Grunge
The Opus Celebrates Pearl Jam’s Ten in New Season
Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus podcast is getting back into its even flow as we dive deep into the oceans of legacy surrounding Pearl Jam’s iconic debut, Ten. Premiering on August 12th, Season 16 of The Opus will see host Jill Hopkins celebrating the 30th anniversary of the landmark alternative rock release. The record not only established the new sounds coming out of Seattle as a mainstream force, it launched the career of one of the biggest bands in the world. Pearl Jam were the result of the unlikeliest of circumstances, revolving around the death of Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood, the influence of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Jack Irons, and Chris Cornell’s lack of ego. What was birthed out of a tribute album would go on to become one of the most influential Ame...
Kurt Cobain’s Childhood Home Being Restored for Private Tours
Nirvana fans may soon be able to live out their dreams and visit Kurt Cobain’s Aberdeen, Washington childhood home in its original form. After being added to Heritage Register last week, the house’s current owner is continuing restoration plans with the goal of opening it to private tours next spring. Cobain lived in the one-and-a-half-story house from 1968 to 1984. The home’s current owner, Lee Bacon, and his wife Danielle bought it for $225,000 from the Cobain family in 2018. Bacon told Rolling Stone that plans to restore the house are “90 to 95 percent” complete. This will include repainting the exterior to match the “light-colored fern” and “dark-colored mint” colors it had in the ’70s. Meanwhile, the interior includes the Cobain family’s original dining room table and china hutch, the...
Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell Announces New Solo Album, Brighten, Unveils “Atone”: Stream
Alice in Chains singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell has announced his first solo album in 19 years. The legendary rocker will release Brighten on October 29th, and he’s shared shared the first single, “Atone,” as a preview Cantrell premiered the heavy new track via Rolling Stone, describing the song as follows: “As a fan of Ennio Morricone scores and Sergio Leone movies, it’s got a bit of that outlaw vibe, with a cool psycho hillbilly stomp. It’s been kicking around in my head for like 20-plus years, haunting me. Sometimes it takes a while for a good idea to find its best form. Such was the case with ‘Atone.’” The new album features an impressive cast of backing musicians, including Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Gil Sharone (Team Sleep), Abe Laboriel J...
Lily Cornell Talks Mental Health with Mom Susan Silver to Mark the Late Chris Cornell’s 57th Birthday
Lily Cornell Silver, the eldest daughter of Chris Cornell, welcomed her mother, Susan Silver, on her IGTV series Mind Wide Open on Tuesday (July 20th), which would’ve been the late Soundgarden singer’s 57th birthday. The conversation also marks the last episode in a series that launched a year ago today. Throughout the past year, Lily has interviewed such guests as Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, Heart’s Ann Wilson, The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen, Jack Osbourne, and more. For the series finale, Lily chatted with her mom, Susan, who was not only Chris Cornell’s first wife, but also the manager of Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, and Alice in Chains (whom she still co-manages). Advertisement Related Video At one point, Susan spoke of her decision to have a child with ...
Fender Announces Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang Guitar to Mark 30th Anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind
Fender is reviving its signature Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang electric guitar to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s seminal album Nevermind. The guitar was originally designed by Cobain for Fender in 1993. It combined the late grunge legend’s favorite aspects of his two go-to instruments: the Jaguar and the Mustang. Per Cobain’s specs, the Jag-Stang features an alder body, 24” short scale length, 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard, and vintage-style single-coil and custom humbucking pickups. It will be produced in both sonic blue and fiesta red colors, and left-handed and right-handed models will be available. The guitar’s expected release is October 2021 with a suggested retail price of $1,249.99, and it’s available for pre-order via Reverb. Related Video The Jag-Stang was originally i...
Dave Grohl Reveals He Was Ripping Off “Old Disco” Drumming on Nirvana’s Nevermind
Dave Grohl revealed that he ripped off “old disco” and R&B/funk drumming for his parts on the iconic Nirvana album Nevermind. In a clip from his Paramount+ series From Cradle to Stage, Grohl talked with Pharrell Williams about the inspiration for the drum beats on Nevermind. Grohl first insisted that he’s “the most basic f**king drummer,” earning a raised eyebrow from Pharrell. The Foo Fighters frontman followed up by citing the unlikely source for the drumming that can be heard on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other tracks. Related Video “If you listen to Nevermind, the Nirvana record, I pulled so much stuff from The Gap Band and Cameo and [Chic’s] Tony Thompson on every one of those songs … all that [slaps his legs] … that’s old disco!” Grohl said. Then clips of “Smells Like Tee...
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Surpasses 1 Billion Spotify Streams
NIrvana’s game-changing single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, a rare feat for a heavy rock song. The achievement comes just a few months before the band’s landmark 1991 album Nevermind celebrates its 30th anniversary. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” changed the face of rock music as the first single released from Nevermind. The song and its iconic music video helped open the floodgates for grunge and alternative rock at a time when hair metal and pop ruled the MTV and radio airwaves. The song joins Linkin Park’s “In the End” among the more than 150 tracks that make up Spotify’s “Billions Club”, most of which are of the modern pop and hip-hop variety. A few songs from Queen (“Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Don’t Stop Me Now”) are als...
The Pretty Reckless Join Forces with Soundgarden Members in “Only Love Can Save Me Now” Video: Watch
The Pretty Reckless have unveiled a video for “Only Love Can Save Me Now” featuring Soundgarden members Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron. The song appears on TPR’s new album, Death by Rock and Roll, which arrived earlier this year. Thayil and Cameron guest on the studio version of the track, and reprise their roles in the music video. The clip shows Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen rising out of the ocean in a soaking wet white dress as she sings the hard-rocking tune. The Soundgarden members certainly put their stamp on the track, with Cameron (also a member of Pearl Jam) pounding away at his drum kit while providing backing vocals. Thayil, meanwhile, delivers a blistering 45-second guitar solo at the three-minute mark. The Pretty Reckless opened for Soundgarden in Detroit on the same nigh...
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...
