Breaking: MAE trying to salvage tour after robbery

Big shout to Meghan for this one:

MAE reported via Twitter just an hour ago that their van and trailer were stolen from their hotel (thanks security!) All their equipment and merchandise, they reported, are gone and they're trying to salvage the show for a Boston date.

We just tried calling to get more info but couldn't reach them.

When we do, we'll share.

Bummer.

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You'll never believe who we ran into last night

Ok so, not even a week ago, we did a post about the group Pretty Ricky coming to town. The post, which we obviously and clearly forgot about, said they were coming to town Nov. 4th.

So in the post, we were, as usual, tongue in cheek and a bit ribald as we wrote about the group of 'dusty miscreants from Florida' who sing these incredibly raunchy songs. "Lock up your daughters!" we wrote.

Boy. We really wished we hadn't written that last night.

Why? Because last night me and a friend popped over to aloft in Chesapeake (our previous fave spot for quiet, great drinks in a fabulous setting, which we had abandoned because the "wrong crowd" had found out about it; but now they've appeared to have moved on, and so now we totally go there all the time again. Bar re-gentrification, get into it.)

Anyway, yeah. aloft. Drinks with our life coache/amazing bartenders Dora and JW. We're at the bar and notice a tinge of "that element" outside; smoking what we hoped were cigarettes, baggy jeans, long, loud chains, sneakers, etc. Looking REAL dusty, child. But, you know, they're totally appropriate, not loud or out of control or anything, harmless, minding their business. They're tinkering with laptops, so I'm guessing they're having some sort of business meeting. Paying them very little attention actually.

We keep drinking. Why not? We love Dora and JW.

So we take a break, go outside for fresh air and the very lovely, very pretty girl we were chatting with goes, 'You know that's that group Pretty Ricky over there right?'

DEAD.

Look over and yup, sure enough, Oh My God, the Grindman himself, Sexy Spec, who I pretty much called a "horned up sexual deviant."

Oh, that's lovely.

So we go over. Say our name, say what we do, name-drop a publicist so he wouldn't think I was a random, strange fan. (But I mean, look at me. Do I look like a zealous Pretty Ricky fan?)

But you know what? Spec was warm, friendly and inviting. His other friends -- and this is the most appropriate verb choice ever --  scattered, but he was really nice. They were about to do a gig at Illusionz, the club in Chesapeake, he said, and he was online chatting with fans. (They do a web show every weeknight, he said.)

We talked about his upcoming album, out Nov. 17th. To be totally honest, I think Pretty Ricky's music is actually pretty good. Not my thing, but totally tolerable and actually, for what it is and intends to be, executed well. Put it this way, if one of their songs come on the radio, I don't immediately change it. Anyway, there are no guest stars, he said, just them, and new member Lingerie. (Big, long sigh.)

He's 23, he said, and yes, young girls do come to the shows, he said with a tinge of exasperation, but the moms come too, and they love it. (And why wouldn't they? A concert, a pseudo-strip show AND you know where your teenage daughter is? Win-win-win) He said he was going to do more of his videos, and he's preparing for a part three of "Tipsy in This Club"  and he's looking for a sexy female to audition and join him in the third installment of the grind fest.

Lord, my levees are broken...I look to you.

So, I was wrapping up to return to my drink. Besides, I wanted to allow him and his friends to return to showing off their abs and underwear, on camera, in the lobby of the hotel. (Sigh.)

He said, do you have a card? I didn't but said, "Hey, you're online, you can go to my blog. I just did a post about you the other day."

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I thought, 'Oh dear. Oh my. Good heavens, no. Noooo.'

D'oh!

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Dwele is coming to town to work with Nottz

A little birdie tells us that kindofabigdeal, somewhat reclusive (but super-nice) producer Nottz will soon be hosting soul crooner Dwele at his mysteriously located Norfolk lair in the coming days.

We wonder if this means Dwele--you know, the guy that sings along Kanye on "Flashing Lights" and has that super-jazzy McDonald's commerical -- will just stay in town until his gig on the 15th at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News? Hmmm.

Meanwhile, did you know for a paltry $40 you can get in on a VIP "Ladies Night" package, which allows you to sit front row, get an autographed item and even have dinner with Dwele?

Go 'head and spend that 'drinks and the club' money girl. Dwele puts on a good show. And he all smoove and stuff...

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Blues scene gives blues fans well, the blues

Over the past few weeks a number of blues fans have written expressing concern about the blues scene - or lack thereof - here and, presumably, elsewhere.

To borrow liberally from one eloquently written and non-psycho maniac-on-speed rant (thank you!) email:

Case in point... I went to a Discovery Music series blues concert at the Attucks Theatre and was surprised when the MC told the roughly 40 people in the mostly empty theatre, “I’m glad to see so many more people coming out for events than we had last year.” It made me sad to see the historic black theatre so empty for a young musician, John Bigham (The soul of John Black), who mixes blues, soul, R&B and rap and who’s played with Dr. Dré, Eminem, Fishbone, Miles Davis, Everlast and Nikka Costa. Why were the few people in attendance 60 year old white men with pony tails and their wives? There were maybe 5 African Americans in the theatre.

He went on to talk about how the blues - a traditionally Afro-American form of music with such deep historical ties and such a rich legacy - was going largely unobserved by, more or less, young black kids. Sad though that it is, it's an unremarkable occurrence; it happened with jazz, and will no doubt one day happen with hip-hop music.

Others have called or written saying that the blues, in general, don't get no respect, and well, yeah, you're probably right. While I certainly have nothing against the blues per se it's not exactly the sexiest form of music out there. While I do appreciate it very much, it is, to be blunt, kind of a Debbie Downer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Ghostface Killah isn't always a visit to Disneyland either.

So we'd like to officially kick off a genuine attempt to pay more attention to the blues (and believe me, it's not like we can't relate...shout out to the homies Xanax and Klonopin) with letting you know about the following.

Tonight, acclaimed group Sparky & Rhonda Rucker will do a FREE show at Dockmaster's at Waterside at 7 p.m.

On Friday, the wonderful Homemade Jamz Blues Band will do a show at the Attucks Theatre as part of the fabulous Discovery Music Series; they're a trio of siblings from Miss. who play homemade instruments.

And on Saturday, blues man Angelo plays at the Meyera Orbendorf Library in Virginia Beach; call 538-1959 for info.

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George and Reba are coming to Charlottesville

Jan. 30, John Paul Jones Arena.

Should be a good one.

The “King of Country” is back! 17x CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee George Strait will kick off his arena tour early next year and this time, he’s bringing along one very special lady – Reba McEntire. 

The superstar acts performed together for the first time in many years for a sold-out crowd at the Cowboy’s Stadium inaugural event in Dallas.  Selling out in less than an hour, fans and critics proclaimed the show one hot ticket!  The concert was hailed by the Dallas Morning News as “an extravaganza” that “showcased Strait at the pinnacle of his musical game” and Ft. Worth Star Telegram wrote “Reba McEntire’s performance was a breathtaking master’s class in effortless brilliance.”

..yada yada yada.

Just buy a ticket already. Definitely worth the drive...

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Weezer and Snuggie join forces in a display of geeky awesomeness

Admitting you own, or would like to own, a Snuggie is pretty much on par with admitting that you like, even ironically, the band Weezer. Which is why it's kind of brilliant that these two supremely so-doofusy-they're-sort-of-cool pop culture products have linked up to create something so wrong that it's right: the Weezer Snuggie.

You know you'll totally be seeing a YouTube video of the two mashed together within the next 48 hours.

From release:

Alternative rock band Weezer and Allstar Products Group, marketer and distributor of the Snuggie, America's favorite "blanket with sleeves," have joined forces to create the official Weezer Snuggie.  It will be launched today and will bear the band's trademark "Weezer" logo.  This latest addition to the Snuggie collection will allow fans of the band to stay warm while keeping their hands free to rock out.  And rock out they will; fans who purchase a Weezer Snuggie blanket will also receive a copy of the band's brand-new album, Raditude, as a bonus gift.   The Weezer Snuggie will be available for $29.99 for purchase online.  It arrives around the same day as the band's latest album, Raditude.  This new offering sees the band trying a brand-new approach, choosing to collaborate with a wide variety of musicians, songwriters and producers.  The result of this collaborative effort is a collection of songs that amplifies Weezer's musical trademarks- deep-digging pop hooks and raucous rock riffs- while at the same time breaking new ground for the band.  Raditude features appearances by Lil' Wayne, Jermaine Dupri and even a host of traditional Indian musicians.  

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Another chance to meet someone in the music business

Last week alone, three people called here asking how they could meet Pharrell Williams. (How should I know? Pottery class? Strip club? JDate.com? And thank you, by the way, for not even entertaining the premise that you'd actually called to talk to me.)

If there's one thing about writing about music/famous people that's a bit exasperating, it's the notion that me and, I dunno, Timbaland go over each other's house to braid each others hair, make S'mores and watch 'Gossip Girl.'

While I do appreciate people's hustle, there's a right way and a wrong way. Right way: playing gigs around town, opening for big acts, uploading music/videos, networking, giving away/selling your music yourself so you're your own buzz machine. I mean really, who even needs a music business today anyway?

Wrong way: randomly calling/stalking people, unprofessionalism, bizarre and desperate stunts.

I know one longtime publicist/former assistant to Jay-Z whose voicemail features her ACTUALLY sighing as she says, 'Please, please do not sing or rap on my voice mail.' It truly sounds like she's on the verge of tears. Can you imagine?

That being said, there's a 'beat battle' at Hampton U on Friday. Lots of producers, aspiring rap artists, etc. I've been before; they're rather well executed events with, and I hate to betray my own prejudice here, surprisingly professional organizers and participants.

And so this weekend they'll have in attendance Kevin Shine, an A&R consultant for Jive Records. An A&R is more or less a talent scout for a record label, which means they're the PERFECT person to with your "ill beats," "sick flow" and whatnot. There'll be a panel from 5pm to 7pm about getting in the biz, with a rep from ASCAP and then the actual beat competition at 8:30 pm with a $500 cash prize.

So, if you want to get into the music business, don't waste your time showing up at my office (or anyone's, for that matter) playing the spoons and rapping and tapdancing. (I'm only going to ridicule you later from afar.) Go to something like this, K?

For more information on this:

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Halloween parties for grown-ups

As you can imagine, there's lots going on this weekend.

The most elaborate, over-the-top spectacle is sure to be at Granby Theater in Norfolk,  where "Thriller" and three more performances will be executed on stage, no pun intended.

However, everybody and their momma is throwing a party (unless of course she's stuck with the kids; bummer). For those of us with sitters and/or no obligations, there's a lot to do. Too much for me to list in fact.

Luckily the peeps at AltDaily have compiled a pretty comprehensive list. Check it out here.

Peace out, be safe y'all.

You do have the number to a local cab company stored in your phone, right?

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Ladies: would you date this doll?

OK, for the second time in a matter of hours I've been sent a story about this new "Ken" doll -- the "Sugar Daddy Ken."

The doll is geared toward adult doll collectors, and is supposed to exemplify Palm Beach fashion.

I'm so confused.

I literally had to call someone just now to make sure I wasn't missing the obvious joke. Only, there is no joke. Mattell apparently seriously thinks represents a Sugar Daddy. For women.

Wow. Well, he certianly looks sweet.

I mean, without even looking at the photo, let's review the keywords, shall we? Ken. Doll. Palm Beach. Adult doll Collector. Sugar.

And then there is the sight of this dandy.

That thick, Jay Manuel hair. Perfectly pressed white trousers. That ornate jacket. The no doubt delicate blouse. Are those Italian loafers? The pink leash. The dog. The dog! 

Ladies, if this is the kind of man you're attracted to, call me. Or better still, the former Mrs. McGreevy.  You're setting yourself up for a lifetime of pain and disappointment.

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We're so excited that Kelis is back; get into Jack Splash

(old pic from C&D!)

Kelis has had some awesome albums, including "Kaleidoscope" -- which was one of The Neptunes very first albums-- a fun mix of funk, R&B, pop, rock and soul.

"Wanderland," never released here in the States, was even better (The Neptunes are more extreme and dirty, Clipse make an amazing guest star) and then of course came the groovy "Tasty" and the slightly scattered but still good "Kelis Was Here."

The thing about Kelis is that even when her stuff isn't 100% making sense, she remains an innovator: fresh, forward, rebellious and different. She's like the Bjork of R&B.

Of course, her childbirth and messy divorce have slowed down the music for a minute, but she seems to be creeping back into view. My bud, songwriter Jean Baptiste (who writes a lot for the Black Eyed Peas), regularly sends updates on Facebook about the progress of her new, still untitled album (which I think is finished). He promises that it'll be great; in the meantime, I just got sent a track by this guy Jack Spalsh.

*transition, change of subject*

The Splash track is called "In the Future" and we likey. We likey a lot. Kelis is on it, sounding all coo-y and smoky and "Bossy"; this track is futuristic funk dope. Jack Splash has a mixtape coming out in two weeks; he's the new producer with mad buzz. R Kelly, Missy Elliott, Mos Def and more are raving about him; Rolling Stone calls him "the next OutKast."

So, Jack Spalsh and Kelis: super funky. Yay.

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