Red Hot Chili Peppers: Still Givin’ It Away
When you think of true California rock, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) are one of the first bands to come to mind. They’re a funk-rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, and their music combines an eclectic mix of alternative rock, funk, punk rock and psychedelic rock for a truly unique sound. The …
Van Halen: Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
Van Halen was a rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1972, and largely credited with “restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene.” But while the band is well known for their energetic rock shows, it’s best known for the legendary, masterful guitar work of founder and lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen …
Smashing Pumpkins: From 1979 and Beyond
Alt-Rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins were formed in 1988 in Chicago by front man, Billy Corgan, along with D’Arcy Wretzky (bass), James Iha (guitar), and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums). While the lineup has changed over the years, the current one is Corgan, Chamberlin, Iha and guitarist Jeff Schroeder. Disavowing the punk rock roots of many of …
Beastie Boys: 90s Icons
Beastie Boys were an American hip hop and rap rock group from New York City formed in 1978. During the height of their popularity, the group was composed of Michael “Mike D” Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam “MCA” Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz (vocals, guitar). Starting as a punk band, Beastie Boys were formed …
Saturday Night Fever: A Retro Review
What do you get when you make a movie about the insane disco craze of the 70s? You get music, dancing, and a whole lot more that could have been left on the cutting room floor. Ironically, it’s the numerous and heavily choreographed musical sequences that have failed to stand the test of time. John …
Little River Band: Cool Changes
Formed in 1974 in Melbourne Australia, Little River Bandworked through many obstacles, and numerous band member changes, to finally achieve the success they craved, only to lose it due to personality conflicts. In late 1974, using the band name Mississippi, Beeb Birtles, Graeham Goble, Derek Pellicci and Glenn Shorrock met with newly hired talent manager …
Marc Bolan: 20th Century Boy
Marc Bolan was a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and poet. He was the lead singer of the band T. Rex and was one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement of the 1970s. Born Mark Feld, Bolan was given a guitar by his father at age 9. He formed a skiffle band, and …
Bob Geldof: From Serf to Sir
Born in Ireland on October 5, 1951, Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof KBE (aka Bob Geldof) is a man who wears many hats, a singer-songwriter, author, political activist, even occasional actor, and also, a devoted father. Geldof first achieved fame as the lead singer of the Irish rock band, the Boomtown Rats, in the late 1970s, …
The story behind … “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
There is usually quite an interesting story behind hit songs like Do They Know It’s Christmas?” This particular story starts in early October 1984 in England, where Bob Geldof of Boomtown Rats fame, was watching television, and saw a BBC news report about the horrible famine in Ethiopia. This disaster had resulted from a very …
The Bee Gees How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
Photography used with permission, courtesy of Suzanne Allison Photography. When you hear the name “Bee Gees,” many automatically (and erroneously) think “disco.” However, the Brothers Gibb truly were anything but, and this new HBO documentary proves beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the Bee Gees were massively underestimated. But the music journey of Barry, …