Smells Like Alternative

This morning I was sipping my morning cup of joe and glancing at the news, when I noticed an article about today being the fifth year anniversary of the war in Iraq.
Now, this isn’t a political site, it’s about music, so that’s where my mind drifted anyways.
I got to thinking about the last five years and all of the music that has been inspired by Bush and Iraq.
90’s bands like Pearl Jam (“World Wide Suicide”), Foo Fighters (Gas Chamber”) and Green Day (the American Idiot album) have all been outspoken about current events.
While legends like Neil Young (Living With War),Bruce Springsteen (“Devils …read more

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Just a reminder that today is the release date for the soundtrack to the documentary Body of War.
The two-disc set features tracks from legends like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, John Lennon to some great new acts like Bright Eyes. Tom Morello appears with Rage Against The Machine and The Nightwatchman, while Serj Tankian and Eddie Vedder appear with solo tracks and from their bands (System of a Down, Pearl Jam).
In fact, Vedder’s folksy and powerful track “No More” is the anchor for the entire album, since it was specifically written for the subject of the film Tomas Young. He unveiled the track …read more

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Just wanted to wish everyone a great St. Patty’s Day. Have fun and be safe kids.
Let’s keep the theme rolling with Pearl Jam’s cover of the Thin Lizzy classic “The Boys Are Back In Town”.

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I guess American Idol finally did something that is worth mentioning.
The show has apparently exposed a new generation to the wonderful music of Jeff Buckley, who I still say was one of the best artists ever.
So, here’s what happened: A contestant was on the show and performed “Hallelujah” back on March 4, which was originally done by recent Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leonard Cohen. The result was a huge sales jump for Buckley’s version, which included topping iTunes sales chart and Hot Digital Songs with 178,000 downloads!
It’s very nice to see a new interest in Buckley, he …read more

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The Black Crowes seventh studio album, Warpaint, debuted at # 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart. The band’s first album since 2001’s Lions and has sold around 46,000 copies in it’s first week of sales. Not too shabby for the Brothers Robinson. So, with that let’s revisit a previous FYI on the Crowes.
FYI: The Black Crowes
Here’s the video for the band’s first single off of Warpaint, “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution”.

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Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo left a post on the band’s official site this week which read:
“Hey Weezer punks,
We have one song left to mix and then it’s on to mastering. We should be all done very soon. Then we chill for a minute.
The album will be out in June so with any luck you will hear a new Weezer song on the radio soon. I think I know which song is the first single but I’m not sure so I can’t tell you. I’ll give you some hints, though. It’s one word, starts with a T, ends with an R and …read more

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Some big acts have been rumoured to be on the bill for this year’s Lollapalooza.
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So what acts are being tossed around? How about Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine and Wilco . Which would be one heck of a line-up.Of course, this is only a rumour, but it would make this year’s Lollapalooza one of the best festivals out there this summer. The only thing for certain right now is the date and  location, which is at Chicago’s Grant Park from August 1-3.
Personally, I can’t …read more

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This site just doesn’t seem the same without some Pearl Jam, so here we go.
For the last couple of weeks I’ve had “I Am Mine” in a constant rotation, both on my iPod and just in my head.
“I Am Mine” was the first single from the band’s seventh studio, which was 2002’s Riot Act. Vedder wrote the track in a hotel room right before Pearl Jam’s first show following the unfortunate events at their 2000 performance at the Roskilde Festival. The song then made it’s live debut at the 2001 Bridge School Benefit.
This is what Matt Cameron told Billboard in 2002 …read more

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The not so serious Seattle band are back with a new album, which is their first album in four years, and will be on the road too.
These Are the Good Times People hits stores today and is the band’s sixth studio album; so if you enjoy the simplistic and goofy music of PUSA then you should snag a copy.
The band is also currently on the road. They’ll be on the west coast, which includes a stop at the SXSW Festival before heading to the east coast and then they’ll set off to Europe.
To hear some new tunes, “Ghosts Are Everywhere” …read more

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Ciao everyone!
 First off, I’d like to thank my friend Eric for stepping in and writing some posts while I was gone. It looks like he did an excellent job.
OK, so let’s get back in the swing of things with a newer artist from the UK.
I was checking out MTV in one of the hotel rooms in Italy before bed one night and saw a video for an incredibly catchy tune. It was instantly stuck in my head. The song was “Pumpkin Soup” by Kate Nash.
I had heard of Kate Nash but I never actually sat down and listened to her music. I checked …read more

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