Iron Maiden are one of the most consistent bands when it comes to putting out solid albums, but they've had some that weren't quite top shelf and others one could consider straight up clunkers. Earlier this week, over at Ultimate Classic Rock, a group of us got together to put forth our thoughts on the... Continue Reading →
Girl Smashes Guitar on Live Television and the Internet Loses Its Mind
Making her debut as the musical act on Saturday Night Live last weekend, Phoebe Bridgers has spent recent days since facing a public skewering that would be laughable if it weren’t so misplaced and wildly off base. The Grammy nominated singer-songwriter raised the ire of many for committing what they saw as a cardinal sin... Continue Reading →
What Exactly Were Def Leppard Going on About in the Song ‘Rocket’ Anyway?
Whether you love or hate Def Leppard, there's no denying how huge they were for a stretch beginning in the mid-80s through the early 90s. And never were they more popular than with the release of the 1987 album Hysteria, which spawned an impressively ridiculous seven singles. The final one, "Rocket," came out in January... Continue Reading →
Grammys Reschedule Likely a Sign of Things to Come
It was announced this week the 63rd annual Grammy Awards would be shifting its ceremony scheduled for later this month to the middle of March. While the move isn’t completely unexpected, given the ramped up spread of Covid-19 in Los Angeles where the event is set to take place, it may very well be a... Continue Reading →
Class of 1981: 81 Albums Turning 40 in 2021
Anniversaries are nothing new when it comes to music writing. It helps quite a bit during dry times when there isn't much else happening in the industry. That's been the case over the past several months due to the pandemic, and it will be for many more to come unfortunately. The silver lining is there's... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Resolutions: Some Recommendations
Just like you and I, there are rockers, rollers and other assorted musical miscreants out there who need help keeping their declared promises to make the next 12 months better than the dozen prior. It shouldn’t be that hard to improve upon the raging dumpster fire of 2020, but – hey – people thought the... Continue Reading →
Read an Exclusive Excerpt from My Upcoming Book on Depeche Mode
The fine folks over at Ultimate Classic Rock have run an exclusive excerpt from my book Depeche Mode: All That's Left to Know About the World's Finest Synth-Pop Band, which lands on shelves December 28 and is available for pre-order here. The passage details the time around the release of the group's 1990 mainstream breakthrough... Continue Reading →
‘Van Halen: The Eruption and The Aftershock’ Coming Fall 2021
I'm incredibly excited to announce my second book is slated for release in fall 2021! Titled, Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock, it's something I've been working on for some time and have wanted to do forever. It will be published via Backbeat Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, the same publishers who... Continue Reading →
Analyzing Metallica’s Hits in the Premiere of ‘The Story of the Songs’ on Reelz This Sunday
This Sunday [Dec. 6] at 9:00pm EST, I'll be appearing on Reelz when the channel premieres Metallica: The Story of the Songs. Reelz is available via most cable providers, streaming and satellite services. The show will be repeating over the next few days too, so be sure to check your local listings if you forget to... Continue Reading →
40 Years After the Breakup, What Have the Members of Led Zeppelin Done?
Forty years ago today, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin declared they would officially be breaking up, a little over two months removed from the untimely passing of drummer John Bonham on September 25, 1980 at the age of 32. Each of the surviving members - singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones and guitarist... Continue Reading →