#WhatsHappening for December 25, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, friends- and merry Christmas.

#WhatsHappening for December 19, 2018

Happy Hump Day, homeys! Hope you're all sailing smoothly towards the holiday weekend.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

#WhatsHappening for December 17, 2018

Hey, hey boys and girls. Hope you're well.

#WhatsHappening for December 9, 2018

Good Sunday morning, kids. Yep, I've been away for a bit. (Huh? Really?)

#WhatsHappening for November 25, 2018

Good Sunday morning, friends.

#WhatsHappening for November 21, 2018

Hi, friends. Happy Monday (if such a thing can be said to exist) Wednesday (yes, I've been slacking).

#WhatsHappening for November 17, 2018

Good Saturday morning, friends and neighbors. Hope you're all prepared for the onslaught: The "holiday" season starts next week.

#WhatsHappening for November 13, 2018

Hey friends- what's shakin'?

#WhatsHappening for November 7, 2018

Hi kids. Happy Hump Day.

#WhatsHappening for November 4, 2018

Good Sunday morning, my friends. Hope you all survived the time change. And for the first person who asks if I enjoyed the extra hour's sleep... you win a free punch in the forehead.

#WhatsHappening for November 1, 2018

Hey, hey, hey. How goes it, kids? Hope you got all your tricks and treats out of the way. I'd say send your extra candy my way, but we only had two groups stop by the karaoke compound last night- so I've already got a fuckton.

#WhatsHappening for October 30, 2018

Good Tuesday evening, friends. Hope all is well.

#WhatsHappening for October 23, 2018

Good Tuesday evening, friends and neighbors. Hope you're all digging the week so far. I'd say I was enjoying the weather- but I'd be lying. I've spent the better part of the past two days in bed, still battling my evil, rat-bastard sinuses. And it sure makes my day job a blast, let me tell ya!

#WhatsHappening for October 21, 2018

Good Sunday morning afternoon, friends. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.

#WhatsHappening for October 17, 2018

Hello, kiddios. Hope you're having a decent week so far. And- look at it this way- Wednesday's almost over, so the weekend's almost here.

#WhatsHappening for October 15, 2018

Hey kids- how's it going? Hope you all survived Monday in fine fashion. Personally, I cope by looking forward to the weekend. I'd probably cope better if my sinuses would clear up, but- if I can help it- I will never have another surgery.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

#WhatsHappening for October 13, 2018

Good Saturday morning afternoon, friends. Hope you're all settled in for a beautiful weekend (well, it was for that five minutes I was outside). 

#WhatsHappening for October 11, 2018

Good Thursday evening, friends. Hope you all survived the Hurricane/Tropical Storm Michael with little to no trouble. All's clear here.

#WhatsHappening for October 9, 2018

Maybe it's just me, but the worst sound in the world has to be the alarm waking me from rare, nighttime sinus medicine induced sleep. 

Except for Adele. And Limp Bizkit.

#WhatsHappening for October 7, 2018

Good Sunday morning, friends and neighbors. Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

#WhatsHappening for October 3, 2018

Happy Hump Day, homies. Hope you're all digging the week so far. Or, at least, that's it's not treating ya bad!

#WhatsHappening for October 1, 2018

Good Monday morning, kids. Hope you all had an outstanding weekend.

#WhatsHappening for September 25, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy.

#WhatsHappening for September 23, 2018

What can I say? It's been a week.

#WhatsHappening for September 16, 2018

Hi kids- happy Sunday. Hope you're managing to get some relaxing done.

#WHatsHappening for September 13, 2018

Hi, ho, howdy kids. Got your bread and milk yet? 

#WhatsHappening for September 10, 2018

Look at the bright side, Monday only has a few hours left.

#WhatsHappening for September 7, 2018

Hey kids- happy Friday! Hope your week was smooth sailing.

#WhatsHappening for September 5, 2018

Hey there, friends and neighbors. I don't know about you, but this short week if freaking killing me. I feel like it should be Friday already. This is what happens when I do next to nothing on a Monday.

Oh well, at least there's only two days left in the regular week.

#WhatsHappening for September 3, 2018

Oh yeah, college football is back, too.

Happy Labor Day, friends. I've been doing quite a bit of nothing today. Well, I do have a load of laundry in, and I washed dishes. Oh, and I worked on trying to resurrect a netbook for a bit (no luck). Other than that, though...

Anyway, hope you've all been enjoying your weekend!

#WhatsHappening for August 31, 2018

Friday! Hell yeah. And a little blast from the disco past to help you kick off your holiday weekend.

Don't forget to join us tomorrow night for the insanity of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern.

Tomorrow night is a "Jazz (not really) in the Alley" night in downtown Norcross (as long as it's not raining) so Jones St. will be block in front of the Tavern, but there's plenty of other parking downtown, and the street usually reopens right around 10pm.

Gretchen Wilson says she's "saddened by the whole thing" in the wake of being arrested by Connecticut State Troopers on August 21st.

Authorities say Wilson caused a "minor disturbance" during a flight and "became belligerent toward officers" when she was questioned after the plane landed at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. She was "taken into custody for Breach of Peace."

Wilson told Taste of Country she didn't know that she was embarrassed by what happened, but was "embarrassed that the situation got to where it was, but no, not personally" and added that she was "frustrated" by coverage of the incident.
"I’m reading all of these headlines and am like, 'Oh gosh, it’s so wrong. It’s all so wrong!'"

"It’s been really frustrating for me not to be able to talk about it, because people who know me know that I just wanna get it straight." Wilson said she is unable to comment further because the case is still under investigation.

Redneck woman, indeed.

What was supposed to be a gala premiere at the Venice Film Festival for Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's version of A Star Is Born went south when a technical malfunction caused the screen to go dark for "15 to 20 minutes" in the middle of the show.

Heavy storms in the area caused a power outage at the facility where the film was screening. Critics seemed to enjoy the film despite the technical glitches. Me? No thanks.

Birthdays today include: Debbie Gibson (48); Jeff Russo of Tonic (49); Larry Waddell of Mint Condition (55); Gina Schock of The Go-Go's (61); Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze (61); Anthony Thistlethwaite of The Waterboys (63); Rudolf Schenker of Scorpions (70); and Van Morrison (73). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for August 29, 2018

Happy hump day, homies. Hope you're all sailing smoothly towards the weekend.

Don't forget to join us for our Labor Day weekend Saturday Night Karaoke extravaganza, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern this weekend. 

Nope, we're not doing anything special- every edition of Saturday Night Karaoke is an extravaganza!

Damon Albarn confirmed last Friday that a new Gorillaz album is in the works- hot on the heels of their June release, The Now Now.

Albarn to Australian radio station Radio FM4 that he has an album nearly ready, "but I know I'm not gonna be allowed to even think about recording or putting it out this year."

The Now Now was released just over a year after the band's fifth album, Humanz.

You can check out the entire interview here.

Today would've been Michael Jackson's 60th birthday.

Here's his first single from his debut solo album, Got To Be There.

A new report from Neilsen shows that Hispanic consumers spend about 32 hours a week listening to music. Of that, 15% of listening is terrestrial radio, 4% is satellite radio, 14% is digital music library, and 46% is some type of streaming. Another 10% of listening is via physical copies, while 12% is from miscellaneous sources such as TV music channels.

Just out of curiosity, how many hours a week do you listen to music- and where?

Thanks to my normally short commute (stupid-drunk-asshole-who-hit-the-power-pole-on-the-road-outside-my-neighborhood-causing-a-week-of-detours aside), I only spend about 20 minutes a day in the car (and usually go home for lunch), so I don't really listen much there- and it's satellite radio when I do, but I do listen to my MP3 player most of the day, every day- so that's about 40 hours right there (plus the hour and a half driving), and the three hours of karaoke on Saturdays.

Go me- I'm above average.

Birthdays today include: Liam Payne of OneDirection (25); David Desrosiers of Simple Plan (35); Kyle Cook of Matchbox 20 (43); Carl Martin of Shai (48); Me'Shell NdegéOcello (49); Chris Copping of Procol Harum (73); Dick Halligan of Blood, Sweat & Tears (75). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for August 27, 2018

Hello friends. Hope you all had a great weekend. If not, well- there's a long weekend coming, so there's always that.

Geffen Records has announced a six-disc boxed set of music from John Lennon, due out just ahead of what would have been his 78th birthday on October 9th.

John Lennon: Imagine: The Ultimate Collection will feature 140 remixed and remastered tracks on four CDs and two Blu-Rays and was overseen by Yoko Ono. 

A press release calls the upcoming release a "long-overdue and fitting tribute to one of the most important songs, albums and creative collaborations of the 20th century. John & Yoko’s message is as universal and pertinent today as it was when the album was created and arguably needed more now than ever. This new edition takes listeners on an incredibly personal journey through the entire songwriting and recording process -- from the very first writing and demo sessions at John’s home studio at Tittenhurst Park through to the final co-production with Phil Spector -- providing a remarkable testament of the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their own words."

Let the fighting begin.

Aretha Franklin's four sons have filed court documents as "interested parties" in regards to the late singer's estate in the wake of her death two weeks ago. It's reported that she did not have a will or trust established at the time of her passing- and had bank accounts totaling around $80 million.

In addition to the filing by her sons, Franklin's niece has asked the court to appoint her as a personal representative of the estate. Michigan law requires that the estates of unmarried persons with children be divided equally among those children.

Attorney Don Wilson, who represented Franklin in entertainment matters for nearly thirty years, told the Detroit Free Press he "was after her for a number of years to do a trust" but she "never got around to it."

Birthdays today include: Sarah Neufeld of Arcade Fire (39); Jon Siebles of Eve 6 (39); Mase (41); Tony Kanal of No Doubt (38); Bobo of Cypress Hill (50); Yolanda Adams (56); Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols (62); Alex Lifeson of Rush (65); Jeff Cook of Alabama (69); and Daryl "Captain" Dragon of Captain & Tennille (76). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for August 23, 2018

Hey friends- happy Thursday. Hope the week's going well for you so far.

Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, and Shirley Caesar will be among the performers at Aretha Franklin's next week.

The service- to be held at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit next Friday- will also reflect Franklin’s gospel roots with gospel stars Marvin Sapp and Vanessa Bell Armstrong performing, and the Aretha Franklin Choir and Aretha Franklin Celebration Choir on the program, too. The list of performers- shared with the Associated Press by Franklin's longtime publicist- also includes Ron Isley, Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Holliday, and Aretha Franklin’s son, Edward Franklin.

Don't forget to join us for another rip-roaring edition of Saturday Night Karaokelive, loud, and all up in your business this weekend at the Iron Horse Tavern in historic downtown Norcross. 

Former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King- co-writer of Sweet Home Alabama and Saturday Night Special, among others- has died at age 68, according to his family. 

A post to King's Facebook page today reads "It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Ed King who died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on August 22nd, 2018. We thank his many friend and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career."

Cause of death was not announced at press time, but King had been chronicling health issues on his Facebook page for some time.

King joined Skynyrd after co-founding Strawberry Alarm Clock in Los Angeles in 1967 and co-writing the band's best-known song, Incense and Peppermints.

No memorial plans have been announced.

KT Tunstall has released a new single called The River ahead of her new album, WAX, due out October 5.

Don't remember KT? You couldn't get away from her Black Horse & The Cherry Tree back in 2006. 
This one lacks a "hook" (the "whoo-hoo") a'la Tunstall's biggest hit, but it's still a pretty good tune. 

Birthdays today include: SkyBlu of LMFAO (32); Julian Casablancas of the Strokes (40); Bobby G of Bucks Fizz (55); Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays (56); Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots (57); Edwyn Collins (58); Rick Springfield (69); and Roger Greenway (79). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for August 21, 2018

Hey kids, what's shaking?

I had to head home early from my "regular" job today and meet the handyman. Why? Well, I was sitting on the couch last night, with some mindless crap on the tube as background noise and heard this strange tapping. At first, I figured I was just hearing water dripping from the gutters (the den is next to the garage). 

I was half right- I did hear water dripping. It was in dripping onto the ceiling in the den from the attic.

Fortunately, this is a new thing- and the handyman was able to spot the problem immediately. He put a bucket under it in the attic and will be back in a day or two (when the forecast clears up) to fix it. 

It's times like that I'm quite happy to be a tenant.

It wouldn't be the first time I've gone creepy clown.

Okay- who's got their costume ready for the Halloween party? More importantly- who's got some extra ideas to share with yours truly? I'm thinking creepy clown, but I'm lazy. 

I really like Madonna (well, I used to- I don't recall having heard any music she's released since about 2010 or so), but I'm glad I never bother watching the VMA's if her "tribute" to Aretha Franklin was even .01% as self-serving as everyone's saying it was.

Update: A post by Madonna to her Instagram account said she didn't "not intend to do a tribute.."

"I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way. I did not intend to do a tribute to her!" Madonna wrote. "That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment."

I mean... Come on.

50 Cent was on Douchebag Conan last night- doing publicity for his new champagne- and told O'Brien about meeting the one and only Helen Mirren in Cannes.

"She looked at me and this interesting thing was going on in her eyes. She knows she's sexy!"

Don't sweat it, Curtis- I'm pretty sure everybody has a crush on Ms. Mirren. I know I was smitten the first time I can recall seeing her (playing Morgana in John Boorman's seriously underrated Excalibur). 

Birthdays today include: Kelis (38); Liam Howlett of Prodigy (47); Kim Sledge of Sister Sledge (60); Steve Smith of Journey (64); Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple (67); Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams (71); Jackie DeShannon (77); James Burton, who's played with Elvis, Ricky Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and John Denver (79); Kenny Rogers (80). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for August 19, 2018

Good Sunday morning, kiddios. Hope you're enjoying the weekend so far. 

What big plans do you have for this Sunday? Personally, I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing (except laundry) because I'm old, and that assprint on the couch isn't gonna make itself!

Thanks to everyone who came out for Saturday Night Karaoke last night, and we hope you enjoyed the Aretha Franklin interlude music. 

A couple of things I forgot to mention during the evening:

August 16th wasn't just Aretha's last day on the planet- it was also the 80th anniversary of Robert Johnson's death, and the 41st anniversary of Elvis' death. That is one hell of a trifecta for the grim reaper.

I was being lucky enough to catch a performance from the Queen about 10 years ago at the Fox. It was pretty damned awesome, as I was certain it would be, and I'm particularly glad to have spent that money.

Anyway, we'll be back at it this Saturday, too- hopefully without holding another memorial again for a long time.

The Backstreets Boys were forced to cancel their concert last night in Oklahoma after high winds and rain caused damage to the group's stage and equipment.

Kevin Richardson tweeted that the group was "... unfortunately... unable to perform" due to the damage, urged that fans to "... (keep their) tickets because, Backstreet WILL BE BACK!"

A number of fans were injured prior to the cancellation when a temporary structure was collapsed. Emergency personnel treated 14 people. A statement from the WinStar World Casino and Resort, where the show was to be held, said that "officials began evacuation of the outdoor concert venue after observing that lightning was within four miles of the casino (around 5pm local time). All patrons in the area were asked to move and to seek shelter from the storm..."

Eric Clapton has announced he'll be releasing a new October 12th with his first Christmas album, Happy Xmas.

The disc is Clapton's first studio album since I Still Do in 2016, and will have 14 tracks, including White Christmas, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, as well as a new, original track. 

Anyone else think that one up front, center right looks like Lady Gaga? And Elton John over on the far right?

Birthdays today include: Lil' Romeo (29); Christina Perri (32); Clay Walker (49); MC Eric of Technotronic (50); Lee Ann Womack (52); Joey Tempest of Europe (54); John Deacon of Queen (67); Eliot Lurie of Looking Glass (70); Ian Gillan of Deep Purple (73); Eddy Raven (74); Billy J. Kramer (75); Roger Cook (78); Johnny Nash (78); Ginger Baker of Cream (79). #MusicalBirthdays 

Nobody gets out alive, and the best we can hope is to made the world a better place for our having been here. Aretha did that- and then some. 

Rest in peace.

#WhatsHappening for August 14, 2018

No. No, no, no, no, no. Not the Queen of Soul. Not yet. So, whoever or whatever you believe in, ask/pray/whatever for him/her/them to look over Aretha Franklin.

She's a national treasure and needs to stick around a while.

It's now being reported that Franklin is in hospice care, but a spokesperson for the family- Gwendolyn Quinn- confirmed only that the legendary lady was "seriously ill and surrounded by family members who appreciate the outpouring of love and support they have received." 

Quinn also confirmed Stevie Wonder and Glen Turman- Franklin's ex-husband- were among those who've visited today.

Get well. Soon. Please.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department say a bomb threat made against the Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center is what led to the abrupt ending to last Thursday's Rascal Flatts concert in Indianapolis.

In a statement released last night, the Department said no further details would be released while the incident was being incident, but that the threat was deemed credible.

These two might look a little bit like their fathers.

Peekaboo...

A post shared by Sean Ono Lennon (@sean_ono_lennon) on Aug 13, 2018 at 7:52am PDT

Weird. I'd swear I remember Lindsey Buckingham giving his reason for not wanting to tour with Fleetwood Mac (and subsequently being fired from the band) was because he wanted to concentrate on making new music. That's cool- except it was announced today that Buckingham would be releasing a 3-disc Solo Anthology - The Best of Lindsey Buckingham this October- and that he'd be hitting the road on a solo tour this fall that kicks off in Portland, Oregon on October 7th.

Birthdays today include: Ana Matronic of Scissor Sisters (44); Kevin Cadogan of Third Eye Blind (48); Sarah Brightman (58); Sharon Bryant of Atlantic Starr (62); Slim Dunlap of The Replacements (67); Larry Graham (72); David Crosby (77); and Dash Crofts of Seals & Crofts (78). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for August 10, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy boys and girls.  Hope you all made it through the week safe and sound. My sciatica is better- thanks for asking!

Don't forget to join Mark tomorrow night for all the rip-roaring madness of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern. Prepare to get your face rocked off come 10pm!

Speaking of Saturday Night Karaoke, our Ninth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party is just over two months away- so start getting your costume together now and join us for the fun. We'll have prizes for Best Costume, Sexiest Costume, and Best Performance Related to Costume (I don't remember how I worded it- you get the idea!). That's coming up Saturday, October 27th!

A new musical based on the music of Huey Lewis & The News is set to debut next month at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego next month.

Matt Doyle, who has appeared on Broadway in The Book of Mormon, War Horse, and Spring Awakening, will star as Bobby, who trades in his guitar for a job in corporate America- using the band's music as the story's backdrop.

Katie Rose Clarke, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Patrice Covington, and Tony nominee John Dossett will also appear.

The show runs September 6–October 21.

Rascal Flatts was forced to cut their show in Indianapolis last night short due to what police deemed a "security issue."

Attendees said the band didn’t return for an expected encore and a public-address announcement said the show was over. shortly afterwards with security guards telling fans to leave the the seating area. One witness said he saw a "disruption" close to the stage.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department said today the incident was under investigation and didn’t release any further details.

The safety of our fans, band and crew is always the top priority for us, so we are so thankful for everyone who jumped into action and for your understanding. We will be back soon!

— Rascal Flatts (@rascalflatts) August 10, 2018

People is reporting that Demi Lovato has left the Los Angeles in-patient rehab facility she went to last week to seek treatment in Chicago.

The magazine says Lovato and her mother left LA last night to meet with a psychiatrist who specializes in mental health and sobriety treatment. Citing the ever-reliable "unnamed source close to the singer," People claims Lovato is "in the midst of recovery," and that "it's going to be a long road, and Demi knows that. Emotionally, it hasn't been easy but she's doing okay."

Toto is returning the favor. Take a listen to their cover of Weezer's Hash Pipe. 

Birthdays today include: Aaron Kamin of The Calling (41); Michael Bivins of New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe (50); Todd Nichols of Toad The Wet Sprocket (51); Neneh Cherry (54); Jon Farriss of INXS (57); Patti Austin (70); Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (71); and Ronnie Spector (75). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for Augsut 7, 2018

Yeah, I'll freely admit it- I've been slack. I'm old, though, so give me a break. I've been suffering from an attack of sciatic pain for a week plus now. Right, woe is me. 

I was pleasantly perked up by the turnout for Saturday Night Karaoke at the Iron Horse last weekend- so let's lift Mark's spirits this week! He'll be manning the controls for our next karaoke throw-down.

I was talking with one of our faithful Saturday after the show, and they mentioned that Mark was less strict than I am (this I know). I'm curious as to your thoughts?

Not on my being strict, specifically, but on my "policies" (like, no drinks while singing, not allowing people to sing if their names aren't listed on the slips, one turn per rotation, calling a name three times before skipping them, etc.)- though you're free to comment on the strict part, too (I've been called worse, and and even accused of being "mean" and ruining the wedding day of a bride who I wouldn't let sing when her friend came up to me at 1:05 as I was packing up). 

I've found over the years that these "rules" I have (though sometimes limiting) are unfortunately necessary because drinks spill, there are always people who try to wheedle their way into singing with everyone, and no one working wants to hang out late because you want to do "just one more song" (they have to clean up, and Norcross says you have to be gone by 2:00AM).

I get the strict part. Part of it is because I have limited patience, but it's mostly because I do try to be fair- whether some folks warrant it or not- and make sure that everyone gets a turn. (Even when I- and most everyone else- thinks they s-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-c-k!) 

I've toyed, over the years, with the best way to do rotations, and I've always thought I was relatively fair with it, but I'm up for ideas. I take slips for the first rotation while people are bringing them up for their first turn. Once there's a lull, or everyone's had their turn, I line up the next rotation. 

I do know that at some venues, you sing and then you're back in the rotation, regardless of whether or not everyone else has had their turn. I just have a hard time with that- but feel free to weigh in there, too.

Anyway... suggestions are welcome.

So, my old man's ailments are getting to me. I'll catch you tomorrow, hopefully.

#WhatsHappening for August 1, 2018

Happy hump day, my friends- hope you're all staying high and dry so far this week.

Just in case you think most or all of the current roster of "stars" are superficial fuckwits, take a minute or two to read this..

Now, from what I hear, this isn't some one-time thing. The guy evidently does stuff like this all the time. Bravo, dude. Bravo. #BeLikeLudacris

Peter Gabriel says he's "alarmed" over a new UK policy that prevented a some international performers from appearing at the Womad world music festival over the weekend. 
At least three acts scheduled to appear were unable to take part due to "visas issues."
Sabry Mosbah from Tunisia, Wazimbo from Mozambique and members of Niger’s Tal National were prevented from entering the country for the performance, while Hashmat Sultana- sisters from India- arrived 24 hours after their scheduled performance because of delays.
Gabriel said: "The right to travel for work, for education and even for pleasure is increasingly being restricted and often along racial and religious lines."
"It is alarming that our UK festival would now have real problems bringing artists into this country … [many of whom] no longer want to come to the UK because of the difficulty, cost and delays with visas, along with the new fear that they will not be welcomed."
Event director Chris Smith this year marked the first time artists had declined invitations to perform at Womad, with many citing the difficulty of entering the country using the nation's automated visa system.
"Whether their perceptions are real or inflamed, the reality is that artists are deciding that the hassle and cost of entering the UK are neither worth the return nor the exposure to rejection that the process might bring," Smith said. "For now this is a trickle, but how do we prevent it becoming a flood?"
Smith called Britain "a country built on a foundation of diverse cultures; it is a country that respects and is excited by diversity and a country that wants to take its place on the global stage."
"Tragically, this is not the message that is being projected beyond our borders and the potential damage to our communities, culture and economy as a consequence of that is, frankly, heartbreaking."

Pictured: Sexy cute!

So, I was reading this thing on article on Yahoo! earlier about the original line-up of MTV veejays, and this is the picture that accompanied it. No wonder 13 year old me had a crush on Martha Quinn! Fifty year old me is saying "hubba hubba" too!

Madonna tells the latest issue of Vogue Italia that she'll release a new album by the end of the year.
In the interview, she says she's "met lots of really amazing musicians (in Portugal, her new home), and... ended up working with a lot of these musicians on my new record, so Lisbon has influenced my music and my work."
Her last release was Rebel Heart in 2015.

Birthdays today include: Ashley Angel of O-Town (36); Adam Duritz of Counting Crows (54); Coolio (55); Chuck D of Public Enemy (58); Suzi Gardner of L7 (58); Joe Elliot of Def Leppard (59); Michael Penn (60); Robert Cray (65); Tim Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (67); and Boz Burrell of Bad Company (72). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for July 28, 2018

Good Saturday morning, homies. Hope you made it through the week unscathed and are ready to rock your faces off at Saturday Night Karaoke tonight at the Iron Horse.

As a special bonus, I'll pay $25 on a random singer's tab. There are some rules, of course: You must be present to win; One entry per singer (so make sure you've filled out your request slip with your real name and clearly so I can read it); Name will be drawn after midnight.

Do I really need a reason to post this?

Are people actually so gullible as to think Billy Corgan is Taylor Swift's father?

Evidently, they are- considering that I just saw that there's a Facebook campaign to have Nirvana re-form with Nickelback's Chad Kroeger as lead singer.

Okay, well that bit is just a stunt (I hope?) by the Nirvana Hair & Beauty Bar in England, who've come up with the idea for a New Year's Day event- but over 3,000 people have already signed up for the shindig. 

Elvis Costello and The Imposters released two new songs yesterday, coinciding with the announcement of their first new album in a decade. The set, Look Now, will feature appearances by Burt Bacharach and Carole King.

"I knew if we could make an album with the scope of Imperial Bedroom and some of the beauty and emotion of Painted From Memory, we would really have something," Costello says in a press release.

It was also announced that the band would kick of a North American tour in November to support the album. Costello was forced to cancel several tour dates this summer after having an aggressive tumor removed. Tickets for the tour are are on sale now.

The sale of the Studio City, California house that provided exterior shots for The Brady Bunch has sparked interest from quite a few folks- including *NSYNC's Lance Bass and Miley Cyrus.

Anyone else see a "reality" show starring these two in the near future?

Looks like Fox's shareholders have voted to go ahead with the sale of the studio's assets to the Walt Disney corporation- but don't get too excited about the X-Men or Deadpool showing up in the MCU any time soon (like during the mid-credits scenes next year's Avengers' movie), because the sale still has to be approved by quite a few regulatory agencies.

Still- seeing Deadpool cracking jokes at the expense of Starlord or Tony Stark is an exciting prospect.

Birthdays today include: Steve Morse of Deep Purple (64); Simon Kirke of Bad Company (69); Gerald Casale of Devo (70); Jonathan Edwards (72); and George Cummings of Dr. Hook (80). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for July 25,2018

Hey, hi, howdy folks. Hope you've successfully navigated your way through hump day- it's all downhill from here, right?

An "insider" told People magazine that Demi Lovato's friends "had a strong suspicion" the singer was headed for trouble like the suspected overdose that landed her in the hospital Tuesday.

"She and her 'friends' were on a binger the entire night," the unnamed source said. "They keep Narcan on hand for such situations– they were prepared for this. The people she has been hanging around lately aren’t her real friends– they don’t have her best interests at heart. She’s pushed her true friends away."

(True friends, apparently, run to a gossip magazine to reveal their "inside" info for a quick buck, I guess.)

"She had to find creative and sneaky ways to get drugs because her team and those that really care about her really try to keep a close watch on her."

For no reason at all (other than they shared it on their Facebook page), here's Rapture from Blondie.

Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Steve Earle are among the artists who've agreed to perform as part of The Lantern Tour: Concerts for Migrant and Refugee Families. 
Proceeds from the shows, which kick off October 23rd in Nashville, will go to the Women’s Refugee Commission to help support families seeking asylum at the United States-Mexico border. Graham Nash, Shawn Colvin, and Lila Downs have also agreed to perform.

The mini-tour will have four stops after Nashville, wrapping up in New York on the 28th. D.C., Collingswood, New Jersey, Boston are the other stops. Check out thelanterntour.org for more info.

Yes, this is called irony: City of South Fulton Mayor Bill Edwards and other officials will present Bobby Brown with a proclamation to build the Bobbi Kristina Brown Serenity House in memory of his and Whitney Houston's late daughter. 
Though many of the details surrounding the shelter have yet to be announced, it will also offer a 24-hour crisis intervention line and emergency transitional shelter.
The proclamation will be presented Monday. 

Birthdays today include: Paul Geary of Extreme (58); Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth (60); Ken Greer of Red Rider (63); Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire (67); Mark Clarke of Rainbow and Uriah Heep (68); Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds (75); Bruce Woodley of the Seekers (76); and Manny Charlton of Nazareth (77). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for July 23, 2018

Well... it's Monday, that's for sure.

Hope you all had a good weekend, and thanks to everyone who joined Mark at Saturday Night Karaoke (and sorry I missed the party, Amber!). I'll be back behind the board this weekend for another fun-filled evening- hope to see you there.

Mama Mia: Here We Go Again racked up $34 million in box office in North America over the weekend. Considering a movie ticket is about $15, that means about 2.2 million people went to see it.

Okay then.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born will have its world premiere at the 75th Venice Film Festival this fall, according to a press release by the festival Monday.

The movie- a remake of a remake of a remake (if you're confused- it's the fourth time the movie's been made)- will screen at the festival August 31- more than a month before its release to US theaters.

Songs for the movie have been co-written by Gaga and  Cooper- with contributions from Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, and Mark Ronson. Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott also appear in the movie.

FYI, Janet Gaynor earned a best-actress Oscar nomination the original film, Judy Garland and James Mason were nominated for their performances in the first remake, and Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson won an Oscar for best song (Evergreen) the third go-round.

David Bowie's earliest known studio recording is going up for auction later this year.

The song, recorded when Bowie was just 16 (and known by his birth name- David Jones) features Bowie fronting and playing saxophone foor The Konrads, and is part of a collection of memorabilia offered by the band's drummer, David Hadfield- who says he found the tape in a "bread bin" during a move back in the 90s.

Hadfield says the band's agent "asked us to do a demo so he could try and get us an auction at Decca. So in early 1963 I booked into R.G.Jones small studio in Morden. In preparation for the demo David and our guitarist Neville Wills wrote 2/3 songs. We had decided that we would do a couple of guitar instrumentals and one original song. I chose I Never Dreamed as it was the strongest, the other two were a bit weak! I also decided that David was the best person to sing it and give the right interpretation. So this became the very first recording of David Jones (Bowie) singing 55 years ago! There is no other recording featuring David as lead in existence. Decca initially turned us down, but when they eventually gave us an auction later that year, vocalist Roger Ferris was the lead voice and David sang backing harmonies."

It's expected the demo will sell for at least $13,000.

Look, I get it- DC needs a hit (besides Wonder Woman). Because of that, they seem to just be throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks- which is why, for some reason, we're getting a Joker "origin" movie.

Personally, I think the Joker works better as an unknown entity- a wild card, if you will.

Also, Joaquin Phoenix in the title role? Well... at least he's got the "crazy" down.

Birthdays today include: Steve Jocz of Sum 41 (37); Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child (37); Dalvin DeGrate of Jodeci (47); Chad Gracey of Live (47); Alison Krauss (47); Sam Watters of Color Me Badd (48); Slash (53); Nick Menza of Megadeth (54); Tim Kellett of Simply Red (54); Martin Gore of Depeche Mode (57); Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer (66); Blair Thornton of BTO (68); and Andy Mackay of Roxy Music (72). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for July 20, 2018

Finally. Friday.

Don't forget to head over to the Iron Horse Tavern tomorrow night for another loud and proud edition of Saturday Night Karaoke with Mark. The fun starts at 10pm- be there.

Vicki Cornell, widow of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, announced today that a statue of her late husband will be coming to the late rocker’s hometown of Seattle.

The statue will be located at the Museum of Pop Culture and will be unveiled late next month. The bronze statue by sculptor Nick Marras features Cornell in "his signature boots, dog (tags), and (with his) long locks."

Vicki Cornell calls the statue her family’s gift to "the tight-knit community that gave him his start." Plans for the statue had been in the works since last summer.

Avenged Sevenfold has been forced to cancel it's North American tour that was set to kick off Sunday night after singer M. Shadows was ordered by physicians not to perform because of vocal cord problems.

In a letter to fans posted on the band's website and social media platforms today, Shadows wrote:

"There is no good way to start out a note containing bad news but here it is.

After Europe I came down with a terrible viral infection that rendered me voiceless.

I tried my best to take care of the situation with voice rest, medication and doctor visits but my voice was only getting worse.

After a week of steroids the swelling went down enough to see the cause of the problem. A blood blister has formed on my vocal folds and is preventing them from vibrating properly. In short, I can’t sing anything at the moment and the more I attempt to the more damage is being done. Luckily, as of now the doctors feel that 3 months of no singing and voice rest should get my chords back on track.

Unfortunately, this means we will have to cancel all tour dates at the moment.

Decisions like this weigh on me very heavily. It’s a tour I was looking forward to very much. I want to apologize to the fans who have spent their time and money booking travel arrangements and accommodations. I also want to apologize to our crew and the other bands who were depending on this tour.

None of these things are lost on me.

Just know that I have exhausted every possible solution in trying to get out there and perform for you. It just simply can’t happen at the moment.

We have a few things coming down the pipe soon that should be fun so we hope you look out for those.

Again, I am deeply sorry and hope to see you all soon.

In silence,

M"

Okay, first of all- this trailer for the upcoming season of The Walking Dead looks damned good. Also, am I the only one who thinks the scene of everyone running up from behind Rick (presumably into battle) looks a lot like Steve Rogers leading the Avengers into battle against Thanos' minions?

Show star Andrew Lincoln also is reported to have confirmed at a ComiCon panel today that he was, indeed, leaving the show after the upcoming season- meaning that another major break from the comics' story line is on the horizon.

Dennis DeYoung says he's happy that his former band mates in Styx were playing Mr. Roboto for the first time in 35 years despite James Young and Tommy Shaw's longtime, and quite vocal, contempt for the song and the album it came from- Kilroy Was Here.

"... I play Mr. Roboto at every show and people go mental," DeYoung told Billboard. "They love it because it's insinuated itself somehow into the culture, which is beyond my comprehension because when I wrote the thing it was never intended to be a single. But if I could write four more of those tomorrow, I'm doing it."

Young, meanwhile, told Billboard in a June interview that the recording of the album "was an ugly time" in the band's history and "none of the rest of us" liked the project. "We gave Dennis enough rope to hang himself, and us, collectively ... and it's clear that moment in time was a huge mistake. We killed the golden goose, at least for the time being, and it's taken a long time to resurrect it."

DeYoung, however, insists that the arena rock phase of the band's career came to an end when Tommy Shaw left for a solo career. "It really did catch us off guard and stunned the other four guys in the band," said DeYoung- who also says he was against a move to immediately replace Shaw and continue on a planned 1984 stadium tour.

"That's what really killed the momentum or the golden goose in my opinion. At that very moment MTV was just beginning to take a foothold in this country then and the band Styx missed that whole first weave of the video revolution that was taking place."

Young said the band's decision to play the song was to "fulfill a yearning request form a lot of people over the years that we'd turned a deaf ear to," denying DeYoung's assertion the decision was was driven by tour promoters

"They had gotten so many complaints from the fans that the guys weren't playing the hits because they leave out Mr. Roboto, Babe, Don't Let It End and Show Me the Way and The Best of Times," DeYoung said. "The fan base is not interested in parsing it down to who did what; They're just digging the music and want to hear all the hits."

Basically, 20 years on, they're still pissy. DeYoung holds out hope that they'll patch things up should the band ever be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Should that happen, I predict we will all be standing on that stage and we will all be performing together. I do believe that."

Birthdays today include: Vitamin C of Eve's Plumb (48); Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam (52); Mick McNeil of Simple Minds (60); Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols (62); Carlos Santana (71); Kim Carnes (73); T.G. Sheppard (74); and John Lodge of the Moody Blues (75). #MusicalBirthdays