#who are in the rock & roll hall of fame

[suchananewsblog]

Missy, Willie and George Michael among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius and the late George Michael have all been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Kate Bush also finally reaching the top of that hill. The Cleveland-based institution announced Wednesday the artists and groups entering the hall as the class of 2023, a list that includes The Spinners, Rage Against…

[theprogrockbstheorist]

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY GEDDY!!!!

(meme credit to u/rtphokie on reddit)

OH, AND WHAT’S THAT?!?! IT’S ALSO THE 49th ANNIVERSARY OF NEIL PEART JOINING RUSH?!?!

In order to celebrate these wondrous occasions, I have compiled 70 reasons why I love Rush (especially Geddy):

70. They don't have any unlistenable albums. I can put on any Rush album and at the very least enjoy it, which is saying a lot!

69. ANDDDD they have 19 studio albums!!! 167 songs!!!

68. Alex's iconic Hall of Fame induction speech.

67. The movie I Love You, Man. The main plot of that is just two guys geeking out about Rush and then going to see them in concert.

66. The Bb5 in "Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage". For the record, the other famous Bb5 sung by a male singer in rock is the high note in "Bohemian Rhapsody", sung by Roger Taylor.

65. Geddy's range in general. Say what you will about his voice, but he had range.

64. Their pre-concert videos.

63. "Hey baby it's 7:45 and I need to go to bed soon, let's fuck"- In the Mood. The debut album was something else, man.

62. They wrote songs during soundcheck when they were on tour. This includes songs like "Tom Sawyer" and "Chemistry".

61. They went to a Yes concert while recording Caress of Steel, and almost quit making the album. I, for one, am very glad they didn't!

60. The "rap" in "Roll the Bones". Sit back, relax, get busy with the facts...

59. Gene Simmons thought they weren't into women because they didn't want to party with KISS. True story!

58. They listed their baseball positions in the liner notes for Signals.

57. Neil wrote lyrics to a song using only anagrams. The song is called "Anagram (For Mongo)", and is on the album Presto.

56. They thanked themselves in the liner notes for Hemispheres. Listed as Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt, ofc!

55. They would challenge themselves to write last-minute songs. Results of this experiment include "Hand Over Fist" from Presto, and "Malignant Narcissism" from Snakes and Arrows.

54. The mere existence of "A Passage to Bangkok". I wonder what their thought process was to put a song about smoking weed around the world after a 20-minute long dystopian prog rock epic...

53. "La Villa Strangiato". Just... everything about it.

52. The kimonos. You know the ones!

51. Their nicknames for each other!! (see above)

50. They had the second-longest stable line up in rock music! The only ones with a longer stable line up was ZZ Top.

49. They had a 40-year career! Even longer if you include pre-Neil and their adventures since the R40 tour.

48. The synth era. I unapologetically love 80s Rush, especially Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows.

47. "The Necromancer" basically being self-insert Tolkien fanfic. I wonder who the "three travelers" are supposed to be... OH WAIT!

46. They're giant nerds. All prog bands are, but they are especially nerdy.

45. Hugh Syme's awesome album covers. He did every single one from Caress of Steel onwards, barring the front cover for Snakes and Arrows.

44. The 7/8 section in "Tom Sawyer". That was my first intermediate bass line! Thanks, Geddy!

43. They're Canadian icons. Unironically, they're the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions "Canada" to me.

42. The horribly cheesy, terrible, but also really funny music video for "Time Stand Still". That song, btw, might be my favorite 80s Rush song, and is probably in my Top 5.

41. The triple-entendre pun of Moving Pictures. They're filming a movie (moving picture) of people moving paintings (moving pictures), while someone is getting moved by the scene (moving...pictures...).

40. They quote the 1812 Overture in the overture for "2112".

39. Geddy taught Les Claypool how to properly play "YYZ".

38. The Permanent Waves era glasses!

37. The opening of "Xanadu".

36. The weird stuff Geddy would have on his side of stage after he stopped using amps. This includes rotisserie chickens, washing machines, dryers, and popcorn machines.

35. "Music by Lee and Lifeson, Lyrics by Peart" on almost every single Rush song.

34. The ending of "Spirit of Radio". OF SALESMEN!!!

33. Their inside jokes. Example: The Bag.

32. They took French classes together, and began announcing their songs in French in Quebec.

31. The progressiveness of Counterparts. What other 40-year old rockstars were talking about healthy relationship boundaries and openly supporting gay people in 1993?

30. Their vaults are practically empty because they scrapped songs that weren't up to their standards. This is why we have no sub-par Rush material!

29. Choosing to end their careers with grace.

28. Ending the last show of their career with "Working Man", the song that got everything started.

27. "Dreamline"--"Learning that we're only immortal / For a limited time".

26. Geddy and Alex inducting Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

25. Then, of course, Geddy playing "Roundabout" with Yes during their induction! (Unfortunately, he did not play his Rickenbacker :( )

24. No decisions were made regarding the band without it being unanimous.

23. "Closer to the Heart". To me, that song is like a musical representation of their friendship, and it always leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling after listening to it.

22. Neil's books. Ghost Rider, in particular helped me get through a rough time earlier this year.

21. Geddy's Big Beautiful Book of Bass. I love that thing, and I am looking forward to his memoir in November!!!

20. That incredible Rickenbacker. I know it hasn't been his main bass since the early 80s but...

19. All their other creative projects. Geddy and Alex have a solo album each, Alex is involved with Envy of None rn, and Neil had his blog.

18. All their other stage interactions.

17. "ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION! WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL!" -"2112". Just... all of "2112".

16. They got me into prog. I wouldn't have this blog right now if it weren't for Rush.

15. The Lifeson chord. The F#7add11 voicing that you can hear in so many of their songs (it's the opening to "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres").

14. Neil's drumming. They call him The Professor for a reason!

13. Geddy's bass playing. And his singing. And playing keys. And... yeah, we would be here all day!

12. The Dinner with Rush video. I make daily references to this that no one notices...

11. "The measure of a life / is a measure of love and respect"- "The Garden". The final song on their final album, and possibly the most amazing closer of all time.

10. Their charity work. IIRC, this includes giving away the aforementioned rotisserie chickens, as well as various fundraisers.

9. Their constant strive to improve themselves. Including Geddy working with a vocal coach, Neil working with Freddie Gruber, and of course, disavowing that Ayn Rand shit.

8. They give me something to strive towards, both as a musician and as a person. If I could make records half as good as Rush, and handle the fame with half the grace that they did, I would consider myself well-accomplished.

7. Neil's lyrics inspired me to get back into writing.

6. They inspired me to become a musician, and to pursue a career in music. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have stayed in choir or picked up bass, and I would've never considered a career in audio technology.

5. Their music helped me bond with my dad.

4. Geddy talking about his family's story of survival during the Holocaust. I think that's really important to talk about.

3. Other Rush fans. Well, okay, some of them like to brag about how many concerts they've been to, or tend to be a little gate-keep, but most of them are really chill people.

2. Their music helped me get through the toughest times in my life. Without getting too personal, I even credit them with saving my life on multiple occasions.

However, what I admire about Rush, above all else...

1. Their friendship with each other.

Once again, happy birthday Geddy! Your music has inspired me in so many ways, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it.

[washdayradionetwork]

We are especially big fans of Mr. Frampton's work with Humble Pie and, more recently, with Rings Starr. But who doesn't rock out to his solo stuff?

Consequently, we are thrilled that he will finally be recognized by the Rock Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, Mr. Frampton. It's been a long time coming.

[greyswashington]

Judgment night soundtrack youtube

And I felt like it was a great marketing idea: Let’s do the opposite of what everyone’s saying. They were also talking about smoking weed when it was Just Say No drug campaign, and no one was talking about smoking weed. And I had just graduated from Michigan, so went up to him like, “Hey, I should manage you.” He’s like, “What?” I was like, “Yeah, I went to Michigan.” He’s like, “Yeah, I just like the shirt.”ī-Real’s voice was so original that no one sounded like that. were doing a show in a club in Huntington Beach, and Muggs had a Michigan tank top on. It was an opportunity, and I looked at it as a way to help build something. But I was really more business than I was music. I liked R.E.M., the Smiths, that kind of stuff. Happy Walters, executive producer, Judgment Night soundtrack: I grew up in a little town in Indiana, so by the time music got to me it was pop music. It was just waiting for the moment that people besides Run-DMC would put it together. The whole rock-rap thing was already there. And Jay looked over at the Beastie Boys and said, “Yeah, why not?” He brings these three white boys in … and he says to Jay, nonchalantly, “Yo, Jay, you think these three guys could make a rap album. It was punk groups, metal groups and hip-hop in and out of this studio. Run-DMC recorded in a metal studio: Chung King House of Metal. And then we did “Walk This Way.” People say, “Yo, when Steven Tyler took that mic stand and knocked down that wall that was separating y’all? Yo, that didn’t just happen in that video, that happened in the world.” And Judgment Night is one of the babies that came through after that wall was broken down. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame didn’t start ’til ’86. Then we did a record called “King of Rock” about a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum that didn’t exist. The punk and the classic rock and the metal were separate until Run-DMC was able to get “Rock Box” on MTV. … Really “Rock Box” was the thing that kind of made it happen.ĭMC: The white people and black people were separate. Even folks that were connected to funk looked at hip-hop as kind of a novelty thing. Mainstream rock folks, Midwest rock folks, were not with it. For a younger generation, the punk people were more available and more open. Vernon Reid, guitarist, Living Colour: Hip-hop and rock were positioned as opposing genres, right? For the older generation of rock people, hip-hop was a problem. Sasami Enlists Shred Icon J Mascis to Amp Up New Version of 'Tried to Understand' Judgment Night was a who’s who of Alternative Nation, Headbanger’s Ball and Yo! MTV Raps – a record label exec making the most of three youth-culture undergrounds. Judgment Night‘s Oscar-and-Felix pairings came after nearly a decade of rock-rap tag-teams, Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s 1986 “Walk This Way,” and Public Enemy and Anthrax’s 1991 “Bring the Noise” being the two most successful. His burgeoning Immortal Records imprint had yet to find footing with smashes like Korn and Incubus. The Judgment Night soundtrack came together via executive producer Happy Walters, the 22-year-old manager of Cypress Hill and House of Pain. But for a brief moment here was the brilliant potential of a rap-rock crossover episode: a utopian oasis of beats, rhymes and riffs. The film would promptly fade into memory and rap-metal would eventually show more macho and mooky muscles. Dropped shortly after Lollapalooza wound down its third summer, here was a similarly divide-breaking gathering of genre-crossing cool: Cypress Hill spitting hard bars over a slinky Pearl Jam groove and dank Sonic Youth noise, Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot sharing a dirty Seattle scumbag sesh, Helmet’s taut riffs slowing down for steely-eyed House of Pain verses, Teenage Fanclub bummer jangle matching with De La Soul’s reflective rhymes. The soundtrack to 1993 chase flick Judgment Night - on which 10 rap artists collaborated with 11 rock groups - was a gold-certified triumph of the post-Nirvana major label wild west.

[jeffcbliss]

Nancy Wilson of Heart - Hollywood Bowl; Hollywood, CA (9-9-19).  @officialheart @NancyWilson #lovealive2019 #heart

Photo: Jeff Bliss

[aion-rsa]

Back to the Future: The Real Johnny B. Goode Rocked Long Before Marty McFly

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Back to the Future is a classic comedy, one of the most popular films in motion picture history. Almost every laugh line lands with a perfectly executed punch. Every skateboard flip is a motion picture wonder. It’s one of those films which is broadly silly yet still has heart, and it’s a treasure of commercial cinema. But when Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly straps on a cherry red Gibson ES-345 he plunders the golden oldies right out of the fingers of the true original. Ignore the bit where “Marvin Berry” calls his cousin on the phone. Chuck Berry didn’t just write “Johnny B. Goode,” he was Johnny B. Goode. 

The song about the country boy who could play guitar like ringing a bell could have referred to any number of musicians, from Buddy Holly to Bo Diddley or Ricky Nelson. But the singer-songwriting guitarist who penned the line was born at 2520 Goode Avenue, in St. Louis.

Berry had already made his concession to white commercialism by changing the line “that little colored boy could play” to “that little country boy.” Oh my. But then for years, the Father of Rock and Roll watched the self-styled King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, put his stamp on Berry’s signature. The royalties were sweet though for Berry, and the respect was mutual.

But the backhanded homage in the time-traveling 1985 comedy is really a cheap gag, and the joke is at the expense of Berry’s legacy.

“Long Distance information? Get Me Memphis, Tennesse”

“Chuck! Chuck, it’s Marvin, your cousin, Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you’re looking for?” the fictional bandleader yells into a pay phone at the 1955 Enchantment Under the Sea dance in Hill Valley, California. “Listen to this!”

We then hear the subtle sound of casual racial invalidation. Not only does the line denigrate Berry’s contribution to the architecture of rock and roll; it completely sidelines guitarist Carl Hogan who initiated the opening guitar phrasing on Louis Jordan’s 1946 pre-rock and roll song “Ain’t That Just Like a Woman.” Think, McFly. Think!

Michael J. Fox already has a perfectly winning comic ending to the now-iconic scene: when his fingers stretch back to the future, and he channels Eddie Van Halen on the guitar, even the kids at the 1950s dance think he should act his age. So why does director and co-screenwriter Robert Zemeckis feel the need to shit on Chuck Berry with such a disposable throw-away gag? It is even more insulting when you take into consideration who Berry had to sue over the course of his career for stealing his riffs.

Indicative of a long-standing music industry tradition, the two biggest names in white rock and roll, the Beatles and the Beach Boys, had to cough up to the pioneering artist after infringing on his copyrights. Berry sued to get his name on the Beach Boys’ hit “Surfin’ USA” while John Lennon agreed to cover two songs owned by Berry’s publisher in exchange for copping lines from “You Can’t Catch Me” for the song “Come Together.”

But Lennon still declared “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry,’” when he introduced him on The Mike Douglas Show in 1972. “In the 1950s, a whole generation worshipped his music, and when you see him today, past and present all come together, and the message is Hail, Hail Rock and Roll.’”

He Could Play a Guitar Just Like a-Ringin’ a Bell

Berry was the first-ever Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and in the same class as James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Presley. With songs like “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Little Queenie,” “Havana Moon,” “Wee Wee Hours,” “Rock and Roll Music,” and “Sweet Little 16,” Berry scored the soundtrack to the 1950s.

Berry didn’t invent rock and roll. Ike Turner is credited with that for his 1951 song, “Rocket 88.”  Berry recorded his first hit “Maybellene” in 1955 at Chicago’s Chess Studios, the home of the blues. Berry sped up the blues to a country thump and let his fingers do to guitar strings what lips did to horns.

Berry made rock and roll fun, funny, and subtly rebellious. The teenager in “You Can’t Catch Me” is motorvating away from the cops. His “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” hit a home run with color coded racial pride. The artist who was glad, so glad, he was “living in the U.S.A.” (in the song “Back in the U.S.A.”) was barred from many of the things he found so wondrous in this country to sing about.

Almost Grown

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born on Oct. 18, 1926. His St. Louis neighborhood, “The Ville,” was segregated. His great-grandparents were slaves. In 1944, Berry was arrested for driving along in an automobile he carjacked at gunpoint after robbing three stores in Kansas City. He did a three-year stint in reform school.

Berry began playing music professionally when he was in his mid-20s, sitting in with local bands like piano player Johnnie Johnson’s group, Sir John’s Trio. Blues icon Muddy Waters suggested Berry bring his songs to Chess Records where Howlin’ Wolf, the Moonglows, and Big Bill Broonzy were recording sides. Label owner Leonard Chess had a good feeling about the song “Ida Red.” 

Read more

Movies

The History of Back to the Future Began With a High School Yearbook

By Chris Cummins

Movies

The United States vs. Billie Holiday: The Federal Bureau of Narcotics Was Formed to Kill Jazz

By Tony Sokol

Berry renamed the song “Maybellene” when he recorded it on May 21, 1955. It was Berry’s first nationwide hit. He was 28. Willie Dixon was on bass, Johnnie Johnson played piano, Jerome Green shook maracas, and Ebby Hardy beat the drums. Alan Freed and Russ Fratto didn’t do anything for the song, but their names are on the credits as co-songwriters. They effectively collected royalties for teaching Berry a valuable lesson.

Chuck Berry wrote all the songs on his first album, After School Session, which was released in May 1957. It was the same for his next two albums. Berry didn’t include any covers on his albums at all until his fourth album, Rockin’ at the Hops, released in July 1960. Berry starred in some of Alan Freed’s jukebox movies like Rock Rock Rock!, Mister Rock and Roll, and Go, Johnny, Go! He also appeared in Jazz on a Summer’s Day, a 1959 documentary about the Newport Jazz Festival.

“No Need to Be Complainin’, My Objections Overruled”

Berry was arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, in December 1959 for transporting Janice Norine Escalan, a 14-year-old hatcheck girl at Club Bandstand in Juarez, Mexico, across state lines for “immoral purposes.”  He was charged under the Mann Act. Berry argued he was offering legitimate employment. An all-male, all-white jury found him guilty on March 11, 1960. Berry appealed, but the conviction was upheld at a 1961 trial. Berry was sentenced to three years. He served 18 months and was released from prison in 1964.

Berry’s career never quite took off again. He had some hits in 1964 and 1965, “Nadine,” “No Particular Place to Go,” “You Never Can Tell,” and “Promised Land.” He was one of the artists in the 1964 concert film The TAMI Show. Berry’s last number 1 hit, “My Ding-a-Ling,” was recorded live in London in 1972 for The London Chuck Berry Sessions album.

Berry never stopped playing live. He traveled with only his guitar and a briefcase for his money, and would grab local bar bands to back him when he hit town. Everyone knew Chuck Berry songs. Simple, three-chord pangs to teenage love, cars and safety belts. Bandleaders like Bruce Springsteen and Steve Miller eagerly lent their fingers and bands to the light traveling guitar player. Most groups were thrilled to get the chance to play for a legend when they weren’t harangued for bending a string too far on an intro. Not even Keith Richards got away with that, just watch the rehearsal portion of the 1987 documentary Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll.

The Rolling Stones’ guitarist had already been brought in as a surprise backing player for a 1972 Los Angeles show where he was kicked off the stage for setting his amp too loud. Berry would also give Richards a black eye for touching his guitar after a New York City show a decade later. Richards’ early guitar work is modeled on Berry’s style. The Stones covered “Carol,” “Around and Around” and “You Can’t Catch Me.” Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Back to the Future is really just a light, inoffensive, time-bending screwball comedy, and Berry has been the butt of far worse jokes. Spy magazine alleged Berry secretly filmed women in bathrooms. In January 1990, High Society claimed to be “the only magazine with the balls to show Chuck’s berries,” when it published photos of him posing nude with different women.

So when you read an article about Berry recalling the incident where the white kid played “Johnny B. Goode,” remember: it ran in The Onion. Chuck Berry could be accused of a lot of things, but he was an original.

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[dulcetrefrain-blog]

Elvis Costello Tickets - Elvis Costello Tour 2010 By sold Out Ticket Market

If you've got a craving to test the amazing, the delicious, the downright bizarre, then Beijing's Donghuamen Night Market is when it's at. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Elvis Costello 's lyrics is broader than that relating to most widely used songs. Women over 40 do not want to see lines as well as other indications of aging especially on their face. Perhaps you're comparing places to go. This just goes to demonstrate that even older women take proper care of their skin perfectly they are willing to test even countless products just to be assured of your wrinkle-free and blemish-free skin. This serum is fragrance free and helps in hydrating the skin. Those less adventurous will revel in fresh spring rolls, fried noodles, candied fruit along with other staples. However, there is some specialized night fishing equipment you will need to have being successful. On 23 February 2003, Elvis Costello, together with Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, and Dave Grohl performed a version of The Clash's "London Calling" at the 45th Grammy Awards ceremony, in honour of Clash frontman Joe Strummer, who had died the previous December. She envisioned women's perfume, as well as other bath and body products to ensure that visitors for the Sonoran desert may take home with them the essence of this intriguing and mysterious place in the women's fragrance unlike some other around the market today. The once-in-a-week fair is the destination to see authentic Malaysian market - where stalls selling meat floss and shawl stands side by side, and where satay is cooked on the road just around an Indian Geylang serai jeweler store. There, her breezy manner and skimpy clothing (standing over a deep-fat fryer through the island's humid summers is very hot work, after Quick Review Show all) drew a male customer-base for whom tasty food wasn't the sole attraction. On 23 February 2003, Elvis Costello, together with Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, and Dave Grohl performed a version of The Clash's "London Calling" at the 45th Grammy Awards ceremony, in honour of Clash frontman Joe Strummer, who had died the previous December. There, her breezy manner and skimpy clothing (standing over a https://finance.yahoo.com/news/day-market-history-bill-gates-113600443.html deep-fat fryer during the island's humid summers is quite hot work, after all) drew a male customer-base for whom tasty food wasn't the sole attraction. Also in the big event you want almost no fishing pressure you will love night fish. High Speed Rail. You may be pleasantly amazed at the amount of fish you can catch. Alvarez Masterworks MF75CE Folk/OM Acoustic Electric GuitarAmazon Price: $1,3400 $8767.

You know, it had not been bad! I actually couldn't believe it. . . In March 2003, Elvis Costello &amp The Attractions were inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This product works by softening the wrinkles first then saturates skin with its needed nutrients in order that it could work for regeneration. This process will eliminate the look of wrinkles and will smoothen out the skin. You may be pleasantly surprised at the number of fish you can catch. You may be pleasantly surprised at the amount of fish you can catch. Interested inside a all solid wood Alvarez guitar for under a thousand dollars? This may be the finger style player's dream guitar, solid rosewood back and sides, solid cedar top, built and priced to serve you for a lifetime!.

[italicwatches]

The Good Place, season 2 - Episode 03

Okay, let’s get this bad boy rolling. It’s The Good Place, season 2, episode 03! Here we GO!

-PREVIOUSLY ON The Good Place, Michael hooked on with the humans!

-And PRESENTLY ON The Good Place, “Oh, let’s not get caught up on ‘who lied to whom’ or ‘which one of us created an entire fake reality in order to cause eternal misery for the others.’ That’s ancient history.” I’m just going to let that sentence sit there and stew.

-Also Jay wants them to be The Bobcats. But Eleanor knows that there’s more going on here. Michael’s desperate. So explain. What’s changed? …It’s just like she said. The four of them keep winning. This place was supposed to psychologically torture the lot of you for thousands of years, to create a semi-self-sustaining loop of making you all make it even worse for eachother. But you keep figuring it out and teaming up!

-And now, there’s been a new development. He’s being blackmailed by Vicky. And she’s going to start over in 30 minutes. …So here’s the plan. He’s not going to reboot things. You’ve got to play the players.

-Chapter 17!

-So the humans quickly convene in the bedroom, and okay, plan? Jay thinks they should team up with Michael. Hot take, but sell it. He’s got a bow tie. You can always trust a dude in a bow tie! It’s how he got $600 for getting some weird turtles to Daytona beach! …Oh my god I swear he’s losing IQ on every reboot.

-Right ignore him. Michael’s a liar. Eleanor knows liars. She was a liar. So, look, they can’t trust him. They need information, which they will take with many grains of salt, and they need to work fast. Go? Go.

-So first out there, how the hell can they trust Michael? He’s got no reason. But, all cards on the table, here’s how things go if you don’t. Vicky comes and watches the reboot. You all go back to the zero point. Vicky’s version of things probably won’t be enough to keep you four from figuring it out. When she fails, she hides her iteration and takes the rest to his boss, who shuts the whole thing down, and you four end up in the regular Bad Place in a volcano full of scorpions. So…Less than ideal.

-Second question! Jay wants to know if the Jacksonville Jaguars won the Super Bowl. …No. Okay but about the Jaguars—

-Eleanor calls for Janet, and give this idiot something shiny to play with. So Jay’s soon got a sparkler, which leaves Tahani wanting to know just how long they’ve been doing this song and dance. Eight hundred and two, longest one was just shy of a year, this one was about a month. Shortest one was…Eight seconds. Michael just straight up sat down on the reboot button when he got in his chair, you four didn’t even wake up between that one and the next.

-Janet would like to know if she was also rebooted. Because each Janet reboot is specifically designed to increase their processing power and social aptitude, so as to limit the likelihood of needing another one. She could be the greatest Janet in all existence! LOOK! She can pat her head AND rub her tummy! holy shit

-Wait, Janet’s not one of yours? Nope, she’s a stolen Good Place Janet. Noted. Okay, so why do you look like a human if you’re a demon? Part of working for the Bureau of Human Affairs. And Mindy’s is fake, right? No, no, the Medium Place is legit. And outside of his authority or capacity to affect, much to his frustration.

-So Michael’s getting a bit panicky and look, they’re running out of time and he’s the only option you have. Their only option? “A lot of guys your age said that to me just as the bar was about to close. But I never settled for them! Because my ex-boyfriend lived nearby, he was obsessed with me, and he never slept because he was addicted to Adderall. There is ALWAYS another option!”

-…jesus fuck, Eleanor

-So after…That, Eleanor’s tapping out, she’s not in on the game. So Michael has to play one last card. You help him make this work…And he can get you all to the real Good Place.

-…EXPLAIN.

-It’s gonna take time, it’s gonna be complicated, and he will have to work out the details and work them out in secret. But look. There are ways to go from down here to up there. So the five of them can get out of this—

-Five?

-Yes, five. He’s doomed down here! He’ll sell saving you four from eternal damnation as proof that even a demon can be rehabilitated. …Look, they’re all up shit creek without a paddle right now, this might not even work, but this way you lot at least get to go in both eyes open.

-…NEW MEETING.

-Eleanor grabs Chidi and Tahani and pointedly leaves Jay out of it, and her read? This is a fresh style of torture. He’s putting them in blesser-evil, devil-you-know mess just to fuck with them, to make them squirm for a while. Teaming up with an actual factual literal demon is insane.

-Chidi fully agrees.

-But he sees no other choice on the board. …He spent his whole life trying to come to a solid grasp of ethics, to have a truly firm place of understanding of right and wrong, to try and know whether or not he was doing the right thing. And that landed him here. So right now, he’s open to damn near anything if it lets him have the time and space to try and actually improve as a person.

-Okay so that’s one vote in. Tahani? Tahani continues to believe she doesn’t even belong here. Michael! She deserves to be in the real Good Place. Take her there or let her speak to your manager. …Right, Michael doesn’t have time for this. You’ve done the dramatic realization plenty of times and he’s bored of it so here’s the short version.

-You’re here because you never cared about anyone you helped. It was for fame, for status, or to spite your own family.

-Bullshit!

-…You know, Tahani, you never actually saw how you died, in all the loops. But you know what, let’s play it. It’s very…Telling.

-FLASHBACK

-So Tahani was at an interview for International Sophisticate Magazine. And they immediately wanted to talk about her sister Kamilah, who turned down a chance to be on the cover herself…And, well, suffice to say, they wanted to use Tahani to essentially interview Kamilah by proxy, about her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame defying all of their usual structures.

-Which led to Tahani going to that induction in a staffer’s uniform to get in. Finding her sister. And confronting her, which went from argument, to her bringing down the massive statue Kamilah had commissioned…A massive golden statue, that crushed her underfoot.

-Back in the Now. You get it, Tahani? …And it takes her a few more runs through the concept to get it, and then she just breaks down. Okay, I feel a little bad now that she actually can see herself for who she is. A little bit.

-So she’s game to team up if it means she can actually become a better person. So Eleanor finds herself the one woman out…And Eleanor, of course, is one-week-in Eleanor.

-So, uh, she’s really not taking this whole “everyone wants to become better people” thing well.

-Also, “I have no idea what’s going on, but everyone is talking and I should too!” Keep on keepin’ on, Jay. Keep on.

-And Michael just breaks down into laughter because he’s realizing how absurd it is that he’s reliant on these…glorified insects to save him. Like an exterminator needing to be saved by cockroaches. Oh, now Eleanor is PISSED.

-Chidi’s got to step in and force Eleanor to look at him, to focus, and to breathe. …Okay. Okay. Give her five minutes to think.

-She steps into her absurd clown room, and immediately calls Janet. Janet, get her a train full of cocaine, right now. She’s going back to Mindy’s place.

-And Eleanor begins the desperate escape aaaand Chidi is there at the door. So gonna talk to him about the plan now that you’re bailing, Eleanor? …She’s not bailing.

“You have a bag full of clothes, you stuffed pillows and a mop in your bed to make it look like you’re asleep, and you’re literally sneaking out the back gate.”

-Okay. Okay, she’s going to Mindy. Because an eternity with her still sounds better than a literal deal with the devil. She insists she doesn’t owe any of them anything…And Chidi, at this point, realizes the best thing he can do is just walk away.

-Because the one person Eleanor can’t come up with a defense against…Is herself. And so that’s how Eleanor ends up sitting down with Michael, and, real talk. Out of all the reboots…How many times did Chidi refuse to help her out?

-None. Every single time that you managed to find him, you’d confess your situation, and Chidi would always get in there. And every time you lot last long enough, he always succeeds. She’s…She’s not that bad of a person, on the scale of Bad Place people at least…right?

-Janet arrives with the cocaine and escape train.

-…Eleanor would like to rescind the previous question.

-So she goes to the others, and real talk, she still doesn’t trust Michael at all. But…He’s asking for their help. And if there’s one thing that Chidi has apparently taught her in every last one of these loops, it’s that when someone asks for your help, you give it. It’s what Chidi would do for any of them.

-It’s…What he IS doing, Eleanor. He’s right here. In the room.

-But okay, Eleanor is in. On one condition. Michael, you’re taking the ethics classes too. You want to get into the real Good Place when this is over? Time to learn how to be worth them letting your ass in. And, just so they’re clear? You try and play them, and it all goes to Vicky. And you join in on being fried with the rest of them.

-So, you in as part of Team Cockroach, exterminator man? Just like you said…You’re running out of time? And they’re your only option.

-On the fresh loop, Eleanor’s in the fro-yo initial style. Except of course, this time, Vicky is introduced as the official Best Person, and so sort of the mayor of the town.

-And Vicky steps up…And immediately starts to sing!

-Hard cut to Eleanor’s place. They’ve got a few hours to work while Vicky plans for the welcome party. So her plan’s basically what Michael did with this one. Eleanor’s gonna get drunk, hog all the shrimp, insult some people, and they’ll use that to build the chaos sequence for tomorrow. You’ll all need to play along.

-So Michael’s, as far as Vicky’s concerned, going to be handling surveillance on you four. Which is how they’re gonna all get away with this. Jay asks if Janet is going to keep their secrets, and on the one hand, she can’t lie…But on the other, her job is to keep humans happy. You four are the only humans here. So she’s on board! And so it’s time for a cowardly traitor, four idiots, and a robot (Janet protests) to outsmart some of the Bad Place’s best and brightest. Go team!

-Credits!

Janet gets better every time. And this is gonna be interesting. Looks like Vicky’s using a lot of the season one version of the neighborhood, but of course going in with everyone knowing the score is going to make things a lot different…We’ll just have to see how that goes next time, in episode FOUR of The Good Place, season two! Wait for it!

[dewitty1]

The band's frontman Justin Hayward confirmed Edge's death Thursday on the group's website. The cause of his death has not been revealed.

Hayward called Edge the backbone of the British rock band, which was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. The band's last album was released in 2003.

"When Graeme told me he was retiring I knew that without him it couldn't be the Moody Blues anymore," Hayward said. "And that's what happened. It's true to say that he kept the group together throughout all the years, because he loved it."

[musicoccurred]

Album Deep Dive: Binaural

Here at Music Occurred our goal is to give you a diverse selection of music-related content to keep you discovering new bands, revisiting bands (and records) you used to love and most of all, get you off your keister and go to a show. Today we're launching a new series: Album Deep Dives. We pick one of our favorite records (it does not have to be a new or megaselling album) and go through both the production of it and the record itself with a fine-toothed comb. Hopefully it will make you dig it out of the crate (or visit your local independent record store) and listen to it with fresh ears.

I've been on a Pearl Jam kick lately, yes that's funny to some of you... I don't actually listen to them all that much, mainly around concert time and new releases. I have a couple shows coming up and I've discovered a podcast dedicated to the band so I am particularly inspired. I consider myself a superfan but there are others that have more time and money to have seen the band literally hundreds of times. In a way I'm envious but truthfully I like witnessing a variety of music to help enhance my palate. Not that I feel you have to be a superfan to do an Album Deep Dive, but my Pearl Jam pedigree is pure. Two tattoos, tens of thousands of miles driven (soon to be more) hundreds of gallons of truck-stop coffee, dozens of shows and countless hours listening to each and every record they release. You can tell a true Pearl Jam fan by asking them what they think of a new track. Their answer will invariably contain "I need to hear it live first" before they render final judgement.

Aided by the passage of time I look back at Pearl Jam's studio discography and notice a distinct pattern: their albums seem to group up as the band evolves. For example, Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy all have a conquer-the-world, angsty sound with Vitalogy giving us a hint of what's to come. Withering from the bright lights and looking to shrink their footprint a bit, the next three albums, No Code, Yield and Binaural, show a band at war with itself, TicketMaster and fame in general. These three are my favorites, mature song-writing and a band with nothing left to prove only trying to figure out how to keep it all going. There seems to be a drastic change at this point. It's like they went from rock stars to graybearded sages. In other words, they grew up. Riot Act, Pearl Jam (aka Avocado,) Back Spacer, and lastly Lightning Bolt all seem to be straight forward rock records. I took artistic liberty with my groupings, I could totally see a Ten, Vs group with a Vitalogy, No Code and Yield group with Binaural and Riot Act together but hey, it's my site.

That brings us to the album I've chosen to examine, Binaural. It's my favorite Pearl Jam record and I dare say it's at or near the top of most Pearl Jam nerds list. To me it's the birth of the modern era of the band. What we know about Pearl Jam today, starts here. Personally, the album’s release coincided with a major life change for me and the first tour of the band where I saw multiple shows in a short time. Fittingly this was Pearl Jam's first album to not go platinum. It debuted at #2 on the chart and moved a quarter-million units the first week then nose-dived. In the following 18 years (that's right Binaural can now vote) I'm fairly certain it has gone platinum at the global level. Binaural also marks the first album since Ten to not be produced by Brendan O'Brien, although O'Brien did mix a few tracks - more on that later.

Pearl Jam staggered into the studio mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. They toured relentlessly for Yield and felt they were at a creative crossroads and needed a change, exit Brendan O'Brien and enter Tchad Blake. Known for his binaural recording techniques (hence the name) he provided the band exactly what they were looking for. Recorded at Stone Gossard's Studio Litho in Seattle from September of 1999 to January of 2000 the stories from the sessions are legendary. Amps at full volume in a room with just the door cracked and the mics down the hall. Amps in trash cans and creative microphone placements are just a few. During final mixing the band found that the slower numbers were perfect for Blake's style but the faster tracks needed the touch of O'Brien. The resulting product is certainly different than any of their records before or after with a sound of its own. While it utilized the binaural recording technique it sounds fabulous on standard hifi gear. I frequently listen to it with my good headphones for the full effect.

Ask anyone their thoughts on Binaural and inevitably the word "dark" will be used. The band was facing inner turmoil as Eddie Vedder struggled with writer's block, Mike McCready dealt with addiction issues, Matt Cameron was new to the band and control of the band had permanently shifted from Stone to Ed. During the tour for Binaural there was a terrible accident at the band's performance at the Roskilde festival where 9 concert goers died. It nearly broke the band up. What's interesting to me is that Binaural sounds as if this incident occurred prior to the recording and the somber tones were a result of it. Earlier I mentioned that "what we know about Pearl Jam today, starts here," what I meant is Pearl Jam present themselves as a unified team, clearly Eddie's team, but a team of equals otherwise. At a Pearl Jam show Eddie will frequently tell a snippet of a story about the birth of a song or who wrote the music to this one. Often it will be someone else in the band. This didn't happen in the earlier albums. Ten, Vs, Vitalogy and No Code the lyrics were almost exclusively written by Ed. Beginning with Yield we started seeing more input, lyrically, from the other members. By the time they entered the studio for Binaural this new way of doing things was in full force. From this point forward their albums are very modular. With each member bringing in already constructed components and assembling them together. It may be a riff or a few lines, or it could be an entirely complete song just needing a solo from Mike or phrasing from Ed. Timing for this change was perfect. The band was nearing a decade together, they had added veteran musician/song writer Matt and Ed was mired in a horrific case of writer's block.

Track by track

Binaural opens with “Breakerfall” a punk inspired run through Eddie’s metaphorical lyrics in a tight 2:19. Side note: Pearl Jam are incredibly thoughtful about their records. They control every aspect of production, track sequencing and packaging. This album is no different, the tracks fit together perfectly. Next up is “God’s Dice” that begins with a rapid fire Matt Cameron drum roll and jams along with a rapid pace that belies the quieter songs later. “Evacuation” has an odd timing signature (hello Matt Cameron!) will strike you as a new sound from Pearl Jam but if you listen to later records you’ll find that some of their new sounds originated with this track. “Evacuation” also serves as a transition into the slower songs on the record. “Light Years” is where the album really begins to shine, music by Mike McCready, it has the classic Eddie story arc. You feel like you’re on a journey with the protagonist, anecdotally, it’s about a friend of the band, Diane Muus from Sony Music who had passed away a couple years prior. “Nothing As It Seems” showcases the binaural recording. Jeff Ament’s bass sounds like it’s behind and below you and Mike’s guitar is sitting on my right shoulder. This slow burn of a song really comes to life at concerts. “Thin Air” is a light acoustic style track reminiscent of college radio classics being played around a beach camp fire. Soulful lyrics, lush background harmonies make you reach for your own guitar. “Insignificance” is likely my favorite of the higher tempo songs. A meditation on war, it features a style of music that’s unique to Pearl Jam, they vary tempos like no other band I’ve seen, slow burn to full on rock all inside of a single song. Next up is “Of The Girl,” if you’ve never been to a Pearl Jam show, they typically open up with a quiet song with the lights down low, then launch into a rocker. Of all of them, my favorite is “Of The Girl” the clean riff with Mike’s lead lightly picking over the top. Eddie’s soft singing really settle you into a groove. I’ll post a video of it as an opener below. 

Shifting gears back into the noisier stuff, “Grievance” is inspired by the protests at the WTO summit in Seattle. It features that signature start-stop rhythm that showcases what Matt brings to the band. Beginning with Vitalogy Pearl Jam can get weird on you from time to time. “Rival” is probably the strangest song on this record. It begins with what sounds to be a pig eating an apple. The music is pretty standard Stone Gossard riffs but with the vocals layered on top.”Sleight of Hand” begins just with a single lead guitar and drums with Ed singing over the top. When the bridge hits the full band joins in only to abruptly go back to the single guitar and drums. It’s a very hard song to describe but sounds great. “Soon Forget” is a short ukulele song that doesn’t seem to fit the album (more on that later) fortunately for us it foreshadows a full album released by Ed a few years later. The album closes with “Parting Ways” an epic closer with a sitar sounding guitar and big tom tom rhythms. 

Member by member

Ed had the music for what would become "Grievance" and "Insignificance" two songs that shine in concert by the way. But he had no lyrics and had even given up the guitar. Thankfully he discovered the ukulele and began plucking away at it. This would explain why "Soon Forget" is included on this record despite not really fitting and displacing several other great tracks. It marks his conquering the demon that is writer's block. This, coupled with releasing the somewhat strange "Nothing As It Seems" as the lead single dismisses any notion that this is anyone else's band. In typical enigmatic Ed fashion, the album ends with a hidden track called "writer's block" that is just the sound of Ed pounding away on a typewriter for a couple minutes.

Aside from the music on “Light Years, ”Mike McCready did not write any of the songs on Binaural but he "McCreadys it up" on most of them. Mike is quite possibly one of the most under-rated guitarists of his generation he can absolutely shred but more so he has an instantly identifiable tone. On "Nothing As It Seems" his feedback laced guitar solos are so brilliant that I've personally witnessed the crowd chanting "Mike" so forcefully that Ed had to stop the show so Mike could take a bow. His battle with Crohn's Disease and subsequently prescription medicines certainly took their toll on him. Thankfully he overcame it and is healthy.

Stone Gossard, so aloof in concert but seemingly an engaging person in conversation is really the mastermind behind Pearl Jam. In the beginning it was his band, he wrote most of the music and knew what he wanted it to look and sound like. As mentioned previously, that leadership role shifted over to Eddie Vedder. It's not certain exactly when that happened but my opinion is around the Vitalogy/No Code era. For Binaural, Stone wrote the lyrics and music for "Thin Air," "Of The Girl" and "Rival." He also co-wrote the music for "Light Years."

Jeff Ament is widely known as Ed's best friend in the band. His songs are usually some of the strangest with eclectic phrasing and timing. He wrote "God's Dice," "Nothing As It Seems," and the music for "Sleight of Hand." Jeff is also a very talented visual artist and plays a hand in the album cover/packaging of the records.

That leaves us with Matt Cameron. Now many people have strong opinions on who is the best Pearl Jam drummer but my vote goes to Matt. He has the pedigree of his time with Soundgarden but more importantly his steady hand gave the band a stability they didn't seem to have before, an energy even. Pearl Jam went through several drummers in their first 7 years but Matt has been behind the kit for them for 20 years now. That is no coincidence. He wrote the music for "Evacuation" on this record. One bone to pick, most casual fans will say Dave Abbruzzese is their favorite Pearl Jam drummer. While Dave is certainly a very talented drummer, he was simply the first drummer most people saw in the videos from Ten, they likely don't realize he wasn't the drummer they were hearing on the record. For what it’s worth, his work on Vs and Vitalogy were stellar, the dude can drum.

For all that's included in Binaural, what's left out is just as important. As I've alluded to before, Pearl Jam is a fan's band. Their shows are legendary and each setlist is mostly unique and contains tracks selected just for that venue, crowd and city etc. Ed is effectively Bruce Springsteen Jr so the shows started getting longer and longer, break out the B Sides! Pearl Jam deep cuts are mainstays of the concerts and Binaural has several. "Sad," "Education," and "Fatal" have all become fan favorites.

If you’ve never listened to this record all the way through or if it’s just been a while. Pick it up and drop the needle.

-JS

[metalshockfinland]

Orange Amplification Launch GLENN HUGHES Limited Edition Bass Amp

Orange Amplification Launch GLENN HUGHES Limited Edition Bass Amp

Orange Amplification are launching the limited edition, Glenn Hughes Signature Crush Bass 50 and its colour is deep purple, not orange! See Glenn talking about his Signature amp, below. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Glenn Hughes, has been an Orange Ambassador for over a decade. For many years he was the bass player and vocalist with Deep Purple, who recently celebrated fifty years of…

[millennialbynature]

Is Rock Dead?

I don’t think there’s a single person who doesn’t love music. For me, music is an escape from reality where I can sit and listen to the rhythm of a song and really feel the composition, or connect personally with the lyrics, but it’s more than just “escaping.” Good musicians know how to bring a passion to their voice when singing, making you feel what they feel while they perform. This passion is what reels listeners in, becoming fans and branding themselves as such. Today, rock music is known for its angst lyrics and loud vocals, bringing an either dominating sound to the ears of fans, or showing their feelings to the world. Those feelings are about more personal demons the artists are dealing with and fans really connect with that, but lyrics used to be about social change and was the music behind movements. Now there doesn’t seem to be a focus on politics, so, in a traditional viewpoint, is rock dead?

Rock music was born in the fifties, borrowing from rhythm and blues, country, pop, jazz, and other forms to create this intrinsic powerful sound. It developed during the political period of desegregation and then gained more heat during the Cold War. In 1951, a disc jockey from Cleveland named Alan Freed, coined the term “rock n’ roll” making Cleveland the “birthplace of rock and roll” (Orman 3). As rock music started to get more popular, so did the controversy of it. In 1955, older people, even some political elites, started overreacting to rock music and often related juvenile delinquency to rock n’ roll. “Soviets viewed rock n’ roll as another example of western ‘decadence,’ but right-wing extremists in the United States viewed the same music as part of a Communist conspiracy to undermine our society” (Orman 4).  So, rock n’ roll almost always was associated with so-called political agendas and a resistance in the youth against higher up’s. In his article, Young writes that during this era, “everything was questioned – from race to gender, from war to the environment, from consumerism to middle-class values, indeed the way of American life itself” (Young 453). Young people were starting to question their way of life, creating this atmosphere of rebellion.

There were many prominent musicians adding to the discourse of protest music during the Vietnam war and civil rights movement era.  Bob Dylan, who was influenced by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, was the forefront of the early 1960’s movement because of his political protest songs. “When Bob Dylan burst on the folk scene, protest music really took off” (Young 462). Dylan wrote songs such as “Masters of War,” “The Times They Are a’Changin’, and “Blowin’ in the Wind” that really added fuel to the movement. The “British invasion” included, “the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks, and numerous other British groups changed many things in America” (Orman 6). The Beatles in particular made rock n’ roll turn into a more dynamic term known as “rock.” British groups changed many things in America, and Americans started buying records and wanting to create their own garage bands.

“Three Days of Peace and Music” will forever be iconic throughout history. In 1969, Woodstock became the biggest attended festival yet in America with over half a million people in attendance. Fans, or otherwise known as hippies, crowded in the 600 acre field to hear musicians like Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, The Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and The Who. “The most memorable moment of the concert for many fans was the closing performance by Jimi Hendrix, who gave a rambling, rocking solo guitar performance of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’” (history.com). This festival was a movement in and of itself against the Vietnam war with most of the musicians performing songs showing their opposition to the war and with most of the fans sharing their views. The late 1960’s and early 70’s was the highlight of rock music because of the songs calling out societal flaws and music against the government. After this era, however, what happened to the political statements and movements rock music brought to their listeners?

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, bands like Rage Against the Machine and Green Day wrote politically influenced songs. Rage Against the Machine’s song such as “Killing in the Name,” and “Bulls On Parade” speak against police brutality and governments war agendas. Green Day’s “American Idiot” talks about society mindlessly following media and the government. So, after bands like Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, and even U2 who is still currently making music, then what? Where has the politics and call for action within rock music gone? In an interview with Tom Morello done by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their “Louder than Words: Rock, Power, and Politics” exhibit at the museum in 2016, he says, “100 percent of music is political. Music either supports the status quo or challenges the status quo. So every artist is political” (Rolling Stone). He then goes on to explain what he means by saying, “Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez probably don’t identify as political artists, but their music-while often very entertaining and loved by their fan base- is the bread and circuses of our times… if you’re not questioning authority, you’re tacitly submitting to authority...what you say and what you do matters” (Rolling Stone). Can this be said for today's rock music as well?

It’s commonly known that most pop music today would fall under the category of “submitting to authority” like Morello mentions, but is this true for rock music today as well? When one thinks of rock music, the vision they get in their head is of a group of men wearing leather jackets with tattoos and smoking cigarettes. Why don’t they think of resistance and what the genre was created for? Could it be because the genre is changing? The most popular rock musicians today, according to Billboards charts on “Hot Rock Songs” currently are Imagine Dragons, Bad Wolves, Foster the People, Alice Merton, Panic! At The Disco, Thirty Seconds To Mars featuring Halsey, and Walk The Moon. Later on down the list, we see bands that one might typically associate with rock music more than the bands at the top of chart as I have just mentioned. Those bands include Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Five Finger Death Punch. So why is it that the bands at the top of list could be somewhat controversial to people who identity as rock n’ roll listeners? Those bands are topping the charts of what Billboard considers “Hot Rock Songs” but are they actually rock?

Rock music started as a rebellion genre against the political machine and societal standards, so shouldn’t that be the standard used when determining if a song or artist today is classified as rock? In a Billboard article titled, “Is Rock Still Relevant In 2016?” the author, Carl Wilson, brings up a good point saying that, “consider how the new rock artists of comparable staying power or cultural significance have emerged since that decade’s [early 1990’s] alt-rock surge. Yes, there are well-regarded figures from the indie, emo and metal scenes, but few of them reach far beyond their niches-” (Wilson). In today’s world of music, what’s considered rock has drastically changed since the genre developed way back when. Wilson is suggesting that rock artist have to change their sound based on what’s popular with current society. For instance, Imagine Dragons has a more pop feel to their music. Before the death of Chester Bennington, Linkin Park’s new album had pop singers as featuring artists, but the most new sound of rock music is Twenty One Pilots. Twenty One Pilots bring a whole mixture of genres into one song and provides lyrics for their listeners to really think about. Wilson writes:

The one rock act that has crossed over in 2016: Twenty One Pilots, an electro-acoustic duo that owes as much to hip-hop and dance as to emo-rock forbears such as My Chemical Romance. Its sound is not amps in the garage but ProTools in the bedroom; its mood is sullen introspection rather than youth rebellion. “I care what you think,” goes part of the refrain from the hit “Stressed Out,” an inversion of Rage Against the Machine’s “F— you, I won’t do what you tell me.” Is this the face of new rock? Introspection rather than rebellion?

A few bands are bringing a “come back” for rock and metal music. The band Nothing More released their self titled album with their once drummer, now frontman, Jonny Hawkins singing thought provoking messages in their lyrics. In their song “This Is The Time” Jonny Hawkins powerful vocals calls to society to look closely how their leading their lives full of hate and trying to be better than next person. Also on the album, the songs Christ On Copyright and Mr. MTV call out politics and societal standards. Nothing More’s newest album “The Stories We Tell Ourselves” conveys the political and social agenda they started to tell in their album previously with songs such as “Do You Really Want It,” “Go To War,” and “Let ‘em Burn.”  So, is this the revival rock music needed? In an album review on “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” Quentin Singer writes, “The band really wanted to make a point out of this song [“Let ‘em Burn”], by showcasing their thoughts on how political and social issues are filled with such tremendous dishonesty throughout today’s media” (Singer). Alongside Nothing More, Papa Roach recently came out with an album titled, “Crooked Teeth” with a few songs addressing politics today: “Born For Greatness” and “American Dreams.” Other bands who are bringing a “revival” to rock music would include Rise Against, Green Day, and what was originally Rage Against the Machine with lead singer Zak de la Rocha, but is now Prophets of Rage with a new lead man. So what does this mean? Why don’t more people know about these musicians?

Those who say “rock is dead” clearly don’t pay attention to new music and the messages the artists are trying to say. Do we need more rock artists adding to the rebellion against the political machine or do we need more people opening their ears and waking up from their coma induced state created by “feel good” music? Isn’t this the time to stand up against the political agenda and societal standards more than ever? We are grouped together by our generation, being called “those Millennials” with the roll of an eye just as the hippies were during the time of Woodstock. Should there be another Woodstock?

Is rock music dead? Definitely not. “A disobedient spirit is direly needed to balance out the economic pressures that push both music and media toward a narrow, survival-of-the-fittest emphasis on mega-pop” (Wilson). The “disobedient spirit” Wilson mentions is still alive through bands like Nothing More and Rise Against, but as well as current rap artists like Kendrick Lamar. Rock and metal music may someday not sound the same as it once did because of the ever changing culture and trends, but the “disobedient spirit” it created will always find its way into the lyrics of musicians regardless of genre.

Works Cited

Orman, John M. The Politics of Rock Music. Nelson-Hall, 1986.

Rolling Stone. “Tom Morello: 'All Music Is Political, Even Justin Bieber'.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2016, www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-morello-all-music-is-political-even-justin-bieber-20160520.

Singer, Quentin. “Album Review: Nothing More's The Stories We Tell Ourselves.” The Berklee Groove, 17 Oct. 2017, www.berkleegroove.com/2017/10/10/nothing-more-album-review/.

Street, J. (2001). Rock, pop and politics. Firth S., Straw, W., Street, J. (ed.) The Cambridge

“Top Rock Songs Chart.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/charts/rock-songs.

Wilson, Carl. “Is Rock Still Relevant In 2016?” Billboard, www.billboard.com/articles/events/year-in-music-2016/7616418/rock-relevant-2016.

[maximumbob-universe]

One of the great bands from Britain in the sixties, The Yardbirds stand as one of the most original in the bunch. They were the first of the great guitar groups in rock, with each of their three successive lead men being true visionaries. At the start, they were all about the blues, doing their level best to imitate the sounds of their American idols. Something else was brewing however, and soon the blues riffs became jumping off points for flights of fancy on the electric guitar. The band played the blues for sure, but played them aggressively, amping up the sound and giving the lead guitarist plenty of room to jam. "Five Live Yarbirds", recorded in 1964 shows the band in full flower on stage, knocking out one killer blues after another. Sometimes the energy got the best of lead singer Keith Relf, who sang with passion but was never too impressive as a vocalist. No, the driver of the group was guitarist Eric Clapton, who  was laying down ferocious guitar licks that were impressing everyone on the London music scene. Although dedicated to the blues, the group yearned to find the kind of pop success The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were having. The number that would bring commercial success was the driving "For You Love." The bongo drums and Harpsichord were novel additions, with Relf singing better than ever. The success of the single brought discord in the band, as Clapton left to find a more blues based home with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

The replacement for Clapton was Jeff Beck, who soon proved to be just what the band needed. His fuzz tone lead on their next big hit "Heart of Soul" moved the band into new territory, still based in blues but with an edgy modern sound. One of the manifestations of their desire to stretch out was on the single "Still I'm Sad", based on a Gregorian chant, but was surrounded by Beck's menacing guitar riffs. "Shapes of Things" moved the band into psychedelic territory, as they were experimenting with new lyrical content and eclectic music mixtures. When original bass man Paul Samwell-Smith left the band, they hired Jimmy Page, session man extraordinaire, as his replacement. It was soon evident that Page had much more than bass to contribute, and for a brief few months they had both Beck and Page in the lineup. "Happenings Ten Years Ago" and "Psycho Daisies" were standouts from this period, as The Yardbirds were challenging every band in the rock world to keep up with them. Soon Beck would leave to form his own band, The Jeff Beck Group. With Page leading the way, they moved even more deeply into experimental musical structures, using bowed guitar and electronic loops on their last album "Little Games."

The music was progressive and exciting, but their commercial  fortunes were waning. The band broke up in 1968, although Page formed a group called The New Yardbirds briefly before moving in a new direction with Led Zepplin. Although they passed into history, it's hard to imagine a more influential band in rock history. Psychedelia, hard rock and heavy metal simply wouldn't exist without their influence. Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the Yardbirds place in musical history is secure. For the uninitiated , check out "Five Live Yardbirds,  "Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds", “Over Under Sideways Down”,"Roger the Engineer" or "Little Games" to get up to speed. It will be journey well worth taking. 

[spotlight-report]

Review by Hannah Lewis Dalby

Ol’ black eyes is back and he hopes your nightmares are terrifying..It’s was a big night for music at Sydney’s Olympic Park on Saturday with legends Queen with Adam Lambert in town playing at the ANZ stadium and the Godfather of Shock Rock himself, Alice Cooper across the way at Qudos Bank Arena.

Supported by Detroit royalty MC50 and Aussie rockers Airbourne, if you like rock this was the place to be!

From early doors there were people of all ages everywhere getting a little pre-gig feed. Queen t-shirts, Alice Cooper t-shirts (from tours over the last 30 years) – we know rockers don’t discriminate – everyone was represented from Slayer to Iron Maiden and even the lesser spotted Nickleback in attendance.

The centre of the Qudos was fully seated which was a surprise but there were lots of families passing on the theatre of rock baton from generation to generation. The question was… how long would they stay seated…

“Brothers.. it takes 5 seconds to testify… “MC50 took to the stage, everyone in rock black apart from original MC50 member Wayne Kramer in patriotic red and blue. Let’s have a look at this band. Wayne Kramer has made some calls to some friends and they have got together for a jam. Not your ordinary jam and not your ordinary friends – the result is MC50, bringing together members of Soundgarden, Fugazi, Faith No More and Zen Guerrilla – what a sound and what soul they have celebrating 50 years of MC5’s rebellious rock. Proven when singer Marcus Durant steps up to ask the audience ‘What time is it? It’s time to kick out the jams!! Motherf*#$ers!!!!”

There was short change over and a high pitch scream from someone in the audience as the Airbourne background unceremoniously rolled down. This big band from little Warrnambool, Victoria bring the energy to the party and are an excellent line-up choice.

The set was bouncing as Burnout the Nitro played LOUD with big lights and guitar solos so good that predictably more and more of the audience were on their feet!

Although Airbourne formed in 2003 you would be forgiven for thinking they had been touring with the greats since the 70’s. Joel O’Keeffe (lead singer) jumping off amps, the stage, into the audience to play for a young girl in a wheelchair. Their performance, although original, is also at times a tribute to those that have ‘duck walked’ the path before them. What a warm up!

‘Before Alice Cooper there was not a rock show’ Rob Zombie once said as Cooper was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 and this set was exactly that.. Welcome to Alice Cooper‘s Haunted House….. Mwhahahhahahaha….

A classic Cooper theatrical start as a giant Frankenstein puppet stumbled onto the stage and the 72 year old rocker ran up the Haunted House set to sing ‘Feed my Frankenstein’ to the audience who sang every word back to him.

The leather pants are still tight and the cane is hella swizzling as he tells his story from swashbuckling rock lover to locked up psycho maniac.

Each song is a performance equally supported by his band who are so talented in their own rights. Glen Sobel on drums working those drumsticks like a Sergeant Major, flipping them around like they were attached by bungee cords to his hands, and all the amazing guitarists, Ryan Roxie, Chuck Garric, Tommy Henriksen and the impressive Nita Strauss bringing the right amount of glam and performance to the show.

After a few thousand people sang Poison at the top of their voices the unexpected highlight of the show may have been the giant ‘stay puffed’ baby that busted out of the haunted house and ran across the stage holding the recently guillotined (by his zombie lover) head of Alice Cooper…. yes, you read that right – you had to be there. Although if you’re a fan, you wouldn’t be surprised – maybe even sounds like a low-key night in for this guy…. Finishing up with glitter cannons and giant balloons for ‘Schools Out’, the band then brought out some members of the local Fire Brigade on the stage to thank them for their tireless hard work during the recent bushfires.

Thank you for coming to see us, excellent man!

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"The leather pants are still tight and the cane is hella swizzling as he tells his story from swashbuckling rock lover to locked up psycho maniac" Check our @alicecooper @Hurricanenita @Airbourne @MC50th Live in Sydney 2020 coverage & Photos! Review by Hannah Lewis Dalby Ol’ black eyes is back and he hopes your nightmares are terrifying..It’s was a big night for music at Sydney’s Olympic Park on Saturday with legends…

[blogvinceguadagno-blog]

TheGuitarGuy

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to my 3rd blog post! I hope you guys are thirsty for some knowledge on today’s topic. Last week, we covered a small portion on the acoustic guitar and how the instrument is played using different techniques. Today, we will cover the same material, but with ELECTRIC GUITARS! I’m really excited about this topic, so you will probably notice me rambling on about certain things, but it’s just because I’m so passionate about it! I feel like I could talk about the electric guitar for hours, but I will make it short and sweet. Sound good? Alright, let’s get started!

The electric guitar has shaped music into what it is today. Rock and Roll, Country, Pop, and even Rap include sounds made from all sorts of electric guitars. With today’s technology, you can plug your guitar into a computer, amp, or pedal to create any tune or beat you want. The possibilities are endless! My personal setup is a Fender Stratocaster with a Line 6 Spider 4 amplifier. I also have an MXR classic distortion pedal that helps change the sound of my guitar when playing songs that change tones. An example would be playingLithiumby Nirvana from the introduction to the main chorus. The sound of the guitar changes throughout the song and a distortion pedal is what makes that possible. The amp that I mess around on comes with stock sound effects such as reverb, tap echo, phaser, and tremolo. With these effects and my pedal, I can either play blues music or heavy metal. The gain, drive, and pickup are also important on an electric guitar to figure out the kind of sound you want. It can be overwhelming with all the gadgets the instrument has to offer, but it is mainly trial and error to figure out what works best for you.

Some of my favorite electric guitarists include John Mayer, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and, Jimi Hendrix. They have all crafted a certain style over their professional career that has put them in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Whether it is John soloing over a blues chordor Jimmy Page tuning his guitar down to DADGAD to preform Kashmir, they have both mastered the art of the electric guitar and have found what works best for them. The cool thing about the electric guitar is tapping. Tapping is when you hit the string with only your finger in a fret. Tapping sections in songs are usually more fast paced. A lot of rock bands like Van Halen have tapping sections in their songs. I will post a link above of Eddie Van Halen shredding the guitar on Eruption. Another legend is Jimi Hendrix who is known for his iconic performance during Woodstock. He played The Star Spangled Banneron the guitar which melted everyone’s heads off with his grungy style of play. He inspired me as a lefty to pick up the guitar and find a way to play because he learned the guitar upside down on a right-handed guitar. I decided to take the right-handed guitar I had and string it lefty because I couldn’t afford a new guitar. This just comes to show that if you are passionate about something, you’ll find a way to do it. Get inspired and pursue those dreams of yours!

[mellowcollectordeerblog-blog]

The High Price Of Japanese Acoustic Guitars

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