Includes writing about music, show reviews, and other musical experiences.

Where I Stand: Hey! Ho! Let’s Go to the Ramones and the Birth of Punk Exhibition

by Nate "Chops" Johnson December 29, 2016

“1, 2, 3, 4!!!” Widely considered the first band to define the sound of punk music, The Ramones were formed in the Forest Hills section of Queens, New York in 1974. Jeffrey Hyman, John Cummings, Douglas Colvin and Tommy Erdelyi each adopted the surname “Ramone,” becoming Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy. And so the […]

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John Stabb – Tambourine In Hand – A Tribute

by Sean Koepenick May 20, 2016

Legendary punk frontman John Stabb died on 5/7/2016 after a short battle with stomach cancer. RIP. “Free love across the free land. Visions And?” For some reason this lyric from the song “Visions And?” sticks in my head as the first Government Issue song I really heard and ended up liking quite a bit. But […]

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Thumbnail image for Lux Interior is Dead – Long Live Lux Interior

Lux Interior is Dead – Long Live Lux Interior

by Tony Shea February 4, 2016

His parents called him Erick Lee Purkhiser, but everybody else knew him as Lux Interior. The frontman for psychobilly inventors The Cramps died on this day back in 2009 at the age of 62. While not as well-known as some of his contemporaries including Iggy Pop, the Ramones, and The Misfits, Lux Interior was every […]

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Silver Screams are Triumphant

by Tony Shea January 17, 2016

Silver Screams finished the last leg of their tour last night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, playing a triumphant show at The Grand Victory. The rowdy crowd was more than ready for the band’s raucous blend of hardcore/post-punk/rock and roll. And the band did not disappoint, tearing through their set with absolutely ferocious efficiency, sprinkling in some […]

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Thumbnail image for The 5 Best Motorhead Songs – Lemmy R.I.P

The 5 Best Motorhead Songs – Lemmy R.I.P

by Tony Shea December 29, 2015

image via The great Lemmy Kilmister died today at the age of 70 following “a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer” according to the announcement on the Motorhead Facebook page. Of course Lemmy was the frontman for Motorhead, the legendary rock and roll band that straddled the fence between metal and punk, creating a […]

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The Last Song Janis Ever Sang

by Nate "Chops" Johnson October 1, 2015

Forty-five years ago today, on October 1st, 1970, Janis Joplin, widely considered the world’s first female superstar of rock, stepped into Studio 1 at Sunset Sound studios in Hollywood to record the song “Mercedes Benz”. Stripped of instruments and using only her vocals, the song would become a hallmark of her career and personal rock […]

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Thumbnail image for Mega-Mustaine – My Top 7 Megadeth Songs

Mega-Mustaine – My Top 7 Megadeth Songs

by Tony Shea September 13, 2015

Dave Mustaine turns 54 today. Best known as the frontman for thrash superstars Megadeth for the last 30 years, Mustaine was the original lead guitarist in Metallica. He was fired from Metallica just before the band recorded their first album, owing to his legendary reputation for chronic alcoholism and drug abuse layered on top of […]

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Thumbnail image for The Picasso of Song – Bob Dylan Turns 74

The Picasso of Song – Bob Dylan Turns 74

by Tony Shea May 24, 2015

Bob Dylan turns 74 today. The Picasso of songwriters, Dylan is number 1 on the list, the greatest song writer of them all, living or dead, a highly prolific virtuoso who has evolved and deepened with age, a rare artist who has remained relevant with the passage of time. Using all of humanity as his […]

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Thumbnail image for This Charming Man – Morrissey Turns 56

This Charming Man – Morrissey Turns 56

by Tony Shea May 22, 2015

Miserable Steven Patrick Morrissey turns 56 today. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Morrissey is a true original, a celibate rock star blessed with a croon to make the girls swoon, singing about heartache and death. Lead singer of the Smiths as well as on 11 solo albums over the last thirty […]

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Thumbnail image for Like It or Not – Bob Seger is Awesome

Like It or Not – Bob Seger is Awesome

by Tony Shea May 6, 2015

image via Bob Seger turns 70 today. Though he’s released only one album of new music is the last 18 years, he continues to sell out arenas – why? Because he’s awesome.

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Thumbnail image for King of the Surf Guitar – Dick Dale Turns 78

King of the Surf Guitar – Dick Dale Turns 78

by Tony Shea May 4, 2015

About ten years ago, I saw Dick Dale and Carlos Santana (ranked #74 and #20 respectively in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Guitar Players) on back to back nights in Los Angeles. I attended both shows with the girl who was eventually to become my wife, but at the time we had just […]

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Thumbnail image for Country-Punk Legend Mike Ness Turns 52

Country-Punk Legend Mike Ness Turns 52

by Tony Shea April 3, 2015

Mike Ness, frontman and lead guitarist for SoCal punkers Social Distortion, turns 52 today. For 37 years now Ness has been belting it out with his unmistakably ragged voice, becoming one of America’s greatest purveyors of rock and roll along the way. Part Johnny Cash and part Joey Ramone, Ness is a country-punk pioneer who […]

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The Ten Best AC/DC Songs

by Tony Shea March 31, 2015

The truly great Angus Young turns 60 today. Listed by Rolling Stone as the 24th greatest guitarist of all time, Young has been the primo ax-man for Aussie rockers AC/DC for more than forty years, clad perpetually in his schoolboy outfit and throwing down a series of legendary riffs that have penetrated the collective unconscious.

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