Photo by Cody Black

In an interview with Ted Stryker just prior to a dress rehearsal for a small group of fans, the band recollected the early Hybird Theory days of their career–the days of dog collars and jelly bracelets–and how it compares to twelve years later in the Living Things stage of their musical journey.more

Photo: Annie Reuter / CBS Local

The Gaslight Anthem played to a sold-out crowd Wednesday night at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. While several hundred lucky fans got an in-person view of their set others could watch the entire show as it webcast live around the globe.more

California punk-rock pioneers, NOFX, have eleven studio albums under their studded belts but fans are clamoring for more from the irreverent, bawdy four-piece that has never been signed to a major label in the almost three decades of their existence.more

Pulp's Jarvis Cocker ( Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The United Kingdom’s infamous music magazine, NME (New Music Express), is celebrating its 60th anniversary and part of the revelry includes features on some of the top musicians of each decade.more

Mike Coppola / Getty Images

Apparently the suits behind the Guinness Book of World Records book didn’t take well to Jack White’s claim that they dismissed his record-breaking attempt at playing the shortest public concert ever.

White was under the belief that he and former bandmate Meg White held the record for shortest concert ever, consisting of a single, quickly muted cymbal crash.

According to a dialog between a Guinness rep and British music magazine NME, “The White Stripes were in fact recognized in the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records book for the shortest music concert ever when, on July 16 2007, they played just one note at St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada.”See what Guinness had to say.

A week early, Garbage has released their 5th studio album “Not Your Kind Of People” to iTunes.  The CD arrives in stores next week.

If You Can Only Download One Track:  The single “Blood for Poppies” is pretty kick ass, but the song “Sugar” is Shirley Mason at her sexy/ spooky best.

Hot Fire of Truth:  Since it was announced that the Garbage crew would be heading back into the studio in 2010, the band has expressed real excitement about this record.  And with good reason- it’s a real return to form for the band with perhaps some songwriting maturity and a few new production tricks up their sleeve.  Garbage fans will be very happy with this effort. Though there are only a handful of songs that force you to turn the volume UP, there aren’t any that make you want to turn it off.

Lyrically Manson isn’t re-inventing the wheel or anything, but she keeps it interesting for the most part.  The guitars sound great and the swirling synths that seem to come and go a bit randomly from track to track are occasionally distracting, but work pretty well in the context of this band.

If I have any real critique to offer it’s that Producer/ Drummer Butch Vig (who won a Grammy Producing for Green Day) is pretty heavy handed in terms of his “Wall of Sound” style of production.  The songs have a very dense quality to them, and Manson’s voice which is undoubtedly one of the most unique sounding instruments in the rock world, could use a little space to breath.

There’s a regular version and a deluxe version available- if you get the regular version, you’re not missing anything of great significance but the cost difference on iTunes is only 3 bucks.  I’d say worth it for Garbage fans; casual listeners will do fine with the regular version.

Courtesy Sumarian Records

British metalcore lads, Asking Alexandria, didn’t want to wait to get their “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll” Hollywood fix when they play the 5th Annual Mayhem Festival on June 30th in Southern California.more