This article originally appeared in the September 1988 issue of SPIN As an arena for boxing, the Convention Hall at Atlantic City is not one of the happier architectural palaces of the world. It drops the kind of pall an audience that would come from witnessing a cockfight in a bank. Lyndon Johnson was nominated […]
If you’re part of blackbear’s friends and family, you got a Balenciaga sweater for Christmas. “I’m like the Aunt Karen of the family,” bear — real name Matthew Musto — tells SPIN. “I get anxious because I’m like, ‘Who did I get a gift for? Who did I forget? Is so-and-so gonna fit in the […]
Christmas means that it’s time for the Poverty Alleviation Charity’s 24 Hour Improv fundraiser. Hosted online this year, the event featured a solo set by Robert Smith of The Cure. The goth rocker performed songs from Faith to celebrate its forthcoming 40th anniversary. In black and white, Smith shared renditions of “The Holy Hour,” “The Funeral […]
If music does indeed possess the healing powers so often ascribed to it, who better than four “masked” musical super-heroes to kick the dumpster fire that is 2020 to the curb? Slayer might be louder and meaner, U2 more spiritual, but for a feel-good rock ‘n’ roll all nite and party every day ethos that […]
This article originally appeared in the August 1999 issue of SPIN. Fred Durst likes it to the right, with a swivel and bounce. “Yeah, like that, with the knee out. And do that thing with your hips,” he says, then pauses a moment, narrows his gaze, and rubs the furry soul patch on his chin. Five […]
Tony Rice, the bluegrass guitarist known for his innovative flatpicking, quick sounds and is widely known as one of the greatest players in the genre, has died at the age of 69. His label, Rounder Records, confirmed the news of his death. Rice died on Christmas Day at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina. Over the […]
Nandi Bushell has been a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy 2020. In a year where she’s dazzled and impressed all sorts of musicians, the 10-year-old British phenom decided to end the year on a heavy note with a take on Slipknot’s “Unsainted.” “Yes! I am a total metal head! I love how awesome the […]
On Christmas Day, Deftones singer Chino Moreno’s electrorock side project ††† (Crosses), which also features guitarist Shaun Lopez, released their first new song in six years. It wasn’t an original, but rather a cover of “The Beginning of the End” by the ’90s electropop band Cause & Effect. Listen to the song below. [embedded content] The cover […]
For the second year in a row, Kanye West has surprise-released a Christmas EP, only this time it takes a much different twist. Last year, West’s Jesus Is Born was gospel-inspired. This time, the rapper/mogul/ex-presidential candidate took things up a notch. Titled Emmanuel, which means “God is with us,” West’s Sunday Service Choir performed while West composed […]
Michael Alig, the notorious “Club Kid Killer” who was a party promoter in New York City during the 1990s vibrant club scene, has died at the age of 54. The New York Daily News reports that Alig was found by his boyfriend unconscious at his home in New York City. According to the paper, the […]