After the Kinks tapped into American music on 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies, they continued to take inspiration from across the pond on its 11th album, Everybody’s in Show-Biz. The LP was a direct product of the group being on the road and, specifically, allowed to tour in the U.S. again after being banned by the American Federation of Musicians during the mid ’60s. […]
Once the near four-year slog to complete Hysteria reached its end in early 1987, Def Leppard didn’t have much time to relax. They were instead confronted with a new challenge that was almost as big as the recording of the album turned out to be: turning a profit. “We were in really serious debt, like $5 million […]
Dedicated fans will go to great lengths to meet their favorite rock stars, staking out hotels, restaurants and backstage doorways to catch a glimpse. A group of teenage girls took things even further on Aug. 25, 1965, when they rented a helicopter to get close to the Beatles. The band was in Los Angeles to […]
Michael Monroe has been a consummate workaholic ever since his early days fronting Finnish glam-punk band Hanoi Rocks as a fresh-faced twentysomething. The singer launched a solo career in the mid-’80s and subsequently collaborated with several rock ‘n’ roll heavy hitters, including Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens and E Street Band alum Steven Van Zandt. The latter produced […]
Matt Sorum said Velvet Revolver started by taking a lesson from Aerosmith, and he expressed regret that the Guns N’ Roses offshoot wasn’t able to stick to their agreement. Formed in 2002 by Sorum, Slash and Duff McKagan, and featuring singer Scott Weiland, the supergroup secured acclaim quickly but wasn’t able to maintain it. “When we all got […]
Canada-based animator Gerald Potterton – known in the rock world for his work on the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine movie and the 1981 cult classic Heavy Metal – has died at the age of 91. The National Film Board of Canada announced that he died in a Quebec hospital, saying in a statement, “Gerald came to Canada […]
Neal Schon appeared on America’s Got Talent Wednesday night and performed the Journey classic “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The guitarist played the song alongside the 2019 winner of America’s Got Talent, pianist and singer Kodi Lee, and singer Teddy Swims. You can watch their performance below. Schon recently recalled the experience of crafting “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which appeared on 1981’s Escape. “Jonathan [Cain] wrote the lyrics ‘don’t stop believin” with […]
Demi Lovato guitarist Nita Strauss said there are no hard feelings between her and former employer Alice Cooper, and she hasn’t ruled out a return to the shock-rocker’s band. “It’s an interesting thing that everyone’s picked up saying it’s a ‘departure’ but I don’t feel, necessarily, that I left,” Strauss told Louder. “I took a step back and […]
A lot has changed since Saturday Night Live’s first episode aired on Oct. 11, 1975. For one thing, the show was then called NBC’s Saturday Night since sports broadcaster Howard Cosell, of all people, had snapped up producer Lorne Michaels’ first choice of name for his mercifully short-lived comedy-variety show on ABC, Howard Cosell’s Saturday […]
The Fixx‘s Shuttered Room was a slow burn to success. The 1982 album included songs like “Stand or Fall” and “Red Skies,” which are now fan favorites and staples of the band’s live set. But MCA Records, the group’s label at the time, didn’t quite know what to make of their latest signing. The band refused to get […]