Lucinda Williams has known strange times before these. When she thinks back to her days as a teenage antiwar activist in late-1960s New Orleans, she remembers the first songs that helped her feel connected and sane during another period of societal unrest: the old spiritual “We Shall Overcome” and Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” Now […]
As the original thrash generation’s feistiest and most outspoken bandleader, Dave Mustaine has left a defining mark on heavy metal. After being fired as Metallica’s founding lead guitarist on the eve of the band’s 1983 debut album, he went on to form the unlikely rival powerhouse Megadeth, a platinum-selling thrash-metal act that has remained his […]
It’s a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, and Jordan Benjamin, the artist known as Grandson, is relaxed outside his favorite local coffee spot. He’s sitting at a small table right on the sidewalk, talking about his newest album, when his least favorite neighbor comes rolling up behind him. When he turns and looks over his […]
The way we see it, 2026 is going to be a monumental battle with AI for the music industry’s soul. As it seemingly seeps into every nook and cranny of the business, its use is controversial, to put it mildly. Some see it as a force for good, others see it as pure evil. And […]
Name Ryan Key / Yellowcard Best known for Singing Ocean Avenue and loving Star Wars. Current city Orlando, FL. Really want to be in Tokyo, Japan. Omakase experience with sake tasting, or one million other amazing things one can do in Tokyo. Excited about Our new music video for “Bedroom Posters” that I directed. My current music collection has a lot of Ambient electronic […]
A long time ago, a good friend of mine gave me a very valuable piece of advice I carry around with me to this day: “Be yourself, and no one will like you.” I used to think that applied to me specifically. I thought it was just my friend Sahm gently poking fun at me […]
Following January’s rumors that Dua Lipa is negotiating to write and perform the theme song for Amazon-MGM’s “Bond, James Bond” franchise reboot—with her longtime partner Callum Turner taking the titular role—a cinematic truth is asserting itself: The best Bond songs are by women artists. Sure, a musky Tom Jones put the “balls” in “Thunderball.” Duran […]
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California, in 1987, and was still a baby when his hometown became synonymous with gangsta rap with the 1989 release of N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton. So it might feel preordained that Duckworth, who would record at first as K-Dot and then as Kendrick Lamar, would eventually sign to […]
In the first season of her recording career, from 1974 to 1980, Patti Smith was a raw nerve, blazing behind the microphone on a mission to reinvent rock and roll as a setting for a new kind of feral, literary revolt. She emerged from the first generation of punk rock at CBGB in New York […]
Roxanne Shanté is listening to her Juice Crew partner Masta Ace talk about RZA’s upcoming EP, Juice Crew, when she has an a-ha moment. Unbeknownst to her, RZA had started the project years ago to accompany the 2017 release of the Shanté biopic Roxanne Roxanne. Suddenly it all clicked. Song titles like “Single Mothers,” “Lolita,” […]