Ex-Pumpkin D'Arcy charged with crack possession. According to Live Daily, D'Arcy Wretzky, former Smashing Pumpkins bassist, was arrested in Chicago on January 25 for allegedly buying three bags of crack cocaine. Wretzky, who recently left the Pumpkins to pursue an acting career, will appear in court on February 14.

BUSH rocks against fascism. At a February 4 concert in Austria, Bush singer Gavin Rossdale performed a Jewish prayer in protest of the new right-wing government elected to power in that country. Rossdale told NME, "I don't want to try and be like fucking standing on a podium like I'm a political leader but it couldn't go unnoticed."

VERVE singer's solo debut. Verve singer Richard Ashcroft is scheduled to release his first solo effort this June, with a single entitled, "A Song for the Lovers," slated for release in late March. A spokesperson calls Ashcroft's sound "heavy, beautiful, layered music," along the lines of the Verve's famed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" style, according to Sonic Net / Addicted to Noise.

Compiled by Glennie Rabin
News Editor