plus: Obits. KC and the Sunshine Band. Joey McIntyre. RIAA and OpenNap. Jessica Andrews and Billy Gilman [ tickets ]. Robbie Williams [ tickets ]. Static-X [ tickets ]. Musicians and the women who love them.

In the Sean "Puffy" Combs trial on Thursday (2/23), the rapper began his defense, MTV.com reported. Combs' former personal assistant reportedly testified that he was in a position to see Combs' "exposed torso" on the night in question, and he saw no gun.

The Ohio-born James Gang reunited for a show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Thursday (2/22), the Cleveland Free-Times reported. The band's original lineup--guitarist Joe Walsh (The Eagles), drummer Jim Fox and bassist Dale Peters--are scheduled to play shows on Saturday and Sunday (2/24-25) at Cleveland's Allen Theatre.

Acoustic guitarist John Fahey died at age 61 on Thursday (2/22) following open-heart surgery, the Associated Press reported.

Reid Russell Diamond, bass player for Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, died at age 42 of cancer-related complications on Saturday (2/17), Wall of Sound reported.

Lou Pearlman, the impresario behind Backstreet Boys and 'NSync, has just signed KC and the Sunshine Band to his company, TransContinental, Sonicnet reported.

Former New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre has signed to Q Records, according to a press release. His next album is due this spring.

CNet reported that the Record Industry Association of America has sent out letters of legal complaint to "about 50 U.S. Internet service providers asking them to block access to a shadow Napster system, known as OpenNap, allegedly being run from their networks."

Seventeen-year-old Jessica Andrews and 12-year-old Billy Gilman are planning a joint summer tour, Billboard reported.

An audience member at Robbie Williams' Wednesday (2/21) concert in Stuttgart, Germany, ran onstage and pushed Williams off, ABCNews.com reported. A spokesperson was quoted as saying that Williams was unhurt.

Techno-metal rock band Static-X is wrapping up production of its new CD, "Machine," due for release on Warner Bros. in late spring. The album is the first with new guitarist Tripp Eisen, formerly of Dope, who replaced departed axeman Koichi Fukuda. "Machine" is the follow-up to the band's near platinum debut "Wisconsin Death Trip."

In the meantime, Static-X is sending to stores March 27 "Where the Hell Are We and What Day Is It ... This is Static-X," a DVD that includes three music videos and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of their videos, the band's early days, the recording of "Wisconsin Death Trip" and live performances from its European, U.S. and OzzFest 2000 tours.

The O.C. Weekly's Rebecca Schoenkopf writes that "you can tell a lot about a girl by the rock star she covets":

Drummers, though the butt of all their fellow musicians’ jokes (they are endlessly mocked as grunting cavemen), get wild chicks who look at them and can picture nothing but what that ceaseless, pounding rhythm would be like in the sack.

Bassists get cool, slightly standoffish girls who like them because they (bassists) are confident enough to let the singer get the attention while they (bassists) stand coolly still and smirk at the audience.

I don’t know anyone who goes out with guitarists, though I’m sure there are a bunch.

Singers go out with women who think well enough of themselves to think they would look good in People Magazine. I don’t know too many women who go out with singers: Could they ever love you as much as they love themselves?