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 their alt-rock contemporaries, they have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, and progressive rock. Some have called their songs “ethereal” and “other-worldly” in nature. I would simply call them unique.



Corgan is the group’s primary songwriter; his cathartic lyrics have shaped the band’s albums and songs, which have been described as “anguished, bruised reports from Billy Corgan’s nightmare-land” on more than one...

Click to expand...

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 (EVH). Van Halen consisted of EVH on lead guitar, brother Alex Van Halen on drums, vocalist David Lee Roth; and bassist Michael Anthony from 1974 until 1985.



Their music speaks very eloquently for itself. From their self-titled debut album in 1978, through their next few albums Van Halen...

Click to expand...

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 original line-up was vocalist, Anthony Kiedis, bassist, Flea, guitarist, Hillel Slovak, and drummer, Jack Irons, but has changed a few times over the years. The first album featured Jack Sherman on guitar and Cliff Martinez on drums as Slovak and Irons both had previous commitments to other bands they had to fulfill. Both original members appeared on the band’s 3rd album, but sadly, Slovak died of a drug overdose on June 25, 1988; and Irons, devastated, left the band. Other past members include DeWayne McKnight, D. H. Peligro, Arik Marshall, Jesse Tobias, Josh Klinghoffer, and Dave Navarro. The current line-up...

Click to expand...

That Thing You Do is the story of a young band of Beatle-like clones, who stumble upon a hit single. Before long, the wide-eyed Wonders find themselves on the radio, touring state fairs, in a cheesy beach movie and on a popular TV show—all on the strength of one song. But what a song!



In 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) works at his father’s appliance store until a freak accident sidelines a local quartet’s drummer. Guy joins the band, and takes a song written by the angst-driven Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech), to new heights by turning it from a sleepy ballad into a rockin’ up-tempo tune. Steve Zahn, plays the adorable cutup Lenny on guitar, Ethan Embry plays the bass player (who never has a name through the entire movie), and Liv...

Click to expand...

Since the 80’s, Poison has given us “nothing but a good time,” and served up some hard driving rock & roll as well. The band, initially named Paris, was formed in 1979, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and consisted of lead vocalist, Bret Michaels, and drummer, Rikki Rockett, who were childhood friends, as well as bassist, Bobby Dall, and guitarist, Matt Smith.



They changed their name to Poison and moved to California. Arriving in L.A., the group struggled to survive away from home with no family and no money, but they were determined to make it. Smith, however, was about to become a father and concerned about the band’s future and left the band to return to PA. Auditions were held, and were down to three: C.C. DeVille, Steve Silva, and...

Click to expand...

Funk and soul band, Commodores, were first formed in 1968 at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) from two former student music groups, the Mystics and the Jays. The new six-man band featured Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics … Richie later described some members of the Mystics as “jazz buffs;”  and Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams from the Jays. To choose their new name, King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. “We lucked out,” he remarked with a laugh when later telling this story in a magazine interview. “We almost became ‘The Commodes.’“



After signing with...

Click to expand...

Grease:



Retro Movie Review



Grease was the word when this movie came out in 1978, and the word is still alive and well today. Numerous re-releases of the movie, and 70s kids becoming first parents, and now grandparents have ensured that, by indoctrination of the each follow on generation that the movie remains an icon.



The movie itself is about the friendships, romances and adventures of a group of high school kids in the 1950s. The story, set in Southern California, involves a “greaser” named Danny (John Travolta), who has a summertime romance at the shore with an adorable Aussie named Sandy (Olivia Newton-John). When summer ends, they think they’re parting forever, only to find themselves at the same high school...

Click to expand...

John Charles Julian Lennon, also known as Jules, is so much more than just the eldest son of Beatle, John Lennon, and former first wife, Cynthia Powell. He is also a very accomplished singer, songwriter and musician, and an amazing photographer, among many other things.



Named after John’s deceased mother Julia, Julian is also an avid environmentalist, and his White Feather Foundation raises money and awareness for many different projects, such as clean water, education and health, and indigenous projects on a global scale.



We first came to know Jules as a small boy, who even had several Beatles songs written about, or inspired by him. Good-Night from the White Album, and the now infamous Hey Jude were both written about him. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was inspired by him, written by his father after Jules painted a watercolor picture of his good...

Click to expand...

What do the rock movies Velvet Goldmine and Still Crazy have in common, other than great music? Both are British in nature, both are heavily music oriented, and both are fictional… Or are they?



Velvet Goldmine



Velvet Goldmine is primarily about androgenous glam rock icon Brian Slade, who sets 1970s London on fire with his Ziggy Stardust-esque stage persona, Maxwell Demon. (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Starting with Slade’s humble beginnings to his rapid, meteoric rise to stardom, as well as his equally rapid descent from the top. Slade’s married to the very dutiful Mandy (Toni Collette), who very blithely “allows” her husband’s often, and many transgressions, and poorly managed by Jerry Devine (the hilarious Eddie Izzard).



Enter the raucous, radical, and very troubled rocker, Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor), who turns Slade’s semi-charmed existence upside down. Also, a somewhat mysterious glam rocker named Jack Ferry (Micko Westmoreland), who wafts in and...

Click to expand...

Carole King is, undeniably, one of the most successful female songwriters of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118+ pop songs that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, she also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005. That’s a mighty impressive pedigree.



King’s first major success came in the early 60s, when she was married to first husband Gerry Goffin. Their first big hit was Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by the Shirelles in 1960. Between them, they co-wrote over two dozen hits for various artists, many of which have been recorded again and again by numerous artists. But...

Click to expand...

The “mockumentary,” This Is Spinal Tap, is considered to be one of the funniest movies ever made. While it’s about a lot of obscure, abstract things, the main thing is the way the real story is not in the questions or the answers, but what is continuously and hilariously occurring in the background.



The movie stars Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins. Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, and Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls. Drummer Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnell) supplies percussion on borrowed time as both the previous drummers died mysteriously. One spontaneously combusted, and another choked to death on vomit, “but not his own vomit.”  



I think we feel such affection for the...

Click to expand...

“Empire Records” is one of those quirky 90s films where in a single day, in one music store, every conceivable thing happens to every conceivable character, and at the end of the day, they are all a lot wiser. Or supposedly so.



The characters all work at Empire Records, located in a fictional small town in Delaware. They’re all more or less members of Generation X, except for Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) the store manager, who serves as kind of a father figure. And they are all about to undergo a huge transformation, as the store owners are preparing to sell out to the much-hated Music City chain, which has a dress code that outlaws tattoos and body piercings and would basically disqualify the...

Click to expand...

Roxette was formed in 1986 as a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Both artists had very successful solo careers in Sweden but joining forces as a combined unit made them international stars.



They first met in 1981, when Fredriksson performed as a background vocalist with Gessle’s band, Gyllene Tider. Initially, they formed as a one-off deal on the advice of the managing directors of a label interested in them, Capitol/EMI. The newly named Roxette issued one near-invisible release in the US, Teaser Japanese, whose video reached MTV’s studio but received no rotation to speak of.  They continued to play, both with each other and with others, until 1986, when their...

Click to expand...

Forty years after its release, I consider Xanadu to be not only a cult classic, but a true guilty pleasure. “Cheesy” doesn’t even begin to describe it, yet that’s at the heart of its delightfully perverse charm. Now, that’s entertainment!



Initially panned by critics, Xanadu cannot be watched with anything resembling a serious mindset, nor should it be. Enjoy it for its silliness. Enjoy it even more for the fantastic soundtrack (the product of John Farrar and ELO). But, most of all, enjoy it for Olivia Newton-John. She may not be the greatest actress of her time, but she’s stunningly gorgeous, with a truly amazing singing voice.



The movie’s storyline is basically this: Set in...

Click to expand...

Almost Famous is a Cameron Crowe written and directed movie about rock and roll. But it’s far more than that – it’s a timeless coming-of-age story that appeals to viewers regardless of whether or not they were around during the 70s. It’s about bands, music, and life on the road, during the era of “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll,” and the movie doesn’t shy away from showing the extremes of the time.



Set in 1973-1974, the movie is very loosely based on Cameron Crowe’s formative years,  blissfully misspent road-tripping with the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and the Allman Brothers among others.



It’s the story of a somewhat naive, but brilliant 15-year-old kid named William Miller, who through a bit of luck gets assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to do a profile of the rising rock band, Stillwater. However, the magazine has no idea of his age, as they hired him sight unseen.  Undaunted, he presses on with his assignment, sometimes phoning his friend, the veteran critic...

Click to expand...

Over five decades after its release, The Beatles A Hard Days Night Movie has aged very well, and is not dated; it stands outside its time, its genre, and even rock music. It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of musical movies.



When it opened in September 1964, many critics attended the viewing, prepared to condemn, but the movie could not be disregarded. The Beatles were already a huge phenomenon, but not yet the icons they would soon become. It was clear from the onset that this movie was very different from anything audiences had ever seen. It was wickedly smart, it didn’t take itself too seriously, and it was brilliantly shot and edited by Richard Lester in black-and-white, in a semi-documentary style that followed the boys during 36 hours in their lives.



The lads play an augmented version of themselves (John was more caustic, Paul more boyishly charming, etc.), and the result is a representation of Beatlemania...

Click to expand...

Cheap Trick is one of the hardest working bands in the music business and have been since the early 70s. Formed in 1973 in Rockford, IL,  the band’s classic lineup consisted of front man, Robin Zander, guitarist, Rick Nielsen, bassist, Tom Petersson, and drummer, Bun E. Carlos. Although a few members have taken a break from time to time, and Carlos was replaced by Daxx Nielsen (son of Rick Nielsen) for touring purposes, they continue to rock hard to this day.



Cheap Trick released two albums (Cheap Trick, and In Color) in 1977 to great critical praise, but mediocre popular reception in the U.S., however, they were huge in Japan. In fact, when Cheap Trick toured the country for the first time in April 1978, they were received with a frenzy reminiscent of Beatlemania. They recorded Live in Budokan in 1978, originally slated only for release in Japan. Demand for Cheap Trick at Budokan became so great that Epic Records finally released the album in the U.S. in February 1979, and...

Click to expand...

Once again, director Alison Ellwood has hit it out of the park with her newest documentary The Go-Gos on Showtime. Told in their own voices, the girls are raw and candid, with no holds barred on every subject.



The Go-Gos are a Los Angeles based punk/new wave band formed in the late 70s, around 1978. They started off as more of a hardcore punk band; in their earliest stages, no one knew how to play any instruments, and they had to quickly learn in order to play gigs. In fact, at their first gig they only knew 2 songs, had a 3 song set by playing one of the songs twice. But they persevered, and practiced, and honed their skills.



Early bassist Margot Olavarria and early drummer Elissa Bello left the band, or as they state, were...

Click to expand...

When you look up the definition of the phrase “Versatile Enigma,” a picture of Denny Laine will surely be near it. Born Brian Frederick Hines in Tyseley, Birmingham, England, the name change occurred very early on with the formation of his first band, The Diplomats. Laine felt that Brian Frederick Hines and the Diplomats sounded horrid, so he took the surname of his girlfriend at the time’s favorite singer (Frankie Laine) and Denny came from a childhood nickname as his stage name. Laine has been quoted as saying “everyone had a backyard, and a den to hang out. I think I got that nickname there.”



Laine started playing guitar at age 12, soon adding in bass guitar and piano, and honed his musical skills to perfection playing around at local gigs both solo, and with the Diplomats. By 1964, Laine was restless and ready to take his career to the next level, and after leaving the Diplomats, he co-founded M&B 5 with musicians...

Click to expand...

It’s often said that the best music comes from deep inside, or from a broken heart. Never is that adage more apparent than when listening to Fleetwood Mac’s iconic album, Rumours. The studio sessions were heavily marked by cocaine use, as well as  the strife among band members, and the relationship breakups that shaped most of the album’s lyrics. In listening to this album, I could actually feel the pain and heartbreak that the band members felt writing and recording this epic album.



In July 1975, Fleetwood Mac’s tenth album was released to great commercial success, reaching No. 1 in the U.S. in 1976. The record’s biggest hit single, Rhiannon, had given the band extensive radio exposure. At the time, Fleetwood Mac’s line-up consisted...

Click to expand...

Badfinger has always been a baffling mystery to many music aficionados. Often called “The Original Power Pop Band,” the band was mega-talented and very connected, but for some reason, they never were able to achieve the level of stardom they once appeared to be headed for.



This band had all the necessary components to be Superstars; they had the talent, the looks, and the relationships. They were the very first artists signed to the newly formed Apple label. Paul McCartney himself penned their very first hit. Yet, in spite of everything they had going for them, they seemed to be snake-bit from the early days on.



The Beginning



Their story starts in Swansea, Wales in 1961, beginning as The Panthers, formed by Pete Ham. This group would undergo several name and line-up changes before it became The Iveys in 1965, the name as a nod to the Hollies. The initial lineup was Pete Ham, Dai Jenkins, Mike Gibbons, and Ron Griffiths. They then met Bill Collins in 1966, who would...

Click to expand...

What do you get when kids are left to their own devices, and decide to go on a treasure hunt, using a map they found while rummaging around in the attic? You get The Goonies, a rambunctious, noisy, pirate-themed treasure-hunt action-fantasy that almost everyone seems to love.



This is a delightful tale by Steven Spielberg, adapted by Chris Columbus, and set in and around Astoria, Oregon. The story follows a group of slightly misfit kids nicknamed “Goonies” as they search for One-Eyed Willie’s buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. During their adventure, they fall into all kinds of trouble and mayhem.



The Goonies are comprised of Mikey Walsh, who is an eternal optimist, his older brother, Brandon, their friends, Data, an ever inventive kid, Mouth, who is always talkative, and Chunk, the lovable overweight and clumsy child. Mikey and his friends discover a treasure map and a gold doubloon in their attic. The younger kids...

Click to expand...

We’ve all seen them – the often crazy conspiracy theory videos that seem to be the fastest growing section of the vast YouTube library.  They are amusing and occasionally interesting, and I’ll admit that once in a very great while, on the surface, they appear to make compelling arguments.  I say “on the surface” because it doesn’t take much research or even just some good old-fashioned logical thought to see the flaws in the “evidence” they purport to present.  Unfortunately, it seems that logical thought has become a commodity in shockingly short supply as of late.  Are people just that stupid and gullible?  Well, the short answer is a resounding “yes”, but there may well be a more insidious psychological mechanism at work here.



            Confirmation Bias, according to the American Psychological Association, is the tendency to look for information that supports, rather than rejects, one’s preconceptions, typically by interpreting evidence to confirm existing beliefs...

Click to expand...

“Millionaire Bruce Wayne by day, avenging Batman by night, the caped crusader encounters a grinning face from his past when a madman known as the Joker threatens Gotham city.” This is the best description I’ve ever seen of this movie.



We all know the story. Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed in front of him as a child, and as an adult, he’s vowed to use their fortune to dedicate his life to fighting crime. He also wants to avenge their death, and to keep this tragedy from occurring to another young child. Michael Keaton’s Batman is slightly dotty, and deliciously absent minded, but those nuances humanize him, and make him the best and deepest Batman. The movie is filmed in Tim Burton’s dark Gothic vision, which only adds to the mystique.



Jack Nicholson is truly beyond masterful as the Joker and provides the color in Burton’s gloomy expressionist Gotham City. His performance is about as unrestrained as he’s ever been allowed...

Click to expand...

Karen and Richard Carpenter, also known as The Carpenters, were the soundtrack of most of our lives throughout the ‘70s. They produced a distinctive, soft musical style, combining Karen’s beautiful alto vocals with Richard’s harmonizing, arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television specials.



Born in New Haven, CT, the family moved to Downey, California in 1963 to further Richard’s musical education, and broaden their horizons. While Richard excelled on piano, Karen discovered she had a knack for the drums, and took up drumming that same year. In 1965, she and Richard formed The Richard Carpenter Trio, along with good friend Wesley...

Click to expand...