Music

3 Rowdy Country Songs That Out-Rock the Rock Stars

• Three country songs take on rock’s rowdy sound.
• Steve Earle blends rock with bluegrass.
• Lambert and Williams bring hard-edged energy to country.

The article highlights three country songs that bring a forceful rock energy to the genre: Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road”, Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder & Lead” and Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight”. It argues that each track pushes against the boundary between country and…

THE OBSESSED’s SCOTT ‘WINO’ WEINRICH Explains Title Of Upcoming ‘Live Fast – Love Hard – Die Free’ Album

• The Obsessed’s next album is tentatively due in early 2027.
• New drummer Bob Pantella helped shape its powerful grooves.
• Wino says the title reflects his creative approach to life.

The Obsessed frontman Scott “Wino” Weinrich has explained that the band’s upcoming album title, “Live Fast – Love Hard – Die Free”, reflects his belief in embracing life and making time for creative work. The record is tentatively due in early 2027 and follows 2024’s “Gilded Sorrow”. Weinrich…

Zohran Mamdani and Puerto Rican Band Chuwi Discuss Gentrification, Music, and Making Change

• Mamdani met Chuwi in San Juan.
• They discussed gentrification and displacement.
• Chuwi uses music to highlight Puerto Rico’s struggles.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani met Puerto Rican band Chuwi in San Juan to discuss gentrification, displacement and Puerto Rico’s future. The meeting reflected his aim to connect the concerns of Puerto Ricans on the island with those of the community in New York City. Chuwi, whose members…

Helene’s flood legacy, a white dwarf’s double rings and rock’s lasting hits

A couple’s experience in Asheville shows how climate change is reshaping the risks of settling in familiar towns. Astronomers find two debris rings around a white dwarf, while music stories revisit Kate Bush, Cliff Burton and hard rock classics.

Your old iPod could be a sleeper flash drive

• Old pre-iOS iPods can store and transfer files.
• Enable Disk Use through Finder or a Windows app.
• FAT32 works across platforms but erases the iPod and limits files to 4GB.

Pre-iOS iPods can be reused as portable storage by enabling Disk Use, letting owners transfer files between computers without buying a separate drive. It offers an old device a second life, though its modest capacity and slow USB 2 connection make it less practical than a modern flash…

In 1978, Eddie Van Halen became a guitar genius. One year later, he wrote a tune even he couldn’t play

• “Spanish Fly” showcased Van Halen’s acoustic guitar technique.
• The 1979 piece countered claims that studio tricks made his playing.
• Van Halen later said he struggled to play it as he wanted.

Eddie Van Halen’s acoustic instrumental “Spanish Fly” showed that his guitar virtuosity was not dependent on electric effects or studio tricks. Released on Van Halen II in 1979, it helped answer claims that the precision of his playing was manufactured and demonstrated his distinctive tapping technique on a…

Why John Malkovich didn’t want to be John Malkovich in 1999: “It could have been anybody”

• Malkovich was hesitant to play himself in the 1999 comedy.
• He thought several other actors could have taken the role.
• The film made a modest profit and earned three Oscar nominations.

John Malkovich was unsure about starring as himself in the 1999 surreal comedy *Being John Malkovich*, fearing the film could fail or leave him permanently tied to its unusual premise. His reluctance reflects the risks of making a film centred on a star who was not convinced he…

STAIND’s AARON LEWIS On Upcoming ‘The Space Between The Darkness And The Light’ Album: ‘It’s A Pretty Heavy, Driving Record’

• Staind’s new album is described as heavy and driving.
• “Ghosts” is the first single from the upcoming record.
• Lewis says its lyrics continue his personal story.

Staind are preparing to release their new album, *The Space Between The Darkness And The Light*, and frontman Aaron Lewis describes it as a heavy, driving record. Its first single, “Ghosts”, came out last month and is the band’s first new music since their 2023 album *Confessions Of…

The Beach Boys, the Byrds and Simon & Garfunkel: Neil Peart’s early influences had one man in common

• Hal Blaine played on many records Peart practised to.
• Peart’s early influences crossed several pop styles.
• Blaine’s session work spanned thousands of recordings.

Neil Peart’s early drumming was shaped by a wide range of popular music, not just the rock and progressive bands he admired. He later realised that many of the songs he played along to on the radio featured the same session drummer, Hal Blaine, whose varied work helped…