When you’ve got a sprawling complex like Churchill Downs, you’ve got to figure out how to get more use out of it than a few horse races a year. The home of the famous Kentucky Derby is opening its gates for stars of the musical variety this coming summer. It will play host to a 3-day music festival called HullabaLOU set for July 23-25. A host of big name acts have already attached themselves to the festival including Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews Band. 65 bands are said to play the festival and they will range from country and bluegrass to classic rock and adult contemporary. Other bands associated with the event include Loretta Lynn, the Black Crowes, Kansas, the Steve Miller Band, The Doobie Brothers, Dwight Yoakam, Michael McDonald, Gladys Knight, Steppenwolf, 38 Special, Taj Mahal and The O’Jays.

Last night, the bi-annual performance of the Open Mic Shootout took place at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA. Eddie’s Attic, one of the premiere music venues in the Southeast, holds an Open Mic contest every Monday night, weeding through some 20 hopeful contestants. Some have promise, some are rough, some are downright awful — think American Idol’s city tour. Regardless, it takes a lot of courage to hop up on that stage and show the world what you have to offer. The weekly winners advance on to this bi-annual Open Mic Shootout where 23 up-and-coming artists battle it out for the $1000 prize and the notoriety that comes along with being a winner of the Shootout. Past winners include John Mayer and Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland), and the Attic has also helped launch the careers of the Indigo Girls and Shawn Mullins. To prove yourself on that stage won’t guarantee you fame, but it will prove you possess the talent to compete with the big boys.

Metalheads Slayer were scheduled to make the rounds in Europe, but those plans have been scraped as they join forces with Megadeath for a North American tour aptly labeled “American Carnage.” The 26-date tour will start on January 18 in Seattle, Washington and carry them through February 23 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This will be the first time Slayer and Megadeath have shared the same tour since 1991’s “Clash of the Titans.” To commemorate this, they are selling a portion of the tickets at 1991 prices — $10 a ticket. Tickets are currently onsale with a full schedule of the tour dates listed below. Testament has signed on to be the opener for the tour.

In the wake of his controversial ‘American Music Awards’ performance, Adam Lambert got dropped like a hot potato by the higher ups of ‘Good Morning America.’ The flap in question had Lambert simulating oral sex, bondage and kissing a male band member on the Award show. ABC said it received 1500 complaints from viewers of the AMA which was moderate but by no means extraordinary. ‘Good Morning America’s’ loss seemed to be ‘The Early Show’s’ gain as Lambert appeared to clear up any misconceptions that may have been flying around that moment. Lambert said that the act “came from more of an impromptu place” and that the moments in question weren’t rehearsed. “Sometimes I forget — ‘Oh, there’s a camera on. I come from the theater….I was looking out in the crowd and saw some of my favorite pop stars and thought–I want to let loose. And it just kinda got the best of me.”

In the time since Continuum was released, John Mayer has been better known for the hot ass he’s sporting on his arm at any given moment more so than the music he’s generating. Seriously, its like he’s in some sort of insane competition with Derek Jeter and Justin Timberlake to see who can bag the most tail off the Maxim Hot 100 List — Minka Kelly, Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Aniston. I mean come on this is getting a bit ridiculous being the real life Barney Stinson. They aren’t baseball cards man. It seems he did find some time outside his serial bed hopping to put together a new album called “Battle Studies.” Its a bit of a departure album from anything we’ve seen from him in the past, but that seems to be a theme he’s comfortable with. Dare I say this could be classified as Mayer’s Adult Contemporary album. As strange as it sounds, it works — most of the time.

Spoon, comprised of Britt Daniel, Jim Eno, Eric Harvey and Rob Pope, will also be hitting the road next month in anticipation of the Transference release parking at 5 cities in the US. The Austin, TX band kick things off in Kansas City on December 3 and run through New Year’s Eve at Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A handful of initial European dates have been set for Europe at this point. A full listing of Spoon tour dates is highlighted below.

Nickelback spent the summer and fall of 2009 touring, and it seems that gave them a taste of bigger things to come. Nickelback has announced that they will embark on a world tour in 2010. The tour will feature opening acts Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown as well as an additional act yet to be determined. The tour will begin on April 6 in London, Ontario and head through April 24 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Full Nickelback tour dates are listed below with more dates still to be released. Tickets go onsale December 4th through LiveNation. There will be two presales taking place on November 27 for fan club members and November 30 for Citi Card’s Private Pass program.

Its doubtful that folk singer Yusuf Islam, or the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, expected his return to the musical stage to be met with such derision. He found a cascading wall of boos and fans darting out of the O2 Arena in Dublin. His well known anthems like “Wild World” and “Father and Son” were met with vigorous applause. but Stevens seemed to try his audience patience by presenting an impromptu 40-minute take on his new West End musical Moonshadow slapped into the middle of his set.

While I’ve grown up and the glass isn’t quite so half empty anymore, I still expect Depeche Mode to put out quality like they did in Violator, but in holding these artists up to the mirror of themselves, they fail to reflect the best artists they can be. Thankfully certain new artists have stepped up to fill the gaping void. Tori you can sit down now because Regina Spektor is here and can make the piano do those naughty things that you once made your signature. Regina’s latest album Far continues to fulfill the promise she introduced us to on 2006’s Begin to Hope.

Canadian Jazz crooner Michael Buble released his new album “Crazy Love” in early October and is preparing a slate of US tour dates in its honor. Buble will start things off in Orlando, Florida on March 10 and wind his way to Los Angeles, California on April 9. The tour will hit 19-cities in all but the singer promises more dates will be unveiled early-2010. Full Michael Buble tour dates are listed below with venue information to be released in the coming week. Ticket onsale dates are also forthcoming and promise to be a hot commodity based on past Buble tours.