the who

The Rockin’1000 performed “My Hero” by Foo Fighters in tribute to their late drummer Taylor Hawkins. The massive group included musicians from 25 different countries. The performance occurred at Paris’ Stade de France May 21. The group’s set contained covers of Rage Against The Machine, the Who, Pink Floyd, the White Stripes and Guns N’ […]

As long as there’s been a punk scene, its denizens have argued as to which city invented it — New York or London? Truth be told, it was neither because history’s first proper punk band was the Stooges from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Which would make Detroit punk’s proper birthplace. But if much of the sound […]

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 with that. But this is hardly […]

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 […]

Lorraine Petel has a deep background in music and radio, from early roots in the punk scene to developing content for Sonos, NTS radio and shesaid.so. Her work has helped to push rock music broadcasting to new levels, even winning her the admiration of punk legend Iggy Pop, leading to collaborations between the pair for […]

Alternative Press’ native home of Cleveland, Ohio, stands alongside New York City and London as one of punk’s birthplaces. Yet, few outside of U.K. music journalist Jon Savage, in his crucial ‘70s punk history England’s Dreaming, acknowledge this. But how could Cleveland—a torched-and-trashed post-industrial landscape by the ‘70s, famed for the Cuyahoga River being so […]

When Leeds, U.K. post-punks Gang Of Four first appeared on American shores in 1980, they were simultaneously startling, exciting, fierce, warm, familiar and yet shockingly new. They were clearly unthinkable without punk, yet they didn’t play standard-issue Ramones–isms in a leather jacket. They were as angry and leftist in their politics as the Clash, but […]

Despite the grousings of certain members of punk’s first generation, grunge most certainly earned its place on rock’s historical timeline, the perfect antidote to the cliche-ridden joke hardcore became fairly quickly: Everyone attempting to run the 100-yard dash in two seconds? Why not take a nice, leisurely stroll, instead? Most know that meat turns out […]

The good old days of the closest Broadway ever coming to a rock ’n’ roll experience being Jesus Christ Superstar or Hair are long gone and have been for a long time. While those shows did, and still do, rock and can even be viewed as a harbinger of things to come, the headbanging on […]

Punk was, by design, meant to be small and regional. True, bands might break out and become national or even international. But the overarching idea was keeping things small and accessible. You wanted to be able to reach out and touch your favorite band in a small sweaty club, maybe have a beer with the […]

My Chemical Romance always insert references in lyrics, videos, performances and wherever else they can fit them. In fact, they’re so abundant and often well hidden that the more subtle ones may be overlooked for years. While we love pulling out trivia regarding the real “Helena” and Blade Runner, the best nods are lesser-known. Better yet, […]

While we’ll never complain about hearing live music ever again, there’s something special about getting to watch an artist you love cover a song by another musician. Whether it’s during a concert or impromptu at a karaoke bar, some of our favorite artists have proven over the years that they’re never afraid to belt out a […]

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Eddie Van Halen, legendary guitarist and co-founder of Van Halen, has passed away at the age of 65. Now, the music world is coming together to honor the late musician. Ozzy Osbourne, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, the Who and Billy Joel are just a few of the acts that […]

You think you know your punk history? You’ve studied protopunk, punk rock, post-punk, hardcore, grunge, pop punk, garage-punk and every other hyphenated subgenre spinoff? You know your Stooges and MC5 and New York Dolls and Flamin’ Groovies? Your Ramones and Heartbreakers and Blondie? Well, that’s cool. But do you know about the stuff that fell […]

As recently established here, the 45 RPM record was the greatest medium for punk rock. It’s compact, it’s affordable and brevity’s of essence—distill all of your best moments in three minutes or less. You can also master these seven-inch beauties hot, perfect for loud music. Then you have the picture sleeves. With punk being so […]

The coronavirus is having a massive impact on the entertainment industry, and as the pandemic continues to grow, more events are either canceling or postponing. With every industry from music, film, sports and more being affected by the spread of the virus, we’re keeping track of which events are being called off. Check back for […]

“People try to put us down,” protest punk artist YUNGBLUD snarls over two viciously downstroked guitar chords. “Just ’cause we get around/The things they do look awfully cold/Hope I die before I get old…” “My Generation,” he spits out further before the rest of his band kick in during a live video filmed in the […]

Britpunk was born out of a movement. However, England no more invented punk rock in 1976 than McDonald’s invented the hamburger. Punk was an idea airborne worldwide across 1975. Local freaks who’d bought Stooges and New York Dolls records formed bands in their image, unaware anyone else shared their disgust with the day’s dominant culture.  […]