As inconvenient or unfashionable a truth as it might be, most bands do not simply appear as great, dynamic entities from nowhere. That isn't to say a listener wouldn't be able to recognize a group's promise or get a sense that they might be capable of making profound artistic and cultural waves eventually, but it's unreasonable to expect that a band would simply change out of the gate at the pinnacle of its' powers; for every Nevermind, Badmotorfinger, Dirt, Dookie...

Neil Young has never been afraid to experiment and, with Le Noise, he has caught the bug again. This time it’s just Neil alone with his guitar, but he’s not completely alone as this disc is really a collaboration with producer Daniel Lanois (whose producer credits are too long to list here, but I bet you know at least the big ones, like Bob Dylan and U2). Of course, Neil Young alone with a guitar isn’t really a new thing;...

To paraphrase Heath Ledger's impression of a much-beloved sociopath, when and why did rock n' roll get so serious? There once was a time when rock was THE great refuge of brilliant misanthropes who had to laugh at the dismal state of the world to keep themselves from either crying or scaling a bell tower with a high-powered rifle. There was a time when wits were honed to razor-keen edges and used to cut holes into listeners before wisdom was...

It was all the buzz in multiple news outlets on September 23, Katy Perry's musical performance with Elmo was put to the curb of Sesame Street when the segment leaked to the internet prior to broadcast. The deletion of the segment came on the heels of a chorus of complaints about the singer's “racy” attire and included sentiments like, "They're gonna have to rename it cleavage avenue." Since this news broke and the uproar spread, Perry has appeared on Saturday...

When one thinks of bands currently producing consistently perfect pop music, it’s hard not to think of Maroon 5. After the band’s 2002 debut, Songs About Jane (which garnered multiple Grammy awards) and a successful, more dance-y follow-up (2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long), Maroon 5 returns with Hands All Over. On the Los Angeles band’s third disc, the choruses are broader and the sound more expansive – even if the lyrics are fairly generic. What makes the songs...

Green Day wrapped up its' North American tour on Saturday, September 4 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Ca. to a sold out crowd. The band will resume touting in October with stadium dates in South America.Photos:Raymond Ahner's photo essay of Green Day's show at Shoreline Amphitheater – September 4, 2010. Further Reading:Ground Control – Green Day Discography review Artist:www.greenday.com/ www.myspace.com/greenday Albums:All of Green Day's full-length albums remain in print. Buy them here on Amazon...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know whatcher sayin'. Yer sayin', “Whaddaya talkin' about Don? We just did the twenty-first birthday gimmick naw-so-long-ago! Now yr singin' happy birthday again at twenty-five? Either time flies or yer workin' on a different calendar from the rest of us, dude.” Yeah, well whaddaya want chump? I do dis column once a week so it's gonna age at an accelerated curve awright? Whaddaya complainin' for anyway? It jus' means ya get more free loot don'cha? An'...

ZZ Top brought their 2010 World Tour to the Shoreline Amphitheater a couple weeks ago and, with direct support from the Eagles Of Death Metal, the band packed the house while delivering  the songs from their back catalog that have made them a huge draw for nearly thirty years. ZZ Top have a handful of dates left in the US before hitting Europe, while the Eagles Of Death Metal will play the Voodoo Experience Festival in New Orleans on October...

Just the concept of this album makes my head spin. David Byrne and Fatboy Slim collaborate on a pop opera about the life of Imelda Marcos? The result is as surprising and as interesting as that concept, but not necessarily what one would expect. Musically, this album doesn't sound much like the previous work of either artist. There are moments that remind the listener of one or the other, but the sound is more straight pop than either normally produces....

After selling over thirty million records worldwide and selling out the Tokyo Dome a record-breaking eighteen times, Japan's answer to Guns N' Roses, X Japan, have finally decided to tour America, and will be hitting seven cities in North America starting September 25th. "We feel like a new band now, like we are going back to the beginning," said X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/composer Yoshiki recently about the upcoming U.S. concerts, "and it's very, very exciting.  We are looking forward to playing...