There are times in life where everyone just reaches a fork in the road and that next step truly defines what will become of their future. Sometimes in music, there's fame, success and creative fulfillment ahead and other times there are opportunities forever lost for something that might have been truly great.
Much like the discovery of fire, the genius who first cracked open a beer while listening to rock 'n' roll guided the course of mankind towards infinite prosperity. The combination of suds and shredding has enriched the live music experience for rockers and metalheads, so it only makes sense that the bands themselves would concoct signature beers designed specifically to complement their tunes.
Some may know Canadian musician, songwriter and music producer Devin Townsend as a solo artist and some may know him from the band Strapping Young Lad. To all of his fans, he is known for his large onstage presence and expressive faces.
With the new film 'Iron Man 3' hitting theaters, it got us to thinking about the other definition of an 'Iron Man' -- that of someone who has managed to persevere and thrive over a long period of time. These musicians definitely deserve the recognition for all they've done for this thing called rock and roll and for being able to keep up such a high standard over decades and decades of music.
As we all know, sometimes rockers make headlines for things other than their music. For instance, a nice meaty lawsuit can draw readers to newspapers, magazines and online sites just as easily as a story about someone's new album. In some cases, it's musicians going to court to defend their image or their work. In other cases, it could be something truly embarrassing that has landed them in a court of law.
Saturday, April 20, marks this year's Record Store Day, a celebration of independent retailers in which bands offer special releases and fans flock to local record stores to purchase music the old-school way. In celebration of Record Store Day, our writer Chuck Armstrong is sharing his firsthand account of a trip to the Hammer Muzik shop in Instanbul, Turkey, while on vacation there in January of this year.
There have been many times over the years when you probably thought a riff or a groove in one song sounded like something else you knew. And it's that simple idea that began the mash-up craze. In recent years, seemingly every wannabe production geek with Pro-Tools or GarageBand has attempted to create oddball pairings of songs that somehow match perfectly, but not every mash-up is a gem.
We've all seen our share of cringe-worthy cover bands that take our favorite songs and run them through a shredder, but there are, in fact, some seriously talented tribute acts out there. We're talking tribute bands that tour, pack clubs and deliver performances that nearly mirror that of the real thing.
Whether you know Adam Dutkiewicz as Adam D. or “Big Dude,” he is well known as a songwriter, producer and multitalented instrumentalist, as well as the very energetic and entertaining guitarist of Killswitch Engage.
Metal music rightfully claims the distinction of showcasing some of the world's greatest voices. Regardless of metal's evolution or trends, the high shriek, scream or clean note has always been welcomed by fans in most every metal subgenre.
