#WhatsHappening for July 29, 2016

Friday. I love you.

Don't forget to join Magic Mark tomorrow night for another ass-kickingly fun edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern. The fun runs 10-1. Be there!

So, as I'm combing through the Billboard news headlines, I'm amazed by the lack of actual news they're reporting.
But there sure are a lot of fucking "(Insert dipshit "celebrity" name here)'s Five Favorite (what-the-fuck-evers)" puff pieces.

Prince's family says an official tribute concert honoring him will be held in October in Minneapolis.

I'm still sad.

In a statement to The Associated Press yesterday, the family said the October 13 show will be at U.S. Bank Stadium and performers will be announced gradually. Tickets will go on sale next month.
Prince's brothers and sisters said in a joint statement that they "have been moved by the tremendous love and support of Prince's friends and fans around the world."
"We are excited for the opportunity to bring everyone together for the official family celebration of Prince's life, music and legacy, and there is no better place to do it than his hometown of Minneapolis. We are honored by the artists who will pay tribute and grateful to those that have worked so hard to make this celebration possible."

I see where VH1 Classic will be changing its name to MTV Classic. What I don't see is any mention of them actually playing music videos.
Still, I'm cool with the return of Beavis & Butt-Head and Daria.

Pink Floyd will be releasing a retrospective that will cover their formation and growth with "The Early Years 1965-1972." The massive, 27-disc box set will include unreleased demos, TV appearances and more than 20 unreleased songs.
The set goes on sale November 11, and for those who don't what to shell out what is sure to be a hefty price tag all at once, the individual discs will be released as well.

Birthdays today include: Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men; Chris Gorman of Belly; Martina McBride; John Sykes of Whitesnake; Patty Scialfa (and Mrs. Springsteen) of the E Street Band; Geddy Lee of Rush; Simon Kirke of Bad Company; and Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for July 26, 2016

Hey kids. Hope your week is going swimmingly. I'm on my irregular 3am-noon schedule this week (for a few days anyway), so I'm partly asleep right now.

A guitar owned by Eric Clapton was sold by Heritage Auctions last week, raising $45,000 that will assist in paying the medical bills incurred by the wife of Asleep of the Wheel's Johnny Nicholas' wife's leukemia treatment. Any leftover money will support leukemia research.

The high bid for the 2014 Fender Stratocaster electric guitar was telephoned in by a bidder who wished to remain anonymous, and that the bid was more than twice what was expected.

The guitar was one of two Clapton played last year at his "Slowhand at 70" concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Twelve people were injured when a man blew himself up after being turned away from an open air music festival in Germany.

Bavarian security officials said Monday that it was unknown "if this man planned on suicide or if he had the intention of killing others."

The official added that the man's request for asylum was rejected a year ago, but he was allowed to remain in Germany because of the strife in his native Syria.

Three of the 12 victims suffered serious injuries. The explosion came just two days after a man went on a shooting spree at a Munich mall, killing nine people and leaving dozens wounded.

Coldplay was forced to cut its Chicago concert short last weekend after severe weather struck Soldier Field. Lead singer Chris Martin told the crowd that after checking with officials, the stadium would need to be evacuated.

The band's Twitter account posted earlier that same night that "...Foxes and Alessia Cara will not be performing tonight. We are setting up for Coldplay to go ahead."

Concertgoers were asked to take shelter prior to the start of the show and were allowed to start returning to their seats shortly before the show began.

Willie Nelson and Blackbird Presents teamed up to announce the Outlaw Music Festival early today. 

The September 18 show will feature Nelson & Family, Neil Young + Promise of the Real, and Sheryl Crow as headliners. Supporting performer include The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Lee Ann Womack, and Brothers Osborne. 

Festival tickets go on sale July 29.

Don't forget to join us for Saturday Night Karaoke, once again coming to you live and loud from the Iron Horse Tavern this weekend.

Birthdays today include: Dave Baksh of Sum 41; Headliner of Arrested Development; Gary Cherone of Extreme; Roger Taylor of Queen; and Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for July 22, 2016

It's finally Friday. Fuck yeah.

Don't forget to join us for another kick-ass edition of Saturday Night Karaoke tomorrow night- live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern in Historic Downtown Norcross. The show starts at 10.

The Bowie Baysox will pay tribute the late David Bowie tonight by changing the official pronunciation of their name and wearing jerseys inspired by one the singer's many personas.

A postgame fireworks show set to the singer's songs will also be held. Here's a look at the jerseys.

Add the Rolling Stones to the ranks of artists who don't want to be associated with Donald Trump.

Reports say the band has "continuously" requested that the Trump campaign refrain from using their music, and "have never given permission to the Trump campaign to use their songs. (The band) have requested that they cease all use immediately.”

Britain's Official Charts Company, celebrating its 60th birthday this month, has announced it will honor Sir Paul McCartney with its second Official Record Breaker Award as the most successful album artist of all time in the U.K. McCartney has been in the top spot on the company's charts 22 times with the Beatles and during into his solo career.

“Okay, you know how it really feels? It feels unbelievable, because when you write your songs you don't count how well they're doing,” McCartney said in a statement. “I remember when Please, Please Me went to No. 1, that was our first No. 1 record, and it’s a beautiful feeling to suddenly get this [award], I mean it's amazing.

“So thank you to the people for giving it to me, I love you. And thank you to everyone who made it possible by buying the records, we love you too!"

Birthdays today include: Selena Gomez; Daniel Jones of Savage Garden; Rufus Wainwright; Pat Badger of Extreme; Emily Sailers of Indigo Girls; Keith Sweat; Don Henley; Richard Davies of Supertramp; and the one, the only- George Clinton. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for July 20, 2016

Hi kids. Happy Wednesday. Hope your week has been smooth sailing so far.

We’ve recently updated our songbooks and all of our available selections are included.

As you browse, you might notice that there are some songs that were previously available that were removed. Honestly, this is mostly due to the fact that we’ve been at this for 15 years or so and we’re just tired of hearing the fucking things. If you’re looking for a song that you’re sure you’ve seen available in the past, that’s probably the case.

Other times, there may be a case where we feel that certain songs are inappropriate for the venue and/or audience. In that case, we may deny the request while offering the choice of performing another song. 

In either of these cases- pestering us or whining about it isn’t going to get you anywhere.  (And threatening us is liable to get you arrested.)

As always, we constantly work to keep our selections current- so feel free to make requests for new music. (Also, don’t be surprised if we don’t know the song you’re talking about, because when I listen to the radio, it’s for the ball game or news.)

A few other things to note:

- We don’t allow drinking while you’re singing. Drinks spill, and things get messed up. You really don’t want to buy any of this stuff.

- We only allow one turn per person, per rotation- and duets count as turns- so please turn in one slip at a time. When you are called to do your song, turn in your next slip.

- Don’t be a dick to the people brave enough to get up and sing. I’m better at it than you and I will call you out on it.

- Have fun!

Actor Edward Norton is such a big fan of Radiohead and activism that he’s launched a sweepstakes to win a trip to see the band with him at Madison Square Garden on next Tuesday. All you have to do is donate $10 to Conservation International.

The grand prize is round trip airfare for two to New York City and two nights in a hotel, along with tickets to the band's Moon Shaped Pool tour stop in the Big Apple. The winner will also get to meet Radiohead backstage and receive a signed, limited edition vinyl box set of the new album.

The entry period ends tomorrow at 5 pm.

The 1977 live album "The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl," featuring material from the

band's 1964 and '65 shows will be released next month on CD and digital download for the first time.

The set will act as a companion piece to the new Ron Howard film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years, and will contain four previously unreleased songs and a booklet with an essay by music journalist David Fricke.

I have a copy of the previous release. It's not a particularly good recording, but you can definitely hear the "mania."

More than two dozen works from David Bowie’s private art collection went on preview this morning at Sotheby’s on George Street in London- the first stop in a world tour that will travel on to Los Angeles, New York and Hong Kong before returning to the British capital for a full public exhibition on November 1. Those previews will culminate in an auction held on November 10-11.

More than 200 works from Bowie’s collection of modern and contemporary British art will be represented.

Simon Hucker, senior specialist in modern and post-war British art at Sotheby’s said "it's quite unusual for us to do this with a 20th century art collection. The main exhibit will be on for 10 days, instead of the usual three. Bowie had a huge fan base, and we wanted to make sure as many people can see this as possible.

The Pearl Jam/Soundgarden mashup Temple of the Dog is reissuing its 1991 self-titled album and will embark on their first ever tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

So far, the tour only includes five stops- New York, LA, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and- of course- Seattle. Tickets go on sale July 29.

Headline on nme.com: "The Pains of Being a Justin Bieber Fan."
Wouldn't listening to his songs be the first thing they write about?

Birthdays today include: Vitamin C; Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam; Chris Cornell of Soundgarden; Mick McNeil of Simple Minds; Paul Cook of Sex Pistols; Carlos Santana; Kim Carnes; T.G. Sheppard; and John Lodge of Moody Blues. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for July 17, 2016

When "Pokemon" came to be, I was in my 30s. Not having raised children, I have no reference for them- nor any interest in them.

I think it's great that all the nerdlings get out of their parents' basements and whatnot, but- for fuck's sake- pay attention. I've already read about one dipshit walking out in front of a car, and one walking off a cliff. It's bad enough that people seem to have limited awareness of their surroundings because they're too busy staring at their goddamned phones. Toss in a game, and fuck me.

There had to have been 100 of these kids out Saturday night in downtown Norcross. Great. Except for the ones camped out in the middle of the goddamned sidewalk. Or wandering out in front of cars.

Which brings me to another, separate (yet slightly related) point: Georgia state law says I have to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. That does not mean you can step out into the goddamned crosswalk in front of me (or anyone else). It says in a crosswalk- not near a crosswalk. Or thinking about crossing. Or being too busy staring at a goddamned phone, tablet, or what-the-fuck-ever to notice there's 2,000 plus pounds of fucking metal coming at you.

Garth Brooks played his first show in New York in almost 20 years Friday night- and the first country music show in Yankee Stadium's history.

"I'm always scared to death to come into this town, because I worry that just being myself isn't going to be enough," Brooks told the crowd. "Tell me it's gonna be like this all night long."

Brooks was joined by his wife, Trisha Yearwood, for three songs, and told the crowd to expect new music this fall. 

"Thanks for treating me like one of you," Brooks said as he left the stage. "Let's enjoy our differences and realize they are our strengths.”

Two movies that are getting some pretty heavy promotion right now: Ghostbusters and Suicide Squad.

I've really been digging the movies that are based on comic books (for the most part anyway- pretty much every iteration of Spiderman has sucked, though I do likes me some Emma Stone, and the Fantastic Four movies sure as hell haven't lived up to their names), but Suicide Squad's ads are doing absolutely zip for me. 

And Ghostbusters? Yeah- fuck that. And it has fuck-all to do with me being a misogynist and everything to do with the fact that some movies just do not need to be remade. And shame on Dan Akroyd for whoring himself out in his dipshit cameo. Want to do a sequel? Fine. A remake/remake of a movie that was pretty much pitch perfect already? Fuck that.

Unlike the comic book movies (we've had, what? Three, four Superman and two Batman origin stories?), Ghostbusters exists in a world that was created by the film- not something that's been around, and already rebooted in print countless times, providing countless stories.

Bitch all you want about misogyny. The movie looks terrible, and I won't be seeing it.

Suicide Squad? Yeah, it just looks terrible.

So, that Alec Baldwin marionette in the Amazon commercial- you think that's the one from Team America: World Police?

Also, are we sure that's Missy Elliot? 'Cause it looks a lot like a drag queen I saw walking up Jefferson Street towards Club One back in the 90s.

Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil is being sued by a woman who says he assaulted her in Las Vegas in April. 

The lawsuit alleges "substantial medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress" in the wake of the attack and seeks $75,000 in damages. 

The woman claims she and her son walked past Neil, actor Nicholas Cage and "comedian" (quotes from me- he's not funny) Carrot Top outside the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas, when she told Cage that her son was a big fan. Cage allegedly had Neil in a headlock and "as Mr. Cage let go of Vince Neil and was walking away, Vince Neil attacked (the woman) without warning or provocation. Neil grabbed (her) hair from behind, yanking her down to the pavement on her back." Cage is said to have come to the woman's defense, again putting his companion in a headlock. 

Imagine this being your savior.

The woman said she awakened the next day with  pain in her neck, lower back and buttocks and was diagnosed with a "back sprain or strain; neck sprain or strain and sacral contusion due to physical assault" and was diagnosed with a "fractured coccyx and a severe left hip injury."

Neil was charged with misdemeanor battery by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and is scheduled to appear in court July 27. 

No trial date is set for the suit.

Birthdays today include: Luke Bryan; JC of PM Dawn; Regina Belle; Chet McCracken of the Doobie Brothers; Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath; and Spencer Davis. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatHapening for July 12, 2016

Hey there, boys and girls. Hope you're having a good week so far.

Don't forget to be decent to each other.

Britain's Official Albums Chart launched 60 years ago this month with Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers taking the top spot in the debut version. 

The all time best seller? Queen's 1981 Greatest Hits album, by a long shot. 

The disc has sold more than six million copies in the UK, spent four weeks at number one, and 158 weeks in the top 40. 

The band's second hits collection, Greatest Hits II, checked in at number 10 with nearly four million copies sold. 

ABBA - Gold: Greatest Hits was the second-best seller with over 5 million units sold, followed by the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (the best-selling studio album and the only other release to break the five million mark), Adele's 21, and Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? at number five.

Rounding out the top 10 are Michael Jackson's Thriller, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms, and Jackson's Bad.

A 1977 document that settled a lawsuit between the Beatles and Allen Klein and ended Klein's association with the group is being sold.

Moments in Time says the asking price for the document, which was John Lennon's copy of the settlement, is $95,000.

The suit was filed in 1973 and the settlement was reached in 1977.

Birthdays today include: Gareth Gates of Muse; Tanya Donnelly of Belly; Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms; Alan Duval of UB40; Dan Murphy of Soul Asylum; Sandi Patti; and Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac. #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for July 10, 2016

A week ago the fun was in the full swing, celebrating the birthday of what Abraham Lincoln called a “nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” and in less than a week that celebration has changed to outrage and mourning. And that's fucked.

Because here's a (by no means complete) list of shit that doesn't matter:

• Your race- because that's not an actual thing.
• The color of your skin.
• Who your parents are.
• The color of your skin.
• How much money you have.
• The color of your skin.
• Where you went to school, grew up, or currently live.
• The color of your skin.

Where did things go wrong? How did we turn into a society of self-centered fuckheads?

See, there are over 7 billion of us on this little rock, spinning 1,000 miles per hour on its axis while traveling 66,660 miles per hour around our tiny little star that is moving 45,000 miles per hour around our galaxy that is traveling 483,000 miles per hour around the universe. Mind boggling numbers, right? So why are we letting a handful of assholes ruin everything for the rest of us?

Every group has its good members and their bad ones. The trick is to overpower the bad ones with the good we do, because we have to share this rock for the rest of most of our lives.

If we're the product of four billion years of evolution, it's time to get back to acting like it.  

#WhatsHappening for July 5, 2106

Hey, ho kiddios. Hope you survived the Fourth with all your digits intact.

Billboard headline: 7 Things We Can Expect from Adele's North American Tour

I didn't bother reading it, but I'm pretty sure they have to lead off with "warbling histrionics."

You don't want to know how much.

Fleetwood Mac says its one and only 2016 show ill be at Chavez Ravine for the Dodgers' second annual Blue Diamond Gala.

The band will perform after a ceremony honoring longtime Dodgers' broadcaster Vin Scully, who is retiring at the end of the team's season. Proceeds from the event go towards the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation benefitting underprivileged local communities. 

The Blue Diamond Gala will be held July 28. Tickets are available via sponsorship packages only.

Me, when any Celine Dion song plays.

Another Billboard Headline: Matching Celine Dion's Facial Expressions to Her Songs at Giambattista Valli's Couture Show

The Band Perry canceled their Americana Bayside Welcome Center show in Selbyville, Delaware just before show time Sunday after police said two unidentified men made threatening comments about the group. 

The as-yet unidentified men made the statements to an employee at the venue near the stage, according to police.

Delaware State Police Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said, "due to heightened security concerns and for the safety of the public" the show was canceled.

The show has been rescheduled for August 17. 

Don't forget to join us for Saturday Night Karaoke- rocking your face off at the Iron Horse Tavern this week from 10-1.

Birthdays today include: Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum; Jason Wade of Lifehouse; Bengt Lagerberg of The Cardigans; Marc Cohn; Huey Lewis; Michael Monarch of Steppenwolf; and Robbie Robertson. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for July 1, 2016

Oops. That's all I got. Posting has just pretty much slipped my mind.

It's free, so... whaddaya do? 

Don't forget to join us for a star-spangled edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern tomorrow night. The fun starts at 10pm.

Former N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller's defamation lawsuit over the film Straight Outta Compton will proceed. The judge overseeing the lawsuit says that the movie"arguably portrays Plaintiff as an exploitative record label manager who attempted to take advantage of an unsophisticated artist by discouraging him from retaining an attorney during contract negotiations," according to an opinion released Wednesday.

The judge also wrote that "viewers would not necessarily interpret the manager’s attempts to prevent an unsophisticated artist from hiring an attorney in a favorable or even neutral light. Those attempts go beyond what is normally expected at the negotiation table, and agents who engage in such tactics may well carry a bad reputation in the industry."

The attorney who represented the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe in their copyright infringement lawsuit against Led Zeppelin has been suspended from practicing law.  

An appellate panel yesterday upheld a previously recommended suspension of three months and one day, finding Francis Malofiy had violated "various rules of conduct" in a previous lawsuit.

Last year, a district court panel found Malofiy had tricked another defendant by hiding that their relationship was adversarial in nature, while in 2014, he was ordered to pay pay $28,000 in court costs after being censured.

Any excuse to post this GIF.

In other legal news, the show choir that inspired "Glee" is being sued my Tresona Multimedia for failing to pay licensing fees for the music it uses.

According to the suit, the Burbank Show Choirs has performed 89 hits ranging from Katy Perry's "California Gurls" to Frozen's "Let it Go" that weren't properly licensed.

Tresona issues copyright license to bands, choirs and other organizations on behalf of music publishing companies through its online licensing exchange, and claims it is the only authorized issuer, other than the publishers, for 79 of the songs and has a permissive but non-exclusive right to issue licenses for the other 10. It further claims that Burbank Show Choirs is not one of its customers.

They also claim that the group's leader is aware of the illegality of their actions and have ignored repeated warnings.

It's not bad enough that these assholes "inspired" shit-tons of drunk asshats to screech out "Don't Stop Believin'", but they're stealing, too?

Birthdays today include: Missy Elliott; Roddy Bottum of Faith No More; Evelyn "Champagne" King; Fred Schneider of The B-52's; and Debbie Harry of Blondie. #MusicalBirthdays