Fans of the superstar jam band Phish got a pleasant surprise recently when the Vermont-based act announced that they were ending their two-year “hiatus” and getting back together. They'll start with a four-date minitour, kicked off by a three-set concert this New Year's Eve at New York's Madison Square Garden. The band will then play three nights at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, on January 2, 3, and 4. According to Phish's publicist, “The band plans to schedule additional tour dates later in 2003 and will likely record an album [in the studio] sometime next year as well.”

Many have noticed the essential similarity between the combative Oasis brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher, and a car crash. Now, at least Noel knows the difference. The guitarist-songwriter was recently injured along with bassist Andy Bell and keyboardist Jay Darlington in a downtown Indianapolis taxi accident. Gallagher was sitting in the front seat and suffered heavy facial bruises and seat belt cuts. All three were treated for shock, cuts, and body bruises. The accident occurred when the musicians' cab collided head-on with a car driving in the wrong lane. They were rushed by ambulance to a hospital, treated, and released. Doctors ordered two days rest, and Oasis canceled three shows before returning to the road.

Country maverick Steve Earle has always been a bit of a misfit, and he recently provoked a hailstorm of controversy with his song “John Walker's Blues,” which was written from the point of view of the so-called American Taliban, John Walker Lindh. The song, from Earle's latest disc, Jerusalem, is reminiscent of “The Ballad of Davey Crockett” and features the sounds of Arabic prayers in the background. Many have accused Earle of being unpatriotic, interpreting the song as an endorsement of Lindh's actions. With lyrics like “We came to fight the jihad, our hearts were pure and strong/We filled the air with our prayers and we prayed for our martyrdom,” it's easy to see how some might get that impression. Defenders of Earle, however, argue that he was simply using the device of writing from another person's point of view. On his Web site (www.steveearle.com) Earle says this about Lindh: “I don't condone what he did. Still, he's a 20-year-old kid … I'm trying to make clear that wherever he got to, he didn't arrive there in a vacuum.”

Marilyn Manson has parted ways with longtime collaborator Twiggy Ramirez. According to a statement by Manson, the bassist and songwriter (who had been part of the Manson clan since 1994) was fired in late May because he wasn't vibing with the shock-rocker's new musical direction. “Unfortunately, I feel that Marilyn Manson, as a lifestyle, is not where his heart is at,” the singer wrote. “So I have decided to let him go his own way, otherwise it wouldn't be fair to us, the music, or especially the fans.” Ex-KMFDM member Tim Skold will replace Ramirez on Manson's next album, The Golden Age of Grotesque. Skold will also produce the disc, described by Manson as “an unstoppable juggernaut” of electro-violence based in part on the writings of the Marquis de Sade. “Although you can never replace a best friend like Twiggy,” Manson philosophizes, “this album and new lineup will redefine anyone's idea of what Marilyn Manson is capable of.”

Fender Musical Instruments has agreed to take over the development, production, marketing, and distribution of Gretsch stringed-instrument products, including guitars and basses. According to a statement from Fender, “Development of future new products, including Gretsch branded amplifiers, is also expected.” The agreement between the two companies will take effect in January 2003.

Although it has ceded operational control to Fender, the Gretsch family will retain its ownership of the product lines that are covered in the agreement. (Gretsch's drum line is not part of the deal.) “These are very thrilling times for both Fender and Gretsch,“ said Fender chairman and CEO Bill Shultz. “We are very much looking forward to working on expanding Gretsch's reach around the world.”

Francis “Rocco” Prestia, the influential bassist and founding member of Tower of Power (which was profiled in “Soul Survivors” in the May/June 2002 issue of Onstage), is recovering from an emergency liver transplant that he received at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills on July 23, 2002. Prestia's health has been a serious concern this year, and it forced him to take an indefinite hiatus from TOP's busy touring and recording schedule. His recovery is expected to take between 9 and 12 months. The resulting medical bills have exceeded Prestia's insurance coverage and his ability to pay. TOP fans responded by launching a $300,000 fund-raising campaign on Prestia's behalf, and all donations are welcome. Information is available at www.francisroccoprestia.com. Checks and money orders made payable to the Rocco Prestia Medical Fund may be sent to Trustee, Rocco Prestia Medical Fund, 772 East McKenzie Road, Greenfield, IN 46140-1125.

Michael Houser, 40. A guitarist and founding member of the blues-influenced jam band Widespread Panic, Houser died of pancreatic cancer on August 11 in Athens, Georgia. He had been forced to stop touring with the band earlier in the summer because of his battle with the disease.

Dave Williams, 30. The body of the vocalist and frontman for Drowning Pool was discovered on the band's tour bus in Manassas, Virginia, on August 14. At press time, an autopsy had proved inconclusive and officials were awaiting the results of toxicology reports before determining the cause of death.

Lionel Hampton, 94. The legendary pioneer of jazz vibraphone succumbed to heart failure on August 31. Hampton began playing professionally in the 1920s and got his big break in 1936 when he was asked to become a member of the Benny Goodman Quartet (which also included Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa). Hampton spent many years playing with Goodman before forming his own orchestra in 1940, which he maintained into the 1960s. Over the course of a career that spanned seven decades, Hampton played and recorded with many of the greatest names in the history of jazz.