Beloved R&B singer D’Angelo has died at the age of 51 after battling prostate cancer, according to multiple reports. The musician, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, had backed out of a June performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia “due to a longer-than-expected surgical recovery” without revealing specifics. “Such a sad loss to…
The 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody had a profound effect on Buddy Red, who was 18 years old when the Oscar-winning Queen biopic came out. “Once I saw the movie, it’s like a lightbulb just flickered on in my mind. I said, ‘This is what I’m looking for,’” the shy, soft-spoken Red recalls on a day…
“If you put a Van Halen album in your record collection, it will melt all the rest of your records,” was famously David Lee Roth’s sales pitch for the legendary California hard rock quartet he originally fronted from 1973 to 1985, and again from 2007 to 2020. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his brother Alex…
Mike Scott of the Waterboys doesn’t like to use the word “obsession” to describe his particular affliction. When it comes to the creative artists who have moved him over the decades, he prefers to identify as a “completist,” as if he was a humble archivist, a cultural trainspotter observing the minutiae of his favorite musicians,…
Unfortunately, I was unable to make Bonny Doon’s set last year when they came through with John Andrews, so I made sure the calendar was clear when this date was announced. “Let There Be Music” was a big sing-along favorite in the backyard, and I was hoping Tubby’s back room would be the same. From…
If one thing was apparent after two weekends of the annual Austin City Limits festival, it’s that the never-ending cycle of nostalgia is shining a renewed spotlight on indie rock of the 2010s. With a lineup featuring darlings from that era such as Empire of the Sun, Cage the Elephant, Passion Pit, Phantogram, Dr. Dog,…
As I greet Mike Dean over a video call, it’s five days until the closing of the first round of voting for the 2026 Grammy Awards. His production work on the Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow is up for 10 categories. I ask him if there’s a particular category he’d like to win. “I’ve never won…
“It’s so rad to be on this wave again,” says Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key. “What are the odds of catching this wave twice in your life, 20 years apart?” Around this time two decades ago, Key’s band was riding high on the platinum sales of 2003’s Ocean Avenue and the Top 40 crossover success of…
David Byrne and Hayley Williams have enjoyed a close personal and working relationship for the past several years, and their chemistry was evident last night (Oct. 11) at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, where the Paramore frontwoman made a surprise appearance for two songs. The artists reprised their collaboration “What Is the Reason for…
Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was murdered today (Oct. 11) at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, where he was serving a 29-year-sentence for sex offenses. Watkins, who was 48, had been in jail for the past 12 years on 13 horrific charges involving children and animals. According to West Yorkshire Police, Watkins was attacked with a…
