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PROCURING MURDER CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST AC/DC DRUMMER PHIL RUDD

According to the Stuff.co.nz, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd’s charge of attempting to procure murder has been withdrawn. Rudd, 60, appeared in the Tauranga District Court yesterday, charged with attempting to procure the murder of two men. He was also charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of cannabis and threatening to kill.

Rudd’s lawyer, Paul Mabey QC, said this afternoon the Crown solicitor withdrew the attempting to procure murder charge after a meeting between Mabey and police.

“The decision to charge Mr. Rudd was made by the New Zealand Police without consultation with the Tauranga Crown solicitor,” he said. The Crown solicitor said there was insufficient evidence to justify the charge and has withdrawn the charge, Mabey said.

The Crown solicitor’s office confirmed the charge had been withdrawn. “The charge alleging an attempt to procure murder should never have been laid,” Mabey said.

“The Crown solicitor’s opinion was not sought.”

Mabey said Rudd would defend the threatening to kill charge. He described the drugs possession charges as “minor.”

“Mr Rudd has suffered unnecessary and extremely damaging publicity as a result of widespread and sensational reporting of a very serious allegation, which on any basis was never justified.”

Rudd was released on bail after yesterday’s appearance.

According to the charges laid and now withdrawn by police, Rudd had tried to get two men killed, their names and that of the intended hitman were all suppressed by the judge.

Police were contacted for a response, and said a statement would be issued soon.

source: stuff.co.nz

SINGER GLENN HUGHES SAYS THAT DRUMMER JASON BONHAM IS NO LONGER PART OF CALIFORNIA BREED, HUGHES ISN’T SURE IF THE BAND WILL CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE

Daniel Pavlica of The Rocktologist spoke with singer Glenn Hughes. Excerpts appear below.

The Rocktologist:…is Jason Bonham returning to the band at some point in the future?

Hughes: No, Jason won’t be returning. His other commitments were getting in the way of his California Breed schedule. I have no disrespect for Jason, only tons of love. You know, I’ve known him every since he was a little boy. It’s just that he chose to work with other people when in fact he should be working with California Breed. And, you know, I’m a workaholic. When I’m working on an album or doing tours I give it all, heart and soul. For some reason Jason didn’t want to be part of that. And it’s OK, we’ve moved on.

The Rocktologist: Do you see longevity in California Breed? How do you see the bands progress in future?

Hughes: I’m not sure. You know me well enough to understand that I always keep my fingers in a lot of different things. I’m working on some other stuff which at this moment I can’t talk about. But I want to you know that I’m going to be busy. I always like to do things new and exciting.

The Rocktologist:..I always wondered how you manage to keep your voice in such astounding form, especially when so many of your peers are more or less struggling in that department nowadays.

Hughes: (laughs) You know man, it’s not foolproof but I’ll tell you what it is. You know I don’t smoke, don’t do drugs or drink alcohol. I absolutely need to get 8 hours of sleep at night. Years ago I didn’t do that, I might have been drinking or whatever. I watch what I eat and I run 4 or 5 kilometers every morning. Also breathing is the key ingredient with singing, it’s important to breathe appropriately. You know, I sing a lot of long notes and apparently I have really big lungs, which helps.

Read more at The Rocktologist.

Since Bonham is no longer part of California Breed, Hughes and guitarist Andrew Watt recently chose Joey Castillo (Queens Of The Stone Age) to play drums for the band for the band’s remaining tour dates.

source: therocktologist.com

AC/DC RELEASE STATEMENT REGARDING DRUMMER PHIL RUDD’S ARREST

AC/DC have released the following statement on their Facebook page:

“We’ve only become aware of Phil’s arrest as the news was breaking. We have no further comment. Phil’s absence will not affect the release of our new album Rock or Bust and upcoming tour next year.”

As previously reported, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd had been arrested and charged with attempting to procure a murder, threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. Read more about it here.

AC/DC DRUMMER PHIL RUDD CHARGED IN A MURDER FOR HIRE PLOT

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd allegedly tried to have two men killed.

He appeared in the Tauranga District Court this afternoon, charged with attempting to procure a murder. According to the The Guardian, Rudd was also charged with threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

Rudd, 60, dressed in jeans and a grey sweater, said nothing during his short stint in the dock of the court, before being released on bail.

He entered no plea to the charges and will reappear in court in three weeks.

Media applied for permission to film and photograph Rudd in the dock.

His lawyer Tony Rickard-Simms argued against that saying the media just wanted to get photos of Rudd “at his worst.”

But Judge Bidois allowed filming of Rudd.

One of the alleged victims told Fairfax this afternoon he didn’t want to comment before speaking to his lawyer. He was with his children and not in a position to speak.

Rudd had been in custody since 7am when his house was raided by police.

In releasing Rudd on bail he ordered that he should have no contact with the man he allegedly tried to hire to carry out the murder.

According to the charges laid by police, Rudd had tried to get two men killed between the dates of September 25th and 26th – their names and that of the intended hitman were all suppressed by the judge.

Rudd was driven from court by a blonde woman in a silver Mercedes Kompressor convertible.

He refused to talk to gathered media.

Rudd’s arrest comes after police raided the drummer’s home on the Tauranga waterfront at Matua this morning.

He is also charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of cannabis and threatening to kill.

Michael Browning, AC/DC’s former manager, told the Daily Mail the situation was a “bit of a shock.”

Rudd is the only Australian-born member of the AC/DC band. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the other members of AC/DC.

Rudd moved to New Zealand in 1983 after he was kicked out of the band

He re-joined the band in 1994 and has since been in and out of New Zealand while touring and recording.

He also opened a restaurant in Tauranga which attracted publicity when a group of staff took a case to the Employment Relations Authority.

AC/DC has a new album, Rock or Bust, due out on December 2nd.

The band has sold more than 200 million albums, feature at or near the top of highest grossing tour lists whenever they play live and were the standard bearers for Australian music years before the likes of INXS, Kylie Minogue or 5 Seconds of Summer.

The sound of pub rock, the defining mainstream sound of Australian music in the 1970s and ’80s, could be said to have emerged from the stages, and the studios AC/DC inhabited.

Picture of Phil Rudd in court:

sources: stuff.co.nz. Video: stuff.co.nz

KISS’ PAUL STANLEY DISCUSSES WHY HE DECLINED TO PERFORM WITH ACE FREHLEY AND PETER CRISS AT THE ROCK HALL INDUCTION

In speaking with with KNPR News, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was asked why he declined to perform with fellow original KISS members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley at the band’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in April. His answer has been transcribed by blabbermouth.net and can be read below.

Stanley said, It’s a tough question to answer, but there’s so much involved in it. Firstly, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame wanted nothing to do with us; they begrudgingly let us in. And my sense was that we were going to be a dog-and-pony show. They wanted to have the original guys play in the band, and all of us in makeup, and, quite honestly, I think it would have done the band a disservice. That lineup has not been together for 14 years, and physically, perhaps, wouldn’t have looked that great, and musically, undoubtedly, probably, would have sounded a bit suspect. So, to have people watch it on television and identify that as KISS because there’s four guys in makeup would not send a great signal to the people who are not following the band in its current permutation, or what it is today.”

He continued, “Look, we just did 42 shows and played to 600,000 people in America, and I would hate for those people to turn on a TV show where we were an unwanted guest in the first place and see us strong-armed into doing something that really does a disservice to something that I worked at for 40 years. I never quit the band twice, once, and to dilute what I’ve worked on all these years just to make a committee happy that really was not all that thrilled that we were there in the first place, it sent the wrong message and it endangered something that I hold very dear to me.”

KISS begins their three week Las Vegas residency, Kiss Rocks Vegas, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino today (November 5th).

additional source: blabbermouth.net