Rush [ tickets ] guitarist Alex Lifeson--along with his son and daughter-in-law--have filed a federal lawsuit against three Florida sheriff's deputies, the parent company of the Ritz-Carlton hotel and the hotel's security director. The suit stems from a New Year's Eve 2003 incident in Naples, FL, during which Lifeson and his son scuffled with police.

"I thought I could accept the fact that I was punched in the face so hard it ripped the cartilage from my nose, fracturing the bone and shattering my septum," Lifeson said in part in a lengthy statement issued on Thursday (6/9). "I thought I could accept the incredibly painful nasal surgery and weeks of recovery, and the discomfort I feel every night when I go to sleep. I thought I could accept the fact that I was Tasered six times, twice while lying face down in a growing pool of my own blood, and so severely that it burned bloody holes in my back. I thought I could accept watching my son get electrocuted numerous times as well, and erase the memory of his screams of pain and terror. ... I thought I could accept watching my daughter-in-law, through a crack in the prison door, as tears streamed down her face because she was unlawfully jailed and separated from her two-month-old son. ... What was I thinking?"

In April, Lifeson and his son--who originally were charged with felonies in connection with the incident--pled no contest to a single, misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence, and were sentenced to probation.

According to published reports, Lifeson was accused of spitting blood in a deputy's face and pushing an officer down a stairwell. The incident reportedly began when Lifeson's son jumped onto a stage where a house band was performing, then refused to leave. The resulting multiple-felony charges were reduced after "the prosecution's case began to crumble as the truth emerged and witnesses came forward to expose the behavior of these Collier County Sheriff's Deputies and certain employees of the Ritz-Carlton," according to Lifeson's statement.

"The legal action we are embarking on now will hopefully bring attention to the fact that people cannot and should not be treated this way."

Sammy Hagar [ tickets ] and his band, The Wabos, have released via Apple's iTunes Music Store a remake of the classic Staple Singers hit "I'll Take You There."

Twisted Sister [ tickets ] has announced a June 28 release date for "Live at Wacken - The Reunion," a DVDplus-formatted disc that will feature video and audio captured during the band's Aug. 2, 2003 reunion performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.