B-Real drops a bombshell mere minutes into our interview. Cypress Hill’s 1993 juggernaut, “Insane in the Brain,” was initially written as a diss track aimed at “Treat ‘Em Right” rapper Chubb Rock. Suddenly, after more than 30 years of hearing the Grammy-nominated song in heavy rotation, it was no longer perceived as just a weed…
I was 21 when Brokeback Mountain was released. I have such fond memories of going to the gay bar in my hometown of Minneapolis and dancing to bass-driven remixes of Gustavo Santaolalla’s gentle, emotive original score. Even in its house-music version, there’s an inherent sadness in these songs, and sometimes that’s the best to dance…
In a big empty house high in the hills near Glendale, California, Daron Malakian is singing along to an old outlaw country tune. It’s called “Waymore’s Blues,” a classic Waylon Jennings ballad from 1975. It’s a gently loping track set to acoustic guitar, organ, and a playful bass groove. The lyrics are a little bit…
Chrissie Hynde has rounded up a host of rock’n’roll heavy hitters for the new album Duets Special, which will be released Oct. 17 by Rhino. The project features a different special guest on each of its 13 songs, including the late Mark Lanegan, the Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Cat…
Radiohead is turning back the clock for a look at material from its 2003 album Hail to the Thief, in-concert versions of which have been assembled for the just-released digital collection Hail to the Thief Live Recordings 2003-2009. Mixed by Ben Baptie and mastered by Matt Colton, the project will also be available in a…
The irony isn’t lost on Guy Garvey that he had to get good and drunk to write a song called “Sober.” “Isn’t it perverse?” he says with a chuckle. The Manchester band first came up with the track’s taut, bass-driven groove shortly after Alex Reeves (The Ting Tings, Bat For Lashes) started playing drums for…
Veteran rock vocalist and The Cult frontman Ian Astbury is the guest on the newest installment of the Lipps Service podcast, speaking with host Scott Lipps for nearly two hours about his stints with that band and its offshoots Southern Death Cult and Death Cult, his time in a revamped version of the Doors and the making…
Over the week my mother was dying, I listened to Boy George’s second solo album, Tense Nervous Headache, every night after coming home from the hospital. Locked in my bathroom, sitting on the floor, my 21-year-old self needed at least one full playthrough to help process what was happening. Less than a year later, still…
Dutch-born, Nashville-based DJ, producer, and songwriter MOONLGHT is influencing the evolution of electronic music by blending classic nostalgia with cutting-edge production. Known offstage as acclaimed music talent Stefan Schonewille, he has quickly emerged as one of EDM’s most exciting new voices. MOONLGHT explores creative boundaries and offers a fresh take on modern electronic music with…
Every summer, thousands of music-loving humans escape to the juxtaposition of a festival – an inner city and yet lakeside-oasis that is Lollapalooza. This year, the festival broke records with its attendance which was no surprise when four day passes sold out within the hour they dropped. Chicago’s loop became the place to be for…
