#WhatsHappening for May 31, 2018

Tomorrow is June first, which means the year is almost halfway done. Can you believe it?

It's also Friday- and is it just me or does anyone else feel like the four days after a holiday Monday just drag the hell out?

Don't forget to join me for the fun this weekend at Saturday Night Karaoke- live, loud, and in you earholes at the Iron Horse Tavern Saturday from 10pm-1am.

The Michael Jackson estate has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against the house of Mouse after ABC's broadcast of The Last Days of Michael Jackson, about the singer's last days. 

The estate says the Walt Disney Company failed to secure permission to use Jackson's songs and music videos. "Like Disney, the lifeblood of the estate’s business is its intellectual property. Yet for some reason, Disney decided it could just use the estate’s most valuable intellectual property for free."

Court documents show the estate made its objections to the material being used before the documentary's airing. Disney’s legal team claims the inclusion fell under "fair use" because of the nature of the documentary, and reps for ABC say the film "did not infringe on his estate’s right."

Coachella organizers have announced dates for the 2019 edition of the festival- tabbing the weekends of April 12-14 and 19-21, with tickets going on sale tomorrow morning at 11am Pacific time. No acts have been announced for the lineup. More info here.

I'm bored and my knee hurts. That's all for today.

Birthdays today include: Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy (38); Steve White of Style Council (53); Darryl McDaniel of Run-DMC (54); Corey Hart (56); Junior Campbell of Marmalade (71); and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary (80). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for May 29, 2018

Hey kids, hope you enjoyed your long weekend- and I hope, even more, that you took a moment to reflect on just what that Monday off really stands for.

A New York appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that rejects Kesha's counterclaims in the suit filed against her by producer Dr. Luke.

New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich had previously ruled that the singer and her attorneys should have given proper notice before filing a countersuit seeking owed royalties and the dissolution of her contract that would be "impossible to perform under the deals due to the acrimonious relationship."

"Kesha's proposed amendments are palpably insufficient and devoid of merit," read today's decision. "Her counterclaim seeking declaratory relief terminating the agreements on the ground of impossibility and impracticability of performance was speculative, contradicted by her own allegations that she had continued performing under the agreements and, as to at least one of the agreements, the impossibility was not produced by an unanticipated event that could not have been foreseen or guarded against."

In response to the singer's wish for New York to apply California's seven-year rule limiting personal service contracts, "The court also properly denied Kesha leave to assert a counterclaim for declaratory relief terminating the agreements on the ground that they violate California Labor Code § 2855, as the unambiguous New York choice-of-law provisions contained in the agreements preclude the application of that California statute."

The court also upheld the lower court ruling that Kesha must produce documents held by her PR firm and former attorney, opining that "communications between her counsel and press agents do not reflect a discussion of legal strategy relevant to the pending litigation but, rather, a discussion of a public relations strategy, and are not protected under the attorney-client privilege."

After teasing fans last week with their cover of Toto's Rosanna, Weezer has released their cover of Africa.

The Turks and Caicos Islands private retreat of Prince is up for auction. The nearly six acre property is believed to be the only remaining property in the late singer's real estate portfolio.

A New York auction house is taking sealed bids on the property which is surrounded by water on three sides and includes more than 10,000 square feet of living space, two private beaches, a marina and a long, winding driveway that's painted purple. Prince bought the property in 2011 for $13 million and it's expected to sell for at least $15 million.

Florence + the Machine have announced a 23 stop North American tour in support of their upcoming High as Hope album.

The tour kicks off on August 5th in Montreal and wraps up October 20th in Minneapolis, and includes stops in LA, New York, Nashville- as well as appearances at the Outside Lands, Life is Beautiful, Grandoozy and Skookum festivals.

The suit against rapper Afroman filed by a woman he punched during a 2015 Mississippi performance has been decided. In the judgment filed last week, the Harrison County Circuit Court has ruled that Afroman must pay Haley Byrd monthly installments of $10,000- and a total of $65,000. If he fails to make the payments, the judgment will be adjusted to $125,000.

Willie Nelson was forced to bail out on his appearance at the Outlaw Music Festival Saturday night after falling ill. Nelson appeared on stage, picked up his guitar, then set it back down, flung his cowboy hat into the crowd and left the stage.

Live Nation Carolina released the following statement after the incident: "Due to illness, Willie Nelson was unable to play tonight at the Outlaw Music Festival at PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte. Fans are asked to please hold on to their tickets until the new date is announced." A representative for Nelson told Billboard that the singer was suffering from a "stomach bug" and that the show will be rescheduled.

Birthdays today include: Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown of Spice Girls (43); Chad Kinchla of Blues Traveler (49); Noel Gallagher of Oasis (51); Melissa Etheridge (57); Jesse Johnson of The Time (58); Mel Gaynor of Simple Minds (59); Marie Fredriksson of Roxette (60); Larry Blackmon of Cameo (62); Mike Procaro of Toto (63); Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo (63); and Gary Brooker of Procol Harum (73). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for May 24, 2018

Hey kids- happy Thursday. Let's get to it...

Billboard headline: Miley Cyrus & Mark Ronson Are in the Studio Making 'Heartbreaking Tunes'

Methinks they misspelled "earsplitting"...

TMZ reports that rapper Offset won't be facing charges as a result of his car accident here in Atlanta earlier this month, and that police have closed the case- deeming it an "abandoned/recovered vehicle case" since no one other than the rapper himself was injured in the incident.

The rapper told TMZ he swerved to avoid someone walking in the street.

Music you didn't know you wanted to hear: This cover of Toto's Rosanna, done by Weezer.

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed rumors that the NYD is investigating rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) for threatening one of its officers.

A statement from the department said that there "is a formal complaint on file for aggravated harassment" against Jackson and that "detectives are investigating."

In a post to his Instagram account that has since been deleted, Jackson posted yesterday "Get the strap" ("strap" is, evidently, slang for a gun and a word that he frequently uses on his social media accounts) in reference to a Deputy Inspector of the NYPD. 

A statement by his representative said that "so the record is clear, Mr. Jackson does not condone or promote the use of violence against anyone.‎ 'Get The Strap' is a playful phrase used by Mr. Jackson to punctuate absurd and outrageous situations."

A release date has been set for the Elton John musical Rocketman. The film, in development since 2011 and starring Taron Egerton as John, will be released May 17th next year to give the adults something to see while their kids are watching the next Avengers movie.

The film begins shooting in August and Egerton will be performing John's iconic songs himself. He calls the film "a fantasy musical so it’s actually his songs used to express important beats in his life at emotional moments. He's not the only character that sings. It’s going to be fun."

Birthdays today include: Billy Gilman (30); Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes (49); Rosanne Cash (63); Albert Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult (71); Patti LaBelle (74); and Bob Dylan (77). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for May 21, 2018

Hey kids, hope your weekend went good and Monday wasn't too unkind for you, either.

Paramore is heading out on a summer tour of the US and have teamed up with HeadCount to encourage fans to participate in the democratic process.

Singer Hayley Williams said the band was "partnering with HeadCount to give people a chance to register to vote before midterm elections. They'll be at the shows all summer and we'd like to encourage young people coming out to take this chance to make their presence known and their convictions noted."

I'm all for people participating in the electoral process- but (there's always a "but", right?) conditionally. And what's my condition? That people educate themselves on the issues and the stances of the candidates they're voting on. That they think for themselves- after they educate themselves- and reject the "I voted for them because they're my party's candidate" bullshit. Do that, and vote away!

Two things people on social media wouldn't STFU about this weekend that was making me nuts: the royal wedding and American Idol.

If you needed further proof that Lollapalooza's time as a cutting edge event was long over- they've added Carly Rae Jepson to their lineup.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Jessie Ware will not be performing at this year’s #Lolla. We apologize for any inconvenience. Carly Rae Jepsen has been added to the Lineup. Catch her on the Lake Shore Stage, Saturday, August 4th! https://t.co/CFaKbR0J84 pic.twitter.com/9dS7HN0w99

— Lollapalooza (@lollapalooza) May 21, 2018

I don't know what a Jessie Ware is, either. 

Bob Seger has rescheduled 13 of the dates he had to cancel last year to have back surgery. Seger's Runaway Train tour, with the first one coming up November 24 in Kansas City. No new shows have been announced, but it's rumored that there will be more dates. The tour is in support of promote Seger's latest album, I Knew You When, which debuted last November.

Seger told Billboard that the tour "was going so good... (The band was) playing so great... Oh my God, I hated to stop. I feel like we've got to do at least do these 20 (postponed concerts) that are outstanding. We have to honor that. We have 200,000 tickets out there and people have been great; They've held their tickets all this time, so that's the first thing we've got to do."

Birthdays today include: Gotye (38); Stan Lynch of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (63); Leo Sayer (70); Bill Champlin of Chicago (71); Hilton Valentine of The Animals (75); and Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers (77). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for May 15, 2018

Hey-o kiddios. Hope you're enjoying the week so far.

Lindsey Buckingham broke his silence over his leaving Fleetwood Mac, telling an audience at a show in Los Feliz, California last Friday that "there were factions within the band that had lost their perspective" and that leaving the band was not his choice. 

 

Mick Fleetwood said the split happened because of conflicts with tour rehearsal schedules, telling Rolling Stone the rest of the band "arrived at the impasse of hitting a brick wall. This was not a happy situation for us in terms of the logistics of a functioning band. To that purpose, we made a decision that we could not go on with him. Majority rules in term of what we need to do as a band and go forward."

The Beastie Boys Book- a 592 page volume recounting the band's career- is due out this fall, as promised.

The "panoramic experience" will feature not only the writings of Mike D and Ad-Rock, but also illustrations, photos, a cookbook, mixtape playlists, and original essays- with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.

I’m not sure if you remember, but a while ago we said we were gonna write a book about our band. Well, it’s almost done and it’s coming out soon. This is what it’s gonna look like. Kinda nice, right?
Pre-order it today at: https://t.co/GzF9zWlEJi
or: https://t.co/QLIZI2Imeu pic.twitter.com/KtkJNe1ZcM

— Beastie Boys (@beastieboys) May 15, 2018

Billboard Headline: Meghan Trainor Wants to Be an Actor, Too

Evidently, being a shitty singer isn't enough.

Liz Phair is hitting the road again for the 25th anniversary of Exile in Guyville. Phair's Amps on the Lawn tour will feature a full band for the 25 dates. Capitol Records has announced that it will be reissuing her albums Whip-Smart, Liz Phair, and Whitechocolatespaceegg on vinyl on June 8.

The fall leg of Phair's tour kicks off here in Atlanta at the Variety Playhouse on September 6. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday.

Birthdays today include: Mike Oldfield (65); Dennis Fredericksen of Toto (67); Brian Eno of Roxy Music (70); Graham Goble of Little River Band (74); K.T. Oslin (76); and Trini Lopez (80). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for May 11, 2018

Hey hi, kids. Hope your week has sailed smoothly along.

Florence and the Machine is set to release their first new album since 2015 with next month's debut of High As Hope. The June 29th release feature 10 songs written entirely by the singer Florence Welch- who also co-produced the album. The debut single, Hunger, was released yesterday.

Welch told NME that there was "a lot of love in this record, loneliness too, but a lot of love. It’s always a work in progress, and I definitely don’t have everything figured out. But this feels like quite a pure expression of who I am now, as an artist, and an honest one. I’m just more comfortable with who I am."

Spotify announced yesterday that they would be instituting a new policy aimed at battling "hateful content" in songs and "hateful conduct" from artists- R. Kelly the policy's first target, with his offering being removed from the service's curated and algorithm-based playlists. 

Spotify came up with the guidelines after consulting with GLAAD, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), The Southern Poverty Law Center, and The Anti-Defamation League. Put simply, if the service deems the songs explicitly racist, homophobic, anti semitic or otherwise defamatory, they're out.

Specifically, the site's FAQ deems "hate content" covers any work that "expressly and principally promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence against a group or individual based on characteristics, including, race, religion, gender identity, sex, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability." 

The company says they reserve the right to scrap music from the service: "When we are alerted to content that violates our policy, (Spotify) may remove it (in consultation with rights holders)." The service had already put the practice in place last August, removing a handful of white-supremacist and neo-Nazi acts that had been flagged by the SPLC.

While the song guidelines seem (relatively) straightforward, the conduct rules aren't. The company says it "may" choose not to promote artists whose behavior clashes with their company values, but won’t remove the artist's music unless the music itself is determined to be hateful- as is the case in regards to Kelly's music.

Spotify did specify that actions that are "especially harmful or hateful" would be cause, though being found criminally liable apparently isn't required- again, using Kelly as an example (he has been accused, but not convicted), though Chris Brown- who is facing a lawsuit from a woman who claims she was raped at a "sex party" in his home, pled guilty to felony assault charges after attacking Rihanna in 2009, and been sued by his former manager who says the rapper attacked him in "a drug-fueled rage"- is still on the service's Top 50 playlist. The service told Billboard that Brown's appearance on chart playlists was "based on listenership numbers" and it didn't face the same restrictions.

Don't forget to join us for Saturday Night Karaoke, live at the Iron Horse Tavern, tomorrow night from 10pm-1am. It's gonna be epic ('cuz it always is, right?). 

Birthdays today include: rapper Kardinal Offishall (42); Christoph Schneider of Rammstein (52); Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs (53); MTV's Martha Quinn (59); Jonathan Jeczalik of Art Of Noise (63); Mark Herndon of Alabama (63); Eric Burdon of the Animals (77). #MusicalBirthdays 

Ten Albums That Have Influenced Me

So, I've been seeing these "challenges" that have going around about art that has been influential in people's lives are going around again (with the newest one being movie-centric) and I thought I'd offer up some my choices. These aren't in any particular order, and are only numbered so that I can keep track of how many I've listed.

10: Hank Williams- 24 Greatest Hits: Williams, who died at just 29 as a result of his addictions, managed 35 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard country charts (including 11 number one hits) in a musical career that began when he was 13 years old. This collection, released long before the days of "The Complete (Whoever)"-type sets, serves as a great overview of his work.

9: The Mamas & The Papas 16 Greatest Hits: Much like the Hank Williams selection, this pulls together the heights of the group's output. Harmonies, lyrics, wistful longings all in 16 immediately recognizable tunes.

8: The Band Music From The Big Pink: Whether the songs were their own or their friends' (and, depending on who you talked to- whether they were a collaborative effort of just Robbie Robertson's), Music From The Big Pink set the stage for what was to come in the 70s (no, not disco)- a sound that paved the way to the careers of The Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Poco, and others, and influenced artists like Eric Clapton and George Harrison.

And seriously- The Weight is one of the best songs of the rock era.

7. LL Cool J Radio: Though I was a fan of songs like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's The Message and White Lines, Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock and others- Radio was the first rap album I bought, at the urging of a couple of high school friends. The songs are raw, emotional, and enthusiastic- and have held up quite well over time.

6. Talking Heads Stop Making Sense: Though I could almost choose any Talking Heads album as influential, Stop Making Sense- and the accompanying Jonathan Demme directed film of the same name- showcases the band at their most powerful.

5. Prince & The Revolution Purple Rain: Near perfection.

4. Louis Armstrong Golden Hits: Though it contains some lesser known songs from Armstrong's catalog, Golden Hits is a good primer for those who only know him from What A Wonderful World. Do yourself a favor, though- don't stop there. Check out his work with Ella Fitzgerald and the terrific Hot Fives & Hot Sevens collections, too. There's no such thing as too much Louis.

3. The Clash The Story of the Clash: A double album set that provides a retrospective of the band's time together, The Story of the Clash represents punk done right- smart, sarcastic, in-your-face, and musically brilliant- instead of noise.

2. Pink Floyd The Wall: I was no stranger to Pink Floyd, having an older brother who played Dark Side of the Moon practically on repeat when it was released, but I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. After all, I was only four when that album was released. By the time The Wall was built, though, Pink Floyd had evolved from being a prog rock favorite of stoners everywhere to a force who insisted you reckon with them.

The 1982 release also helped solidify to me that it wasn't just the music that could make a song a classic, and that intelligent, explosive lyrics could elevate a piece past standard radio fare and into the realm of classic.

1. Prince & The Revolution Sign O' The Times: If Purple Rain represents Prince at his most popular, Sign O' The Times gives us a Purple One not afraid to be funky, rocking, creative, and pushing the envelope beyond what we thought we knew about him. The fact that it's a double album with a weak track nowhere to be found is a testament to the brilliance of a man who knew exactly what he wanted to say and exactly how he wanted to say it.

Now, this isn't all inclusive of course. The Beatles, David Bowie, Tom Petty, The Star Wars soundtracks, Steely Dan, Blondie, The Eagles, Earth, Wind & Fire, Les Paul, Ray Charles, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly, Soundgarden, The Police, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Digital Underground, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Fleetwood Mac, and countless others could've made the list. 

Feel free to share yours with us. 

#WhatsHappening for May 6, 2018

Hey kids- hope you're having a good weekend. 

It's not too shabby on this end- a good crowd for Saturday Night Karaoke last night and now it's time to make sure the imprint of my ass on the couch is in good shape!

I was on the way over to a friend's this morning to help with clearing out their basement of stuff and I couldn't help but notice it was a beautiful day outside, and there were plenty of people out in the downtown Norcross parks enjoying it.
And they all make me sick because I'm jealous that I can't do that without a monster headache because of pollen!

The Man in Black's childhood home is now a landmark.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program announced Friday Johnny Cash's home in Dyess- near Tennessee- had been added to the on the National Register of Historic Places. Cash and his family lived in the house, built in 1934 as part of the Dyess Resettlement Colony by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, from the time he was 3 until he graduated from high school. At least two of his compositions- Five Feet High and Rising and Pickin' Time were based on his life there. 

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Arkansas State University, which owns the house, spent just over half a million dollars to buy, restore, furnish and landscape the property.

Mad props to everyone involved in Infinity Wars for it's so-far-fucking-incredible haul over one billion dollars in just one week, but cool your jets, fans. Though Marvel may own six of the top 25 "highest grossing titles", once those numbers are adjust for inflation- they don't even crack the top 10.

The all-time champ in that list remains Gone With The Wind, with an adjust take of $3.44 billion.

The adjusted-gross top 10 (as of 2014):

1) Gone With The Wind (1939): $3,440,000,000

2) Avatar (2009): $3,020,000,000

3) Star Wars (1977): $2,825,000,000

4) Titanic (1997): $2,516,000,000

5) The Sound of Music (1965): $2,366,000,000

6) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982): $2,310,000,000

7) The Ten Commandments (1956): $2,187,000,000

8) Doctor Zhivago (1965): $2,073,000,000

9) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015): $2,068,223,624

10) Jaws (1975): $2,027,000,000

Seeing as it's only been one week, though- I'm thinking Jaws will be bumped out of the top 10 before Infinity Wars ends its run. By the way, this list reflects box office only. Video sales (VHS, BetaMax, LaserDisc, DVD, BluRay, etc.) aren't counted.

Billboard headline: Every Adele Song Ranked: Critic's Picks

Rob's picks: Can they all be last?

ICYMI: Ric Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova are divorcing after 28 years of marriage.

😌

A post shared by Paulina Porizkova (@paulinaporizkov) on May 2, 2018 at 9:09am PDT

Hot on the heels of their announcement of new music (well, a single, anyway), ABBA will be the subject of a two-hour tribute special on NBC in December. 

An NBC talking head said the "network is also thrilled to be the home of brand new ABBA music for the first time in decades. It’s a gift."

Frances Bean Cobain is apparently on the verge of releasing her first official single, if you're interested. 

Me? Well, I hope she has her father's talent.

Four more women have come forward alleging R. Kelly of sexually abusive and inappropriate behavior. 

In a Buzzfeed News report Friday, one of the women called her relationship with Kelly in the late 90s "mentally and physically abusive" while another woman said her daughter had be "brainwashed" by what she called Kelly’s "abusive cult," while the Washington Post spoke with six women regarding their "abusive relationships" with Kelly and recounted incidents from the early 2000s in which Sony Music executives at the time allegedly enabled or did not attempt to curtail Kelly’s behavior.

Birthdays today include: Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters (47); Mark Bryan of Hootie & The Blowfish (51); Tony Scalzo of Fastball (54); John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants (58); Bob Seger (73); Colin Earl of Foghat (76); and Eddie Campbell (79). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for May 2, 2018

May Day! No distress here, it's just May Day.

See, what had happened was I went to see Black Panther last night. I'm not officially ready to watch Infinity Wars (and once again not see my buddy Mike's face).

Bob Dylan is going into partnership with Angel’s Envy Bourbon co-founder Marc Bushala on a line of craft American whiskeys under the name Heaven’s Door.

The company’s distillery and "brand experience center" will open in a historic church in Nashville's SoBro neighborhood next year, according to their website.

I'm soooooo hung overrrrrrrrrrrrr. (Ya hafta say
it to yourself in his voice, though.)

"We both wanted to create a collection of American whiskeys that, in their own way, tell a story," Dylan said mumbled in a statement (at least, that's what they think he said). "I’ve been traveling for decades, and I’ve been able to try some of the best spirits that the world of whiskey has to offer. This is great whiskey. I am happy to be partnering with Marc and our entire team as we bring Heaven’s Door to the public."

The first whiskey releases by Heaven’s Door are a six and a  half year old Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a Double Barrel Whiskey, and a Straight Rye. They say they'll release a 10 year old Straight Bourbon this fall. The whiskeys are being made in collaboration with master distillers and blenders across the country and use Dylan’s artwork in the packaging.

A group of women of color who are members of the Time's Up movement are have joined in a call for the music industry to cut ties to R. Kelly.

The letter, released Monday, targets Kelly's label- RCA Records, streaming services Spotify and Apple Music, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex (where his next show is scheduled for May 11), and Ticketmaster- who're the ticket brokers for the show. A show scheduled for Saturday in Kelly's home city of Chicago was canceled after similar protests. 

The Women of Color committee responsible for the letter includes TV producer and writer Shonda Rhimes, director Ava DuVernay, and actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell. Sollett-Bell said they, "stand linked with our sisters and will no longer tolerate the predatory behavior of R. Kelly to go unchecked."

The letter demands "appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly's abuse made by women of color and their families for over two decades now."

John "Jabo" Starks, drummer for James Brown's backing band died. The 79 year old died at his home in Moblie, yesterday, after battling leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.

Starks played on some of Brown's best-known hits, including Super Bad, Say It Loud -- I'm Black and I'm Proud, Cold Sweat, Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, and The Payback and his work has been sampled on works by A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Kendrick Lamar, the Roots, and many others. Starks also played Bobby Blue Bland, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Big Mama Thornton.

Birthdays today include: Lily Allen (33); Jeff Gutt of Stone Temple Pilots (42); Jo Callis of Human League (63); Prescott Niles of The Knack (64); Lou Gramm of Foreigner (68); Larry Gatlin (70); and Bunk Gardner of the Mothers of Invention. #MusicalBirthdays