AS SOON AS a pair of silver vans arrive at the VIP entrance of Birmingham, England’s Alexander Stadium, the whispers start. “Is that Sharon Osbourne?” a squinting security guard asks her friend. “I think so,” the other guard says. “Does that mean … ?” The drivers keep security in the dark …
Read More »Fall Out Boy Set Aside a Back-to-Rock Album – and Four More Things We Learned From Joe Trohman
“I am a pretty normal guy in a very extraordinary situation, that I’m still trying to navigate,” says Fall Out Boy co-founder and lead guitarist Joe Trohman, whose first book, None of This Rocks, is out on Sept. 13. It’s a very different kind of rock memoir from most, offering …
Read More »Asake Is Pumping Nigerian Street-Pop Full of New Life. Next Stop: 'Greatness'
Asake appears on the Zoom screen, a puff of smoke rising behind him, his chunky dreads — often dyed gold and green — hidden under a black Ushanka that contrasts his plain white shirt. Asake’s music evokes a deep connection to the gritty realities of Lagos, and our interview had …
Read More »Drummer David Kemper on His Years With Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their …
Read More »Titus Andronicus Pursued Rock Perfection — and Learned to Love 'The Monitor' — to Find 'The Will to Live'
Patrick Stickles has returned to the bar’s backyard with a Guinness, finished marveling at the absurdity of a Pringles commercial in which a man dies with a chip can stuck on his hand, and is meditating on the interconnectivity of all life on Earth — bound by the will to …
Read More »'The Stamina This Woman Had': Annie Lennox on Meeting the Queen
Over the decades, Buckingham Palace summoned a select group of musicians to be awarded by Queen Elizabeth II. Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Bob Geldof were knighted, and Robert Plant was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire. One of the few female musicians to receive …
Read More »Why Pi'erre Bourne's 'Psane' is the Best Scene in a 'Good Movie'
Beyond Pi’erre Bourne’s famous producer tag and the infectious sonic landscapes he’s created for the likes of Playboi Carti, Drake, Young Nudy and more, the Queens native has been quietly carving out his own sound as a rapper. The last two installments of The Life of Pi’erre cemented him as …
Read More »Killer Mike and 2 Chainz Tell Politicians: Stop F-cking With Atlanta's Clubs
When Michael Render — a.k.a. Killer Mike of Run the Jewels — attended an Atlanta City Council meeting last month, he wasn’t interested in performing for the crowd. Instead, he wanted to vent his frustrations. The 47-year-old rapper, like many of the meeting’s attendees, felt like he was being used. …
Read More »Huntsville, Alabama Is Rethinking the Amphitheater Experience
A world-class outdoor venue inspired by ancient Roman designs is probably the last thing you’d expect to find in Huntsville, Alabama, but the city’s new Orion Amphitheater is all about exceeding expectations. Which actually makes perfect sense for a town that’s primarily known for sending rockets into outer space. Funded …
Read More »How a Wisconsin Music Festival Is Making Indie Artists Feel 'Famous for a Weekend'
Touring as an independent artist, with little to no financial support from a record label or sponsor, can be a dream-crushing experience. But the singers, songwriters, and bands that play Appleton, Wisconsin’s Mile of Music Festival each year find themselves reminded of exactly why they chase the muse. “You go …
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