op-ed

By Jackson Simmons, Little Image The first time I was exposed to Brand New was while watching Brianna Hunt, a musician who operates under the name Many Rooms, cover “Jesus Christ” at a show. Something resonated within me during that performance. At the time, I wasn’t even aware it was a cover, but after eventually […]

After 20 years of being a band, Friday, Dec. 29 will be the Dillinger Escape Plan’s final show, to be held at New York’s Terminal 5 venue. Opening the show are Code Orange and Daughters. Dillinger released a statement about the show’s importance to them recently: “For me, in terms of shows, New York has […]

“Genius” is a term that’s often thrown around for no reason. Very rarely is it applied to the right person, someone who’s earned the right to this title. That’s why I’m here to say Tom DeLonge is a genius. A straight-up rule-breaker who doesn’t care what you want him to do, or what you think. […]

In March, I stood in a packed stadium—the Verizon Center in Washington, DC—as Green Day rang out their hit “21 Guns.” Had this been 20 years ago, I would have been surrounded by the dim glimmer of hundreds of cigarette lighters sparkling out like little stars in a dark sky. Instead, the glow that surrounded […]

*This article contains discussion about depression and suicide. Like it did for music fans the world over, the tragic passing of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington on July 20 caused me to do a bit of soul-searching. I must confess that I’ve never been much of a Linkin Park fan; that’s not to say I dislike […]

[Photos by: John Floreani] The same way we sat as children staring at the playground from inside the classroom while Mrs. Maxwell droned on about trigonometry or something else mathy, we now look for any available reason to ignore what’s in front of us in hopes it will bring us a little closer to where […]

[Photo by: Jesus Martinez] Are you the same person you were two years ago? Five years ago? Seven? As we’re all well aware by now—or at least should have some inkling—change is inevitable. Choosing to move forward isn’t always easy, but in order to thrive, it’s usually the only option. Air out your past and […]

[Photos by: Mischa Schoemaker/WENN.com] Political pundits from Amy Goodman to David Brooks claim they have never before seen the likes of President Trump. Fans of popular music know better. Read more: Tom DeLonge, All Time Low, Every Time I Die, more respond to Trump’s “covfefe” with hilarious tweets The captain-of-industry-and-chaos shtick was the chosen method of Malcolm […]

Few bands can legitimately claim to have spearheaded an entire movement in music, let alone a genre all its own. Meshuggah can. Read more: Megadeth announce summer tour with Meshuggah, Tesseract, Lillake If you enjoy bands such as Periphery or Tesseract, Animals As Leaders or Monuments, you have Meshuggah to thank. It was the late ‘80s, […]

In the age of Netflix, Hulu and HBO, there are millions of genres of television. From well-intentioned drug crafters locked in a laundry facility to ’80s waffle-eating children saving the world, it seems like every show gripping the nation fills its own unique niche. And yet, one broader genre is making a hefty resurgence: animation. […]

Disney’s latest live action adaption, Beauty And The Beast, is finally here. After months of fantastic promotional material and some heavily Auto-Tuned singing from Emma Watson, audiences have the chance to relive their childhood/introduce the next generation to the classic tale of a bookworm and a water buffalo who fall in love to break an […]

At the heart of punk ethos is a hatred for elitism. Punk music started out as an attempt to defy the so-called “rules of music.” Until punk, a person was only supposed to be in a band or call themselves a musician if they could play their instrument flawlessly. Enter the likes of the New […]

“How does it feel to be a woman eating a sandwich? How does it feel to be a woman walking up the stairs?” Those are the kinds of questions Savages’ Jehnny Beth likened to “How does it feel to be a woman in music?”  And generally, she’s not wrong—music is music; to play guitar as […]

Next month, Simple Plan will hit the road to start the 15th anniversary tour for their debut album, No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls. They were my first favorite band. I identified with “I’m Just A Kid” (yes, life is a nightmare!), longed for “Addicted” (and giggled at “I’m a dick” in live performances), and puzzled […]

The last decade has been jam-packed with reunions of our favorite bands. Some have a successful return and decide to continue on, while others flail, fail and disappear before it’s too embarrassing. What most people don’t talk about in detail is the abundance of nostalgia tours happening with all of the bands who haven’t broken […]

I have fond childhood memories of watching cartoons, playing with action figures and escaping into the vast depths of my own imagination for most of the day. As I grew older, I felt the magic wane and lived through some Toy Story 3 tear-jerker moments: watching my tiny plastic heroes sold off at garage sales […]

The senseless murder of YouTube star and The Voice alum Christina Grimmie shook artists and fans alike. After all, music in the modern day thrives on musician-to-fan interaction, either via social media platforms or meet-and-greets with signings and photo-ops.  One of the scene's biggest emblems, Warped Tour, is a hub of musician-to-fan meetings, hugs and expressions of love […]

I heard six pops before the music stopped. Half of the people on the dance floor hit the deck. The rest of the fans and industry figures in attendance seemed to look in the direction of the shots, in a daze. A few people screamed. “What was that?” more than one person exclaimed. The lights […]