#WhatsHappening for March 28, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy kids. Hope you'e enjoying your week. And, look at the bright side- it's halfway over.

Calling DMX "his own worst enemy," a Federal judge sentenced the rapper DMX to a year in prison today during the sentencing portion of the tax fraud case against him. The judge also called the crime "brazen and blatant" and said it could not go unpunished. Prosecutors had sought five years in prison, citing his lengthy rap sheet and drugs.

DMX's attorneys had sought to free him so he could support his 15 children and pay back more than $2 million in taxes.

Given a chance to speak, DMX says he knows his taxes need to be paid and what he did was wrong.

"I wasn't following the rules," he said. "I was in a cloud."

In other legal news, Carver Country, Minnesota prosecutors have been ordered to share investigative files with attorneys for the Prince's family under strict confidentiality guidelines.

Attorney Mark Metz says that, since the investigation into Prince’s death is ongoing, the data is confidential- but that the family attorneys will be given access to assist them in determining whether to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires.

The judge’s order says attorneys may only view the files at the sheriff's office, and that it may not be copied, shared, or openly discussed.

Prosecutors are still trying to determine what, if any, charges will be filed.

Stephen, Ziggy, Damian, Julian, and Ky-Mani Marley will appear a at festival honoring the 40th anniversary of their father's landmark album, Kaya.

Kaya Fest will be held over two days next month at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California.

Organizers are calling the event "a one-of-a-kind socially conscious music and awareness experience that fosters unity, one love and peace amongst people from all over the world," and it will mark the first time Bob Marley's sons have performed together in a decade.

Lauryn Hill, Cypress Hill, Action Bronson, Toots and Maytals, SOJA, and others are also scheduled to perform. Tickets are available here.

Birthdays today include: J-Kwon (31); Lady Gaga (32); Dave Keuning of The Killers (41); Rodney Atkins (49); Cheryl Renee James (Salt) of Salt N' Pepa (51); James Atkins of EMF (51); Reba McEntire (63); John Evans of Jethro Tull (70); and Alf Clausen (77). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 25, 2018

Before we move on to more trivial matters, I'd like to congratulate everyone who participated in the #MarchForOurLives across the world yesterday. You are brave. You are strong. You are the future.

Hi kids- happy Sunday. Hope you're all enjoying the weekend. I've been mostly immobile, doing a whole bunch of nothing except staring at the TV, waiting for my headache to go away. Damned pollen, damned weather!

Two legendary queens are celebrating birthdays today- Aretha Franklin is 76 today and Sir Elton John is 71.

Nile Rodgers has been appointed to the newly created position of chief creative advisor at Abbey Road Studios.

Rodgers will be responsible for nurturing new talent, acting as the studio’s global ambassador, and assisting with ongoing developments in audio and recording technology.

The 65-year-old disco legend, who is currently recording a new Chic album at the studio, will also use the space as his creative base in the U.K.

"From the first time I heard the Beatles’ I Want To Hold Your Hand, I dreamt of Abbey Road," said Rodgers in a statement.

He added that becoming the studio’s "first and only" chief creative advisor "is something I consider a great responsibility." 

Abbey Road marketing chief Mark Robertson said "there is no other artist or producer who has the legacy, influence and relevance to be awarded this role at Abbey Road Studios."

"One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here." - Sir Paul McCartney, on why he was in New York to participate in Saturday's #MarchForOurLives gathering.

Maybe they should change his name to Juggernaut (except Fox has the rights to X-Men blah-blah-blah). Black Panther is now the top-grossing superhero film of all time in North America, passing The Avengers yesterday with more than $623.4 million in ticket sales. It also is one of just seven films to ever earn $600 million or more domestically and has earned more than $1.2 billion internationally.

P!nk has been forced to cancel shows in Montreal and Detroit this weekend.

pic.twitter.com/yD0FhIcLIH

— P!nk (@Pink) March 24, 2018

Her next scheduled show is Tuesday night in Louisville. Her reps say the Montreal and Detroit dates will be rescheduled.

A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip has been tabbed to play legendary trumpeter Miles Davis in tomorrow night's production of in My Funny Valentine, which portrays a day in the life of the Illinois native from 1981. 
A script reading at NYC's Joe's Pub tomorrow night is sold out. 

Birthdays today, in addition to Aretha and Elton, include: Cathy Dennis (49); Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet (58); Ronnie McDowell (58); and Nick Lowe (69). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 21, 2018

Hey, kids- happy Wednesday!

Today's the first full day of spring.

That's my thoughts on that.

The 9th Circuit has denied appeals filed by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams in the 2015 case filed by Marvin Gaye's family in the Got to Give It Up/Blurred Lines. While the court upheld the $5.3 million judgement against Thicke and Williams, it reversed the award against rapper T.I.

Writing for the majority, Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. said "Musical compositions are not confined to a narrow range of expression"- rejecting Thicke's attorneys arguments that only "thin" protection, due to its being created before copyright laws were amended in the 1970s.

Songs from Tony Bennett, Bill Haley & His Comets, The Temptations, Kenny Rogers, Arlo Guthrie, and Chic- as well as albums from Fleetwood Mac, Run-DMC, and Groucho Marx have been selected for preservation by the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress' honors 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" recordings each year.

This year's honorees:

• Dream Melody Intermezzo: Naughty Marietta- Victor Herbert and his Orchestra (1911)
• Standing Rock Preservation Recordings- George Herzog and Members of the Yanktoni Tribe (1928)
• Lamento Borincano- Canario y Su Grupo (1930)
• Sitting on Top of the World- Mississippi Sheiks (1930)
• The Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas- Artur Schnabel (1932-35)
• If I Didn't Care- The Ink Spots (1939)
• Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on International Organization (April 25, 1945 to June 26, 1945)
• Folk Songs of the Hills- Merle Travis (1946)
• How I Got Over- Clara Ward and the Ward Singers (1950)
• (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock- Bill Haley & His Comets (1954)
• Calypso- Harry Belafonte (1956)
• I Left My Heart in San Francisco- Tony Bennett (1962)
• King Biscuit Time- Sonny Boy Williamson II and others (1965)
• My Girl- The Temptations (1964)
• The Sound of Music Soundtrack (1965)
• Alice's Restaurant Massacree- Arlo Guthrie (1967)
• New Sounds in Electronic Music- Steve Reich, Richard Maxfield & Pauline Oliveros (1967)
• An Evening With Groucho- Groucho Marx (1972)
• Rumours- Fleetwood Mac (1977)
• The Gambler- Kenny Rogers (1978)
• Le Freak- Chic (1978)
• Footloose- Kenny Loggins (1984)
• Raising Hell- Run-DMC (1986)
• Rhythm Is Gonna Get You- Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine (1987)
• Yo-Yo Ma Premieres: Concertos for Violoncello and Orchestra- Various (1996)

The inductees were culled from online submissions from the public and the National Recording Preservation Board.

Birthdays today include: Andrew Copeland of Sister Hazel (50); MC Maxim of Prodigy (51); Jonas Berggren of Ace Of Base (51); Sean Dickson of Soup Dragons (51); Conrad Lozano of Los Lobos (67); Roger Hodgson of Supertramp (68); Eddie Money (69); Rosemary Stone of Sly & The Family Stone (73). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for March 19, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy- kiddios. Hope you survived any St. Patricks's Day shenanigans that may have crossed your path.

Before we go any further, happy birthday to Mark- Southpaw Entertainment's second in command. Have a great day (or what's left of it).

My family heritage is Scots-Danish-Irish-Unknown (my mom's dad was an orphan, and no one seemed to know anything about his birth parents and- seeing his was born in the 1890s, record-keeping was somewhat spotty), and my Irish (mom's mom) was Irish Protestant, so celebrating a Catholic saint (Irish or not) wasn't really a priority.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going to the Savannah parade when I was a child- but I grew out of it by the time I was... I dunno... 12 or so? Certainly I was over it by the time I got to high school and was forced to march in the damned thing.

A whole fucking lot of "no."

And River Street? Yeah, fuck that. I've never been a fan of not having space to move and every drunken asshole around stumbling into me, sooo....

And, to me, it's worth noting that Tybee Island had so much trash on the beach in the aftermath of Orange Crush one year that they denied organizers permits to hold the event- citing crowd control and security issues as the official reasons. So, why in the bleeding fuck is does the city of Savannah continue to look the other way when shit like this happens?

Pictured: Just good-old fun.

Racism- that's why. You can deny it all you like (and city and parade officials surely would), but you're kidding yourself.

Elsewhere, Lollapalooza Argentina was forced to cancel their final day of shows yesterday due to severe weather that included heavy storms, lightning, and high winds.

Performances from Pearl Jam, LCD Soundsystem, the National, David Byrne, Kygo, and others were among those called off in cooperation with government safety authorities.

Steven Tyler is hitting the road for a 13 date tour in support of his 2016 solo debut, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will be backed by Nashville’s Loving Mary Band for headlining shows, festival gigs, and a benefit concert for Akron’s Children Hospital.

Judas Priest's new album, Firepower, debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last week- giving the band not only their best debut, but their best-ever chart ranking over 2014’s Redeemer of Souls, which debuted and peaked at #6.

Firepower sold 49,000 units in the week ending March 15- including 48,000 in traditional album sales.

Birthdays today include: Derek Longmuir of Bay City Rollers (63); Chris Brubeck (66); Paul Atkinson of The Zombies (72); Ruth Pointer of Pointer Sisters (72); and Clarence "Frogman" Henry (81). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for March 15, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy kiddios. Hope you're all having a good week.

If you couldn't see it coming, well... I am a cynic. Kim Campbell, widow of the late Glen Campbell, has filed a claim against the singer's estate seeking reimbursement for just over half a million dollars for expenses she said she incurred while caring for the singer during his battle with Alzheimer's.

Kim Campbell is the executor of her late husband's estate, which three of the singer's eight children have filed a dispute against, and two others have questioned their father’s mental capacity at the time he executed the 2006 document- as well as their battle with their stepmother over the right to visit their ailing father before he died.

I'm guessing they won't be playing this at the next family reunion.

Jason Aldean announced yesterday that he'd be performing at the Braves' Cobb County clusterfuck stadium on July 21st.

The show will be Aldean's Atlanta stop on his High Neon Tour and feature a one night only reunion of Hootie & The Blowfish (which, of course, is the only way- besides being on the team- that the rednecks on that side of town would actually welcome anyone with Darius Rucker's skin tone).

You still won't be playing in Atlanta.

"Out of all the shows we’ve played, I know this show is going to be a career defining moment," Aldean said. "We haven’t had a chance to play Atlanta in a couple years in anticipation of this show and I know this night is going to mean a lot to my family and me."

I was looking a NME.com and got a pop-up to subscribe. I'm pretty sure their last print issue is this week's.

Trent Reznor says Nine Inch Nails new EP will be released before the end of June, and will be the final one of a trilogy that began with 2016's Not The Actual Events and 2017's Add Violence.

Reznor told 6 Music that the band "started out with a rigid concept, having not written them all.. (but as) we finished Add Violence we found ourselves… it felt too predictable. It felt like we were forcing things. Musically and storytelling-wise. The reason this has been delayed is because it took us a while for—what has become the third EP—to reveal itself to us."

The band will play a string of dates in Europe and Japan this summer in support of the release.

The Killers, Lady Gaga, Florence & The Machine, and Queens Of The Stone Age are among the performers who've been announced for Revamp- an Elton John tribute album due out next month.

The album will also feature "reimagined" versions of Sir Elton's songs from Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, and Mumford & Sons.

"It’s always a huge compliment when an artist loves your song enough to take the time and effort to rework it," John said. "As songwriters, Bernie and myself are thrilled when singers we admire and respect as much as those on Revamp choose to add their own unique twist in the process."

John will be performing on the set's lead track- Bennie and the Jets- with P!nk and Logic.

Birthdays today include: DJ Joseph Hahn of Linkin Park (41); will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas (43); Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 (46); Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray (50); Rockwell (54); Brett Michaels of Poison (55); Steve McCoy of Dead Or Alive (56); Terence Trent D'Arby- who's now known as Sanada Maitreya (56); Dee Snider of Twisted Sister (63); Ry Cooder (71); Howard Scott of War (72); Sly Stone of Sly & The Family Stone (74); Mike Love of The Beach Boys (77); and Phil Lesh of Grateful Dead (78). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for March 11, 2018

Good Sunday morning, friends and neighbors- hope you're enjoying the weekend. I'm a tad tired, myself. Nothing to do with the time change, though- I'm always tired.

Just a reminder for you, there won't be any Saturday Night Karaoke this week- as St. Patrick's festivities will be happening all day in Norcross and at the Iron Horse Tavern. Fear not, though- we'll be back and all up in your face on March 24th!

A nun testifying in the lawsuit seeking to block Katy Perry 's purchase of a former convent in Los Angeles collapsed and died in court, according to CBS News. Archbishop José H. Gomez issued a statement confirming the death, saying "Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, IHM passed away suddenly (Friday) at the age of 89."

I guess Perry has a scene like this in her future.

The legal fight has been going on for three years now, with Perry's offer on the property having been approved by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, but awaiting the Vatican's approval. The nuns residing there had sought a separate deal due to their disapproval of Perry's public persona.

I'm a fan of most of Steven Spielberg's filmography- but, I gotta say that the trailer for Ready Player One is superbly underwhelming.

Speaking of movies, it looks like Black Panther will be this week's top earner at the box office- and the film became the fifth in the Marvel fold to cross the $1 billion mark in ticket sales.

Rock on.

On the heels of Showtime's documentary- Whitney: Can I Be, which was denounced by the late singer's estate- comes word of a new documentary that the estate fully endorses, called Whitney.

According to a press release for the film, Whitney will explore most personal aspects of Houston’s life and career, and will include live performances, unreleased tracks, and home footage. It will be released July 6.

Director Kevin MacDonald said he approached Houston's "life like a mystery story; why did someone with so much raw talent and beauty self-destruct so publicly and painfully? I was lucky enough to have the support of Pat Houston and the Whitney Houston estate in this quest. They entrusted me with the 'keys to the vault' while giving me complete freedom to follow the story wherever it went. At heart, Whitney is an intimate family story that reveals a new side to a woman that even her most die-hard fans never knew."

Birthdays today include: Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte (39); Lisa Loeb (50); Vinnie Paul of Pantera (55); Bruce Watson of Big Country (57); Mike Percy of Dead Or Alive (57); Cheryl Lynn (61); Nina Hagen (63); Bobby McFerrin (68); George Kooymans of Golden Earring (70). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for March 7, 2018

Happy hump day, my friends. Hope you're all sailing smoothly through the week- and don't forget to join us for another exciting edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live at the Iron Horse Tavern from 10pm-1am this week.

Willie Nelson's star-studded 4th of July Picnic is returning to Austin, Texas this summer. Tickets go on sale Friday morning. 

Featured acts include The Head and The Heart, Edie Brickell, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, and more.

Mick Jagger is downplaying rumours that The Rolling Stones' upcoming UK tour will be their last- despite the huge demand for tickets.

Jagger told The Sunday Post he hadn't "really thought about this set of gigs being our last tour, to be honest. There is going to come a point when we don’t want to do it any more, for whatever reason– but I’m not thinking about that this summer."

This comes on the heels of Charlie Watts' comments to NME that he "wouldn't mind" if the band broke up or retired. He added that he "thought that the band might stop a lot of times" but he hoped that- when the end did come- "everyone says, 'that’ll be it'."

Two former attorneys for Suge Knight have been charged with attempting to bribe potential witnesses in Knight's upcoming murder trial.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office unsealed the indictment Monday. Matthew Powell Fletcher and Thaddeus Julian Culpepper were also charged with being accessories after the fact and attempting to convince someone to commit perjury.

Prosecutors say Knight's fiancée, Toi-Lin Kelly, is texted his business partner Mark Blankenship that "Matt had put some bread out there" to convince witnesses to "come around". They also claim that Fletcher told Knight in that one of the witnesses"would say there were guns at the murder scene and they would give (him) money for his testimony" to bolster self defense claims.

Okay, here's something I never figured I'd see- Mick Fleetwood and his blues band joined onstage by AC/DC screecher Brian Johnson. Covering Route 66.

The surprise performance happened at Fleetwood's Maui restaurant, Fleetwood’s On Front St.

Surviving members of The Cranberries have confirmed plans to release the last album they recorded with Dolores O’Riordan, who died in January.

In a post on the band's website, the group's members said that could "confirm that, since last summer, the band had been working with Universal Music on the creation of a 25th anniversary edition of (their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can’t We?)..., a newly remastered version with  previously unreleased material of ours as well as other bonus material from the era of our debut album."

The post also said that they hoped the new studio album would be ready early next year, and that O’Riordan had already recorded her vocals for the album.

Birthdays today include:  Randy Guss of Toad The Wet Sprocket (51); Taylor Dayne (53); Peter Wolf (72); Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum (72); and Chris White of The Zombies (75). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for March 4, 2018

Good Sunday afternoon (the hell? this day is slipping away!) kids. Hope you're digging your weekend so far.

Okay... sorry. I got distracted watching Blade Runner: 2049. The cinematography is fantastic, and I enjoyed it. I think it helped a lot that I went in with low expectations, seeing as the original is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.

From the "Way to ruin it for everyone, asshole" file: Elton John explains why he walked out in the middle of a song during a concert last week:

A statement from Elton. pic.twitter.com/Cdd7jqjPZt

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) March 3, 2018

Any excuse to post a picture of Carrie works for me.

The Oscars are tonight (I think). I'm really stoked to not watch. I will be rooting for composer extraordinaire John Williams to win for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, though. He's been nominated 51 times in 50 years- and is a five time winner.

In case you're wondering- Walt Disney holds the record for nominations with 59. Williams shows no signs of slowing down, though... so Walt's frozen head better watch out!

HA! I was just reading where E! is putting their Red Carpet Live Oscars' show on a 30 second delay to try and avoid anyone going all Network on Ryan Seacrest regarding recent sexual harassment claims against him.

By the way- don't know if I've mentioned this- I've been working on getting the songbooks updated (something I try to do once a year at the very least) and I'm letting everyone know ahead of time that you may go looking for that won't be there anymore.

"Why's that" you might be asking. Well, while I do take pride in the number of selections we have to offer, there are some that are just unnecessary because I've never- in over 15 years of hosting karaoke- had anyone ask to perform them. (There's also the "oh-my-fucking-god-if-I-have-to-hear-that-song-one-more-fucking-time-I'm-gonna-kill-somebody" factor.)

That said, if you have any suggestions for song you want to see gone- or songs you think should be left alone, please pass them along. You're also welcome to ask us if we have the song, but I'd also add that there are some selections that we'll immediately say "nope" to (see that whole I hate that song part above). 

Uh-oh... Black Panther is slipping. They only made $65.8 million this weekend. I crack me up.

Blake Shelton was forced to postpone his scheduled show in Louisiana last night. The singer posted to Twitter that he was "battling the flu the last few days and today it has gotten the best of me."

Shelton went on to "apologize to everyone who had their Saturday night plans to spend it with me and the other Freaks on the 'Country Music Freaks' Tour."

The show was rescheduled for Tuesday. His Atlanta show is still scheduled for Thursday.

Birthdays today include: Alison Wheeler of The Beautiful South (46); Fergal Lawlor of The Cranberries (47); Evan Dando of The Lemonheads (51); Patrick Hannan of The Sundays (52); Jason Newsted of Metallica (55); Boon Gould of Level 42 (63); Emilio Estefan of Miami Sound Machine (65); Ron Moss of Player (66); Chris Rea (67); and Shakin' Stevens (70). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for March 1, 2018

Hey, hi, howdy friends. Hope the week is being kind to you so far.

Don't forget to join us this weekend for another rockin' edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, loud and in your face at the Iron Horse Tavern in downtown Norcross. 

We'll be blowing the doors off from 10-1, so don't miss it!

Elvis' little girl says she's broke.

Lisa Marie Presley, sole heir of her father's fortune, claims to be more than $16 million in debt- according to a deposition given in connection to her divorce proceedings against Michael Lockwood.

She also says she was "...was abusing cocaine terribly" during the last year of her marriage.

When asked if her drug use was heavy, she answered, "It was bad, yeah" but she added that she "didn’t mix the pills and alcohol until, like, the last two years."

Lockwood is said to be asking for a share of her money, as well as reimbursement for his legal fees- and claims that she is lying about her finances.

Presley split with him after accusing him of having "disturbing" images. The couple were stripped of custody of their 9 year old twin daughters, and Priscilla Presley was was briefly given custody of the children. 

In addition to the divorce proceedings, Presley is also in the midst of a lawsuit against her former business manager, Barry Siegel, who she says left her with only $14,000 in cash, $500,000 in credit card debt, unspecified unpaid taxes, and a mansion in England that's in in foreclosure. She also says he was "reckless and negligent" in his "mismanagement" of her inherited estate- including claims that he began liquidating her assets without informing her, and putting "his own best interests ahead of her in order to put himself in proximity to (other investors) and (their) celebrity circle."

Local media reports in Russia say that Olga Borisova and Sasha Sofeyev of Pussy Riot have disappeared while traveling to Moscow from the Crimean Peninsula- where they were protesting the detention of filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year sentence on terrorism charges that many say are politically motivated.

Two Pussy Riot members are missing. Olya Borisova & Sasha Sofeev disappeared in Crimea yesterday.

FSB detained them several times. Yesterday cops broke their phones and computers. We can not reach out to them.

We don't know what has happened to them. pic.twitter.com/6pRtgCIbi3

— Pussy Riot (@pussyrrriot) February 27, 2018

Friends says the two women decided to leave Crimea on Monday evening after being detained and harassed by security forces, and a third member of the band- Masha Alekhina- was temporarily in police custody.

The Rock Legends Cruise announced today that The Who's Roger Daltrey would be joining their seventh annual even next year.
The 2019 voyage departs from Fort Lauderdale on Valentine's Day next year on its way to the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s eastern Yucatán Peninsula and will feature more than 20 artists, 60 concerts, artist meet & greets, interviews, acoustic sets, and more during its four day trip with the proceeds benefiting The Native American Heritage Association. 
Buddy Guy, Dave Davies and Kansas are also slated to perform- with more artists to be announced. 

Birthdays today include: Justin Bieber (24); Kesha (31); Nik Kershaw (60); Roger Daltrey of The Who (74); Mike D'Abo of Manfred Mann (74); Jerry Fisher of Blood, Sweat & Tears (75); Harry Belafonte (91). #MusicalBirthdays