Search Results for: alt-rock

Listeners tuning in to Chicago alternative rock station WKQX (Q101) on August 9 heard a catchy, guitar-driven track called “The Great Divide,” followed by an announcement that the song was produced by a “mystery artist.” It quickly became the most-requested song on the station and was put into power rotation by the programming department. After three weeks of speculation, a DJ finally revealed the secret: The band behind the alt-rock hit was none other than Hanson, a trio of brothers best known for their pop-rock song “MMMBop,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1997. Q101 program… Read more »

Some of the world’s biggest names in music were all about Saving Our Selves this weekend. SOS, of course, referring to the campaign being touted Saturday across the globe at the seven-continent, 24-hour Live Earth concert extravaganza, a worldwide shout-out to individuals, political leaders, corporations and every other entity capable of helping put a stop to the environmental scourge that is global warming. In a partnership with Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection and other U.S.-based and international organizations, Live 8 executive producer Kevin Wall put together a bill that included the Police, Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica,… Read more »

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame swung open its doors Monday night to the latest batch of acts ticketed for music immortality, with the Georgia alt-rock icons and the dysfunctional Pasadena party band leading the way. They were joined by ’70s punk pioneer Patti Smith, ’60s girl group the Ronettes and the first hip-hop act to crash the party, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The 22nd annual induction ceremony–which per tradition was held at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel–felt like an I Love the ’80 special, thanks to its two biggest inductees. R.E.M. received a warm introduction… Read more »

Back in the dark ages of May 2004, most people could only dream of having a personal radio show and beaming their thoughts out to thousands of people across the globe. Now, if you want to tell the world how you feel, all you need is a little piece of software, a microphone and something to say and you’re an instant international DJ. Thanks to the hot medium called “podcasting,” thousands of budding radio personalities are spouting off on everything from music and movies to technology, pagan spells, food, fishing, art, beer and the local farm report. Podcasting – a… Read more »

Washington – The Donnas admit they once stole something from a Christmas food drive collection, but it really was in the spirit of the season – and probably saved someone from certain illness. “It was like this stuff called Fluff, which is the same as marshmallow creme, which is in the jar,” bassist Maya Ford told AP Radio in a recent interview. “It’s really old-fashioned.” “But this one was from, like, the ’60s,” added guitarist Allison Robertson. Best known for their hit “Take It Off,” the alt-rockers said the taking occurred during a Christmas charity concert at which they performed.… Read more »

New York – The Pixies wrapped their reunion tour Saturday with two shows at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, capping a trek that lasted nearly eight months and saw them play to sold-out audiences across the world. While it’s unclear if the influential alt-rock band plans to attempt a follow-up to its last studio album, 1991’s “Trompe le Monde,” which came out a year before it went on hiatus, there is new product on the way. A film crew followed the tour throughout the year for a documentary DVD. A separate DVD is also in the works culling on-stage footage. “I… Read more »

Hoobastank’s lead singer, Doug Robb, has a pretty good reason why he is canceling the remainder of the band’s December tour: pneumonia. The band’s label announced Robb is still ill with bronchial pneumonia Thursday, though the condition is not said to be serious. Robb’s management insists that the singer is on his way to a full recovery, despite a trip to the hospital over the weekend. He is expected to take the rest of the month off in order to recuperate at his home in Los Angeles. Some of the shows affected by the alt-rock singer’s illness include KROQ’s annual… Read more »

Record labels are embracing new technologies in search of music’s next big thing Joe Berman looks for new bands. Typically, that means hanging out in dive bars, enduring hours of unlistenable music by groups whose rock-and-roll dreams far exceed their talent, praying for the occasional act that shows promise. About 16 months ago, however, the Los Angeles-based talent-finder sat at home scouting the globe for groups. He typed “New Zealand indie rock bands” into his computer search engine and found Steriogram, five lads from the town of Whangarei in New Zealand. They had a song and a video posted on… Read more »

Having his solo debut tank might have been the best thing for Butch Walker’s career. Not too many people bought 2002’s Left of Self-Centered – the album sold barely 20,000 copies, according to SoundScan – but many of those who did adored the smart riff-rock from the guy who used to front the late-’90s power trio Marvelous 3. Not only did Walker sing and play all the instruments except drums, he also produced, mixed and engineered the LP. Such versatile qualities appealed to a lot of people, not least of whom was Avril Lavigne. “Obviously, it was a very unpopular… Read more »

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know – we all want to change the world. Except for Chris Colus. He’s the drummer for a reggae-roots-rock band, freshly signed to a major record label, and he’s trying to explain that band’s name, which is O.A.R. – Of A Revolution. “There’s no political motive,” the 25-year-old Rockville, MD native insists. “This is the music we’ve wanted to play, the music we wanted to hear – that’s a revolution for ourselves and our fans.” The “Of A Revolution” name actually comes from “The Wanderer,” a short story singer-guitarist Marc Roberge wrote… Read more »