Tag Archives: Alternative Rock

Robert Quine, one of the great guitarists of alt-rock history – an underrated #80 on the Rolling Stone guitarist poll – died at 61 of an apparent heroin overdose in his NYC apartment. Quine had been despondent since the recent death of his wife. Billboard.com has more: Born in Akron, …

I love the band name “Sonic Youth” because these guys are older than I am so maybe I can be “Scribe Youth,” or something, into my dotage. Anyway, the Youth are coming back with Sonic Nurse (“to my head, to my head, rock and roll nurse going to my head”) …

Coming off a boffo performance at Coachella (Billboard – The Pixies’ early evening set on Saturday lived up to all the hype, as the quartet ripped through tracks like “Gouge Away,” “U-Mass,” “Debaser” and the sing-a-long “Here Comes Your Man”), the reunited Pixies have added two Lollapalooza dates to their …

The Cure, one of the most important and popular modern rock bands (with over 28 million records sold), will be inducted into Hollywood’s Rockwalk (7425 Sunset Blvd) tomorrow, April 30 at 8pm, joining Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, B.B. King, Sonic Youth, James Brown, George Martin, Brian Wilson, …

Took me a couple of weeks to cozy up to Franz Ferdinand’s eponymous debut (Domino Recording Co. Ltd.), but it’s presently stuck on my daily rotation. I initially resisted the Scottish guitar band’s sound largely because of the Strokesy way Alex Kapranos’ lead vocals were mixed. But there was plenty …

Other than Sheryl Crow, there aren’t many women rockers who have captured the public’s attention right now. Crow is taking advantage of her preeminent position with a flurry of activity including kicking off the Today show’s summer concert series this morning. Hey, look who’s on the front page of the …

Though they are mainly a bunch of commie pacifist peaceniks with dangerous hair, I love my buds at the great punk label Epitaph. This year Epitaph is providing much of the firepower for the 10th anniversary of Vans Warped Tour. I remember vividly going to the first Vans tour when …

We announced the lineup of this year’s Lolla a couple of weeks ago. I just got in an update that, frankly, is rather impenetrable, or maybe that’s just the mind of Perry Farrell: The Lollapalooza 2004 is quickly shaping up as this summer’s most provocative and exciting musical extravaganza. Genre-blurring …

Mark Mothersbaugh has come a long way from Akron, Ohio. Mothersbaugh will receive the 2004 Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement at the BMI Film & TV Awards, May 12 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The award is given annually to a composer who has …

How does a spunky, slightly melancholy, New York-based alt-pop-rock singer-songwriter who looks like a cross between Marshall Crenshaw and John Cazale differentiate himself from the dozens of others who fit the same description? If you are Sam Bisbee you make a very fine album called High, with songs like “High …