(Ron Hahm, Mike Kelly, Jon Pratt, and Jon Hahn, after the load-out. Photo by or for Ken King)

CLAUDE PATE REUNION WEEKEND: Great times and great shows, with only minor injuries and no arrests.  Playing both all-ages and 21+ shows resulted in some duplication of sets, but with Ron Hahm and Jon Hahn swapping the drum throne for different feels (and in the case of "She's So Special," a different arrangement) on these tunes.  In addition to fan favorites like "Chalk It Up To Fate," "Rope Around The Moon" "You Must Be Dreaming" and "If You Will, I Will," and All The Fixins tracks like "A Matter of Dos" (or is it "Dues?") and "Heartache Junkies," the band also dipped deep into the Pate catalog for numbers not heard at the 2003 reunion, including "I'll Be Your Man," "Tell Me Now," "Runaway," "Drivin'" and "Eye On Everything."  That last song produced a quintessential Pate moment, in which Jon Pratt, wielding his axe in full-on hard-rock mode, eliminated what was surely to be a scorching solo by accidentally stepping on his electronic tuner.  Of course, not every Pate moment carries the whiff of Spinal Tap. The third set ended with a particularly fine version of "Gone Electric" that caused Friend of Pate Susan Jasper -- who did yeowoman's duty hosting we out-of-towners -- to ask, "Is that the best bass line ever?" It may be, though it may be the person who suggested Mike Kelly is a better bassist than ever is correct. The evening almost concluded with an alternately scorching and hilarious version of "My Turn" (ten years down, indeed), but the crowd (and it was a crowd) convinced them to encore with an unrehearsed but raucous rendition of The Yardbirds' "For Your Love."  Special thanks also to Doug Hansen for running the soundboard and monitoring the recording gear at Whiskey River.

Of course, for Friends of Pate, the shows were only part of the attraction. Reconnecting with college pals at the pre-show picnic, between sets or at the Perkin's after-party was also a treat for many of us, by which I mean me.  I would call it Big Chilling, but someone reminded me we're all ten years older than those characters.  Sigh. At the risk of inadvertently omitting anyone not already mentioned, it was terrific to see the O'Neills, Fitzgeralds, Fryzeks, and Cravens, as well as Regina Escue, Charlie Vanek, and Ken King (who rode shotgun with me for dramatic readings from the late Scott Miller's wonderful book "Music: What Happened?"). It was also great to see how well everyone's kids are turning out (though in the case of the band, I'm going to credit Naomi, Elizabeth and Judy).  I will single out only Jon P's daughters because I joked that joining Facebook (to administer the Pate page) and seeing them suddenly ten years older was a depressing reminder of my own age.  In reality, all three seem to have grown into charming young women (though I only got to chat briefly with the eldest about some things Baltimore). Catching them singing along at the first show was particulalrly fun, and Jon tells me they can sing, referring to them as the Von Engle-Trapps.  It seems that Jon and Naomi successfully executed the Ron Burgundy plan. Let's not wait another decade for the next one, m'kay?

HEBRONIX: The former Yuck man is advance streaming Unreal.

MAYER HAWTHORNE is advance streaming Where Does This Door Go?

SPEEDY ORTIZ is advance streaming the 90s flavored Major Arcana.

JODY STEPHENS: The remaining Big Star visited Morning Becomes Eclectic to promo a new documetary about the band and to play some classics with Luther Russell and Jason Hiller.

CHEVY METAL: Dave Grohl joined the rest of this Foo Fighters side project to cover Queen's "Under Pressure."  Grosse Pointe Blank fans know this is another good one for Pate Reunion Weekend.

LOU REED reviews Kanye West's Yeezus.

CAMERA OBSCURA bassist Gavin Dunbar talks to Straight about recording Desire Lines in Portland.

JASON EVERMAN was kicked out of Nirvana and Soundgarden. Then he became an elite member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, one of those bearded guys riding around on horseback in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban.

TOM ROBINSON and Nick Mobbs recall the making of "Glad to be Gay" for The Guardian. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Despicable Me 2 rules the cineplex with 142 million over the long weekend, greatly exceeding tracking estimates around 100 million. Against a 76 million budget, this is another smash for  Universal. The Lone Ranger places a distant second of 49 million against a 215 million budget, which is the sort of July 4th flop not seen since Wild Wild West.  Given that example, and the competition from the Despicable sequel, it was sheer hubris of Disney to try this; they now reap the whirlwind.  The Heat shows with 25 million and an 86 million total against a 43 million budget.  Monsters University drops to No. 4, with 19 million -- a 57 percent drop that constitutes Despicable Me 2's second shot to the Mouse.  World War Z rounds out the Top 5 with 18.2 million and a 158.8 million domestic total against a 190 million budget.  Below the fold, White House Down sucks wind, Man Of Steel continues to show weak legs and Kevin Hart pulls in 10.1 million against a 750K budget.

KERRY WASHINGTON married San Francisco 49ers corner back Nnamdi Asomugha.

ELISHA CUTHBERT married Dion Phaneuf, defensemen and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, on Saturday, July 6.

GEORGE CLOONEY is said to be back on the market once more after reportedly splitting from girlfriend Stacy Keibler.

NIGELLA LAWSON is getting divorced by multi-millionaire art collector Charles Saatchi.

EMMY ROSSUM: The “Shameless” star has split with her co-star Tyler Jacob Moore after dating for two years, sources tell Page Six.

LINDSAY LOHAN will return to NYC after rehab, accoring to her mother.

KATY PERRY & JOHN MAYER were snapped wearing matching outfits on July 4th, in case you thought they couldn't be more frightening.

SETH MEYERS is engaged to marry longtime girlfriend Alexi Ashe.

JAMES GANDOFINI's will is a tax disaster.

LIBYA: Hundreds of demonstrators from across the country gathered in Algeria Square in Tripoli to protest the influence of armed unofficial militias. The Interior Ministry is still under siege by a militia.

SYRIA: The rebel Syrian National Coalition chose a new leader, Ahmad Assi Jarba, a Syrian dissident with close ties to Saudi Arabia; he has previously been charged with obtaining arms for the Free Syrian Army.

EGYPT: Prominent Sunni cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to support ousted former president Mohammed Morsi. Egypt's president backed away from naming Mohammed el Baradei as prime minister.

CHLOE THE CHIMP takes a bath.

A CHIMP and LYNX, living together... mass hysteria!

FEARLESS MICE on Magic Mushrooms.

COCKATOOS pick locks to reach their reward.

PATE REUNION:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page. ALSO: I cannot promise anything, but I'll try to have some live coverage of the reunion festivities available through the PateBlog Twitter account.

THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEACH BOYS!  It's Pate Reunion Weekend and time to "Do It Again."  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with this 1980 take o­n "Good Vibrations." Given the time of year, I have to include this 1964 clip of "Surfin' U.S.A." which I think is from the same gig that produced these takes on "Little Deuce Coupe," "In My Room," "Shut Down," "Surfer Girl" and "Fun, Fun Fun." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go!  The Andy Williams Show serves up "Help Me, Rhonda," while The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.

RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.

DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."

JAMES LILEKS: Truth.

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: From 2008, Hidden Track serves up 12 video versions. And the only ones not working now are Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston.

THE UNITED STATES prepares to celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 4, 1776. As the Wikipedia notes, this is a little arbitrary: New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775; the first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made o­n June 8th; and the Congress voted 12-0 for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain o­n July 2, 1776. Even so, the publication of the Declaration was momentous .  If you're not in DC, the best way to see and learn about the Declaration may be through the Charters of Freedom website. But you can watch Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas, Renee Zelleweger, Kevin Spacey, Wynona Ryder and other Hollywood folk read the Declaration, after a short introduction by Morgan Freeman.

Of course, the holiday more broadly celebrates the American Revolutionary War, and the Founders' unlikely victory. People with the highest standard of living and the lowest taxes in the Western World fought a sometimes unpopular war for our freedom. Early o­n, the Revolutionaries (also known as "Americans" or "Patriots") had the active support of about 40 to 45 percent of the colonial population. By 1779, there were more Americans fighting with the British than with Washington, which is why Washington needed help from the French, the Spanish and freed Blacks. You can separate fact from fiction regarding the sacrifices and fates of the Founders at Snopes. You can hear two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough read from the first chapter of his 1776 via NPR. Or watch a nifty clip on the passage and public reading of the Declaration from the John Adams miniseries.

NOW SHOWING: The holiday weekend's wide releases are: Despicable Me 2, currently scoring 75 percent on the ol' Tomatometer;and The Lone Ranger, scoring 23 percent.  Also making an appropriately tiny debut is Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, scoring 100 percent on a handful of reviews.

ROBERT PATTINSON: Dating Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough? She co-starred with Pattinson's ex, Kristen Stewart, in The Runaways.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST reportedly turned down 3 million for pics of their baby.

JOHNNY DEPP says his young two children have coped very well with his 2012 split from their mother, his former partner of 14 years, actress and model Vanessa Paradis.

TRACY MORGAN and his fiancée Megan Wollover welcome a daughter.

COLIN HANKS and Samantha Bryant also welcome a daughter.

PARIS JACKSON was rejected by a top out-of-state rehab facility.

MICHAEL JORDAN tried to take Kennedy's virginity, claims the former MTV star.

UNITED STATES Secretary of State Kerry said after discussions with Russia that a proposed peace conference on Syria is not likely to occur before at least September.

CANADA: Authorities disrupted an al Qaeda-inspired terror plot that targeted the British Columbia Legislature in Victoria during Canada Day celebrations.

IRAN is importing a high grade of refined alumina ore from several European countries including Germany and France that Tehran could be using to make armor parts and missile components.

LIBYA: An armed group forced the Interior Ministry to close.

IRAQ: Insurgents killed at least 53 Iraqis in a series of attacks throughout the country.

EGYPT: In a televised speech late Tuesday night, President Morsi defied opposition demands for his resignation but offered a handful of limited concessions - including new government and parliamentary polls within six months.

TWIGGY: Another Fourth of July tradition, the water-skiing squirrel. Great story. Compelling and rich.

THE BIRDS: In Britain, ferocious seagulls have forced Royal Mail chiefs to scrap deliveries on a seaside street after launching frenzied attacks on a postie. And they ran. They ran so far away...

A DOG adopts an abandoned chick...

A PIG WEARING SWEATPANTS and A DOG, trapped in a car filled with poop. Desire smells like that to some people.

PATE REUNION:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

JON PRATT rehearses "It's A Crime" and  "She's So Special" (the latter with post production from Mike Kelly and Ron Hahm). It's the Pate Reunion Weekend Twofer Tuesday.

THE AVETT BROTHERS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

LOW plays a set on the Mountain Stage.

JOHN GRANT plays an acoustic mini-set at KEXP.

LAURA MVULA played an intimate Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

MUMFORD & SONS returned to the stage at Glastonbury (after the bassist's brain surgery) for a gorgeous, all-star cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends," including members of the Vaccines, First Aid Kit and Vampire Weekend.  Just the thing for Pate Reunion weekend.

JOHNNY MARR: The Smiths' axeman talks to The Guardian about his love for Chic, bonding with Morrissey over Bob and Marcia and the raw power of the Stooges.

BOSTON founder Tom Scholz has been ordered to pay a newspaper 132K for the court costs it incurred in successfully defending itself against his defamation lawsuit.

THE SLOW HITS, from past to present. 

SIGUR ROS, ranked by Stereogum. 

LINDSAY LOHAN plans to go deep into hiding after she gets out of rehab in August.

HENRY CAVILL & KALEY CUOCO:  The Man Of Steel and the Big Bang Woman are dating.

AMANDA BYNES is refusing to see her family - and is ‘more erratic than ever', according to one of her closest advisers.

TEEN MOM Farrah Abraham checked into a Florida rehab facility late Sunday night.

9021OH: Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth visited Ian Ziering's Chippendale's show.

HUGH JACKMAN and his wife slam the gay rumors. NTTAWWT.

EGYPT: The military said it was giving the nation's political forces 48 hours to solve their issues or the military will create a new roadmap. A senior Muslim Brotherhood official said no government institution would wage a coup against the Morsi government. Four cabinet ministers tendered their resignations a day after massive anti-Morsi protests swept the country.

IRAN: confirmed the arrest of several Slovak paragliders suspected of espionage. The seven Slovaks were arrested for allegedly photographing Iranian military sites sometime in the past few weeks.

IRAQ: A suicide bomber killed 22 Iraqis in an attack inside a Shia mosque in Muqdadiyah. Eight Awakening members in Tarmiyah were kidnapped and then executed. Iraqi troops destroyed an al Qaeda "base" near the Syrian border.

RUSSIAN BEARS are more awesome now that they don't symbolize the USSR.

JUSIN BIEBER's EX-MONKEY has been transferred to the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen in North Germany -- a tree-covered island dubbed “Mally-bu”—surrounded by a moat and equipped with a house for its seven residents.

ARE DOGS now just furry kids?

A BABY ELEPHANT is chained and held hostage by an angry mob.

PATE REUNION UPDATE: Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage July 5th... and I now have details from a presumably reliable source: There will be a potluck picnic from 12-3 p.m. at Brookside Park, Linden shelter; an all ages show (7-9 p.m.), and 21+ show (9 p.m.) at Whiskey River in Ames, IA. Be there or be squared! If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

ELVIS COSTELLO got the Glastonbury crowd to "Pump It Up."

ADAM GREEN & BINKI SHAPIRO stop by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

MAPS is advance streaming Vicissitude.

JOSH ROUSE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SCUD MOUNTAIN BOYS drop a couple of new songs on Brooklyn Vegan.

CALEXICO covers Love's "Alone Again Or" at Glastonbury.

KURT VILE, reluctant guitar hero and folk journeyman, is every bit as prodigious behind the wheel of a forklift.

THE PASTELS: Stephen McRobbie talks to Pitchfork about young fans, anti-twee sentiment and more.

T. REX's TOP TEN, according to Stereogum.

THE 100 GREATEST ALBUMS, according to Entertainment Weekly.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Monsters University repeats atop the chart with 46.1 million; the 44 percent drop is better than the drops for either Brave or Cars 2. MU will likely finish as Pixar's fourth-highest grosser.  The real story may be The Heat placing with 40 million against a 43 million budget, as Melissa McCarthy helps Sandar Bullock to her biggest opening ever.  World War Z shows with 29.8 million; that's down 55 percent, but where some analysts thought this one would open, so pretty good for a second weekend.  The flip side of The Heat overperforming is White House Down debuting at No. 4 with 25.7 millio; that's a tad less than the similar Olympus Has Fallen and will likley gross under 100 million domestic against a 150 million budget. Ouch.  Man Of Steel rounds out the Top 5 with another 20.8 million and 248.7 million domestic (over 500 billion worldwide) against a 225 million budget.

JESSICA SIMPSON and fiance Eric Johnson have welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Ace Knute Johnson.

AVRIL LAVIGNE and CHAD KROEGER (Nickelback) tied the knot in a lavish wedding in the South of France.

LINDSAY LOHAN has been cut off Adderall in rehab.

JENNIFER LOPEZ performed at a birthday event for the leader of an authoritarian regime in Central Asia.

KRISTIN CAVALLARI & JAY CUTLER (a/k/a Jerkface) shared pictures from their honeymoon in Italy. SFW.

MICHAEL JACKSON paid off at least two dozen young boys, according to the ever-reliable Mirror.

CHINA: Paramilitary troops commenced round-the-clock patrols in the restive western province of Xinjiang, where clashes between security forces and Islamist Uighurs have claimed the lives of at least 56 people in the past few months.

SYRIA: Regime forces launched a major assault on rebel-held areas of Homs, which they have been trying to regain for a year. Saudi Arabia is thought to have recently speeded up shipments of heavy weapons to the rebels.

EGYPT: Huge protests across Egypt calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi have continued, with sporadic outbreaks of violence.

AFGHAN president Hamid Karzai claims President Obama reportedly asked him to sign a security pact with the US within the next three months.

BUTTERCUP the DUCK is getting a new, 3-D printed foot.

HARRY THE HAMSTER is evicted in a love triangle blowup.

THE BIRDS: Residents in Fife have been warned not to feed seagulls following a series of attacks.

AN EAGER BEAVER is blamed for a a 20-hour Internet and cellphone outage last week in northern New Mexico. But we all know the squirrels put him up to it.

PATE REUNION UPDATE: Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage July 5th... and I now have details from a presumably reliable source: There will be a potluck picnic from 12-3 p.m. at Brookside Park, Linden shelter; an all ages show (7-9 p.m.), and 21+ show (9 p.m.) at Whiskey River in Ames, IA.  Be there or be squared! If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with KATRINA & THE WAVES! Obviously best known for the summer anthem, "Walking On Sunshine", but we can dig a little deeper for pop gems like "Brown Eyed Son," "Do You Want Crying?", "Que Te Quiero" and "Red Wine and Whiskey."  BONUS: Guitarist, songwriter and Soft Boy Kimberley Rew also wrote "Going Down to Liverpool," later covered by The Bangles.

CAMERA OBSCURA graces the KEXP studio with a mini-set of new tunes.

DANDY WARHOLS play a psychedelic set of songs from their breakthrough album " Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia" at KEXP.

CAYUCAS washes ashore in the KEXP studio with a set of gentle beach pop from their second album "Bigfoot".

IAN MOORE & THE LOSSY COILS heat up the KEXP studio with a crunchy set of blues-tinged power pop for your eardrums.

FRANZ FERDINAND drops "Love Illumination" and "Right Action" ahead of Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action.

IRON & WINE drops "Rattling Bone" for The Lone Ranger soundtrack.

THE CLASH AT DEMONHEAD covers Metric's "Black Sheep." I remember when Envy was Nat.

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN: Travis Morrison chats with Pitchfork about indie rock past and present, cell phones at shows, and the reunited act's first new album in 12 years, Uncanney Valley.

JOHN GRANT is profiled by The Record.

KENNY ROGERS is playing Glastonbury. Really. The Gambler talks to The Guardian.

MIDNIGHT OIL frontman turned Aussie politician Peter Garrett has announced that he will quit politics at the next election.

CUTOUT BIN: From Link Wray to Steely Dan, from Devo to Kenny Loggins, from 10000 Maniacs to The Who, plus Wilco, the Rolling Stones, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Twisted Sister and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:This weekend's wide releases are White House Down, which is currently scoring 50 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Heat, which is scoring 67 percent.

PAULA DEEN is getting dropped by Target, Novo Nordisk and QVC (sorta).

JAMES GANDOLFINI's funeral was a star-studded tribute, produced and filmed by HBO for the actor's family.

JUSTIN BIEBER has been sued for assault and battery by a paparazzo who alleges that the singer “physically attacked” him in a parking lot in May 2012.

JULIANNE MOORE is in talks to join The Hunger Games franchise. 

CAMERON DIAZ joins the Annie remake.

JAMES WOODS, 66, is dating a 20-year-old.

ESCAPE PLAN: Stallone. Schwarzenegger. Sheewiz.

THE UNITED STATES: A federal grand jury filed a 30-count indictment against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev, including weapon of mass destruction, bombing, firearms, carjacking, and conspiracy charges.

ISRAEL: Prime Minister Netanyahu said the IAF has operated in a "number of theaters" over the past year in secret operations.

EGYPT: A Muslim Brotherhood spokesman said that if the army and police fail to "properly" respond to attacks against the Brotherhood in upcoming protests, the Brotherhood will "utilize [the] right of self-defense." Human Rights Watch charged the Muslim Brotherhood with promoting sectarian hatred.

IRAQ: Insurgents killed 22 Iraqis in a series of bombings in coffee shops and cafes in Baghdad, Baqubah, and Jbela.

A MONKEY orders a soda from a vending machine.

CAMEL TURDUCKEN: Actually, a camel stuffed with sheep stuffed with chicken stuffed with fish. Your word of the day is "engastration."

RARE BIRD, observed getting killed by a wind turbine.

A HAWK was rescued from the grill of a minivan.