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Tag: Nirvana

  • This Day in Rock History: November 1

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    Nov. 1 is a memorable  day for some of the biggest names in music, including The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Keep reading to discover all the major events that took place on this day in rock history.

    Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

    Both Elvis Presley and The Beatles dominated the charts on Nov. 1 of the same year:

    • 1969: Elvis Presley’s single “Suspicious Minds” reached the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 after being released in August. It was Presley’s first No. 1 hit in the U.S. since 1962 and was seen as his big comeback after a period in which he focused on making movies.
    • 1969: Abbey Road by The Beatles went to the top of the Billboard 200 as the band’s 13th No. 1 album on the chart. It spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks at the top spot.

    Cultural Milestones

    A couple of defining names in rock music were born on Nov. 1:

    • 1962: Anthony Kiedis, the lead vocalist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He moved to Hollywood at age 12 and later formed a band with schoolmates Flea and Hillel Slovak. They eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
    • 1963: Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was born in Dronfield, North East Derbyshire, England. After achieving success with Def Leppard, Allen lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984, but returned to the band two years later.

    Notable Recordings and Performances

    Nov. 1 is the anniversary of two influential rock albums:

    • 1968: George Harrison released his debut solo album, Wonderwall Music, via The Beatles’ own Apple record label. It was the first solo work by a member of The Beatles and mainly consists of instrumental tracks. The album earned favorable critical reviews but was also seen as proof that The Beatles members were moving in different directions creatively.
    • 1994: Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York was released via David Geffen Company Records. The live album was recorded at Sony Music Studios in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, on Nov. 18 of the previous year. It was a huge commercial success and has sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone.

    On Nov. 1, legendary names enjoyed their heyday, and iconic rock artists were born. Come back tomorrow to find out what happened on that day in rock history.

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    Dan Teodorescu

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  • Understanding Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’

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    Nirvana released a little album in 1991 called Nevermind. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? We’re joking, of course. Anything into rock music has heard of that album, and when it was released, it marked a mammoth moment for music, in general, and especially for alternative music.

    “With guitars returning to radio and the resurgence of pop-punk (which Nevermind helped set the stage for), Nirvana’s second album and commercial breakthrough feels every bit as relevant now as it did when it changed the direction of ’90s rock,” Billboard says. “Kurt’s fearless individualism was ahead of its time.”

    All of the songs on Nevermind are special, and they’re all really singles. There isn’t a song on there that isn’t known by grunge fans. Let’s look at one song, “In Bloom,” and learn more about it. “In Bloom,” of course, is the second song off the album, and it was one of the more popular singles for Nirvana during their Nevermind era.

    Alright, so, let’s talk about “In Bloom,” because if there’s one track on Nevermind that perfectly captures Nirvana’s wild, beautiful mess of irony and emotion, it’s this one. It’s the sneaky gem that wraps social commentary in a hook so irresistible you can’t help but sing along, even if you’re the very person the song’s teasing. And honestly? That’s part of what makes it so deliciously awesome.

    About Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’

    Before we dive into “In Bloom” and why it’s such an absolute masterpiece, let’s do a quick little trip down Nirvana memory lane, shall we? Because to really feel that song, you’ve got to understand the beautiful chaos that was Nirvana itself. They weren’t just another band. They were the spark that lit the whole grunge explosion, the sound of flannel, rebellion and raw emotion colliding into something the world didn’t even know it needed.

    Nirvana came up in the Seattle scene along with bands such as Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone and Mudhoney. Sadly, Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone passed away before Nevermind came out, or else Mother Love Bone would have been another successful grunge band. Wood passed away on March 19, 1990, and Nevermind came out the following year. But, the band was the band that became Pearl Jam, and they reformed with singer Eddie Vedder, so the band members in Mother Love Bone went on in a big way.

    Nirvana’s “In Bloom” was unleashed the fourth and final single off Nevermind in November 1992, and by that point, Nirvana had become a much bigger band than they were when the album first came out more than a year prior.

    “Though he would never have foreseen such a development, it’s ironic that Kurt Cobain’s swift rise to superstar status and the searing resentment he felt about it was anticipated by the very song that launched this new and turbulent chapter,” U Discover Music notes in a feature about the song. They add that before stepping into the studio with producer Butch Vig at his Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, in April 1990, Cobain was trying to finish the initial version of “In Bloom.”

    “It had sounded initially, according to bassist Krist Novoselic, “like a Bad Brains song” (presumably referring to the Washington D.C. group’s hardcore leanings and not their aptitude with reggae), but Kurt must have rounded off its edges, channeling it through his innate pop sense,” U Discover Music says.

    Nirvana had actually wanted to release “In Bloom” as an EP for Sub Pop, but when they signed to Geffen Records, they were expected to re-record “In Bloom” in a more formal way. It’s certainly not an underrated Nirvana song or deep cut and ended up being one of Nirvana’s biggest hits.

    So, what does the song mean? “The band’s song about fans who don’t understand them is one of the catchiest ever made,” notes The Guardian, “which is why musicians from Ezra Furman to Sturgill Simpson love it.

    “Listening to most of Nirvana’s discography, and In Bloom, especially, it’s clear that Cobain’s lyrics are meant to express a certain kind of feeling more than any coherent meaning,” American Songwriter says, adding, “and, maybe this explains why Cobain’s collage-style lyrics tend to work so much better than the word salad imitations of a generation of future songwriters trying to sound like him. He nails that raw feeling—and energy whether its youthful angst or cynical-sarcastic viewpoint on societal conformity, and he shares it through that shrill Washingtonian voice through songs like In Bloom.”

    Songs That Saved You adds, “Cobain wrote the song ‘In Bloom’ to send a message to fans who might’ve jumped onto the Nirvana bandwagon without first understanding what the band stood for politically. In the music video, the band at first looks like some clean-cut 1960s group that’s performing on a variety show with an Ed-Sullivan-type host.”

    When asked about the “In Bloom” music video, Cobain talked about the spontaneous nature of how it came about. As KurtCobain.com chronicles, Cobain said that he’s not opposed to doing videos, and that they can be fun to do. He added this this video was extra fun and only took the band six hours as opposed to a whole day.”

    “Courtney had brought some dresses with her, she was taking them to a friend’s house… or, no, she had borrowed some dresses from a friend of hers… and so, I thought, ‘Hey, let’s put some dresses on and dance around in those’ and… everything was just pretty much spontaneous. The basic idea was just to do a video that looked like it came from the early ’60s or the late ’50s,” he said, according to KurtCobain.com.

    So, Nevermind is pure and glorious chaos. It’s the kind of record that doesn’t ask to be heard, it just is heard. But, “In Bloom?” That’s where the real magic struts in. It’s secretly brilliant, like that mysterious boy in class who pretends not to care but writes poetry in his notebook. The song just oozes cool. Those jangly guitars sparkle right before they explode into fuzz-soaked bliss, and Cobain’s voice, that raspy, delicious mix of sneer and soul, turns cynicism into art.

    Nevermind as a whole feels like teenage rebellion in sonic form, but “In Bloom” gives it a wink and a smirk. It’s a self-aware, tongue-in-cheek number that’s so dangerously addictive that you can’t help but hit repeat. That’s the album’s secret, too. It balances rage and melody, grit and grace, with a kind of raw beauty no one’s ever duplicated. Contact me with your beautiful thoughts.

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    Anne Erickson

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  • Nirvana’s Influence on Alternative Rock

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    It’s not hyperbole to say that Nirvana’s 1991 sophomore album Nevermind was a huge moment for music, in general, and especially for alternative music. This albums simply made people feel something that maybe they hadn’t felt in a long time, or ever. The mix of lo-fi sonics (although Nevermind was more polished than one might think), Kurt Cobain’s raw vocals and grungy riffing was perfect and punk-influenced without being totally punk.

    Nirvana also pretty much put an end to hair metal for a while with Nevermind. It ended up becoming popular again and is nostalgic to listen to today, but for years, hair metal was nowhere to be heard while grunge ruled the music world.

    “Nirvana‘s renowned second album Nevermind took the music world by storm when it was released 31 years ago, propelling the grunge musicians to legendary status,” notes Far Out Magazine. “The record marked a shift in the consumption of alternative rock, which was brought into the mainstream upon the release of the group’s second studio LP.”

    So, Nirvana had a huge influence on alternative music in the 1990s and they still impact music today. While Nirvana is known for Nevermind, and the album has their most famous songs, they also have other songs that made them stars. Not that they wanted to be stars. Of course they wanted their music heard, but being famous came with some downsides, too.

    As Billboard describes, “With guitars returning to radio and the resurgence of pop-punk (which Nevermind helped set the stage for), Nirvana’s second album and commercial breakthrough feels every bit as relevant now as it did when it changed the direction of ’90s rock. Kurt’s fearless individualism was ahead of its time.”

    What’s wild is that there are so many songs that aren’t on Nevermind that also totally rock. “‘Blew’ is the first track on Nirvana’s first studio album, and it kicks the door down in true grunge fashion,” Audio Ink states of the band’s non-Nevermind releases. “Krist Novoselic’s bass comes in like a dark, brooding thunderstorm, and Cobain’s voice is all raw nerve and snarl.”

    Let’s look at some interviews with members of Nirvana and those outside the band talking about their influence in the music world.

    The Influence of Nirvana on Music

    Others in the Music World Talk Nirvana

    Maynard James Keenan of Tool has talked about Nirvana’s role in changing the musical landscape, and he would know. “Nirvana came along at the perfect time. People were tired of hair bands and the whole glam thing. They were ready for something real,” he told Pitchfork in an interview.

    Matthew Bellamy of Muse has also acknowledged Nirvana’s influence on their music, stating, “There’s no way you were going to see Nirvana make a space-prog epic. But their legacy is in our noisy first two records,” according to Alternative Press.

    Jack Antonoff of Bleachers has even talked about the fusion of genres during that grunge era, telling Rolling Stone, “Nirvana was on pop radio… Smashing Pumpkins. Dr. Dre. Toad the Wet Sprocket. Rancid… But then in the late Nineties, rap metal — macho, macho, macho, taking all that toughness and … it out, right? That’s when I rocketed toward the punk and hardcore New Jersey scene, which was very progressive.”

    Misha Lindes of SadGirl told Billboard, “I felt a really close kinship to Kurt and his writing and his journaling. I have always kept journals and sketchbooks since I was like eight or nine and the way his lyrics spoke about his personal life in such a jarring and honest way was really eye-opening to me.”

    “Thirty years after its release, Seattle rock trio Nirvana’s breakthrough album Nevermind retains an evocative power,” noted the BBC in a feature about the influence of Nevermind. “When I hear its opening notes, I’m rocketed back to a teenage house party in suburban London; in that darkened parlour, I could feel guitars and machines fighting for my soul.”

    “When Nevermind first released, Nirvana was already a burgeoning alt-rock band crawling the corners of the underground Seattle music world,” adds UMusic.co.nz. “Their 1989 record Bleach had made them a favorite among misfit college kids and while it took its influence from a sludge metal sound familiar to the area, the band were starting to find themselves unintentionally becoming the figureheads for a grunge movement that was beginning to rumble.”

    Classic Album Sundays says that Nevermind changed the musical landscape. “After that first listen I could feel that both this band and the influence of college radio were going to play a much bigger and significant role in mainstream music,” they note. “My friends and people in the “biz” were buzzing before the album was even released.”

    So, what is alternative music? In a 1991 interview shared by LiveNirvana.com, Cobain said what he thought of the term “alternative,” stating, “The only way I can describe ‘alternative’ anymore is ‘good music,’” adding that “I don’t care what it sounds like… it doesn’t matter anymore. The only alternative to bad music is good music. And that’s very rare.”

    Speaking with Pitchfork, Krist Novoselic said, “The early ’90s were a period when music was set to change. Bands like Faith No More and Jane’s Addiction paved the way for Nirvana’s mainstream breakthrough.”

    In a 2023 interview with NME, Dave Grohl talked about Nirvana’s super rapid rise to fame following the release of Nevermind, noting, “We were kids, and so when you talk about the amount of time that’s gone by, to me it’s not even so much about the years. It’s about the experiences that just kind of led, one after another, going from three kids that were basically living or touring out of a van to then becoming a huge band.”

    Grohl also talked about the tension in the group, with Music Radar noting that he said “of course” he and Cobain “loved each other” and “were friends, but, you know, there was a dysfunction in Nirvana that a band like Foo Fighters doesn’t have. You also have to realize, from the time I joined Nirvana to the time it was over was only about four years. It wasn’t a long period of time.”

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    Anne Erickson

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  • Rare Unreleased Nirvana Concert Footage from 1990 Up for Auction, Expected to Reach $150,000

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    A never-before-seen 45-minute video of Nirvana’s performance from February 17, 1990, will be auctioned at Bonhams Los Angeles. Bids might reach $150,000 for this rare footage of the band at Iguanas in Tijuana, Mexico. The show took place more than a year before their breakthrough album, Nevermind, came out.

    Film students Peter Tackaberry and Elizabeth Voss caught the wild set on two Sony Video8 cameras. “Kurt let me set up on the stage to capture the energy and spirit of the performance up close,” Tackaberry said, per PetaPixel.

    The sale includes two master tapes, Camera A and Camera B, plus digital copies on MiniDV. A portable drive holds uncut footage, edited versions, and snapshots from that night.

    The buyer will also get a tour poster from the band’s February 15 show at Raji’s in Los Angeles. There’s a white vinyl first pressing of “Bleach” too, one of just 1,000 made.

    This show featured Nirvana with Chad Channing on drums, before being replaced by Dave Grohl. The tapes stayed locked away for 35 years. The winner gets full U.S. rights to the footage.

    Bidding ended at 12 p.m. PDT  on September 25.

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    Dan Teodorescu

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  • After Almost 40 Years, the Pixies Can Still Conjure Up Some Fairy Dust

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    Musician / producer / conceptualist Brian Eno once said, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

    The Pixies have sold a few more albums than the Velvet Underground, but, in a similar fashion, the band’s influence is perhaps larger than its fame. The Pixies have been credited with giving rise to alternative rock and grunge in the early ‘90s, and Kurt Cobain famously tipped his hat by acknowledging that he was guilty of “ripping off” the band’s use of dramatic dynamics along with the soft verse / loud chorus formula.

    Many of the acts who were inspired by the Pixies have fallen by the wayside, but the genuine article is still active, with a new album, The Night the Zombies Came, released late last year and a current tour that will stop at the White Oak Music Hall on Saturday, September 6.

    click to enlarge

    The Pixies (l-r Joey Santiago, David Lovering, Black Francis and Emma Richardson) have been called “The Fathers of Alternative Rock.”

    Photo by Travis Shinn

    Guitarist Joey Santiago, an original Pixie along with vocalist / guitarist Black Francis (aka Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) and drummer David Lovering, hasn’t had his morning coffee yet, but he is nevertheless enthusiastic about discussing the band that he cofounded in 1986. Like most trailblazers, the Pixies have never sounded quite like anyone else. There is certainly a punk rock vibe present, but surf music influences also show up, along with periodic hints of a pop-ish sensibility.

    Speaking via Zoom, Santiago reflects on The Night the Zombies Came and how it differs from previous Pixies efforts. “It is different,” Santiago allows. “To me, it seems moodier. It still has the DNA of the Pixies in there, which is very important, but we can’t help that.” So what exactly is in the Pixies’ DNA? “Charles’ voice, obviously. We can’t run away from that. Just speaking for myself, I try to retain the guitar style, sound, stuff like that.”

    Santiago and Black Francis met while attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Many bands who formed during the members’ formative years and continue playing together into middle age find that the initial kinship can fade over time. Almost 40 years later, how has the relationship between the two musicians changed?

    “We’re still friends. We’re friends, colleagues. We switch hats. We still joke around.”

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    “We’re still friends,” Santiago says. “We’re friends, colleagues. We switch hats. We still joke around. You know, we live 3000 miles away. I live on the other side. I live on the west coast, he lives on the east coast. We’ve got family and all that stuff.

    “David and I have gotten closer over the past year. But when we go into the studio, it’s just the same. We have the work ahead of us, which is ‘How can we make these songs good?’ And that’s how it’s always been, ever since we started. I would like to have more of a rapport — like we have had — before recording another album. Just to see where we’re at. We are kind of like being a bit of strangers at the moment.”

    Santiago recalls, “When [Charles and I] were rooming together, in the summertime, hot summertime in Amherst, we did listen to a lot of surf music. We thought it was fun. We thought the titles were even funnier. Do they really think of the title and write about it, or do they write it and go, ‘OK, this sounds like blah blah blah.’ You don’t know which came first. We listened to that, Iggy Pop, Stooges, Bowie. I remember we went to see the Fleshtones. We loved that band.”
    Like many alt-rockers, Santiago is a self-taught guitarist. Pros and cons? “The pro is definitely having the discovery of this instrument every time you pick it up. In creating things, you’re looking for a feeling rather than a scale. That discovery is good, just going by feel and emotion,” Santiago says.

    “Even though, at times, I would [use a scale] and think, ‘God, that feels so good!’ There’s this one song on the [latest] album called “Chicken,” and I like the solo a lot. And I’m looking at it and go, ‘Fuck! I’m on the pentatonic scale, goddammit!’ Because I try not to do that.  But it just sounds so good.”  (N.B. The pentatonic scales — both major and minor — are, by far, the most frequently used in rock music.)

    After working for decades as a professional musician, does Santiago still enjoy playing the guitar and making loud noises? “I do. I was actually enjoying it very much yesterday. I really just ham it up. I’ll go on YouTube and search ‘backing track for smooth jazz.’ And then I chum around the house, trying to make my wife sick with goofy, goopy, drippy stuff. And I’m surprised I can actually do that shit. I don’t want to do it, but the exercise there was ‘OK, I’m capable of this, but fuck this shit!’”

    The Pixies will perform at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, at the White Oak Music Hall, 2915 N. Main. Spoon and Fazerdaze will open. For more information, call 713-237-0370 or visit whiteoakmusichall.com. $78 and up.

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    Tom Richards

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  • Recession Pop Resonates With Audiences

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    It is new soundtrack for the time, catchy pop anthems with emotional depth. Discover why this cultural trend resonates.

    Back in the early 1990s, Gen X found themselves in grunge clubs, moshing out frustration to Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The music gave voice to a generation’s angst. Fast forward three decades, and a new genre has emerged, Recession Pop resonates with audiences, especially millennials and Gen Zers.  This sonic comfort is a shimmering, danceable, yet emotionally heavy style of music reflecting economic anxiety, heartbreak, and the strange urge to dance through it all.

    RELATED: The History Of The Cocktail Party

    Recession Pop blends upbeat pop beats with lyrics hitting closer to home than most bubblegum pop ever dared. Instead of carefree escapism, these songs reflect the reality of living in an era of rising rents, student debt, job instability, and inflation. It’s music for the dance floor, but with a knowing sigh in between choruses.

    “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

    Artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan are leading the charge. Carpenter’s smash hit Espresso may sound like playful fun, but underneath is a commentary on hustling, energy, and burnout in the modern economy. Roan, often described as a rising pop provocateur, captures millennial and Gen Z frustrations in glittery, theatrical anthems like Hot To Go!—a track equal parts fun and cathartic release.

    Then there’s Charli XCX, who has long fused experimental pop with sharp cultural observations. Her music resonates with younger listeners because it captures both the highs of nightlife and the lows of existential dread. Together, these artists have defined a genre that is less about ignoring hardship and more about transforming it into something beautiful and communal.

    Standout Tracks in Recession Pop

    • “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter – A TikTok-fueled anthem sounding carefree but reflects a restless, work-driven mindset.

    • “Hot To Go!” by Chappell Roan – A neon-soaked escape inviting listeners to dance away their stress.

    • “360” by Charli XCX – A stylish track pairing electronic production with sly commentary on image and modern identity.

    RELATED: End-of-Summer Digital Detox Is 2025’s Coolest Trend

    What makes Recession Pop so culturally powerful is its ability to balance optimism with honesty. Millennials and Gen Z are drawn to it not only because it’s fun to stream, share, and dance to—but also because it speaks to their lived experience. The upbeat production provides escapism, while the lyrics quietly acknowledge the struggles of navigating adulthood in uncertain times.

    Much like grunge gave Gen X a raw voice in the early ’90s, Recession Pop provides today’s younger generations with a soundtrack to endure instability, while still celebrating joy wherever it can be found.

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    Sarah Johns

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  • Foo Fighters’ Frontman Dave Grohl Has Baby “Outside” 21-Year Marriage

    Foo Fighters’ Frontman Dave Grohl Has Baby “Outside” 21-Year Marriage

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    Dave Grohl is a father once again. The 55-year-old Foo Fighters frontman took to Instagram to announce that he recently welcomed a new baby girl—the unexpected twist being that she was outside of his 21-year-marriage to Jordyn Blum.

    “I’ve recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage,” Grohl wrote in his statement. “I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her. I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness. We’re grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward together.”

    Grohl has been married to Blum since 2003. They share three daughters: Violet, 18; Harper, 15; and Ophelia, 10. The whole family appeared together on the Grammys red carpet in 2023, days after Grohl accepted the lifetime achievement award on behalf of Nirvana from the Recording Academy at the Special Merit Awards.

    Grohl served as the drummer of the culture-shaking ’90s rock band Nirvana, then launched Foo Fighters in 1994 as the lead singer and guitarist; the group now consists of guitarist Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel, keyboardist Rami Jaffee, guitarist Pat Smear, and drummer Josh Freese. (Grohl’s best friend and former Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, died in March 2022.) With hits like “Everlong,” “The Pretender,” and “Best of You,” the Foo Fighters are now among the most successful rock bands of all time, having won 15 Grammy Awards and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

    Grohl did not share any further information about his daughter. He and his wife met in 2001 at the Sunset Marquis Whiskey Bar. “When I first met my wife, we went out on a few dates and I decided that I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, so I just stopped calling,” he said in a 2007 interview with Elle.” After three months, I had a revelation and called her back. She picked up the phone and said, ‘Oh, I never thought I’d hear from you again.’” After having children, Grohl told Time in 2009, he was less interested in going on the road with the Foo Fighters. “I used to tour nine months out of the year. Now I don’t like being away from my kids for more than 12 days,” he said.

    “It’s changed everything that I do,” he continued. “When you have kids, you see life through different eyes. You feel love more deeply and are maybe a little more compassionate. It’s inevitable that that would make its way into your songwriting.”

    A representative for Grohl had no further comment.

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    Chris Murphy

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  • Debunking the Kurt-Cobain-was-murdered conspiracy once and for all – National | Globalnews.ca

    Debunking the Kurt-Cobain-was-murdered conspiracy once and for all – National | Globalnews.ca

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    When something bad happens, our natural reaction is to ask why. It’s also natural to look for something or someone to blame for this misfortune. And this can often lead us into the world of conspiracies.

    I was on the air on Friday, April 8, 1994. In the pre-internet, pre-social media era, radio was how everyone kept up with news in real time. The afternoon went like this.

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    alancross · Kurt Cobain’s Death: Minute-by-minute announcements from April 8, 1994

    For the first few weeks, there was no question Kurt had died by suicide. But little by little, doubts began to creep in. Eventually, there was a full-blown Kurt-was-murdered narrative that extended to talk shows, books, and documentaries. There are still those who believe that Kurt could not have taken his own life and will point to an endless list of inconsistencies in the official story along with “evidence” that shows nefarious actions by shady people.

    Stop it. Just … stop.

    Having followed this story from the very beginning — and having spoken to people closest to Kurt many times over the years — I’m convinced that he did in fact kill himself. Let’s deconstruct the conspiracy theorists’ evidence. Yes, there are some loose ends, but life isn’t like a 44-minute episode of CSI. On the whole, though, the rational conclusion is inescapable.

    1. Kurt was killed because he was threatening to break up Nirvana

    THEORY: Tom Grant, a detective hired by Courtney Love to find Kurt when he bolted from rehab — and a major proponent of a murder angle — claims that Kurt was ready to break up Nirvana and join Courtney in Hole. This is a quote from an interview Kurt gave to a French TV journalist in August 1993:

    “It’s a nice thought (collaborations with Courtney). I’d like to, but to tell you the truth, I would rather just quit my band and join Hole, you know, only because when I have played music with them, there’s a level of connection that’s a little bit higher than with anyone else I ever played with. It’s amazing,” he said.

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    “It’s totally satisfying for Courtney and me, but completely unrealistic because we’re already so intertwined with each other,” he continued.

    “Most people don’t think of the band Nirvana, they think of Kurt and Courtney, and it gets in the way. People would just overlook the music and look into other things. It’s such a sad situation. I wish we could just join bands … (but) it wouldn’t be considered a real band.”

    REALITY: The insinuation is that because Kurt was going to kill off Nirvana, then he needed to be killed off, too. This is plain silly. Calling an end to Nirvana might annoy his bandmates, his management, and his record label, but bands break up all the time. Nirvana had been in a precarious situation for years, so the idea of everything exploding at any second was a way of life for everyone.

    The idea of an artist wanting to make music with their significant other isn’t unusual, either. Hello, John and Yoko. Hello, Paul and Linda.

    Breaking up the band so he could work with Courtney? I could see it. But as a motive for murdering one of the most famous rock stars in the world at the time? Hardly.

    2. The divorce threat

    THEORY: It’s no secret that Kurt and Courtney had a tumultuous relationship. There were domestic disputes requiring police visits, their drug use, and anecdotes about the couple from people who knew them. Courtney was reportedly angry that Kurt had refused an invitation for Nirvana to headline the 1994 Lollapalooza Festival.

    There is some veracity to all this. In January 1994, Kurt told Rolling Stone that he and Courtney were contemplating a split with both contacting lawyers about drawing up the necessary paperwork. There was also talk of changing wills and pre-nups. And was Kurt having an affair with an unnamed woman?

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    REALITY: Look, both Kurt and Courtney had big personalities. Put them in a relationship together, add in lots of money and plenty of drugs, and you have a recipe for drama and disaster. Things will be said in the heat of the moment. And yes, sometimes things escalate to unpleasant levels. But turning to murder? And at the time when Kurt is contemplating to break up Nirvana and join Courtney in Hole?


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    And let’s not forget that a month before his death — and hours before his suicide attempt in a Rome hotel room — Kurt had gone out and bought Courtney all kinds of expensive gifts. (He also stole some candlesticks from The Vatican for her). And about that suicide attempt: If Courtney really wanted Kurt dead, why didn’t she just let him die when he took all those pills in Rome?

    3. The unknown enemies

    THEORY: In the months leading up to his death, Kurt appeared to be very afraid of someone or something. It might have been the drugs causing paranoia, but the fear was real. Kurt had a stockpile of guns and ammo in the house. A new security system was being installed at the house at the time of his death.

    Theorists believe that someone wanted retribution for Kurt turning down Lollapalooza. And why were three shells loaded into the Remington shotgun that Kurt used? Did Kurt load the gun or did someone else?

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    REALITY: Kurt did hang around with some shady drug people, all of whom knew he was a heavy user with a lot of money. Everyone in Seattle knew where he lived, too. Having guns for protection? Not a surprise.

    The presence of extra shells in the gun has been presented as evidence that something was fishy. I’d theorize that because Kurt was extremely high at the end, he wasn’t exactly in the best state of mind. Maybe the gun had been loaded much earlier. Anything to the contrary is pure speculation.

    4. The credit card

    THEORY: Kurt used a MasterCard to book his final plane ride home from Los Angeles to Seattle. Around the same time, Courtney, who knew Kurt had gone missing, had his card cancelled. Yet someone kept trying to use the card to get cash advances. There was an attempt to get $5,000 on April 4 over the phone with a call to MasterCard. There was another request for $2,500 after Kurt died. And there was a final attempt to secure $1,000 shortly after that. And then on the morning of April 8, the day Kurt’s body was discovered, someone tried to use the card to by $43.29 worth of flowers.

    Who was doing this? Unknown. But it must have been the murderer who stole Kurt’s credit card, right?

    REALITY: There’s no proof that it was Kurt trying to get the cash advances. Remember, these were requests made over the phone and were all declined, probably because whoever was calling didn’t have the right PINs or security information. Maybe Kurt lost his card. Maybe he gave it away to a drug friend. And I’ll bet that whoever tried to buy the flowers on the day Kurt died was looking to lay them somewhere in tribute to him. This is a loose end but in no way does it point to murder.

    5. The suicide note

    THEORY: Why the difference in the handwriting throughout Kurt’s suicide note? Why the use of different coloured ink? Based on his examination of the note, detective Tom Grant believes Kurt didn’t write the whole thing (two handwriting analysts apparently agreed). To him, the note sounded like a statement of retirement, not a final note to the world. Why no mention of Frances, Kurt’s daughter? Why no proper signature? The note ends with “Kurt” spelled out in small letters.

    And what about an alleged second note? There’s a story that Courtney found another note months later in a sealed enveloped in her bedroom that apparently detailed how Kurt was going to leave both her and Seattle. More grist for the murder mill?

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    REALITY: This is admittedly another loose end, but Kurt was hardly in a good place on April 5, 1994. He may have already been quite high when he wrote the note. Kurt was a visual artist as well as a musician, so the different coloured ink might be part of that. Maybe in his altered state he just wanted the note to look pretty.

    As for the second note, its existence has never been verified.

    6. The toxicology report

    THEORY: In short, conspiracists believe that Kurt injected so much heroin into his system that there was no way he would have been able to aim the gun and pull the trigger. They point to the toxicology report —which was only partially released at the time but leaked with a little more detail in 2024 — which indicated Kurt had plenty of drugs in his system including diazepam (used for treating anxiety and alcohol withdrawal), codeine (a mild opioid painkiller), nordiazepam (a muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant), and 1.52 milligrams of morphine per litre of blood. That’s a lot. (Heroin turns into morphine once injected.)

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    How could Kurt have that many drugs in his system and still manage to neatly pack up his syringe kit, aim the gun, and fire. Impossible! Someone must have either (a) helped or (b) did all this to Kurt. Murder!

    “It’s highly unlikely that he would shoot himself up in both arms, put the needle away in his little kit, and then have the mental capacity to sit there and manipulate this shotgun and shoot himself,” Tom Grant told High Times magazine. “If he wasn’t unconscious, he was at least to the point where he wasn’t aware of what was going on. Anyone could have done anything to him.”

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    Oh, and Grant believes that the infamous photo of Kurt’s head is a fake, a stock autopsy photo of someone who had an unfortunate encounter with a lawnmower.

    REALITY: There aren’t as many loose ends here as it appears. First, Kurt was an experienced junkie with an extremely high tolerance for heroin, giving him just enough time to complete all the necessary tasks after he injected his last dose. Perhaps he injected himself in stages, looking for the right level of euphoria to accomplish what came next.

    More likely, though, is that the results of the toxicology test were misinterpreted and taken out of context.

    If you read that number — 1.52 milligrams of morphine/litre — one way, it appears that Kurt had nearly 12 times the lethal level of morphine in his blood at the time of his death. But we’re not sure if this number represents “free morphine count” or “total morphine count” — and there’s a big difference.

    A free morphine count measures the amount of drugs injected into a body at a specific moment. A total morphine count measures traces of the drug over a long period of time. As a long-time regular heroin user, it’s highly likely that the toxicology report includes a number that describes the cumulative buildup of drugs in Kurt’s system over weeks and months, not hours. (See this article from the National Library of Medicine. This article also looks at the possible discrepancies.)

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    In a case like Kurt, a known longtime drug user, it’s more common for a medical examiner to go with the total morphine count test, which is cheaper, faster, and doesn’t require the same specialized equipment as measuring a free morphine count. Was Kurt’s last injection fatal and rendered him incapable of shooting himself? Based on the toxicology methodology and results, no.

    7. The crime scene

    THEORY: No clear fingerprints on the shotgun? Someone must have wiped it clean. Who? The murderer, of course. Who had barricaded the door of the greenhouse? Why didn’t Kurt just give himself a fatal overdose and not bother with the whole messy gun thing? Who arranged the body just so and perhaps even combed Kurt’s hair after he died?

    The forensics report reads like this: “The item was processed for prints on 05/06/94 by Sr. ID Technician T. Geranimo, #4466. Four cards of latent prints were lifted. The four cards of lifted latent prints contain no legible prints.”

    REALITY: I can imagine Kurt’s palms being kind of sweaty in those last seconds, can’t you? In April 2014, Mike Ciesynksi, a retired 20-year vet of the Seattle PD with plenty of cold case experience, opened the Cobain file. He dove deep into the case and went through 35 mm film that was shot of the crime scene. This helped him reconstruct how the gun was fired. Consulting with a firearms expert, it was determined that there was nothing weird about where the spent shell landed, the position of the gun related to the body, or the body itself. His conclusion: “The investigation on the death of Kurt Cobain, which was conducted 20 years ago, reached the correct conclusion that the manner of death was [suicide].”

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    In 2021, the FBI made their Cobain case file public. It was all of 10 pages long and contained absolutely nothing new other than two highly redacted letters from a couple of fans asking them to look into Cobain’s death.

    8. The El Duce allegations

    THEORY: Eldon Hoke was the frontman of a noxiously obscene group called the Mentors, trading under the name El Duce. He claimed that Courtney Love offered him $50,000 to kill her husband during a conversation outside an Los Angeles record shop. “Off the old man before he files for divorce,” was the plan. Before El Duce could be formally commissioned, Kurt was dead. The implication is that Courtney found someone else to do the job.

    REALITY: If you know anything about El Duce and The Mentors, I’d call Eldon Hoke an unreliable narrator. Yes, he took a lie detector test on national TV and passed, but that’s not admissible in court. We’ll never get to grill El Duce any further on the matter because he was decapitated when he was hit by a train on April 18, 1997. He was very drunk walking home from a gig.

    There are a few more conspiracy angles, but I’ve covered all the important ones.

    Finally, consider this. Dave Grohl believes Kurt killed himself. Krist Novoselic believes Kurt killed himself. So does Kurt’s mother and father. So do two of Kurt’s former managers and I’ve spoken to them directly. And having spent time personal time with Courtney, I don’t believe any of the allegations against her. You may disagree, which is your right. But you’re wrong if you think Kurt’s death was anything but a depressed, desperate, drugged-up young man taking his own life.

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    Life is messy and death can be even messier. But because we have this pathological feature of the unknown, we’re always going to look for any explanation that might quiet our minds. In the case of Kurt Cobain, we have our answers.

    —

    Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for Global News.

    Subscribe to Alan’s Ongoing History of New Music Podcast now on Apple Podcast or Google Play

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    Alan Cross

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  • Olivia Rodrigo Tries to Fill the Hole Where Hole Used to Be

    Olivia Rodrigo Tries to Fill the Hole Where Hole Used to Be

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    As supposed Olivia Rodrigo nemesis Taylor Swift once said, “I come back stronger than a 90s trend.” That’s precisely what’s happened of late in the live performances Rodrigo has been doing in promotion of her Guts album. It started roughly two months ago, when Rodrigo appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to sing “ballad of a home schooled girl” (a timely choice considering the then upcoming release of Mean Girls 2024). Although not exactly outfitted in “Courtney Love circa 1994” attire during this instance, the entire vibe of the performance smacked of Rodrigo’s desire to bring back the raucous stylings of 90s-era frontwomen (e.g., Kathleen Hanna, Justine Frischmann, Shirley Manson), with an especial emphasis on the riot grrrl sound and look (granted, Love was no fan of that mid-90s movement).

    Out of all those “alt-rock” (a cringe-y term that Daria Morgendorffer undoubtedly hated) bands, Courtney Love’s personal style as the frontwoman of Hole was the most visible, aided along by the fact that she was dating (and then married) the “king” of grunge, Kurt Cobain (a name Gen Zers often have no knowledge of despite freely and vexingly sporting Nirvana t-shirts on the regular). While Rodrigo might have adopted solely the “tone” of Love’s performances (albeit more of a Love Lite vibe than an all-out visceral experience) on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she saved an homage to all-out Hole aesthetics until she appeared on the December 9, 2023 episode of Saturday Night Live.

    Choosing to introduce a new song to the less-versed in her Guts album, Rodrigo followed her stripped-down performance of “vampire” with a more production value-y “all-american bitch.” Outfitted in a pink babydoll dress (this style of frock being Love’s well-known signature around the time of Live Through This), complete with a white, doily-esque collar, Rodrigo sits at a table decorated with cakes and other assorted sweets as she initially sings in her most precious voice while placing sugar cubes into a coffee cup (this, one imagines, will be repurposed again for her Guts Tour, along with babydoll dresses galore). Once the chorus hits, though, she shatters a champagne flute in her hand and proceeds to semi-writhe on the table in a botched attempt at “doing the Madonna at the 1984 VMAs.”

    Rodrigo then briefly goes back to being a “good little girl” before again ramping up the repressed anger she holds back in these moments, finally going all in on decimating the desserts on the table, not just hurtling them aside, but also throwing some of it at the camera and violently stabbing one of the cakes with a knife like she’s stabbing at the patriarchy itself. This blending of Madonna and Courtney Love (notoriously contentious toward one another for a while there) performance sensibilities is perhaps a testament to the pastiche overload of our current time. Something that Rodrigo, like anyone of her generation, can’t help but be a (for lack of a better word) victim of. 

    After loosely returning to her faux sugary sweetness shtick for another verse, Rodrigo once more goes apeshit during the chorus, the entirety of which is: “Forgive and I forget/I know my age and I act like it/Got what you can’t resist/I’m a perfect all-American bitch/With perfect all-American lips/And perfect all-American hips/I know my place, I know my place, and this is it.” The dripping-with-sarcasm aura also smacks of Love’s brand. Most notably on 1994’s “Miss World,” wherein she drones, “I’m Miss World/Somebody kill me/Kill me pills/No one cares, my friends.” In another part of that song, Love belts the chorus, “I’ve made my bed, I’ll lie in it/I’ve made my bed, I’ll die in it/I’ve made my bed, I’ll die in it/I’ve made my bed, I’ll cry in it.” “Coincidentally” enough, this expression is something that crops up in a Rodrigo song on Guts called “making the bed.” The track explores similar self-deprecating themes surrounding fame as Rodrigo laments, “And I’m playin’ the victim so well in my head/But it’s me who’s been makin’ the bed/Me who’s been makin’ the bed/Pull the sheets over my head, yeah/Makin’ the bed.” 

    This is also a song she sang live recently for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, rounding out the set of four songs (which additionally included “love is embarrassing,” “vampire” and “lacy”) with this one while wearing what is quickly becoming her own signature babydoll dress. After all, she’s openly stated her favorite fashion era is the 90s, with a budget for “vintage” clothing to support her zeal. Thus (and probably needless to say), Courtney Love would surely be present on the proverbial Pinterest board of that decade’s fashion trends. Accordingly, Rodrigo’s influences on Guts have clearly shifted far more toward the 90s rage of alt-rock than the “happy anger” of 00s pop-punk, which was more palpable on Sour (though that wasn’t without its major “girl rage” 90s influence either: Alanis Morissette—and Alanis gets more play on this album cycle, too…at least visually speaking). This likely due to her declaration that Rage Against the Machine was a key influence on her while recording the album, particularly “all-american bitch.” But as far as promotional performances have gone since Guts was released in September of ‘23, the most overt influence has been purely Love (whether Rodrigo wants to admit to being fully aware of it or not). 

    Some can appreciate this commitment to homage, while others might not necessarily find it quite so “cute” or “endearing.” Although Rodrigo has pointed out that nothing in music is ever new, there is an increasing sense of “watered down-ness” the more the decades go by and people keep “gleaning” from the past. However, as Rodrigo insisted, “Every single artist is inspired by artists who have come before them. It’s sort of a fun, beautiful sharing process. Nothing in music is ever new. There’s four chords in every song. That’s the fun part—trying to make that your own.” 

    Rodrigo does her best to make Hole her own too. Though it’s a prime example of the Narrator (Edward Norton, who, fittingly, once dated Courtney Love) in Fight Club remarking, “Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy.” So if you’re going to copy yourself off of someone, Love isn’t the worst choice—musically or visually. But it still doesn’t quite fill the hole where Hole used to be. 

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • Court says ‘Nevermind’: Lawsuit against Nirvana’s naked baby cover back on – National | Globalnews.ca

    Court says ‘Nevermind’: Lawsuit against Nirvana’s naked baby cover back on – National | Globalnews.ca

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    A federal appeals court is reviving the child pornography lawsuit filed against Nirvana by a now-32-year-old man who appeared naked on the cover of the band’s 1991 album Nevermind when he was a four-month-old baby.

    Spencer Elden’s lawsuit against the grunge rock group alleges that he has suffered “permanent harm” as the band and others profited from the naked image of him swimming underwater in a pool, appearing to grab for a dollar bill on a fish hook.

    Elden said his parents earned a mere US$200 for the photoshoot that created the iconic album cover, which has sold over 30 million copies.

    Elden first sued the band in 2021, but a federal judge in California threw out the lawsuit in 2022. A revised lawsuit was filed, but that too was dismissed on grounds that it was outside the 10-year statute of limitations on one of the laws used as a cause of action.

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    On Thursday, a panel of three judges on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said “never mind” to that decision and ruled that Elden can move forward with his lawsuit against Nirvana. The case has been sent back to federal court in Los Angeles.


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    The appellate panel found that each republication of an image of child pornography “may constitute a new personal injury” with a new deadline for the statute of limitations. The court’s decision noted that the naked photo in contention was republished in 2021 when Nirvana reissued Nevermind for its 30th anniversary.


    Nirvana band members Krist Novoselic, from left, Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain pose after receiving the award for best alternative video for “In Bloom” at the 10th annual MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 2, 1993.

    AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

    “Like victims of defamation, victims of child pornography may suffer a new injury upon the republication of the pornographic material,” the court’s decision reads.

    “We conclude that each republication of child pornography can constitute a new personal injury analogous to injuries caused by defamation and other dignitary torts. This conclusion is consistent with the Supreme Court’s view that ‘every viewing of child pornography is a repetition of the victim’s abuse.’”

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    Apart from the 30th anniversary reissue of the Nevermind album cover, the court notes that “the band and the album’s producers have licensed the cover image for various other merchandise, including Snapchat filters, t-shirts, and posters.”

    The court’s decision merely deals with whether or not Elden’s lawsuit can move forward.

    “The question whether the Nevermind album cover meets the definition of child pornography is not at issue in this appeal,” the court wrote.

    In an email to The Associated Press, Nirvana lawyer Bert Deixler called the ruling a “procedural setback.”

    “We will defend this meritless case with vigor and expect to prevail,” he wrote.

    — With files from the Associated Press


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    Kathryn Mannie

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  • Conan O’Brien Hosts an ‘In Utero’ 30th Anniversary Special

    Conan O’Brien Hosts an ‘In Utero’ 30th Anniversary Special

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    Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Steve Albini will celebrate Nirvana’s third and final album, In Utero, during a special episode of the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast. The former Nirvana members and Albini, who produced In Utero, will talk to Conan about the conception, birth, and life of the iconic group’s third and final studio album – three decades after its release.

    Stream Team Coco Radio (Ch. 106) on the SiriusXM App & web player

    The episode, which will also feature music from In Utero, will premiere October 23 at 6pm ET on both Team Coco Radio (Ch. 106) and Lithium (Ch. 34). Hear encores throughout the week or stream it anytime on the SiriusXM App.

    Conan O’Brien, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Steve Albini

    In Utero debuted on September 21, 1993 – only about six months before legendary frontman Kurt Cobain’s tragic death. After working with producer Butch Vig on their breakthrough album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Albini, who previously produced two of Cobain’s favorite records: the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa (1988) and the Breeders’ Pod (1990). Like Nevermind, In Utero was a critical and commercial success and is considered one of the greatest albums of the ’90s. The album includes favorites like “Heart-Shaped Box,” “All Apologies,” “Pennyroyal Tea,” and more.

    nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain

    Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s iconic MTV Unplugged performance in 1993 (Getty Images)

    Also in September 1993, Conan launched his inaugural talk show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, which he hosted until February 2009. Over the years, countless music acts – including seminal alt-rock bands like Grohl’s Foo Fighters – performed on Conan’s influential NBC show, as well as his other late-night series.

    Team Coco Radio is available anytime on channel 106 on the SiriusXM App and car radios. Executive produced by Conan, the 24/7 channel features the biggest interviews and funniest stand-up moments from Conan’s iconic TBS show, as well as select Team Coco podcasts, including Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, plus Inside Conan and Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan. Check out more about the channel here.

    nirvana members and conan o'brien

    Krist Novoselic, Steve Albini, Dave Grohl, and Conan O’Brien


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    Jackie Kolgraf

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  • EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Todd Hyman of Carpark Records

    EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Todd Hyman of Carpark Records

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    Carpark Records has been known widely as an industry tastemaker and incubator for budding indie artists for the past decade and then come, but what do you know about the man behind it all? What does it take to create a label that withstands the ever-changing tides of the digital age. Who is behind curating the diverse but stream lined roster of artists on Carpark? He is none other than Todd Hyman.

    Todd has seen all sides of the industry it seems. He tells me about his formative years in Chicago. It was the early nineties, he was attending Northeastern University and the scene in Chicago was intoxicating. He calls the time, “an indie music golden era.” Many of the influential labels of the time were located in Chicago and inspired the local scene. Hyman recalls being inspired by the likes of Touch and Go who had Jesus Lizard, Big Black, and more signed to them and Drag City who had Pavement on their roster. He recalls seeing Nirvana at The Metro during college and feeling invigorated to make his own music- and that he did. Little did he know, he’d be playing at the same venue years later.

    Todd has always been an audiophile and tastemaker in music. In college, Todd worked as a DJ at Northwestern’s college radio station which was prominent in the area covering a large part of Chicago. He was going to 2-3 live shows a week and immersing himself in the culture. Around the same time, Todd formed Wendyfix and began gigging around Chicago and around the Northwestern College scene. He says though they played quite a bit, Wendyfix didn’t quite fit the vibe of Chicago at the time. While Nirvana had broken the glass ceiling and set a standard of the alt indie rock scene there, Wendyfix was quieter, more introspective guitar music. He tells me it took a long time but a small indie pop scene emerged from Chicago and Wendyfix ended up collaborating with other like-minded bands. Eventually, Wendyfix’ hard work and payed off and they got to play amazing venues like The Empty Bottle and The Metro which he mentions felt surreal after seeing so many of his role models play that venue.

    At the same time, Todd was working as the Rock Director at Northwestern’s radio station. He reflects on a time where email wasn’t used for business, so he’d get calls all day long inquiring about radio placements. He remembers his voicemail filling up and having fifty pieces of music to add to their programming a week. In a way, he remembers looking up to Touch and Go and Drag City for their ethical way of operating. Even 50/50 royalty splits with the artists and letting the artists do what they want were some of the amazing aspects of both labels, aspects that would inspire the way Todd would hope to run a label one day. Though he admits, it wasn’t totally on his mind at the time. He mentioned that his music taste changed so rapidly that though starting a label was on his mind, he felt like he could never commit to one type of music.

    After moving to NYC, Todd finally saw reason to establish Carpark. At the time, he was running a DJ night. He loved the music of so many of the electronic artists that came through and decided to start a label to give them the platform they deserved. Carpark’s foundation was sort of a punk DIY version of electronic music. It was reflective of the liberation that came with the ability to start making music on one’s computer. After a while of operating as such, Todd mentions he had a little internal crisis over the fact that he started an electronic label, but quickly realized that it’s his label and no one would really care if he started signing other artists that didn’t fit the profile of early Carpark artists.

    Eventually, Todd and his wife relocated to DC which Todd jokes, was pretty uneventful at the time. While he was in college, he said, DC seemed like the place to be and with the election of Barack Obama, more young people started to move to the city creating more of a scene, but when he first landed there in the early 2000s, not much was going on. Instead, he opted for being a part of Baltimore’s scene. His exposure to this scene is the story behind a lot of his artist signings.

    For instance, Todd’s wife was a part of music lover’s message board on crucial.org at the time. There was a guy from Baltimore that always posted his favorite music and Todd came across one of his postings one day. The band he posted about was Beach House and after sending a few emails, he was able to meet with and sign them. The rest seems to be history.

    This month, Todd has reissued his former band’s music across all electronic distribution platforms. Wendyfix and Remy’s songs are now available for stream and purchase at all major music distributors. He offers one piece of advice for aspiring artists: “follow your interests, do what makes you happy.” It seems that’s always worked out for Todd and we have Carpark Records and a slew of amazing tunes from Wendyfix and Remy to prove it.

    Listen to Wendyfix

    Listen to Remy

    Follow Carpark Records on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter.

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    Anie Delgado

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  • Royal Blood Takes Sea.Hear.Now By Storm

    Royal Blood Takes Sea.Hear.Now By Storm

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    Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher are childhood friends who shared a love for rock-and-roll music growing up. With Kerr’s vocals and bass and Thatcher’s drums, together the pair created Royal Blood- manifesting their love of rock into a full-fledged rock duo sensation. The British duo have been making hits for a while now, amassing a dedicated fanbase for good reason.

    Their knowledge of rock shows in their own music, playing into guitar riffs and big drumbeats that meld perfectly together. Their music quickly tops the UK charts, and together they earned the highly coveted Best British Group at the 2015 BRIT Awards- beating out One Direction, Clean Bandit, Coldplay, and alt-J. Since 2013, the band has put out four flawless studio albums, most recently Back To The Water Below.

    The aforementioned album was a stylistic shift for Royal Blood, who abandoned their normal sound and tailored each song specifically- choosing instruments that sounded right for specific tracks. They completely produced the track independently, and they stayed true to Royal Blood by having fun doing it.

    It can feel risky for artists to change up their sound completely, but with the duo’s growing confidence in their ability to make major music…there was no better time than now. With the success of their previous album, Typhoons, Royal Blood was able to create a full album unlike anything they’ve ever done before. It worked.

    Back To The Water Below consists of 10 flawless tracks (and two bonus singles on the Deluxe version) that switch from graceful piano melodies to dream-pop bass runs seamlessly. It blends genres of pop, rock, and alternative without missing a beat, which is a sign of a band that knows who they are. You can listen to the album here:

    Their performance at Sea.Hear.Now told me all I needed to know about Royal Blood: their confidence and swagger radiates onstage…and the new tracks like “Pull Me Through” truly encompass this new era.

    Kicking off their North American headline tour at Sea.Hear.Now 2023, I sat down with singer and bassist, Mike Kerr to talk the new album, tour, and more!

    PD: You released your new album this month, Back To The Water Below. What was the inspiration behind it?

    RB: The inspiration is kind of always about reacting to the album you made before it, you know? So the album we made before was during COVID and lockdown, so it felt more like a studio album. With this album now, we made it for the live shows. Playing live and going back to that simplicity and who we are again is the main sort of inspiration.

    PD: Would you say you had playing live in mind when you wrote the album?

    RB: I think we always do. We get a lot of ideas- or beginnings of ideas- on the road when we were touring. So I feel like, yeah, it was always on our minds.

    PD: This kicks off your North American tour- what are you most excited about with performing live?

    RB: I think it’s just getting to be with our fans and getting that connection. We don’t get to come here as often as we’d like…and as COVID proved, you never know when the next time is that you’re going to get to be together. I think it’s about being in front of people.

    PD: You’re childhood friends who shared a love for rock- who were your favorite artists growing up?

    RB: Favorite artists would be The Beatles, Queen, Rage Against The Machine, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Jeff Buckley.

    PD: If you could summarize the album in a few words, what would they be?

    RB: I would say melodic, English, and rock-and-roll…which I’m counting as one word.

    PD: Songs like “Pull Me Through” are a bit of a stylistic shift for you guys. Were you consciously doing this while writing or did it just happen?

    RB: It’s mainly something that’s just happening. I think when we start ideas that sound fresh, that’s usually the kind of reason to continue with them. I think when you’re writing and you feel like you’ve done it before, it’s not really inspiring.

    PD: What are your favorite songs to perform live?

    RB: “Shiner In The Dark” is my favorite at the minute and a song called “Waves”, which is the last track on the album.

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    Jai Phillips

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  • Mudhoney’s Mark Arm on the Band’s Enduring Rock Legacy

    Mudhoney’s Mark Arm on the Band’s Enduring Rock Legacy

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    Last week, Mudhoney released their 11th studio album Plastic Eternity. Fans of the legendary Seattle rock band get what they’ve come to expect: messy and melodic guitars, booming drums, and Mark Arm’s passionate vocals. As the title suggests, the album is a warning about the climate crisis and the impact of ignoring it. It’s been a few years since their last release, and the band sounds fresh.

    Although not as well known as other Seattle groups like Soundgarden and Nirvana, Mudhoney’s place in rock history is cemented. Kurt Cobain cited them as an influence, and their snarling punk/grunge sound has echoed through generations of alternative bands.

    Jordan Edwards and Demi Ramos spoke to Arm about the band’s influence on rock music, his interactions with Nirvana and Sonic Youth, and the recording of Plastic Eternity. Watch the interview below.

    Mudhoney | It’s Real with Jordan and Demi

    For more from Mudhoney, follow them Instagram and Twitter.

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    Staff

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  • 5 Tracks That Inspired Ellise

    5 Tracks That Inspired Ellise

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    Ellise scored a viral hit in 2021 with “911.” The track has over 105 million Spotify streams despite not being released as an official single.

    Since then, she’s continued releasing dark pop songs with catchy choruses and plenty of bass. The singer-songwriter’s latest, “Did It Hurt?,” is maybe the closest thing to a rock song that she’s released.

    For the first 5 Tracks episode of the year, watch Ellise talk about some of her favorite songs, including tracks by Nirvana and Ariana Grande.

    5 Tracks That Inspired Ellise

    For more from Ellise, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

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    Staff

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  • Watch RÜFÜS DU SOL Take On Nirvana Classic for First “Like A Version” Cover In Eight Years – EDM.com

    Watch RÜFÜS DU SOL Take On Nirvana Classic for First “Like A Version” Cover In Eight Years – EDM.com

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    Channeling the influences of the legendary Kurt Cobain is a tall task, but RÜFÜS DU SOL took it head-on for “Like A Version.”

    triple j’s long-running cover series recently invited the Grammy-winning trio back for the first time since 2014, when they mashed up Foals’ “My Number” and “Booka Shade’s “Charlotte.” This time around, they took Nirvana’s 1991 classic “Something in the Way” in for a spin alongside a string quartet—and they nailed it.

    The original track appeared on the fabled rock band’s second studio album, Nevermind, a record etched in the memories of RÜFÜS DU SOL’s James Hunt.

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    Jason Heffler

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