The guy on the receiving end of Amy Winehouse's fury this past weekend at England's Glastonbury Festival tells a different story than the account posted at RollingStone.com, saying the singer may have been angry about being groped. The fan says it was a case of mistaken identity brought on by someone else throwing a hat, NME reports. But he ain't bitter about it.

Amy Winehouse did something crazy in public? No way! Well, in her defense it may have actually been an appropriate reaction to the circumstances this time, based on the official story about what led to the reaction below. Click the video, or try looking around here if that footage has been yanked already (like the first clip I posted this morning.)

"Are you here because you're a fan of the music or because you're doing a story," a graying hipster asked, a hint of accusation in his voice, moments after I stepped into Hell's Kitchen last night. So I admit it. I am something of a newbie when it comes to Flipper. And just to annoy the hipsterati even more -- yes, it wasn't until Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic joined the influential Bay Area punk band that I was encouraged to dig a little deeper and get my hands on more of the bands music. But cut me some slack, y'all. I don't think Flipper ever made it to my old stomping grounds in Louisville, Ky., back in the day. They were inactive for over a decade before reuniting for a couple of CBGB’s benefit shows in 2005. And it’s not like their albums are easy to come by, iTunes available live set “Blow N’ Chunks” being the notable exception. (That'll change with a bunch of reissues for the band's 30th anniversary, drummer Steve DePace told me recently.) But if more people tune in to a cool cult band because a rock star the band influenced has joined ranks, all the better. At least Flipper might get their due this time around. And having been caught up to speed, I had a blast at Saturday night’s show at Hell’s Kitchen. Led by the magnetic front man Bruce Loose (above) Flipper rocked, especially on messy proto-grunge anthems “Way of the World” and “Ha Ha Ha.”
ERNEST JASMIN

Loose was pleasantly buzzed (finishing a fan-bought Guinness in a single gulp at one point) and hilariously sarcastic as he pretended to berate a gal down front. “Stop giving me attention! He’s the rock star,” he said, pointing to his buddy, Novoselic (above right). "It's not like I've been busting my ass in this band all these years." Other times, Loose joked about “Behind the Music” moments his band has gone through over the years. Starting with the death of bassist Will Shatter in the '80s, the band has had more than its share of the sorts of tragic moments that the VH1 series was built on. So you thought he meant it when he encouraged fans to "be happy! That's all we got." And towards the end of the set, Loose called out a couple of lusty fans engaged in premature foreplay at his feet. “Yeah! Lick her neck some more. She likes that!” Guitarist Ted Falconi and drummer Steve DePace (bottom) were comparatively subdued.
ERNEST JASMIN

The set list included a few new numbers, “Night Falls Like Dirt Rocks,” “Why Cant You See?” and “Triple Mass Murder Suicide” from a new album the boys are finishing up in Seattle. As a matter of fact, Rocket Records owner Steve Gaydich (whose finger holds this set list in place) tells me that a couple of the Flipper guys dropped by his store yesterday with producer Jack Endino.
ERNEST JASMIN

Many forces conspired against finishing my Flipper podcast: Two days of fallout from that crazy "Tim McBrawl" incident; the dying battery in my laptop; the need to sleep at some point last night. But here it is, y'all – just in time to pump you up even more for the resurgent Bay Area punk band’s shows at the Funhouse in Seattle tonight and Tacoma's Hell’s Kitchen Saturday.

Flipper podcast: “Way of the World”; Nirvana's Krist Novoselic talks Flipper's impact on grunge; “Ha Ha Ha”; drummer Steve DePace on Novoselic; “The Light, the Sound”; DePace talks new album; “Shed No Tears” (outro)

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of the main attractions Sunday at the Rock n’ Ride benefit concert for Children’s Hospital. And I recently caught up with the popular blues rocker to talk about the evolution of his sound and some of his latest projects. Click the links below to listen. Or click here to learn more about the cause.

Clip 1: Early days, expanding his sound and stepping up to the mike

Clip 2: Working with blues legends for his “10 Days Out” project

A film crew prepares to capture footage of an acoustic performance by blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, right center, and Buddy Flett of the Horseshoe Casino houseband ''The Bluebirds,'' at the gravesite of Huddie 'Leadbelly' Ledbetter's for the documentary “10 Days Out” in 2004. Shepherd will play at Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre Sunday for the Rock ‘n’ Ride benefit for Children’s Hospital.
THE TIMES, GREG PEARSON/AP PHOTO

Didn't get as far in my audio editing as I wanted, largely because I wound up spending more time on the Tim McBrawl incident than expected. But I'll have something from Rock N' Ride performer Kenny Wayne Shepherd this morning and clips from my interviews with Steve DePace and Krist Novoselic from Flipper up later this afternoon. Flipper is Saturday's main attraction at Hell's Kitchen, in case ya didn't know. Cheers!

As I was working on my own story about the Tim McBrawl incident, I missed an interview with a guy named Marcus who called the Fitz in the Morning show on KKWF- FM (The Wolf, 100.7) claiming to be that drunk dude that Tim McGraw nearly punched in the melon. Contrary to a statement that McGraw's publicist issued, saying the singer spotted a man attacking a female fan up front, Marcus claimed he was the one getting roughed up.

“I was just walkin’ forward," he said. "Next thing you know, people were shovin’ me around. If I did pull someone’s hair it wasn’t intentional.”

Marcus said he was trying to pick up his hat, and the next thing he knew he thought he was being invited up onstage. He claimed to be surprised when the country star cocked his fist, ready to put a smack down.

"I don't know what I would have done if he punched me," he said.

Then the Fritz in the Morning crew jokingly asked Marcus if he was feeling a little whiplash or if he’d suffered emotional distress – you know, any excuse to a celebrity for a mountain of money.

"My back is hurtin' a little bit," Marcus replied, sounding like he was kidding.

The Wolf has audio from the interview posted on their front page this morning.

In contrast, there’s the KOMO-TV report some of you may have seen. The Seattle station interviewed a pair of fans who claimed to have met the rowdy offender outside of White River and taken a picture with him. The guy was stinking drunk, one fan told KOMO, and talked about fighting Tim McGraw would have been fun and worth going to jail.

I hadn't heard the Marcus interview this morning when I woke up at the crack of dawn to be interviewed by The Farm, a radio station in Tennessee. (Stupid time zones! More coffee, please.) Their morning crew asked me if the fan had issued his own statement or talked about suing McGraw. I didn't have the foggiest, and just hoped I didn't sound like a dork on the ol' radio machine. I'll see what I can find out.

Big Brother is here, and he lives in fancy video phones. So of course there's You Tube footage of last night's near fight at White River Amphitheatre. The incident is making national news, and I'm working on a follow up story. So if you were up close and saw what happened, drop me a line at 253-274-7389 or e-mail ernest.jasmin@thenewstribune.com.

Tim McGraw returned to Puget Sound for his third show in less than two years Tuesday night at Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre. But this time he left wife Faith Hill at home (or at least she didn’t show up on stage, and reportedly wasn’t seen backstage either.) And McGraw’s set was enhanced by comparatively modest special effects, sans the Soul II Soul tour’s brilliant, LED-enhanced stage. A series of video screens provided more conventional visuals, including shots of McGraw hilariously superimposed into iconic photos of “Sanford & Son,” John Wayne, the Village People and others during a rowdy delivery of “Indian Outlaw.”
ERNEST JASMIN

How rowdy was the “Indian Outlaw” performance, you ask? Well, one of the night’s weirdest moments occurred during that song, as McGraw dropped to his haunches for an animated exchange with some portly slob down front. It wasn’t immediately clear from where I was sitting that the encounter was hostile as McGraw struggled to pull this big boy onstage, nearly ripping the fan's “wifebeater” t-shirt in the process before he and a couple of roadies successfully dragged the guy up and sent him reeling. The disoriented heckler got to his feet and took a couple of menacing steps toward McGraw with hand raised, prompting the country singer (not a small guy, for the record) to cock his own fist before crew members grabbed the would be attacker and escorted him forcibly offstage. (Am I safe in saying this schmuck never heard about what happened to that guy who jumped onstage with Snoop Dogg a few years back? He should consider himself lucky to just get arrested.) McGraw's band kept playing as the incident unfolded. And to the country star's credit, he jumped right back into the groove without missing a beat, as smoothly as if the scuffle was a planned part of the show. (It wasn't, of course. See the update at the end of this post.) And there seemed to be an extra angry edge to the next number, McGraw's murderous revenge tale “Between the River in Me.”
ERNEST JASMIN

McGraw’s set was packed with crowd pleasing hits, with party anthem “I Like It, I Love It” predictably generating the biggest sing-along response. McGraw also threw some new material into the mix, kicking things off with nostalgic power ballad “Still,” from his forthcoming new album. “There’s a place I like I go/ where I can hear the cotton grow/ and the train whistles blow, a dozen miles down the road/ and all I really have to do is just be still,” McGraw sang. “Southern Voice” was an upbeat mid-tempo number with shout outs to Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jordan, among other Southern heroes. And he described “You Had to Be There” as one of his favorite songs he’d ever written. The sweeping ballad told the tale of a boy bitterly confronting his absent dad. “I should have been learning how to fish instead of learnin’ how to smoke,” McGraw sang. I couldn’t follow all the lyrics last night, but I found a decent You Tube clip here. And on a non-musical note, McGraw must have signed a hundred or more autographs as the pre-encore part of the show wound down with "Live Like You Were Dying." He signed hats, t-shirts, ticket stubs and whatever the fans down front shoved in his face -- an endearing sight when so many stars of McGraw's caliber are insulated from their fans or take them for granted.
ERNEST JASMIN

Halfway to Hazard and Jason Aldean (in red t-shirt above) opened for McGraw. I was stuck in traffic for Hazard, as surprising as that may be for a White River show. But I caught the up-and-coming Aldean’s set, which included radio hit “Hicktown.” At one point the lady standing to my left caught the country star’s attention, as busy as he was trying to introduce the next song, and asked if she could snap a picture of his booty. Kinda forward, but the singer was accommodating. “But you gotta be quick,” he said. Hmm. I’ll have to remember to try that next time Nelly Furtado is in town.
ERNEST JASMIN

[Update: Here's a statement McGraw's publicist sent regarding the near fight during "Indian Outlaw": “While Tim was performing at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, Washington last night, he watched a man rush to the front of the stage. This overly aggressive fan attacked a female fan and Tim witnessed this incident. Tim called for security, but when they could not respond quick enough Tim and several crew members removed the fan from the audience where he was then turned over to the local authorities.”

JESSIE SCHMIDT, MCGRAW PUBLICIST WITH SCHMIDT RELATIONS PUBLICITY FIRM IN NASHVILLE

Here's your answers to yesterday's '80s quiz. Avoid spoilers here.

1. Sure, you know George Michael. But what’s the other guy’s name in Wham?

A. Donnie Wahlberg
B. Ralph Tresvant
C. Rick Astley
D. Andrew Ridgely

2. What’s Boy George’s surname?

A. Palacios
B. O’Dowd
C. Masters
D. Prentice

3. Which future pop star made a cameo in the video for B-52’s “Love Shack” before becoming famous in his or her own rite?

A. Michael Stipe
B. Gerardo
C. RuPaul
D. Martika

4. Which pro wrestling celeb was Cyndi Lauper most associated with during her early hit-making years, thanks in part to his appearance in the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” video?

A. Hulk Hogan
B. Capt. Lou Albano
C. The Iron Sheik
D. Rowdy Roddy Piper

5. What’s the name of the album that the aforementioned Cyndi Lauper hit appeared on?

A. “True Colors”
B. “She’s So Unusual”
C. “A Night to Remember”
D. “True Blue”

6. Which of the following gruesomely titled ditties is no metal song but a Billy Idol hit?

A. “Briefcase Full of Guts”
B. “Eyes Without a Face”
C. “Dead Skin Mask”
D. “Let It All Bleed Out”

7. The B-52s originated in what hot ‘80s rock city?

A. Athens, Georgia
B. Minneapolis, Minnesota
C. Boston, Massachusetts
D. Los Angeles, California

8. George Michael must have run out of song titles. I mean, he had a hit with a song called __ with Wham and as a solo artists.

A. “Freedom”
B. “Careless Whisper”
C. “Father Figure”
D. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”

9. Culture Club had its first big radio hit with ...

A. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”
B. “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”
C. “Karma Chameleon”
D. “Miss Me Blind”

10. Billy Idol was born …

A. William Broad
B. Billy Fagerberger
C. Sidney Snead
D. Billy Idol … Duh!

And now my first bit of useless comedy trivia. Q: Who was the first guy to ever host "Saturday Night Live," back in 1975? A: George Carlin. And as a tribute to the comedian, who died of heart failure Sunday, NBC will air that first episode Saturday at 11:30 p.m.

"You never forget the people who were there at the beginning," producer Lorne Michaels said in a statement released this afternoon by NBC. "George Carlin helped give 'Saturday Night Live' its start as our first host. He was gracious, fearless, and most important of all, funny."

Got this from Counting Crows' publicist. And if one of you wins, maybe we'll see your poster at the White River show.

COUNTING CROWS INVITE FANS TO DESIGN THEIR SUMMER TOUR POSTER

To celebrate the launch of Counting Crows summer tour, the band is calling all Counting Crows fans and artists to help create their summer tour poster!

One lucky winner will have their poster design printed and sold on tour.

Entrants will create and submit an original tour poster design that captures the sound and energy of Counting Crows. You must submit your entry by July 1st, 2008.

There are just three simple rules:

1) The poster must be 18"x24" portrait or landscape.

2) Your artwork must be at least 300 DPI and be transmitted through the internet (Files must be jpeg or gif and must be less than 10MB in size)

3) Any graphic elements you use cannot be copyrighted.

Please send your entries to winner@countingcrows.com along with your name and, of course, your email address.

Happy designing!

With George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, the B-52s and Billy Idol in the area next week (not to mention the show Boy George had to call off), I thought a little ‘80s trivia challenge would be totally tubular! Like, gag me with a spoon or something.

1. Sure, you know George Michael. But what’s the other guy’s name in Wham?

A. Donnie Wahlberg
B. Ralph Tresvant
C. Rick Astley
D. Andrew Ridgely

2. What’s Boy George’s surname?

A. Palacios
B. O’Dowd
C. Masters
D. Prentice

3. Which future pop star made a cameo in the video for B-52’s “Love Shack” before becoming famous in his or her own rite?

A. Michael Stipe
B. Gerardo
C. RuPaul
D. Martika

4. Which pro wrestling celeb was Cyndi Lauper most associated with during her early hit-making years, thanks in part to his appearance in the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” video?

A. Hulk Hogan
B. Capt. Lou Albano
C. The Iron Sheik
D. Rowdy Roddy Piper

5. What’s the name of the album that the aforementioned Cyndi Lauper hit appeared on?

A. “True Colors”
B. “She’s So Unusual”
C. “A Night to Remember”
D. “True Blue”

6. Which of the following gruesomely titled ditties is no metal song but a Billy Idol hit?

A. “Briefcase Full of Guts”
B. “Eyes Without a Face”
C. “Dead Skin Mask”
D. “Let It All Bleed Out”

7. The B-52s originated in what hot ‘80s rock city?

A. Athens, Georgia
B. Minneapolis, Minnesota
C. Boston, Massachusetts
D. Los Angeles, California

8. George Michael must have run out of song titles. I mean, he had a hit with a song called __ with Wham and as a solo artists.

A. “Freedom”
B. “Careless Whisper”
C. “Father Figure”
D. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”

9. Culture Club had its first big radio hit with ...

A. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”
B. “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”
C. “Karma Chameleon”
D. “Miss Me Blind”

10. Billy Idol was born …

A. William Broad
B. Billy Fagerberger
C. Sidney Snead
D. Billy Idol … Duh!

Lazlo will soon be replaced as program director at Seattle's KNDD-FM (The End, 107.7). He's making the move to focus on his radio show "The Church of Lazlo," which airs from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to an e-mailed press release issued by The End's parent company Entercom afternoon.

Mike Kaplan has been hired to take over as program director, and Lazlo will step down when Kaplan arrives, the release said. Kaplan was previously station manager at WEZB-FM, and Entercom station in New Orleans.

"Mike has done phenomenal work at Entercom, both in our New Orleans and Kansas City clusters, and we are thrilled to have him come onboard in Seattle to work with the entire End team," Dave Richards, the operations manager for Entercom's Seattle statement said in a statement included in the press release.

"In the past year and a half, Lazlo has done a great job focusing and leading The End. This will give Lazlo the opportunity to further develop an even bigger 'Church.'"

Boy George won't be appearing at Showbox at the Market on July 20 as planned or anywhere else in the U.S. for the matter. The '80s pop icon couldn't get a work visa, according to an e-mail press release just issued by publicist, Girlie Action.

The release contained the following statement from Boy George's publicist.

“At the moment, Boy George cannot come to the United States of America because he has been refused permission to enter by the USA Administration. This is not in respect of anything he has done in the past but because he is facing a trial in November in London for something that happened in April last year. George’s lawyers in London have absolutely forbidden us to speak about the facts of that case and all I can say is that George is astounded at the decision and is having lawyers here in the States look at it in the hope that someone will change their mind. George has not been convicted of anything in London and there is a presumption in the Western World of innocence until proven guilty. The proceedings that George faces in London are of course important and serious but George has been given unconditional bail by the Police and Courts in London thereby permitting him to travel anywhere in the World. He is clearly not considered any form of risk in London in that regard and in that respect we are asking the US Authorities to reconsider their position. George has cooperated fully with all investigations and enquiries into the case and has put forward a full and detailed defence. We would love to be able to tell you what that defence is but we say again that we are absolutely forbidden by George’s London lawyers to do so because if it gets its way back to England it could amount to a contempt of Court. George really would love to come to America and repay his American fans loyalty and that is why we are asking the US Authorities to reconsider their decision”.

Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I drop several of the "seven words you can never say on television" in most casual conversations. But as a tribute to the late George Carlin, I propose that we all double up on our foul language today. Are you @%#@%@@#@ people with me? Meanwhile, you can read the obit Reuters ran by clicking the link.

There's also a cool You Tube clip here that sheds light on the mind of Carlin, actually an excerpt from the audio version of his book "Brain Droppings."

Pop powerhouse Maroon 5 and Counting Crows are headed to Auburn's White River Amphitheatre for a co-headlined tour stop on Sept. 21, according to a press release just received from Live Nation.

The tour - which also features Augustana opening - will kick off on July 25 at Virginia Beach, Virginia. The bands will be working with Reverb, an environmental non-profit, to make the tour green and educate and engage fans to promote environmental sustainability, today's release said.

Tickets will go for $30.50 to $126 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday (June 27). You'll be able to find 'em here.

Taste of Tacoma is just around the corner. Loose Gravel, 2112 and Randy Oxford are among the local favorites that will play this year's festival, set for June 26 to 28 at Ruston's Point Defiance Park. But you should also check out Agnes Ingarra, a hidden gem that's worth checking out.

Ingarra has been a hit on the festival circuit lately, with an eclectic pop style that may recall R&B crooner Joss Stone one minute and Chris Isaak or Coldplay the next. Last weekend, she played a big gig, opening for Filipino pop stars Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera at Comcast Arena at the Everett Events Center. And she appears to be drawing interest in the Philippines as well, a country where Ingarra's dad's band, Color It Red, has enjoyed popularity. Sutton Music Group owner Mike Sutton tells me Ingarra will soon appear in a magazine called Pulp over there.

You'll be able to read more about Ingarra in our SoundLife section on Sunday (June 22). Meanwhile, you can click here to listen to parts of the interview I did with Ingarra after a recent show at Wild Waves Water Park in Federal Way, along with clips from her songs “Uncertain Things,” “Empty Spaces” and “Keep Me Waitin’”.

Shoreline’s Agnes Ingarra performed “Uncertain Things,” “Empty Spaces” and other uplifting pop tracks from her forthcoming debut album for Tacoma's Sutton Music Group at Wild Waves on May 31. The singer-songwriter will appear at on Taste of Tacoma’s KBSG-FM stage at noon Saturday (June 28) at Ruston’s Point Defiance Park.
ERNEST JASMIN

I usually try my best not to sound like a fanboy, but sweet sassy molassy! I was just on a conference call with Stevie Wonder! I got to talk to the guy who wrote “Living for the City,” “Higher Ground” and many more of the greatest songs of the rock era.

And as I come down from that experience I wanted to share some news. Among other things, Wonder confirmed that he’s working on a jazz album with Seattle native Quincy Jones and his buddy, Tony Bennett (though he joked about being “the last one to hear about it and the first one to agree.” Guess it’s not very far along.) Wonder appeared on Bennett’s 2006 album “Duets: An American Classic.”

Wonder also provided details on a pair of forthcoming projects. One is an album called "Gospel Inspired by Lula," named after his mom, Lula Mae Hardaway, who passed away in 2006. Wonder said it will feature some traditional gospel, possibly some Arabic music and material he’s written while on tour.

“I’ve written a few things on the road,” he said. “I’ve had songs throughout the years that I haven’t recorded” that might be included.

It wasn’t clear whether the other project he mentioned would be an album or strictly a performance project. I’ll try to confirm as best I can. But Wonder said that for live shows related to “Through the Eyes of Wonder” would include imagery that will give people some idea regarding how Wonder, who has been blind since infancy, sees the world.

Wonder will headline the White River Amphitheatre on July 11. I can’t wait. Stay tuned for audio and more details from the conference between now and then.

A lot of people thought Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder's soundtrack for "Into the Wild" should have been recognized at the last Oscars. And it would have been nominated if they'd had this rule in place.

Yesterday, I mentioned Kid Rock's beef with iTunes. But today the rap-rocker offered a few more deep thoughts on the subject with a PSA that's been getting a bit of attention in cyberland. But remember: The views expressed in this You Tube clip do not necessarily represent the views of this blogger. If any of you knuckleheads go to jail after listening to Kid Rock, it is your own fault. Plus, I think he's kidding.

Honestly, I'm beyond caring if the "Chinese Democracy" album ever comes out. And I'll believe that Axl Rose and "Guns N Roses" are done with their years in the making masterpiece when I see it. But there's this over on the NME site, in case you wanted to go looking for a good torrent site. And who knows? Maybe Axl got inspired when Portishead finally got their act together.

Just got word from promoter One Reel that the Offspring, Nada Surf, Old 97's and Flobots have been added to the army of rocker types that will invade Seattle Center for Bumbershoot (Aug. 30 to Sept. 1). Find the rest of the lineup here.

And of course, everybody's "goin' green" this year. And there's this bit in the One Reel press release on how to do it at the big Bumbershow:

Constantly seeking ways to further develop its environmental plans, Bumbershoot is proud to welcome the following new elements, reinforcing its current roster of green initiatives.

Festival patrons will be able to purchase a piece of Bumbershoot history! Bumbershoot has donated retired Festival signage to local company Alchemy Goods for reuse. These signs, once seen on stages and around the grounds, have been repurposed into two styles of functional (and fun!) personal tote bags.

Bumbershoot highly encourages all Festival patrons to bring personal, non-disposable water bottles to the Festival. In addition to the free Seattle city drinking water found throughout the grounds, the Festival will also feature free Hydration Stations inside Memorial Stadium, providing fans in the Mainstage area ample access to water. Only personal, non-disposable water bottles are permitted inside Memorial Stadium.

Recycling Rewards! To thank patrons for recycling, Clif Bar will reward random recyclers with free music by Clif Green Notes artists.

For those with disposable water bottles, Indie-craft magazine ReadyMade will be onsite helping guests convert empty bottles into handy poster-tubes for their nearby Flatstock-find.

Guests arriving to the Festival by plane, train or motor vehicle will be able to offset their travel at the NetGreen booth, through the purchase of certified carbon credits. All carbon credit purchases will fund a regional farm methane capture project that will eliminate methane emissions into the atmosphere and instead be used as a clean, renewable power source.

Visit Seattle Climate Action Now at Bumbershoot to learn tips on how you can reduce your personal climate pollution and make a difference at home, at work and on the road.

I've had my own reason for being ticked off at iTunes lately. Most annoying is that even after paying your hard-earned ducats you can't play the music or transfer it to your iPod on just any ol' computer. But you can play your CDs in more than five @#%@#%@ car stereos! That's annoying, son! Hence my using iTunes for musical emergencies only - like when hard copies of the Hold Steady's new album won't be available for a few more weeks. Agh! Can't wait!

But check out why Kid Rock is pissed at the iTunes, as reported by NME. Could more artists jump on the anti-iTunes bandwagon? Even if they don't, I wouldn't stand too close to the Kid if I were Steve Jobs. You saw the smackdown he put on Tommy Lee.

Spoilers can be avoided here.

1. We’ll start easy, like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” What ‘80s glam metal band did Michaels once front?

A. Motley Crue
B. Twisted Sister
C. Whitesnake
D. Poison

2. That band’s most popular power ballad, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, was called …

A. “Home Sweet Home”
B. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
C. “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
D. “Mama, I’m Coming Home”

3. The title of Michaels’ new solo album is also his catch phrase from VH1’s “Rock of Love.” And that is …

A. “Hand Me Some Aqua Net”
B. “Let’s Rock Out”
C. “Rock My World”
D. “Rock and Roll, Baby”

4. The pink-haired gal who emerged victorious on season one of “Rock of Love” was named …

A. Jes
B. Brandi C.
C. Brandi M.
D. Dallas

5. The ruthless (but PETA-loving) villain from season one was …

A. Brandi C.
B. Tawny
C. Tiffany
D. Lacey

6. She feuded and eventually sabotaged the mouthy and carnivorous …

A. Brandy M.
B. Dallas
C. Jes
D. Heather

7. The mansion where they shot the show was previously the setting for what other reality show?

A. “Flavor of Love”
B. “The Bachelor”
C. “America’s Next Top Model”
D. “Big Brother”

8. Who emerged victorious on season two?

A. Niki
B. Aubry
C. Roxy
D. Ambre

9. Who was runner-up?

A. Aubry
B. Daisy
C. Angelique
D. Erin

10. Bret might have been risking his health with that last cut since the last girl dumped was the niece of …

A. Mafioso John Gotti
B. Boxer Oscar de la Hoya
C. Mixed martial arts fighter Chuck Liddel
D. Mass murderer Charles Manson

While writing this week's column about Bret Michaels (Friday's headliner at the Emerald Queen Casino) I came across this funny and incriminating clip featuring the ex-Poison front man explaining "the premise" behind why he and Jes broke up after the first season of VH1's "Rock of Love." Then there's also a a VH1 blog interview with Jes suggesting that Bret doesn't exactly settle down and buy a mini van with the victorious vixen each season.

Another phony "reality" show? Say it ain't so!

Are you ready for some party hearty hair metal Friday night? That’s when Bret Michaels will draw the hair spray enhanced masses to the Emerald Queen showroom like moths to a flame. And until then, let’s see how much you know about the flaxen-haired heartthrob.

1. We’ll start easy, like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” What ‘80s glam metal band did Michaels once front?

A. Motley Crue
B. Twisted Sister
C. Whitesnake
D. Poison

2. That band’s most popular power ballad, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, was called …

A. “Home Sweet Home”
B. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
C. “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
D. “Mama, I’m Coming Home”

3. The title of Michaels’ new solo album is also his catch phrase from VH1’s “Rock of Love.” And that is …

A. “Hand Me Some Aqua Net”
B. “Let’s Rock Out”
C. “Rock My World”
D. “Rock and Roll, Baby”

4. The pink-haired gal who emerged victorious on season one of “Rock of Love” was named …

A. Jes
B. Brandi C.
C. Brandi M.
D. Dallas

5. The ruthless (but PETA-loving) villain from season one was …

A. Brandi C.
B. Tawny
C. Tiffany
D. Lacey

6. She feuded and eventually sabotaged the mouthy and carnivorous …

A. Brandy M.
B. Dallas
C. Jes
D. Heather

7. The mansion where they shot the show was previously the setting for what other reality show?

A. “Flavor of Love”
B. “The Bachelor”
C. “America’s Next Top Model”
D. “Big Brother”

8. Who emerged victorious on season two?

A. Niki
B. Aubry
C. Roxy
D. Ambre

9. Who was runner-up?

A. Aubry
B. Daisy
C. Angelique
D. Erin

10. Bret might have been risking his health with that last cut since the last girl dumped was the niece of …

A. Mafioso John Gotti
B. Boxer Oscar de la Hoya
C. Mixed martial arts fighter Chuck Liddel
D. Mass murderer Charles Manson

Just received word from KISW-FM (99.9) regarding the lineup and location for this year's Pain in the Grass show. And this year the Seattle radio station has tapped Queensryche to headline its summer gala, backed by Empire Orchestra to give "Operation: Mindcrime" and other old favorites a stringy makeover.

Also, to play are Seether, Shinedown, Sevendust, Drowning Pool, Earshot and Jet Black Stare. The show is set for Aug. 23 at White River Amphitheatre, which has a whole lot more grass than the parking lot at Cheney Stadium, where the event was held last summer. And tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for $29 to $60. Read more here.

Sounds like the boys put on quite the show at the Tennessee music festival over the weekend, focusing on lesser known tracks like "Hard to Imagine" and covers of The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" and Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." Here's hoping they add a local date to their tour itinerary this summer.

Um, about that R. Kelly survey I posted earlier? Never mind. Those juries work quick up in Chi Town. This just in from the Associated Press.

CHICAGO (AP) - The jury in the R. Kelly child pornography case has reached a verdict after less than a day of deliberations.

Judge Vincent Gaughan (GAWN) is scheduled to read the verdict Friday afternoon.

Kelly is charged with 14 counts of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl, who prosecutors say was as young as 13. If convicted, he faces a minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 15 years. He would also have to register as a sex offender in Illinois.

The jury, nine men and three women, was given the case Thursday.

The key question for the jurors was whether they believe it was Kelly in the video, as prosecutors contend. Kelly's attorneys say it wasn't him.

I was looking ahead to July’s big musical happenings and noticed a disturbing trend going on, with local stops by Billy Idol (July 1, the Paramount Theatre), Cyndi Lauper and the B-52s (July 1, WaMu Theatre), George Michael (July 2, KeyArena) and Boy George (July 20, Showbox at the Market.) What is this world coming to? All those MTV stars from the ‘80s, and not a single one booked at the Emerald Queen? And did we all just fall into a wormhole and get sucked back to 1984 or what?

But all that got me thinkin'? Assuming this trend continues, what '80s nostalgia acts would I like to see hit the road? The Time is at the top of my list. I’m kind of curious about how Vanity, Apollonia and the Mary Jane Girls turned out (purely for artistic reasons, mind you.) And for pure kitsch value, I’d go check out that Rockwell guy - but only if freaky 2008 Michael Jackson showed up to sing backing vocals on “Somebody’s Watching Me.” And, like, Oran “Juice” Jones and the other guy from Wham! opened.

But enough about me. What’s on your wish list?

Hold on a minute there sparky! You might want to make new plans.

Well, looks like we’re pretty close to finding out whether or not R. Kelly is goin’ up the river or not.

By MICHAEL TARM
Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO (AP) -- Prosecutors wrapped up their child pornography case Thursday against R. Kelly the same way they began it a month ago: by playing for jurors the entire graphic sex tape at the center of the trial.

Defense attorneys stood on their argument that the man having sex with an underage girl in the video is not the R&B singer and that the girl isn't who prosecutors say she is, either.

Jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon and continued until about 6 p.m. The nine-man, three-woman panel was told to return first thing Friday morning and was immediately sequestered, with the explicit scenes in question fresh in their minds.

Now that you’ve been sufficiently grossed out, I’d like to point out that we don’t need to examine all that fancy, shmancy evidence here in the court of public opinion. You just get to spout off without all that pesky jury duty bogging you down. So click here to weigh in on the lusty R&B singer's fate.

Singer-songwriter LeRoy Bell is back and armed with the new album "A Change Is Coming." And he'll unleash his new songs Sunday evening at Tacoma's Spar Tavern.

So Tuesday I caught up with the Edmonds resident (formerly of Tacoma) to talk about ...

Part 1: ... what went into writing the new, politically oriented material.

Part 2: ... missing band mate Rick Novito, who died earlier this year.

Part 3: ... and the mystery of how he lost that gold record he earned as half of '70s duo Bell and James. (He'll get it back Sunday night at the Spar.)

I headed over to FYE to pick up a copy of Lil Wayne's new disc "Tha Carter III," more to stay on top of trends than because I'm a big fan. And one of my buddies who works there tells me they sold out of all 100 copies they received on the first day. Then I read this little item from Associated Press today.

NEW YORK (AP) - The excessive leaks and bootlegging of Lil Wayne's new album haven't prevented it from being a hot seller: The rapper's "Tha Carter III" sold 423,000 copies in its first day of release, according to Billboard magazine, citing figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

[snip]

Sweet sassy molassy! Between those kind of opening day numbers and Wayne getting mentioned as one of the "hottest rappers ever" (or whatever they were ranking was on that MTV show I watched a while back) I'm left scratching my head. I don't want to sound like a hater, but what's the appeal? Someone break it down for me.

Veteran Seattle buskers Jim Page and Artis the Spoonman (you know, the guy Soundgarden sang about) will perform songs from their new album “Folkpunch” at 7 p.m. June 24 at the Tacoma Public Library’s downtown branch. And between that and TPL's Rock the Books concerts, does our library rock or what?

Um, that’ll be the nerdiest declaration I'll make all day. I hope.

Beck's "Modern Guilt" it the album I've been looking most forward to in 2008. And this just in from Nasty Little Man, the Beckster's publicity firm:

Beck's new album Modern Guilt, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, will be released July 8th on DGC Records in North America and July 7 on XL Recordings in the UK and Europe.

The new album contains 10 new songs, and with the exception of last year's Grammy-nominated, digital-only single "Timebomb", Modern Guilt is the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum Guero and 2006's universally acclaimed The Information.

I read on another local blog recently that Jazzbones owner Terry Suzuki was in the process of acquiring Station 56. But the sale has been called off, according to an e-mail I just got from Station 56 owner Max Messmer.

Writes Messmer, "We have decided to no longer sell the bar (Station 56). The owner of Jazzbones will not be purchasing it and the bar will remain under it's current ownership."

Here's who's affiliated with which luck song/album. Happy Friday the 13th!

1. P.J. Harvey "Good Fortune"
2. Modest Mouse "S--- Luck"
3. Betty Davis "If I'm In Luck I'll Get Picked Up"
4. A Tribe Called Quest "Luck of Lucien"
5. Scissor Sisters "Better Luck Next Time"
6. Janet Jackson "Black Cat"
7. Frank Sinatra "Luck Be a Lady"
8. Radiohead "Lucky"
9. Social Distortion "Bad Luck"
10. Orlando Pops Orchestra "Theme From Friday the 13th"
11. The Pixies "No. 13 Baby"
12. Fugazi "13 Songs"

All you Pearl Jam fanatics will be interested in this announcement, just issued by the band's publicist.

SEATTLE -- Pearl Jam will expand their bootleg program for the upcoming 2008 tour to include three different options for fans seeking to obtain bootleg recordings of the band's live shows. High-quality digital downloads and burn-to-order CDs of the entire show will be available following each show date exclusively via Pearl Jam's fan club, Ten Club, at www.pearljam.com. In addition, mobile bootlegs of three live tracks per show will be released following the show on V CAST Music phones and at www.pearljamconcerts.com through Verizon Wireless.

Whoah! Is that Beck with a new 'do or Kurt Cobain, circa 1990? Weird. Anyway, this clip of Beck playing his new song "Modern Guilt" comes from a secret show he played Monday.

Friday the 13th, a day synonymous with bad luck and increasingly corny slasher sequels, is just around the corner. So for this week’s useless trivia challenge, I thought I’d have you match the artists with their luck-related songs and albums.

1. P.J. Harvey
2. Modest Mouse
3. Betty Davis
4. A Tribe Called Quest
5. Scissor Sisters
6. Janet Jackson
7. Frank Sinatra
8. Radiohead
9. Social Distortion
10. Orlando Pops Orchestra
11. The Pixies
12. Fugazi

A. “Black Cat”
B. “Bad Luck”
C. “Better Luck Next Time”
D. “Lucky”
E. “Theme from Friday the 13th”
F. “Luck of Lucien”
G. “Good Fortune”
H. “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up”
I. “Luck Be a Lady”
J. "No. 13 Baby"
K. “S---- Luck”
L. "13 Songs"

In an early version of a blog I posted the other day on the Sonics first show in Seattle in more than 35 years, I accidentally wrote that tickets would go on sale Thursday. Since this is such a huge deal, I wanted to make sure everyone knew that tickets actually go on sale at 11 a.m. Saturday (June 7). You'll be able to get more info from Ticketmaster.

A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mos Def and reunited '90s hit makers, the Pharcyde are the biggest deals on the lineup that Live Nation released this morning for the Rock the Bells Festival, which will take over the Gorge Amphtitheatre on Sept. 6.

That's big news for local hip-hop fanatics. And upping the ante even more are Wale, Jay Electronica and Kidz In The Hall, MF Doom, Sage Francis, Just Blaze, Black Violin, The Dirty Heads and touring DJ Green Lantern, Spank Rock, The Cool Kids, Amanda Blank, Seattle's Blue Scholars and rap legend Afrika Bambaataa. Roots beat box guru, Scratch, will host the event.

Tickets are $50 but will go up to $60 the week of the show. They'll go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday. And you'll be able to find more info here.

I caught up with "Metalocalypse" co-creator Brendon Small a while back to talk about the show's second season on Cartoon Network. But I held a clip back from my post last month in which Small describes what to expect at tonight’s live Dethklok show at Showbox SoDo. Enjoy!

The Sonics, the legendary garage rock band that got its start in Tacoma, has been busy catering to fans in New York and Europe since launching a comeback last year. But finally a local show has taken shape. The band -- known for such cult hits at "The Witch," "Psycho" and "He's Waiting" -- will headline Seattle's Paramount Theatre, Seattle Theatre Group announced today.

It will be the band's first local show since the early '70s. Listen to interview clips with band members Jerry Roslie and Larry Parypa here.

Tickets will go for $26.50 to $62, and they go on sale at 11 a.m. Saturday. Check here for more details.

So what is it about Iron Maiden that inspires such fanatical devotion among legions of metalheads? For the record, I caught the metal bug some time after “Master of Puppets.” And while I like Quiet Riot in small doses just as much as the next guy, I’m not exactly brimming with nostalgic for that cheesy chapter of metal that unfolded between Ozzy’s departure from Sabbath and thrash metal's golden age.

But there I was back in 1984 with a full house at White River Amphitheatre Monday night, during a Maiden set that drew heavily from the band’s album “Powerslave.” And as a guy who was more into Run DMC back in the Reagan era, I forgot to bring my denim vest. I wasn’t pumping my devil horns furious and shredding imaginary air guitar solos during “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” (That was my neighbor, who nearly bonked me in the head several times during moments of herbally-enhanced abandon.) I sported neither mullet nor mullet wig, fashion statements I observed several times (though most of the mullet wearers seemed to be kidding.)

And, sure, I appreciated the veteran metal outfit’s crowd pleasing gusto; 49-year-old singer Bruce Dickinson looked lean and mean, wearing weird trousers best described as chain mail Hammer pants as he pounced, punched and shrieked his way around the stage, occasionally ducking behind an Egyptian-themed wall to change costumes or retrieve a pair of tattered Union Jacks he waved during “The Trooper.”

But I mostly stood there blinking, wondering how much of this musical melodrama fans took seriously, and how of the Maiden’s appeal in 2008 comes from the band's over the top, Spinal Tap-style kitsch. I mean, middle aged guys in tight jeans and muscle shirts reeling of squealing guitar solos while their leader sings wails cartoonish lyrics about the Beelzebub and being scared of the dark? Really? OK, I'll go with that. But add a bit of makeup and more party hearty lyrics and we’d be watching Kiss. I'm just sayin'. Or maybe it is all about the nostalgia, since I saw plenty of aging gen-xers bobbing their heads with big grins on their faces -- guys in their late 30s and early 40s who must have been taken back to some happy memories of middle school and parachute pants. Yeah, we’ll go with that. But me, I couldn’t connect.

But to give more credit where credit is due, the fist pumping, sing-along chorus to “Run to the Hills” was a lot of fun, as were cameos by Maiden’s ghoulish mascot Eddie. He showed up as a 30-foot-tall mummy puppet, emerged from behind a huge, Eddie-sphinx face plate during “Iron Maiden.” And then he came back as a skinless, 12-foot-tall cyborg who wave his laser and got his groove on during “The Clairvoyant.” Hilarious! If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, try Paxil. And I'm amazed at how one guy could operate that thing.

Otherwise, the set was pretty similar to what Maiden delivered at Ozzfest in 2005, the year Ozzy melted down and ran off stage, down to the Eddie-emblazoned banners and a red-eyed devil that showed up during “The Number of the Beast.” There was even a reminder of the feud between singer Dickinson and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne that started during that tour, with Maiden's leader boasting that his band had drawn more than 13,000 faithful and was in the midst of its biggest U.S. tour ever witout the benefit of a realityTV show. Take that, Ozzy! Sharon was not there to respond by throwing eggs or pulling the plug on the P.A.

Speaking of Ozzfest, this concert became a contender for metal event of the year with Ozzy’s festival dropping anchor in Dallas this year. Up next for local metal fans at White River are Mayhem Festival, featuring Slipknot, Disturbed and Mastodon on July 9, and Motley Crue’s Crue Fest on Aug. 8.

And fans can also, apparently, look forward to another Maiden visit before too long. Dickinson promised his band would be back playing “somewhere else” after its forthcoming album was finished.

Iron Maiden set list
White River Amphitheatre
June 2, 2008

Winston Churchill intro
Aces High
Two Minutes to Midnight
Revelations
The Trooper
Wasted Years
The Number of the Beast
Can I Play With Madness?
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Heaven Can Wait
Run to the Hills
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden

Encore:
Moonchild
The Clairvoyant
Hallowed be Thy Name

And just when you thought you'd witness an Justin-less N'Sync comeback first -- New Kids on the Block will headline the Tacoma Dome on Nov. 22, Live Nation announced today. Guess we should have seen it coming with Jordan Knight's profile elevating ever since he appeared on "The Surreal Life" a while back. Anyway, tickets are $29.50 to $77.50 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday (June 6). You'll be able to find more info here.

I was saddened to learn this morning that rock pioneer Bo Diddley has died. I was fortunate enough to see the man a few years back at the Showbox -- opening for Mudhoney, strangely enough. You can read Pollstar's obit here.