bands news stories on Newser

Mexican Musicians Killed After Encore Refused

Rob Quinn — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 06:14:00 CST

Furious audience members killed two members of a band in Mexico after being told the music had to stop. The band—faced with demands for more from a group of drunk, aggressive audience members—had already played one encore at the Guadalajara bar before the owner pulled the plug long...

Animal Collective's Rise Is Well Deserved

Harry Kimball — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:54:16 CST

The rise of Animal Collective in 2009 is often attributed to concessions to accessibility, Jonah Weiner writes. “Going by the blurbs alone, you might assume that, in a few years, Animal Collective will complete its career-long metamorphosis into ABBA.” But that’s just not the case. The quirky indie band mixes...

Music Biz Drops Concert Camera Bans

Rob Quinn — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:22:42 CST

As camera phones held aloft become as common as lighters in the air used to be at rock-and-roll concerts, the music industry is starting to give in to reality and drop camera bans. Most bands are allowed to choose their own photo policy, and a growing number are letting fans...

Steven Tyler Quits Aerosmith: Band

Harry Kimball — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:36:10 CST

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has left the band, according to rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford and lead guitarist Joe Perry, who have suggested that they're looking for a new singer. The news comes after a disastrous summer tour in which Tyler broke his shoulder in a stage fall and canceled many...

San Fran Returns to Its Psychedelic Roots

Harry Kimball — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:42:39 CDT

San Francisco seems to have had something of a psychedelic rock resurgence, though don’t ask any of the bands involved to identify themselves that way. “People are so aware of everything and don't really separate it that much,” a man whose band has the telltale brooding drones tells the Guardian...

Corgan Picks 19-Year-Old as Pumpkins' Next Drummer

Harry Kimball — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:35:01 CDT

After the departure of longtime—well, come-and-go—Smashing Pumpkin Jimmy Chamberlin and the audition of 1,000 hopefuls, frontman Billy Corgan has named a new drummer, the Chicago Tribune reports. And the kid’s 19. Oregon native Mike Byrne played with local groups before receiving the honor from the Chicago-based Pumpkins....

UK Artists Invent 'Neurotic' Robot Band

Neal Colgrass — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:24:00 CDT

Cybraphon mimics a neurotic indie band by obsessing over its online presence and knocking out tunes to express its fluctuating moods, Wired reports. Designed by three UK artists, Cybraphon is a musical robot stuffed with an organ, cymbals, a Macbook Pro—and a highly volatile emotion meter. "The Cybraphon has...

Rock's Worst Comebacks

Harry Kimball — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:51:16 CDT

Some bands just shouldn’t—or couldn’t successfully—get back together. The Independent takes a look at the 10 most ill-conceived rock reunions. The Sex Pistols: Sure, the punk progenitors honestly named their 1994 comeback tour "Filthy Lucre," but still "tarnished their own lawless chapter in rock 'n' roll history." Van...

Big Bands Make Big Comeback

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:31:02 CDT

Big bands are back—if not the same ones your grandparents went to see in the 1940s. Today’s big bands play in cafés instead of ballrooms, and instead of waltzers, their audience is made up of music aficionados who want to enjoy the dense, textured sounds. In trendy New York...