Rock News: Music's high and low notes

GUNS N' ROSES

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash reportedly wasn't welcome when he tried to check out the band at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas late last month.

MTV News quotes Slash saying he was in Vegas on vacation when he learned that GNR would be playing there in two weeks' time, on New Year's Eve and the two days before. He said he made some calls and got on the guest list for the Dec. 29 show. But he said when the band's people found out, a representative from the band's management company, along with hotel security officers, came to his room and told him to stay away from the show "to spare me the embarrassment of being turned away at the door."

Slash -- who quit the group in 1996 -- said he tried to assure them that he had no ill intentions but to no avail. The prevailing concern, according to the rocker, was that his attendance might "freak Axl (Rose) out" and he was told that no former members of the band would be admitted.

Slash said he ended up going to another casino for the night. The evening wasn't a total loss, though -- he ran into some GNR crewmembers who were old friends and partied with them after the show, he said.

A hotel spokesperson could not confirm nor deny Slash's account.

Guns N' Roses' manager Doug Goldstein told the Los Angeles Times: "We didn't know what his intentions were. If nothing else, it would have been a distraction. Axl was really nervous about these shows. We decided on our own not to take any risk."

OLYMPIC CONCERTS

Free tickets to next month's concerts at Olympic Medals Plaza in Salt Lake City --- featuring such artists as Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters, Train and Creed -- will be distributed starting later this week. One hundred wristbands will be available at each Smith's Tix store in Utah for distribution of 50,000 tickets. Wristbands will be distributed Monday, Wednesday and Friday (beginning at 10 a.m.). Wristband holders will need to return to the Smith'sTix outlet to pick-up their tickets on Thursday, next Monday or Tuesday, Jan. 15 (at 7 a.m.). Each wristband holder will be able to get four tickets to one night at Olympic Medals Plaza.

Ticket Distribution is as follows:

Jan. 10 (wristbands distributed Jan. 7)

-- Dave Matthews Band (2/9)

-- TBA (2/10)

-- Foo Fighters (2/11)

-- Macy Gray (2/12)

-- Barenaked Ladies (2/13)

Jan. 14 (wristbands distributed Jan. 9)

-- Sheryl Crow (2/14)

-- Smash Mouth (2/15)

-- Brooks & Dunn (2/16)

-- Train (2/17)

-- TBA (2/18)

-- Creed (2/19)

Jan. 15 (wristbands distributed Jan. 11)

-- Marc Anthony (2/20)

-- TBA (2/21)

-- TBA (2/22)

-- 'N Sync (2/23)

-- Martina McBride (2/24)

A total of 16 bands will perform for one hour on select nights at the Olympic Medals Plaza, which is open Feb. 9-24. A limited number of tickets will also be available at Olympic venues and Salt Lake City area Hallmark Gold Crown stores, with distribution announced at a later date.

(Web site: saltlake2002.com)

BRITNEY SPEARS

Britney Spears will perform as part of a one-hour TV special next month, organized by the National Basketball Association, to promote literacy. The show -- "The NBA All-Star Read to Achieve Celebration" -- will be carried simultaneously on NBC, TNT, Nickelodeon, BET, NBA.comTV and Canada's Much Music on Feb. 9 (at 11 a.m.), the day before the NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

(Thanks to UPI Hollywood Reporter Pat Nason)

KORN

Korn bass player Fieldy is releasing a solo album this month called "Fieldy's Dream -- Rock n Roll Gangster." The album is described as a mix of Cypress Hill, Afroman and Cheech & Chong.

Korn frontman Jonathan and the Pharcydes's Tre are also featured on the CD.

Meanwhile, Korn are finishing a new album for release this spring with producer Michael Beinhorn.

CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL MUSIC SALES

Sales of contemporary Christian and gospel music albums set a record last year, the Christian Music Trade Association says. The trade group says almost 50 million albums were sold in 2001, a 13.5-percent increase from the year before. Mainstream retail stores accounted for much of the increase, though direct sales and sales over the Internet almost doubled, the association says.

(The above two items thanks to UPI's Mike Cooper in Atlanta)