Rock
Top 50 Songs of 2021
The 2021 edition of our Annual Report continues with our Top 50 Songs of 2021 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. While 2020 felt like the year that didn’t happen, 2021 has felt like the year that just… kinda did. As the calendar pages flipped by, we cautiously began searching for a semblance of a familiar life, culminating in a summer-fall explosion as festivals returned and venues reopened. But for so many reasons, we were always looking over our shoulders, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even as the world proved ever stubborn, we were desperate to put the worst behind us. The term “post-pandemic” entered the lexicon, a fallacy we were all fully aware of as we ...
Dave Grohl Covers KISS and Drinks Slurpees with Greg Kurstin on Night Eight of Hanukkah: Watch
Tonight is the final night of Hanukkah, and so too is Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin’s covers song series celebrating the Festival of Lights. To close things out, they’ve shared a seriously fun cover of KISS’s “Rock and Roll All Nite,” and a goofy music video to boot. Grohl introduced the cover, writing, “Ladies and gentlemen….we made it. Night 8! And what better way to celebrate another year of Hanukkah Sessions than Chaim Witz and Stanley Eisen….two young lads from Queens that set the world (and thousands of stages) on FIRE as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS!!!” “Greg and I would like to thank all of the people that helped ramp up the Hanukkah Sessions this year. It’s gonna be tough to beat! (But we will. Oh, we will…..) We hope that this year’s batch of hits has brought a little joy ...
Dave Grohl Covers The Clash’s “Train in Vain” with Greg Kurstin on Night Seven of Hanukkah: Watch
Dave Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin have spent the past six nights celebrating Hanukkah by covering beloved songs made famous by Jewish artists. For the seventh night of the Festival of Lights, the Foo Fighters frontman and his longtime collaborator performed The Clash classic, “Train in Vain.” “Michael Geoffrey Jones, born to Russian Jewish mother Renee Zagansky, would come to be known as punk rock legend Mick Jones, co-founder of The Clash. It’s London Calling Jerusalem as we take a ‘Train In Vain,’” the duo write to introduce their latest cover. Watch the video below. The third and final song on The Clash’s London Calling, “Train in Vain” notably features Jones on lead vocals, with frontman Joe Strummer accompanying him on piano. Advertisement Related Video Previously, Grohl and ...
The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Le Tigre Reunion Headline New Festival This Ain’t No Picnic
The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and a Le Tigre reunion headline a stacked lineup at the inaugural This Ain’t No Picnic Festival. It goes down August 27th and 28th in Pasadena, California at Brookside at the Rose Bowl. This Ain’t No Picnic is the latest venture from Goldenvoice, the AEG subsidiary that puts on Coachella, Day N Vegas, Just Like Heaven, and more. It’s named after a festival they put on in 1999, which was headlined by Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, and Guided by Voices. If this year’s topliners weren’t enough indication that there’s some serious money behind This Ain’t No Picnic, then feast your eyes on the rest of the lineup: Phoebe Bridgers, Beach House, Jorja Smith, Kaytranada, IDLES, Four Tet + Floating Points, Honey Dijon, Wet Leg, Genesis Owusu, Courtney Barnett, D...
Dave Grohl Covers Billy Joel’s “Big Shot” for Night Six of The Hanukkah Sessions: Stream
Dave Grohl dropped his cover of Billy Joel’s “Big Shot” on Friday to celebrate the sixth night of his annual Hanukkah Sessions series. Grohl set up in front of his drum kit next to the now-familiar wall of silver tinsel. Producer Greg Kurstin handled Joel’s thumping piano parts, and the pair only paused for a festive kazoo interlude. Stream “Big Shot” below. So far this Hanukkah season, the Foo Fighters frontman and Kurstin have also unveiled their take on Lisa Loeb’s classic ’90s-era anthem “Stay (I Missed You),” “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones, Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana,” Van Halen’s “Jump,” and Amy Winehouse’s “Take the Box” with some help from Grohl’s daughter Violet. Advertisement Related Video The rocker is also in the midst of prepping for his upcoming 2022 tour with the Foo Fight...
Song of the Week: Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Honor “Diamond Dreidel DLR” with a Hannukah Cover of Van Halen’s “Jump”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin continue their Hanukkah covers celebration. Hanukkah is in full swing, and Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are keen on celebrating: each night of Hanukkah, the Foo Fighters frontman and super producer are uploading a new cover of a song by a prolific Jewish artist. For Night Four of the holiday, Kurstin and Grohl treated fans to a cover of Van Halen’s “Jump,” citing David Lee Roth as “quite possibly the loudest and proudest of hard rocking Jews.” (“He became a rockstar the day he became a man: Diamond Dreid...
Mad Cool Festival Completes Bonkers 2022 Lineup with Addition of Jack White
Mad Cool Festival’s 2022 lineup was already absolutely stacked even before last month’s additions of Florence and the Machine, Queens of the Stone Age, HAIM, and Flume. Now, the Madrid festival has added another major headliner to the bill: Jack White. White is set to close out the final night of Mad Cool Festival on Sunday, July 10th. He joins a stable of big-name headliners that include Metallica, The Killers, Muse, the aforementioned Florence and the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon, Imagine Dragons, Faith No More, Twenty One Pilots, and Placebo. To complete the 2022 lineup, Mad Cool has also added Stormzy, Modest Mouse, Two Door Cinema Club, Mura Masa, Local Natives, and London Grammar. Advertisement Related Video The rest of the poster features names like Pixies, Def...
Tours On Sale This Week: Foo Fighters, Adele, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and More
The holiday season is here, the supply chain is stuttering, and electronic gifts — like tickets — have never been more attractive. Those looking for a unique stocking stuffer are in luck this week, as some of the biggest names in music hope to find a place under your tree. Foo Fighters are embarking on a series of North American dates including massive stadium shows, while Adele will take to Vegas for a 12-week residency. You can also catch Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on the road for an international tour marking their first in 12 years. Meanwhile, Chicago and Brian Wilson are teaming up for a co-headlining US trek and Jazmine Sullivan is celebrating her breakout project Heaux Tales with a 25-city jaunt across North America. Read more below. Foo Fighters: Get Tickets via ...
Dave Grohl Covers Van Halen’s “Jump” with Greg Kurstin on Night Four of Hanukkah: Watch
David Eric Grohl is paying tribute to David Lee Roth on night four of Hanukkah. As the Foo Fighters frontman and producer Greg Kurston continue their Hanukkah covers song series, today they’re jumping into the wonderful world of Van Halen. “Quite possibly the loudest and proudest of hard rocking Jews, @DavidLeeRoth has gone on record crediting his Bar Mitzvah preparation as his earliest vocal training,” write Grohl and Kurtin. “He became a rockstar the day he became a man: Diamond Dreidel DLR and @VanHalen …with ‘Jump.’” Foo Fighters have covered Van Halen’s “Jump” live on many occasions over the years, but today’s release boasts Kurstin on synth and Grohl on drums and vocals. The accompanying video mixes performance footage with scenes of the two men jumping, crawling, and hamming i...
Eddie Vedder Announces 2022 Tour with New Band The Earthlings
Eddie Vedder has mapped out a 2022 US tour in support of his new solo album, Earthling, and he’s put together an all-star backing band to join him on the road. As first debuted at Vedder’s Ohana Fest earlier this fall, The Earthlings features drummer Chad Smith (of Red Hot Chili Peppers), guitarist/keyboardist Josh Klinghoffer (of Pearl Jam), bassist Chris Chaney (of Jane’s Addiction), guitarist/vocalist Glen Hansard (of The Swell Season), and producer/guitarist Andrew Watt. Hansard will pull double duty on the tour, as he’ll also open each show. Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan Program. In order to be eligible to purchase tickets, fans can register now through Sunday, December 5th at 5:00 p.m. PT. Only fans who register will have the chance to purchase tickets for...
Dave Grohl Goes Full Lounge Singer with Cover of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”
And on the third night of Hanukkah, Dave Grohl donned a smoking jacket and offered up his best Barry Manilow impersonation. Yes, for the latest installment in their ongoing covers song series, Grohl and Greg Kurstin gave a nod to “mega-mensch” Manilow with a loungy rendition of “Copacabana.” “Barry Pincus – not only one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th (or any) century, but a mega-mensch to boot!” wrote Grohl and Kurstin to introduce their cover. “So, like a good neighbor, you deserve a break today. So grab a bucket of chicken and let’s get stuck on…. @barrymanilow’s “Copacabana”! In the accompanying video, Grohl pulls double duty (and sports two different smoking jackets) as he both sings and sits behind the kit. Super producer Kurtstin, meanwhile, plays keyboard and bongos. Watch ...
Japan’s BAND-MAID Talk Connecting With Fans Around the World During COVID & Their New Single ‘Sense’
BAND-MAID released their new single “Sense” on Oct. 27. BAND-MAID, formed in 2013, is a maid-themed hard rock band. Their aggressive sound, a stark contrast to the band’s look, has endeared them to rock and metal fans in Japan and overseas, and their February concert (which they call an “OKYU-JI”) was watched by people in 67 different countries, a new record for the band. Explore Explore BAND-MAID See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In an interview with Billboard Japan, Hideyuki Mori talked with Miku Kobato (guitar/vocals) and Saiki (vocals). The COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on many of the band’s activities, but Miku and Saiki shared their feelings about their “Masters and Princesses” (what the band calls their fans) in Japan and abroad. We also ta...
