Rock Music News
Eddie Vedder Joins Instagram to Teach People How to Vote By Mail
Eddie Vedder has joined Instagram, and he’s already putting his new account to good use. Earlier this week, the Pearl Jam frontman made his first-ever post on the social media platform by branding it with his initials. Without wasting anytime, he then got to work posting an instructional series of photos to Instagram showing fans how to vote by mail in the upcoming US election. “GOOD MORNING. Hope you’re all well and hanging tough in these extraordinary times. Me, myself? I’m about to go POSTAL!” he said in his first selfie. “Lest there by any confusion, here is how simple, secure, and verifiable it is to Vote By Mail… In regards to something so huge as taking part in our democracy and putting your voices to great use, nothing could be easier. And at this intense time of a global pand...
Elvis Costello Shares New Song “Phonographic Memory”: Stream
Elvis Costello has shared a new song called “Phonographic Memory”. It’s the B-side to previously-released single “We Are All Cowards Now”. “Phonographic Memory” is unusual within Costello’s discography, and perhaps even unprecedented. Over an open-tuned guitar, the veteran songwriter recites a short story in which someone called “President Swift” conducts a ceremony while the voice of Orson Welles (played by Costello, of course) is heard on an archive recording. The prose is knotty and poetical, full of observations like, “After the peace was negotiated and the internet switched off, knowledge returned to its medieval cloister, in this and that illuminated volume, the jealous possession of the pious and the superstitious, who might once again wield ignorance like a scythe.” Check out “Phon...
Chris Cornell’s Estate Denounces Unauthorized Biopic
Chris Cornell lived one hell of a life as the frontperson of Soundgarden, and someday his story will be told with all the detail, depth, and accuracy it deserves. Unfortunately, it won’t be the upcoming biopic Black Days that does so. Allegedly the movie is “about the last days in the life of grunge music icon Chris Cornell,” but the rocker’s estate has formally denounced the film, issuing a statement to Pitchfork that says the biopic is “not sanctioned or approved by the estate.” A casting call for Black Days on Backstage reveals that production on the film is already underway, with shooting kicking off in Los Angeles next month. Road Rage Films LLC and Amerifilms LLC, which apparently are run by actor and musician Johnny Holiday, are listed as the companies helming the project. As Pitchf...
Springsteen Drummer Max Weinberg Appointed to Delray Beach Planning and Zoning Board
Times are tough, and these days everybody’s looking for a second job. So even though Max Weinberg has a reliable gig drumming for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, he’s picked up a little extra work at the Delray Beach Planning and Zoning Board. As the Palm Beach Post reports, Weinberg has been appointed to a two-year term at the recommendation of city commissioner Juli Casale. “I was impressed with his knowledge and vision of real estate and development,” she said. “I love Springsteen. Who doesn’t? But this appointment was not made because of his music prowess.” In fact, Weinberg’s knowledge of real estate minutiae is the stuff of legend. He was the subject of a 2008 profile by the Wall Street Journal called “Born to Renovate”, which described him as a “real est...
R.I.P. Jack Sherman, One-Time Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Dies at 64
Jack Sherman, one-time guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers, has died at the age of 64. Red Hot Chili Peppers confirmed Sherman’s passing in a statement posted to Instagram. “We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed. Jack played on our debut album as well as our first tour of the USA. He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform.” Sherman joined Chili Peppers in 1983, replacing the band’s founding guitarist Hillel Slovak. He played on the band’s 1984 self-titled debit and co-wrote a majority of the songs on their 1985 follow-up Freaky Styley. However, prior to the release of Freaky Styley, Sherman was fired so that Slovak could re-join the band. Sherman briefly...
Chris Cornell Statue Vandalized
A statue honoring Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell was recently vandalized. The bronze statue, which was commissioned by Cornell’s family following his death in 2017, currently stands outside the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. According to KIRO 7 News, on Thursday an unknown person vandalized the statue by covering it in white paint. In a statement issued Friday, Chris Cornell’s widow, Vicky, said she and her children “are heartbroken to learn of the vandalization of Chris’s statue at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. The statue is not only a work of art but a tribute to Chris, his incomparable musical legacy and everything that he stood for. It represents Chris, who is beloved not only in Seattle, but worldwide.” “In the face of this hate and destruction, we are thankfu...
Josh Homme, Jeff Tweedy, Josh Klinghoffer, Tom Morello Perform on Joe Strummer Livestream Tribute: Watch
Happy birthday, Joe Strummer! The Clash frontman would have turned 68 today, August 21st, and some of the biggest names in entertainment came together to celebrate with a gargantuan livestream tribute. It included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Weir, Lucinda Williams, Jeff Tweedy, Josh Homme, and more, all while raising money for struggling live music venues. While the list of contributors is as starry as they come, “A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer” placed the late icon front and center. It opened with Strummer’s voice offering a definition for himself: “Punk rock warlord, with warlord being one word.” Over a montage of dramatic photographs, the great songwriter explained how the music itself is separate from the intention. He said, “Music is not the point. What matters is how...
Trump Replaces The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with “Y.M.C.A.” at Rallies
The Rolling Stones (photo by Heather Kaplan), Donald Trump, and Village People (photo by Heather Kaplan) Donald Trump is running out of songs for his rallies. The White House’s current occupant continues to be sued by artists who don’t want him using their music, including The Rolling Stones, which has apparently left him with no option but to replace “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with “Y.M.C.A.” as his walk-off song — even though Village People asked him to stop playing that exact song. “Now that I have seen it a few times at various events, clearly The Village People’s ‘YMCA’ is now the walk-off song for the president replacing the Rolling Stones’ ‘You can’t always get what you want,’” tweeted Kelly O’Donnell, the White House Correspondent for NBC News. The Rolling Stones ha...
Bruce Springsteens Calls Lana Del Rey “One of the Best Songwriters in the Country”
Bruce Springsteen (photo by Ben Kaye) and Lana Del Rey (photo by David Brendan Hall) Bruce Springsteen has had Lana Del Rey all over his playlists for years now, but his fandom has just reached new heights. In a recent broadcast on SiriusXM, The Boss called the Norman Fucking Rockwell! mastermind “one of the best songwriters in the country.” Springsteen’s comments came during the latest episode of his ongoing From His Home to Yours SiriusXM series, as Stereogum points out. During the radio show, he played Del Rey’s own 2012 song “American”, which notably name-drops Springsteen. “Springsteen is the king, don’t you think/ I was like, hell yeah that guy can sing,” the track’s lyrics read. “She’s, uh, name checking some guy from New Jersey in there. I’m not sure who,” The Boss joked ...
Elvis Costello Details New Album Hey Clockface, Shares “We Are All Cowards Now”: Stream
Elvis Costello has announced his 31st (!) studio album, Hey Clockface. The follow-up to 2018’s Look Now arrives October 30th, and Costello is heralding the news with his latest single, “We Are All Cowards Now”. Hey Clockface is a trans-Atlantic undertaking, with recording taking place in Helsinki, Paris, and New York, three cities which became integral plot points in the album’s story. At Helsinki’s Suomenlinnan Studios, Costello wrote and recorded the first three singles, “We Are All Cowards Now” and early previews “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” and “No Flag”. Immediately afterward, the veteran songwriter visited France for a weekend session at Les Studios Saint Germain. He played with a new ensemble dubbed Le Quintette Saint Germain, led by his old pal and longtime Attraction member St...
New Garbage Album is Recorded and Coming Out in 2021
In a recent interview, Shirley Manson revealed that a new Garbage album is recorded and currently “being mixed,” with an eye on a 2021 release date. Manson broke the news to Rolling Stone, in a conversation about mental health during quarantine. The alt-rock icon admitted she’s been struggling with “low-grade depression… Please click the link below to read the full article. New Garbage Album is Recorded and Coming Out in 2021 Wren Graves You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenu...
Trapt’s Buffalo Chip Concert Drew the Largest Crowd Ever to Witness a Concert Ever, Period.
Even amidst one of the most partisan periods in this nation’s history, there’s at least one things most Americans still agree on: Trapt fucking sucks. Over the weekend, the “Headstrong” rockers supported their commercial smash of a new album* with a performance at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, South Dakota… Please click the link below to read the full article. Trapt’s Buffalo Chip Concert Drew the Largest Crowd Ever to Witness a Concert Ever, Period. Alex Young You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their ...
