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NEWS ABOUT: rock and roll

Rock's Worst Career Moves

Bob Dylan's Christmas album is just the latest in a long line

(Newser) - Bob Dylan’s decision to record a Christmas album is certainly ill-advised—“fans may have stuck by him throughout the musically self-destructive late '60s, the God-bothering late '70s, and the Grateful Dead-collaborating-Madonna-imitating mid '80s, but surely even Bob's fans have a limit,” writes John Matthew Hall for the... More »

MoMa Shines Light on NYC's Punk Revolution

Materials by Patti Smith, Ramones showcase cultural shift

(Newser) - New York’s Museum of Modern Art is showcasing the gritty glamour of the city’s 1970s and early ’80s music scene, where punk, New Wave, DIY, and noise rock ruled, Rolling Stone reports. New Yorkers were feeling alienated—the city was bankrupt in 1975; President Ford told it... More »

Corgan Picks 19-Year-Old as Pumpkins' Next Drummer

(Newser) - After the departure of longtime—well, come-and-go—Smashing Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlin and the audition of 1,000 hopefuls, frontman Billy Corgan has named a new drummer, the Chicago Tribune reports. And the kid’s 19. Oregon native Mike Byrne played with local groups before receiving the honor from the Chicago-based... More »

Les Paul's Genius Will Be Missed

(Newser) - Les Paul's death today at age 94 has the accolades pouring in:
  • Lou Carlozo, True/Slant: "The solid-body Les Paul guitar that Lester developed with Gibson in the early 1950s is rock and roll. Like the Fender Stratocaster, its shape is so synonymous with the genre that any musician can
... More »

Best Rock Documentaries

(Newser) - In honor of Woodstock—which happened 40 years ago this weekend—and the “seminal documentary” that captured it, John Farr shares his list of the 10 best rock concert/performance films—all of which are “meant to be played loud,” he writes on the Huffington Post. “So... More »

Happy 100th to the Man Who Changed Rock

Leo Fender, inventor of the Stratocaster, born Aug. 10, 1909

(Newser) - Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of a man who forever changed rock and roll—even though he couldn’t play the instrument inextricably associated with his name. Leo Fender designed guitars and amplifiers that have endured for decades, including the legendary Fender Stratocaster, played by Jimi Hendrix,... More »

Tyler Hospitalized After Fall From Stage

(AP) - Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was taken to a hospital after falling from stage during a concert at a motorcycle rally in western South Dakota, the AP reports. A concertgoer told local journalists that Tyler, 61, fell while dancing around on a catwalk after the sound system failed during the song... More »

The Best Rock Frontmen

(Newser) - Frontmen are at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll—no matter how amazing the musicians in the band are, they still needs someone with the right mix of talent and charisma to reach the crowd. The Independent compiles the best:
  1. Johnny Rotten, Sex Pistols. Like so many other rockers,
... More »

Rock's Worst Comebacks

(Newser) - Some bands just shouldn’t—or couldn’t successfully—get back together. The Independent takes a look at the 10 most ill-conceived rock reunions.
  • The Sex Pistols: Sure, the punk progenitors honestly named their 1994 comeback tour "Filthy Lucre," but still "tarnished their own lawless chapter in
... More »

'Freebird' at 35: a Joke and a Classic

(Newser) - Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" is 35 years old now, and in the course of its life, the song "has been an anthem, a demand, an ode to personal independence, the lamest heckle in the history of rock," writes Christopher Borelli in the Chicago Tribune. "But what it... More »

A Little Bit Cloudy, a Little Bit Rock 'n Roll

Weather Channel abandons smooth jazz for harder-edged music

(Newser) - The Weather Channel has ditched its familiar smooth jazz background music for the likes of the Rolling Stones—to the delight of watchers and advertisers alike. “People would have it on but they wouldn’t be watching and they wouldn’t be listening,” the exec who pushed the... More »

Iranian Rockers Won't Stay Mute on Crisis

Plan to get so famous they're unstoppable at home

(Newser) - Iranian band Hypernova arrived in the US in 2007 ready to rock—but not prepared to be caught condemning their home government. Now, as demonstrators flock to protest Iran’s election results, singer “King Raam” is turning up the political volume, the Global Post reports. “There are so... More »

Supergroup Chickenfoot Revives Classic Rock

Supergroup is having fun, getting serious

(Newser) - Rock’s newest wave-makers aren’t so new, reports USA Today. Chickenfoot is a supergroup, but “not a pre-fab one. This all really grew out of friendships,” says bassist Michael Anthony. Anthony, along with fellow Van Halen alum Sammy Hagar, has been jamming with guitarist Joe Satriani and... More »

Cobain Play Hits London

(Newser) - Teen spirit has hit a London stage in a play that involves the troubled life of rocker Kurt Cobain, reports the Independent. The production, Nevermind, features a struggling music critic, John, visited by Cobain's ghost. "Cobain appears as his alter ego: a success who couldn't deal with it, as... More »

Hendrix 'Murdered by Manager'

(Newser) - Jimi Hendrix's manager murdered the legendary rocker to cash in on a $2 million life insurance policy, an aide reveals in a new book. Hendrix was "worth more dead to him than alive," according to roadie James Wright. Wright said manager Michael Jeffrey confessed to him that he... More »

NY Exhibit Features Lennon's Bloody Death Duds

Memorabilia displayed in city he loved

(Newser) - A new exhibit of John Lennon memorabilia includes a bloodied hospital bag holding the clothes he wore the night he was shot to death, reports the Guardian. The bag is the most jolting display of the new show launched by Lennon's widow at the Manhattan annex of the Rock and... More »

Lotusflow3r Not Quite Full Bloom for Prince

(Newser) - Prince’s new album, Lotusflow3r, is actually three separate discs: two by the Purple One and one by his protégé, Bria Valente, all for sale exclusively at Target for $11.98. And depending on who you ask, that’s a good deal—or not.
  • Jody Rosen is thrilled by
... More »

Sir Paul's Vegas Gig Sold Out in 7 Seconds

Must be some kind of record

(Newser) - A spring gig at a Las Vegas casino featuring Sir Paul MCartney sold out in a blink-of-an-eye seven seconds, reports the Telegraph. The former Beatle will rock the rafters for 4,000 fans next month at the opening of the New Joint at the Hardrock Hotel and Casino. The hurricane... More »

Bono: Fans Wish I'd Die Young

Singer rails against rock star 'mythology'

(Newser) - Sorry, U2 fans: Bono is sticking around for a while. The frontman discussed the mystique of rock stars dying young with a BBC TV show, claiming “people do want you to die on a cross age 33, with a Jack Daniels in your hand,” the Mirror reports. But... More »

Spinal Tap Admits Where They've Been

(Newser) - Having announced their reunion tour, Spinal Tap sits down with Vanity Fair to explain where they've been for the past 25 years. "Breeding miniature horses," says Nigel, who struggled "to find jockeys that are basically 26, 28 inches tall." David, inspired by female tribute bands like... More »

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