#WhatsHappening for April 28, 2017

Hells to the yeah- Friday!!! Hope your week hasn't been too painful.

I see where Gwyneth Paltrow is one of the founders of a new magazine. I didn't check, but I'm pretty sure the focus will be pretension and douchebaggery.

So I'm perusing the gossip page (or whatever the hell they call it) and all I see are stories about liars and attention whores. It's my own fault for looking I guess.

Dave Grohl posted this. (But not that Dave Grohl.)

FYI- Playing with Tenacious D is nothing to be proud of.

After a seven year hiatus before the release of last year's Bang, Zoom, Crazy...Hello, Cheap Trick is going nuts, releasing albums in back to back years for the first time since 1985 and 86 with their new set, We're All Alright!, due out on June 16.

You can check out the first single- Long Time Coming- at Billboard, and catch the band's tour in support of their album, coming soon.

U2 has joined some pretty exclusive company- becoming just the fourth act to hit the Billboard Top 40 in the 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s. 

Michael Jackson was the first artist to do it (though posthumously), followed by Madonna, and... get this: "Weird" Al Yankovic.

I still say U2 peaked with The Joshua Tree and their output since has been spotty- to say the least. And their latest venture on the charts? In support of Kendrick Lamar.

The rerelease of Purple Rain, delayed by the star's death last year- has now been rescheduled for June 23- with unreleased songs and a concert film recorded in 1985 near the end of the Purple Rain tour in Syracuse, New York.

A two-CD version of the album includes the 2015 remaster of the original soundtrack, along with an additional disc titled A From the Vault & Unreleased.

A three disc Expanded Edition will include a third disc of Single Edits & B-Sides and the DVD of the Syracuse show.

Guess which one I'm buying?

Jefferson Starship co-founder Craig Chaquico filed suit yesterday to prevent former bandmates from using the band's name for upcoming performances and merchandise.

The suit, filed in federal court, claims the group has been using the name and using his image without permission.

Chaquico claims the band's members agreed to retire the Jefferson Starship name in 1985 after founding member Paul Kantner left the group. Chaquico then allowed Kantner to use the name for several years until Kantner's death in 2016.

"This case is about tarnishing the legacy of the original Jefferson Starship band," Chaquico said.

"We retired the name in 1985 and we agreed that nobody would use the name again. For this band line-up to tour and call itself Jefferson Starship is woefully misleading to the public and confuses longtime fans."

Birthdays today include:  Too Short; Daisy Berkowitz of Marilyn Manson; Kim Gordan of Sonic Youth; John Wolters of Dr. Hook. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 25, 2017

The weekend's over- time to look forward to Friday, right?

"We're doomed."

Further evidence of the decline of civilization: Netflix says its users have now spent "half a billion hours" watching Adam Sandler movies.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine over Russian artists blacklisted in the Ukraine has escalated after singer Lolita Milyavskaya, who was born in Ukraine but lives in Russia, was removed from a train on her way to visit her daughter there.

Milyavskaya was traveling to Ukraine to visit her sick daughter, who lives with her grandmother.

The Security Service of Ukraine said Milyavskaya was barred from entering the country because of her 2015 visit to Crimea, a peninsular region annexed by Russia from Ukraine back in 2014. Milyavskaya accused Ukrainian authorities of separating families and the two peoples.

An editorial in the the Ukranian newspaper Delovaya Stolitsa said "No one has mentioned that the singer's daughter, who is already 17, has been brought up by Lolita's parents for her entire life. And the singer was never going to take her daughter to live with her, saying she was more comfortable in Kyiv."

From the No Shit file: Kathleen Kennedy says more Star Wars spin-off films are on the way after the success of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Speaking at last week’s Star Wars Celebration event in Orlando, the Lucasfilm president hinted that the next anthology film after 2019’s Episode IX- will likely be announced after the release of the Han Solo "origin" film in the summer of 2018.

"To be honest, we are beginning to talk about (the spinoffs) right now," Kennedy said. "We have four or five weeks immersed in the Han Solo film and we are about to read the script of Colin Trevorrow’s Episode IX, so we have a lot of work at the moment. We will have some meetings about the stories that we will develop here."

Kennedy added that fans are "as much masters of this franchise as we are"- which supposedly alludes to the notion that the producers pay attention to online fan theories. Personally, I think that's code for "as long as you guys shell out the dough, we're gonna make 'em."
And I'm cool with that. For the love of god, though- NO Boba-fucking-Fett movie!

New York's Hot 97 is ready to roll out another Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium this summer, announcing the lineup for their part of their June 11 concert this morning. (Do I even need to say I've never heard of any of these?)

Lil Yachty, D.R.A.M., Young M.A., Don Q, PnB Rock, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Casanova, Phresher, and Dave East have been announced for the festival stage, while the stadium stage lineup will be announced tomorrow.

Tickets will go on sale Friday at noon on Ticketmaster.com.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Jennifer Lopez will be performing at the Billboard Latin Music Awards Wednesday and will also be honored with Telemundo's Star Award. The award recognizes an artist's achievement beyond their musical career. 

Lopez will perform music from her Spanish album, due out this summer. Other performers throughout the night include Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, J Balvin, Nicky Jam, Gente de Zona, Zion y Lennox, Alejandro Fernández and Morat.

Kate del Castillo and Carlos Ponce will host the awards ceremony that airs live on Telemundo.

Kings of Leon has announced new tour dates in support of their Walls album, released last year.

Sixteen new North America shows have been added this fall- including stops in LA, Vancouver, and Tampa.

Tickets go on sale Friday.

Birthdays today include: Kelly Clarkson; Aaron Comess of Spin Doctors; Patty Schemel of Hole; Billy Gould of Faith No More; David Jay of Bauhaus; Boris Williams of The Cure; Jack Blades of Damn Yankees; David J of Love & Rockets; Steve York of Manfred Mann; Ann Kelley of the Hues Corporation; Glen Cornick of Jethro Tull; Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival; and Barbra Streisand. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 23, 2017

Good morning cats and kittens. Hope you're all having a great weekend. Me, I'm getting a whole bunch of nothing accomplished- unless you count housework.

Friday was the first anniversary of Prince's death. Morris Day remembered the day with a video for his song Over That Rainbow, his musical tribute to his late friend.

Let me just make this clear as I can: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. For every induction they get right, they get 10 wrong. 

That said, Nile Rodgers 100% belongs there. The Chic leader and super-producer is getting a little more recognition with the rerelease of Diana Ross' 1980 album Diana, which helped redefined the legendary singer's career. 

The set was originally engineered by Rodgers and his Chic co-found Bernard Edwards at Ross' request, but Motown- Ross's label at the time- didn't think the duo's treatment of the records had enough pop power to sell many copies and rejected the mix, preferring their own mix.

Diana is now available digitally, on vinyl, and on CD.

After fucking fans over with his Pono Music venture, Neil Young is trying to con fans again with  capture his own share of the digital market with a new streaming service. 

Separated at birth?

The new service, Xstream, partners Young with the Singapore firm Orastream for "an adaptive streaming service that changes with available bandwidth" for "complete high-resolution playback" according to an announcement on the Pono community website.

"For more than eight months, I’ve been working with our small team to look for alternatives. Finding a way to deliver the quality music without the expense and to bring it to a larger audience has been our goal," Young said. "Xstream plays at the highest quality your network condition allows at that moment and adapts as the network conditions change. It’s a single high-resolution bit-perfect file that essentially compresses as needed to never stop playing."

Personally, I've never understood streaming. I mean, it was a good idea in the beginning, and Pandora was pretty cool before they started pestering you to buy the service after every song, and I guess it's a great way to be exposed to new music- but radio is free (though, granted, with streaming there's usually on 30 seconds of commercials on the free side as opposed to five minutes or more on radio). Also, most of the music on radio is shit. When I look for new music, I tend to browse Amazon's up and coming section, and the weekly new releases updates on sites like AllMusic. A sample of the song is usually enough to tell me whether it's worth listening to.

Of course, I also have a pretty extensive personal collection, so I rarely listen to the radio. At work, I listen to my own stuff via the laptop. I put the player on "random" and then let it go. In the car, I have satellite radio. The no commercials part is awesome, but I don't do a lot of switching through. In fact, I tend to listen to "40s Junction" because I love big band and swing.

Birthdays today include: Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The Natural; Stan Frazier of Sugar Ray; Tommy DeCarlo of Boston; Simon Matthews of Jesus Jones; Narada Michael Walden; and John Miles. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 20, 2017

Hey kids- what's shaking?

I was pretty excited yesterday after reading that new music was coming from Prince- though I was also confused since I hadn't heard anything about a release through "official" channels.

Turns out that excitement was a tad premature. Just hours after the tracks were announced, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order requested by the late singer's estate and his recording studio Paisley Park.

George Ian Boxill, who had worked as an engineer at Paisley Park Studios, was set to release a six-song EP of previously unreleased Prince material, but the singer's estate filed suit to stop the release as soon as it was announced and seeks to have the masters turned over to them.

In addition granting the order to block the music, the judge in the case also ordered Boxill to "deliver all of the recordings acquired through his work with Paisley Park Enterprises, including original recordings, analog and digital copies and any derivative works."

Prince's estate says that Boxill signed a confidentiality agreement that Prince retained ownership of all work the two and further stipulated that Boxill "would not use any recordings or property in any way whatsoever."

Billboard reports that- in the year since his death- the Purple One's albums and songs have sold a combined 7.7 million copies in the U.S.- 2.3 million in traditional album sales, and 5.4 million from digital song downloads, and the bulk of the sales came between April 21 and May 19 of last year. 

For the full year, Prince was the top selling artist of the year- besting even the inexplicably popular Adele.

And, in a final bit of Prince news, the Revolution is reuniting and hitting the road for a tour that will double as a memorial for the late singer.

"We're taking it to the people who are grieving like we are, and letting them have a little bit of relief," guitarist Wendy Melvoin said yesterday. The group played three shows at First Avenue back in September and will kick of their spring dates with a show at Paisley Park tomorrow night. 

Tour stops include Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and wraps up in Seattle on July 15.

"We have the ability now to give people a glimpse of what we experienced with him," BrownMark said. "And I think that's a powerful thing. I know it helped me heal."

"That intense run we had, all those years, it was starting to come apart at the seams, with personalities and under that kind of pressure, just like human beings do, and he just kind of made a decision," Bobby Z said. "And he wanted to move on as basically a solo artist with a backing band, no disrespect. But this was a band he was a very critical member of."

Sadly, the tour (so far) isn't coming to Atlanta.

The New York Times reports that Bill Murray is working a project called New Worlds that will feature the start singing and performing literary readings over chamber music.

Selections will include songs from Gershwin, West Side Story, and Stephen Foster- with readings from Walt Whitman, Ernest Hemingway, and Mark Twain.

A live show of the work will premiere at Festival Napa Valley on July 20, with a North American tour and album coming in August.

Guy Ritchie may have found his Genie. The Hollywood Reporter says Will Smith is in talks for the role in the live-action remake of Disney's 1992 animated film.

Smith had been in talks with Tim Burton about the live-action Dumbo movie, but a deal couldn't be reached because of scheduling. 

Ritchie is currently in a worldwide casting search for the film's two leads.

Birthdays today include: Carmen Electra; Stephen Marley of Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers; Mikey Welsh of Weezer; Craig Frost of Grand Funk Railroad; Jimmy Winston of Small Faces; and Johnny Tillotson. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 18, 2017

Tuesday's child is full of grace... Until you realize it's tax day. 

Bonnaroo and Outside Lands co-founder Rick Farman is launching two new festivals this year.

Coming June 2-4 in San Francisco is Colossal Clusterfest- a comedy show festival- and the Lost Lake Festival in Phoenix October 20-22. 

Headliners for Lost Lake include The Killers, Chance the Rapper, Major Lazer and Odesza with an undercard that includes The Roots, Run the Jewels, Pixies, Haim, Ludacris, Huey Lewis & the News, and Juanes. Tickets go on sale Thursday.

Disney Theatrical Productions confirmed yesterday that casting is in place for their stage version of Frozen, with Caissie Levy in the role of Elsa and Patti Murin as Anna.

Jelani Alladin will make his Broadway debut as Kristoff, with Greg Hildreth as Olaf, John Riddle as Hans, and Robert Creighton as Duke of Weselton. 

The show is on track to premiere at the Buell Theater in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on August 17, with a Broadway premiere next spring at the St. James Theatre.

Chris Cornell says Soundgarden is "about halfway through writing (their) new album."

Cornell told Billboard that the band isn't "on a schedule" as far as working on the disc, but he's looking forward to "the camaraderie" of a band setting. "It’s what we missed when we weren’t a band. When I do solo tours, I’m really kind of alone all the time, so that’s the best thing about it." 

Even before new music from the group comes along, Soundgarden will be back on the road on April 28.

Moments in Time, the auction house that recently sold the cars that Tupac and Biggie were killed in is preparing to sell a collection Bruce Springsteen memorabilia in a sale that's expected to pull in at least $7.5 million. 

The items, called the "Ultimate Springsteen Collection," contains more than 300 items ranging from his guitars to lyrics to clothing and more.  

The collection's current owner accumulated the goods over an 11 year period that began when he purchased the 1957 Chevy Bel Air Convertible in Springsteen owned when wrote Born to Run. The car is not being offered for sale.

Items in the set include Springsteen's 4F card excusing him from service in the Vietnam War, different drafts of Born to Run lyrics, and the flannel shirt Springsteen wore on the cover of The River album.

The price for all the items is fixed but the owner said he would consider selling pieces individually. 

Birthdays today include: Mark Tremonti of Creed; Greg Eklund of Everclear; Bez Berry of Happy Mondays; Shirlie Holliman of Pepsi & Shirlie; Les Pattinson of Echo & The Bunnymen; Lennie Baker of Sha Na Na; Mike Vickers of Manfred Mann; and Glen D.Hardin of The Crickets. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 17, 2017

Hey kids- happy Monday.

I'm personally pretty psyched. Not only have I been off work for two and a half hours, I just saw that Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band are playing the fabulous Fox on November 11. Mark will be hosting karaoke that weekend. Or it's cancelled. Whatever!

I've seen Paul McCartney one and a half times and I've waited years for Ringo to bring one of his All-Starr Bands close enough to take in a show. The All-Starr lineup includes Todd

Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Steve Lukather, Richard Page, Warren Ham, and Greg Bissonette.

Tickets are on sale now (I've got mine!).

Search warrants were among the investigatory documents relating to Prince's death that were unsealed by the Carver County, Minnesota District Court today.

One of the documents shows that a doctor who saw Prince shortly before he died wrote a prescription for oxycodone for the singer under the name of one of his friends to protect the musician's privacy.

The affidavit says Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg, who saw Prince on April 7 and again on April 20, admitted to authorities that he prescribed oxycodone for Prince the same day as the singer had to make an emergency plane landing due to illness after a show here in Atlanta, "but put the prescription in Kirk Johnson's name for Prince's privacy."

Johnson was a longtime friend and associate of Prince's. Authorities have also searched Johnson's cellphone records. 

Investigators haven't interviewed either Johnson or Schulenberg since shortly after Prince died, an source told The Associated Press.

Herbie Hancock has his own all star band hitting the road this summer, kicking off an extensive tour of Europe and the U.S. at the Alfa Jazz Festival in the Ukraine on June 26. The tour comes to the States in August, but- so far- has no stops in our area.

In other tour news, Gorillaz announced the US stops on their upcoming tour this morning- beginning July 8 in Chicago. 

The tour includes a stop in Atlanta on October 11 and will feature performances from artists who joined Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett on the new album, including Jehnny Beth of Savages, Danny Brown, Benjamin Clementine, De La Soul, D.R.A.M., Peven Everett, Anthony Hamilton, Grace Jones, Zebra Katz, Kelela, Mavis Staples, Vince Staples, Popcaan, Pusha T, Jamie Principle, Kali Uchis, and others.

Dean Wetter, husband of Heart lead singer Ann Wilson, has been sentenced to 364 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of assault for choking Nancy Wilson's sons during a concert in suburban Seattle last year.

Wetter pleaded guilty on March 9 as part of a plea deal. All of Wetter's time was suspended and he will have to pay restitution, be on probation, undergo counseling, and have no contact with the boys.

Ann and Nancy are currently working on other projects, but insist the band has not broken up.

Birthdays today include: Posh Spice- aka Victoria Beckham; Liz Phair; James Keenan of Tool; Pete Shelley of the Buzzcock; Michael Sembello; and Jan Hammer. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 15, 2017

Happy Saturday, boys and girls. 

Ever feel like there's a nail in your jaw? Post-root canal pain. Yep. Did I mention that already?

You could've been my cell mate.

Any other year, today would be the day your taxes are due. Thanks to it being the Saturday before Easter, Uncle Sam has given you a reprieve until Tuesday. 

Because Hollywood loves to shit on the street cred of cult movies, it's been announced that Fede Alvarez has been tapped to helm the sequel to Labyrinth.

Alvarez will co-write the script with Jay Basu. 

The free one day music festival Make Music Day will be playing more than 50 U.S. cities this summer. 

Though Atlanta is listed as a participating city, the website for the event has a date of 2016 (other cities have 2017 listings), so I'm not sure if it'll actually go down here or not. If it does, the date is June 21.

A report in the most recent Newsday say that Paul Simon’s home on Long Island is being moved in an effort to protect it from the erosion of the bluff it sits on.

A geologist consulting on the project says the work began in February to move structure 80' back from the the edge of the bluff- which is currently only 20' from the house. 

I guess you could say it's "slip-sliding away..."

Vallenato star Martín Elías is being mourned by his fellow performers after being killed in a car accident yesterday.

Elias was on his way to Valledupar in the early hours of the morning after performing at a music festival Thursday. 

Fonseca posted his thoughts about Elías to Twitter, saying "My soul hurts .... He was talented and a gentleman. Thank you for your music. Have a good trip, brother."

Juanes said he was "(mourning) the death of Martín Elías. His family and friends are in my prayers."  

Elías was 26 years old.

Don't forget to join us for Saturday Night Karaoke, tonight at the Iron Horse Tavern in Historic Downtown Norcross. We'll be celebrating the Queen of Country's birthday and lamenting the upcoming tax deadline. Plus booze!

Birthdays today include: Patrick Carney of The Black Keys; Chris Stapleton; Ed O'Brien of Radiohead; Frankie Poullian of The Darkness; the still crazy-sexy Samantha Fox; Graeme Clark of Wet Wet Wet; Linda Perry; Dave Edmunds; and Roy Clark. Today also marks the 565th anniversary of the birth of Leonardo da Vinci. #Musical Birthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 14, 2017

I don't care if it's real or not- it's fucking awesome!

Isn't every Friday a good Friday? Just sayin'.

Hope your week has been smooth sailing, kids. Personally, I had a second visit to the dentist for a root canal. Let's just say I'm not my normal, positive self. 

The Billboard Latin Music Awards are shaping up to be quite the shindig with the Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, J Balvin, and Vin Diesel being added to the lineup in performers.

Yes, I said Vin Diesel. Evidently, Diesel enjoys post on his social media videos of himself performing many of the performers' hits.

Other newly announced acts include Reik, Wisin, Yandel, Ozuna, Blue Man Group, Luis Figueroa, Pedro Capo, Christian Pagan and Bad Bunny.

The awards show will be held April 27 at the Miami Beach Ritz Carlton- the culmination of a weekend long celebration of the genre.

Marshall Chess- long-time friend and band-mate of Chuck Berry (as well as son of the one of the owners of Berry's record company)- says the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton should have attended the funeral from the pioneering rock and roller.

"I have to say I was disappointed that the English guys didn’t show up to the funeral. They know who they are: Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton. They owe Chuck everything. They should have chartered a plane, and they should have played for his family. You could tell they were set up for it: they had amps and a drum kit on the stage. But Billy Peek’s performance of Johnny B. Goode was the only performance of Chuck’s music."

The nerdy little kid in me has to share this.

A newly discovered species of shrimp has been named for psychedelic rockers Pink Floyd.

The crustacean, found on Panama's Pacific coast, uses a bright pink claw to create a sound loud enough to kill small fish.

The animal has been named the Synalpheus pinkfloydi in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. Oxford University Museum of Natural History researcher Sammy De Grave is one of the researchers credited with discovering the creature and says the description of the shrimp was "the perfect opportunity to finally give a nod to my favorite band."

The shrimp is the second animal to be named in connection with the band- a damselfly was named Ummagumma after the group's 1969 album.

Birthdays today include: Win Butler of Arcade Fire; DaBrat; David Miller of Il Divo; Martyn Le Noble of Porno For Pyros; Joey Pesce of 'til tuesday; Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple; and the Queen of Country- Loretta Lynn. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 11, 2017

Hey, ho- kids. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and Monday wasn't too shitty for you.

And hey- at least you weren't on a United flight, right?

Seriously- I hope that poor guy ends up owning that fucking chicken shit outfit. What a gigantic clusterfuck.

Interesting article on Slate regarding why we like songs from our younger years- compared the complete shit that comes on the radio nowadays.

Artist Nijel Binns has reportedly been hired to create a bronze statue of Tupac Shakur that will be installed at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center in Stone Mountain this September- the 21st anniversary of the rapper's death.

The Center is closed, but there are rumors that it will reopen this fall when the statue is unveiled.

On the heels of Journey's induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, former frontman Steve Perry says he has a new album on the way. Perry told ABC Radio that he's prepping music for his first solo album in 23 years.

Perry says he met and fell in love with a woman who died from breast cancer four years ago and had "written some songs, and before I met her I had sketched some. And so about a year ago, I started recording... Basically the record is an emotional expression, and a reason to make one. It's been a real cathartic experience going back to that emotional place that I thought I would never go back to. And we really have been doing our very best to capture what I think are some timeless songs."

There is no announced release date or title for the album.

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett tell Q Magazine that Gorillaz has a 10 episode TV show in the works- but Hewlett was mum on details about when and where the show might be broadcast. 

Albarn says he and Hewlett spent three years not speaking before creating Humanz- the band's first album in seven years.

Five songs from the album have already been released and the band performed the entirety album at its London show. 

The album comes out April 28.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles had an incredible 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100- from Can't Buy Me Love at #1 to Love Me Do at #81. 

Birthdays today include: Joss Stone; Dylan Keefe of Marcy Playground; Lisa Stansfield; Nigel Pulsford of Bush; Neville Staples of the Specials; Chris Difford of Squeeze. #MusicalBirthdays

And now, a message from management...

The fact that I have to post these words makes me sad. And irritates the fuck out of me, too. But some people evidently need a reminder.

I’d like to think it’s pretty obvious that I try to be fair to everyone (though I will freely admit to maybe "bumping up" the folks who drop a gratuity in the jar) and make sure everyone gets a turn and has fun. (This, of course, flies out the window when your party comes in late and the queue is already full. I want to go home when I’m supposed to- just like you want to leave work at the end of your shift and not have to stay longer than your eight hours or whatever).

I’d also like to think it’s pretty well known that I don’t do much in the way of censorship during my shows. The sheer volume of profanities that flow from the hole in my face should be enough to dispel any notions along that path.

My only rules regarding language have long been limited to:

- No racial slurs.

- No homophobic slurs.

While I am a staunch supporter of the First Amendment, you need to realize that I am also a private citizen. These two rules exist mainly because I don’t want to hear that shit, and- seeing as the mics and PA belong to me... well, it's akin to me saying "I'm gonna take my toys and go home," I guess.

My telling you before your song starts that you are not to use certain language that’s in the lyrics is also for your protection- I’m keeping you from getting your ass beat when I refuse to allow you to broadcast that stupidity over the PA at high volume and someone besides me hears it and takes offence.

Really, though- wouldn’t it seem to be common sense not to use such language in, say, a bar, grocery store, town meeting? Or pretty much anywhere besides your Klan meeting or American Nazi Party rally?

So, if I’m in the bar/venue ahead of the show- maybe using the restroom- and you come in, yucking it up with your "bro-ski" about how you "said n----r please" to whoever you're talking about in your story (not just once, but over and over during the minute and a half it took me to finish up and wash my hands), then go back to your table of "bro-skis" that's just eight feet from where I’m set up and then proceeded to rant about whether or not it was "cool" if you use that word (all the while actually saying it no less than 10 times in the 10 minutes or so I was sitting there)- I’m pretty much guaranteed to refuse to serve you (which, in my case, means I’m not going to let you sing your shitty rendition of whatever undoubtedly redneck anthem you’re wanting to perform).

Hell, I'm probably going to even make management aware of my stance.

And I’m going to be civil about it. I’m going to say (as I did in the example I’m referring to) "sorry, you were being pretty racist with the language and I’m going to have to say 'no'." 

Pissing and moaning about it? That’s on you. I’m going to continue to be civil. I’m probably even going bid you "have a good night" (as I did in the same example). Up to a point.

When you then go to bitch to the bar manager about how I'm being racist because you're Mexican (all the while completely omitting the part where you, yourself, were being racist prick) and he comes to ask me about, I'm still going to be civil. Up to a point.

Keep fucking pushing though, whining that you "don't even know what (you) said that was so bad" and, eventually, I'm going to snap. I'm going to tell you how I don't appreciate your continued use of that language while and suggest you go back to wherever it is that you came from where it is okay. 

No- I don't care that your party of six that's drinking cheap beer and yucking it up will take your business elsewhere. I'm equally unfazed by the fact that you think I suck. I'm not interested in the accolades of a bunch of gigantic fucktards such as yourselves, and give an equal amount of fucks (zero) that you and said "bro-skis" are "in town from Michigan for a business meeting and wanted to have a good time" because not everyone in Georgia is a bigoted fuck- no matter how whatever A&E "reality" show you've been watching might portray us.

So, like I said, go back to whatever shithole you fucking crawled out of where that kind of language and behavior is acceptable- because with me, they're not.

One last thing: If you're too fucking stupid to realize that Mexican is a fucking nationality, then I've got even less use for you. To me, your being a fucking dumbass is almost as offensive to me as your being a bigot.

#WhatsHappening for April 5, 2017

Happy hump day, kids.

It's a stormy day here at the karaoke compound- if you're in the path, stay dry and stay safe!

Headline from People Magazine online: 

Congratulations.

Barry Manilow Reveals Why He Didn’t Come Out for Decades: I Thought I Would ‘Disappoint’ Fans If They Knew I Was Gay

Personally, I never thought he was straight. I'm probably a bit of an oddity for a nearly 50 year old, straight white guy from southern Georgia, but I like Manilow and couldn't care less that he's gay.

I'm sad he felt like he had to hide it, though.

Billboard headline: 

Jimmy Fallon's Ragtime Gals Perform 'Baby Got Back'; Blake Shelton Gets Personal Tour of 'Race Through New York'

Yet another reason Fallon can go straight to hell.

Neil Young has backed out of his scheduled spot inducting Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, according to an announcement released this morning. 

The Rock Hall says David Letterman has agreed to take Young's place after Young fell ill. A spokesperson for Young could not be reached for comment on his health.

The ceremony this Friday night in New York will feature Jackson Browne inducting Joan Baez, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush inducting prog-rockers Yes, and Snoop Dogg inducting Tupac Shakur.

Presenters ELO, Journey, and Nile Rodgers haven't been announced yet.

You just know the whole place reeks of patchouli, weed, and BO.

If you missed out on tickets to Coachella this year- fear not. The festival's You Tube channel says they'll be livestreaming the first weekend's festivities for the seventh straight year. 

Sets from Lady Gaga, Radiohead, and Kendrick Lamar will be featured- as well as performances from Lorde, Bon Iver, The xx, Future, ScHoolboy Q, Two Door Cinema Club, New Order, and Gucci Mane.

It was on this day in 1994 that Kurt Cobain committed suicide.

Birthdays today include: Paula Cole; Mike McCready of Pearl Jam; Jacob Slichter of Semisonic; Stan Ridgeway of Wall of Voodoo; Everett Morton of English Beat; Agnetha Faltskog of ABBA; Dave Holland of Judas Priest; Alan Clarke of the Hollies; and Ronnie White of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for April 3, 2017

Monday. Ugh. (Okay, see... when I started this- it actually was Monday. Then the power went out and I went to read, then fell asleep. So sue me!)

The Academy of Country Music had their awards show Sunday night. The winners' list is here. (Since I'm not going to know who most of them are, I put a picture of the trophy here instead.)

Director John Scheinfel is reported to be working on a new documentary about Sergio Mendes- who'll also be recording music as a companion to the film. 

The album will include new songs as well as new versions of the Brazilian maestro’s classics.

Scheinfeld to Billboard that he is "attracted to stories of artists who go their own way. Who achieve success on their terms. Sergio has done that and more...For more than 50 years Sergio has been making inspired music that inspires people with its inherent joy, warmth and happiness."

"Of course my personal musical journey is related to a very important period of Brazilian music," Mendes said via email. "When I began my life as a musician, it was the early days of bossa nova, which was the sound that would seduce and enchant the world, making Brazilian music internationally known! And the beauty of it is that, as I work today with a young generation of brilliant musicians such as will.i.am, John Legend, India Arie, Jill Scott, Justin Timberlake, etc., they are still seduced by those beautiful melodies and rhythms, which remain as magical and relevant as ever!"

Mendes is a three-time Grammy winner and has recorded more than 35 albums.

100% understand why Colonel Potter had a crush on her.

Former screen star Doris Day- who also had a very successful career as a vocalist- celebrated her birthday yesterday. 

Turns out she's a bit older than even she knew, though. The Associated Press obtained a copy of Day's birth certificate from her home state of Ohio and it turns out that day in 95- not 93, as she had always thought.

"I've always said that age is just a number and I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it's great to finally know how old I really am!" Day- who was born Doris Mary Kappelhoff- said in a statement Sunday.

Her spokesperson said the question of the star's exact age gets asked frequently and it "looks like we finally have the answer. The story I have heard the most is that at one point Doris was up for a role when quite young and her age may have been miswritten on the audition form. We don't know if that's correct, but if so it could've simply stuck for all these years."

Birthdays today: Andre Dalyrimple of Soul For Real; Kelly Price; Jill Scott; Magnus Sveningsson of The Cardigans; Mike Starr of Alice In Chains; Kid of Kid 'N Play; Craig Adams of The Cult; Pete Haycock of Climax Blues Band; Dave Hill of Slade; Pick Withers of Dire Straits; and Hugh Masekela. #MusicalBirthdays