Billboard.com

Who Decides What Rock is "Classic Rock?"

Not everyone has the luxury of having an auxiliary jack in their car stereo. With the amount of leaks, holes, and weird noises coming from my engine, I'm lucky my beat up truck still runs period. I can't be asking for a decent stereo. So my commuting music consists entirely of FM radio, which is sti ... More >>

The Lumineers @ Marquee Theatre

Cassette County: Three Local Cassette Labels

In 2010, Billboard Magazine's annual album sales evaluation read thusly: physical sales were sinking like a septic tank full of concrete, except for vinyl. Sales of records were up 14 percent to 2.8 million units that year. Don't go proclaiming vinyl an industry savior. It's hardly enough to resusci ... More >>

Will Anderson, X, Cake, and More in This Week's Issue

Benjamin LeathermanWill Anderson at Hollywood Alley​When it comes to local music (and apparently, everything) all things must pass. So goes the reign of punk promoter Will Anderson, whose belly laugh, dirty Avail hat, and jovial smile have been a near-constant presence at punk shows in the Valley ... More >>

DMX: Going Old School on New Album?

​There's a glimmer of hope that Up On The Sun's DMX Rap Sheet will finally be put on the back burner as the hip-hop artist returns to the music world, determined, reportedly sober, and with new management headed up by Jason Fowler of J Mike Management & Entertainment, based in Mesa. And it' ... More >>

Top Five Rockin' Grannies

Image credit: Photoshop.​Last week we announced the bummer news that Blondie has called off the show scheduled for tomorrow at Foundry on First due to "last minute scheduling conflicts. Promoter Danny Zelisko states that the band may reschedule its date, but until then, you can continue l ... More >>

Hanson on Social Media, Shout It Out and Katy Perry

Jiro SchneiderHanson has been a household name since 1997 when they made it big with their unforgettable song "MMMBop." You know, the one you could never get out of your head every time you heard it. But the three-brother band has moved on to bigger and better things now, like their chart topping la ... More >>

Top Five Musician Beatdowns

Last week, ​Nicki Minaj got into an altercation with a personal assistant, Safaree Samuels, according to Billboard.While the two fought in a hotel room in Dallas, Texas, Samuels allegedly shoved a suitcase full of his personal belongings in Minaj's face and hit her in the lower lip after she told ... More >>

Bono and The Edge Spice Up 'American Idol' Finale With 'Spider-Man' Performance

​Bono and The Edge of U2 will be performing with the cast of the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on American Idol's live season finale Wednesday night, according to Billboard.The Spider-Man Broadway musical, for which they composed the music, has been delayed numerous times due to numerous c ... More >>

Lady Gaga Falls During Houston Show, Keeps Singing Like It's No Big Deal

​Lady Gaga fell off of her piano at her Houston show on April 8 but continued to sing throughout the fall as though it didn't even happen, according to Billboard.Gaga straddled her burning piano mid-song during the Born This Way track "You and I," lost her balance, hit her knees hard on her piano ... More >>

Odd Future's Domo Genesis Left ASU on a Quest for an Iced-Out Charizard

Ciara Would Be Happy to Break from Her Record Label

​Ciara is down for getting dropped by her record label, according to Billboard. The hip-hop star has shot down rumors that Jive Records has dropped her. However, she said that she wouldn't be opposed to the company doing so. Over the last two years she has experienced substantial artistic limita ... More >>

BEP's Will.i.am Teams Up With Intel

​Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas has been named the creative director of innovation, according to Billboard.He'll be giving input on the development of a variety of products made by Intel Corp. The head of marketing at Intel said that the company is trying to tie entertainment and technology toge ... More >>

Duran Duran, The Strokes Tapped For Coachella; Official Lineup Coming Soon UPDATE

​Coachella's official lineup should be announced very, very soon -- lest anyone forget that this week is usually when the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival makes it big announcement.In lieu of the entire festival lineup, a few acts have already been confirmed for the festival's 2011 editi ... More >>

Can DMX Ever Stay Out of Trouble Long Enough to Top the Charts Again?

Lollapalooza to Go International in Chile

​Lollapalooza has expanded to Chile, according to Billboard.Perry Farrell's music festival will be going down at O'Higgins Park in Santiago, Chile for the first time on April 2 and 3, 2011. This will be the first time that Lollapalooza has ever gone international. Presumably Chile got the honor in ... More >>

10 Album Covers That Have Been Banned [NSFW]

​A few weeks ago Kanye West announced on his Twitter page that the original artwork for his upcoming album My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy had been banned here in the US.Technically, the artwork wasn't banned. Instead Kanye's record label, strongly suggested that the album artwork be replaced f ... More >>

Gorillaz Leader Damon Albarn on Pacific Ocean Garbage, Pop Music and (Not Knowing Who) T.I. (is)

​There really is a plastic beach. Not with Lou Reed and a bunch of cartoons making hip-hop music -- that's just a fictional backdrop for the third Gorillaz record -- but in the Pacific Ocean, where a soupy mixture of oceanic garbage has massed together to form something scientists have named the ... More >>

Eminem Stands Up to Accusations of Homophobia, Attacks Others' Parenting Skills

​Eminem has clarified that there's a borderline between what he raps about and what his opinions actually are, according to NME. Em told CBS in a recent 60 Minutes interview that he doesn't have anything against gay people and that he's on good terms with all groups of people.He went on to address ... More >>

John Legend Fights for Better Education with Teach For America

​John Legend is the latest artist taking the initiative to make a difference in education by joining Teach For America's National Board of Directors.He is looking forward to giving children more opportunities to learn and improving education in America.Legend is no stranger to taking action for ch ... More >>

Bob Marley's Family Loses Copyright Battle to Universal Music Group

​It's a sad day for white kids with dreadlocks. Bob Marley's family has lost its fight with Universal Music Group over what they claim was exploitation of some of his greatest music.The Marleys tried to obtain the copyrights to five of Bob's albums and claimed that UMG owes them royalties.Light up ... More >>

Mike Posner @ The Marquee

Warren G & Nate Dogg Classic "Regulate" Gets Explanation via Wikipedia

"Regulate" - finally explained via Wikipedia!​A funny thing happened this past Thursday: a synopsis of the 1994 Warren G and Nate Dogg song "Regulate" popped up on the track's Wikipedia page.The song -- featured on the Above The Rim Soundtrack as well as Warren G's Regulate...G Funk Era -- te ... More >>

A Day to Remember

Joe Bonamassa

Lady Gaga Gets More Airplay Than You May Have Even Expected

They go gaga for Gaga.​Seemingly always in the news, Lady Gaga has once again found a way to top all the other pop stars out there. This time her single Bad Romance broke the record for most weekly plays in the history of Billboard's seventeen years of keeping track. The song was played 10,859 t ... More >>

Kelly Clarkson Is Pissed, But We Love Her Anyway

Copeland

Ida Maria and a Brief History of Scandinavian Pop

Taylor Swift

E-40, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, and Lil' Rob are Part of What's Selling at Circles Records and Tapes

E-40, the self-described "King of Slang" and "Ambassador of the Bay." Hyphy sure has faded quite a bit in popularity over the past couple years (check out this story in our sister publication SF Weekly as to the reasons why). The rambunctious and uptempo Bay Area hip-hop subgenre, which helped intr ... More >>

Elton John/Billy Joel Press Conference Part II

So, announced earlier through a brief post that went up while we were still at the U.S. Airways Center, Billy Joel and Elton John are coming to town on March 26. It's the latest iteration of a tour Billboard labeled the most successful pairing of all time, and should be a fun night of music. Really ... More >>

Joe Bonamassa

Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner critiques the critics of his new album The Lucky Ones

Willy Northpole and the Phoenix hip-hop scene explode

Hung Out to Dry

But soapy sells

Blast Beats, Dark Harmonies and Monstrous Melodies

The Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums of 2006

Glenn Danzig

Black Aria II
(Megaforce)

Boy Kill Boy

Civilian
(Island)

Velvet Revolver

G 'N' R/STP contraband visits Celebrity Theatre

Made With Love

Rosanne Cash is the friend who will say, or sing, what you can't

Insane Clown Posse

The Wraith: Shangri-La (D3/Psychopathic)

Reach Out for These!

Good Year for Bad Days

Their record company just dumped them; Fiesta Bowl sponsors think they're dips; but Tempe still love its Refreshments

The Trashman

Where unit-shifting heroes of rock are exposed as the passionless poseurs they really are

Much Ado

Debut album proves Nastyboy Klick is as bland as it wants to be

CHANTS OF LIFETIMESOME BROTHERS FROM SPAIN ARE BRINGING BACK THE OLDIES

THE GOOD OL' BOY FROM NYC

NEWCOMER BOB WODDRUFF PLAYS BY NASHVILLE'S RULES; HE JUST PREFERS THE OLD ONES

COUNTRY FROM THE OLD COUNTRYFOR CROONERS FROM THE CONTINENT, THE ROAD TO NASHVILLE RUNS THROUGH ARIZONA

BUSTIN' OUT OF BLACKFACE

WHITE MEN CAN'T RAP. OR CAN THEY?