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5 Megastars Whose Career Started as a Backup Singer

Started at the bottom, now they’re here. There are more artists than I can count on both hands that started out in the background of the music industry, whether as backing dancers, jobbing studio musicians, or acting as a sarcastic secretary with a heart of gold for a record company (wait, that’s my secret sitcom

How the Blues Influenced the Rolling Stones?

The Rolling Stones have always been labeled as a rock ‘n’ roll band, an easy classification considering their various entries into pop, folk, reggae, and even disco. Especially by the mid ‘70s, the band was willing to embrace several stylistic outlets. But an appreciation for one particular form of music has stood out consistently throughout

Can You Afford For Your Favorite Band to Play Your Party?

We’ve all idly fantasized about it, whether we’d like to admit it or not — everyone would secretly love to have their favorite band or musician pop up at their birthday bash and rock out. But how viable is that option? A recently-released “price list” for a huge number of musicians, and what they’d charge

10 Popular Songs with Discreetly Unsettling Lyrics

Admit it.  You have mindlessly sung along to songs without realizing what they were about.  It’s okay, we’ve all been there.  A few years back, I was singing along with Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” (so damn catchy!), then realized I had been singing joyfully singing the phrase, “You better outrun my gun.”  What?!

Ten Negative Reviews of Now Classic Albums

It has famously been said that, “writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” and rightfully so. Music is unwieldy, notoriously anarchic, and devilishly moody, making it an incredibly difficult topic to tackle. Rock ‘n’ roll journalists made it their calling to take on the subject, and often times they bring us the next big

George Michael: An Artist Trapped in the Body of a Pop Star

The first time George Michael hit my radar was during the awkwardness known as 7th grade. I was in Language Arts one morning, and two of the hottest girls in school were wearing their George Michael concert t-shirts, fresh off seeing him on the Faith tour. To the teacher, they were recounting their breathless, rain

Top Ten Isolated Vocal Tracks of Classic Songs

Since songs about “anacondas” and feeling “like a plastic bag” are popular right now, I would like to take you back to a simpler time. A time before Carly Rae Jepsen was asking you to call her (maybe). A time before “cake cake cake cake” implied more than a delicious, sugary birthday dessert. And especially

20 Songs That Ripped Off Other Songs

Is imitation truly the sincerest form of flattery? In light of this week’s ruling that Robin Thicke and Pharrell are guilty of violating Marvin Gaye’s copyright, I bring you 20 instances in which artists were accused of being copycats. Not all of the examples below made it to the courtroom, but all have sparked heated

20 Bands We Will Regret Not Seeing Live

I’ve always wished I could have seen The Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Nirvana. Unfortunately, I was born a little too late to enjoy these acts live. In an effort to appreciate what live music opportunities I currently have instead of longing for the ghost of live shows past, I thought: what modern bands