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Jan172020
Insights

We’ll be back soon!

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hang tight! Hello all! We took a break and did some maintenance under the hood of RPM. Hang tight and we’ll be back soon.

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Jul122019
InsightsMusic Culture

Live Aid – Women Who Rocked

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One of the most unique parts of the Hard Rock Cafe story is Live Aid. Hard Rock was there in 1985, operating the catering tents on both sides of the Atlantic and we unearthed some photos of the day!

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Jul112019
Reviews

Album Review: Modern Mirror by Drab Majesty

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The lasting power of The Cure and Depeche Mode is no accident. There is something soothing about losing yourself in the swirling fog of dark wave music. Guitar pedals heavy on chorus and synth-laden atmospheres dance together in sadness and everyone looks beautiful in black. We may initially fall for its sway as disaffected teens…

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Jun192019
Insights

The National & Courtney Barnett Live in St Augustine

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The National and Courtney Barnett took over St Augustine, June 17th 2019.

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Jun152019
InsightsReviews

Now Hear This! – June 2019

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Since our first cafe opened in London on June 14, 1971, music has been our differentiator.

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Jun62019
Insights

Love Is Love (Part 2)

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In Part 1 of our Love Is Love series, we explored some of the LGBTQ artists who were pioneers in their genres and helped open doors for today’s artists. As we continue our celebration of Pride Month, we take a look at some of today’s best new music from LGBTQ artists.

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Jun12019
Insights

Love Is Love (Part 1)

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Love is love. As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising this June, Pride month is more important than ever.

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May302019
InsightsReviews

Review: Whitesnake – Flesh & Blood

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The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. – L.P. Hartley Let’s get it out in the open from the outset, Whitesnake’s Flesh & Blood is a damn fine rock-n-roll record.

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May282019
InsightsInterviews

The Good, The Bad, & the Laundry With Brenda Kahn

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Poet. Guitarist. Songwriter. Publisher. Activist. Mother. Brenda Kahn’s music career stretches from the anti-folk scene of the East Village in the early 1990s to a recently published book of poetry about parenting aptly titled The Good, The Bad, And The Laundry. Along the way, Kahn recorded with her friend Jeff Buckley, played Lilith Fair multiple…

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May222019
Insights

Tame Impala: Live in St Augustine

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Australia’s premiere indie/psych-rock gods Tame Impala played (for the first time in Florida!) a sold out show in the swamps of America’s oldest city, St Augustine.

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May42019
Insights

The Mother’s Day Mixtape

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The many roles a mother plays makes fitting all of our thank you’s into one day a year an impossible task.

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Apr162019
Reviews

Now Hear This: Best New Music April 2019

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Coachella weekend has come to a close and our taxes are due tonight. If you’re burning the candle trying to find a few more deductions, here is some great new music to listen to.

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Apr42019
Reviews

Review: L.A. Guns – The Devil You Know

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If The Dirt doesn’t kickstart a glam metal resurgence, it may never come. That won’t stop bands like L.A. Guns from continuing to carry the torch for the sleazy goodness of the Sunset Strip.

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Mar312019
Reviews

SWMRS Live In Vegas

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When it comes to rock-n-roll, teenagers will always be the ultimate arbiters of cool. Last night in Las Vegas, a swaying mass of youth anointed SWMRS the next big thing.

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Mar202019
Reviews

Review: Lauren Jenkins – No Saint

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It has been a slow journey to her debut album but Lauren Jenkins rewards our patience with an album that takes us back to the crossroads where country, pop, and rock once hung out together sharing a bottle of whiskey.

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Mar82019
Insights

Celebrating International Women’s Day

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The list of iconic and influential women in music stretches well past the horizon and grows longer each and every day.

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Mar12019
Insights

Duran Duran Live In Las Vegas

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Duran Duran were the video band that killed the radio stars.

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Feb192019
Insights

And the Winner Is…

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We’re at the tail end of that magical time of year when pampered artistes gather together to pat themselves on the back and make pretentious speeches while wearing dubious fashion – AWARD SEASON!

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Feb142019
Insights

Now Hear This! – February 2019

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Every year, it seems like the Grammy awards get just enough right to keep us coming back.

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Jan232019
Insights

It’s written in the stars…

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

It’s written in the stars… Ah, Valentine’s Day – the holiday that comes so close to Christmas you’re probably out of money and gift ideas to give that special someone. While chocolates and flowers are both traditional and romantic Valentine’s Day gifts, we recommend going deeper. Create a personalized, love song-filled playlist that will truly…

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Jan232019
Reviews

Styx Live In Las Vegas

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On Saturday Night Live this week, Greta Van Fleet staked their claim to the future of classic rock-n-roll. On Sunday night in Las Vegas, Styx made a powerful case of their own with a set of new songs that more than held their own against the band’s legendary songbook.

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Jan82019
Insights

Bowie: Birthday Cake & Cover Songs

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I am still searching for David Bowie. He is everywhere but he is nowhere.

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Jan42019
Insights

Coachella 2019: Ten Must-See Artists

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The first huge festival announcement of 2019 has arrived and Coachella has one of its deepest line-ups ever.

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Dec72018
Insights

Remembering Pete Shelley

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I’ve been waiting to write something about Pete Shelley after hearing about his passing today.

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Dec42018
Reviews

Best Albums Of 2018

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As 2018 draws to a close, we asked some members of Hard Rock’s music team to run down their favorite albums of the year. Dig it!

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Nov292018
Reviews

Magic Dance – New Eyes

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Magic Dance take nostalgia in a fresh direction on New Eyes by intentionally undermining the importance we attach to the canon of influence.

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Nov292018
Insights

X and Los Lobos in San Francisco

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X and Los Lobos in San Francisco X and Los Lobos, two classic Los Angeles bands each celebrating over 40 years in the business, brought their show to the historic Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco for a two-night stand this past weekend. Another LA veteran, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s, opened the show with her…

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Nov22018
Reviews

Greta Van Fleet: Anthem of the Peaceful Army

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Greta Van Fleet took over the top slot on the Billboard Top Artist album chart this week. Let that sink in for a second.

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Nov12018
Insights

Now Hear This: November 2018

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The cobwebs are being cleared this morning as another Halloween is in the books. There has been no shortage of quality music this year and the November playlist is already filling up fast. Here is another edition of Now Hear This!

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Oct222018
Insights

Video Geography: Duran Duran’s New Moon On Monday

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In January of 1984, Duran Duran arrived in Noyers, France with director Brian Grant to film their video for “New Moon On Monday”.

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Oct102018
Insights

Concert Review: Garbage

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Garbage are the perfect house band for our dystopian nightmare.

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Sep302018
InsightsReviews

Album Review: AAARTH by The Joy Formidable

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On The Joy Formidable’s magnificent new record, AAARTH, the band searches for a way to reconcile the many opposing elements of today’s fractured world.

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Sep262018
Insights

First Listen?!? – Some Girls

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RPM writer Jason Lent is back with another First Listen?!?, this time on the Rolling Stones’ Some Girls.

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Sep202018
Insights

Now Hear This – September 2018

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Now Hear This – September 2018 One of the highlights of working at Hard Rock Cafe is meeting music fans from all over the world. The passion and love for bands, both new and old, always inspires me to continue exploring every realm of the rock-n-roll universe. The list below reflects some of those suggestions.…

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Sep202018
Insights

Patti Smith, Flea, Bob Weir & more at Pathway to Paris

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Patti Smith, Flea, Bob Weir & more at Pathway to Paris Pathway to Paris – The Masonic Auditorium – San Francisco – Sept. 14, 2018   With extreme weather events very much in the news recently, the fourth annual Pathway to Paris concert at The Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco could not have been more…

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Sep182018
Insights Solange

Playlist: 24 Witchy Songs To Celebrate the Fall Equinox

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Playlist: 24 Witchy Songs To Celebrate the Fall Equinox For most, the arrival of fall is more a feeling than a temperature drop. An ethereal shift in the winds perhaps or just your inaugural pumpkin spice latte order — whatever marks the change of the season, the collective gearing up for Autumn is here. To…

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Aug302018
Insights

Now Hear This – August 2018

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Summer draws to a close and cooler nights are on the horizon. No better time to put on headphones and spend some time with new music. 

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Aug272018
Insights

Catching Up With The Regrettes

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Catching Up With The Regrettes The Regrettes are the most dangerous band in the world today. No, they aren’t the second coming of Guns-n-Roses, or even the Sex Pistols, and we should be thankful for that. I don’t expect The Regrettes to be milking their generation for $250 concert tickets on a bloated reunion tour…

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Aug202018
Insights alicia keys

Schooled by Musical Geniuses

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Musical success is often attributed to sheer talent, hard work, and maybe some dumb luck. The high intelligence level associated with great musical talent, however, is rarely addressed. 

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Aug182018
Insights

Aretha

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Aretha. Just the mere mention of her name demands your attention and everyone knows EXACTLY who you are talking about, regardless of age.

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Aug112018
Reviews

Concert Review: The Struts

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Lest we forget that rock-n-roll isn’t all limousines and champagne, The Struts’ Luke Spiller listed off the band’s grueling 24 hours in Las Vegas halfway through a sweat drenched set at Brooklyn Bowl.

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Aug82018
Insights

Behind The Video With The Joy Formidable

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There are worse ways to spend a summer than supporting Foo Fighters as they make their away around North America playing some of the biggest stadiums.

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Aug42018
Insights

Artist Of the Month: Houndmouth

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I fondly remember the sense of exploring the future via the mid-century modern prism of Epcot Center in Orlando, FL as a child.

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Jul272018
Insights

Adam Ant – The Anthems Tour

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Some call it nostalgia, I call it science.

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Jul182018
Insights

Artists Behind The Hair

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Musicians are creative types; their ability to form beauty out of sound, to build patterns from chaos, is what makes them special. Sometimes their creativity goes beyond the sonic realm into that of the visual. Hair is one of the most defining and yet malleable features of a person’s look, and one that musicians often…

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Jul162018
Reviews

Broken Social Scene in Orlando

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Broken Social Scene in Orlando Broken Social Scene, Canada’s premier indie super-group (with members from Feist, Metric, STARS, Do Make Say Think), crashed our little corner of Southern America on an extended run of dates for their Hug of Thunder tour. RPM contributor William Powell was there to capture the show.                

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Jul62018
Insights

Artist Of the Month – Gorillaz

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The long, strange trip of Gorillaz has never been boring.

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Jul62018
Reviews

Devo! The Damned! it’s Burger Boogaloo 2018 in Oakland!

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Devo! The Damned! it’s Burger Boogaloo 2018 in Oakland! Burger Boogaloo 2018 came roaring into Mosswood Park in Oakland, California this past weekend. Now in its ninth year, the festival brought together more than twenty bands over two days, with highlights including headlining sets from The Damned and Devo (with Fred Armisen on drums –…

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Jul52018
Reviews

Science Fiction: A Brief History Of Thompson Twins

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Science Fiction: A Brief History Of Thompson Twins This month marks the 33rd anniversary of Live Aid and the bands that ruled that day (Queen and U2) remain as front of mind as ever in popular culture with sold-out arena tours and, in the case of Queen, a new film and Vegas residency on the…

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Jun282018
Reviews

Shopping – Concert Review

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Throughout history, the most interesting and exciting music often happens on the edges where the most marginalized artists reside.

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Jun252018
Reviews

The Pretenders at the Masonic in San Fran!

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The Pretenders at the Masonic in San Fran! The Pretenders rocked the Masonic in San Francisco on June 22nd. Our own Aaron Rubin was there to capture the show.          with support from Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express     

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Jun222018
Memorabilia

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

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The contributions to popular music by African American artists is difficult to overstate, so we’re not even gonna try. Instead, here are some incredible pieces of history from some true legends.

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Jun182018
Reviews

The Joy Formidable – Concert Review

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In a few months, The Joy Formidable will be playing in front of packed stadiums while supporting the Foo Fighters.

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Jun72018
Insights

Now Hear This – June 2018

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School’s out for summer which means more time to listen to music!

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Jun12018
Insights Troye Sivan LGBTQ Artist

5 Rising LGBT Artists

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5 Rising LGBT Artists For the month of June, the world celebrates Pride, a time for many to set aside the daily struggle and find joy in being part of the queer community. It is also a month to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots and recognize and honor those fighting to end homophobia, legalize same…

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May292018
Insights

January 8, 1984 (Revisited)

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As we get older, the pull of our memories often draw us back in time like a tractor beam on the Death Star.

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May272018
Reviews

Meiko – Playing Favorites

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In the 90s, the female singer-songwriter explosion brought a wave of significant alternative artists who helped re-shape the decade.

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May222018
Reviews

Poison & Cheap Trick In Las Vegas

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Let’s rewind to 1986.

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May162018
Insights

Move over Coachella,
we’re about to get Zen

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As we enter the thick of festival season, another kind of festival is heating up: the wellness festival.

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May162018
Reviews

Peter Hook & the Light – Las Vegas

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This Friday, the Electric Daisy Carnival will descend upon Las Vegas like a thunderstorm of candy rain.

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May142018
Reviews

U2 – iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour

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U2 – iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour For almost forty years, U2 have been with us, filling stadiums with their rock-n-roll anthems while slyly holding a mirror up to us, the listener. On the current iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour, the band’s political urgency and messages of hope have taken on a distinctively different tone. Fully aware…

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May112018
Insights

Farewell Scott Hutchison

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“While I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to earth.” – Scott Hutchison

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May82018
Insights

Welcome back to Battery Park

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Welcome back to Battery Park Welcome back to Battery Park Welcome to show day … more specifically, the premiere of Hard Rock Sioux City’s 2018 outdoor concert series. Welcome back to Battery Park. Before Post Malone hits the stage in front of the venue’s fastest sell out crowd tonight, however, let’s take a quick stroll…

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Apr302018
Insights

Modern Classics: Elefant’s Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid

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Someone other than me surely remembers Elefant. Right?

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Apr292018
Insights

SORAIA video debut!

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Born in 2005, Soraia epitomizes raw power, unrelenting energy, chaos, and freedom.

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Apr272018
Insights

Bowie Takes Over NYC Subway Station

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Bowie Takes Over NYC Subway Station   As the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibit continues to blow away fans at The Brooklyn Museum (as its done around the world), the museum has teamed up with Spotify and the Metropolitan Transit Authority to give New Yorkers an added incentive to make your way over to Brooklyn. Located…

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Apr262018
Insights

RANKED: Chris Gaines

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Let the buzz begin.

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Apr262018
Reviews

The Longshot at The Ivy Room in Albany, CA

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The Longshot at The Ivy Room in Albany, CA The Longshot at The Ivy Room in Albany, CA 4-20-2018 Billie Joe Armstrong is restless. Or so it seems given the flurry of new projects from the Green Day front man in recent months. Earlier this year, we saw the singer along with some of his…

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Apr232018
Reviews

Judas Priest at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco 4-19-2018

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Judas Priest at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco 4-19-2018 Judas Priest at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco 4-20-2018 I last saw Judas Priest over 35 years ago at the Long Beach Arena on the band’s Screaming for Vengeance tour – it was my first real concert. For me as a 15-year-old metal head…

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Apr162018
Insights

Tunes Talkin’ Baseball

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Baseball Season is back!

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Apr152018
Reviews

HAIM Live in Las Vegas

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On Friday night, HAIM wowed Las Vegas with a thrilling set of pop-rock goodness.

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Apr102018
Reviews

Review: Sunflower Bean’s Twentytwo In Blue

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Review: Sunflower Bean’s Twentytwo In Blue Arriving with a fully formed aesthetic, Sunflower Bean were seemingly destined to release an album as exquisite as Twentytwo In Blue. The band’s well of influence runs deep with everything from Fleetwood Mac to The Sweet informing their sound but the exuberance and uncertainty of youth refuses to allow…

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Apr92018
Insights

They Might Be Giants live in Orlando

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They Might Be Giants live in Orlando They Might Be Giants played the Beacham in Orlando on January 25th. Days before this show, They Might Be Giants dropped their 20th album I Like Fun. RPM contributor William Powell was there to capture it.   b     

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Apr92018
InsightsReviews

The Darkness live at the Regency Ballroom

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The Darkness live at the Regency Ballroom The Darkness at The Regency Ballroom 3-31-2018 The late, great Lemmy Kilmister once referred to The Darkness as a novelty act and there are still those who are quick to dismiss the band as nothing more than a slightly-amusing, glam metal piss-take. A superficial listener who heard only…

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Apr92018
Insights

12 Songs That Spell It Out For You

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12 Songs That Spell It Out For You Wu-Tang Clan – METHOD Man John Mellencamp – R.O.C.K in the U.S.A. Motörhead – R.A.M.O.N.E.S Patti Smith – Gloria Justice – D.A.N.C.E. Ramones – Slug The Kinks – Lola Daryl Hall & John Oates – Method of Modern Love Q and not U – Soft Pyramids The…

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Apr22018
Reviews

REVIEW: OMD at The Wiltern

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REVIEW: OMD at The Wiltern Nothing screams confidence louder then when a band decides to drop “the big hit” into the first half of their set. That scream only intensifies if you are playing Los Angeles and your biggest hit in America anchored one of the most beloved Hollywood films of the 1980s. But it…

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Mar272018
Insights

Modern Classics: MCR’s Danger Days

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Modern Classics: MCR’s Danger Days My Chemical Romance were a generation (or two) behind me so they didn’t register on my radar until someone slipped me a ripped CD of The Black Parade. The T. Rex riff of “Teenagers” won me over and I cautiously wandered into the shallow end of the emo-punk pool. The…

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Mar242018
Reviews

REVIEW: Mesa Lanes – High Crimes & Misdemeanors

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REVIEW: Mesa Lanes – High Crimes & Misdemeanors When it comes to punk, maturity can be an evil mistress but Mesa Lanes have escaped her grip on their debut High Crimes & Misdemeanors. Veterans of the Orange County punk scene, the band members have paid their dues over the decades as members of Dodge Dart,…

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Mar162018
Insights

Now Hear This: March 2018

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Now Hear This: March 2018 Only three months into the new year and 2018 is already delivering some of the best music of the decade. Not surprisingly, women are at the forefront of this wave and here is the March edition of Now Hear This!   Soccer Mommy – Your Dog Sophie Allison’s debut album…

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Mar142018
Insights

Then & Now: Groundbreaking female musicians who rocked the status quo

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Then & Now: Groundbreaking female musicians who rocked the status quo Country: Loretta Lynn to Kacey Musgraves It’s easy to settle on the likes of Johnny Cash when asked of groundbreaking country artists but, truthfully, this label belongs to Miss Loretta Lynn. Lynn hit the music scene in the ‘60s as one of the first…

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Mar82018
Reviews

The Coverups at the Ivy Room

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Not-so-secret-anymore Green Day side project “The Coverups” played at the Ivy Room in Albany, California on March 5th.

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Mar62018
Insights

Hard Rock Artist Of the Month: The Regrettes

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ARTIST OF THE MONTH!

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Mar22018
InsightsReviews

Thurston Moore live in San Francisco

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Alt rock icon Thurston Moore performed in San Francisco and our man Aaron Rubin captured all the action. Check it out!

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Mar12018
Reviews

Celebrating David Bowie – Review

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Celebrating David Bowie – Review Earl Slick Featuring musicians from different eras of David Bowie’s ever-evolving career, the Celebrating David Bowie tour did more than pay tribute to the missing legend in Las Vegas. As each song unfolded throughout the night, the band’s joyous performance offered a form of musical catharsis to the audience. Anchored…

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Feb232018
Insights

Love & Keytars – Howard Jones

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Love & Keytars – Howard Jones One of the most unique artists to conquer America during the second British Invasion, Howard Jones always set himself a little apart at the time even if I didn’t quite understand why as an awestruck 12 year old. In October, 1985, my dad took me to Miami, FL to…

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Feb202018
Reviews

Shopping – The Official Body (Review)

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Shopping – The Official Body (Review) On the cusp of stardom in the early 80s, Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon famously quipped “We want to be the band to dance to when The Bomb drops.” Fast-forward to 2018 and Shopping have perfected that mission statement on The Official Body. Produced by Edwyn Collins, the band mixes…

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Feb202018
Insights

MTV Spring Break Flashback

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Spring Break is just around the corner! Just because we’re not all school-aged, doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of this unofficial “holiday” or at least reminisce about the sun-filled glory days, right?

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Feb132018
Reviews

Franz Ferdinand – Always Ascending

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This album is absolutely amazing.

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Feb132018
InsightsReviews

Michael Nesmith live in San Francisco

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The legendary Mike Nesmith of the Monkees played a rare gig in San Francisco on January 28, 2018 and was joined by surprise guest Ben Gibbard. Our man Aaron Rubin was on the scene with his trusty camera.

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Feb22018
Memorabilia

COIN TOSS (February 2, 1959)

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Heads or Tails? Sometimes the flip of a coin can literally be the difference between life and death.

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Feb12018
Insights

Early Influences: The DuCaines

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Early Influences: The DuCaines Who are your influences? When you are mixing with like-minded music people that question inevitably comes up. As much as I like to think it is Bowie, Velvet Underground, and Joy Division, the only real answer for me has always been the DuCaines out of New York City. If it wasn’t…

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Jan292018
Reviews

Now Hear This! (January 2018)

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Now Hear This! (January 2018) The Grammy’s are over. The popular kids won a lot of awards while we tried not to fall asleep. Here’s some new music that is worth your time in the latest edition of Now Hear This! Saxon – They Played Rock And Roll The world has gone to hell since…

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Jan292018
Reviews

Fall Out Boy – M A N I A

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Fall Out Boy – M A N I A The new Fall Out Boy is titled M A N I A and the all-caps, shouting-in-your-face title might be the most subtle part of the entire record. Arriving with an album cover that looks like the set from The 1975’s recent videos, FOB breathlessly cram every…

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Jan242018
InsightsReviews

Jack Antonoff, my Pretend Best Friend

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There is little I could say about Jack Antonoff that has not already been said.

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Jan222018
Insights

Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop)!

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If you are one of those people who stream music (and by all recent accounts, that is most of you), listen up! Def Leppard has finally joined the party!!

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Jan202018
Insights

Spoon live in San Francisco

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Not being on a major label doesn’t mean you’re not a major player – and if there’s any band that can prove it, it’s Spoon.

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Jan192018
Insights

Remembering Dolores O’Riordan

By RPM Contributors15 Comments

On July 5, 1993 I went to the Fern Park Station in Casselberry, FL to see power-pop legends The Posies. Upon arriving, I headed to the bar to get a drink and there stood a beautiful young woman with close-cropped hair. It was Dolores O’Riordan.

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Jan152018
InsightsReviews

First Listen?!? – The Who’s ‘Tommy’

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Ask my music-centric friends and they will tell you that I have some stupefying blind spots when it comes to the rock-n-roll canon. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I learned that Joe Walsh was in a band named James Gang which even had a song (“Funk #49”) that I knew. I had…

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Jan152018
Insights

5 Apps Merging Wellness & Music

By Rick Lyon4 Comments

Music has a huge impact on brain health and in turn, mental and physical health; so it makes sense that rhythm and music is an integral part of wellness routines of all types.

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Jan102018
Reviews

Iron & Wine in Orlando

By William PowellLeave a comment

Singer-songwriter Sam Beam brought his neo-folk act Iron & Wine to perform at the Beacham in Downtown Orlando in support of their new collection of songs Beast Epic.

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Jan82018
Insights

David Bowie – ‘hours…’

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Today, we send a happy birthday out into space hoping it finds David Bowie; or at least Major Tom, who might be so kind as to pass along the message.

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Jan42018
Memorabilia

COOL BASS ALERT! – Geddy Lee’s Rickenbacker 4001

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

A few years back, we acquired some absolutely amazing gear directly from the Rush camp. Here’s one of Geddy’s iconic Rickenbacker basses.

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Jan22018
Reviews

Best Albums Of 2017

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Best Albums Of 2017 As we shake off the cobwebs from the champagne on New Year’s Eve, we take one last look back at 2017 with some of our favorite albums…. INHEAVEN – INHEAVEN INHEAVEN’s debut album sounds as subtle as a chainsaw and rips through your speakers in under 40 minutes. This is the…

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Jan22018
Reviews

Country Joe McDonald live in San Francisco

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Psychedelic icon Country Joe McDonald gave a rare performance at The Chapel in San Francisco. Our man Aaron Rubin was there with his trusty camera.

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Dec212017
Reviews

Richard Thompson in Berkeley

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Richard Thompson brought his solo acoustic, all-request act to Berkeley for four sold out shows at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. Our photographer Aaron Rubin was there.

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Dec202017
Reviews

The Pixies live in Oakland

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RPM contributor Jeff Yih reviews the Pixies’ epic performance at the Fox Theater in Oakland and Aaron Rubin provides some incredible photos.

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Dec202017
Insights

Albums that Give Back

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

It always warms our hearts when musicians get together, using their talents to raise money for a great cause through the release of a charity album. The charity album trend peaked in the ’80s with all-star releases like “We are the World” and “Do they know it’s Christmas?” but thankfully many artists continue to use…

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Dec182017
Reviews

Lady Gaga Concert Review

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In a year when I’ve seen everyone from Bob Dylan to Iron Maiden, I went into last night’s Lady Gaga show in Las Vegas expecting an entertaining but scripted pop concert. I underestimated her.

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Dec102017
Reviews

LIVING COLOUR – Shade

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The spirit of Robert Johnson would come to haunt – and serve as creative fuel – for one of the best bands New York City (and rock n roll) has ever produced.

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Dec72017
Reviews

SPARKS live in San Francisco

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Legendary art pop duo Sparks made a rare appearance at The Chapel in San Francisco. RPM’s Aaron Rubin captured all the action with his trusty camera.

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Dec42017
Reviews

U2 – Songs Of Experience (Review)

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U2 – Songs Of Experience (Review) In 2014, U2 quietly placed Songs Of Innocence on every I-phone in the world and most of the world went ballistic. With Songs Of Experience, the band seeks to even the score by pissing off those of us who really enjoyed their free copy of Innocence. Restrained to a…

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Dec12017
Insights

Should We Even Have Heroes?

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

I have been told many times to not meet my heroes – that it is either not all it’s cracked up to be or that I will come face to face with an interaction that will leave me largely unsatisfied. It is a tale that has been passed down, a sort of innate understanding that…

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Nov212017
Reviews

Morrissey – Low In High School (Review)

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The idea of Morrissey often eclipses the reality of Morrissey.

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Nov172017
Insights

Artist of the Month – LIAM GALLAGHER

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Unlike boxing, rock and roll is not renowned for great comebacks. A few missteps and then it’s usually farewell, have a good life, who are you again?

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Nov132017
Insights

Our Favorite Holiday Albums

By RPM Contributors7 Comments

November is halfway over and (in the US) elastic-waisted pants are ready for Thanksgiving – which means everyone is technically allowed to start listening to Holiday music, right?

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Nov72017
Insights

Round & Round (& Round Again)

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When the flannel soldiers of Seattle stormed mainstream music in the early 90s, glam metal bands and their fans were sent scurrying back underground as popular culture shifted its attention away from big hair and bigger ballads.

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Oct252017
Insights

Kurt & Courtney!

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Alt rock darlings Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett threw down at the historic Fox Theater in Oakland on October 18th. Our pal Aaron Rubin was there with his trusty camera.

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Oct202017
Memorabilia

COOL GUITAR ALERT! – Tony Iommi’s “Monkey” SG

By Rick Lyon4 Comments

This guitar is quite possibly the single most important piece of music history in the Hard Rock collection.

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Oct202017
Reviews

Bob Dylan live in Las Vegas

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan far longer than I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan.

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Oct172017
Insights

Interview – GLAM SKANKS

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Whether you realize it or not, you need more glam rock in your daily life. That is what I figured out back in February when the Glam Skanks delivered a dose of their glitter stomp on Las Vegas in support of Adam Ant.

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Oct122017
Insights

When Worlds Collide – spooky TV cameos by famous musicians

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

With Halloween right around the corner, we’ve been revisiting our favorite spooky TV cameos by some legendary musicians. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE! 

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Oct82017
Insights

Artist of the Month – DIRTY HEADS

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

In anticipation of Dirty Heads’ 6th album, Swim Team, singer/guitarist Duddy B chatted with Jeff Nolan about the state of the group.

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Oct42017
Reviews

Adam Ant live at the Masonic in San Francisco

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Success is the sweetest revenge.

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Oct32017
Insights

Farewell Tom Petty

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Tom Petty went to the Great Gig in the Sky last night. He was only 66 years old. RPM’s Jason Lent and Earl Douglas share their thoughts.

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Sep262017
Reviews

The Killers – Wonderful Wonderful

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

It was April 20, 2004 when I walked into a bar in Denver, CO to see The Killers supporting Stellastarr*. Both bands had one song on YouTube and I incorrectly assumed The Killers were from the UK.

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Sep252017
Insights

PRETENTIOUS POETRY – “Back in Black”

By Rick Lyon2 Comments

Welcome to PRETENTIOUS POETRY – where we take a look at classic rock lyrics as paraphrased by a sophomore English major. Today’s installment is the AC/DC classic “Back in Black”. Brace yourself for true idiocy.

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Sep202017
Reviews

Nicole Atkins – Goodnight Rhonda Lee

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

For a brief, magical period in the late ’60s through the mid 70s, there was this unique, fruitful and mind-blowing fusion of country, pop and rhythm & blues.

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Sep192017
Insights

Rock Star Movie Cameos

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Music and film have shared a close relationship since the golden era of Hollywood.

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Sep182017
Reviews

Every Hootie & the Blowfish album ranked (seriously)

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In the early 1990s, every college town had “that” band. The one that seemed destined to break into the big time. The one that sounded as good playing originals as they did covering Stone Temple Pilots in a crowded bar.

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Sep132017
Reviews

OMD – The Punishment of Luxury

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OMD’S thirteenth album doesn’t disappoint.

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Aug292017
Insights

JULIEN BAKER WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER

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I fell in love with Julien Baker in a small club with 300 strangers.

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Aug282017
Insights

Rock ‘n’ Roll Troubadour – Chris Cornell’s Best Covers

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Chris Cornell’s exceptional skill as a songwriter was unmistakable.  By utilizing alternate guitar tunings and some of the weirdest chords you’ll ever hear, songs like  “Black Hole Sun,” “Like a Stone,” and “Say Hello to Heaven” cemented Cornell’s place in rock history as one of the most poignant writers of his generation.

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Aug232017
Reviews

Album Review – Garland Jeffreys 14 Steps to Harlem

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For someone who have been in the business for close to 50 years, Garland Jeffreys is working at a pace faster than most artists who are a fraction of his age. 14 Steps To Harlem is his third album in 6 years, which like other masterpieces such as Ghost Writer, Escape Artist and The King…

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Aug222017
Reviews

Concert Review – Bryan Ferry live in Las Vegas

By RPM Contributors5 Comments

Las Vegas and Bryan Ferry are a perfectly blended cocktail of mystery and seduction. Equal parts old-school crooner and art-rock pioneer, Ferry’s infallible legacy in music needs little introduction.

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Aug182017
Insights

Does Elvis matter anymore?

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

The 40th anniversary of his death got me to thinking – Does Elvis Presley still matter in the 21st century? The answer is yes, but with a few caveats.

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Aug162017
Reviews

INTERVIEW – Mikkey Dee of Motörhead

By Rick Lyon2 Comments

On the eve of the release of posthumous covers album, Under Cöver, drummer Mikkey Dee chatted with Jeff Nolan about life after Lemmy.

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Aug152017
Insights

Behind the Name

By RPM Contributors5 Comments

Band names are almost impossibly hard to choose — they should be easy to say but not forgettable, original but not obscure, catchy but not too commercial.

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Aug152017
Reviews

Album review – Kesha Rainbow

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The last few years have been an emotional hell for Kesha and Rainbow attempts to make some sense of her journey.

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Aug102017
Insights

Duran Duran Appreciation Day!

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

It is Duran Duran Appreciation Day around the world and you’re probably wondering if I made that up. I wish I had!

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Aug32017
Insights

Motörhead cover Bowie’s “Heroes”

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

In advance of the upcoming their covers album, Under Cöver, a video was just released of Motörhead covering David Bowie’s “Heroes”. It’s both glorious and poignant.

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Aug12017
Insights

Artist of the Month – ROYAL BLOOD

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Some rides are so fast, so wild, so vertiginous that you never want to get off. And when they do end, they’re all the more dizzying once you’ve disembarked.

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Aug12017
Insights

MTV turns 36

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

“Ladies and gentlemen, rock ‘n’ roll.” – August 1, 1981

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Jul302017
Reviews

Echo & the Bunnymen live at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas

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Rock-n-roll has always celebrated unchecked bravado. So, when Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch declared (often) that “The Killing Moon” was the greatest song ever written, we might not have agreed with him but we certainly didn’t allow his over-confidence to lessen our appreciation for the band’s work.

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Jul282017
Reviews

Joywave – Content

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As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of OK Computer, the album’s influence continues to cast an icy shadow across modern rock ‘n’ roll.

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Jul272017
Reviews

NOW HEAR THIS!

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Here’s what’s in heavy rotation in my world. It should be in yours, too.

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Jul252017
Reviews

Concert Review – The Retro Futura tour in Las Vegas

By RPM Contributors4 Comments

You can dance if you want to, you can leave your friends behind – or on this sweltering summer Saturday in Las Vegas, you can bring your friends along.

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Jul162017
Insights

5 Summer Anthems from Around the World

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

Summer is here, so it’s time to lock in with some kickass songs to get yourself to and from the beach. We put together a few songs from around the globe that may not be getting airplay on your home radio station but they are huge in other parts of the world.

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Jul62017
Insights

Internet Oddity – Nirvana plays a Radio Shack in 1988

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Here’s some grunge archaeology for you. This video is Nirvana playing at a Radio Shack store in Aberdeen on January 24th, 1988. HOLY MOLY.

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Jul52017
Memorabilia

George Harrison’s letter to Stu Sutcliffe

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Here’s one of those pieces of memorabilia that seems too good to be true – a December, 1960 letter from George Harrison to Stu Sutcliffe.

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Jun292017
InsightsReviews

Artist of the Month – LINKIN PARK

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Linkin Park is an outlier. The band’s risky creative choices—swinging wildly from song to song, album to album—are a hallmark of their career.

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Jun272017
Reviews

Concert Review – QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT

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How do you replace the most exciting and innovative frontman in rock-n-roll history? You simply don’t.

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Jun232017
Insights

A Millennial Meets the Sergeant

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It was 50 years ago that Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play – and it was  released roughly 18 years before I was born.

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Jun232017
Reviews

Concert Review – ROGER WATERS

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Opposing tides flowed into each other in Las Vegas on Friday evening as the candy-colored festival goers heading north to the Electric Daisy Carnival walked through a mass of faded Pink Floyd t-shirts in the queue outside T-Mobile Arena.

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Jun212017
Insights

ROAD TRIP!

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

Perfect weather and late spring wanderlust means only one thing: it’s time for a road trip.

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Jun172017
Insights

Hard Rock Rising 2017 Grand Prize winner – Alex Boyé

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

The Hard Rock Rising global battle of the bands has concluded and we have an absolutely amazing grand prize winner – Alex Boyé of Park City, Utah.

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Jun122017
Memorabilia

COOL GUITAR ALERT! Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 Gibson SG Custom

By Rick Lyon8 Comments

Though it’s been nearly forty seven years since his tragic death at age 27, the power of Jimi Hendrix’s music resonates as strongly today as ever.

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Jun62017
Reviews

Artist of the Month – ALL TIME LOW

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All roads have led us here. On their sleek new album Last Young Renegade, All Time Low establish themselves at the forefront of contemporary music by daring to shake off pop-punk expectations.

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May262017
Reviews

U2 at the Rose Bowl

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

The 262-mile road trip from Las Vegas to Pasadena, CA includes a stretch along the hip of Mojave National Preserve. With all due respect to the impeccably attired Lumineers, the real opening act for U2’s return to the Rose Bowl was the miles upon miles of Joshua trees stretching around us as my wife and…

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May262017
Reviews

Album Review – Harry Styles

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Teenage girls have always been pretty smart when it comes to sifting through their teen idols and spotting the real deal. The early Beatles concerts? All teenage girls.

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May182017
Insights

CHRIS CORNELL 1964 – 2017

By Rick Lyon4 Comments

We woke this morning to the shocking and sad news that Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell died in Detroit. He was only 52 years old.

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May172017
Insights

Hot Fun in the Summertime

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Ladies and gents, summer’s here and it’s festival season. Time to saddle up, grab a comfy pair of shoes and go see some live music.

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May162017
Insights

Playlist Therapy

By RPM Contributors3 Comments

I have always had a passion for crafting playlists; starting back in the day with my two-cassette boombox.

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May132017
Reviews

Hair I Go Again

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

“We’re putting the band back together” – Elwood Blues

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May122017
Insights

Remembering Col. Bruce Hampton

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

Longtime Col. Bruce road manager Tony Hume shares his thoughts on the passing of his friend and Bruce’s indelible influence on the jam band scene.

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May102017
Insights

When did Harry Styles get a Gibson ES-350?

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

The Twitterverse and teen/industrial complex is exploding today because Harry Styles did a failed stage dive. What no one seems to be mentioning is he appears to have a vintage Gibson ES-350 around his neck. Huh?

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May102017
Reviews

BLONDIE – Pollinator

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Blondie has nothing left to prove after four decades in the business.

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May22017
InsightsReviews

ARTIST OF THE MONTH – Sheryl Crow

By Rick Lyon3 Comments

Sheryl Crow just released her 10th studio album, Be Myself, and I’m kinda blown away. Is there another artist of her stature and longevity still able to make a truly compelling rock ‘n’ roll album?

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Apr282017
Insights

Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Not A “Luxury Destination” – The Fyre Festival

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

I hate to seem like I’m piling on, but holy moly is this whole Fyre Festival debacle insane or what?

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Apr272017
Memorabilia Richards Parsons

Live Nudies!

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Let’s take a look at some of the coolest, most ostentatious pieces of wardrobe the universe has ever seen – NUDIE SUITS.

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Apr212017
Reviews

RANKED – The Cure

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Robert Smith turns 58 today. Let’s rank every single Cure album from worst to first, shall we?

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Apr172017
Reviews

BLACKBERRY SMOKE – Live at the Roundhouse in London

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

What can push a French bloke to go outside his comfort zone and book tickets for a concert in London when he knows he’s gonna see the same show in Paris a few days before? TWO WORDS: Blackberry Smoke.

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Apr122017
Insights

J Mascis is a badass

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

So I went and saw Dinosaur Jr. a couple nights ago. Holy moly is J Mascis ever a badass.

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Apr102017
Reviews

JERRY LEGER – ‘NONSENSE AND HEARTACHE’

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

If Gram Parsons ever sat drinking with Tom Petty at a roadside bar outside 29 Palms, Jerry Leger’s Nonsense and Heartache would be playing on the jukebox.

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Apr62017
Memorabilia

SCHOOL DAZE

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

One universal truth is the fact that everyone looks hilarious in their high school yearbooks. Dated fashions, bad hair, goofy expressions – no one is immune. That’s why we love to look at the old yearbooks of rock legends. Let’s check out a few.

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Apr42017
Insights

PUNK FLASHBACK – The Crowd

By RPM Contributors8 Comments

With the recent unveiling of this year’s Warped Tour line-up, old school punk is again in the air as California legends The Adolescents, The Dickies and T.S.O.L are heading out with bands that weren’t even born when they put California punk on the map in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. Inspired by the music coming out…

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Apr12017
Memorabilia

George Harrison’s letter to Stu Sutcliffe

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

Here’s one of those pieces of memorabilia that seems too good to be true – a letter from George Harrison to Stu Sutcliffe.

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Mar302017
Insights

HARD ROCK CAFE ARTIST OF THE MONTH – Michelle Branch

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

When an artist achieves fame while still in their teens, it usually spells doom for any hope of a long-lasting career in the fickle world of popular music. One big hit and then they disappear as soon as the cuteness factor wanes. Michelle Branch has been a very conspicuous exception to this rule; which is why…

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Mar272017
Reviews

BIFFY CLYRO live in Las Vegas

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Armed with a cupboard full of trophies, including two NME awards for Best British Band, Biffy Clyro kicked off their U.S. tour in the intimate confines of Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

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Mar242017
Reviews

COOL BAND ALERT! – Blak Emoji

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Blak Emoji is the latest project from singer-songwriter-musician Kelsey Warren and they’ve just released a new EP called Intro.

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Mar232017
Insights

TOP 10 BAND LOGOS!

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Anyone who has ever sketched the KISS letters in a school notebook or safety-pinned a Ramones patch onto the back of their jacket knows that a great band logo resonates with fans and reveals their love for those artists.

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Mar212017
Reviews

CONCERT REVIEW – UFO and Saxon live in Las Vegas

By RPM Contributors3 Comments

With over 20 studio albums under each band’s belt, UFO and Saxon represent the old-school rock and roll approach to life. Write some songs, record an album and then tour the hell out of it. At the end of the tour, hopefully you made a little money.

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Mar202017
Reviews

Jazz Odyssey! – Kyle Eastwood live in Paris

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Seeing Kyle Eastwood’s band live is a very unique experience. Let’s start with the obvious – when you’re the son of one of the most iconic actor/directors in the history of cinema, it’s difficult to carve out a first name for yourself. Especially when you are the spitting image of your dad.

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Mar192017
Insights

CHUCK BERRY WAS THE KING OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

By Rick Lyon2 Comments

Elvis wasn’t even close. Chuck Berry wrote the libretto for the opera that is the life of the teenager and in the process changed the face of modern culture.

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Mar92017
Memorabilia Jimi Hendrix's 1969 Gibson Flying V

In Praise of the Southpaw

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Why are there so few left-handed guitars?

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Mar62017
Reviews

REVIEW – Lorde’s “Green Light”

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

When Pure Heroine turned Lorde into a pop sensation in 2013, it gave voice to sheltered teens who paid attention in English class and saw beyond the hollowness of growing up on social media.

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Mar42017
Insights

RANKED – Movie Soundtrack Albums

By RPM Contributors5 Comments

Our man in Vegas – Jason Lent – runs down his nominees for the ten greatest soundtrack albums of all time. RPM editor Jeff Nolan provides the rebuttal. Enjoy…

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Mar32017
Insights

Five 21st Century Albums You Don’t Own – But Should

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

We’ve all been there… someone you trust enthuses about a contemporary album while you’re having beers in your local pub (“Dude, you’ve never heard of them?”), but you forget to check them out. That’s why RPM’s man in Paris – Guillaume LaFon – put together a list of five albums you probably missed for your…

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Mar22017
Insights

HARD ROCK CAFE ARTIST OF THE MONTH – Electric Guest

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

With their Motown-influenced blend of pop and soul, Los Angeles-based duo Electric Guest are the perfect group to be featured in Hard Rock Cafes worldwide as our Artist of the Month for March 2017.

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Feb282017
InsightsMemorabilia Studio 54

WE’RE NOT WORTHY?

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

From time to time, some of our more passionate guests will get worked-up over certain pieces of memorabilia in our collection and try to take us to task over them. Usually, this stems from someone assuming that a joint called the Hard Rock should exclusively display memorabilia that fits into their personal definition of what…

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Feb272017
Reviews

Concert Review – Bon Jovi live in Las Vegas

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Bon Jovi arrived in Las Vegas last night in support of their feisty new album, This House Is Not For Sale. After seeing them in September of 1989 at the Miami Arena (thanks mom!) and wearing out my New Jersey cassette, I’ve stayed faintly aware of them over the decades as they (d)evolved from one…

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Feb212017
Insights

The Filth & the Fury – Punk Rock in Seventies England, Forty Years Later

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

The Filth & the Fury – Punk Rock in Seventies England, Forty Years Later Attending an all-boys school in West London in the mid-seventies was an experience. You didn’t know how many fights you’d see in the school yard on a daily basis or if you were going to be in one of them. It…

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Feb202017
Reviews

JAPANDROIDS – Near to the Wild Heart of Life

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Somewhere between 2012’s stellar Celebration Rock and 2017’s Near To the Wild Heart of Life, Vancouver duo Japandroids grew up. The band returns from the five year break with eight new songs that are more polished than anything they’ve ever done.

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Feb182017
Insights

FLORIDA MAN’S SUPER-SCIENTIFIC ENCORE GENERATOR

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

When you’re in a band, selecting the proper jam for an encore is critical to maximize your chances to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women. Everybody knows that.

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Feb172017
InsightsMemorabilia

BEATLES TOYS

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Vintage Beatles toys are undeniably awesome. Let’s play with ’em.

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Feb152017
Memorabilia

FANCY THREADS! John Lennon’s jacket from the cover of Rubber Soul

By Rick Lyon2 Comments

This is it. This is the one. Our greatest piece of Beatles wardrobe.

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Feb132017
Memorabilia

COOL GUITAR ALERT! Marc Bolan’s 1970 Veleno Original

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

This guitar is an absolutely perfect piece of memorabilia. It’s rare, beautiful and it belonged to a legend.

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Feb122017
Reviews

CONCERT REVIEW – Adam Ant in Las Vegas

By RPM Contributors7 Comments

The show must go on. After losing guitarist and band leader Tom Edwards a few weeks ago, Adam Ant and the rest of his band circled the wagons and found a way to push on with the magnificent Kings of the Wild Frontier tour.

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Feb102017
Reviews

REVIEW – Katy Perry’s new single, “Chained to the Rhythm”

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Katy Perry served up “Chained to the Rhythm” today, but maybe she should have kept it baking in Max Martin’s Swedish disco kitchen a little longer.

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Feb102017
Reviews

REVIEW – Glam Skanks Glitter City

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

With an album cover reminiscent of Queen II, there is little doubt where Hollywood-based mascara merchants Glam Skanks are headed on Glitter City. They’re currently on their first major tour opening for Adam Ant, so I thought I’d give their album a spin.

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Feb82017
InsightsMemorabilia

Vroom, Vroom…

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

“I’m in love with my car, got a feel for my automobile…” – QUEEN

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Feb72017
Memorabilia Katy Perry Los Premios dress

FANCY THREADS – Katy Perry’s Los Premios gown

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

This completely over-the-top quinceanera dress was worn by Katy Perry during her appearance on MTV’s Los Premios awards show in 2008. She famously dove into a giant birthday cake while wearing it and performing her first smash single, “I Kissed a Girl”.  

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Feb62017
InsightsMemorabilia

LADIES NIGHT!

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Though rock ‘n’ roll music is now over 60 years old, it remains predominantly a boy’s club. Why is that? Is the swagger necessary for good rock music inherently masculine? Are electric guitars too phallic? It can’t be that simple.

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Feb22017
Insights

HARD ROCK CAFE ARTIST OF THE MONTH (February) – BEBE REXHA

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

In some ways, Brooklyn-based pop phenom Bebe Rexha personifies the 21st century music biz ideal – she’s predominantly known as a guest singer, she ignores the old-school concept of an album release, her image is perfectly crafted for Instagram and her voice is manipulated into what is essentially a computer noise. In short, she’s a…

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Feb12017
Memorabilia

COOL GUITAR ALERT! Paul Kossoff’s ’57 Les Paul TV Jr.

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

Paul Kossoff was one of the truly inspired guitarists to emerge from the late ’60s British blues scene and his group, Free, had a soulful, laid-back groove that made their hard rock punch all the more powerful.Think of the half-time swagger of “Fire and Water” or the amazing vibrato of the timeless “All Right Now”.…

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Jan292017
Reviews

CONCERT REVIEW – ’80s Weekend #3

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Nostalgia for the most plastic of decades – the 1980s – simply refuses to wane. The Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles played host to its third sold-out ‘80s Weekend concert on Saturday night and I got to witness the time warp firsthand.

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Jan272017
Insights

RANKED – U2’s discography from worst to first

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Last week, I queued up in cyberspace to drop the better part of a week’s pay on tickets to see U2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. Much like they did 30 years ago, U2 are selling out stadiums and playing songs from The Joshua Tree. For a band so wary of using nostalgia…

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Jan242017
Insights

The City is a Gatefold (Slight Return) – More album covers of New York

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

New York, New York.  It’s been said that New York City is so nice they named it twice.  Our first look at iconic album cover locales of NYC was so well received, we decided to dig further into the album crate, hit the streets and present more sites that have become part of our rock…

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Jan62017
Reviews

THE RETURN OF ED SHEERAN

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

Ed Sheeran’s success as a pop star has always been a bit of a head-scratcher to me. As a pop writer, I get it – he’s got an undeniable ability to tap into the current zeitgeist and crafts a 3-minute earworm as well as anyone this side of Sweden – but as a performer he…

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Jan42017
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NIRVANA SIGNS TO A MAJOR (or how Kim Gordon saved the world)

By Rick Lyon2 Comments

A truly seismic shift in popular culture happened 26 years ago today – but no one involved had any idea that what they were doing would fundamentally change the world, spell the commercial death of an entire musical genre and usher in what was the last true rock ‘n’ roll youth movement. On this date…

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Dec262016
Insights

George Michael – a superfan reminisces

By RPM Contributors4 Comments

Damn you 2016. We thought you had your fill. You couldn’t leave us alone on Christmas Day.

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Dec212016
Insights

Our favorite albums of 2016

By RPM Contributors1 Comment

Let’s be honest – 2016 was a bona fide annus horribilis, but there were still some pretty kickass records released in the year that shall be forever forgotten. We had the RPM contributors compile a list of their favorite albums of the year.

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Dec82016
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Taking back December 8th

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

December 8th has been cemented forever in the history of popular culture as a BAD DAY. On that date in 1980, John Lennon was senselessly murdered by some loser whose name I don’t remember. Twenty-four years later – to the day – another nameless loser climbed onstage at the Alrosa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio and…

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Dec62016
Insights

2016 Grammy® nominations

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again, kids! Gather round while we celebrate the commercial achievements of the usual suspects (many of whom are genuinely talented) and give token nominations to “arty” projects in order to preserve a veneer of credibility. It’s the 2016 Grammy® Awards!

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Nov292016
Insights

The City is a Gatefold – album covers of New York

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

New York City has its fair share of landmarks – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium, the Brooklyn Bridge… it’s overwhelming at times. But the streets of New York have also been the backdrop for some of the most memorable and iconic album covers of all time. RPM’s Earl Douglas –…

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Nov282016
Insights

Revisiting Cowboy Junkies’ landmark 1987 album The Trinity Session

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Recorded on November 27, 1987, Cowboy Junkies’ groundbreaking sophomore album The Trinity Session has lost none of its mystery or beauty in the three decades that have passed since the band dropped around $250 on a day of recording at a downtown Toronto church.

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Nov232016
Insights

INTERNET VORTEX – Isolated John Bonham drum tracks

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

In addition to wacky cat videos, pictures of food and annoying political posts, the internet is chock-full of amazing isolated tracks from some truly iconic music. The wealth of isolated Led Zeppelin material online is fairly staggering – especially since so much of it is focused on the genius of John Henry Bonham.

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Nov222016
Reviews

Bon Jovi – This House Is Not for Sale

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet (1986) and New Jersey (1988) were pivotal cassettes for those of us raised on MTV and their longevity isn’t surprising to anyone who was paying attention back then. Less dangerous than Mötley Crüe and unafraid of a pop hook (or three), Bon Jovi’s sound made for one of the easiest…

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Nov112016
Insights

Leonard Cohen 1934–2016

By RPM Contributors3 Comments

You found the vibrations that made a generation of women too smart for their own good want to raise their boys to be gentle souls. Like so many wayward fathers, when we found you years later on our own, you told us the dark truth hidden in the folds of those verses.

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Nov72016
Reviews

CONCERT REVIEW – She Wants Revenge, The Joy Formidable, The Dig

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

October 25th 2016 – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas Bringing together three distinctly different bands for one night, a small crowd in Las Vegas was treated to an eclectic blend of rock and roll that showcased three bands comfortable in their own skin.

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Nov12016
InsightsReviews

Dispatches from the Dust – Desert Trip 2016 (Day 1)

By Rick Lyon6 Comments

Day 2 | Day 3 Adjusting to the California desert is a process for a swamp-dweller such as myself. It’s a bit like transforming into a vampire. You expel all life-giving moisture and replace it with the primordial dust from Gram Parsons’s funeral pyre that has blown over from Joshua Tree. So many Desert Trip…

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Nov12016
Reviews

Lady Gaga Joanne

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

When a pop star announces that their new album is the most “personal” of their career, I steel myself for what will probably be a pulverizingly self-important exercise in showing the fans what a deep and tortured artist they are. It’s usually a recipe for unlistenability. Lady Gaga’s newest album, Joanne, is the most personal…

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Nov12016
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Dispatches from the Dust – Desert Trip 2016 (Day 2)

By Rick Lyon1 Comment

Day 1 | Day 3 If you followed online reports from Desert Trip, you’ve almost certainly seen a million cell phone photos of the gigantic harvest moon rising over the mountains behind the stage during the second weekend. This was one of those singular moments that was so freakin’ perfect that it seemed surreal. And…

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Nov12016
Reviews

BON IVER – 22, A Million

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

The biggest-selling live acts of 2016 are Adele and Coldplay. In 2016 we like torch ballads about getting dumped and we like stadium shows that literally have fireworks explosions and confetti cannons at the moments where we’re meant to clap – like flashing a light at a chimpanzee so he knows it’s feeding time. In 2016…

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Nov12016
Reviews

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB – Gameshow

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

Four years have passed since Two Door Cinema Club released their sophomore album, Beacon. In today’s world of disposable pop music, waiting four years between albums can be risky. For Two Door Cinema Club, the timing wasn’t so much an artistic choice as a physical and mental necessity after the album cycle of recording, promotion…

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Oct312016
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Dispatches from the Dust – Desert Trip 2016 Day 3

By Rick Lyon4 Comments

Day 1 | Day 2 By day three, the Desert Trip crowd were seasoned veterans. Those who overindulged early on in the festival were now pacing themselves a bit better – or switching from alcohol to other inebriants in anticipation of the lysergic immersion of Roger Waters. But first up – The Who.

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Oct312016
Reviews

KINGS OF LEON – WALLS

By RPM Contributors2 Comments

Remember that relationship you were in once? You know the one. It was good for a bit. Really good. Then it went tits-up. But you didn’t break up. You stayed together and tried to work it out. You tried to recapture when you were happiest even though you knew in your heart it was over.…

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Oct302016
Insights

In Praise of the Unearned Encore

By RPM ContributorsLeave a comment

We’ve all seen it a million times – a dingy club, maybe twenty disinterested patrons and a band of dubious talent hacking through some forgettable, derivative material. Inevitably, they finish their set and then huddle up on the side of the stage before making their triumphant, 6-foot walk back to their instruments like the conquering…

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Apr212016
Insights

Changing of the Guard

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

PRINCE ROGER NELSON 1958 – 2016 While you’re sifting through all the “man, 2016 sucks” posts in your social media feeds, take a moment to put the shocking death of Prince in a larger context. We’re living in a transitional time. A time of real change. The old guard is gone. The template of rock…

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Dec42015
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In remembrance of Scott Weiland

By Rick LyonLeave a comment

SCOTT RICHARD WEILAND 10/27/67 – 12/3/15 I woke up today to 17 missed calls and 43 text messages. “Scott’s gone”

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