nirvana

It’s pretty much impossible to overstate how much music was changed when Nirvana arrived on the scene. After bands such as R.E.M. and Pixies laid the groundwork for what alternative music could be, Kurt Cobain’s songwriting on Nevermind introduced their signature sound of punk-rock ethos and pop music hooks. The end result ...

Demos are a great way for listeners to peer into the creative process of their favorite musicians. As an artist’s vision comes to fruition, demos serve as the solidified rough draft of a song. They can show us the painstaking mental labor that comes with writing new music. They...

2022 is finally here. A new year is always packed full of potential, offering both a chance to start over and an opportunity to continue building on past success. Enter 22 in ‘22. We’re kicking off the new year with issue 402, showcasing 22 of the bands and musicians who are poised to have a stellar 2022. Featuring ...

Four hundred issues after the very first book to carry our name ran off the printers back in 1985, we look back on 36 years of our favorite-ever AP covers, the stories they told and the secrets behind their creation. You can pick up an issue here, starring twenty one pilots...

The ‘90s was the moment when the experiments wrestled control of the laboratory away from the scientists. Suddenly, punk rock — the ragged step-sibling of rock and pop — was squarely in the mainstream of culture, after years of ruling the underground. It spawned alter... Read More ...

One of punk rock’s original goals was “the destruction of rock ‘n’ roll.” While that didn’t happen, most early punk musicians were rock fans, in spite of their espoused rhetoric. Hence why most early pogo soundtracks were basically Chuck Berry with a Marshall amp. Not that there's anything wrong wi...

There are a lot of people out there who know what punk rock is but have no idea how to explain it to a novice or an outsider. It would seem simple enough to define it as “three-chord teenage rebel music,” but what about all those songs that have four or more chords? Or all the...

“When Damaged came out, it perfectly represented the depths and darkness of my particular teen angst,” Adam Grossman, guitarist for Angkor Wat, Skrew and Ministry, tells Alternative Press. “It was the soundtrack of my life at that point in time.” Any musician...

DED's School Of Thought is out now. Frontman Joe Cotela speaks on the album's creation and touring in a post-COVID-19 world.

Two U.K. televisual musical moments from the turn of the century, both involving stripped-down young rock ‘n’ roll bands: First up, the White Stripes on long-standing U.K. pop showcase Top Of The Pops, in February 2002. “Fell In Love With A Girl” began its chart-shaking international climb, and Jack and Meg White entered English living rooms for the first time. They refused to obey t...

With our Jan-Feb 1992 cover (#44), AltPress highlighted grunge pioneers Nirvana. Just following the Sept. 1991 release of the band’s legendary record Nevermind, the interview took fans behind the scenes just as the band were exploding into the mainstream. The ...

September 1963: A young R&B combo called the Rolling Stones are rehearsing, preparing for a recording session. Their manager, former Beatles publicist Andrew Loog Oldham, was tearing his hair out. They were about to record their second single, a follow-up to their modestly successful remake of Chuck Berry’s “Come On.” But they had ...

YOUR FIRST MUSICAL LOVE. I consider Busted my first musical love. They made me want to play guitar, and then I got a guitar for Christmas. But it was an acoustic guitar, so it didn’t sound the same. Then, my friend ended up breaking it because she tuned it too tight. ...

Welcome to Alternative Press’ 10 best punk vocalists of the ‘00s. When we counted down that decade’s finest punk guitarists, we noted that the beginning of the new century was a turning point. The ‘90s began with Nirvana breaking down the door for punk-influenced alternative acts to become the mainstream music of the decade, peaked with Green Day cementing punk’s graduation to a significant commer

1997: All media is declaring the alternative-rock explosion—for which Nirvana lit the fuse—over. This means the commercial pop-punk wave Green Day touched off was over in their eyes, too. That selfsame media could not have been more wrong. Green Day ...

We’re back with another AltPress Weekly. Each week, we highlight the things we want you to check out. We shout out new discoveries and longtime favorites, the best new, old and everything in between. We’ll also always keep you up to date with the latest coverage over at Alternative Press, along with the stories we absolutely love. Read more...

Britpop was the sound of England taking back rock ‘n’ roll after American grunge and alt rock had annexed the world’s airwaves and charts for the first half of the ‘90s. Vox amps, Union Jacks, 1964 Paul McCartney haircuts, Ben Sherman shirts and Chelsea boots became all the rage, as bands plundered their British Invasion, David Bowie and early punk records for ideas. If you played your... Read Mo

Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn are the yin and yang to one another—and it has absolutely nothing to do with their coincidentally dark and light hair colors. The twins credit a creative “synergy” while working in tandem and have forged their own musical journey reminiscent of their influences, but with a more confident and optimistic perspective in relation to their output and creativity. Of course

The ‘90s: the decade punk went mainstream. First, SoundScan made radio safe for Nirvana and the grunge-ified hordes. Then Green Day and other pop-punk acts moved in and squatted at the top of the Billboard charts. True, it seemed to be finished two years later, only to be reinvigorated at the turn of the century. Pop ...

Foo Fighters have released Dee Gees/Hail Satin, their latest funk-filled album featuring a mixture of covers and live originals. The album was originally released July 17 as a Record Store Day special. Staying true to the era, the vinyl is packed in a “dazzling rainbow mylar sleeve.” Re...