Search Results for: Rock Fest

For nearly a decade now, Tom Gabel has made a career of pissing people off. He played shows in Laundromats as a one-man acoustic act known as Against Me! before forming a full band (adding electric guitars = selling out!). He leapt from indie No Idea Records to equally indie Fat Wreck Chords (changing labels = selling out!), tinkered with Against Me!’s sound on 2003’s As the Eternal Cowboy (production = selling out!) and finally decided to sign with a major label in late 2005 (major label = selling out!). Whatever the situation, it seems he’s always derived some sort… Read more »

The Smashing Pumpkins have been gone for seven years, but they’ve got a much-anticipated new album called Zeitgeist due in about two months. So what better time to pay tribute to Billy Corgan and company than … well, right now? That’s the thinking behind an upcoming Pumpkins tribute project, spearheaded by MySpace and featuring acts like Panic! at the Disco, 30 Seconds to Mars, (+44) and the Academy Is … taking cracks at their favorite SP tracks. According to a source at MySpace, the project (currently known as, uh, “The MySpace Smashing Pumpkins Tribute Project”) will launch on May 14,… Read more »

The one thing fans will immediately notice about Ozzy Osbourne’s forthcoming LP Black Rain is that it’s drenched in some of the heaviest riffage to grace one of the Prince of Darkness’ solo outings – thanks, in large part, to Ozzy’s longtime guitarist, the Jack Daniel’s-chugging Zakk Wylde. According to Osbourne, there were times during the tracking of the album when he wondered whether the songs were too abrasive. But you see, Ozzy’s got this personal rule about making music. “If you’re heavy, don’t try to be f—ing light,” he explained. Wise words from a man whose stamp on the… Read more »

Rage Against The Machine played its first show in seven years last night (April 29) to close the 2007 edition of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. The foursome tore into staples like “Testify,” “Bulls on Parade,” “People of the Sun” and “Guerrilla Radio” to one of the largest main stage crowds in the event’s history. Guitarist Tom Morello was in particularly blazing form on “Know Your Enemy,” and the band grooved in lockstep throughout, as if no time had passed since it was last active. Rage has thus far only scheduled four other shows in… Read more »

Before the tour van and the record deal, before the girls begging for autographs, they were middle school mall rats who made a terrible racket practicing in their parents’ homes.

After launching a brand partnership to support non-commercial radio at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and Urban Outfitters (URBN) announced some of the 13 bands who will make the upcoming “Free Yr Radio” Tour. “Free Yr Radio” is a series of free, in-store performances by some of the biggest indie music names at Urban Outfitters locations across the country. The tour, part of the multi-phased “Free Yr Radio” campaign that will channel much-needed funding to participating independent radio stations, kicks off April 15th at the Chicago Urban Outfitters with a… Read more »

Iggy Pop marked his 60th birthday on Saturday just like any other respectable senior citizen would. The eerily athletic “Godfather of Punk” stripped down to a tight pair of blue jeans and dived off the stage into the arms of his adoring fans during a concert in San Francisco with his reunited band the Stooges. Towards the end of the 80-minute show, the crowd at the Warfield theater sang along as his bandmates struck up “Happy Birthday,” and Pop was surprised as balloons bearing his image dropped from the ceiling. A fan also handed him a white T-shirt inscribed “Birthday… Read more »

What happens when you mix martial arts fighter, actor, and vocalist Johnny Strong with Puddle of Mudd’s guitarist Paul Philips? You get part of the most explosive and electrifying rock act touring today. Joining Paul Philips and Johnny Stong is Ricky Thomas on guitar, Wade Carpenter on bass, and Dave Moreno on drums. Collectively, these true rock music fans, create an ear bleed sure to please the most anal of rock connoisseurs. The Internet continues to be the driving force that makes or breaks new artists, and Operator is no exception. Operator’s major label debut on Atlantic Records comes after… Read more »

Sum 41’s fourth album, “Underclass Hero,” has been set for a July 24 release via Island. The title track will serve as the first single and will be serviced May 15 to U.S. rock radio outlets. Another song, “March of the Dogs,” is available starting today (April 17) via iTunes. The group, which is now a trio consisting of vocalist/guitarist Deryck Whibley, bassist Cone McCaslin and drummer Steve Jocz, has a handful of live dates on its spring and summer schedule, beginning May 4 at Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival. Sum 41 will also play five shows on the Vans… Read more »

Sensing a revolution in the way Internet traffic is managed, rock musicians find themselves in the unusual position of defending the status quo. Independent, lesser-known musicians and smaller record labels launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to support the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, which they said is under fire from providers who want to charge a fee to have some Web sites load faster than others. The Rock the Net campaign, made up mostly of musicians who are on smaller record labels or none at all, said they’re fearful that if the so-called “Net neutrality” principle… Read more »