Talk About Rock Music

After a brief tour of the UK, taking in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, the American rockers from Springfield, Massachusetts have revealed that they plan to come back during the first half of 2012.

I managed to get tickets to see the band last Saturday night in Manchester’s intimate Academy 2 venue, where lead vocalist Aaron Lewis prompted cheers from the audience by declaring his intention to return around May time.

While the performance lasted just under an hour and a half, the set was full of classics as well as some of Staind’s more recent heavier offerings. They brought a good mix, blending stuff from their back catalogue with songs from their self-titled 2011-released album. And yes, they played It’s Been A While…

Californian rockers Weezer marked the recent news that Mikey Welsh, their former bassist who was found dead in a Chicago hotel on the eve of their RIOTfest show, by dedicating their performance to his memory and honour.

The shocking news hit the band hard as the 40-year-old, who played with the alternative rock outfit from 1998-2001, had lost “a beautiful, creative, hilarious and sweet friend” as well as a “unique talent”.

Despite the fact that Mikey had only been with the band for a relatively short time, they had remained in contact and he was due to attend the Chicago rock event.

Weezer said in a statement on their website:

“To play the show and play it well tonight is to honor him and his memory. We have a feeling he will be watching.”

Throughout today the tributes have been pouring in across the internet after it was announced that Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of technology giant Apple had died.

The 56-year-old innovator was attributed with all kinds of inventions we take for granted in the digital age. With products such as the iPod and the software iTunes, the music industry has been completely transformed.

The online music market is now big business and a lot of this has been put down to this visionary. So it is fair to say that the man had a hand in all genres of music, making the record labels stand up and take notice of what consumers wanted. This is something which can only be commended.

Whether you are an Apple fanboy or not, the work Steve Jobs did in his lifetime is certainly something to admire.

This is an interesting question seeing as Nevermind has been back on the agenda this week following the relase of a 20th Anniversary Remastered Edition.

Many online music critics have been arguing over whether this, In Utero, Bleach, Incesticide or indeed the live performance on MTV Unplugged in New York.

For me, this album came out at a time when I was just discovering music so I would have to agree with those who put this at the top of the pile. I was also really blown away by the purity and intensity of Kurt’s singing during the unplugged session, so that comes in a close second.

As one of my favourite bands bids farewell to making music together, I am torn between sadness and contentment. It will be strange to think I won’t be going to see them play live again, whether this is in the UK or in the US like I did last time, but at least they have gone out in the way they wanted too.

So many bands these days tend to overstay their welcome and continue playing purely for the cash. You would never find that with a band like REM, with its members all remaining friends after an amicable and unanimous split.

Although drummer Bill Berry had left the group in 1997 (after ordering them to carry on without him), the three-piece of singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills and guitarist Peter Buck remained strong in their music output.

It is an understatement to say that REM have been such an influence on rock and pop music over their 31 years. They are one of the best bands of all time, let alone one of the greatest American performers.

They left the scene as they have always done, with respect for their fans:

“To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”

It has been revealed this week that influential rock guitarist Jeff Beck is to be presented with a living legend award by music mag Classic Rock.

The 67-year-old solo artist is rarely in the limelight, but it is only fitting that the man, once voted one of the greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone, has been recognised for his contribution to this music genre.

Even though Jeff had once been in The Yardbirds, and was the founder of the Jeff Beck Group, the musician is happy to keep away from the mainstream, yet still has a dedicated following.

He is to be presented with the award at a ceremony hosted by Gene Simmons of Kiss which is due to take place at London’s Roundhouse on the 9th of November.

In a bid to prove more attractive to advertisers, my favourite “local” radio station of choice Rock Radio Manchester is no more. One day my car radio was tuned in to the usual 106.1 frequency, with its former title proudly displayed – and then while on my way to work I was faced with the rebranded Real XS.

There was no real mention of these changes by GMG Radio on Sweeney’s breakfast show, not that I expected to hear anything. But I was unsure as to the direction of the rock-led station, especially as Real Radio is more closely associated with pop music.

On a positive note, the station is now in DAB as well as FM and will have a much wider reach than the Manchester-based brand had - but let’s just hope they don’t sell out on their rock roots…

It was more than three years ago now when we addressed the rumours that My Chemical Romance were splitting up so it is good to see they are still going strong and could be set to release new material in the not-too-distant future.

Various news reports have been circulating today which reveal that the NJ rockers are to go back into the studio once their summer tour is over. The band are due to headline at Leeds and Reading next weekend so, if true, this is more excellent news for fans of the four-piece.

Apparently, singer Gerard Way told the crowd in Chicago, when they performed on Saturday night, once the tour (with Blink 182) is finished then they would be spending the autumn recording new material.

They have been promoting their fourth studio album ‘Danger Days (The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys)’ during the tour, but it looks likely that it won’t be the latest release for too much longer.

It has been reported this week that the controversial Michael Jackson tribute concert, which has already caused divisions within the family of the deceased star, has encountered further criticism after they decided to book veteran rockers Kiss.

Promoters Global Live quickly moved to distance themselves from their invitation to the band after it emerged that bassist Gene Simmons had made comments last year regarding Jackson’s child molestation accusations. He said to Classic Rock magazine that there was “not a doubt” the singer was guilty of these crimes.

In an embarrassing U-turn, the organisers deemed the original booking an “oversight”, but disgruntled fans were enraged they had even been booked in the first place.

It is something which has sparked a lot of debate this week, but the pop-punk trio are still to confirm or deny the rumours as to whether their latest track entitled ‘Amy’ is written about the 27-year-old singer who was found dead at her home last month.

Green Day were performing 15 of their new tracks to an intimate audience in Costa Mesa, California, and the song’s lyrics strongly suggest that it is a tribute to Amy Winehouse. Lyrics like “27 gone without a trace” and “Did you tattoo a lucky charm” have only fuelled the rumours.

Make your own mind up…

Either way, the gig managed to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and gave fans an appetite for fresh material from the band.