Heavy Psych Sounds release four band split LP: Volume 1 at DesertFest

Heavy Psych Sounds Release Limited Edition Double Gatefold 12″ Four Band Split LP

The lovely people at the very cool Heavy Psych Sounds have put together a four band split LP that will have even the most cotton mouthed stoner frothing at the mouth. This very special release features two tracks each from NAAM, Black Rainbows and The Flying Eyes plus one track from White Hills. Find out more about each band at the bottom of this post.

The record will be available on double, gatefold 12″ vinyl with 70 Ultra LTD editions on golden wax, 350 LTd edition on white splatter purple and others on solid red and digipack.

The release will be presented at  Desert Fest Berlin and London April 24/25/26/27 2014  and will also be available from 5 May 2014 from the best record shops and mailorders.

You can preview the album here:

 

As for the bands themselves, here is everything you need to know:

NAAM

Formed in Brooklyn, NY by John Bundy, Ryan Lugar, and Eli Pizzuto, Naam released their first self-released EP Kingdom in early 2009. Many people took notice and they were quickly signed to the renowned Tee Pee Records. In October of 2009, Naam released their debut self-titled LP, Naam via Tee Pee and proceeded to tour nationally, supporting acts like Nebula, Orange Goblin, Radio Moscow and The Entrance Band. In 2011, they then embarked on their first European tour, supporting The Atomic Bitchwax and appearing at the Roadburn Festival.

WHITE HILLS

With just the right blend of psychedelia and hypnotic grooves, White Hills weaves in and out of anthemic chants, deep space bleeps and other worldly madness for a mix that proves to be intoxicating. Since the release of the band’s debut album, listeners have been praising their originality and unique brand of heavy space rock.

BLACK RAINBOWS

Formed in 2005 Black Rainbows are a heavy psych, stoner, rock n’roll power trio. Their sound is a mix of ’70s acts like MC5, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath and hard psych-stoner from the ’90s, such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Fu-manchu, QOTSA & Nebula, although their more recent efforts contain decidedly more psychedelic. They have shared the stage with Airbourne, Nebula, Karma To Burn, Entrance Band, Fatso Jetson, Witchcraft, Dead Meadow, Black Mountain, Los Natas, White Hills, Micheal Davis from MC5 and Vic du Monte.

THE FLYING EYES

The Flying Eyes are a heavy, psychedelic rock band hailing from Baltimore, Maryland. Their name comes from a 1962 science fiction novel about giant, disembodied eyes that descend from outer space to control humanity… 

In July 2013, The Flying Eyes released their third album Lowlands, which was paid for entirely by the support of their fans through Kickstarter. They supported the record with a 52 date headlining tour of Europe and closed out the year with a one off performance in India at The Synchronicity Festival. Coming off a brief sabbatical, they will kick off 2014 opening for the seminal neo-psych band Loop in Baltimore on April 18th…

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Kadavar announce Special Edition of Abra Kadavar

Kadavar announce release of ‘Abra Kadavar’ Special Edition

German psych-rockers, Kadavar, have just announced the release of a special edition of last year’s critically-acclaimed ‘Abra Kadavar’ album. The 2CD package, ‘Abra Kadavar Special Edition’, will include the original tracklisting of ‘Abra Kadavar’ plus a bonus track, as well as a full live show recently recorded in Antwerp, Belguim.The live recording will also be released separately on vinyl, simply  entitled ‘Live In Antwerp’, as a 2LP set featuring the full live concert.

‘Abra Kadavar Special Edition’ and ‘Live In Antwerp’ will be released on 9th June 2014 via Nuclear Blast.

After extensive touring this year, Kadavar had this to say about the new Live album:

‘With over 250 shows played, we have always considered ourselves as an absolute live band. Our sound on stage is different from the one on the studio albums and thus we’ve been asked time and again, why we don’t we do a live release. The time seemed right now and on our last EU tour we recorded some of the shows. Antwerp was the best of them. I would even say one of the best in 2013. Everything was right, people were in a great mood and I am very happy with the sound – especially since it does not sound like every other live album!”
 
‘Abra Kadavar Special Edition’:
CD1
01. Come Back Life
02. Doomsday Machine
03. Eye Of The Storm
04. Black Snake
05. Dust
06. Fire
07. Liquid Dream
08. Rhythm For Endless Minds
09. Abra Kadabra
Bonus:
10. The Man I Shot
 
CD2
01. All Our Thoughts
02. Living In Your Head
03. Doomsday Machine
04. Black Sun
05. Eye Of The Storm
06. Broken Wings
07. Come Back Life
08. Purple Sage
09. Creature Of The Demon
10. Goddess Of Dawn
11. Forgotten Past
 
‘Live In Antwerp’:
2LP (Live In Antwerp)
Side A
01. All Our Thoughts
02. Living In Your Head
03. Doomsday Machine
Side B
01. Black Sun
02. Eye Of The Storm
03. Broken Wings
Side C
01. Come Back Life
02. Purple Sage
Side D
01. Creature Of The Demon
02. Goddess Of Dawn
03. Forgotten Past

The two releases will feature two different covers, as shown below: 

Abra Kadavar

 

Live in Antwerp

 

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Free Download – New Miss May I single: Refuse to Believe

Miss May I Offer Free Download Of New Single “Refuse to Believe”

MISS MAY I released their new full-length album, Rise Of The Lion, this week via Rise Records.  The band are giving away the single ‘Refuse To Believe’ HERE as well as recently releasing a brand new music video for their second single, ‘Echoes’. Check out the track and music video at www.MMIRiseOfTheLion.com now.

Frontman Levi Benton had this to say about the new single “Echoes”:

“‘Echoes’ as a song means a lot to us and is filled with sadness. I feel this video really expresses the darkness and sorrow losing a loved one has on you.”

Bassist and backing vocalist Ryan Neff added:

“The song ‘Echoes’ is a very different track compared to the rest of the record, and everything else we’ve written, which makes it one of my favorites on the record. I’m stoked for everyone to hear this new tune!”

Rise Of The Lion is MISS MAY I’s fourth album and the first to be produced by the legendary Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones, White Zombie, Soul Fly, Bring Me The Horizon). The countless fan letters the band has received over the years are the inspiration for the tracks on Rise Of The Lion, and each track is written from the perspective of those fans or responses to them. Rise Of The Lion is available in digital, CD, and vinyl versions, as well as special packages including exclusive Rise Of The Lion shirts, necklaces, posters, and more, via www.MMIRiseOfTheLion.com.

MISS MAY I will be on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in the US this Summer where they will be joining the likes of multi-platinum headliners Avenged Sevenfold, as well as Korn, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse and more. 

In addition to performing at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, MISS MAY I will head out on a brief headline tour of the United States this April and May, with support from For The Fallen Dreams before returning to the UK for DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL on 13th June and a string of European festivals.

You can hear the free track “Refuse to Believe this Friday on Rock into the Weekend. Just tune in to 104fm locally from 10pm or listen online anywhere in the world via http://www.hcrfm.co.uk or via the TuneIn app on your smatphone and tablet and if you like what you hear you can go and download “Refuse to Believe” from www.MMIRiseOfTheLion.com.

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out!

Jane’s Addiction announce two UK shows.

Jane’s Addiction announce they will play debut album “Nothing’s Shocking” in full at two UK Shows

The hugely influential Jane’s Addiction have announced that they will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the release of their landmark album Nothing’s Shocking with two very special and exclusive UK shows this August in London and Manchester, in which the band will perform the entire track listing of that debut album.

Lead singer for Jane’s Addiction, Perry Farrell, had this to say about the show:

“When we started planning to do a few of these events for “Shocking” we really felt that we absolutely had to make London and Manchester part of the celebration.” “The fans there and in the UK played such a strong part in making it special the first time around.”

Originally released in 1988, with its iconic and thought provoking Storm Thorgesen designed album cover and tracks like  “Mountain Song”, “Ocean Size” and “Jane Says”, Nothing’s Shocking quickly re-shaped the blue print for the alternative music genre throughout the late 80’s/early 90’s and became a firm fan favourite.

Celebrated for their unique combination of rock, punk and acoustic artistry as well as spearheading the movement of modern American festival culture by creating Lollapalooza in 1991, Jane’s Addiction are living legends and I expect these shows to sell out in record time so make sure you grab yours quickly. The dates are as follows:

WEDNESDAY               20 August         O₂ ACADEMY BRIXTON

THURSDAY                  21 August         O₂ APOLLO MANCHESTER

Tickets go on-sale 9am this Friday (2^nd May) priced £39.50 LONDON / £37.50 MANCHESTER (subject to highway robbery – booking and processing fees) and are available from www.livenation.co.uk  or www.ticketmaster.co.uk

You can here Jane’s Addiction on my radio show Rock into the Weekend this Friday on HCR104fm. Just tune in from 10pm on 104fm locally or listen online anywhere in the world at http://www.hcrfm.co.uk or via the TuneIn app on your smartphone or tablet. Just search for Rock into the Weekend.

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out

Rolling Stones Gear: All the Stones’ Instruments from Stage to Studio

New Rolling Stones Book Due To Hit Shelves

Rolling Stones fans are set to get a fresh insight to the band from a slightly different perspective. Rolling Stones Gear: All the Stones’ Instruments from Stage to Studio is the first book to historically document all of  the Stones’ musical gear on their way to superstardom.

Rolling Stones Gear not only covers the group’s personal background, but also every tour and studio session from their inception in 1962 to date, with detailed descriptions what instruments and equipment were used during these periods. Every song recorded by the band, including demos and outtakes are documented, with input from within the Stones’ ranks as well as from people who were involved with the band.

Author Andy Babiuk was given exclusive access to the Stone’s musical equipment, and he has masterfully compiled the history of the band through the instruments they used for more than 50 years. “The book has taken nine years to finish and I thank The Rolling Stones as well as the hundreds of people who helped make this historic document possible,” says Babiuk about the 672 pages of lavishly illustrated research on the Stones. In 2001, he wrote the best-selling book Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four’s Instruments from Stage to Studio, and Rolling Stones Gear is a worthy follower. A respected expert on vintage guitars and the foremost authority on the equipment used by the Stones, Babiuk is uniquely positioned to write this historic, first ever document on the iconic band that influenced and shaped rock ’n’ roll and pop culture.

Rolling Stones Gear boasts hundreds of photographs and rare images, many of which have never been published, including The Rolling Stones’ actual guitars and gear, specially photographed for this book and to be seen here for the first time. Virtually everyone – musicians, Stones fans, and casual readers alike – will learn amazing new facts about the band from their monumental 50-year existence.

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out!

Over 50 Bands added to Reading and Leeds Festival

 

Over 50 incredible new names revealed for Reading & Leeds Festivals 2014!

In a year where Reading & Leeds Festivals have announced not three, but four of the world’s biggest acts as headliners for 2014, the line-up continues to grow with over 50 additions across the stages. This year looks set to be the strongest yet with the best of UK and world talent across rock, indie, dance, alternative, grime and hip-hop. Reading & Leeds Festivals are looking like one of the best ways to spend your August Bank Holiday weekend!

The festival will be headlined on the Friday/Saturday (depending on whether you go to Reading or Leeds) by the undisputed modern rock gods that are Queens Of The Stone Age who (tragically, in my opinion) will be sharing their headlining duties with Paramore. They will be joined on the remaing days by the other headliners by the completely inimitable Arctic Monkeys and pop-punk legends Blink-182.

With a supporting cast that already includes Vampire Weekend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, You Me At Six, Jake Bugg, Imagine Dragons, Foster The People and Deaf Havana there are now even more names set to tear up the Main Stage. Completing the line-up for the Main Stage are Brighton indie-punk duo Blood Red Shoes, Japanese metallers Crossfaith, Dry the River, Leeds boys Pulled Apart By Horses, punk trio Gnarwolves, nu-metal luminaries Papa Roach, UK rock kings Young Guns and pop punk champions Tonight Alive and The Story So Far.

Over on the NME/Radio 1 Stage alongside headliners Courteeners, Bombay Bicycle Club and Disclosure will be UK anthemic rockers Twin Atlantic and last year’s Main Stage openers Mallory Knox. Also appearing  on the NME/Radio 1 stage are fellow newcomers and (local boys for me) Lonely The Brave who will certainly be a band not to be missed over the weekend (check out their track Black Saucers which you can download for free). They will be joined by shoegazer/post punk festival veterans The Horrors, multidirectional The Kooks and Brooklyn based musician Twin Shadow.

The unique sounds of Gypsy-punks Gogol Bordello and emotional rock heroes Jimmy Eat World will act as the perfect Lock Up Stage headliners, along with Brody Dalle, Möngöl Hörde and the very swesome Architects.

Elsewhere, the headliners have been revealed for the (main sponsors) Festival Republic Stage and they will be the riff-heavy Southampton group Band Of Skulls, garage rockers Palma Violets and the energetic Augustines.

Also appearing across the Festivals’ stages over the weekend will be A Wilhelm Scream, the very interesting Baby Godzilla, Bear Hands, Rock into the Weekend favourites Marmozets,Bipolar Sunshine, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Darlia, Dave Hause, Every Time I Die, Hudson Taylor, Marika Hackman, Mayday Parade, Meridian Dan, P Money, PUP, Slaves, The Districts, The Flatliners, The Front Bottoms, The Orwells, The Skints, The Wonder Years, Touché Amoré and Wovenwar.

Weekend tickets (including camping) cost £205.00 plus £8.00 booking fee with Day tickets costing £92.50 plus £7.00 booking fee. Early entry permits (Leeds only remaining) are available for £15.00 with Campervan permits at £60.00.

Tickets are available online or by telephone and tickets are strictly limited to a maximum of four per person/address/payment card.

Just go to any one of these websites: www.festivalrepublic.com  www.readingfestival.com  www.leedsfestival.com or See Tickets to get your tickets or call the Credit Card line on 0871 231 0821.

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out!

Rock into the Weekend Playlist 11th April 2014

Just a quick note to say that last week’s playlist for my radio show “Rock into the Weekend” is now online for anyone that missed the show when it was broadcast. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) you will not be able to hear either Ross or myself rambling on between songs but you will be able to see and enjoy the songs that we played.

For anyone that hasn’t listened to the show before, it will give you an idea of what the show is all about and might even convince you to listen.

You can see or listen to the playlist on either Spotify or Deezer via the links below and if you like what you hear be sure to follow Rock into the Weekend on either format to see the latest playlist every week and maybe even a few extra playlists that we might put together from time to time. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter as well.

Deezer – http://www.deezer.com/playlist/839267131

Spotify – http://open.spotify.com/user/rockintotheweekend/playlist/0nJdfFImociLxxOmfenAtE

Twitter – @RITW_HCRfm

For those of you who are not using either of these see the list of songs below. Hopefully you will like it and tune in some time.

Anthrax – Neon Knights

AC/DC – Back in Black

Alkaline Trio – She lied to the FBI

Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song

Kiss – Strutter

Black Label Society – Fields of Unforgiveness

Smashing Pumpkins – Zero

Kvelertak – Evig Vandrar

Rival Sons – Electric Man

Motley Crue – Shout at the Devil

Jackson Firebird – Red Hair Honey

Pink Floyd – Arnold Layne

Driving Mrs Satan – Driving Mrs Satan

Audioslave – Cochise

Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon

Black Stone Cherry – Me and Mary Jane

Steel Panther – The Burden of Being Wonderful

Interview with Reece Tee from DesertFest

Blues Pills – Devil Man

I Killed the Prom Queen – Bright Enough

The Offspring – Gotta Get Away

Chevelle – Take Out the Gunman

Machine Head – Blood for Blood

Motorhead – Motorhead (live)

 

If you do fancy tuning in, you can listen from 10pm every Friday night on http://www.hcrfm.co.uk, via the TuneIn app by searching for either HCR104fm or Huntingdon Community Radio or if you live within 5km of Huntingdon (UK), you can listen on 104fm.

 

On this week’s show we will be joined by two listeners who will be taking part in our monthly Rock Off where they get to pick 5 songs each from categories chosen by us with listeners voting for who has picked the best tracks. The loser then has to wear a I Love One Direction t-shirt to their next concert as a forfeit.

 

The t-shirt is modelled below by last month’s loser Mark Whitby.

 

If you do listen in, get in touch and let us know what you think.

 

rockteam@hcrfm.co.uk

 

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out!

 

Rock into the Weekend Launches Spotify and Deezer Playlists

Rock into the Weekend Launches Spotify and Deezer Playlists

Starting with last week’s History of Grunge Special in honour of 20 years since the death of Kurt Cobain, Rock into the Weekend, my Friday night Rock radio show on HCR104fm that I host along with Ross Kitson (http://rosskitson.wordpress.com/) is launching our very own Spotify and Deezer playlist accounts.

Each week, we will be looking to upload the playlist from our previous show so that, should you be foolish enough to miss one of our shows, you can catch up with all the songs we have been playing (where available). That means you get all the great music without any of that rambling nonsense between.

I will post the link to the latest link each week so you can check it out and enjoy all that rock goodness. You can get started now by filling your ears with our History of Grunge Special where we looked at the bands that took the genre mainstream, those who started it, influenced it, propped it up in relative anonymity and those that carried the torch where Grunge set it down.

Just follow one of these two links to enjoy all this music:

Breed – Nirvana

Spoonman – Soundgarden

Daughter – Pearl Jam

Them Bones – Alice Cooper

Mr Liberty (with morals) – Malfunkshun

This Town – Green River

Honey Bucket – Melvins

Burn a Hole – Skin Yard

Touch Me, I’m Sick – Mudhoney

Jinx – Tad

Alice Said – Screaming Trees

This is Shangri-la – Mother Love Bone

Pushin’ Forward Back – Temple of the Dog

Electric Funeral – Black Sabbath

Nervous Breakdown – Black Flag

Too Lonely – Neil Young

Dirty Boots – Sonic Youth

Something Against You – Pixies

Little Fury Things – Dinosaur Jr

Just Say – Fastbacks

Wargasm – L7

Second Skin – The Gits

Wings – Love Battery

I’m Her Slave – Afghan Whigs

Freak – Silverchair

Personal Holloway – Bush

Everlong – Foo Fighters

Sliver (Live) – Nirvana

 

Enjoy!

 

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out!

The Offsprings Breakthrough Album Smash Turns 20’s

 

THE OFFSPRING CELEBRATE
20th ANNIVERSARY OF SMASH

WITH FULL ALBUM PERFORMANCES AND SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY RELEASES

 

Fans of mid-nineties Punk Rock are set to enjoy a special 20th anniversary re-issue of The Offsprings breakthrough album Smash. This record breaking album was a huge Smash (no apologies for the pun) reignighting mainstream interest in Punk Rock in the mid-nineties. Smash was an impactful and immediate hit when released in 1994, making a place for the band in an exciting and significant time for alternative music. The album’s first single “Come Out and Play” hit number 1 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The following single, “Self Esteem” peaked at number 4, and “Gotta Get Away” hit number 6 on the Billboard Modern Rock Track Charts. It became the highest selling album on an independent label – a record that still stands today at 17,000 records sold making it a six-times platinum selling album.

The Offspring announced that to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the albums release, the band will begin playing the album in its entirety on tour in Europe this May, June and early July before finishing out the Summer with soon to be announced US Smash dates. Visit Offspring.com for the full list of current tour dates and to see which dates are the designated Smash shows. 

This August, Epitaph, the label on which the album was released, will also commemorate the anniversary with a special 20th Anniversary Edition of Smash.  The Offspring’s Dexter Holland and Noodles, as well as Epitaph CEO Brett Gurewitz, recently shared their thoughts in a retrospective just posted to RollingStone.com

 

Details of the special release are as follows:

 

SMASH 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION CD/VINYL

Available now for pre-order via Offspring.com, this package will ship and be in stores in mid-August 2014 from Epitaph Records.  The Smash 20th Anniversary Edition will include the following:

·         LP version containing the original 14 album tracks newly remastered on 180-gram vinyl

·         CD version containing the original 14 album tracks from the most recent remastering

·         Restyled album package artwork

·         Large format 24 page booklet featuring never before seen archive photos by Lisa Johnson

·         Firsthand recollections and quotes from the band and others telling the story of that historic time

 

In addition to special 20th Anniversary merchandise, the band are also offering a “collector’s box” combo as a companion piece to the Smash 20th Anniversary Edition.  The box will feature both the CD/Vinyl package and a curated collection of commemorative items including a custom wood box, art print, photo prints, pin, patch, replica pass and guitar pick.  A pre-order for is available now via Offspring.com– for the first 250 ordered, the art print will be on fine art linen canvas, numbered and signed by the artist and band.  All orders placed in the first 24 hours will receive a special hand-stamped first day of release card as well.

 

The Offspring European Tourdates

 

3 May Meerhout, Belgium – Groezrock
– TICKETS

5 June Nürburgring, Germany – Rock Am Ring – TICKETS

6 June – Bulligny, France – Festival Jardin du Michel – TICKETS

8 June – Szántód, Hungary – Pannonia Festival – TICKETS

9 June – Nuremberg, Germany – Rock Im Park – TICKETS

12 June – Neuchatel, Switzerland – Festi’neuch –  TICKETS

13 June – Donington Park, UK – Download Festival  – TICKETS

15 June – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock 2014 – TICKETS

21 June – Montendre, France – Free Music Festival  – TICKETS

27 June – Tallinn, Estonia – Tallinn Star Weekend – TICKETS

28 June – Norrköping, Sweden –  Bråvalla Festival 2014 – TICKETS

28 June – 3 July Tromoy, Norway – Hove Festival – TICKETS

2 July – Nibe, Denmark – Nibe Festival – TICKETS

4 July – Turku, Finland – Ruisrock Festival 2014 – TICKETS

6 July – Sofia, Bulgaria – Sofia Rocks 2014
– TICKETS

 

For more information, visit: http://offspring.com/

 

Turn on, Tune in, Rock Out!

Marking 20 years since the death of Kurt Cobain

So this Saturday will mark 20 years since the short flame of Kurt Cobain burnt out. Suicide or Murder, either way the word tragedy struck more of a chord for masses of Grunge and music fans in general when Kurt joined the famous 27 club.

However reluctant, Kurt Cobain was a star, a visionary an icon. Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and with them the Seattle music scene which, came to be known as Grunge, shot to the top of popular culture over night, it was an explosion. Nirvana’s second album Nevermind changed the music business irreversibly on its release. They weren’t the first but Nirvana certainly spear headed the new scene coming out of Seattle breaking down the gates forever and an apathetic, angst filled Generation X seemed to relate to Nirvana and their front man more than the majority of their contemporaries and in a much deeper, spiritual and obsessive way than the likes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.

However, as with most artists who become overnight celebrities, the fame, the attention, the responsibility was just too much for this tortured soul. Profoundly effected by the divorce of his parents at a young age and their eventual rejection of him (Kurt used to sneak back into his mothers basement as somewhere to live). Kurt occasionally suffered from bouts of mental illness (Bi-polar disorder) and a famous drug and alcohol addiction. Kurt was already quite sensitive and fragile; the spotlight and intense scrutiny because this new found famed tortured Kurt and caused his energy and enthusiasm for the music and therefore (in his own eyes) his integrity to burn out. He felt that he could not go on lying to fans who had come to expect so much from him. Heart, soul and above all else a sense of connection. Things that Kurt felt he could no longer provide.

On April 8 1994, Kurt’s body was found in his home with a shotgun wound to the head. It is believed that Kurt committed suicide on April 5, three days earlier. This explanation has been challenged with some believing that Kurt was actually murdered. I am not going to go into this argument on this blog but there is plenty of information supporting both explanations if you want to look for them on the web. The shock wave this caused cannot be underestimated. The announcement of Kurt’s death was one of those “I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news” moments approximately seven thousand people attended a public vigil in Seattle on April 10 but millions more around the world mourned his passing.

20 years after his death Nirvana continue to sell millions of records and Kurt is still seen as an icon, a messiah and even martyr whose every word or lyric is analysed by fans new and old. Nirvana will be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame on their first year of eligibility five days after the anniversary of his death.

As previous readers will know, I have a radio show on Friday nights where my co-presenter Ross and I get to hand pick two hours of rock for your (read our) entertainment. Given that this falls on the eve of the 20th anniversary, we have decided to take this opportunity to launch a new monthly feature focussing on a particular rock sub genre by having a 2 hour History of Grunge special in honour of Kurt Cobain. The circumstances of Kurt’s death and his and Nirvana’s status at the time has led to this one band (with a small collection of others) overshadowing an entire music scene. For many Nirvana is all they know about Grunge for more Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains will be the only Grunge bands they have heard of or are at least familiar with yet the Seattle Sound was a rich and massively varied collection of bands started long before the hey day of the early 90’s that most people know.

It is because of this that Ross and I will be spending two hours looking at the hidden history and progression of Grunge music starting with what you know then moving through the first real Grunge bands followed by those that influenced them. We will then be looking at some of the other lesser known contemporaries of those mentioned above. We will then be ending the show by looking at some of those bands directly inspired by the sound coming out of Seattle. After all Kurt never accepted his position as a spearhead for the movement and would have much preferred the spotlight to be on the other great bands that were around and inspired him.

I am really looking forward to this show, there are so many overlooked bands from this incredibly influential genre that came out of the bleak logging towns of the American Northwest. Bands such as Green River, The Melvins, The Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone, Tad, Mudhoney, L7, Fastbacks and countless more as well as those who inspired them, Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr and again many many more. Two hours is no where near enough but Ross and I have tried to put together the best playlist we can from what we have available and I am sure it will be two hours that any serious music fan (ok maybe not Hair metal fans) will enjoy.

We plan to do this every month with a different rock sub-genre so look out for specials on Southern Rock, Stoner Rock, Thrash, Punk, Nu Metal and others. If you get any ideas for a sub-genre you want us to focus on, let me know in the comments. 

You can tune in this Friday at 10pm by going to http://www.hcrfm.co.uk or looking for HCR104fm on the TuneIn app on your smartphone or tablet and if you are local to Huntingdon, UK, you can tune in on 104fm.

Turn on, Tune in, Rock out!