Grunge
Smashing Pumpkins Announce Gish-Era Live Archival Release
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-31T01:25:59+00:00“>May 30, 2021 | 9:25pm ET Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Gish, Smashing Pumpkins have announced their first-ever archival release. It comes in the form of a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the band’s 1992 concert in Kawasaki, Japan. An autographed 180-gram purple swirl double vinyl is available exclusively through Billy Corgan’s Madame Zuzu’s webstore. The audio is sourced from the soundboard and “is not available anywhere else.” The 11-song tracklist includes material from Gish, the 1991 EP Lull, and the follow-up LP, 1993’s Siamese Dream. Meanwhile, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Billy Corgan offered an update on Pumpkins’ in-the-works seque...
FBI Makes Previously Classified Kurt Cobain File Public
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T17:51:10+00:00“>May 7, 2021 | 1:51pm ET Twenty-seven years after Kurt Cobain‘s death, the FBI has just publicized a previously classified file on the late Nirvana frontman. The crux of the file revolves around two letters that ask the agency to investigate whether the iconic singer was murdered, as well as a fax that was sent to the production company behind Unsolved Mysteries. Cobain’s official cause of death is suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 5th, 1994. However, over the years there have been a ton of conspiracy theories, many suggesting that the grunge legend was murdered. As seen in the actual FBI file, the names of the senders have been redacted, but on...
Wu-Lu Quietly Rages on Simmering New Song “Times”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T21:54:39+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 5:54pm ET South London multi-instrumentalist and producer Wu-Lu, aka Miles Romans-Hopcraft, has unveiled a simmering new song titled “Times”. Wu-Lu self-produced the track, which features drumming by Morgan Simpson of black midi. It quietly rages beneath the surface like turn-of-the-century alternative rock, but never reaches the thrashing crescendo of his previous single, “South”. As he explained in a press statement, the song is about self-discovery and coming of age in these turbulent times. He said, “It’s of understanding that with time comes wisdom. Living life teaches us everything we can to bounce back, we are made of more than...
Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light Remains a Late-Career Statement 10 Years Later
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-12T15:15:35+00:00“>April 12, 2021 | 11:15am ET Editor’s Note: On April 12th, 2011, Foo Fighters put out their seventh album, Wasting Light. At the time, Dave Grohl saw it as a chance for the band to get back to the project’s humble garage roots. Now, a full decade later, Grant Sharples examines just how successful the band were in achieving Grohl’s aim and what the record ultimately meant for the veteran band and their fans. Starting with 2005’s In Your Honor, alt-rock icons Foo Fighters have adhered to certain underlying concepts for their records. These aren’t narrative concepts but musical ideas by which Dave Grohl and co. creatively orient themselves. On their fifth reco...
Alice in Chains’ William DuVall Releasing Album from His 1980s Punk Band Neon Christ
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T15:27:39+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:27am ET Alice in Chains singer William DuVall is releasing an archival album by his 1980s hardcore punk band Neon Christ. The compilation, titled 1984, will be out on Record Store Day (June 12th) via Southern Lord and DVL Recordings. A teenage DuVall played guitar in the blistering Atlanta quartet, which was rounded out by drummer Jimmy Demer, bassist Danny Lankford, and vocalist Randy DuTeau. The band would launch DuVall’s impressive career, with the guitarist later joining California punks Bl’ast after Neon Christ’s breakup in 1986. Neon Christ’s brand of aggressive hardcore featured elements of heavy metal guitar from DuVall, leading to th...
Vicky Cornell, Her Lawyer, and Band’s Ex-Manager Hit Back at Soundgarden Members in Latest Legal Spat
Vicky Cornell, her lawyer, and a former band manager have all hit back at the remaining members of Soundgarden following the filing of legal papers earlier this week demanding Vicky relinquish the band’s social media and website passwords. The surviving band members claim that Vicky has let Soundgarden’s social media pages fall into disrepair. They said they’ve been locked out of the various social media accounts ever since go-between company Patriot Management gave Vicky the passwords in late 2019. It’s the latest in a long-running legal dispute between the Chris Cornell estate and Soundgarden. In a statement posted on the official Chris Cornell Instagram Stories, former manager Ron Lafitte’s appeared to side with Vicky Cornell’s camp: “During my six years working with Chris Cornell and S...
Soundgarden Accuse Vicky Cornell of Locking Band Out of Social Media Accounts, Website
The legal drama between Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell has grown thicker. The grunge legends have now filed legal papers demanding Cornell relinquish the band’s social media passwords. It’s only the latest incident in an ongoing feud between Soundgarden and the widow of late singer Chris Cornell. The band recently accused Vicky of hijacking its legacy and social profiles following her latest lawsuit against Soundgarden over a buyout offer. On March 25th, surviving Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd, and their business manager Rit Venerus filed papers in Washington state U.S. District Court accusing Vicky Cornell of locking them out of their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube, Snapchat, Tumblr, Top Spin and Pinterest accounts, as well as Soundgarden’s offici...
YouTuber Turns Pearl Jam’s “Black” into a Type O Negative Song: Stream
Eddie Vedder, photo by Lior Phillips / Denis Pauna, via YouTube / Peter Steele in Symphony for the Devil The YouTuber who brought us Depeche Motörhead is back with a new cover, this time turning Pearl Jam’s “Black” into a Type O Negative song. The brooding grunge ballad works nicely in the vein of the gothic metal legends. The talented Denis Pauna stretches the song out to over nine minutes — as Type O were wont to do. The chords are slowed down and drawn out for maximum heaviness. He also delivers a spot-on Peter Steele impersonation, channeling the late singer’s baritone voice and vampiric dialect while looking somewhat like a cross between the late Steele and a flannel-clad Eddie Vedder. Type O Negative are one of Pauna’s go-to acts when reinterpreting classic songs. He has already give...
Stone Temple Pilots’ Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop Remains a Prized Relic of the Grunge Era
In the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, titular protagonist and lay philosopher Wayne Campbell tells his best friend and hockey partner, Garth Algar, “Led Zeppelin didn’t write tunes that everyone liked. They left that to the Bee Gees.” Apply that sage wisdom to the hard rock landscape of the mid-1990s, and you can make a convincing case for Stone Temple Pilots being their generation’s Led Zeppelin while the Bee Gees in this case were, well, any of the myriad contemporary grunge titans that critics accused STP of mimicking. Just as critics learned to worship Jimmy Page’s monolithic riffing and Robert Plant’s banshee wail, they slowly came around to Stone Temple Pilots’ effortless pop savvy and staggering musicality on their third album, Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, which turns 2...
Melvins Celebrate 1983 Lineup on Noisy Riff Fest Working with God: Review
The Lowdown: At this point in their lengthy career, the Melvins are out to entertain themselves as much as their audience. This has included fruitful solo projects from founding members Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover, as well as alternate versions of the band itself such as Melvins Lite and Melvins 1983 — the latter being a modern take on an early Melvins lineup. The “Melvins 1983” lineup is featured on the new album Working with God, with Osborne on vocals and guitar, Crover on bass, and original drummer Mike Dillard back in the fold. The LP is the trio’s second album in this format, and like the first, it sees the Melvins reveling in copious riffage and lowbrow humor. After all, they were teenagers when they formed the band. The Good: Technically, the band’s 1983 lineup includ...
Vicky Cornell Is Suing Soundgarden Over a Buyout Offer
The ongoing legal disputes between Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, the widow of the late Chris Cornell, have managed to get even messier. Vicky is now suing Soundgarden over a buyout price for Chris’ share of the band. Vicky claims that the surviving members of the band offered her just $300,000 for Chris’ stake, according to documents obtained by TMZ. Essentially, Vicky feels she is being lowballed by Soundgarden, suggesting that they were offered $16 million from an outside investor for the masters — equating to $4 million for each member of the quartet. Vicky’s latest suit asks a judge to value Soundgarden’s assets. A representative on behalf of Soundgarden responded to TMZ regarding the suit: “As requested by the Estate of Chris Cornell and as required by the laws of the State of W...
Melvins Unveil New Song “Caddy Daddy’: Stream
The Melvins have shared the riff-filled “Caddy Daddy” from their upcoming album Working with God, out February 26th. The album sees the re-formation of the band’s 1983 lineup featuring Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover, and original drummer Mike Dillard. Given the young ages of the band members when they formed the Melvins, some teenage sense of humor in the new track is inevitable. These aren’t archival recordings, but new music from the 1983 lineup, in the vein of their previous full-length album, 2013’s Tres Cabrones. Like lead single “I F**k Around”, which crudely debauches The Beach Boys’ “I Get Around”, the new single, “Caddy Daddy”, boasts a similar irreverence both lyrically and musically. If it’s any indication of what to expect from the rest of Working with God, fans can look forward to ...
