#WhatsHappening for September 30, 2017

Good Saturday morning, kiddios. Hope you all made it through the week in good shape.

Don't forget to join us tonight for our October Eve edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern in historic downtown Norcross. We'll be rocking the house with all the karaoke fun from 10pm-1am tonight as we start the countdown to the Eighth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party.

Yes, I'll admit it: I'm a nerd. Of course, plenty of you already know that. I'm not a comic book nerd, though (I do read The Walking Dead collections- I already know how Alexandria's war with the Saviors eventually turns out) and never had much "passion" about the Fox or Sony-owned Marvel properties other than whether the movies were good or bad (pretty much all of the Spiderman and Fantastic Four movies were fucking terrible), but Marvel (for the most part) manages to make theirs pretty damned fun. I even enjoy Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (though I really wish they stop bringing Ward back from the dead, or outer space, or wherever the fuck he is) and the Netflix series have been fun (though Iron Fist was the weak link there). 

That said, I watched "The Inhumans" last night and all I can say is, goddamnit Fox- make the deal already. Sony did it, and people seem to have nothing but good things to say about Spider-Man: Homecoming. But Marvel's storyline that substitutes the inhuman characters for what obviously should be mutants is just maddening sometimes.

Medusa? Something about that hair just made her fucking creepy as hell to look at.

And why is the faun guy named Gorgon? They're all over the place with this shit! Gorgons, in case you didn't know, were the three sisters of Greek mythology with snakes for hair, who had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone. You know, like Medusa?

And then there's the giant bulldog- which is only slightly less stupid than the mind-bogglingly idiotic dialogue.

Too bad they didn't spend as much time on the story as they did on the production values.

I still love this GIF, though.

Ryan Seacrest tweeted yesterday that Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry will be the judges for the "new" American Idol. 

And there goes my respect for Richie.

Speaking of Perry- her Los Feliz property makeover is on hold while the Catholic archdiocese looks for a replacement for its House of Prayer.

Even after an L.A. Superior Court judge ruled that her purchase of a convent in Los Feliz could move forward, Perry is waiting on the Vatican to give its approval of the sale of the former convent- which is still in use by local clergy.

"Nothing could be submitted to the Vatican until a suitable House of Prayer location is identified," said a representative of the archdiocese.

Because the TV show wasn't cheesy enough, and the two movies they already made weren't shitty enough, Charlie's Angels is being "rebooted."

Word is that Lupita Nyong'o and Kristen Stewart are up for two of the three angel roles.

Speaking of movies I'd call shitty, Sex and the City won't be getting a second sequel. Sarah Jessica Parker ("she has a face like a foot") told Extra TV that the project would not be made and The Daily Mail reports that Kim Catrall "demanded they produce other movies she had in development or she wouldn’t sign up for the project".

Cattrall, however, took to Twitter to say that "The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film….& that was back in 2016".

Birthdays today include: Robby Takac of Goo Goo Dolls (53); Basia (61); Patrice Rushen (63); John Lombardo of 10,000 Maniacs (65); Marilyn McCoo of 5th Dimension (74); Johnny Mathis (82); and Cissy Houston (84). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 26, 2017

Hey kids- what's up? Hope you're all doing good so far. Me? I'm already looking forward to the end of the week.

You know, I have zero desire to watch the "celebrities read mean Tweets about themselves" segment of Jimmy Kimmel. Then again, I have no desire to watch Jimmy Kimmel, either. Or is it Jimmy Fallon?

Whatever- I miss Craig Ferguson's late night insanity.

TLC postponed their month-long European tour that was scheduled to begin next month after T-Boz's injured her neck during their recent North American tour.

In a Facebook note to fans posted this morning, the duo confirmed that the tour- scheduled to kick off in Hamburg, Germany, on October 16 was being pushed due to T-Boz's "severe physical pain that has impacted her ability to perform at this time." She was advised by an orthopedic surgeon to postpone the tour.

"Chilli and I are very disappointed that we have been left with no choice but to postpone our debut European tour," the duo said in the statement. "We would like to thank our fans for staying so loyal and ensure them we will be back just as soon as we can reschedule."

Robert Plant is hitting the road next year with his Carry Fire tour in support of his album of the same name that debuts October 13. The first single from the album- Bluebirds Over The Mountain (with Chrissie Hynde)- was released today.

Twelve North American dates have been confirmed, with more dates to be announced. 

Plant said he wants to tour in support of the new music because, while he may "respect and relish my past works but each time I feel the trawl and incentive to create new work. I must mix old with new. Consequently the whole impetus of the band has moved on its axis somewhat, the new sound and different space giving way to exciting and dramatic landscapes of mood, melody and instrumentation."

Meanwhile, Aerosmith has announced that they would be cancelling the last four stops of their South American tour due to Steven Tyler's sudden illness.

In a statement on his Twitter account, Tyler asked fans "not to worry…" as he is "not in a life threatening condition, but I need to deal with this right away, and get some rest and medical care immediately in order to sustain and maintain my future performances."

Doctors advised Tyler not to travel or perform, but he says he would "be back...unfortunately, health does not wait and it’s something even I can’t schedule around our shows."

The cancelled shows were in Curitiba, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Rosario, Argentina; and Monterrey, Mexico (though I'm not sure why they consider that one South America).

Birthdays today include: Christina Milian (36); Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men (45); Cindy Herron of En Vogue (52); Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl (55); Carlene Carter (62); Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos (63); Craig Chaquico of Jefferson Starship (63); Olivia Newton-John (69); and Bryan Ferry (72). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 24, 2017

Good Sunday afternoon, kiddios. Hope you're all having a good weekend. Me, I finally got finished with painting the deck at the karaoke compound this morning. Now, to put the grill, table, and chairs back up there. Next week. Give me a break- I'm old.

Singer Charles Bradley- who became a sensation late in life as a soul singer- died yesterday after a prolonged fight with cancer. 

Bradley had cancelled all of his upcoming tour dates earlier this month when his treatment for a relapse of stomach cancer that had metastasized to his liver made performing difficult. 

A statement from Bradley's spokesperson thanked fans for "prayers during this difficult time. Mr. Bradley was truly grateful for all the love he’s received from his fans and we hope his message of love is remembered and carried on."

We're just over one month away from the Eighth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Halloween Party at the Iron Horse Tavern. Don't miss the fun, coming October 28.

Marc Anthony, Luis Fonsi, Residente, Daddy Yankee, Ricardo Arjona, and Jennifer Lopez are among the artists who are pitching in to raise funds for emergency relief efforts in Puerto Rico after the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Martin is collecting donations via a YouCaring crowdfunding page that he "decided to create... to collect funds to provide the basic needs and rebuild all that was lost."

Lopez, Anthony and Fonsi joined the First Lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló, to collect funds at the government site Unidos Por Puerto Rico.

Arjona joined the Maestro Cares Foundation to donate part of the proceeds from his concert in Houston to the American Red Cross, while Residente is using GoFundMe to collect donations.

For those of you who have "Liked" our Facebook page- thanks. And, if you haven't- what the hell? Give it a like and tune in on Saturday nights you aren't able to join us at the Tavern for live look-ins at Saturday Night Karaoke!

Count Stevie Wonder among the celebrities who didn't appreciate the president's criticism of NFL players who kneel in protest during the national anthem. Wonder took to his knees during his performance at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City last night as a symbolic gesture in support of kneeling players.

The longtime civil rights activist said he was "taking a knee for America. But not just one knee, I'm taking both knees. Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe."

   

Metal legends Judas Priest have been announced as the final headliner of next year’s Bloodstock Festival- topping the Friday night of the festival’s bill.

In a social media statement, the band said they were "Thrilled, honoured and primed, ready to unleash Priest-style metal fury into the headbanging heart and home of heavy metal at Bloodstock!" Bloodstock 2018 will run August 9-12.

Gojira and Nightwish will also be headlining the weekend.

Birthdays today include: Peter Salisbury of the Verve (46); Marty Cintron of No Mercy (46); Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Slipknot (48); Sean McNabb- who's played with Quiet Riot, Dokken, Great White, Montrose, Jack Wagner, and Don Felder (51); Cedric Dent of Take 6 (55); Jerry Donahue of Fairport Convention (71); Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers (75); and Barbara Allbut of The Angels (77). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 22, 2017

Hey kids- happy Friday! Hope your week has gone well. 

So there's evidently some crackpot theory that the planet Nibiru (which only exists in the imaginations of idiots and conspiracy theorists) will collide with the Earth tomorrow- killing us all. Of course, Nibiru is the same planet that was supposed to be what killed us all in 2012. And 2003. (Never mind that no one's ever seen it or proved its existence!)

Just in case we're the crackpots, though- what better way to ride out the end of the world than with us at Saturday Night Karaoke at the Iron Horse Tavern? Join us tomorrow night from 10 until the end.

Last week's Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief telethon has raised more than $55 million raised to aid those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, according to organizers.

The one-hour telethon, organized Houston rapper Bun B and manager Scooter Braun was broadcast across several television, radio and streaming networks to an audience of over 40 million with more more than 130 celebrities showed up to work the phones or ask for donations. Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Nicki Minaj, Kings of Leon, Oprah Winfrey, Gwen Stefani, and Justin Timberlake were among those in attendance.

"It has been truly amazing to witness the reactions in our country in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma," said Braun in a statement. "In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s important that we take action and care for our neighbors. There is still so much rebuilding to be done and our hope is to not only continue to raise funds but also inspire others to do what they can to help. People are still in need, and will continue to be for a very long time. We all need to do our part."

Donations are still being accepted by phone, text and online.

Dweezil Zappa has honored the legacy of his late father, Frank Zappa, with the Dweezil Zappa Plays Frank Zappa band since 2006. Starting next year, though, fans will be able to catch the elder Zappa on tour (despite his being dead for 24 years) when the Eyellusion company sends the Frank Zappa- Back on the Road tour to cities nationwide.

The company's hologram Zappa will "be going back out on tour playing his most well-known music as well as some rare and unheard material," according to his younger son Ahmet Zappa- who is executor of his late father's estate. No wonder the kids have been fighting.

I've never understood people's fascination with Zappa. While I don't deny his creativity, I just don't think her was very good.

Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, and the Dave Matthews Band are among the performers who'll take the stage Sunday evening at the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium for A Concert for Charlottesville: An Evening of Music and Unity. 

Ticket sales for the concert will benefit victims of the violence that erupted after a white supremacists' rally in the city last month, along with first responders, and "organizations dedicated to healing, justice, and unity."

The concert will also be streamed online on a number of different websites: the concert's official Tumblr page; YouTube; Facebook; HuffPost; Yahoo; and AOL- beginning at 5:55 pm Sunday.

Birthdays today include: Billie Piper (35); Mystikal (47); Matt Sharp of Weezer (48); Joan Jett (57); Andrea Bocelli (59); Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde (60); Nick Cave (60); Debby Boone (61); Richard Fairbrass of Right Said Fred (64); David Coverdale of Whitesnake (68); Toni Basil (74). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 20, 2017

Hey kids- happy Hump Day! Hope you're all sailing smoothly through the week. 

This one's always been my favorite.

The date's set- so mark your calendars now: The Eighth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party at the Iron Horse Tavern returns on October 28 at 10pm. There'll be prizes for best costume, scariest costume, sexiest costume, best costumed performance and all the fun you've come to expect from Saturday Night Karaoke. 

And here come the posters.

Clowns don't bother me.

The Village Voice is no more. Well, in print, anyway. The storied magazine released its final print edition today with a cover story on Nobel prize winning mumbler Bob Dylan. 

The Greenwich-centric bi-weekly was the model that other community papers (think Creative Loafing) nationwide were based  on will now be an online-only enterprise. No word on whether the online edition will be free like its now-defunct printed counterpart.

Another newbie.

NBC chief Bob Greenblatt and producer Lorne Michaels say that Saturday Night Live will continue to be live across all the nation's time zones when it begins its 43rd season at the end of the month.

The announcement, made today, comes on the heels of the shows wins in nine Emmy categories- the most of any of the year's contenders.

The strategy, which was used by the show for the last four episodes of last season, will now feature encore showings of the previous week's episode of the show at in its normal 11:30 slot in the Mountain and Pacific times zones with the live show airing at 8:30 as it's performed. 

Atlanta rapper Offset has launched a $500K fundraiser to promote cancer research in honor of his late grandmother. 

Our other newbie.

"It was really tough losing my grandma to cancer and one of the hardest things I have dealt with in my life," he told the American Cancer Society. "She motivated me to do my best and go for it, one of my biggest coaches."

"Losing a loved one to cancer is devastating, and we need to continue to help educate our communities about early detection and screening guidelines. I am incredibly proud of Offset’s desire to help save the lives of others, genuine heart and talent as an artist," Latabia Woodward, Offset's mother, added.

His grandmother died of bladder cancer in 2012.

Birthdays today include: Rick Woolstenhulme of Lifehouse) (38); Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden (49); Matthew and Gunnar Nelson of Nelson (50); Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme- and Van Halen for five minutes (51); Alannah Currie of Thompson Twins (58); and Chuck Panozzo of STYX (70). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for September 17, 2017

Me in sunlight.

Good Sunday afternoon, kids. Hope you're all enjoying the weekend. I spent parts of yesterday and today painting the deck at the karaoke compound. I'm not quite done, but almost. I tend to give up when the sun gets high enough to get into the backyard. 

We're just six weeks away from our Eighth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Halloween Party at the Iron Horse Tavern. Make sure you join us for the fun- coming Saturday, October 28.

Paul McCartney had a couple of special guests join him for his encore at Madison Square Garden last night as Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt joined him for I Saw Her Standing There.

McCartney had posted to social media before the show that the night was "going to be a night full of memories for me."

I'm pretty sure it was the audience who got the memories of a lifetime. And how come shit like that never happens when I go to a concert? Damnit.

U2 and Ed Sheeran were among those who cancelled their scheduled shows in St. Louis this weekend after violence broke out during protests of a former police officer's acquittal in the shooting death of a black man.

Live Nation and U2 released a joint statement that the St. Louis Police Department would not be able to provide the "standard protection for our audience as would be expected for an event of this size," and that crowd security personnel would not be at full capacity.

Thirty-two civilians were arrested in protests Friday, and 10 officers had been injured.

NME headline: Boston Marathon movie ‘Stronger’ criticised for casting Jake Gyllenhaal as a double amputee

I'd be criticizing them more because Gyllenhaal's just a fucking terrible actor.

Lady Gaga cancelled her scheduled performance at this weekend's Rock In Rio festival after checking herself into a hospital for "severe physical pain that has impacted her ability to perform," according to a statement posted on her Twitter page.

"Lady Gaga is under the care of expert medical professionals. She sends her love to all her fans in Rio and thanks them for their support and understanding," the statement concluded.

The singer has said that she suffers from fibromyalgia.

Attorneys for American Recordings and the Universal Music Group have delivered a cease and desist letter to white nationalist website Stormfront after the site repeatedly used Johnny Cash's cover of I Won't Back Down for their online radio show.

The letter says that the label had not “licensed, granted permission, or otherwise authorized” the use of the track for the radio show.

The move comes on the heels of Roseanne Cash's Facebook post last month that decried participants in last month's racist march in Charlottesville wearing tee-shirts with her father's picture on them- saying her father "was a man whose heart beat with the rhythm of love and social justice. He championed the rights of Native Americans, protested the war in Vietnam, was a voice for the poor, the struggling and the disenfranchised, and an advocate for the rights of prisoners."

"He would be horrified at even a casual use of his name or image for an idea or a cause founded in persecution and hatred. The white supremacists and neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville are poison in our society."

Birthdays today include: Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan (38); Maile Misajoin of Eden's Crush (41); Vinnie Brown of Naughty By Nature (47); Guy Picciotto of Fugazi (51); Doug E. Fresh (51); Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian (49); BeBe Winans (55); Ty Tabor of King's X (56); Fee Waybill of the Tubes (67); and LaMonte McLemore of the 5th Dimension (77). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for September 14, 2017

Hey, hi, howdy boys and girls. Hope all's well. You're doing better than the woman in this story, I'm sure.

The woman, who had accompanied her Tinder date to his apartment for "wine and a movie," realized that she needed to use his bathroom. Once she was done, the woman evidently had trouble getting the man's toilet to flush properly, and decided to ditch the "evidence" by throwing it out the window. That's right- this woman literally stuck her hand in a toilet and grabbed her shit. But that wasn't the worst part.

Now that is a shitty date.

The woman then attempted to throw her shit out the window- only to find it got stuck between the inner and outer windows of the man's apartment, since the outer window wouldn't open. The quick-thinking (hey, no one said a quick thinker had to be smart) woman then decided to retrieve the shit and try to flush it again- only to get herself stuck between the windows. It was at that point the woman called for help.

Her date ended up having to call the fire department to get her out of the window.

I'm guessing there's not going to be a second date.

Five people have been indicted by a Sevier County, Tennessee grand jury for with conspiring to defraud the My People Fund set up by Dolly Parton's Dollywood Foundation- which was set up to help people affected by wildfires last year. 

Prosecutors say the quintet was able to get about $12,000 from the fund before they were  discovered. They were charged with money laundering, criminal conspiracy, and felony theft. An arraignment date for the three women and two men hasn't been set.

Grant Hart of Husker Du has died at the age of 56 after a short battle with kidney cancer.

"The tragic news of Grant's passing was not unexpected to me. My deepest condolences and thoughts to Grant's family, friends, and fans around the world," wrote Hart's bandmate Bob Mould on Facebook. "Grant Hart was a gifted visual artist, a wonderful story teller, and a frighteningly talented musician. Everyone touched by his spirit will always remember."

Birthdays today include: Nas (44); Mark Webber of Pulp (47); Craig Montoya of Everclear (47); Kay Gee of Naughty By Nature (48); John Berry (57); Beth Nielsen Chapman (59); Steve Berlin of Los Lobos (62); Ed King of Strawberry Alarm Clock (68); Jon "Bowzer" Bauman of Sha-Na-Na (69); and Pete Agnew of Nazareth (71). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 12, 2017

Hey, hi, howdy, kiddios. Hope you all managed to ride the storm out with relative ease.

We at the karaoke compound are counting ourselves extremely lucky in the aftermath. Power went out for maybe thirty seconds Monday evening, and that was it.

In fact, I worked most of the day Monday- though we did cut out a bit early after Norcross PD sent out their "stay off the streets" warning via text.

Some neighbors down the street got the worst of it in our neighborhood when a tree clipped the corner of their house. Mainly, though, what we have is a bunch of twigs, leaves, and pine straw.

What we don't know yet is the extent of the damage elsewhere. Let's hope it's not as bad as was expected.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that a lower court’s analysis of parentage law in finding two daughters of a former security chief at Paisley Park "who Prince regarded as a brother" was correct, and that the two were not entitled to share of the late superstar’s estate. The three-judge panel upheld a lower court ruling that excluded the two women as rightful heirs.

The pair had claimed that their father, despite not being a blood relative of Prince Rogers Nelson, had been raised by Prince's father- Duane Nelson- as a son.

The Minnesota Supreme Court also rejected five other would-be heirs last week.

With his Outlaw Music Festival Tour wrapped up, Bob Dylan announced that he'll hit the road again next month for a short tour featuring Mavis Staples as his opening act.

The month-long, 21-stop tour kicks off October 13 at Harrah's in Valley Center, CA and finishes up on November 16 at Agganis Arena in Boston.

A little more than a week after Walter Becker's death, Donald Fagen said vowed to "keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band" and would honor that commitment next month with an eight stop North American tour.

The tour kicks off in Thackerville, Oklahoma, on October 13 and wraps up in National Harbor, Maryland, on October 25 and will be the Steely Dan’s first performances since July’s Classic East and Classic West festivals in New York and Los Angeles. Becker missed those shows due to illness and last played with the group he help start on May 27.

A piece published by The Guardian says that poet Ira Lightman found out by accident, via a Facebook post, that late Canadian poet laureate Pierre DesRuisseaux had plagiarized Maya Angelou's Still I Rise. Then, after checking more of DesRuisseaux's work, Lightman found plagiarized Federico García Lorca, Tupac, and countless others, as well.

It's thought that DesRuisseaux "got away" with ripping off the other artists by translating the work into French- and no one had bothered to check the veracity of the work.

The Grand Ole Opry's website announced yesterday that the Opry would hold a public memorial for Troy Gentry on Thursday. The service will be streamed online as well.

A private interment will follow the service.

Birthdays today include: Jennifer Hudson (36); Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland (43); Liam Gallagher of Oasis (45); Ben Folds (51); Pat Dinizio of The Smithereens (60); Barry Andrews of XTC (61); Gerry Beckley of America (65); and Neil Peart of Rush (65). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 11, 2017

We remember.

#WhatsHappening for September 9, 2017

Good Saturday morning, kids. I trust you all made it through the week in fine fashion.

Don't forget to join us tonight for our post-British Car Show/Pre-Hurricane Edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern from 10pm-1am.

Singer Don Williams died yesterday "after a short illness." Known as "The Gentle Giant," Williams had a string of country hits in the 70s and 80s after a successful stint as one of the Pozo-Seco Singers in the 1960s.

Though Williams' last charting single was released in 1991, he continued to tour- including worldwide gigs- until last year, when he retired.

Garth Fundis, who produced most of Williams' albums and singles, said Williams' popularity was largely because he "never let himself stray from what he felt about music... It had to work for him in a simple way... (He) could always take different kinds of songs, and by the time he was done with them, they all kind of fit together in a really wonderful way."

Montgomery Gentry's Troy Gentry also died yesterday. Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash in Bedford, NJ- where they were scheduled to play last night.

Local papers report that the helicopter Gentry was in crashed in a wooded area near the city's airport, and that one other person on-board was killed.

The duo was scheduled to play October 21st at Buford's Community Center.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino estimates that Ticketmaster's "Verified Fan" program has an 90% success rate at blocking tickets from being purchased by bots and brokers, allowing "good" seats to get into the hands of fans.

Here's what we think of your "improved standing" bullshit.

His take on the program likely means that his company will expand the program to cover more shows- despite cries of foul from people (like me) critical of the program's tactics like suggesting fans buy merchandise to "improve" their "standing" in virtual ticket lines.

Rapino estimates that 80 million fans will attend a Live Nation event this year.

John Lennon's Imagine LP was released on this day in 1971.

At celebrations yesterday in honor of what would have been Buddy Holly's 81st birthday, the late singer's widow- Maria Elena- was given a tour of the Lubbock Entertainment/Performing Arts Association's community that would be named for her husband.

The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences will include a 2,200 seat main theater- named the Maria Elena Holly Theater, a 425 seat studio theater, a 6,000 square foot multi-purpose room, a bistro café, and outdoor performance areas.

The center will also be host to an annual songwriting class beginning in 2019 in collaboration with Chris Difford of Squeeze- who has been working with aspiring artists at similar workshops for 25 years.

Birthdays today include: Hunter Hayes (26); Michael Buble (42); Dray of Das EFX (47); Macy Gray (47); John McFee of The Doobie Brothers (64): Dave Stewart of Eurythmics (65); Freddy Weller of Paul Revere and the Raiders (70); and Doug Ingle of Iron Butterfly (71). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 6, 2017

Hey, hi kids- hope your hump day went smooth.

I see where the latest forecasts project Hurricane Irma as, basically, making a right turn at Miami and skirting the East Coast. Lovely.

For those of you in harm's way- don't wait until the last minute to leave. And be patient, there's going to be a fuckton of people on the roads doing the same thing you're doing- trying to get out.

While I'm on the subject- way to go JetBlue. The airline capped their pricing on flights out of Florida at $99 today- just a few hours after it was reported that United had jacked up prices on flights from Miami to Denver to as much as $7000 in a GIGANTIC asshole move. 

George Michael's sisters have posted to the late singer's website that they vowed to "share and enjoy his precious legacy and to continue to bring you joy- through his extraordinarily beautiful music."

The post also hinted at new music on the way, saying Michael's creative team would continue working on the projects he'd begun before his death. You can read the full post here.

The not really a College Football Playoff National Championship Game will have a pop flavored halftime show this year. Or will it? 

A source told Entertainment Tonight yesterday that Swift would "headline a concert in Centennial Olympic Park during halftime of the game. It will be a free concert. ESPN has her booked for the event and has a massive deal to release new music from Reputation (her new album) through its college football coverage this season."

ESPN, however, told ET that those reports are "inaccurate."

The contents of the "Motown Mansion" will be up for sale as Detroit's musical history will be part of an estate sale and live global auction early next month.

Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy Jr. lived in the house from 1967-1969, and owned the property until 2002- when he sold the property and its contents. That buyer has now sold the property, too- but chose to sell off memorabilia- which includes Gordy's Steinway piano, jewelry, photos of Gordy with Motown stars, original pressings of Motown singles, and items once owned by Diana Ross.

The date for the sale will be announced next week.

The Apple Music Festival is over for good.

After a decade of shows in London, the news was confirmed over the weekend that Apple pulled the plug on the free festival (originally known as the iTunes Festival), though a spokesperson for the company could not be reached for comment.

Lil Wayne's daughter says the rapper is "fine" after he was hospitalized Sunday after being found unconscious in his hotel room. 

Reginae Carter posted to Twitter yesterday the her "dad is doing fine everyone! Thanks for the concerns you guys are amazing."

The rapper's scheduled show in Las Vegas was cancelled.

Birthdays today include: Foxy Brown (38); Nina Persson of The Cardigans (43); Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries (46); CeCe Peniston (48); Macy Gray (51); Mark Chesnutt (54): Perry Bamonte of The Cure (57); Roger Waters of Pink Floyd (74); Dave Bargeron of Blood, Sweat & Tears (75); and David Allan Coe (77). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 5, 2017

Hey kids, hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend. I'm wrapping mine up today after taking an extra day to have the last of my dental work done. Ow.

I'm also figuring everyone on the eastern seaboard is in pre-panic mode while waiting to find out what Hurricane Irma is going to do. I'm no meteorologist, but the most likely track keeps looking to me like a pass through the Florida Straits, across the Gulf of Mexico, and straight into Texas. 

Someone here at the karaoke compound is already semi-panicked at the thought of us being in the path, despite us being 330 miles or so away from the nearest ocean water and the storm would have lost the majority of its punch by the time it got to us. 

Metallica's James Hetfield is reported to be "fine" after he walked into a hole in the floor during the band's show in Amsterdam last night. 

The group was in the middle of performing Now That We’re Dead, where four percussion tables were supposed to rise up from openings in the floor. That didn't happen before Hetfield walked into one of them. A pair of stagehands pulled him out.

After 40 years as part of The B-52s, Cindy Wilson his finally releasing a solo album, CHANGE, due out in November. While Wilson has released two EPs in the past two years, this is her full full-length solo project. 

Wilson says she was able to experiment with her own creativity and says the album is something that should be "enjoyed in full."

The first single from the album is No One Can Tell You.

Rapper Common, out on his Hope & Redemption tour, has taken to the stage in a number of correctional facilities as part of his ongoing campaign in favor of criminal justice reforms, and recently paid a visit to the Folsom State Prison in California and as part of his Imagine Justice initiative.

"I'm blessed to have the opportunity to connect with my brothers inside Folsom State Prison and perform for them to inspire them and spread a message of hope, redemption, justice, love and compassion," the rapper wrote in an Instagram post. 

Houston native Bun B's fundraiser for his fellow Texans, Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief continues to line up big names for the show- which will be broadcast on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and CMT.

George Clooney, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, and Reese Witherspoon are those who are schedule to appear on the September 12 broadcast.

Bun B and Scooter Braun organized the telethon that will be based in LA with supporting stages in New York and Nashville- along with a featured performance by George Strait from his San Antonio benefit concert.

Other performers that have been announced include Jamie Foxx, Tori Kelly, Karlie Kloss, Matt Lauer, Rob Lowe, Matthew McConaughey, Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kelly Rowland, Adam Sandler, Ryan Seacrest, Michael Strahan, and Blake Shelton.

Proceeds from the show will benefit United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas and The Mayor's Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief (administered by the Greater Houston Community Fund) through the Hand in Hand Hurricane Relief Fund managed by Comic Relief Inc.

Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her Montreal show last night after getting sick from performing in the rain at Citi Field in New York.

In a post to her social media sites, she said she "couldn't be more devastated that I am unable to perform tonight. I sing this entire show live, and pride myself in giving it all, but when I sang in the rain at Citi Field I got sick and have been pushing through. I am so sorry to anyone who had their heart set on seeing me tonight. I love you. Xoxo, Joanne."

A statement on LiveNation's website said the singer was "instructed by her doctor that she will need to reschedule (the) show due to respiratory infection and laryngitis."

A rescheduled date is in the works, and ticketholders have been told to hold onto their current tickets.

There has been no announcement regarding her shows in Toronto Wednesday and Thursday.

Birthdays today include: Dweezil Zappa (48); Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine (49); Terry Ellis of En Vogue (51); Dave Clempson of Humble Pie (68); Loudon Wainwright III (71); and Al Stewart (72). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for September 3, 2017

Good morning, kids. Hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend so far.

Saturday Night Karaoke Dance Party
Some moves, huh?
Posted by Rob Bean on Saturday, September 2, 2017

If you missed Saturday Night Karaoke last night, you missed this, for one. Don't worry, though, another in-your-face edition of Saturday Night Karaoke kicks off next Saturday at 10pm.

Sad to read this morning that Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker passed away yesterday, according to his website. No details were posted, though his former bandmate Donald Fagen told Billboard yesterday that Becker was recovering from a recent surgery. 


Sir Tom Jones has postponed his concert tour of the U.S. due to health concerns, he told fans on social media yesterday. The tour was scheduled to kick off Wednesday evening, but Jones said his physicians advised him to put the shows off until late spring of 2018.
The singer did not elaborate on what the condition was that led to the change in plans. Tickets for the postponed shows will be honored for the new dates or can be turned in for refunds.

Smash Mouth has been forced to cancel this weekend's shows after singer Steve Harwell was hospitalized Thursday.
TMZ reported that Harwell experienced difficulty breathing at a sound check for Thursday night’s concert at the New Daisy Theater in Memphis, and sought treatment.
There's been no announcement about future dates, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday's dates were cancelled. They're also scheduled to perform later today.

This also happened last night.

Birthdays today include: Redfoo of LMFAO (42); Jennifer Paige (44); Jonathan Segal of Camper Van Beethoven (54); Steve Jones of Sex Pistols (62); Donald Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad (69); Eric Bell of Thin Lizzy (70); George Biondi of Steppenwolf (72); and Al Jardine of The Beach Boys (75). #MusicalBirthdays