Classic Rock
Nandi Bushell Honors Neil Peart with Masterful Drum Cover of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”: Watch
Nandi Bushell continues to amaze us. After conquering Tool’s complex “Forty Six & 2” in December, the 11-year-old prodigy is back with a commanding drum cover of the Rush classic “Tom Sawyer.” Not too many seasoned drummers would dare attempt to match the virtuoso drumming of the late Neil Peart, but the young Nandi once again proves why she is a musical force of nature. With a smile on her face, Nandi doesn’t miss a beat as she plays along to the iconic prog-rock song. “This one is for you Professor Peart,” wrote Nandi in the YouTube description. “I wanted to try a Rush song that would really challenge me. I watched an interview where the Professor said Tom Sawyer ‘remains so difficult to play.’ So I thought I would give it a try. It’s actually really fun to play. I really hope I have...
Guns N’ Roses’ 10 Best Songs
Despite being overtly influenced — both musically and visually — by heavyweights like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Hanoi Rocks, and Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses have always had a sound all their own. As with many seminal genre acts, the key to their success is the distinctive dynamic between their vocalist (Axl Rose) and guitarist (Slash); that said, many other members — namely, drummers Steven Adler and Matt Sorum; bassist Duff McKagan, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed — played important parts, too. Together, they became arguably the biggest hard rock band of their generation. Guns N’ Roses debut album, Appetite for Destruction, launched their career in a colossal way in 1987. Thirty-five years later, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. The band would foll...
David Crosby and Stephen Stills Join Neil Young and Graham Nash in Pulling Music from Spotify
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young haven’t always liked each other, but the songwriters of CSNY seem to have set that aside because they dislike Spotify even more. After Young pulled his music from the streaming giant last week over concerns about COVID-19 misinformation on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Nash followed suit, and now Crosby, Stills, and Nash have shared a joint statement announcing that they plan to remove their music. “We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast,” the statement reads. “While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must ...
Graham Nash Pulls Music from Spotify: “I Completely Agree with and Support My Friend Neil”
Graham Nash has joined his longtime friend and bandmate, Neil Young, in pulling his music from Spotify. “Having heard the Covid disinformation spread by Joe Rogan on Spotify, I completely agree with and support my friend Neil Young and I am requesting that my solo recordings be removed from the service,” Nash said in a statement released on Tuesday. “There is a difference between being open to varying viewpoints on a matter and knowingly spreading false information which some 270 medical professionals have derided as not only false but dangerous,” Nash continued. “Likewise, there is a difference between misinformation, in which one is unaware that what is being said is false, versus disinformation which is knowingly false and intended to mislead and sway public opinion.” Advertisement Rela...
Neil Young’s Partnership to Offer Free Amazon Music Shows Limits of Spotify Stand
Neil Young followed up his withdraw from Spotify last week by entering what appears to be a partnership with Amazon Music, offering his fans a free four-month trial and demonstrating the narrow scope of his activist stand. The legendary songwriter had given the Big Green Circle an ultimatum — stop platforming Joe Rogan’s COVID-19 misinformation, or he’d take his business elsewhere. Spotify chose Rogan; no surprise, considering they had reportedly invested more than $100 million to make his podcast Spotify exclusive. But the decision sparked a chain reaction that saw #CancelSpotify trend on Twitter, as other icons such as Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren of Crazy Horse and the E Street Band pulled their own music in solidarity with Young. Spotify lost $4 billion in market value in l...
Biopic About The Who’s Keith Moon Set to Shoot This Summer
A biopic about The Who drummer Keith Moon is set to shoot this summer. The long-gestating project is tentatively titled The Real Me, after the Quadrophenia song. The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are on board as executive producers for the film, which focuses on the turbulent life of the band’s late drummer. According to Variety, Paul Whittington (The Crown, White House Farm) is set to direct, with a script by British screenwriter Jeff Pope. Los Angeles-based White Horse Pictures is handling the production, having previously helmed music films such as George Harrison: Living in the Material World and Ron Howard’s Beatles documentary Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years. Related Video The casting process is currently underway, with shooting set to begin this summer. It’s still unde...
Nils Lofgren (Crazy Horse, E Street Band) Removes Music from Spotify
Nils Lofgren, a member of Neil Young & Crazy Horse and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, is the third high-profile artist to pull his music from Spotify in protest of the platform’s spread of COVID disinformation. “A few days ago, my wife Amy and I became aware of Neil and Daryl [Hannah] standing with hundreds of health care professionals, scientists, doctors and nurses in calling out Spotify for promoting lies and misinformation that are hurting and killing people,” Lofgren wrote in a statement posted to the Neil Young Archives. “When these heroic women and men, who’ve spent their lives healing and saving ours, cry out for help you don’t turn your back on them for money and power. You listen and stand with them.” “As I write this letter, we’ve now gotten the last 27 years of my music...
Joni Mitchell Removes Music from Spotify: “I Stand in Solidarity with Neil Young”
Joni Mitchell has followed Neil Young’s lead and removed her music from Spotify. “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify,” Mitchell said in a brief note posted to her website on Friday. “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.” On Wednesday, at Young’s request, Spotify removed his music from its catalog. Days earlier, the singer-songwriter issued an open letter to his management and record label demanding that his music be taken down from Spotify due to the streaming service’s spread of “fake information about vaccines.” Young specifically took issue with Spotify’s promotion of the Joe Rogan Experience, which has become a breeding ground for ...
#CancelSpotify Trends on Twitter Following Neil Young Spat
Spotify’s decision to remove Neil Young’s catalog from the platform in order to keep peddling COVID misinformation via podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience has sparked quite a lot of online discourse about free speech, streaming, and the best way to support artists. The hashtag “#CancelSpotify” trended among Young fans on Twitter Thursday evening (January 27th), and other artists and streaming platforms joined the conversation as well. Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, and Qobuz made sure to remind fans that they still offered Young’s music, while SiriusXM relaunched Neil Young Radio. “When you have an opportunity to present an iconic artist still at the height of his creativity, you don’t hesitate to do it, again,” Steve Blatter, SiriusXM senior vice president and general manager of musi...
Spotify Sides with Joe Rogan Over Neil Young, Removes His Music
Spotify has begun the process of removing Neil Young’s music from its catalog. The move was done at the singer-songwriter’s request, who cited his disgust over the proliferation of “fake information about vaccines” on the streaming platform. Young specifically took issue with Spotify’s promotion of the Joe Rogan Experience, which has become a breeding ground for false COVID information. “I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young wrote in an open letter sent to his management and record label on Monday. In a statement acknowledging Young’s request, a Spotify representative said, “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom...
Elton John Postpones Concerts After Testing Positive for COVID-19
The Rocketman is going to cool his jets for a while. As Sir Elton John revealed in his Instagram stories, he’s tested positive for COVID-19, and has been forced to postpone two upcoming shows on his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour.” “I have contracted COVID and so have had to reschedule my shows in Dallas,” he wrote. “Fortunately, I’m fully vaccinated and boosted and my symptoms are mild so I’m fully expecting to be able to make the Arkansas shows this weekend. As always, thank you for all your love and support and I can’t wait to see you all soon!” Those with tickets to the two Dallas shows will be contacted soon with new dates. Check out his full statement below. Advertisement Related Video John returned to the stage earlier this month with a show at New Orleans’ Smoothi...
Jack Black Pays Homage to Meat Loaf: “Thank You for Rocking So Hard”
Jack Black has paid his respects to the late Meat Loaf, thanking the legendary singer for “rocking so hard.” It’s not hard to see how Black was inspired by Meat Loaf, considering the comedic actor’s theatrical and bombastic approach to rock music as part of the duo Tenacious D. In his tribute, Black cited the impact Meat Loaf made on him at a young age, and expressed gratitude to the rock icon for appearing in the movie Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. “I think I was 9 years old when my big sister took me to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” wrote Black on Instagram. “Meat Loaf rocked the hell out of that movie. 25 years later I begged him to play my father in my band’s movie The Pick of Destiny and by god he rocked the hell out of that one too. Thank you Meat for rocking so hard!!! M...
