Rock
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Dave Grohl is a showman. The Foo Fighters frontman loves to surprise and delight his band’s fans by giving them a bit of the unexpected amid the sweat and rumble of a typically high-energy Foos show. On Saturday, during the Foos’ headlining slot at the Welcome to Rockville Festival at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona […]
Vampire Weekend returned to Studio 8H to perform songs from their latest album. During the May 11 episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by former cast member Maya Rudolph, the Ezra Koenig-led rock quartet delivered a pair of tracks from their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us, which debuted at No. 27 on […]
Dave Grohl is remembering late engineer/producer and noise-rock pioneer Steve Albini.
During the rock band’s concert in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday (May 9), the Foo Fighters frontman dedicated the group’s hit song “My Hero” to Albini, who died earlier in the week at age 61.
“Tonight, I’d like to dedicate this song to a friend we lost the other day, who I’ve known for a long, long time. And he left us much too soon,” Grohl told the crowd. “He’s touched all of your lives, I’m sure. Talking about Steve Albini. For those of you who know, you know. For those of you who don’t know, just remember that name: Steve Albini. So let’s sing this one for him.”
Grohl first worked with the Chicago-based engineer/producer when recording Nirvana‘s 1993 album, In Utero. The pair reunited in 2014 for Grohl’s HBO series Sonic Highways. During the episode, the Foo Fighters recorded the song “Something From Nothing” at Albini’s Electric Audio Recordings studio in Chicago.
Last year, Grohl, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and Albini also sat down for an interview on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast to discuss the making of In Utero.
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Following his death from a sudden heart attack, numerous artists paid tribute to Albini, including the Pixies, PJ Harvey, Failure, the Breeders, Urge Overkill, Jarvis Cocker, Superchunk and Butch Vig.
In addition to In Utero, Albini — who fronted the bands Shellac and Big Black — also worked on the Pixies’ beloved 1988 album, Surfer Rosa, along with projects by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mogwai, Flogging Molly, the Breeders, Newsom, the Stooges, and many others.
His band, Shellac, was gearing up to release its first album in a decade, To All Trains, and had booked a series of shows in England in June, followed by a run of U.S. dates in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in July.
Watch Foo Fighters’ tribute to Albini here.
Scott Stapp and his wife, Jaclyn, are splitting.
The Creed frontman and former Miss New York, who were married for 18 years, are moving forward with a divorce following separate filings.
“Out of respect for their family, Scott intends to navigate this difficult time privately,” a representative for the Stapp wrote in a statement, obtained by Billboard.
Jaclyn, 43, filed for divorce first in June 2022 and later withdrew, and Stapp, 50, filed in May 2023, People confirmed through court documents filed in Williamson County, Tenn.
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News of the divorce was first reported by TMZ.
Stapp and Jaclyn Nesheiwat married in February 2006 after meeting at an event for Muscular Dystrophy Association in New York.
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The former couple share three children together: daughter Milan, 17, and sons Daniel, 13, and Anthony, 6. Scott has another son, Jagger, 25, with his ex-wife, Hillaree Burns.
Jaclyn previously served as Stapp’s co-manager. He signed with Shelter Management in 2020.
In 2014, Stapp suffered a self-described “psychotic break,” during which the singer, in a haze of drugs and alcohol, became convinced that his family was involved in a terrorist plot. Following a period of intensive therapy, Stapp and his wife began rebuilding their life together. Part of that experience was documented on VH1’s Couples Therapy in 2015.
Stapp is currently focusing on his music. The artist’s mega-selling hard rock group Creed reunited earlier this year with a slate of concerts that continue growing due to overwhelming ticket demand.
“So many positive things have already happened that are just mind-blowing, in terms of the level of Creed’s resurgence,” Stapp recently told Billboard.
The artist is also in the midst of a solo tour in support of his fourth album, Higher Power, which dropped through Napalm Records in March. The set was preceded by the highest-charting single of his non-Creed career, the hard-charging title track, which has climbed to No. 12 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and earned 1.4 million streams to date, according to Luminate.
Complaining about change in New York City is about as useful as moaning about rats on the subway tracks, but everyone – natives, adopted locals, frequent visitors – does it. And there’s a good reason why: It hurts to see a beloved haunt shutter for good.
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The pandemic wiped out plenty of storied Manhattan bars and restaurants, among them the East Village bar Black and White. With low ceilings, red-and-orange-striped walls, dark lighting and reliably great music (everything from Southern soul to British post-punk was spun on vinyl), Black and White occupied that necessary space between low-key and high-octane, making it suitable for everything from post-work happy hour to first dates to nightcaps after a concert.
It was effortlessly cool yet unpretentious, and you didn’t need to be a New Yorker to love it – case in point, Travis’ new song “Raze the Bar.” The cleverly titled single finds the Scottish rockers melding the elegiac with the anthemic to pay homage to the defunct bar, its owners and staff – with guest vocalists Chris Martin of Coldplay and Brandon Flowers of The Killers stopping by for a shot (at the mic).
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“If you played a show at Irving Plaza or Webster Hall, chances are you ended up at Black and White till the wee small hours,” explained frontman Fran Healy in a statement. “’Raze the Bar’ is a song about a fictional last night in the bar. [Co-owner] Johnny is in there, Jack, Richard and Johnny’s brother and bar co-owner Chris. The cameos were almost an afterthought! I just called Chris Martin in a bit of a panic because I couldn’t figure out what the track sequence should be. When Chris heard it, he was like, ‘That song is the best thing you’ve ever written!’ And because he and Brandon Flowers both live quite near…”
The track will feature on the band’s upcoming album L.A. Times, out July 12.
Black and White doesn’t just hold a special place in Healy’s heart – it occupies a spot in Billboard lore as well. Many a Billboard staffer (and alumni) gathered at the bar to celebrate, commiserate, come up with ideas and vent while draining the bar of Prosecco and Goose Island.
With “Raze the Bar,” Travis has delivered a rousing round of nostalgia to pour one out for an East Village mainstay.
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Metallica boasts four No. 1s in a row on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the first time, as “Screaming Suicide” jumps to the top of the tally dated May 18.
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The song follows reigns for “Too Far Gone?” (one week in November 2023), “72 Seasons” (two weeks last July) and “Lux Æterna” (11 weeks beginning in December 2022). All four tracks are from 72 Seasons, Metallica’s 11th studio album, which, also notably, becomes the band’s first to generate four Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s; previously, the group scored as many as two No. 1s apiece.
While “Screaming Suicide” is the fourth No. 1 from 72 Seasons, it became the LP’s second song to chart on Mainstream Rock Airplay. It debuted at No. 40 on the Feb. 18, 2023-dated survey after its release on streaming services, despite not then being promoted to radio. It returned to the ranking as the album’s fourth radio focus track this March.
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Metallica now boasts 14 career No. 1s on Mainstream Rock Airplay, having first reigned with “Until It Sleeps” in 1996. The band ties Five Finger Death Punch and Foo Fighters for the third-most leaders over the chart’s 43-year history.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
19, Shinedown
17, Three Days Grace
14, Five Finger Death Punch
14, Foo Fighters
14, Metallica
13, Van Halen
12, Disturbed
12, Godsmack
Concurrently, “Screaming Suicide” lifts 17-15 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 2.6 million audience impressions, up 10%, May 3-9, according to Luminate.
On the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated May 11, reflecting data April 26-May 2), “Screaming Suicide” placed at No. 24. In addition to its radio airplay, the song drew 112,000 official U.S. streams. It reached No. 8 upon its debut in February 2023.
72 Seasons launched at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in April 2023 and has earned 373,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated May 18 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, May 14.
On Friday (May 10), producer-songwriter and TV/film composer Tommee Profitt released Covers, Vol. 2, a new 10-song collection of reworked hits featuring a variety of vocal collaborators. One of the highlights of the album is Skylar Grey’s gentle, stripped-down rendition of Linkin Park’s enduring smash “Numb,” which also received a sweeping music video on the day of the album release.
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Watch Profitt and Grey’s video for “Numb” below:
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“I connected with Skylar a few years ago, and it was instantly clear that we both loved making cinematic music for movies and TV shows,” says Profitt, whose genre-twisting production work has landed synch placements in dozens of trailers and on multiple streaming platforms. “Skylar’s voice is perfect for the kind of music I love to produce.
“When I told her I was working on a covers album,” he continues, “we started brainstorming on what song we could do together, and it didn’t take long for ‘Numb’ by Linkin Park to come up. I could hear exactly in my head how her voice would sound on it… and yet she still over delivered. We wanted it to be both raw and beautiful, while climbing to an epic conclusion… It definitely feels like a movie! And the emotional depth of Skylar’s performance brings that to life in a way that most couldn’t. Her voice is so unique, and was definitely meant for this song; this was a perfect first collab!”
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Meanwhile, Grey — who has scored hits as a solo artist, featured performer and as a songwriter for Eminem, Rihanna and Dr. Dre, among others — has a long-standing connection to Linkin Park: she performed the iconic hook to “Where’d You Go,” the 2006 smash from the band’s Mike Shinoda under his Fort Minor project, when Grey was still performing under the name Holly Brook. A deal with Linkin Park’s Machine Shop Records helped start her career as a teen in the mid-2000s, years before Grey was able to pay tribute to the band alongside Profitt.
“Multiple people had been telling me, ‘You should work with Tommee Profitt,’ since I really love working in the cinematic music space… and he’s the best in the biz!” says Grey. “So we finally connected over Instagram and made it happen. I’ve had writers block for about a year, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to release a cover of one of my favorite Linkin Park songs. Linkin Park signed me to my very first record deal when I was 18, and I got to tag along on tour with them for a while, so there’s a huge nostalgic connection there.”
Linkin Park’s version of “Numb” peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 after being released on the band’s 2003 sophomore album Meteora. In addition to the collaboration with Grey, Covers, Vol. 2 features takes on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (featuring Fleurie), Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” (with Ruelle) and AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” (featuring William Joseph), among others.
Dennis Thompson, the high energy drummer for influential Detroit band MC5, died on Thursday (May 9). He was 75 years old. The rocker died at MediLodge of Taylor in Michigan, where he had been recovering following a heart attack in April, according to local news station Detroit Free Press. Thompson was the last surviving member […]
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Calling all Bob Dylan fans! Sonic Editions, a company specializing in limited-edition iconic photography, has just updated its selections of the singer and songwriter in anticipation of the James Mangold musical biopic A Complete Unknown, which is expected to arrive in 2025.
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Bob Dylan’s journey to becoming a folk rock icon defied all expectations, making him a true pioneer of the genre. Over the course of more than 30 studio albums, his music has made an enduring impact on the world, inspiring the future generation of artists. He underwent numerous reinventions throughout his career and sold more than 100 million records globally, reshaping the landscape of rock n’ roll music.
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To dive deeper into Dylan’s career behind the scenes, Sonic Editions shares the essence of his journey through photography. Each print honors his lasting impact, inviting fans to celebrate Dylan’s timeless contributions to music.
For those looking for unique images to hang, consider these limited-edition professional photographs of Dylan available as framed prints. With its black-and-white aesthetic, you can’t go wrong.
David Gahr/Sonic Editions
Bob Dylan Photographed at Recording Studio
Catch Bob Dylan in his element at a recording session joining musician Doug Sahm at the Atlantic Studios in New York City, according to Sonic Editions. This simple yet focused photograph is a great addition to your collection, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process.
Michael Ochs Archives/ Sonic Editions
Bob Dylan Records ‘Bringing It All Back Home’
Get yourself a special print of Bob Dylan at Colombia’s Studio A in New York City (1965), where he is holding a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. According to Sonic Editions, the iconic artist was recording his fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home, which released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records.
Mirrorpix/ Sonic Editions
Bob Dylan 1966
Looking for a candid moment of Dylan? Consider this limited-edition print of him strolling past a shop window in London in 1966. You can get this photograph framed in a variety of sizes, from small to extra extra large.
David Gahr/ Sonic Editions
Bob Dylan Backstage
With this photograph, you’ll get a glimpse of being backstage with Bob Dylan. This image was captured before a performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, according to Sonic Editions. You can choose the size and frame it based on your preference.
For more product recommendations, check out Walker Hayes’ clothing collection, Maren Morris’ children’s book, musician memoirs and more that you can add to your shopping list.
How does a rock band that scored enormous hit singles in the pre-streaming era approach the process of selecting a single in 2024? For Kings of Leon, the answer is: they don’t.
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“We don’t know what we’re doing,” bassist Jared Followill declares, then lets out a laugh, when speaking to Billboard about the modern hit-making process. The Tennessee quartet has been steadily releasing albums every three to five years since bursting into the mainstream in the late 2000s with crossover smashes “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire,” both from 2008’s Only By the Night; the former song won the Grammy for record of the year in 2010, while the latter’s official U.S. streams top 650 million, according to Luminate.
Those hits helped balloon Kings of Leon’s listenership during a very different iteration of the music industry; 15 years later, Followill admits that he and his bandmates (brothers Caleb and Nathan Followill, plus cousin Matthew Followill) wouldn’t even know how to attempt to replicate that crossover success of those songs.
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For new album Can We Please Have Fun, out tomorrow (May 10), the band went with the shaggy rocker “Mustang” as the lead single due to their team’s recommendation, and the song has reached No. 3 on Adult Alternative Airplay and climbs to No. 5 on Alternative Airplay. But Followill says that they could have easily gone with the mid-tempo sway of “Actual Daydream,” or the spry sing-along “Nowhere to Run,” if that had been the feedback they received.
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“Our only rule is to not have any songs on the album that we would be embarrassed if they were a single — so we try to make the album great, because we don’t know anything about the business side of things or algorithms or which song will do well,” he explains. “Now, it seems like you just need a great 15-second piece of a song to make it big on TikTok — slow it down, reverb it, make it huge. But we don’t know what works anymore, and I don’t think anybody knows … You just have to play ball a little bit, and hope that you’re with the right people who know what they’re doing.”
Kings of Leon surrounded themselves with a new cast of characters for their ninth studio album: after working with Markus Dravs on their last two full-lengths, the quartet tapped Kid Harpoon last year to helm the follow-up to 2021’s When You See Yourself. Kid Harpoon was in the middle of a red-hot streak when Kings of Leon came calling, after co-producing smashes like Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was”; in fact, a recommendation from Styles helped steer the band toward the veteran pop-rock producer, after they had started the writing process for the album at the top of 2023.
“We’re buddies with Harry, and he had worked with [Kid Harpoon] a ton and had great success,” Followill says. “We met him and it was just the right vibe. He’s almost childlike in the studio — so happy, trying anything, no negativity. He’s not judgmental at all, so it was just like having a buddy in there.”
Meanwhile, Can We Please Have Fun is Kings of Leon’s first album with new label home Capitol Records, after spending nearly the first two decades of their career on RCA’s roster. The band played the new album for prospective labels at Kid Harpoon’s L.A. home last year, and it was the pitch by Tom March, recently named Capitol Music Group’s chairman and CEO, that they found most appealing. “He just seemed on board, and bought in really quickly,” Followill says. “We’re very hands-on, which can be weird for a new label who’s excited to bring their own stuff to the table. But it’s been perfect — they’ve been super supportive, and it’s been a great relationship so far.”
Kings of Leon will head out on the road in August for a 26-city North American tour, and will be releasing visual components for every song on Can We Please Have Fun along the way. More than anything, however, Followill hopes that listeners can identify the new album as a progression for the band — a looser, more playful entry in their catalog, at a moment when Kings of Leon could have stuck to a tried-and-true formula.
“We’re not completely reinventing ourselves, but this is definitely a refresh,” Followill says. “It was a gradual thing, but we’ve evolved and changed ourselves. We’ve put a lot of effort into letting people know that we’re still here, and we’re not phoning it in 20 years down the road, just trying to squeeze a few dollars out at the end. We’re still trying.”