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Three years after Chicago’s Fall Out Boy formed Island Records provided an advance for the group’s major label debut “Take This To Your Grave.” ’05 release “Under The Cork Tree” led to an extensive tour. F.O.B. even won a Road Woodie (Best Tour) at the student-selected mtvU Woodie Awards held in New York. “Infinity On…
Sibling rivalry is well known but sometimes it can have positive results. When Ann Wilson started playing guitar her sister Nancy vowed to play it better. Eventually, Ann lost interest but Nancy kept practicing and it paid off, big time. The Seattle based Heart started out as the Army with Ann Wilson (vocals) Howard Lesse…
At seventeen, former choirboy William Bailey decided to change his last name to Rose, his dad’s last name. ‘Bailey’ belonged to his step-father. Picking up the Axl handle, as a tribute to some former bands, Rose headed for L.A., to connect with his friend Izzy Stradlin. They hooked up with Tracii Guns becoming the L.A….
Some groups build a huge audience but once the hits stop, so do they. Others, like the Black Crowes, led by the Robinson brothers, Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar/backing vocals), are able to establish a relationship with their audience that allows them to survive the down points in a typical Rock career. Having a reputation…
Not since the Beach Boys, nearly two decades earlier, had a band been more consistently happy and upbeat. It shouldn’t be surprising since The Go-Go’s lead singer Belinda Carlisle was a high school cheerleader – in Hollywood, no less. Ironically though, The Go-Go’s began as an L.A. Punk group. Carlisle, Jane Wieldin (guitar), Charlotte Caffey…
New York’s CBGBs was a unique Rock venue. Just off Houston St. in the Bowery on the Lower East Side, the club was easy to spot. On humid summer nights people were standing outside sipping beer from cans sunk in wet brown paper bags. CBGBs was long and narrow. On your right was a bar…
David Bowie must be the patron saint of comebacks. When Mott The Hoople was ready to call it quits Bowie, a major fan, gave them “All The Young Dudes” which became their biggest hit. The Stooges, shattered by the Rock n’ Roll lifestyle, were revived with Bowie’s help and he brought them further than they’d…
Guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt started their first band when they were fourteen, eventually becoming Green Day. After a couple albums for indie labels and the arrival of drummer Tre Cool (Frank Wright III) Green Day was signed by Reprise. Their first effort for the label was “Dookie.” The album earned heavy…
The word on The Knack was they recorded their debut album “Get The Knack” in eleven days for eighteen-thousand dollars. It went platinum in ’79. Not a bad return on investment for Capitol Records. Of course, the song that made it all possible was “My Sharona.” Within weeks of its release, the herky-jerky Rocker with…
Like countless musicians, Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill earned their musical chops playing in church. Only when their father left the ministry did the Followill’s, along with their cousin Matthew, discover Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty and Rolling Stones. Interestingly, those influences did not dominate. Rather, the Followill’s honed a roots/rustic style that was, in part,…