Rock
The Story Behind Crowded House’s “Hey Now, Hey Now” Anthem “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” is one of the most memorable tunes of the ’80s, and the band’s Neil Finn explores that lasting legacy on the latest edition of The Story Behind the Song. Crowded House helped launch a new post-New Wave era in pop music in 1986, creating beautifully simple, earthy melodies driven by guitars rather than synths. Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Neil Finn founded the band after the demise of Split Enz (a Kiwi band out of New Zealand with several iconic songs of its own.) Over the years, the band has somewhat quietly sold over 15 million albums worldwide and continues to release new music; just earlier this year, the band rele...
Evanescence’s Amazing Cover of The Beatles’ ‘Across the Universe’ Finally Hits Streaming
Four years after Evanescence first covered The Beatles‘ “Across the Universe,” the rock band is bringing their version to streaming services for the first time ever Friday (Dec. 17). The Little Rock-based unit first performed “Across the Universe” in 2018 during its Synthesis World Tour. Then in spring 2021, Evanescence exclusively released a studio version of their cover on the deluxe box set for the band’s recent studio album The Bitter Truth, which went No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It was such a pleasure to cover this legendary song,” the rock band wrote on Twitter, adding that its version of “Across the Universe” can finally be found on all digital streaming providers. Amy Lee and co. del...
Eric Clapton Successfully Sues Woman for Selling a Bootleg Live CD for $11
Very rich and often delirious musician Eric Clapton has successfully sued a German woman for selling a single bootlegged recording of one of his concerts from the 1980s on eBay. As DW points out, Clapton sent a Düsseldorf court an affidavit stating that the recordings were illegal. The defendant claimed she didn’t know she was infringing copyright, selling a recording for €9.95, or the equivalent of about $11. Stating that her late husband had purchased the original CD at a department store in 1987, the defendant appealed to the court, which was rejected. The judge ruled that it did not matter that she hadn’t purchased the CD herself and did not know the recording was done illegally. Clapton’s injunction requires the defendant to pay the legal fees of both parties, which come out to about ...
Top 12 Live Shows of 2021
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with our Top Live Shows list. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. Not to be dramatic, but the absence of live music for the majority of 2020 was miserable. In the face of some serious global trauma, many of us were looking for a communal experience to lift us up. Yet, with each scary news headline came an even scarier thought: Would live music ever return? And when it did, would it be the same? Lucky for us concertgoers, the first major wave of COVID-19 vaccinations in early 2021 allowed for us to visualize a world in which concerts could return safely, and as summer rolled around, we emerged from the fray and experienced live music again. ...
Evanescence, Halestorm Postpone Cincinnati Date Due to COVID Cases: ‘Grateful We Are All Vaccinated’
Yet another tour has been interrupted by COVID-19 cases in their camps. “Our tour has been hit by COVID and we are forced to postpone our show tonight in Cincinnati,” Evanescence announced on Sunday morning (Dec. 12), just hours before they were set to co-headline the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati alongside tour mates Halestorm. “We were able to reschedule the show for Monday, Dec. 20th, so hold onto your tickets! Be on the lookout for an email with additional information. Please be safe out there! ” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a follow-up tweet, Evanescence added, “Even when you have every precaution in place, you can still get and transmit this virus. Grateful we are all vaccinated and nobody’s symptoms are severe. Please be smart...
Foo Fighters Cancel F1 Abu Dhabi Concert Over ‘Medical Circumstances’
Foo Fighters called off their concert at the Formula One race in Abu Dhabi due to “unforeseen medical circumstances,” event organizers said Sunday (Dec. 12). The organizers offered no further details about the medical issue, other than to say that Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters were “unable to travel” to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Sunday’s concert. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “The band apologizes for any inconvenience or disappointment caused by this unexpected turn of events,” the statement added. The band offered no immediate comment about the issue on social media. Billboard reached out to a representative for the band for comment. Emirati state-linked newspaper The National quoted concert promoter John Lickrish as saying that a member of the band was rushed to a hospi...
Billie Eilish Confirms Her Rock Star Status with SNL Performance of “Happier Than Ever”: Watch
In 2019, Dave Grohl famously proclaimed Billie Eilish as the future of rock ‘n’ roll. “The same thing is happening with her that happened with Nirvana in 1991,” Grohl said. “People say, ‘Is rock dead?’ When I look at someone like Billie Eilish, rock and roll is not close to dead!” While some may scoff at the comparison, one needs to look no further than Eilish’s Saturday Night Live performance of “Happier Than Ever” to see one of the more kick ass concert moments in recent memory. The title track to Eilish’s sophomore LP began as a hushed ballad sung from a love seat positioned on an on-set living room. However, as the song reached its crescendo, the 20-year-old singer assumed the role of rock ‘n’ roll frontwoman, leading her brother Finneas and drummer Andrew Marshall with the same unbrid...
Mike Nesmith’s 12 Best Songwriting Credits: The Monkees, Stone Poneys & Beyond
If you want someone to extol the late Mike Nesmith’s virtues as a songwriter, you don’t have to look much further than the man who’s been standing beside him onstage for many of the past five and a half decades. “Nes is a great songwriter, always has been,” says Monkees mate Micky Dolenz, who most recently toured with Nesmith as The Monkees Present the Mike & Micky Show and who earlier this year released the album Dolenz Sings Nesmith. “You’ve got to credit him; He was writing incredible stuff from the get-go. He was way before some of the other country electric rock entities. He was way ahead of them in that kind of sound. He was doing that stuff in the ’60s, and I don’t think he’s ever gotten as much credit as he should as a singer-songwriter.” Explore See latest videos, charts and n...
Faith No More Scraps 2022 Europe, Australasia Tours
Veteran alternative rock outfit Faith No More won’t be making the trip to the U.K., Europe and to the lands Down Under next year, as planned, due to “current challenges.” The Mike Patton-led outfit was booked for seven shows across Australia and New Zealand, kicking off Feb. 10, 2022 at Christchurch Arena, and wrapping Feb. 23 at Perth’s RAC Arena. The tour was then scheduled to roam around the U.K. and Europe for the northern summer, opening June 7 at Scotland’s Glasgow Academy and coming to a halt July 9 at NOS Alive in Lisbon, Portugal. Explore See latest videos, charts and news However, all shows have been canceled due to the pandemic. An update from the FNM camp reads, “Unfortunately, due to our current challenges, we aren’t going to be ready to perform for the upcoming Australian, Ne...
Elvis Costello & The Imposters Share New Single “Paint the Red Rose Blue”: Stream
Ahead of the release of their new album next month, Elvis Costello & The Imposters have shared another single. The latest track from the English power-pop icon is called “Paint the Red Rose Blue.” Take a listen below. According to Costello in a statement, “Paint the Red Rose Blue” is “the account of someone who has long-courted theatrical darkness, only for its violence and cruelty to become all too real. In its wake, a bereft couple learn to love again, painting a melancholy blue over the red of romance.” “Paint the Red Rose Blue” is the second preview of Costello’s upcoming LP, The Boy Named If, an album billed as being full of “urgent, immediate songs with bright melodies, guitar solos that sting, and a quick step to the rhythm.” Previously, we heard “Magnificent Hurt.” Ad...
Top 50 Albums of 2021
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with our Top 50 Albums list. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. We’re all friends here, so let’s be honest: Most playlists are boring. Corporation-curated playlists are boring, influencer playlists are boring, and the playlist you made for your high school crush became boring the moment you liked someone new. We use them at times — road tripping, studying, or working out — for a pleasant background vibe. But when it comes to prolonged active listening, only an album can demand your full attention. Advertisement That was especially true in 2021. Many workers returned to the office, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to teach us new let...
System of a Down’s Serj Tankian on His New NFT Exhibition, Film Scores, and Upcoming Projects
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Serj Tankian sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about his new art and music exhibition, Not for Touching: The Intangible Exhibition, which finds the System of a Down frontman animating his paintings, setting them to music, and presenting them in the NFT world. Advertisement Related Video The songwriter/activist takes us back to the moments that he began painting as a way to see his music come to life, how System of a Down’s albums Hypnotize and Mesmerize inspired his use of clocks in his work, and gives us the stories behind pieces based on Bowie and Jazz. Tankian also discusses his film score work, future exhibition ideas t...
