Alternative
Red Hot Chili Peppers Announce First Tour Since John Frusciante’s Return with Hilarious Video: Watch
Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced a 2022 world tour, their first trek since reuniting with guitarist John Frusciante in 2019. Frusciante returned to the RHCP fold after the band fired his replacement, Josh Klinghoffer, after 10 years and two albums. The classic lineup has since confirmed they’re working on their first record together since 2010’s Stadium Arcadium. The Frusciante-featuring RHCP were meant to play a number of festivals last year, but something got in the way of those plans. They did manage to squeeze in one show pre-pandemic: a small memorial concert honoring filmmaker Andrew Burkle. Drummer Chad Smith wasn’t present for that gig, however, and was replaced by Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins, which makes this upcoming trek the first time the reformed lineup wi...
Michael Stipe Says R.E.M. “Will Never Reunite”
In the decade since R.E.M.’s split in 2011, the alternative rockers have shown no intention of ever getting back together. Exactly 10 years to the day of their break-up, lead singer Michael Stipe dispelled any notions of a reunion during an appearance on WNYC’s All Of It. “That’s wishful thinking. We will never reunite,” Stipe plainly told host Alison Stewart after she brought up a Rolling Stone article that gave 30% odds to a R.E.M. reunion. “We decided when we split up that that would just be really tacky and probably money-grabbing, which might be the impetus for a lot of bands to get back together.” Hear Stipe’s full quote below at the 24:25 mark. Back in 2014, Stipe expressed a similar sentiment during an interview with CBS This Morning. “I love those guys very much and I respect...
Shirley Manson on The Jump, Beautiful Garbage, and The Importance of Weird
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Shirley Manson catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about season three of The Jump, the podcast that finds her speaking with some of her favorite artists about the songs that changed their careers. The Garbage lead singer discusses the art of songwriting and its current place in the pop landscape, the importance of being weird, and the opportunities to borrow from greatness. Advertisement Related Video Manson also dives into an interview she did with Alanis Morissette and their shared experience coming up in the ’90s, the power of Cat Power, and being a hero to so many people in the way that she sees Patti Smith. It’s also th...
St. Vincent Shares Soundtrack to New Mockumentary The Nowhere Inn: Stream
Today marks the long-awaited release of St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein’s mockumentary thriller The Nowhere Inn. As the film hits select theaters and video-on-demand services, so too has the St. Vinny’s Nowhere Inn soundtrack dropped on streaming platforms. Take a listen below. Previously previewed with the title track/theme, the Nowhere Inn OST is a mix of full songs (“Palm Desert,” “Waiting on a Wave”) and trippy score that matches the movie’s twisted, humorous vibes. While there are tracks called “Carrie Wave,” “Carrie Voicemail,” and “Carrie off Bus,” Brownstein herself doesn’t appear on the soundtrack. Check out St. Vincent’s full The Nowhere Inn soundtrack below via Apple Music and Spotify. Advertisement Related Video Coming co-written and co-starring ...
EP: Tems – If Orange was a Place
Nigerian vocal powerhouse, Tems has released her much anticipated project titled; ‘If Orange was a Place‘ featuring Brent Faiyaz. Through its five tracks, “If Orange Was a Place“ creates ample space for Tems’ distinctive voice to shine as she navigates through themes of finding inner peace and staying true to self. Tems (Temilade Openiyi) represents an alté sound driving a new wave of African R&B—one centred on mood, expression and originality, and one less concerned with trying to sound too familiar. “Growing up in Nigeria has created the rebel in me when it comes to my sound,” she explains, “and what motivates me to move every morning. All the encounters I have had brought out that rebel in me in different ways—the rebel that dares to do things her own way.” It is following...
Alanis Morissette Blasts HBO Documentary Jagged About Her Life
On Tuesday, September 14th, the new Alanis Morissette HBO documentary, Jagged, will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to the singer, however, it’s a misleading glance at her life. In a new statement, Morissette blasted Jagged and accused it of including “implications and facts that are simply not true.” “I was lulled into a false sense of security and their salacious agenda became apparent immediately upon my seeing the first cut of the film,” Morissette told Rolling Stone. “While there is beauty and some elements of accuracy in this/my story to be sure — I ultimately won’t be supporting someone else’s reductive take on a story much too nuanced for them to ever grasp or tell.” News first broke last Friday that Morissette had seen Jagged and disapproved of the d...
The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen on Death by Rock and Roll and Her Love of Soundgarden
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Taylor Momsen sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about The Pretty Reckless’ new album, Death by Rock and Roll, a record born from loss but filled with a ferocious confidence. Advertisement Related Video The former actress-turned-rock artist discusses writing from a depth of honesty and reflecting the social movements happening around us while still keeping songs fun and full of imagination. Momsen also remarks on the guests that found their way onto the record, including Tom Morello and Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron. She also recounts the moment she went all in on being a musician in the song “Rock and Roll Heave...
1996: The Year the Alternative Bubble Burst
If the first half of the ‘90s were alt-rock’s boom years — when formerly unknown bands were turning into multi-platinum sensations every few months — then 1996 marked the beginning of its flop era. Weezer’s Pinkerton, though now remembered as a career-defining classic, sold so poorly compared to the band’s triple-platinum 1994 debut that Rivers Cuomo wouldn’t regain the confidence to release another album for nearly five years. Other acts like Bush, Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Sheryl Crow, the Presidents of the United States, Better Than Ezra and Sponge all released their second albums in 1996. And while some still sold respectably, each registered less than half of what their debut sold, according to SoundScan. But it wasn’t just younger bands hitting the dreaded “sophomore slump.” Esta...
My Morning Jacket Return Rock to Forest Hills Stadium: Concert Review
In August of 2019, My Morning Jacket performed at Queen’s Forest Hills Stadium, part of a special four-show stretch after a nearly two-year hiatus. The gigs were also billed as their last for a potentially longer period (and that was even without the unexpected virus that shelved all live music for over a year). Thankfully, the threat of another break — or full-on retirement — was staved off by the shows themselves, inspiring the band to get back in the studio and continue on. Two years and one month later, MMJ returned to Forest Hills on Friday, September 10th for the first concert of a two-night stint. A new self-titled record — their first freshly recorded material in six years — is on the horizon; pandemic lockdowns are in the rearview (for now); and the Jacket’s brand of jammy, psyche...
Iggy Pop and Matt Sweeney Cover “European Son” for The Velvet Underground Tribute Album: Stream
Iggy Pop and Matt Sweeney have released their new cover of The Velvet Underground and Nico’s “European Son.” The collaboration between the 74-year-old rock star and his frequent collaborator appears on the tracklist for the upcoming tribute album I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico. “You killed your European son/ You spit on those under twenty-one/ You better say so long/ Hey, hey, bye, bye, bye/ You made your wallpapers green/ You want to make love to the scene/ Your European son is gone/ You’d better say so long,” Iggy intones over Sweeney’s cacophonous guitar line. In a statement about the track, Sweeney said, “The Velvet Underground were rock and roll’s finest band. Iggy Pop remains rock and roll’s greatest singer. I am thrilled and humbled that the joyo...
Travis Barker Says He “Never Even Considered Flying Again” Until Dating Kourtney Kardashian
In August, Travis Barker took a brave step by boarding his first flight since the deadly 2008 plane crash that left him severely burned. In a new interview with Nylon, the Blink-182 drummer opened up about the experience and credited his relationship with Kourtney Kardashian for giving him the courage to fly again. “It’s still something very new to me, but having something that gives me the strength and hope to be able to overcome things that were so traumatic in my life, it just says a ton,” Barker said. “She’s definitely that for me. I’m invincible when I’m with her. It’s like I never dreamed, I never even considered flying again.” Barker explained that his recent trip to Cabo with Kardashian was part of a pact he made with her. “I made a deal with her that she had just said to me, ...
Aly & AJ Share the Origins of A Touch of the Beat… Deluxe Track “Get Over Here”: Exclusive
Our new music feature Origins gives artists the chance to offer insights into the creative process behind their latest release. Today, Aly & AJ talk about the inspiration behind “Get Over Here,” the first deluxe track from their 2021 album a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun. It’s been four months since Aly & AJ hit the bullseye (baby!) with their fourth studio album, a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun. As the band’s first full-length studio effort in almost a decade and a half, the 12-track collection found the eponymous sister act shrugging off the pulsating electro-pop that had inspired a pair of prior EPs (2017’s Ten Years and 2019’s Sanctuary) and string of recent singles in favor of a mor...
