Search Results for: Rock am Ring

As far as explanatory statements from musicians go, this one by Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen about his band’s new album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, sort of takes the cake for general awesomeness: “We had already come up with the title of the album, so I decided to write some lyrics about John Wilkes Booth. I hope people don’t think it’s a concept record about Abraham Lincoln or anything like that.” Gee, why would anyone think that? After all, there are tons of albums out there that nick their title from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (“Four score and seven… Read more »

In the career path of a rock star, playing in a cover band typically comes near the beginning, somewhere between discovering your parents’ vinyl and winning a battle of the bands at the county fair. Lately, however, some rock stars have been forming ironically named cover bands after making it big. In fact, what used to be considered somewhat lame has suddenly become chic, with Dave Navarro’s Camp Freddy leading the way. “Everyone’s jumpin’ that train, man,” said Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose cover band Chevy Metal has been playing around Los Angeles for five years. So why the… Read more »

As 2006 comes to an end, Angels & Airwaves are looking back with a strong sense of pride. (We know, big surprise!) “I think we’ve all made the record of our lives,” singer and resident hype machine Tom DeLonge said, referring to We Don’t Need to Whisper . “It’s been a super-spiritual year for our band and for us personally, and I think we’ve offered something extremely imaginative and futuristic to rock and roll. I also think that I’ve become a good dancer along the way.” “Yeah, and you’ve also perfected the art of making the di– jokes seem really… Read more »

The upcoming closure of New York’s famed punk-rock club CBGB is lamented by locals as the loss of a legendary venue; for others it symbolizes another Manhattan neighborhood becoming corporate and bland. Standing underneath the club’s red awning on Thursday evening, several young musicians smoked cigarettes and bemoaned the loss of the dank, grimy club that began in 1973 and will have its last show on Sunday, featuring Patti Smith. The venue — its full name is CBGB & OMFUG, or Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers — spawned the Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie, whose lead… Read more »

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Grammy-winning singer and guitarist Jack White of the rock duo White Stripes married British model Karen Elson this week in a canoe in the Brazilian Amazon, according to a message on the band’s Web site. The marriage, conducted by a shaman priest, took place on Wednesday at the confluence of the Amazon, Negro and Solimoes rivers with a group of close friends attending, the site reported. The band’s drummer, Meg White, was maid of honor, and manager Ian Montone was best man. The couple were later blessed by a Catholic priest in a church in the… Read more »

Scottsdale, Az – Consumer electronics pioneer GoVideo is taking the show on the road, going out on tour this month with rock artists Simple Plan and Good Charlotte, in association with Plastic Cash International’s new MYplash pre-paid Debit MasterCard campaign. GoVideo will serve as one of the concert tour’s key promotional partners, providing product giveaways on radio stations in local markets and conducting on-site sweepstakes at each tour event, where ticket holders have a chance to win complete entertainment packages loaded with an assortment of cutting-edge audio and video products from GoVideo. GoVideo’s new D2740 Wireless Media Receiver plusDVD Player,… Read more »

Modern-rock promotion finds itself at a crossroads as a growing number of terrestrial radio broadcasters tune out the ratings-challenged format. Record companies are attempting to adapt to modern rock’s recent marginalization on the airwaves in major markets like Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. by emphasizing other options for building buzz. In lieu of airplay, touring, blogs, ringtones, downloads, Internet and satellite radio, videogame tie-ins, alliances with brand marketers, film and TV exposure, sponsorships and placements in commercials all are growing in value. The marketing strategies for a number of big-name rock artists with current or upcoming releases show… Read more »

Some of the greatest hard-rock bands in history have thoroughly awesome – and thoroughly undead – mascots. Iron Maiden have toothy demon Eddie. Megadeth have a similarly toothy yet blind demon named Vic Rattlehead. And Motörhead unleash yet another toothy, snarling hellion: a bulldog/gorilla named Snaggletooth. So you can’t blame My Chemical Romance for wanting to get in on the act. By now, you’ve probably seen the video for “Helena,” in which MCR play pallbearers at a funeral for a young girl who just happens to rise from her casket about halfway through the clip to bust into a ballerina… Read more »

Used record bins are flooded with albums from swaggering British lads whose bands have conquered England and have their eyes set on cracking the States. Not too many of them can claim to have their music used in two of the most popular TV shows in the country before most Americans have ever heard of them, though. The vaguely scary, beat-crazy sound you might have heard on recent episodes of “Desperate Housewives” and “CSI: Miami” comes courtesy of Kasabian, currently infecting American ears with the intense marriage of druggy beats and massive guitar riffs from their self-titled debut. “We’re going… Read more »

Reed Richards – a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, frontman for the Marvel Comics supergroup the Fantastic Four – was the son of a wealthy physicist and grew up to become an aeronautical engineer, the captain of a starship and, um, elastic, thanks to cosmic rays. Things were a little different for Taking Back Sunday frontman Adam Lazzara. He grew up in North Carolina. But when Activision, the makers of the upcoming “Fantastic Four” video game (based on the surefire summer blockbuster of the same name), came calling with an offer to feature a new TBS song in the game, there was no… Read more »