When I spoke with Jeff Ament a little over a year ago, he was as bummed as the rest of us. The pandemic was in its early stages, and Pearl Jam was one of the first bands to make the smart decision to indefinitely postpone their 2020 tour. That meant not playing shows in support […]
Earlier this year when we polled musicians about their predictions for the 2021 MLB season, few were as colorful (which honestly, really shouldn’t be all that surprising) as ex-Blink-182 and current Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge. He had high hopes for his beloved San Diego Padres, who boasted one of the strongest rosters and […]
Lollapalooza has defied the old F. Scott Fitzgerald adage from The Last Tycoon that “there are no second acts in American life.” Since 2005, Perry Farrell and partners have hunkered down in Chicago’s Grant Park (for the American version) to bring the once-alternative playground that spit in the face of the mainstream more into the […]
Jimmy Eat World were only two albums into their deal with Capitol Records when they were dropped by the label. After receiving little support for their third album, the now seminal Clarity, the band was hardly surprised when they were notified in August 1999. Most artists in their position would have viewed the rejection as […]
As mainstays in Seattle’s music scene, Mudhoney are used to looking back on their career. Whether it’s giving their take on the days of grunge or reminiscing about time spent with the late Kurt Cobain, Mudhoney aren’t opposed to revisiting the past. The band’s most recent project is one that finds them returning to the […]
Isaac Brock is talking about the epiphany he had from the moment he became a musician. “From the inception of this band, there’ve been some pretty wobbly moments,” the Modest Mouse vocalist and guitarist admits. “There were moments where no one considered us fucking good … But I know what I like.” To suggest that […]
Tim Foljahn has played in a lot of bands over the past 40 years, occasionally with some of the biggest names in indie rock, including Cat Power and Thurston Moore, and occasionally in more obscure outfits with names like Spastic Rhythm Tarts or Drop Ceiling. Foljahn grew up in Midland, Michigan, a small city 30 […]
It’s no coincidence Liz Phair’s new album Soberish was released just in time for the entire world to reemerge into existence. Since her powerhouse 1993 debut Exile in Guyville, Liz has proven herself an artist who lights the fire and leads the way. Liz doesn’t follow trends—she is the trend. It stands true, then, that […]
At the onset of what became the tangled COVID era, practically everyone found themselves wrestling with serious existential questions. But Garbage singer Shirley Manson, at a wisdom-seeking 54, wound up grappling with a lot more than most. Figuratively, she began questioning either herself and society in general – as demonstrated on her band’s probing new No […]
It’s the day before this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are announced, and one of the two musicians perched on a bench in front of a grand piano is a nominee. When it’s brought up, the duo seems unaware of the potential honor. Perry Farrell looks at Taylor Hawkins, who with his rambunctious energy, […]