Alternative Music
Ben Shapiro Calls Joe Biden “the Kurt Cobain of Politics” As An Insult
Ben Shapiro, the cultural gadfly whose intellectual capabilities are dwarfed only by his diminutive height, called Joe Biden “the Kurt Cobain of politics,” and meant it as an insult. The former Never Trumper turned bootlicker extraordinaire made that utterance in response to Biden’s State of the Union Address. Shapiro was trying to spin out a metaphor, though the cognitive strain quickly defeated him. “Joe Biden is the Kurt Cobain of politics. He put a shotgun in the mouth of the American body politic and then pulled the trigger. And the brains are on the wall.” People who think words have meaning might point out that in this example, Biden is the author of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in one sentence and then all of the American government in the next. Is Shapiro calling the President a murd...
CHVRCHES and Robert Smith Perform “Just Like Heaven” at NME Awards: Watch
CHVRCHES and Robert Smith won an NME Award for their song “How Not to Drown” on Wednesday, and promptly hit the stage to perform live together for the first time. The synthpop band and The Cure frontman teamed up at the UK awards show to play “How Not to Drown” and fellow Screen Violence cut “Asking For A Friend,” as well as The Cure classic “Just Like Heaven.” Watch video of the on-stage super collaboration below. CHVRCHES and Smith made “How Not to Drown” via email correspondence, CHVRCHES singer Lauren Mayberry revealed in an interview before the award show, so the band didn’t actually meet Smith until they began rehearsing for the show. “Shit myself, to be honest,” she said of her first interaction with Smith. After performing the single, which took home the Best Song By A UK...
METALLICA’s KIRK HAMMETT And ROBERT TRUJILLO To Perform With THE WEDDING BAND In Napa, California
THE WEDDING BAND, the side project of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, along with Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE), Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL), Jon Theodore (THE MARS VOLTA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES, GOD FORBID), will perform on May 27 at Jam Cellars Ballroom at Margrit Mondavi Theatre in Napa, California. The show will be part of the “BottleRock Afterdark” performances that will take place in conjunction with this year’s METALLICA co-headlined edition of the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival, which is scheduled for May 27-29 at the Napa Valley Expo in Northern California. Back in 2019, Kirk told Cosmo Music about THE WEDDING BAND: “It’s just really fun jamming with these guys. It’s something diff...
JEFF PILSON Says FOREIGNER Is ‘Not Letting Politics Get In The Way’ Of Upcoming Tour With KID ROCK
Kid Rock will join forces with FOREIGNER and GRAND FUNK RAILROAD for a U.S. tour this spring and summer. JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING will appear on select dates, with a special appearance by Trey Lewis at all shows. The 24-city “Bad Reputation Tour” will kick off on April 6 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, making stops across the U.S. in Nashville, Boston, Chicago, and more before wrapping up with two shows in Detroit. Asked in a new interview with Rock Band Reviews what he would say to those FOREIGNER fans who are reluctant to come out to see the band because of Kid Rock‘s involvement with the tour, FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson said: “If they’re not coming because of Kid Rock, if it’s musically oriented, well, I would say listen...
X JAPAN’s YOSHIKI Donates $87,000 To Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Emergency Assistance Fund
Japan’s legendary rock star Yoshiki, who currently resides in Los Angeles, donated 10 million yen (approximately $87,000) to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Emergency Assistance Fund and is calling for his worldwide fans to donate as well. Together with his fans, they have raised $500,000 in under 24 hours. Yoshiki announced the donation and call to action on his wildly popular Twitter account to bring awareness to the urgent need for immediate action on behalf of those affected by the ongoing situation in Eastern Europe. Yoshiki is one of the most influential composers in Japanese history, selling over 50 million albums worldwide as the leader of the legendary band X JAPAN, headlining the world’s largest stages, including the Coachella (2018), London’s Wembley Arena, and...
SLIPKNOT Postpones Shows In Russia, Ukraine And Belarus
SLIPKNOT has postponed its previously announced shows in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. Earlier today, the band released the following statement via social media: “Unfortunately we will be postponing our Kyiv, Moscow, and Minsk performances. New dates will be forthcoming. “We had looked forward to reuniting with our fans in these incredible cities, coming back together after global lockdown. But we take this step in support of our community and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, for whom the struggle continues, in a new and more terrible form. We also acknowledge that our Russian and Belarusian fans are overwhelmingly united with the Ukrainians in their fight for peace. “The safety and well-being of our global fa...
Ghost Unleash New Song “Twenties” Ahead of Upcoming Album Impera: Stream
Ghost have shared “Twenties,” the latest single from their forthcoming album, Impera, arriving March 11th. “Twenties” delivers a heavier and more propulsive sound than previous single “Call Me Little Sunshine.” It also boasts ominous lyrics that ring poignant given the “historical events unfolding on the world stage (however incidental),” as the press release put it. The opening stanza is chilling: “Listen up, hatchet man,” sings Papa Emeritus IV (aka Tobias Forge). “Send controls for the heart of the land / Kill ’em all / It is time / You’re the next in the chain of command.” The song drops a day before Ghost wrap up their co-headlining US tour with Volbeat. The final concert is tomorrow (March 3rd) in Anaheim, California, and concludes a thrilling run of shows that saw the live premiere ...
They Hate Change Announce New Album Finally, New, Share “From the Floor”: Stream
When I first wrote about Tampa Bay’s They Hate Change last year, I called them one of the most exciting acts to be featured in my column. Today the duo announced their Jagjaguwar debut album Finally, New, out May 13th, and unleashed a new single titled “From the Floor.” Spanning 13 tracks, Finally, New takes inspiration from East Coast hip-hop, Miami bass, and drum ‘n’ bass, as well as more unexpected influences like post-punk, prog, and krautrock. “With this album, it’s really like, okay, you know how you talk about the internet breaking down borders? Here’s what that actually sounds like,” explained They Hate Change member Vonne in a statement. “It’s not just a hip-hop record with a couple more weird sounds. You want homegrown DIY? This is a record that was written, produced, and recorde...
Marilyn Manson Sues Evan Rachel Wood for Defamation, Calls Abuse Allegations a “Malicious Falsehood”
Marilyn Manson has filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, claiming that her abuse allegations amount to a “malicious falsehood.” Within the suit, the rocker insists that Wood and her “romantic partner” Ashley Gore (aka Illma Gore) forged an FBI letter to make it seem like there was a federal investigation of Manson and that his “alleged victims” were in danger. The singer’s lawsuit comes just over a year after Wood named Manson as her abuser, setting off a series of further assault claims by several other women. In the weeks that followed, Manson was dropped from his record label, eliminated from movie roles, and lambasted by former collaborators like Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland. Per the lawsuit, which was obtained by Consequence...
Everything We Know About Red Velvet’s Feel My Rhythm (So Far)
It’s finally happening — after a long stretch without new music as a group, beloved K-pop queens Red Velvet are making their return. IRENE, SEULGI, WENDY, JOY, and YERI have been busy with solo projects and unit activities, but a new EP is on the horizon for the group. ReVeluvs everywhere can expect more innovative pop from the group, whose 2019 album The ReVe Festival: Finale broke records and spawned a No. 1 hit on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart with “Psycho.” Prior to release, Red Velvet will hold a special concert titled 2022 The ReVe Festival : Prologue in Seoul on March 19th and March 20th, with the second show live streaming globally via Beyond LIVE. Advertisement Related Video In the meantime, here’s everything we know about Feel My Rhythm… so far. The Release Date Fo...
LIONS AT THE GATE Feat. Former ILL NIÑO Members: Music Video For New Single ‘Bed Of Nails’ Available
LIONS AT THE GATE, the new band featuring former ILL NIÑO members Cristian Machado (vocals), Ahrue “Luster” Ilustre (guitar) and Diego Verduzco (guitar), alongside bassist Stephen Brewer (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) and drummer Fern Lemus, has released its latest single and music video, “Bed Of Nails”. The track strikes a fine balance between otherworldly vocals, relentless rhythm, and massively heavy riffs. Speaking about “Bed Of Nails”, Machado commented: “‘Bed Of Nails’ is a song that was brought in by Diego, a string of riffs that told a story. [Producer] Kile [Odellpushed the dynamics of the song into extremes by surrounding Diego‘s riffs with ghostly verses. Ahrue and Steve rounded off some of the parts and the bridge of the song. W...
Zero And Below – CROWBAR
RATING: 8/10 Time flies when things are heavy. CROWBAR have been a weighty musical force for an impressive 32 years now, and yet nothing about “Zero And Below” indicates that founder and talismanic frontman Kirk Windstein is anywhere close to running out of steam — or riffs. With classics like “Odd Fellows Rest” and “Time Heals Nothing” already guaranteeing his band a seat at heavy metal’s high table, Windstein would have been forgiven for treading water. But if “The Serpent Only Lies” (2016) and “Symmetry in Black” (2014) elevated the CROWBAR sound to new levels of crushing craftsmanship, their twelfth full-length goes even further, offering up some of the finest songs to bear the band’s name in many years. “The...
