traded and downloaded for free between users), but by selling advertising associated with the sharing and downloading of files.

Said RIAA president Hilary Rosen: "We cannot sit idly by while these services continue to operate illegally, especially at a time when new legitimate services are being launched." Rosen, of course, is referring to MusicNet and Pressplay, two subscription download services supported by each of the Big Five, who, in effect, own Rosen and the RIAA. "Sit, Hillary, sit! Now roll over!" Ruff, ruff.

Tune in to eP next month when the RIAA goes after Morphinium, Kazoo, and GrokGrok, three other decentralized file swapping services; and the month after that when they go after Mortiis, Kajagoogoo, and Grotus, three bands that they mistook for decentralized file swapping services. Said Rosen: "I was stoned, so I had to remove [them], which I'm in the process of doing and will succeed at."

Seattle City Cuts Vera Project Funding

Proving that, in more ways than one, Seattle resembles the movie Footloose, with a resounding wha-thunk outgoing mayor Paul Schell gave the axe to city funding of The Vera Project, Seattle's first youth-oriented, volunteer run, music and arts venue. Even though the mayor supported nearly $100 million in funding for a new city hall and aquarium ($73 and $23 million respectively), the $125,000 in funding needed to keep The Vera Project in new clothes for the next year got denied, claiming that the funding cut was due to a recession.

In a city that's notorious for being heavy handed when it comes to allowing teenagers the simple right to congregate and express themselves (it's a little freaky when you know people half-a-world away who've heard of Seattle's draconian Teen Dance Ordinance), The Vera Project, which was launched earlier this year with a $25,000 grant from the city, has been an outstanding model in how an arts-oriented venue run by and for teenagers can succeed, both for itself and for the community at large. The venue has hosted countless different musical acts, as well as a number of diverse public forums. All to teeming audiences; and all without incident.

Apparently Schell--who is the first incumbent Seattle mayor in decades not to make it through the primary elections, and who brought you such fun-loving family events as the WTO and this year's Mardis Gras Riots (rumor has it he's also in line to be responsible for the February 28th's earthquake)--wasn't thinking in terms of its success. Apparently, he wasn't thinking at all. Said Schell: "I was stoned, so I had to remove [The Vera Project], which I'm in the process of doing and will succeed at."

Flea Opens Music Conservatory

Finally, in happier music news involving kids, Flea (born Michael Balzary) announced that he soon would be opening the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in a former thrift shop located on L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard. The loveable bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers reportedly has built an eight room studio with enough space to accommodate 20 teachers, who will rent it as instruction space, and whose vision is to create "a diversity of individuals, curriculums, approaches and personalities."

"I would want to teach a kid Germs songs as much as I would want to teach them Bartok or Haydn. "When I was a kid I played in symphony orchestras and I played punk rock, and it's just as valid to me," says Flea "As our culture becomes more and more fast-food, and more and more media becomes big brother, [kids are] less likely to seek out their own individual way of being, artistically. I'm hoping to have this place expose kids to music and hopefully inspire them to do cool stuff."

Flea also added: "I was stoned, so I had to [do it], which I'm in the process of doing and will succeed at."

Anthrax by Any Other Name

Anthrax by any other name is still the band Anthrax. Even though in light of recent bioterrorist attacks involving the bio-nasty anthrax, our favorite metal-nasty band Anthrax will not be changing their name to Bag Full of Puppies. In a poll on the band's site, 92 percent of the 3,500 participants voted "Fuck no! Anthrax should keep their name!" with only eight percent protesting "Yes. In fact, they should have changed their name years ago!"

Said the band in a statement posted on their website: "Before the tragedy of September 11th the only thing scary about Anthrax was our bad hair in the '80s and the Fistful of Metal album cover. Most people associated the name Anthrax with the band, not the germ. Now in the wake of those events, our name symbolizes fear, paranoia and death. Suddenly our name is not so cool. To be associated with these things we are against is a strange and stressful situation. To us, and to millions of people, it is just a name. We don't want to change the name of the band, not because it would be a pain in the ass, but because we hope that no further negative events will happen and it won't be necessary. We hope and pray that this problem goes away quietly and we all grow old and fat together."

The band, while taking the situation regarding their name in tongue-in-cheek, does indeed take the events of and following September 11 seriously enough to participate--along with Twisted Sister, Sebastian Bach, and Ace Frehley--in a benefit concert for New York's firefighters, scheduled November 28th at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

As of press time, there was no word if Biohazard were considering a name change as well. (That's a joke.)

Dylan Detained at Own Concert

Speaking of recent events and concerts, Bob Dylan was held by security at a Medford, Oregon, venue he was scheduled to play. Having no official credentials to get backstage, venue security, under strict orders from Dylan's own security director not to let anyone in without credentials, refused to let Dylan through. A brief scene erupted until Dylan's security directory came over, identified the aging icon, and insisted (along with Dylan) that the security men involved be fired.

Venue manager Chris Borovansky said that he was unsure if the guards recognized Dylan. "If it was George Strait, they probably would have recognized him."

Snoop Dogg Busted

Snoop Dogg (real name Calvin Brodus) was arrested by Ohio state patrol officers and charged with possession of marijuana (a misdemeanor) after cops claimed to smell "burnt marijuana" after pulling over the rapper's tour bus as it headed down Interstate 90 near Amherst. With a drug sniffing in tow, officers found about 200 grams or pot (that's about two pounds, kids) and arrested Brodus, who was later released.

Snoop Dogg? Pot? Together? No...

Doobie Brother Department of Defense Advisor

Speaking of doobs, didja know that Doobie Brothers Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is working for the Defense department as an advisor to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, and apparently has served as a top military advisor for numerous politicians? Neither did I. But hey, it's not like I'm a fan or anything. Apparently, the guitarist has long had a fetish for technical weapons texts and defense manuals, and is so well versed on weapons technology, that he is a highly respected and sought after advisor in Washington. "He has a better understanding of the strategic game going on than I do, and I'm on the International Relations Committee," says Republican California congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

Baxter, who has always been a technology enthusiast and in the past has been a technical advisor for musical manufacturers like Roland and Akai, said his progression from the technology in music to technology in the military was a "natural progression."

"Technology is really neutral, it's just a question of application. For instance, if TRW came up with a new data compression algorithms for their spy satellites, I could use that same information and apply it for a musical instrument or a hard disc recording unit."

R.I.P. Rob Mitchell

And speaking of technology enthusiasts, Earpollution is sad to report the death of Warp Records co-founder Rob Mitchell, who passed away on October 8th after a long battle with cancer. Mitchell, who was widely hailed as an innovator in minimalism, helped launched the careers of Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen, and numerous others, through Warp. Rest In Peace.

Mission of Burma to Reunite

Art punkers Mission of Burma, who have not performed together since 1983, have quietly announced that they're reforming for two shows this coming January: on the 12th of January at New York's Irving Plaza, and on January 18th in Boston at the Avalon Night Club.

If you know nothing about Mission of Burma, or just maybe have only heard in passing that they were one of the most important bands in the last 20 years, head out now to your nearest independent record store and pick up Rykodisc's remastered three disc re-release of the band's entire Ace of Hearts Records catalog. You can thank me later. And if you have only one quest in this life, get yourself to one of these two shows. And take earplugs--several pair, even.

-Craig Young
Editor, Earpollution