Author Archive

Billy Joe Shaver Found Not Guilty for Shooting: On the Scene in Waco

April 12th, 2010
Photo: John Doyle After a three-day trial that drew friends Willie Nelson and Robert Duvall to a Waco, Texas courtroom, outlaw country artist Billy Joe Shaver was found not guilty Friday on charges of aggravated assault for shooting a man in the face outside a Texas bar in 2007. “I am very sorry about the incident,” Shaver said outside the courtroom. “Hopefully things will work out where we become friends enough so that he gives ...

Breaking: Love Is All

March 31st, 2010
Who: Heavy Swedish pop outfit fronted by manic 34-year-old singer Josephine Olausson, a fierce frontlady who has a fan in Karen O. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer likes the band so much it inspired her song “All is Love” on the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. Sounds Like: The band’s insanely catchy new disc Two Thousand and Ten Injuries combines the sound of early Nineties grrrl-punk acts bands like Huggy Bear and Bikini Kill ...

Iggy Pop Brings Punk Carnage to Carnegie Hall at Tibet Benefit

March 1st, 2010
Photo: Tracy KetcherAbout 30 seconds into his opener “The Passenger” at New York’s Carnegie Hall Friday night, Iggy Pop declared, “Aw, fuck this shirt,” tore off his black V-neck sweater and tossed it stage right to a waiting Patti Smith, who caught it and giddily hopped up and down while swinging like she’d just caught a wedding bouquet. It was a rare moment even for the Tibet House Benefit Concert, an annual event that raises ...

Rihanna Brings “Rated R” Tracks and Her “Umbrella” to “GMA”

November 24th, 2009
When Rihanna took the stage early today for an appearance on Good Morning America, she faced a crowd that had been waiting in the misty morning for several hours to catch a glimpse of the star the day after Rated R hit stores. When she emerged from behind a black backdrop, they erupted. She half-smiled, then asked, “What’s happening, New York?” Get a look at Rihanna’s fiercest fashions, onstage and off. Rihanna kept a black coat on ...

Aerosmith’s Kramer Speaks Out About Aerosmith Singer Search

November 17th, 2009
Photo: Barket/GettyAt a book signing Saturday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer confirmed the band is experiencing “personal differences,” and will seek a new singer should Steven Tyler depart to pursue “brand Tyler,” as the frontman recently told Classic Rock magazine. “What kind of singer? A real, real good one,” Kramer said. “Just like writers write and dancers dance, we’re musicians,” he added. “We make music. That’s what we want to ...

Rolling Stones’ Controversial Tour Documentary “Cocksucker Blues” Screens in New York

October 26th, 2009
Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty When the Rolling Stones returned to the U.S. for a 1972 tour, they let photographer Robert Frank bring a crew of film cameras along for the ride with the intention of releasing an honest, behind-the-scenes look at a big band’s life on the road. The final cut was a bit more raw than the band had bargained for, though: When Mick Jagger and Co. watched Cocksucker Blues they decided they never ...