More times than not since it was established in 1983, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has come under fire from fans and critics for failing to get it right when it comes to putting the right people into the musical institution. This week the Hall announced its Class of 2023 nominees and, while... Continue Reading →
Rockers We Want to See Back in 2023
The way the music popularity pendulum has swung in recent times, rock and roll is on the backburner in favor of country pop, dance, hip-hop and K-pop are way ahead. In fact, if there were a backburner to the backburner, loud guitars and heavy-footed drums would be there. Upstarts like Greta Van Fleet, Thundermother and... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Resolutions 2023: Some Recommendations for Your Favorite Artists
Welcome to this year’s edition of Rock Music Menu’s “New Year’s Resolutions for Rockers Who Need Them,” where we assist musicians with setting goals for the coming 12 months. It’s not an easy job, but one that begrudgingly must be done. Rockers, rollers and performers of all sorts are just like us: they make resolutions... Continue Reading →
Talking with Brian Johnson About ‘Back in Black,’ His New Memoir and AC/DC’s 50th Anniversary
It's not every day I get to sit and have a chat with the singer on the biggest selling rock album in music history. But Brian Johnson couldn't have been more engaging as we covered a multitude of topics during a recent interview which is now available to read over at Metal Edge. The AC/DC... Continue Reading →
Iceland Airwaves, coolest music fest in the world, returns
Like virtually every other music festival on the planet, Iceland Airwaves was deeply affected by COVID-19. The event went virtual in 2020 and last year under the banner “Live from Reykjavík” with the latter a socially distanced hybrid across just four venues on a single night that ended with the country going back into lockdown... Continue Reading →
Back in the 617 Groove with Craig Finn from the Hold Steady
Several years back, I came up with the idea to shake up the traditional interview a little bit. A dirty little not-so-secret among musicians is they aren't really a fan of doing them, mainly because it's the same old questions that have been addressed ad nauseam. Enter the 617 Q&A , which is exclusive to... Continue Reading →
‘Dirt,’ the darkest album of the grunge era, turns 30
The Mount Rushmore of grunge is universally recognized as being made up of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. To debate would be absurd, as those four were the most popular, sold the most music and sprouted out of early ‘90s Seattle, ground zero of the movement. Upon closer examination though, a bit... Continue Reading →
Zoomers look to ‘cancel’ Metallica after ‘Stranger Things’ bump
Two things happen when an artist has been around long enough. First, they begin to transcend generations, like when Led Zeppelin T-shirts show up year after year in high school hallways as students continue to discover them. Then there’s the backlash to sustained popularity. At this critical juncture in time, that means being “canceled,” and... Continue Reading →
Asbury Park Freeze Out: Springsteen fans left cold over ticket prices
It’s hard to imagine now, but back in 1989, when the Rolling Stones were about to embark on their first tour of North America in seven years, many fans and critics balked at ticket prices. The nerve of a bunch of over the hill musicians – mean age at the time being 47 – thinking... Continue Reading →
‘Guns N’ Roses: The Story of Their Songs’ Repeats on REELZ this Sunday Night
Following its premiere last weekend, REELZ will be airing an encore presentation of Guns N' Roses: The Story of Their Songs this Sunday, June 26 at 6:00pm ET/PT. I appear in the program as a talking head/music historian as the show delves into six of the tracks that made the greatest impact on the career... Continue Reading →