April 12th

April 12th

1994 Hole unfurls their second studio album, ‘Live Through This.”

The multi-platinum set is the only one to feature bassist Kristen Plaff who passes away later in the year. 

2001 Alice In Chains’ “MTV Unplugged” set is certified 2x platinum by RIAA.

That’s the Record Industry Association of America.

2003 Linkin Park’s “Meteora” tops the Billboard 200.   

The band’s second album, containing the track “Numb,” sells 810,000 copies in the U.S. during its debut week.

2011 The Foo Fighters release their seventh studio album, “Wasting Light.”

Produced by Butch Vig (“Nevermind”), the set has a guest appearance by Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic (bass and accordion on “I Should Have Known”). It tops the Billboard 200

2017 Metallica’s “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct,” is certified platinum by the RIAA. 

Metallica’s tenth studio effort is their first since ’08’s Death Magnetic.”  It’s also their sixth consecutive studio album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 291,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

1962 Today is Art Alexakis’ birthday. The Everclear singer-guitarist-songwriter is born in L.A.

1965 The Byrds issue their Rock-oriented cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The single’s success prompts Dylan to go electric.

1968 Life magazine does a story on The Doors but, like so many others, focuses on singer Jim Morrison. They push the singer’s myth right over the top with the quote “he appears in public and on his records to be moody, temperamental, enchanted in the mind and extremely stoned on something.”

1977 Jackson Browne’s album “The Pretender” featuring the emotional, “Here Come Those Tears Again,” goes platinum.

1978 The “FM” soundtrack is released with songs by Tom Petty and Steely Dan. There’s also Linda Ronstadt’s version of “Tumbling Dice.”

1987 Panic! At the Disco’s Brendon Urie enters the world. 

1996 The John Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University is dedicated. Mellencamp contributes $1.5 mil toward the building’s construction.

1997 Collective Soul’s “Precious Declaration” is #1 Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart.

2004 Here’s the story of a poor working girl. Andrea ‘TrixXxie Blue’ Terry, a Nevada brothel worker, files a civil suit against ex-Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil. The singer earlier pleaded no contest to assault charges. Neil became violent when Terry refused to have sex with him for free. Terry seeks 20K for lost wages and other costs.

2008 R.E.M.’s “Accelerate” sells 115,000 copies in its first week to land at #2 on the Billboard 200 (U.S.). The album makes its debut at #1 in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and #2 in Germany, Italy, Holland and Austria.

2012 “Nothing Like I Planned: The Art of John Mellencamp,” a collection of the singer/songwriter’s paintings, opens at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.

2013 Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival is at New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the first time. “The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me, to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform on one stage,” says Clapton.

2016 U2’s Bono goes to Capitol Hill to garner support for development efforts across the Middle East and Africa. Bono states that the U.S. is uniquely positioned to help millions of refugees around the world and prevent chaos.

2019 Linkin Park DJ Joe Hahn is a judge on “Super Band,” a Korean reality TV show. The goal is to create a “super” band comprised of musicians capable of producing music spanning numerous musical genres.  

2023 Led Zeppelin’s 1971 song “Stairway To Heaven” (from the band’s “Led Zeppelin IV” album) is among the National Recording Registry’s 2023 inductees. The other Rock oriented inductees are “Déjà Vu” — Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970), “Imagine” — John Lennon (1971) and “Synchronicity” — The Police (1983). 

2024 Prior to Bruce Dickinson’s last-minute solo shows at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood fans who line-up early for tickets are greeted by the Iron Maiden frontman in the box office selling tickets and meeting fans.  In the evening, Dickinson plays his first solo show in 22 years in support of “The Mandrake Project” album.

2025 Disturbed‘s “I Will Not Break” is #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart giving the band its 13th chart topper.

2025 Green Day play Coachella for the first time performing “American Idiot,” “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams:” and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” with an audience member on guitar.