The memories are still sweet. Chris Cornell‘s daughter Toni Cornell took over Billboard‘s Instagram Stories on Father’s Day (June 21) to remember the late Soundgarden frontman with a tour of his home studio in Miami. “I’m so grateful that I was lucky enough to have a dad who was also my best friend,” she said. “Music was our life, so it really created a special bond between the two of us, even when we weren’t on the road. Here in this studio, he taught me how to play the guitar, how to record songs.” The 15-year-old recalled how she used to sit next to the iconic rocker as he wrote music, scribbling her own tunes. She added, “Being here in this room, I feel like I’m around him, and really makes this my happy place.” Th...
Chris Cornell‘s daughter Toni will reminisce about the late Soundgarden frontman when she takes over Billboard‘s Instagram Stories at noon ET on Father’s Day, Sunday (June 21). During the takeover, the 15-year-old will talk about her dad, who died in May 2017 while on tour with the iconic Seattle grunge band. In addition, Toni will share with viewers some of the celebrated musician’s cherished personal belongings and discuss what they meant to the rocker. Since the Soundgarden vocalist’s death, Toni has been keeping her dad’s legacy alive through music and charity. She has released songs that the father-daughter duo worked on together, as well as a cover of “Hunger Strike,” which was written by Cornell for Temple of the Dog, the Seattle super...
Grunge became gold Saturday (June 20) as the guitar Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance sold for an eye-popping $6 million at auction. The 1959 Martin D-18E that Cobain played in the band’s rare acoustic performance and subsequent live album was sold to Australian Peter Freedman, owner of Røde Microphones, at the Music Icons event run by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. The bids opened at $1 million for the sale that ended up breaking several world records. Cobain used it to play tunes including “About a Girl” and “All Apologies” at the Nov. 18, 1993, show in New York that came less than five months before the singer and songwriter died at age 27. A day earlier at the same auction event, a custom guitar played by Prince at the height of his stardom...
NEWS 6/20/2020 by Associated Press A custom guitar played by Prince at the height of his stardom in the 1980s and 1990s has sold for a staggering $563,500 at auction. The “Blue Angel” Cloud 2 electric guitar skyrocketed beyond the estimate of $100,000 to $200,000 it was expected to fetch at the Music Icons sale run by Julien’s Auctions on Friday (June 19) and Saturday in Beverly Hills. Prince played the blindingly blue guitar with the artist’s “love” symbol on its neck beginning on the 1984 Purple Rain Tour, on the classic albums Lovesexy and Sign O’ The Times. He used it into the early 1990s. Archivists going through Prince’s possessions at his Paisley Park home and musical headquarters in Minnesota recently found the guitar that was thought to be lost during the four years since his deat...
Ouch! Things took a bit of a dark turn when Amy Lee, the frontwoman of Evanescence, showed off her home studio in an exclusive video on Billboard’s Instagram Saturday (June 20). As part of Billboard‘s “My Top 10” series, the rock vocalist shared some of the favorite things she keeps around when she’s making music, and quite a few were throwback items to her youth. As she kicked off the at-home tour, Lee pointed out that what’s in her creative space is “part audio gear and part ’80s toy collection, because that’s who I am and that’s how I roll.” Among the fancy equipment and instruments was a Mickey Mouse lamp from her childhood bedroom minus the lampshade — and his heart. “I had forgotten there was this other lig...
Dave Grohl (photo by Philip Cosores), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (photo by Paul R. Giunta), and Paul McCartney (photo by Joshua Mellin) Summer music festivals may be canceling left and right due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but that won’t stop Newport Folk Festival staple the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from playing loud and proud anyway. On Saturday night, the famed group will perform a livestream from their respective homes alongside some special guests, including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Arcade Fire. The livestream, dubbed “Round Midnight Preserves”, will take place on June 20th from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET. In addition to the Foo Fighters frontman, The Beatles bassist, and Arcade Fire, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Beck, Irma Thomas, My Morning J...
NEWS 6/19/2020 by Gil Kaufman In the midst of a national reckoning about systemic racism and the continued killing of Black and brown men and women at the hands of police, the country paused to celebrate Juneteenth on Friday (June 19). The holiday recalls the end of slavery in the U.S., marking the day (June 19, 1865) when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved people were free; the news came two-and-a-half years after Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. Though the holiday is 155-years-old and has been celebrated for more than a century by African-Americans, the focus on racial injustice spurred by the protests in every state over the killing of George Floyd has put a spotlight on the celebra...
“Silence is Not An Option (turn this up)” is out now on ATO Records. ATO Records released a surprise digital compilation on Friday (June 19) that will support Black Lives Matter, Color of Change and the Innocence Project. The 11-track album, titled Silence is Not An Option (turn this up), features songs from the label’s catalog by Brittany Howard, My Morning Jacket, Black Pumas, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Benjamin Booker (with Mavis Staples), Drive-By Truckers and a new songs from Emily King, “See Me.” “ATO Records, an independent record label out of New York City, has been reflecting deeply on the injustices and inequality in our world. We recognize that music is not just an agent for change, but a space of solace,” the label said in a statement. &...
After Tom Morello was seen rocking a BLM t-shirt in the style of Black Sabbath‘s logo, fans begged to know where they could also snag one. Now, Black Sabbath has officially put the t-shirt up for sale, with 100% of proceeds donated to Black Lives Matter. The sleek black tees with the band’s purple logo transformed to read “Black Lives Matter” are available for pre-order here, priced at $25 USD. They are expected to ship in mid-July. See the announcement below. 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...
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz virtually linked up with Run-DMC‘s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano to perform a medley of rap and rock hits for a good cause. Benante praised McDaniels as the “KING of ROCK” in the video description of his highly anticipated six-minute jam session, which consisted of Run DMC’s “It’s Like That” and “Sucker MCs” from the hip-hop group’s 1984 self-titled debut LP and Anthrax’s “I’m The Man” titular track from its 1987 EP. The latter is still considered to be one of the first rap-rock hybrid songs. He made the combined virtual cover available for download on Bandcamp so the proceeds would go toward&nb...
Congratulations are in order for Matt Bellamy and his wife, Elle, who have announced the birth of their first child together. “Lovella Dawn Bellamy, born Los Angeles June 7th 2020 with exactly the same quarantine haircut as her Dad! Mom @elloelle did an amazing job!” the Muse frontman wrote on Instagram, where he shared some of baby Lovella’s first photos. On her own Instagram page, Elle said she was born “weighing 9 pounds & measuring 23 inches.” The couple married in August 2019 and shared the news of Elle’s pregnancy this past February. Bellamy is also the parent of a child with ex Kate Hudson. Their son, Bingham, was born in 2011. See the sweet baby photos below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So w...
Kyle Meredith With… Ocean Alley Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Ocean Alley guitarist Mitch Galbraith speaks with Kyle Meredith about the Australian band’s new album, Lonely Diamond. The record comes on the heels of their single “Confidence” topping the Triple J Hottest 100, which put some pressure on the group going into this new set. Galbraith discusses the record’s themes of exploration, escapism, and creating a dreamworld, especially using landscapes to paint the lyrical picture. The guitarist also talks about the space cowboy, surf rock vibe they were going for and how Eric Andre inspired the single “Hot Chicken”. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith ...