Odds & Ends: Against Me!, Beastie Boys & Avicii

Tom Gabel’s Transgender Journey

Saying he’s had to deal with transgender dysphoria for years, Against Me! lead singer Tom Gabel recently told Rolling Stone that he’s taking hormones and undergoing electrolysis treatments as he prepares to live the rest of his life as a woman.

Evidently Gabel was able to keep his plans under the radar before being interviewed by Rolling Stone, telling only a few family members and friends. The magazine describes Gabel’s transgender announcement as a first for “a major rock star” and that the artist “made a point of speaking openly about it.”

“I’m going to have embarrassing moments,” Gabel told Rolling Stone. “And that won’t be fun. But that’s part of what talking to you is about – is hoping people will understand, and hoping they’ll be fairly kind.”

Gabel says he will eventually take the name “Laura Jane Grace” and will stay married to his wife Heather.

“For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news,” Gabel told RS. “But she’s been super-amazing and understanding.”

Gabel’s complete interview appears in the new issue of Rolling Stone appearing on newsstands May 11.

Beasties Sued

The Beastie Boys are being sued for alleged unauthorized samples that appeared on the group’s debut 1986 album Licensed To Ill and the second album, 1989’s Paul’s Boutique.

Record label Tuf America filed the lawsuit one day before Beasties member Adam “MCA” Yauch died from cancer on May 4, according to AllHipHop.com.

The lawsuit accuses the Beastie Boys of lifting parts of Trouble Funk’s 1982 track “Drop The Bomb,” charging that samples of the track appeared on Licensed To Ill’s “Hold It Now Hit It” and “The New Style” and that the drums from “Drop The Bomb” appeared on the Paul’s Boutique number called “Car Thief.”

Tuf America claims to have discovered the alleged sampling through “sound analysis” according to AllHipHop.com. Capitol Records is also named in the lawsuit.

Avicii Changes

There are some changes in Avicii’s LE7ELS North American tour as several headlining dates in May are canceled or postponed until December.

“The production is a re-invention of modern technology in an unexplored area of application seeing the 3d mapping is done on an organic surface and mixed in real time,” Ward said in a statement. “In its complexity we discovered some technical issues at Coachella that could compromise the quality of the experience for the fans which is why we are recommending we move the tour starting date up to a month later.”