Rock Music
Pearl Jam Pay Tribute to Victims of Roskilde Tragedy on 20th Anniversary
On this day back in 2000, nine young men were killed and 26 others were injured during Pearl Jam’s set at Roskilde Festival. To honor those fans who needlessly lost their lives, the band has shared a tribute video online today, taking note of the 20th anniversary and stating that “nothing has been the same since.” The Roskilde tragedy saw eight men, ages 17 to 26, suffocate to death in a crowd crush when Pearl Jam took the stage for their headlining slot. Five days later, a ninth man died from his injuries. An investigation published later that year cited “a chain of unfortunate circumstances” as being responsible for the audience’s rush forward, with many fans eager to get close to the stage so they could hear the music better. Pearl Jam’s tribute includes a lengthy essay and a touch...
Pearl Jam Perform “Dance of the Clairvoyants” for First Time During COVID-19 Relief Concert: Watch
As one of several acts to play the “All In WA: A Concert for COVID-19 Relief” livestream event on Wednesday night (June 24th), Pearl Jam treated viewers to the first-ever live performance of their recent single “Dance of the Clairvoyants”. The socially distant rendition of the song featured each member of Pearl Jam performing from his own home. The band’s longtime lineup of Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, and Matt Cameron was bolstered by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who provided backing vocals. In the video of the performance, Vedder holds a handheld camera, as his two daughters and wife Jill are seen dancing, bringing to life the song’s line, “I know the girls wanna dance.” Musically, the band mixes things up, with guitarist Gossard pla...
Grateful Dead Announce New Line of Deodorant
Give your music-loving dad a two-in-one gift this Father’s Day: some Grateful Dead deodorant. Body care company North Coast Organics have created an official Grateful Dead-branded line of USDA-certified organic deodorant, reports Stereogum, so that you can finally achieve that signature Deadhead smell all year long. The jam band collaboration is made with vegan, edible ingredients and is handmade in small batches, ensuing freshness and attention to detail. Best of all, the Grateful Dead deodorant sticks come in five different scents: Skull & Roses (lavender and rose), Sunshine (blood orange and bergamot), Workingman’s (cedarwood and juniper), Timber (douglas fir and sage), and a classic Unscented. As with any creative Grateful Dead crossover, North Coast Organics founder and CEO Nathan...
Pearl Jam Unearth Uncensored Version of “Jeremy” Video: Watch
In recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 5th, Pearl Jam unearthed the uncensored version of their 1992 video for “Jeremy”. To date, “Jeremy” remains one of Pearl Jam’s most chilling and affecting songs, based on the real-life suicide of high school student Jeremy Wade Delle, who shot himself in front of his classmates in January 1991. The accompanying video depicts the incident in graphic detail, though the edited version zoomed in on Jeremy’s face so that his gun could not be seen. The uncensored version includes the haunting final scene with Jeremy putting a gun in his mouth. “The increase in gun violence since the debut of ‘Jeremy’ is staggering,” Pearl Jam wrote in an accompanying social media post. “We have released the uncensored version of the video which w...
R.I.P. Rupert Hine, Producer for Rush, The Fixx, and More, Dies at 72
Rupert Hine, who produced two RUSH albums, as well as releases from The Fixx, Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, and more, has died at the age of 72. No cause of death has been revealed. The veteran UK producer’s passing was reported by the Ivors Academy, a songwriting association of which Hine was a board director. “His passion, wisdom, inspiration and his immense kindness will be hugely missed,” stated the organization. Hine produced RUSH’s gold-certified 1989 album Presto, which included the chart-topper “Show Don’t Tell”, and platinum-certified 1991 LP Roll the Bones, featuring the hit “Ghost of a Chance”. It was in the ’80s new wave scene that Hine really made his mark, producing multiple albums by The Fixx, including the platinum-certified Reach the Beach (highlighted by the si...
Frontman of Prominent Christian Rock Band: “I No Longer Believe in God”
Jonathan Steingard, the frontman of the successful Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, has declared in a lengthy Instagram post that he no longer believes in God. The singer-guitarist has been a member of Hawk Nelson since 2004, taking over lead vocals in 2012. The Canadian band has placed a number of LPs in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart, amassing a large following along the way. In a caption accompanying his open letter, Steingard remarked, “I’ve been terrified to post this for a while – but I feel like it’s time for me to be honest. I hope this is encouraging to people who might feel the same but are as afraid to speak as I am. I want to be open. I want to be transparent with you all – and also open to having my heart changed in the future.” In the letter itself, Stei...
Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum Debuts Single “Daddy” from His Man on Man Project: Stream
Faith No More keyboardist/guitarist Roddy Bottum and his boyfriend, Joey Holman, have launched a new project called Man on Man, and they’ve just debuted their first single, “Daddy’”. Bottum and Holman describe the project as “gay lovers making gay music” on their Instagram page, and appear in tighty-whities in both the promotional photos and the music video for “Daddy”. Bottum told Rolling Stone, “There’s enough representation in the gay community of young, hairless pretty men. It feels good to represent a faction of our culture that isn’t squeaky and manicured.” He added, “Based on the ageist and homophobic responses posted in the comments section of a straight publication that ran our photo, I’m happy to be those faces on the queer map.” As for the song itself, the music leans more...
Roger Waters’ Us + Them Concert Film Gets Digital Release
Pigs will soon fly across your TV and laptop screens, as Roger Waters has announced the digital release of Us + Them, the concert film that followed his 2017-2018 tour of the same name. It will be available on YouTube beginning June 16th, with a Blu-ray and DVD release to follow. Watch the trailer below. The concert film follows Waters, the legendary Pink Floyd member, as he embarked on a massive 156-date tour around the world. Waters co-directed the film with Sam Evans, using footage from his dates in Amsterdam and the UK. It captures the spectacle of the “Us + Them” tour, with its dizzying image projections and trippy rainbow laser pyramid. The setlists, too, were something to behold, chock-full of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits from The Wall, Wish You Were Here, and Dark Side of t...
The Pretty Reckless Return with Heavy New Song “Death by Rock and Roll”: Stream
The Pretty Reckless are back with the new single, “Death by Rock and Roll”, a guitar-driven anthem highlighted by singer Taylor Momsen’s powerful pipes. The new song comes shortly after it was announced that the band had signed a new deal with Fearless Records. The track kicks off with a heavy guitar riff and features Momsen singing about the deaths of various characters, ending each of their stories with, “But on my tombstone when I go/ Just put ‘Death by Rock and Roll’.” Momsen’s vocals range from silky smooth in the verses to a full-on scream toward the end of the song. “In a lot of ways, this new album feels like a rebirth and our first single, ‘Death by Rock and Roll’, represents that salvation that my favorite music brings me,” said Momsen in a press release. “Rock is freedom and thi...
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 ...
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...
Billy Joel Delivers Poignant “Miami 2017” Performance During Rise Up New York! Benefit Livestream: Watch
Last month, Bruce Springsteen led Jersey4Jersey, a livestreamed concert benefiting COVID-19 relief efforts in the state of New Jersey. On Monday, New York held its own virtual fundraising event, headlined by its own local hero in Billy Joel. Following appearances by New York celebrities (Spike Lee, Jennifer Lopez, Robert De Niro) and politicians (Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayer Bill De Blasio), the Piano Man himself closed out the virtual telethon. Joel aptly chose to pay tribute to the Big Apple, the war-weary epicenter of the pandemic, by playing a moving rendition of his 1976 single “Miami 2017”, also known as “Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway”. As Rise Up New York!’s main event of the evening, Joel’s performance was broadcast on big screens all across the shuttered city, including Times...
