bands

Rock n' roll, boy bands, jazz trios, and more; the greats, newbies, and forgotten icons who create our favorite groups.

#HowEyeSeeIt with Casey Harris of the X Ambassadors
Casey Harris, the piano player for the X Ambassadors, has been legally blind his entire life. As part of the Foundation Fighting Blindness' recent digital campaign, #HowEyeSeeIt, we traveled to Seattle to meet with Casey and the rest of the X Ambassadors to hear his story. In his own words Casey describes his ability to see as 15% vision in good light and closer to 5-10% in bad light. Technically speaking Casey has 2200 vision with a 10% field in the middle.
By David Karp9 years ago in Beat
Interview with Stephen Christian of Anberlin
Today, I talk with Stephen Christian, former front-man of Anberlin, and author of the novel, 'The Orphaned Anything's: Memoir of a Lesser Known'. We learn the origins of this progressively influential band, what inspires Stephen to write both music and prose, and where he is heading next on his artistic journey.
By Ryan Sprague9 years ago in Beat
Most Controversial Songs of All Time
As America's most controversial President prepares for office, it seems we've entered an age of controversy: with not only controversial songs, films and books, but controversial business and politics; where any publicity is always good publicity. As Trump manages to keep his face on newspaper and news site front pages, a concerned mother's rant on Vince Staple's "Norf Norf" goes viral introducing the LA rapper to a whole new fan base. However, this wasn't always so. Younger readers may struggle to remember a time where politicians' blunders only occasionally found their way to the public eye, but there was a time when the public relied upon the world of art for entertainment; for shocks and controversy. Much has been said about banned and controversial books such as A Clockwork Orange and American Psycho just as controversial films such as Strawdogs and Taxi Driver, but here we'll be talking about some of the most controversial songs of all time.
By Gus Welch9 years ago in Beat
Exclusive Interview with Sebastian Danzig of Palaye Royale
In this exclusive interview, I speak with Sebastian Danzig, member of the Vegas-based fashion-art rock band, Palaye Royale. Danzig clues us in on how it all began, what it was like beating out Coldplay for an award, and what is next for this extremely progressive band.
By Ryan Sprague9 years ago in Beat
New Years Eve Mini Mix
The new year is almost upon us, and thank fuck for that. 2016 has been, in a word: Horrific. Between the turbulent bullshit going on all over the world and the deaths of so many beloved stars (largely Prince and Bowie… those two hit me like a ton of bricks) this year has sped past at an electric rate, dropping hideous stinks as it went. That being said, I have had some amazing moments and thank god for music, which is one of the only things that helps to pull me through dark days and even darker nights.
By Samantha Bentley9 years ago in Beat
Bands That Time Forgot
Their dilated eyes peered out at you from under coiffed bangs and shoulder-length curls. They wore loud paisley Sgt. Pepper jackets, Indian print shirts or tangles of suede fringe. They looked vaguely menacing and rather spaced-out behind their clear plastic guitars, like some alien invaders or refugees from a psilocybin laboratory.
By Will Vasquez9 years ago in Beat
Most Famous Groupies of All Time
If you wanted to identify the most famous groupies of the 60s, 70s and 80s, look no further than at the most famous bands of those eras. All of the big names in music by definition have a huge number of fans, but the Groupie Phenomenon describes something deeper, and is largely responsible for the now-obvious link between sex and rock and roll.
By Max Jones9 years ago in Beat
Most Famous Music Break Ups In History
Everyone loves one form of music or another, and every person has a band they love, and every person has a music breakup they never forgot. Bands come and go, but their music can last forever. When you hear a band you love, it can change everything for you. When that band breaks up, it can seem like your own family is breaking up.
By Adam Quinn9 years ago in Beat
Best Books Written by Musicians
A musician's memoire isn't defined by any standard. It is not simply one genre nor does it have one topic. It is filled with struggle, success, and everything involved in, not only the music industry, but the personal lives of those in the music industry. Everything involved allows their dreams to become a reality, and their realities to be questioned.
By Gus Welch9 years ago in Beat
Christopher Makos' 'White Trash' Book Review
The organic and semantic problem of decadence is its capacity to bore; an absence of vitality, no matter how stylishly served, puts one on the nod faster than a freshly rolled one right before bedtime. Christopher Makos, photographer to the beautiful catatonics of the 1970s, assembled a not-uninteresting and widely selling collection of New Wave photo scenes.
By Arnold Seleskey9 years ago in Beat
Unmasking The Punk Underground
He's tough tonight, with a non-filter cigarette dangling from his soft, adolescent lips as beads of warm sweat run down his hairless chest. Standing in front of the New York rock club, CBGB, he's imagining himself as Brando, flexing his self-image, imagining knife fights in alleys or plugging chicks like there's no tomorrow. Tough, real tough, like the rock band inside, the Ramones, who are the essence of the emerging rock trend, punk rock.
By Adam Quinn9 years ago in Beat
Elvis Costello's Classic 'My Aim Is True'
For a while, at the beginning of his journey especially, some thought he was another Elvis Presley rip-off. That was, of course, before they heard him. He had his name long before the King died. Elvis Costello initially broke out in England, and remained a mystery in America for the first few years of his success.
By Frank White9 years ago in Beat