#WhatsHappening for March 31, 2017

Hi, ho kids- hope you've all had a good week. If you're anything like me, though- you're damned glad it's over!

Don't forget to join us tomorrow night for our first ever Saturday Night Karaoke $1000 Edition. Magic Mark will be spinning the tunes and rocking the room for you from 10pm-1am, plus he'll have $1000 bills to hand out to our singers. You don't want to miss it.

Sign O' The Times was released 30 years ago today. While Purple Rain may have represented Prince's most famous accomplishment, Sign O' The Times- to me- shows him at the absolute pinnacle of his musical genius. 

That's not to say Prince didn't put out some great music after this 1987 opus, but I don't think a you could find a stronger two-disc set of original music since- by anyone. To me, Sign O' The Times rivals The Beatles in terms of creativity, power, and sheer talent on display. 

Damn, he's missed.

"I vote fer that blonde one- he's got a purdy mouth."

Because boy bands aren't bad enough, ABC is giving me another reason to hate them- announcing a 10-episode series order to Boy Band, "a reality competition where hopeful singers compete with one another to join a musical group," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Viewers will have the control to vote for their favorite five band members live. No judges or hosts have been announced for the show, which premieres this summer.

Gorillaz has announced that they're ready to "Rock The House" with their first North American show in seven years at the Quebec City Summer Festival. No word on whether there will be additional dates, as the band's only other announced performance is their at their Demon Dayz Festival in England.

"We have the meats" has a whole new meaning.

Okay, I think most of the Arby's commercials are pretty stupid, but the one with Holding Out For A Hero where Ving Rhames says "gyro" over it makes me giggle.

BMI has announced that Barry Manilow will be honored with the BMI Icon award at their 65th annual Pop Awards on May 9.

The GRAMMY, Emmy, and Tony Award winner will be recognized for "his prodigious musical legacy and an unparalleled career encompassing the worlds of Broadway, Film, TV, and popular culture."

"Barry Manilow is a visionary whose exceptional body of work has shaped the course of popular music for over five decades," said BMI VP Barbara Cane.

"He has left a lasting imprint on every aspect of music, influenced the careers of his contemporaries, and touched the lives of many with his unique gift of artistry. His musical brilliance defies genre expectations and I cannot think of a more deserving recipient."

Except he didn't write I Write The Songs. That's just funny.

Birthdays today include: Robert Holmes of 'til tuesday; Pat McGlynn of Bay City Rollers; Angus Young of AC/DC; Sean Hopper of Huey Lewis & The News; Al Goodman of Ray, Goodman & Brown; Herb Alpert; and Shirley Jones. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 28, 2017

Hey, kids- hope all is well.

Coming up this weekend, it's the first-ever Saturday Night Karaoke: $1000 Edition, coming up this weekend at The Iron Horse Tavern. We run 10pm-1am, each and every week. Don't miss it!

This is so damned funny, I had to share it again. From Mental Floss, it's A Scientific Explanation for Why Everyone Hates Nickelback. 

Except Lea.

Either something just exploded in the karaoke compound's neighborhood or there's a storm coming.

Once again proving that death is good for sales, Chuck Berry is back on the Billboard album charts for the first time in 40 years after his death on March 18th, re-entering the top 50 at number 33 with his greatest hits compilation, The Definitive Collection.

It's Berry’s highest-charting album since 1972's The London Chuck Berry Sessions.

Hip-hop promoter Raheem Thomas was charged on Monday with assault after pistol-whipping a bystander during an altercation that included a shooting involving Fetty Wap early Sunday morning. 

The shooting happened outside a 24-hour deli in Paterson. Names of the victims weren't released.

Thomas was also charged with weapons offenses, but was not charged in the shooting.

The BBC reports that Clem Curtis, original lead singer for The Foundations, died yesterday.

The Trinidad-born Curtis joined the band in 1967, and sang on the group's breakout hit Baby Now That I've Found You, as well as Back on My Feet Again, and Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad). He left the band in 1968 and rejoin them in the mid-70s. 

No cause of death was given. Curtis was 76.

Stereogum reports that Adele told the crowd in Auckland, New Zealand last night the at the show- the last stop on her 25 tour- might be the end of her touring.

Between songs, the singer is reported to have said, "Touring isn’t something I’m good at… Applause makes me feel a bit vulnerable. I don’t know if I will ever tour again. The only reason I’ve toured is you. I’m not sure if touring is my bag."

I feel the same way about her singing: Not my bag.

NME reports that Queens Of The Stone Age have reportedly "just finished" work on their new album and the band is gearing up to hit the road a short tour this summer. 

The band has reportedly been working the on the follow-up to 2013’s …Like Clockwork for some time– and say they "locked in" to finish work on the record last summer with a release date of this year. 

One person in this picture won't be attending.

New Power Generation, former backing band for Prince, has added their name to the supporting cast list for for Phil Collins‘ upcoming show at London’s British Summer Time in Hyde Park.

The band worked Prince on 1991’s Diamonds and Pearls and 1992’s Love Symbol Album, and toured as his backup band until 2013, when Prince began focusing on working with 3RDEYEGIRL.

Other acts scheduled to perform at the show include KC and the Sunshine Band, Chas and Dave, Cats in Space, Blondie, Mike + The Mechanics, and Starsailor.

Birthdays today include:  Lady Gaga (who was born the same year I graduated high school- fuck, I'm old); Dave Keuning of The Killers; Cheryl James of Salt n' Pepa; James Atkins of EMF; Steve Turner of Mudhoney; Reba McEntire; Milan Williams of the Commodorers; John Evans of Jethro Tull, and Chuck Portz of the Turtles. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 23, 2017

Hey kids- what's shaking?

TMZ is reporting that former Boston drummer Sib Hashian has died.
Hashian's son told them that the rocker collapsed during a performance during the Legends of Rock Cruise.
Hashian joined Boston in 1975 and played with them for 10 years before leaving during recording for Third Stage. He was 67. 

Ms. Ryan wore it better.

The more I see the commercial for Ghost In The Shell, the less interested I am in seeing it. 

I mean, I wasn't interested in it to start with, but- you know...

I'll give Ms. Johansson this, though- that's a nice outfit. 

Ooh, ooh... something else I give less than a fuck about? Basketball. At any level. And just think- 16 weeks of NBA playoffs are right around the corner.
Yee-fucking-haw.

I swear, reading through the headlines on Billboard, I'm not sure if I'm seeing artists' names or the headline writer is having a fucking stroke...

Conservative estimates say Chuck Berry left behind an estate worth an estimated $50 million dollars.
How do you figure before one of the heirs sues?

London won't be getting a David Bowie Memorial lighting bolt after all.
The crowd-funding campaign to raise money to erect the "ZiggyZag" sculpture near the rock icon's birthplace has ended after raising just £50,000 of the estimated £900,000 needed to complete the project.
Organizers say they still hope to create an some sort of monument.
"We are still determined to celebrate David Bowie, in Brixton, with a challenging and appropriate piece of public art. We’re just going to have to approach the fundraising in a different way," said a statement on the Crowd Funder campaign page.
"Along the way, we’ve learned a hell of a lot. And we’ll be able to plough that learning back into the project, and return with a ZiggyZag #2 that’s even better (and hopefully a bit cheaper).... If someone had told us a year ago that we’d raise 50 grand from nearly 700 wonderful people in just three weeks we wouldn’t have believed it possible. Thank you from the bottom of our Bowie-obsessed hearts for supporting us."

Birthdays today include: Beverly Knight; Damon Albarn of Blur; John Stohm of The Lemonheads; Marti Pellow of Wet Wet Wet; Chaka Khan; Ric Ocasek of the Cars; 

#WhatsHappening for March 21, 2017

Good Tuesday morning, kids. 

I'm home with the flu, or sinus issues, or a cold- some kind of creeping crud that just won't seem to hit the bricks.

So far this morning, I've watched The Wicker Tree- the sequel to the "cult favorite" movie The Wicker Man (which I also sat through, going "huh?" And I mean the original, with Edward Woodward and Sir Christopher Lee- not the Nic Cage remake, which I knew would be pointless), and (so far) two episodes of Married... With Children. 

I loved that show. Mostly. The episodes where Cheech Marin voiced Buck were kind of lame- as was the season where they had the cousin's kid. He was like the Cousin Oliver of the show. I hate that I know that reference. Anyway...

The family of the late Chuck Berry released a statement on Facebook yesterday saying that details of the legend's final album will be released this week. 

"Working to prepare the release of this record in recent months and in fact over the last several years brought Chuck a great sense of joy and satisfaction. While our hearts are very heavy at this time, we know that Chuck had no greater wish than to see this album released to the world, and we know of no better way to celebrate and remember his 90 years of life than through his music.

For months now plans have been in place, and preparations have been made with our friends at Dualtone Records, to reveal further details and music from the album this week. As a tribute to Chuck Berry, and with gratitude to his fans around the world, we will be following through on those plans in the coming days."

The news that Berry would be recording a new set after a four-decade hiatus last October 18- Barry's 90th birthday. CHUCK will feature "mostly original songs."

Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull are hitting the road together again- kicking a North American tour on June 3 at Chicago’s AllState Arena.

The opening act for the 16 city tour will be the boy band CNCO from the Univision reality show La Banda.

Tickets go on sale Friday and the tour will play the Infinite Energy Center on June 25.

Kim Campbell, wife of Glen Campbell, says the country legend has lost his ability to play guitar to Alzheimer's.

Kim Campbell tells The Tennessean that her husband continues to sing, although the words are gibberish and "it's not a melody that we recognize, but you can tell that it's a happy song and he has a song in his heart," so that brings her great comfort. She said he also occasionally breaks into a solo air guitar routine, which she says is "kind of fun."

Sadly for Campbell's family, those moments are about the best they're ever going to be able to hope for. Having lost my mother to Alzheimer's, Campbell's story hits close to home. I hope he is, at the very least, comfortable.

NME Headline: Katy Perry on ‘I Kissed A Girl’: ‘Truth be told, I did more than that’

And millions of men and women need a moment to collect themselves.

I mean, she's definitely pretty, but... Russel Brand. I can't get past that. 'Cause, you know, I have a shot...

Despite the rumors, it now appears that Diana Ross is unlikely to play the "legends" slot for Glastonbury 2017.

Ross is scheduled to play the Ziff Ballet Opera House on the same day the festival closes- making her appearance unlikely since the venues are separated by some 4300 miles. 

In the wake of that announcement, rumors began to circulate that Phil Collins, Barry Gibb, or The Eagles might close the show instead (though Don Henley said more than once that there were no Eagles without Glenn Frey). 

Nile Rodgers confirmed yesterday that he'd be performing at the festival, while Ed Sheeran was recently announced as the third headliner, joining Radiohead and Foo Fighters as the Pyramid Stage acts. 

Other rumored performers include Depeche Mode, Liam Gallagher, and Lady Gaga. The full line up will be announced later this month.

Birthdays today include: MC Maxim of Prodigy; Andrew Copeland of Sister Hazel; Jonas Berggren of Ace Of Base; Sean Dickson of Soup Dragons; Conrad Lozano of Los Lobos; Russell Thompkins, Jr.; Roger Hodgson of Supertramp; Eddie Money; and Rosemary Stone of Sly & The Family Stone. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 19, 2017

Good Sunday morning, kids. Hope the weekend is treating you well.

Don't forget to join us this afternoon in support of the St. Baldrick's Foundation. We'll be hosting the festivities as 21 brave souls get their heads shaved to raise money to help find a cure for childhood cancer.

Last year, we manage to auction off Jon's hair for $400- I'm hoping to top that total this year. There will also be a silent auction and other goodies all afternoon, so don't miss it.

The big news, of course, is the passing of Chuck Berry. The legendary rocker died yesterday at his home in St. Charles County, Missouri.

One of the creators of rock and roll, Berry's career spanned 60 plus years and included chart toppers, White House performances, Grammy awards, and what will eventually be an intergalactic audience with the inclusion of his classic Johnny B. Goode on Voyager's "golden record."

Berry signed with Chess records in 1955 and released his first single that same year. Maybellene, an adaption of the Bob Wills song Ida Red, sold more than a million copies and reached #5 on the pop charts, allowing Berry to build crossover appeal beyond the R&B audience.

"Everything I wrote about wasn’t about me but (was about) the people listening," Berry said, referring to the teenagers of the time who were drawn to his song.

Berry was born as Charles Edward Anderson on October 18, 1926 and grew up in St. Louis. He married Themetta Suggs in 1948 and the two remained together until his death. They had four children.

A statement on Berry's Facebook page yesterday said "We are deeply saddened to announce that Chuck Berry - beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather - passed away at his home today at the age of 90. Though his health had deteriorated recently, he spent his last days at home surrounded by the love of his family and friends. The Berry family asks that you respect their privacy during this difficult time."

Hail, hail rock'n'roll. deliver me from the days of old.

Long live rock'n'roll. The beat of the drum is loud and bold.

Rock, rock, rock'n'roll. The feelin' is there body and soul.

Tributes from the music world began to pour in immediately after the announcement.
Keith Richards called Berry "the epitome of rhythm and blues playing, rock ’n’ roll playing. It was beautiful and effortless, and his timing was perfection. He is rhythm supreme. He plays that lovely double-string stuff, which I got down a long time ago but I’m still getting the hang of. Later I realized why he played that way- because of the sheer physical size of the guy. I mean, he makes one of those big Gibsons look like a ukulele!"

Bruce Springsteen- whose E-Street Band backed Berry for his induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame- said "Chuck Berry was rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived."

The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, whose band based Surfing U.S.A. on Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen,  said "I am so sad to hear about Chuck Berry passing - a big inspiration! He will be missed by everyone who loves Rock 'n Roll. Love & Mercy."

Mick Jagger said "I am so sad to hear of Chuck Berry's passing. I want to thank him for all the inspirational music he gave to us... He lit up our teenage years, and blew life into our dreams of being musicians and performers... His lyrics shone above others & threw a strange light on the American dream. Chuck you were amazing & your music is engraved inside us forever."

In 2012, Berry told Rolling Stone that "my singing days have passed. My voice is gone. My throat is worn. And my lungs are going fast. I think that explains it." Though Berry continued to perform, his shows featured little more than his trusty Gibson and hastily assembled back-up bands.

Berry had recently finished work on what was to be his first new album in almost 40 years- Chuck- that was scheduled to be released this year. Berry was 90.

Before we get to the birthdays of the big names, I'd like to say happy birthday to Mark, who handles karaoke for me so I can have a day off now and then. And also apologize for calling him in on the night before his birthday! Hope you guys treated him nice!
Birthdays today include: Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big; Derek Longmuir of Bay City Rollers; Paul Atkinson of The Zombies; and Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 14, 2017

Hey, hey- kids. Hope you're well. And warm. It's a tad chilly here at the karaoke compound, though the sun was out earlier. We actually have a wind advisory, a freeze warning, and a pollen alert in effect.

The weather, she's-a confused!

Basically it means don't fuck with me.

St. Patrick's Day is almost here. Time to dig out your green shirt and pretend to be Irish. Or, if you're actually Irish. Or your orange, if you're a Protestant. My great-grandfather on my mom's side was from Ireland- an Connell (or O'Connell, I can't remember).

According to my mom, he made money in the lumber business and disowned my grandmother for "marrying beneath her station." Yep.

I'm also part Dane and part Scot. Not sure about the other 1/4. 

Winter storm Stella has caused cancellations and chaos throughout the northeast- resulting in the school closings, blizzard warnings, and states of emergency in Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

There have also been myriad concert cancellations and postponements- with the list growing as the day has progressed. Here's list of gigs that aren't happening today; 

In Boston, Il Divo's show has been called off- as well as a show from SMLE WRLD. Moose Blood's show at the Paradise Rock Club has been postponed until July 26, while Tennis pushed bad their show at The Sinclair in Cambridge from tonight to tomorrow night.

In Philadelphia, The Interrupters and Hub City Stompers' show at the Underground Arts in was canceled. Will Hoge's at the World Cafe Live-Downstairs was postponed.

In New York, cancelled shows included gigs from the Akiko Yano Trio with Will Lee and Chris Parker, Swallow the Sun, Winter Nights and DJ Alex Kayne, two Tuesday shows by guitarist Bill Frisell's Quartet, Secondhand Serenade.

Sting, however, told the storm to piss off- his show at the Bowery Ballroom is will go on as planned, and Barclays Center says that- for now- all scheduled events this week are expected to go on.

New York's travel ban also led to Chicago postponing their scheduled show at The Palace Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut. That show was rescheduled for September 28.

Argentinian promoters are facing investigation after two people died and 11 were injured during a concert by El Indio Solari.  Officials say 400,000 people- more than double the estimated crowd- turned out to see Solari, who has Parkinson’s disease- in what could have been his final concert. 

"La Colmena (where the concert took place) is similar to a horse racing track or autodrome: you can walk 300 or 600 feet from the back of the venue and still feel that the stage is very far away," say Billboard Argentina's Agustín Vázquez- but the field was so crowded that those closest to the stage were crushed despite Solari stopping his performance early on and asking people to step back so that those who had fainted and were laying on the ground could be removed.

Argentine federal police executed a warrant earlier today at the offices of the concert promoter, En Vivo- reportedly looking for evidence on how many tickets had been sold. Accounts of the show described a scene in which security was almost non-existent and people were easily able to enter the venue without tickets, creating the uncontrollable mass.

Birthdays today include: Colby O'Donis; Taylor Hanson; Kristian Bush of Sugarland; Michael Bland of Soul Asylum; Walter Parazaider of Chicago; Jim Pons of The Turtles; and Quincy Jones. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 12, 2017

Hey kids. Happy Sunday. Hope you've had a great weekend so far.

Don't forget to join the fun at The Iron Horse Tavern next weekend as we help raise money to cure childhood cancers for the St. Baldrick's Foundation at their Brave the Shave event. No, I'm not shaving my head (it's terribly misshapen and ugly enough as is) but I'll be there for moral support and to emcee the event. You can check out the event site here. 

Gorillaz will be returning to the stage in June, headlining the Demon Dayz festival in Kent, England.

While the rest of the festival's lineup is yet to be announced, tickets are already sale for the show that will be held at the Dreamland amusement park.

The Hollywood Reporter says that Dalian Wanda Group's proposed takeover of Dick Clark Productions is officially dead. THR reports that Dick Clark owner Eldridge Industries released a statement Friday that one of its affiliates had "terminated" the $1 billion deal to sell Dick Clark to Wanda and had filed to recover half of a $50 million "reverse termination fee" connected to the deal.

The statement claims the agreement was cancelled "after Wanda failed to honor its contractual obligations."

Beijing regulators began enacting a sweeping new capital-control policy in November, right at the time Wanda and Eldridge reached their deal. Chinese officials were said to be concerned that outward investment from Chinese firms was contributing to a devaluation of the the country's currency and would potentially undermine confidence in China's economy.

Wanda had previously bought the AMC Entertainment movie theater chain, Legendary Entertainment, and Sunseeker yacht company.

The suit, filed in Delaware, seeks to force Wanda to release $25 million held in an escrow account and hand over an additional $25 million that was promised if the deal fell through, and alleges Wanda originally agreed to consummate the sale by mid-January but extended the deadline to the end of February. It then failed to perform its obligation to pay the breakup fee, according to the suit.

Birthdays today include: Graham Coxon of Blur; Ben Kenny of Incubus; Marlon Jackson of Jackson 5; Steve Harris of Iron Maiden; Bill Payne of Little Feat; James Taylor; and Liza Minnelli. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 10, 2017

Good Friday morning, kiddios- hope your week went swimmingly. Try to stay dry today if you're in the area, at 5AM it's storming like a sumbitch here in Norcross.

U2's The Joshua Tree was released 30 years ago yesterday. I was working at Z102 in Savannah when the first single With or Without you shipped, and- even though I had a pretty good track record in recognizing what songs were going to be popular (especially considering I was just 18 and hadn't been "in the business" very long)- I can honestly say I didn't think the song had a chance a charting any higher than maybe #25 on the charts, even though I thought the song- and album- were fantastic. 

Oops.

And while I still listen to U2, and give their new albums a try, I honestly haven't felt like any of them have been worth shelling out money for since Achtung Baby in 1991.The Joshua Tree remains the pinnacle of the band's work, fulfilling the promises of War, Boy, October, and The Unforgettable Fire- but proving to be a work that was impossible to surpass creatively.

In honor of the album's 30th anniversary, Interscope Records is planning to release a commemorative edition of the set on June 2. The special edition will feature B-Sides, remixes, and a live show recorded at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1987, and a hardback book of unseen personal photos shot by guitarist The Edge during the original Mojave Desert cover photo sessions in 1986.

I know this may astound you, but Jesus wasn't white.

With Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast hitting screens today, production is already underway on the Mouse House's efforts to turn another of their 90s animated hits into a modern money maker- as producers are holding open casting calls for Aladdin.

The Guy Ritchie (former Mr. Madonna) directed production is seeking "Middle Eastern actors in the 18 to 25 age range to audition" for the lead roles- Aladdin and Jasmine. The call also includes a notice that prospective actors "must be able to sing" and says dancing experience is "a plus." 

Shooting starts in July. 

It's cool that they're casting ethnically appropriate. I wonder when they'll get around to doing a Jesus movie the same way?

The National Music Publishers’ Association has gathered 4,000 signatures and counting from songwriters in an attempt to make sure their voices are heard by the Copyright Royalty Board judges, who are in the process of determining royalty rates for artists' work. 

The NMPA wrote, in seeking artist support, that "the most important trial most people have never heard of will begin in Washington, D.C. ... On one side, giant technology companies Google, Apple, Amazon, Spotify and Pandora will argue to reduce the already low mechanical royalty rates they pay to play your songs. On the other side will be your music publisher, through the National Music Publishers’ Association, fighting alongside the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) for a much needed increase in the royalties you are paid... If Amazon is using your music to sell Echos or Amazon Prime subscriptions, it should be required to share with you the benefits received.

Bruce Hornsby, John Densmore, Herb Alpert, Greg Kurstin, Craig Wiseman, Paula Cole, and Desmond Child are just some of the writers who've signed the petition.

Birthdays today include: Carrie Underwood; Robin Thicke; Timbaland; Douglas Ardito of Puddle Of Mudd; Dylan Keefe of Marcy Playground; Edie Brickell; Neneh Cherry; Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam; Tom Scholz of Boston; and Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 7, 2017

My head is stuffed with cotton. Or shit. Whatever.

I swear, if I can't get this crap out of my face, I'm gonna shove a fucking pipe cleaner up my nose and scrape it out- because it's making me fucking crazy.

The coroner for Oxfordshire says that singer George Michael died of natural causes.

Senior Coroner Darren Salter said the post-mortem found that the singer died of "dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver." An initial autopsy failed to determine the cause of death.

Salter said Tuesday that because Michael died of natural causes, no inquest will be held.

Attorneys for Cher have asked a New York judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the singer, claiming that typefaces are not subject to copyright..

The singer, Warner Bros. Records, Ganesh Productions, Smog Design Inc., and Ryan Corey were all named in a lawsuit filed by graphic designer Moshik Nadav, who claims his Paris Logo typography was copied for Cher's 2013 album, Closer to the Truth.

In their motion to dismiss, Cher's team highlighted the section of copyright code specifying which material can't be copyrighted- which includes typeface and variations on lettering and coloring.

Being in the graphics business as my "regular" job- I've seen plenty of copyrighted fonts, so I'm interested in seeing how this one turns out.

Chicago native Chance the Rapper announced yesterday that he would donate one million dollars to the Chicago Public Schools, saying that, while he was "disappointed in Gov. Rauner, that will not stop me from doing all I can to support Chicago's most valuable resource: its children."

He also said he'd be donating $10,000 to various schools for funding afterschool programs. "This isn't about politics, this isn't about posturing, this is about taking care of the kids. Governor Rauner, do your job!"

Birthdays today include: Randy Guss of Toad The Wet Sprocket; Taylor Dayne; Peter Wolf; Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum; Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers; Peter Wolf of J. Geils Band; Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum; Chris White of The Zombies. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 3, 2017

Hey kids- happy Friday!
Don't forget to join us for another fun-filled edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud tomorrow night at the Iron Horse Tavern. This week, we're going to feature songs that are inappropriate for funerals.

What's this "good taste" you speak of?

Damn. Just... No.

Paris Jackson has signed a contract with the IMG modeling agency, according to a joint announcement on social media yesterday.

Jackson she feels "very lucky and blessed" to join the company, whose other clients include Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss, Georgia May Jagger, and Bella and Gigi Hadid. 

Not even young me was attracted to skanky chicks. And, I'm sorry, but...

Cuban singer Livam has filed suit against Shakira and Carlos Vives, claiming the pair ripped off the chorus of his song Yo Te Quiero Tanto for their hit song La Bicicleta.
The suit, filed in Madrid, seeks damages and a share of the royalties from the song's sales. The Spanish composer’s rights society SGAE will reportedly retain royalties for La Bicicleta until the case is resolved.

Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) performer Silento has been prevented from leaving the United Arab Emirates after a court ordered him to pay a local promoter after skipping out on two scheduled shows.
The judgment placed a travel ban on the rapper and also ordered him to surrender his passport to the court until the case is settled.
Representatives for the rapper disputed the allegations against the performer and accused the promoter of failing to live up to his end of the agreement.
"Silento did not cancel any shows at all," the rep said said, and the rapper only learned of the travel ban against him this week.
On the latest Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 11), Future nabbed his fourth No. 1 with the debut of his new self-titled release. The set, which was released on Feb. 17, earned 140,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 23, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 60,000 were in traditional album sales.

The Billboard 200 album chart dated March 11th shows Nirvana's Nevermind returning to the list at number 134 for a record 350th week.
The album has the eighth-most total weeks on the chart. The record holder remains Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, at a whopping 927 weeks (that's nearly 18 years).

Birthdays today include: Ronan Keating of Boyzone; John Bigham of Fishbone; Tone-Loc; Robyn Hitchcock; Jennifer Warnes; Jance Garfat of Dr. Hook; and Mike Pender of The Searchers. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 1, 2017

Hey, hey- it's Wednesday. Halfway to the weekend and the first day of March. Which, of course, means River Street in Savannah will be turning green beer vomit green in a couple of weeks.

Anybody else dislike the Haribo commercial where the child's voices are coming out of the "business people"?

Billboard headline: Adele Brings Look-alike Drag Queen on Stage In Australia

I'm wondering how anyone could tell the difference...

If you've ever heard a certain rendition of Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath at Saturday Night Karaoke, you need to watch this clip. Trust me.

That's from the new album Jethro Tull- The String Quartets, a 12 song set that comes out later this month.

"I wanted to do these classic rock songs but in an authentic way," Ian Anderson told Billboard, "not the band with a string quartet but focusing on the string quartet with judicious ornament additions from myself to remind people, I suppose, of the originals and give it a bit more of an identifying feature. It was a challenge."

Keyboardist John O'Hara arranged the songs, which were performed by the Carducci Quartet.

So Billboard is evidently doing a series of "50 Best of All Time" lists for various genres- and they've lumped R&B, Hip-Hop, and Soul all together.

Am I the only one baffled by that?

I mean, when I think R&B, I think The Commodores or Teddy Pendergrass or Barry White. When I think Hip-Hop, well- even that can be tricky. Are we talking rap or more dance-like? And soul? Well, that'd be JB, Aretha Franklin, the Four Tops, etc.

And the top album in their R&B/Hip-Hop/Soul list? Thriller! That's a fucking pop album. Just because Michael Jackson was once black doesn't mean it's in any of those genres.

Former Blink 182's Tom DeLonge's been honored for his post-music career research- of UFOs. 

"My job has only just begun on this subject matter and there's some big shit planned and I'm excited about it."

DeLonge was presented with the OpenMinds.tv 2017 UFO Researcher of the Year Award at the 2017 International UFO Congress recently. He delivered an acceptance speech vua video and said there was "a lot that I can't say, but there's some that I can... And I'm so appreciative that I've been acknowledged for this stuff, but I'm not done."

You may or may not know that I work in the sign industry as my Monday-Friday job. That covers a pretty wide ground- everything from the letters you see on buildings to the prints you see on cars. 

Well, I was out and about Monday and saw one of these beauties.

And someone had put chrome vinyl on it. Just awful.

Birthdays today include: Justin Bieber; Kesha; Ryan Peake of Nickelback; Rob Affuso of Skid Row; Nik Kershaw; Roger Daltrey of The Who; Mike D'Abo of Manfred Mann; Jerry Fisher of Blood, Sweat & Tears; and Harry Belafonte. #MusicalBirthdays