From rock n’ roll godmother Sister Rosetta Tharpe to grunge singer Tina Bell, there have always been Black rock music artists. Pop-punk and alternative rock are no different. To celebrate Black History Month and the kickass contributions of Black rock artists, here are 10 Black pop-punk and alt-rock artists you should listen to year-round. Fefe Dobson The Canadian pop-punk singer Fefe Dobson released her self-titled debut album in 2003, which spawned hits that included “Take Me Away,” “Bye Bye Boyfriend,” and “Everything.” She would follow that album with 2006’s Sunday Love and 2010’s Joy. The latter was especially notable for… Read more »
Today at noon, the popular modern rock station WHFS 99.1, founded in the 1960s and owned by Infinity Broadcasting, was reformatted to become “El Zol.” The new station features salsa, merengue, bacchata, Caribbean and Central American dance music in a Spanish-language format. “This is the first top 10 market that we’ve done this in,” said Karen Mateo, director of communications at Infinity. “We’re looking to expand into this marketplace and this is the first station that we’ve done this with.” El Zol is targeted at the growing population of Spanish-speaking residents in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, almost 10 percent… Read more »
As the music world mourns the death of Johnny Cash-who passed away on the morning of Friday (September 12), at the age of 71-artists from every genre of music are paying their respects to the legendary Man In Black. Guitarist Danny Lohner, who has played with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, shared his thoughts with LAUNCH on Cash’s recent cover of the Nine Inch Nails tune “Hurt.” “Johnny Cash’s version blew me away,” Lohner said. “He has such a great character voice…that video is so moving and so well done, and with his wife watching him as he… Read more »
Indie darling beabadoobee has unleashed her alluring new single “Take A Bite,” which will appear on her freshly announced, forthcoming new album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, arriving via Dirty Hit on August 16. “It’s me feeling introspective about my thoughts and unhealthy way of living,” beabadoobee shares about “Take A Bite.” “It’s finding comfort in a familiar place—finding comfort in chaos because that’s what I know. So, I bring it into every aspect of my life, especially with relationships. And it’s just tapping into this part of my brain where I just jump straight to the most negative, most… Read more »
Ahead of the release of their self-titled album, which arrives on June 14 via Pure Noise Records, The Early November is offering another taste of the LP with a new single, “Tired Of Lying.” The duo also previously shared their tarot-themed track “The Fool” and the March-released “What We Earn.” “This song is about overcoming childhood trauma and demons while at the same time learning about and trying to face your new ones. The vicious cycle many of us sadly find ourselves in,” vocalist Ace Enders says. The band shares the new yearning, bittersweet, modern alt-rock track with a unique POV music video.… Read more »
WILLOW has announced her upcoming album, empathogen. The follow-up to her previous alt-rock release, <COPINGMECHANISM>, is due out on May 3. Fans get an idea of her new sound with her second song off of the upcoming LP, “b i g f e e l i n g s.” The track maneuvers the singer-songwriter into a new field, teetering on the alternative sphere. Beginning with old-timey piano keys to introduce the single before soft yet powerful vocals from WILLOW kick off the song, there’s a clear difference in style. That isn’t bad at all; there’s a variety of influences sprinkled… Read more »
Fresh off of the second leg of the So Much For (Tour) Dust run, Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley heads to the late-night TV circuit. Well, kinda. He’s joining Late Night With Seth Meyers’ 8G Band this week. He’ll play through each segment led by comedian Fred Armisen. The announcement came via Instagram yesterday, April 8. The post boasted an action shot of Hurley ripping on the drums and detailing that he’ll be joining the late-night band for the rest of the week. In the comments, fans showcased their excitement. One user, alrxnoel wrote, “GREATEST DRUMMER OF ALL TIME,”… Read more »
Hey Violet are celebrating the end of International Women’s Month by channeling an unapologetic appreciation and love for female-identifying artists. Fresh off the release of their latest single, “Uncomplicated,” via Hopeless Records earlier this year, Hey Violet’s leading duo, sisters Nia and Rena Lovelis are poised to close out the month by spotlighting six influential female artists who have left a lasting mark on their journey as women and musicians. Drawing inspiration from a diverse spectrum of musical talent, the band pays homage to the raw emotion of alt-rock icon Alanis Morissette while honoring the poetic rebellion of Patti Smith.… Read more »
Spotify is chock-full of good alternative playlists, ranging from The New Alt and ALT NOW all the way to Feel-Good Indie Rock and Walk Like Badass. Now, the streaming platform is introducing a new rock playlist entitled MARROW. Showing off how “rock never dies,” Spotify has unleashed an entire trailer with big industry names to showcase the new playlist. You can see cameos from The Beaches, Destroy Boys, and KennyHoopla, all of which appear on the playlist. The trailer takes place in a police station as detectives try to find “the killer” of rock, but come up empty-handed, obviously. Rock… Read more »
Scottish punks Cold Years challenge authority in their new song, “CHOKE.” The track is off of their upcoming album, A Different Life, which drops on April 26. The single is melodically driven with essences mixed in that capture anyone who’s a fan of the alt-rock scene. Even on a different continent, Cold Years writes engaging lyrics that transcend those boundaries while being introspective in challenging the status quo. Not only does frontman Ross Gordon’s vocals resonate in line with Green Day’s lead, Billie Joe Armstrong, but he uniquely stands within his own sonic realm. Similarly, the variety of elements of… Read more »
