#WhatsHappening for June 25, 2016

It's fabulous.

Hey, hi, howdy ho, kiddios. Hope your week went swimmingly.

Me? I'm accident prone and sickly. I managed to tweak my hamstring yesterday just walking across a room at work, then woke up at 2:59 this morning- coughing, hacking, and wheezing. Oh, and making this weird, gurgling noise when I breathe. I sound like Ted Danson in "Creepshow" after Leslie Neilsen drowned him.

Good thing Magic Mark is on the mic tonight for Saturday Night Karaoke- live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern. The fun starts at 10pm. Be there!

Legendary bluegrass performer Ralph Stanley passed away Thursday after a battle with skin cancer.

Born in Big Spraddle Creek, Virginia, in 1927, Stanley grew up playing and listening to traditional mountain music- joining with his brother Carter to form the Stanley Brothers and their Clinch Mountain Boys and enjoying regional success in the Appalachian Mountains.

After Carter's death in 1966, Ralph took over as front man for the group, leading them to college campuses, Europe and music festivals- including a gig as the first bluegrass band to play at the Newport Folk Festival, in 1959.

Stanley continued to record and tour into his 80s, despite health problems, and was presented a "Living Legend" award by the Library of Congress in 2000.

According to his website, his funeral will be held this Tuesday at the Hills of Home Park. on the Stanley Festival Grounds in Virginia- and the service is open to the public.

A Florida man has been arrested on charges of impersonating Jason Aldean and defrauding a mentally handicapped woman for money and sex.

Law enforcement officials say the man lured the woman with a fake Facebook profile and asked for $2000, of which she paid $230 on two occasions. They say he also went to her home, claiming to be a friend of Aldean's and that the singer was busy on tour, and then told her that he loved her and convinced her to have sex with him. He also told her that the money would be going to a friend of his who needed it. 

A police affidavit shows that Farris admitted to the charges and was using the money to support his prescription pill addiction.

Longtime Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell died on yesterday following a long battle with cancer. 

Worrell joined the group in 1970 and performed with them until 1981, when he left the band and started doing session work with Talking Heads, who he would then tour with until their break up in 1991. Worrell also worked with Keith Richards, Jack Bruce, Fela Kuti, and Mos Def.

Former bandmate Bootsy Collins described Worrell as “the Jimi Hendrix of the keyboards,” while Talking Heads frontman David Byrne said "Bernie changed the way I think about music, and the way I think about life.”

Birthdays today include: Mike Kroeger of Nickelback; Candyman; George Michael; David Paich of Toto; Tim Finn of Crowded House; Allen Lanier of Blue Oyster Cult; Ian McDonald of Foreigner; and Carly Simon. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for June 20, 2016

Hi kids. Hope you've been well the past week. I took a break.

Billboard headline: "Chuck D: It's a 'Disgrace' That Rappers Like Kanye West Make Hip-Hop 'More of a Spectacle'"

NASCAR driver Mike Wallace and his daughter Lindsey assaulted by three men after a Rascal Flatts concert in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Wallace told WSOC that he and his daughter were in the parking lot after the show and he asked the men what they thought of the show. The men became angry and attacked him, knocking him out, and attacked his daughter when she attempted to shield him. Both Wallace and his daughter required hospital care, with him requiring 12 stitches and losing three teeth. He also suffered a concussion.

Wallace addressed the assault in a Facebook post. “I normally would not post personal affairs,” he wrote, “but this is to help and give advice to our friends, do not ever talk to a group of now what appeared to be drunk or drugged up young adult men or women when you’re trying to get in your car to leave the un guarded PNC amphitheater in Charlotte, NC parking lot after a good Rascal Flatts concert. This is what I looked like after I was knocked out and crap beat out of me. The ambulance driver took this picture we were just supposed to have a fun night. I want to thank my family and friends for helping to protect me from a worse beating as I [laid] unconscious on the ground.”

Three men were arrested in connection to the attack. Two of them face charges of misdemeanor simple assault, while the third man was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female.

See? This kind of fucktardery isn't limited to rap concerts. Dumbass doesn't have color boundaries.

Don't forget to join us for Saturday Night Karaoke, returning to the Iron Horse Tavern this week- ready to rock your face off.

A former employee of Madame Tussaud's in London who created a wig for David Bowie's wax figure in in the 1980s has offered up for auction a lock of hair she says belonged to the late singer.

Heritage Auctions says the sale will be held this Saturday as part of an auction in Beverly Hills. Heritage expects the hair (which, as far as I can tell, hasn't actually been authenticated as belonging to Bowie) to fetch at least $4,000.

The Budweiser Made in America Festival will celebrate its fifth year in Philadelphia this Labor Day weekend and tickets go on sale this Wednesday.

I'm puzzled, though- it's called the Made in America festival, but Coldplay is going to headline? (I mean, besides the fact that all their songs are whiny as hell, they're British.)

Other performers include Rihanna, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Chance The Rapper, DJ Khaled, Adventure Club, and more.

Veteran music industry executive Charles Koppelman and lawyer/manager L. Londell McMillan, who both worked with Prince and were appointed to help administer the entertainment assets of his estate told the New York Post they have plans for the artist's legendary vault of unreleased music.

"We’re going to be having a good time," Koppelman told the paper. "There is so much to be done with this estate. There are vaults full of music."

Koppelman added that some of the music could end up in a Broadway or Cirque du Soliel musical. 

"Prince was an icon on the level of The Beatles and Michael Jackson, and his legacy should be honored," but didn't announce specific plans.

Birthdays today include: Twiggy Ramirez of Marilyn Manson; Murphy Karges of Sugar Ray; John Taylor of Duran Duran; former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony; Alan Longmuir of Bay City Rollers; Lionel Richie; Anne Murray; and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for June 14, 2016

Hey ho kids. Happy Flag Day.

Another month, another mass shooting.

Vigils and prayers may soothe your mind, but they do fuck all to solve anything. I don't really have an answer. Will tougher laws do anything? Eh, maybe?

But how many criminals give a frog's fat ass if a law says they can't have a gun? How many mentally unbalanced people with murder on their mind are going to say "nah, never mind" just because they can't go down to Gary's Gun Farm and rustle up an AK? Not many, but does that mean it's not a good idea to try?

I mean, what that getting done? Not a goddamned thing. Mission accomplished, I guess.

Something has to be done. And here's the thing- I own a firearm. I am a staunch defender of the Bill of Rights- each of the amendments.

I haven't heard anyone suggest that responsible gun ownership should be curtailed. The only sort of ban I've heard suggested is on assault style weapons. And I happen to agree with it. I don't think there's any fucking reason that anyone outside of the armed forces or law enforcement needs a high-capacity automatic weapon/slash assault rifle. Go ahead and flame me if you must, but you're not going to convince me otherwise.

You want a shotgun? Fine? A Smith & Wesson .44 revolver? Dandy. A .30-06 hunting rifle? No problem. An Uzi? Are you fucking high? What fucking purpose could you possible have for that?

We have a problem, kids. We need to address it. We have to address it. It's already too late for the 459 people killed in mass shootings since the Columbine shootings in 1999. And that's 459 too many.

In the meantime, my deepest sympathies to those impacted by the shootings Saturday night in Orlando.

#WhatsHappening for June 11, 2016

Join us tonight for all the fun.

Hey ho, kiddios. Hope your week went swimmingly.

A Carver County district judge this week that the special administrator appointed for Prince's estate may employ "entertainment industry experts "to advise and assist" taking " all prudent steps to monetize" the late singer's intellectual property and raising "funds necessary for the administration of the Estate and for the payment of estate taxes". 

The ruling comes after lawyers for for the trust argued that taxes on the estate could be more than half its cash value. If there aren't enough liquid assets to pay those taxes, memorabilia and unreleased songs may have to be sold to pay the bill.

The ruling also specified that the trustee still needs to act in the best interest of the potential heirs. 

Lawyers for the Colorado inmate claiming to be Prince's son asked the judge to hold off on letting the trust- or anyone else- make any kind of arrangements until the questions over Prince's heirs have been settled legally.

Police are investigating after for "The Voice" contestant Christina Grimmie was shot while signing autographs at an after-concert event in Orlando.

Grimmie died earlier this morning from the injuries. The shooter- who was tackled by Ms Grimmie's brother- then shot and killed himself.

"During the struggle, the suspect shot himself. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene," a spokesperson for the Orlando PD said. They also described Ms Grimmie's brother as a "hero" for preventing the attacker "from... hurting anyone else".

Bruce Springsteen's European tour dates of "The River" tour will be released as live albums, according to his web site. One show a week will be available starting June 15, with each one also being broadcast on the Boss' SiriusXM E Street Radio channel. 

The shows will be available as download and three-CD sets. 

Springsteen's solo acoustic performances in support of the Christic Institute at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium from November 1990 will also be released, the web site reported. 

The two-night stand featured the premiere of four then-new songs from the Human Touch album, as well as the premiere of "Red Headed Woman" and "When the Lights Go Out." The shows featured guest spots from Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.

I think it's Bonnaroo weekend. That means endless "stories" about it for the next two weeks from the music news sites. Get your pretentious douchery there.

Birthdays today include: Dan Lavery of Tonic; Joey Santiago of The Pixies; Robert Birch of Stereo MC's; Kim and Kelley Deal of The Breeders; Donnie Van Zandt of 38 Special; Frank Beard of ZZ Top; and Glenn Leonard of The Temptations. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for June 7, 2016

Hey kids. Hope your week is going well. If any of you have a industrial vacuum with an attachment I can use to suck the snot out of my head, I'll be your best friend.

G'damn you, sinuses.

Not a fat Axl meme, but still funny.

Axl Rose doesn't like the "Fat Axl" meme.

TorrentFreak reports that Rose has been sending out DMCA takedown notices requesting the removal of an “unflattering picture” of him. The picture shows Rose during a 2010 show in Winnipeg, Canada.

The notices, issued by Web Sheriff- a U.K.-based anti-piracy company- read “Copyright image of Axl Rose. Please be advised that no permission has been granted to publish the copyright image so we cannot direct you to an authorized example of it.”

To spare myself any legal hassles, I won't post any of them- but damn they're funny.

Nope.

A South Carolina man has joined the list people making claims to a piece of Prince's estate- saying that he is the late singer's adopted son and that Prince did, in fact, leave behind a will.

The man submitted a written statement that says he's certain Prince had a will and that it specified he was to get $7 million, but had not provided any proof. Yesterday, Carver County (MN) District Judge Kevin Eide gave claimants until this Friday to file sworn statements detailing their claims to have a genetic relationship with Prince that would make them heirs.

GaGa's Live Album due out soon.

Sir Elton John said on his Beats 1 Rocket Hour show that he's heard songs from Lady Gaga's upcoming album, but that it likely won't be released before next year. 

“I’ve heard two or three songs from her new record, which she’s making with Mark Ronson, and it’s absolutely brilliant," he said. "So you’re gonna be really happy when you hear that later in the year or early next year."

Birthdays today include: Iggy Azalea; Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction; Eric Kretz of Stone Temple Pilots; Ecstacy of Whodini; Joey Scarbury; and Tom Jones. Today would also be the birthday of the late, great Dean Martin, and Prince. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for June 3, 2016

F-R-I-D-A-Y! Can I get a hell yeah?

Yesterday's announcement by a Minnesota medical examiner that the cause of Prince's death was overdose of fentanyl just makes me sad all over again.

The examiner found that Prince administered the drug himself on an unknown date and that their investigation was complete.

Prince's death was ruled accidental, but authorities stressed that ruling merely signified that it was not intentional and does not preclude a criminal prosecution.

DEA officials in Minneapolis said the agency will continue investigating along with Carver County authorities and the U.S. Attorney's Office. He declined to offer details, but said "rest assured, we will be thorough."

Nile Rodgers and the late Bernard Edwards, his longtime writing partner, are among the artists being inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame at this year's ceremonies. 

Other honorees this year include Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Chip Taylor, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Nick Jonas, and Seymour Stein.

Performer/presenters include the B-52s, Marcus Mumford, Roger McGuinn, Rachel Platten, Sister Sledge, Jussie Smollett and Jon Voight.

Jon Voight? Okay.

The 1.7-acre, seven bedroom, 12 bathroom Las Vegas mansion where Michael Jackson reportedly lived is up for sale for $9.5 million.

Sotheby's International Realty says Jackson and his three children lived at the property dubbed "Thriller Villa", renting the property from 2007 until the singer's 2009 death.

The Rolling Stones have reportedly collaborated with Eric Clapton on their new album, according to a report in yesterday's Sun.

A source told the tabloid that Clapton "was in the next studio along so he came in to say hello. They ended up jamming and recorded two songs. (Producer) Don (Was) reckons it's the best thing he has ever done with the Stones."

A previously unreleased version of 'Brown Sugar' featuring Eric Clapton appeared on a reissue of the band's 'Sticky Fingers' album last year.

Birthdays today include: Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez of No Mercy; Mike Gordon of Phish; Kerry King of Slayer; El DeBarge; Dan Hill; Deniece Williams; Suzi Quatro; and Ian Hunter. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for June 1, 2016

Hey, hi kids. Hope you're well on this stormy Wednesday afternoon (well, that's what we're looking at here at the karaoke compound, anyway).

Billboard headline: "Young Thug Delivers 'Gangster Sh-t': Listen"

Yes, I'm sure the shit part is correct.

CBS Radio won a major victory today in its legal battle with ABS Entertainment, after US District Court Judge Percy Anderson ruled that remastered versions of works recorded before 1972's reworking of copyright laws songs could be copyrighted, and that owners of the originals can't stop the public performance of them.

ABS had argued that pre-1972 songs were protected under state law and can't be broadcast without permission, a tactic that had been successful for others seeking copyright protection. 

CBS argued that their broadcasts were not of the original, analog recordings, but rather remastered versions that came out after 1972 and, therefore, weren't protected by state law, and that they (CBS) shouldn't have to pay for the rights.

ABS (and other owners who joined the suit) retorted that what sound engineers accomplish by tweaking timbre, balance and loudness is "mechanical" and not sufficiently original to be entitled to copyright protection. The plaintiffs further asserted that to accept otherwise would mean owners of sound recordings would enjoy perpetual copyright over works.

Anderson, however, found that CBS' expert witness, Dr. Durand Begault, an acoustic engineer and research scientist specializing in forensic investigation of audio evidence, testimony that the plaintiffs' pre-1972 sound recordings had "undergone sufficient changes during the remastering process to qualify for federal copyright protection," and that ABS hadn't offered sufficient evidence to even make this a contestable point for a jury to decide.

Tampa police are investigating after two people died at Sunset Music Festival last weekend.

A 21 year old Floridian and an 22 year old Australian died after being admitted to St Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. Witnesses claim the two had ingested an "unknown" drug at the festival. 

Hospital officials would not comment on the cause of pair's deaths.

"Absolute Beginners", the 1986 film starring David Bowie and Patsy Kensit will be rereleased on July 25 for its 30th anniversary.

Ray Davies and Sade also appear in the film.

AC/DC has announced the rescheduled U.S. dates of their Rock or Bust Tour with Axl Rose handling vocal duties. 

The dates begin in August- after Guns N' Roses wraps up its Not In This Lifetime tour. 

The Atlanta show will be September 1.

Birthdays today include: Alanis Morissette; Mike Joyce of The Smiths; Simon Gallup of The Cure; Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode; Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn; Graham Russell of Air Supply; Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones; and Pat Boone. #MusicalBirthdays