Rock Music News
Matt Bellamy Buys Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” Guitar
When Matt Bellamy heard there was a secret chord, he knew he had to have it. In a recent interview with Guitar World, the Muse frontman revealed he purchased Jeff Buckley’s legendary 1993 blonde USA Fender Telecaster — the very guitar used to record Grace and his biggest hit ever, “Hallelujah” — with the intent of playing it on Muse’s next album. There’s no understating how moving Buckley’s legendary ballad is or the album it comes from, as “Hallelujah” is one of the most popular songs to cover off an album that continues to inspire artists 25 years later. Thankfully, Bellamy didn’t buy the guitar with the intent of framing it and idolizing it as the piece of music history that it is. Instead, he wants to continue using it to make art. “I’ve bought it to actually attempt to use it and inte...
Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez Releases Two New Solo Songs As The Prize Fighter Inferno: Stream
Claudio Sanchez was working on the follow-up to Coheed and Cambria’s 2018 album Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures before life went into lockdown due to the pandemic. With the Armory Wars in the midst of a cease fire, the frontman has turned his attention back to his long-gestating solo project, The Prize Fighter Inferno. Sanchez has revealed he’s been writing a new album under the moniker, and today he’s shared a pair of songs to prove it. Speaking with SPIN, Sanchez said he hadn’t returned to Prize Fighter Inferno since 2012’s Half Measures EP out of a sense of “guilt” over having to put Coheed on hold. “… I’m like, ‘Oh, I wanna go do this thing … I wanna go exercise my ego with a side project.’ It makes me feel horrible, so I never do it.” Now that he’s unable to “just pass around ...
Over 700 Independent Musicians Sign Open Letter Asking Congress for COVID-19 Relief
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, over 700 musicians have signed an open letter asking the US Congress to increase relief measures for artists. A wide range of acts have signed the petition so far, including Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Deafheaven, Julia Holter, Charly Bliss, and Jeff Rosenstock. The newly formed Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) penned the letter as a way to ask their government representatives — especially Speaker Pelosi, Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and leaders of the Congressional Arts Caucus — to consider more helpful COVID-19 relief measures for artists. To make contacting representatives easier, the union has created a special phone number to connect callers to the aforementioned offices, the prompts of which ar...
Foo Fighters Streaming 2008 Live at Wembley Stadium Concert for Free: Watch
For the latest edition of Foo Fridays, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters have unlocked the concert film Live at Wembley Stadium. The footage was compiled over two sold-out shows in London on June 6th and 7th of 2008. The set drew heavily from the Foos 2007 album Echoes, Silence. Patience & Grace, and included special guest appearances by Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. With Grohl on the drums and Taylor Hawkins on the mic, they played the Zeppelin favorite “Rock and Roll”, before Grohl and Hawkins switched places for “Ramble On”. In introducing Page and Jones, Grohl said that the country of England “made us the band we are today,” and so he felt compelled to plan something special. “Just so you know, tonight, playing here at fucking Wembley Stadium, i...
Prince and the Revolution 1985 Live Album Finally Released: Stream
The companion album to the 1985 concert film Prince and the Revolution: Live has finally been unlocked from the vault. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. The recording was made on March 30th, 1985 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, as Prince and his famed backup band The Revolution toured in support of 1984’s Purple Rain. The set included all nine tracks off of Purple Rain, as well as a smattering of hits and B-sides from 1999, the Controversy cut “Do Me, Baby”, and even a “Yankee Doodle Dandy” interlude. Sheila E., who opened for Prince, joined him on “Baby I’m a Star”, and the concert ended with an 18-minute rendition of “Purple Rain”. To capture the performance in all its luscious glory, the tapes have been remastered by The Purple On...
Prince and the Revolution Concert Film is Streaming on YouTube for Next 72 Hours
Turn those quarantine blues into “Computer Blue”. Prince’s unforgettable concert film Prince and the Revolution: Live, which gives you a front-row seat to his 1985 “Purple Rain Tour”, is streaming on YouTube for the next 72 hours. Grab your lighters or phone flashlights and stream it in full below. Recorded on March 30th, 1985, the concert film sees Prince dazzle the stage at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, with a 20-song setlist, as well as costume changes, a guitar battle, and his iconic dance antics. The High Priest of Pop masterfully belts out every song from Purple Rain, but the evening is also full of other crowd-pleasing hits, including “1999”, “Little Red Corvette”, and “Let’s Pretend We’re Married”, which is one of Prince’s more, uh, spicy songs. A 20-minute extended versi...
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Uploads Hundreds of Video Clips From Past Induction Ceremonies to YouTube
Over the course of this period of self-isolation, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has opened its vault and uploaded hundreds of video clips from past induction ceremonies to YouTube. The initial batch of uploads consists of video from last year’s ceremony enshrining Radiohead, The Cure, Stevie Nicks, Roxy Music, and others. There’s both performance footage — including Stevie Nicks teaming with Harry Styles for “Stop Draggin’ My Heart” — as well as each act’s respective induction speech. Since then, the Rock Hall has posted video from Neil Young’s 1995 induction, including Eddie Vedder’s introduction and their on-stage collaboration of “Fuckin’ Up”; Talking Heads’ 2002 induction and the band’s subsequent live reunion; and Prince’s 2004 induction, which saw him take the stage and rip ...
Iggy Pop Streams 2016 Concert with Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age Members: Watch
Arctic Monkeys (David Brendan Hall), Iggy Pop (Thaib A. Wahab), and Queens of the Stone Age (Philip Cosores) Iggy Pop has announced he will livestream his iconic 2016 concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in support of Post Pop Depression, the album he released that same year. While all Iggy Pop shows are highly entertaining in their own right, this one was pretty dang special as he was backed by Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and Queens of the Stone Age members Josh Homme and Dean Fertita. The gig will stream live at 3:00 p.m. ET today on YouTube. The recent Lifetime Achievement Grammy-winner teased the event with a simple tweet, writing, “Ready to re-live it?” For most viewers, it will be a chance to witness that show in all of its glory for the first time. Post Pop Depression is a ...
Bob Dylan Cancels US Summer Tour Due to COVID-19
Musicians worldwide have scrapped their touring plans due to the pandemic, and now Bob Dylan is following suit. The legendary troubadour has canceled all of his Summer 2020 tour dates amid concerns over COVID-19. Part of his “Never Ending Tour”, the US trek was originally supposed to kick off in early June and extend well through mid-July. Dylan’s itinerary included two nights at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, as well as headlining gigs at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and the Forest Hills Stadium in New York City. Fellow folk rockers Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats had been tapped as support. “In the interest of public health and safety and after many attempts to try and reschedule these shows for a workable timeframe this year, it is with deep regret that we announce the U....
Experts Recommend No Moshing or Crowdsurfing Once Concerts Return
The coronavirus pandemic has temporarily changed the future of live music. Drive-in concerts are now a thing, as are drive-in raves, because experts predict shows won’t return until 2021. With prominent figures like Live Nation now planning to resume concerts at “full scale” next year, organizers at nonprofit Event Safety Alliance have drafted a new guide to keep concertgoers and venue employees safe. Unfortunately, it includes a temporary ban on moshing and crowdsurfing (via Alternative Press). The Event Safety Alliance guide was created to help venues that plan to reopen eventually but want to do so safely. The suggestions within the document were written after staff members Steven Adelman and Jacob Worek spoke to over 400 promoters, caterers, Ticketmaster employees, and other worke...
Prince and the Revolution Concert Film to Stream on YouTube This Weekend
Your weekend just got a lot more funky: Prince and the Revolution: Live, the famed 1985 concert film capturing Prince’s iconic “Purple Rain Tour”, will stream for free on YouTube this weekend. Recorded on March 30th, 1985 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, the concert film features a thrilling 20-song performance by Prince and The Revolution. They played all nine songs from Purple Rain, including a 20-minute version of the title track to close the concert. The setlist also included five songs from 1999, as well as several rarities and B-Sides from both albums. Joining Prince on stage was The Revolution’s Wendy Melvoin (guitar), Lisa Coleman (keyboards), Dr. Fink (keyboards), Mark Brown (bass), Eric Leeds (saxophone), and Bobby Z. (drums)., along with Sheila E. and Mike Weaver. The ...
Bernie Sanders Has a Red Hot Chili Peppers Poster Hanging Up in His Office
One of the unexpected consequences of the global quarantine is the chance to get a peak inside the homes of celebrities, politicians, and other high-profile public figures. Livestreams and webinars don’t just provide entertainment, they also scratch a voyeuristic itch. For instance, if not for the quarantine, how else would we have learned that Bernie Sanders has a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster and a Prince bass drum head hanging up in his home office? The music memorabilia could be seen in the background as Senator Sanders posed questions during a virtual hearing about COVID-19 on Tuesday. To his left was a framed Red Hot Chili Peppers poster, and to his right hung a bass drum head from Prince’s backing band New Power Generation. It’s worth noting that Bernie previously recruited both...
