Archive for August 14th, 2009
Rewind: The Week in Rock Daily
August 14th, 2009
Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Woodstock’s 40th anniversary arrived and RS broke out photos from the fest, artists’ first-hand memories, promoter Michael Lang’s behind the scenes story and even a Twitter capturing the best of the best @Yasgursfarm. Catch it all at our Woodstock hub.
Les Paul, the king of the six-string and the father of the electric guitar, died at age 94. He was remembered by great guitarists including Richie Sambora, and RS brought back his 1975 ...
Random Notes & The Week’s Best Live Shots: Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam
August 14th, 2009
Photograph courtesy of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift became a member of the Kiss army, Joe Jonas helped Mike Tyson get his beautician’s license and Jay-Z brought Oprah to the projects — and we’ve got proof in our weekly roundup of the week’s wackiest rock photos. Plus awesome concert shots of Pearl Jam, Adam Lambert, Green Day, Franz Ferdinand, No Doubt and many more in our gallery of mind-blowing live snaps. Check them all out here:
• Random ...
Inside the Limited-Edition “Woodstock Experience” Box Set
August 14th, 2009
Photograph by Henry Diltz courtesy of the Woodstock Experience
Part of the Woodstock experience in our photo gallery looking back at the landmark festival comes straight from The Woodstock Experience, an awe-inspiring limited-edition box set from Genesis Publications that features rarely seen shots snapped by Dan Garson — who nabbed a press pass as a 17-year-old Woodstock attendee — as well as images by the fest’s photographer Henry Diltz. Shepard Fairey designed the set’s cover (as ...
Weekend Rock List: 1969 Albums
August 14th, 2009
This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, which means this year albums like the Beatles’ Abbey Road, David Bowie’s Space Oddity and countless more classics are turning 40, too. Tell us your favorites (Wikipedia has a decent list) and we’ll tally the results into the ultimate ‘69 playlist on Monday. Check out our favorites below:
• The Beatles - Abbey Road
• The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
• The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
• ...
From Degrassi to Drake: Canada’s Hit TV Show Shapes Pop Culture
August 14th, 2009
Photo: Annie Racz (Drake), Epitome
Until recently, the only people checking on the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation were teen girls and die-hard fans of the original ’80s series. But in the last year, all of that’s changed.
Between Drake storming the hip-hop scene with his single “Best I Ever Had,” Shenae Grimes’ starring role on 90210, Nina Dobrev’s part in the upcoming series Vampire Diaries and Jake Epstein’s lead in the touring company ...
Chris Brown’s Label Denies “Changed Man” Leak Is New Track
August 14th, 2009
A new Chris Brown recording called “Changed Man” that features lyrics that could be interpreted as an apology of sorts to Rihanna leaked today. But Brown’s reps told MTV that the track isn’t the first single off Brown’s forthcoming LP Graffiti, but an old tune. A handful of new Brown songs have leaked over the past few months, however Jive Records insists that no Graffiti-bound tracks have emerged as yet. The singer first made mention ...
Single Minded: MGMT Cover the Clean, Madonna Meets Lady Gaga
August 14th, 2009
Photo: Metcalfe/Getty MGMT, “Anything Could Happen” [Clean Cover]
Well, this is a nice surprise: dance act du jour MGMT point their acolytes toward the past with this cover of a Kiwipop classic. Does this mean we should expect to see Kanye twittering about “Tally Ho” sometime within the next few weeks?
Robin Skouteris, “I Know You Want Love Celebration” [Madonna/Lady Gaga/Pitbull Mashup]
This is an insane sonic smorgasbord, mashing together the latest Madonna single with Lady Gaga ...
Flashback: Ween Visit MTV Back When It Was “Oddville”
August 14th, 2009
With this week’s news that MTV would be vacating their famed 1515 Broadway studios at year’s end, we figured it’s a great time to look back at the channel’s glory days, when a bizarro late-night talk show called Oddville could feature a musical performance from bizarro musical satirists like Ween and it would be completely normal abnormal-programming (Anyone else remember Austin Stories?) The above video dates back to 1997, when the under-appreciated Gene and Dean ...
Nirvana’s “Bleach” Returns as 20th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue
August 14th, 2009
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Bleach, Sub Pop Records will reissue the band’s 1989 debut album with as an expanded CD/double vinyl collection on November 3rd. Additionally, the reissued Bleach will feature an unreleased bonus live album called Live at Pine Street Theatre, recorded at the Portland, Oregon venue on February 9th, 1990. Both Bleach and the Pine Street show have been digitally remastered from the original tapes by Jack Endino, who produced ...
Les Paul in His Own Words: Hear His Last Rolling Stone Interview
August 14th, 2009
Photo: Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Nine months ago I sat down with Les Paul backstage in his dressing room at the Iridium nightclub for a story about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s tribute concert recently held in his honor. As we shared a bag of popcorn, Paul told me about creating the solid-body electric guitar and what drove him to keep performing a weekly show well into his 90s. “I think it’s therapy,” Paul said. ...