A record that began with a message to the kids about control (“Drive”) ends with a song suggesting that we’re all powerless in the face of mortality. Time doesn’t stop. “The ocean is the river’s goal.” The only thing that’s truly “automatic for the people” is that every one of us has an end date. […]
As many songwriters can attest, some of the best musical inspiration comes simply from the immediate world they see around them. At some point then, things are bound to get a bit meta. This is especially true when artists bump up against some of the harsh realities of the record-making business: labels that refuse to […]
Jane’s Addiction stormed Dallas’ American Airlines Center on Sunday night during the opening stop of their Spirits on Fire Tour in support of the Smashing Pumpkins, barreling through an 11-song, hourlong set with the charisma and ferocity of headliners. Decked out in matching, acid-washed black vest and pants, Perry Farrell sauntered on stage with a […]
Nearly 60 years ago, on April 12, 1963, Bob Dylan made his debut at the Town Hall in New York City, a historic venue in Manhattan’s Theater District that first opened its doors in 1921. It was his first large-scale concert. Dylan’s set that evening included several songs from his then-unreleased second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan — […]
By 1982, no one was pining for a reunion between Genesis and former frontman Peter Gabriel – excluding the most hardcore prog fans. This was especially for the band itself. Genesis had bloomed into a bankable chart act since Gabriel’s exit in 1975: They’d released two straight No. 1 LPs in their native U.K., including the […]
Stevie Nicks and Eddie Vedder joined forces Friday night to perform Nicks’ Tom Petty collaboration “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” during her headlining performance at Vedder’s Ohana Festival. You can see video of the performance below. More than 40 years after its release, the story of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” has been well documented. Producer […]
Jane’s Addiction emerged from Los Angeles in 1985. The group was founded by eccentric frontman Perry Farrell, who never made a secret of his desire for rock stardom. “I used to look into the mirror and imitate Mick Jagger and David Bowie. But I knew that I could really sing too,” Farrell explained to The […]
Cheers premiered on Sept. 30, 1982, to little notice. NBC’s newest sitcom, created by director James Burrows and writer/producer brothers Glen and Les Charles, would go on to become one of the most successful and beloved TV comedies ever, but the ensemble series about the down but never quite out denizens of a subterranean sports […]
R.E.M. began crafting their follow-up to Out of Time, just as the album was becoming a multi-platinum blockbuster in the spring and summer of 1991. They wanted to do something totally different, from a musical vantage point. Where their seventh full-length studio release had been delicate (mandolins), pastoral (string sections) and often cheery (“Shiny Happy […]
On paper, Alice in Chains had every reason to be a happy band when it began working on its sophomore full-length album. The Seattle quartet had become one of rock’s hottest newcomers with its 1990 debut, Facelift. The slow-building set spawned a Grammy Award-nominated hit single in “Man in the Box,” was the first from […]