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 →
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 →
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022: Who Should Go In?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame revealed its nominees for the Class of 2022, and at a mind boggling 17 artists, it’s going to be nearly impossible for even the most discerning music fan to whittle it down to the five to seven inductees who will be announced in May. Ok, deep breath. The... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Resolutions 2022: 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 often otherwise occupied musicians with setting goals for the coming 12 months. It’s not an easy job, but one that has to be done. Just like you and I, there are rockers, rollers and other... Continue Reading →
Did Metallica Steal from Other Artists for ‘Enter Sandman’?
It's one thing to have what is arguably the greatest crossover heavy metal song in history. It's quite another to be accused to finding major amounts of inspiration in said song not just in independent acts from a parallel label, but the guitarist and co-founder you fired many years prior. An unknown Los Angeles band,... Continue Reading →
Roundtable: David Lee Roth’s Debut LP vs. Van Halen’s First with Sammy Hagar
The Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth debate will likely go on forever, but the first time any real comparison could be made was when the latter dropped his debut solo LP, Eat 'Em and Smile, in July 1986, a scant few months after Van Halen released their first effort with Hagar at the mic,... Continue Reading →
Roundtable: Looking Back at Metallica’s ‘Load’
Load, the follow-up to Metallica's squillion-selling Black Album, was widely considered to be a bit of a letdown when it came out 25 years ago. That's not exactly a fault of the band, look at any other landmark effort in an artist's catalog and the LP that came after it rarely lives up to the... Continue Reading →
Divisive as Ever, Rock Hall Reveals 2021 Induction Class
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced it’s 2021 induction class this week with a mixed bag of genres represented by alt-rockers Foo Fighters, rapper Jay Z, pop punkers the Go-Go’s, R&B star Tina Turner, singer/songwriter Carole King and Upper Darby’s own Todd Rundgren all getting the nod as performers. Also on deck for... Continue Reading →
Portrayal on The Simpsons Has Morrissey Furious
It’s typically an honor to be parodied in one way or the other on The Simpsons, but legendary alt-rock moper Morrissey thinks otherwise following the long-running cartoon taking deep aim at his career, beliefs and lifestyle this past Sunday. It’s made for one of the most controversial episodes in the program’s history. For those unfamiliar,... Continue Reading →