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Tag: rock

  • Oderus Urungus Receives Fitting Viking Tribute

    On March 22, 2014, GWAR front-man David Brockie, better known as Oderus Urungus, was found dead in his Virginia home due to an accidental overdose on heroin. Upon hearing of his passing, Lamb of God singer Randall Blythe stated, “When someone dies, a lot of the time people will say “Oh, he was a unique person, really one of a kind, a true original”- most of these people no idea of what they are talking about- they obviously had never met Dave. Dave TRULY WAS ONE OF A KIND – I can’t think of ANYONE even remotely like him. That’s VERY HARD TO SAY.” At the annual GWAR-B-Q in Richmond, Va this Friday, Blythe was able to share his views on Oderus Urungus once again as the band paid tribute to its former lead singer in the only acceptable fashion – a Viking funeral.

    The band originally said goodbye to Brockie in a private April Fool’s Day ceremony. Afterwards, however, friends realized that Brockie’s alter-ego, Oderus Urungus, had yet to receive a fitting tribute. That’s when the band launched the plan to send Urungus off in a blaze of glory at this year’s GWAR-B-Q.

    And, much like last time, the band chose Lamb of God front-man Randall Blythe to deliver Urungus’s funeral oration, who rightfully pointed out that “Dave is the only motherf**ker I know who has to get put away twice. He’s too big for one f**king funeral.” Blythe shared his words with GWAR fans in an Instagram post shortly following the ceremony:

    Tonight we sent Oderus home in a fitting manner at the public memorial for Dave Brockie. A blazing Viking ship with Oderus laid out in it, the cuttlefish pointing proudly straight up. Watching my friend Dave’s costume go up in flames in front of a thousand fans was so much more intense for me than the private memorial for friends & family we had April Fool’s Day. I spoke at both of them, as GWAR asked me to, & both times as I spoke I was sad. But watching his alter-ego burn tore me up way more than the first memorial, maybe because there was Dave, the human who was my friend who just “left us”- I never saw his body- & then there was Oderus, who was something entirely else. To watch his stage gear burn was like watching part of my life literally go up in flames. I was sobbing my eyes out as I took this photo. It was just a super-intense moment. Very beautiful, but overwhelming. Fly free, Oderus- you are missed.

    According to the band, GWAR is composed of intergalactic warriors who have made it their mission to destroy any living thing that comes across their path. Unfortunately, the warriors were relegated to waste away on the worst planet in the universe, Earth, because of their rebellious acts and unnecessary violence. Oderus Urungus, the leader of said group of warriors, was constructed 43 billion years ago on the planet Scumdogia after all of his moldy, scattered body-parts were brought back together. Urungus’s defining characteristics were his sword, called Unt Lick, and a cuttlefish over his groin.

    After Brockie’s death at the young age of 50, GWAR decided to set-up the David Brockie Fund to help assist aspiring artists who have dedicated their lives to the propagation of music and the arts around the world.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kurt Cobain: Courtney Love Says He Was ‘Desperate’ For Fame

    National Geographic has an upcoming miniseries that focuses on the Nineties entitled The ‘90s: The Last Great Decade? In the series, they tackled the rise of Nirvana. Footage from the band’s early days up to their rise to stardom was added to the miniseries.

    On one of the clips, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain said, “I’m too stubborn to allow myself to ever compromise our music or turn us into big rock stars. I just don’t feel like that,” he said. Courtney Love, however, says otherwise.

    Love said that Cobain wanted fame so bad that he wrote to music companies and asked if Nirvana could be on their label. “He was desperate to be the biggest rock star in the world. But he made it look like it was thrust upon him,” Love said.

    Nirvana was formed in 1987 and became part of the grunge scene. The band gained fame for their song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which was part of their second album Nevermind.

    In the clip, both Cobain and Love also share their feelings towards being chased by the paparazzi, and they also explained why they did not go after Lynn Hirschberg for writing an article in Vanity Fair in 1992, wherein she accused Love of shooting heroin while she was pregnant with her daughter.

    In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Love also said that she is still mad at Cobain for killing himself and leaving them. “Mad? Ya think?! If he came back right now I’d have to kill him, for what he did to us. I’d fu***ng kill him. I’d f**k him, and then I’d kill him,” she said.

    Courtney Love reads her husband’s suicide note

    Aside from Nirvana, the miniseries will also focus on other 90’s subjects such as the Macarena, Jerry Springer, The Real World, and Bill Clinton’s Presidency. The miniseries will premiere on Sunday July 6, and will run three nights.

    ‘The ‘90s: The Last Great Decade?’

    Image via YouTube

  • Chrissie Hynde, of The Pretenders Fame, Goes Solo

    Next Tuesday, Chrissie Hynde, formerly of The Pretenders, will release her first solo album of her career, entitled “Stockholm”. And while Hynde’s name may be the only one on the front cover, this album was definitely not composed solo.

    “It’s a goddam awful phrase [solo album]. I never wanted to be solo, and I said a thousand times I never would, so it gives me a cold chill to see my name out there on its own,” opined Hynde.

    Despite her personal opinion on going solo, that is exactly what Hynde has decided to do after nearly 30 years of work with The Pretenders.

    Hynde’s musical journey first started in 1973 after she decided to move to England to work for the weekly music magazine, NME. While working her supposed dream job, Hynde began playing with all sorts of rock bands across London, the most notable being The Clash and The Damned. It wasn’t long before one of Hynde’s albums caught the attention of a music producer, and thus The Pretenders were formed.

    The success of the initial band was in question almost immediately, though, as two of the band’s original members succumbed to drug overdoses in the early ’80’s. Not letting anything prevent her from achieving her dreams, Hynde continued The Pretenders by populating the band with multiple different members and pieces over the years, constantly adapting to her changing circumstances.

    “Stockholm” is a continuation of this evolving and adapting model.

    To produce said album, Hynde partnered with Bjorn Yttling, formerly of the band Peter, Bjorn, and John. Surprisingly, Hynde had no idea who Bjorn was before she decided to work with him on this album.

    “I didn’t know the guy. I didn’t know what band he was in. My attitude is: You never know until you try it. But I’m never going to go through someone’s back catalog. I met him for a coffee and when I had some time I went to Stockholm.”

    Hynde took the same blank-slate approach toward composing the songs for her new album: “I had made a conscious decision to go in empty. I’ve never written a song out of a notebook. I’ve filled hundreds and I’ve never used any of them.” Hynde went on to explain that Bjorn “played me a few bars or a riff or a top-line melody and then I went crazy.”

    Part of Hynde’s going crazy involved inviting two of her more famous friends to collaborate on the album with her – tennis great John McEnroe and music legend Neil Young.

    “By the time we were recording it, I’d grown to really like messing with Bjorn, so I thought I’d just ring Neil and ask if he’d play on it. I know him, but it’s not something I’d normally do. You know, you don’t call God and ask him for a favour.”

    While Hynde would love to do a tour to support her new album release, she has enough experience to realize her limitations: “Who’s going to want to see a vintage artist play 45 minutes of new material?”

    Considering the mixed reviews Hynde’s album is receiving, she is perhaps more wise than she knows.

    One can purchase one’s own copy of “Stockholm” when it hits shelves next Tuesday, June 9th.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo-M48rEDEs

    Image via YouTube

  • Linda Wallem And Melissa Etheridge Marry In California

    Melissa Etheridge, rock singer-songwriter and activist, married her partner of four years Linda Wallem in California on Saturday. The ceremony was held at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito.

    Etheridge was excited about her wedding and even tweeted before the ceremony and said, “A gorgeous, perfect, beautiful day to get married.”

    Etheridge and Wallem, both 53, exchanged vows under an arbor decorated with purple and red flowers. Etheridge wore a gray suit and had her hair down, while Wallem donned a sparkly white dress. Witnesses to the union included Whitney Cummings, Chelsea Handler, Peter Facinelli, and Rosie O’Donnell.

    After the wedding, Etheridge tweeted a photo with the caption, “True love… so blessed. ‘By the power invested in me by the state of California…’ Thanks.”

    Wallem is a producer and writer who created Nurse Jackie. She also worked on other notable shows, such as Cybill, That 70’s Show, and Whitney.

    The two got engaged in 2013, a little after the US Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. When the news was announced, Etheridge said that she was looking forward to marrying her fiancée. “I’m going to get married in the state of California, I woke the kids up this morning telling them the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA… I love everybody out there. It’s a great day,” she said then.

    Etheridge came out in 1993 at the Triangle Ball gay celebration. She has been a gay rights activist since then, and also shows her support for several environmental issues. Just last January, she formed Uprising of Love, in order to support Russian LGBT activists.

    Etheridge and Wallem started dating in 2010. Etheridge has 7-year-old twins with her ex Tammy Lynn Michaels, and she also has a son and a daughter from her previous relationship with Julie Cypher.

    Etheridge will be releasing a new solo album in September.

    Image via YouTube

  • Dave Brockie Of GWAR Found Dead In Richmond Home

    Founder and lead vocalist of the thrash metal band GWAR, Dave Brockie, was found dead in his Richmond home on Sunday.

    According to Dionne Waugh of the Richmond Police, the authorities were called to Brockie’s residence at around 6:53 p.m. for a reported death. The authorities discovered the lifeless body of 50-year-old Brockie when they arrived at the scene.

    Detectives do not suspect any foul play, and the official cause of death is soon to be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

    GWAR’s manager, Jack Flanagan, has issued a statement saying that more information surrounding Brockie’s death will be released as soon as details have been confirmed. He also said that his focus is to look after Brockie’s family and the rest of the band.

    GWAR was formed in 1984 in Richmond, Virginia. The band is known for their heavy music and theatrical performances. Each band member has his own persona and alias, as well as out-of-this-world costume.

    The band just came back from shows in Japan to celebrate their 30th anniversary in the music business. They also released their 13th studio album just last year.

    Mike Bishop, the former bassist for the band, says that Brockie was one of the smartest and funniest guys that he has ever known. “He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics, and art.”

    Brockie, who was known as Oderus Urungus, was the only GWAR character who has ever existed in every incarnation of the band. He started out as the band’s guitarist, then moved on to playing the bass, and eventually ended up being the band’s vocalist. He also contributed to the Fox News Channel as Oderus Urungus.

    Oderus Urungus on Fox News

    The death of Brockie came three years after the death of their guitarist Cory Smoot. Smoot died due to a heart attack that he had while they were on their 2011 tour.

    GWAR rocks the show

    Image via YouTube

  • Christine McVie: The Rumors Are True, She’s Back With Fleetwood Mac

    The rumors are true after all. Keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie is back with Fleetwood Mac, after being in retirement for 16 years.

    A statement released by the band’s publicist via its website says, “McVie has indeed re-joined Fleetwood Mac and we are hoping to make an announcement about a possible tour for the full tilt Macsters some time in 2014.”

    The 70-year-old artist is an English rock singer, a songwriter and keyboardist who garnered fame as a member of the band Fleetwood Mac.  McVie can be heard on seven songs on Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits album. Some of those songs include “Everywhere”, “Little Lies”, “Don’t Stop” and “You Make Loving Fun”.

    McVie also has three solo albums to her name, each of which were a commercial success. In 1998 she received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music only to retire the same year to lead a quiet life.

    The musical comeback rumors started when McVie joined Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, former husband John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham onstage last September at two of the band’s shows in London to sing “Don’t Stop.”

    http://youtu.be/3bmHQ_7x_tg

    On Saturday, Mick Fleetwood reportedly told an audience at Uncle Willie K’s BBQ Blues Fest in Maui that “Christine McVie will be rejoining Fleetwood Mac.” McVie had already began rehearsing with the band late last year to perform in two shows on its European tour. Band-mate Stevie Nicks dismissed rumors of a full-length tour with McVie, but McVie reportedly told the Guardian that she would like to be in the band and said she misses them all.

    “If they were to ask me [to return] I would probably be very delighted…but it hasn’t happened so we’ll have to wait and see.” She had said.

    Stevie Nicks reportedly told Billboard that if Christine “wants to come back to the band” it is all depends on her. “I said to her, ‘It’s your band. I don’t really think you have to ask.”

    http://youtu.be/jTsg16zj34U

    Image via YouTube

  • Macaulay Culkin Joins Velvet Underground Tribute Band

    With the inevitable return of Christmas comes the inevitable return of Christmas-themed movies. Sure, we all watch Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown, the Grinch, and the rest of the typical Christmas cast. One Christmas movie that everyone (and I mean everyone) loves and often overlooks, however, is Home Alone. The 1990 movie about a kid who gets left behind by the rest of his family while they take a trip to France for the holidays has been a classic since it was released, a fact that was further cemented when it received an Honest Trailers treatment earlier this year.

    Unfortunately for Macaulay Culkin, the actor who plays Kevin McCallister, life has not been so grand since his days of childhood fame. Over the years, much has been made of Culkin’s real and rumored addictions to various drugs. This year, though, has brought promise to Culkin’s life.

    Late last month, Culkin was spotted on a date in Paris (the city of love), hopefully repairing any damage caused by the break-up with Mila Kunis in 2011.

    Perhaps it was this new-found, loving spirit which inspired Culkin to make his most recent career move from beloved child actor to a member in a Velvet Underground tribute band. In said band, Culkin plays the kazoo, some form of percussion, and provides vocals.

    In true Kevin McCallister fashion, though, this tribute band is not some typical cover act. No, it’s much bigger than that. In order to ensure stardom and fame, Culkin and friends have decided to start The Pizza Underground, a Velvet Underground tribute band which adds a pizza-lens to every Velvet Underground song they cover.

    One may think the band members are a bit off their rocker, but one’s mind has to change quickly upon discovery of the new rock anthems which can be created through the addition of pizza. “I’m Waiting for the Man” becomes “I’m Waiting for the Delivery Man;” “Femme Fatale” becomes “Pizza Gal;” and “These Days” turns into the instant classic, “Cheese Days”:

    “I’ve been out walking / I don’t do too much toppings these days / Cheese days / Cheese days I seem to order cheese and don’t say please and then I walk away / Don’t ask for pepperoni, not today.”

    If one wants to support Culkin’s newest career venture, just venture over to their bandcamp.com site where you can feel free to pay as much (or as little) as you want for The Pizza Underground’s first album.

    [Image via Tumblr]

  • Dave Grohl Joins Zac Brown Band at CMAs

    Dave Grohl started his meteoric rise to fame as the drummer in the grunge-rock group, Nirvana. After the loss of Kurt Cobain, Grohl fronted his own rock group, The Foo Fighters. Four of the seven albums that The Foo Fighters have released have won Grammy Awards for the Best Rock Album. Over the course of his career, Grohl has played with numerous other bands, such as Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Paul McCartney, and Cage the Elephant. Thus, it should honestly come as no surprise that Grohl has decided to foray into another musical group – the Zac Brown Band.

    This is Grohl’s first official entrance into the country music world. Prior to this performance, Grohl had released a video with the Foo Fighters, titled “Hot Buns,” in which the group appeared as country-truckers, and Grohl had been a member of the pretend band, Sweetriver and the Huckleberry Dogs, for the Yahoo! web series, Ghost Ghirls.

    During the Country Music Awards Wednesday night, however, Grohl took to the stage to play drums for the Zac Brown Band in the debut of their new song, “Day for the Dead.” The Atlanta, Georgia based band won the 2013 Grammy Award for best country album, Uncaged.

    Perhaps their success as a hybrid country-rock-blues band is the reason why Grohl has decided to produce the Zac Brown Band’s next album: “I want to work with Dave Grohl. Dave Grohl is one of our musical heroes as a band, and he said that he would be interested in doing that, too,” Brown stated earlier this year.

    Whatever the reason, the album is predetermined to not be a failure due to the fact that everything Grohl touches turns to gold. For a sneak-peak of what country music is set to become, check out the rocking performance from Grohl and the Zac Brown Band from Wednesday’s CMAs:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHsJvXb-Ado#t=89

    The Foo Fighters are scheduled to start touring again this December in Mexico City, after a brief hiatus.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Hall and Oates Nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    Hall and Oates have been nominated for the Class of 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Daryl Hall & John Oates is an American hit-making music duo. They are best known for their hit songs from the late 1970s to the mid 80s. The duo fused rock and roll and rhythm and blues, and dubbed their music “rock and soul.”

    (image)

    (photo via npr.org)

    Hall and Oates have had an impressive six No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Kiss on My List”, “Rich Girl”, “Private Eyes”, “Maneater“, “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” and “Out of Touch”, as well as a string of Top 40 hits. Hall and Oates are bonafide hitmakers; 34 chart hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, six RIAA albums that went gold and seven that went platinum. Due to their chart success, they outranked The Everly Brother’s as Billboard magazine’s most successful duo of the rock era.

    Other nominees for 2014 include Nirvana, Kiss, The Replacements, Peter Gabriel, Deep purple, Chic, N.W.A., LL Cool J, and Cat Stevens among others. The nominees with the most votes will be inducted at the ceremony in New York City in April.

    http://youtu.be/UPNMp5_vhd0

    For the second year in a row, the public will be allowed to vote with the artists and members of the music industry. For those that want to vote, simply go to RollingStone.com and vote for your favorite artists from now till December 10th. A “fan ballot” will be counted as one of more than 600 ballots and will be awarded to the top five acts for the Class of 2014.

    In order to qualify for the ballot, the nominees had to have released their first album or single in 1988 (25 years ago). You may be wondering how it is that Nirvana is already nominated – has it been 25 years for them already? Yes, it has. The band released a little known cover song called “Love Buzz” by Shocking Blue in 1988 – it was their first single. Nirvana is also the only act this year to be nominated in its first year of eligibility.

    Whom will you vote for? Vote for the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

    (main pic via wikimedia commons)

  • New Jersey Rock Venue Maxwell’s Closing at the End of July

    Famous Hoboken, New Jersey rock club Maxwell’s will no longer be in business come the end of July.

    According to a New Jersey Star-Ledger report, the club’s lease is up at the end of July and won’t be renewed. The club’s co-owner, Todd Abramson, stated that the decision was made due to the “changing nature of Hoboken” and the difficulties encountered in running a business in Hoboken.

    Hoboken’s Mayor, Dawn Zimmer, reportedly tried to work with the club’s owners to keep the historic location open. However, Abramson told the Star-Ledger that nightlife in Hoboken is “driven by TV now” and that bars are acquiring giant TVs to compete with each other.

    Maxwell’s was opened in 1978 as a restaurant, and quickly gained a reputation for live music. In 1985, the small, dark venue was use as the location of Bruce Springsteen’s music video for the song “Glory Days.” By the late 80s and 90s, Maxwell’s was booking bands that went on to become major influences in grunge and indie rock. Some of the bands famous for playing the venue include Sonic Youth, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Meat Puppets, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, The Ataris, and Yo La Tengo, which famously played Hanukkah shows at the club each year.

    Maxwell’s will have one last show on July 31, headlined by the band ‘a,’ which was the first band to ever play at the venue.

  • Andy Johns Dies; Producer Was 61

    Andy Johns Dies; Producer Was 61

    Record producer and sound engineer Andy Johns has died at the age of 61.

    The cause of Johns’ death has not been made public, though a Billboard report quotes guitarist Stacy Blades as saying Johns was hospitalized last week for “liver trouble.”

    Johns began his career in 1969, when he engineered and produced the Jethro Tull album Stand Up. He went on to produce dozens of albums throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s, including albums from the band Free. During the 70s, Johns engineered some of the most well known albums from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, including Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin IV, Houses of the Holy, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., and It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll. Johns also engineered albums from Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton.

    Queen guitarist Brian May wrote a tribute to Johns on his blog:

    Ouch.
    So sad to hear of the passing of Andy Johns …
    great record producer.
    Lovely guy – patient, skilled, funny, encouraging, sharp …
    all the qualities you want in someone who is getting your music on to tape.

    I remember him as one of the Olympic Studios team in Barnes …
    playing around with varying tape speeds and early phasing … with George Chiantz …

    He went on to become one of the very top rock producers in the world.

    Condolences to all the family. Andy was such a great guy.

    RIP.

    Bri

    Other rock stars have added their tributes to the internet, building the consensus that Johns was one of the best sound engineers in the world.