Cream pictures from Rolling Stone

Weezer’s Cuomo Released From Hospital, January Gigs in Question

Photo: Loccisano/GettyWeezer’s Rivers Cuomo was released from an Albany, New York, hospital on Friday (December 11th), six days after his tour bus crashed on its way to Boston, leaving the frontman with cracked ribs and internal injuries. Band pal Karl Koch reports that Cuomo and the rest of the group are taking a marathon two-day bus trip back to Los Angeles armed with “Mad Men DVDs, meditation, medication, naps, Amy’s Organic frozen entrees [and] ice cream sandwiches.” As RS previously reporte

Published: 2009-12-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Weezer

Clapton Reminisces, Plots Another Crossroads Fest

He reunited with his Cream compatriots in 2005 and has been mining Derek and the Dominoes catalog on his current tour. Now Eric Clapton is getting ready to reopen yet another chapter of his classic-rock past — Blind Faith. During his second Crossroads Guitar Festival, July 28 at Toyota Park in Chicago, Clapton plans to reconnect with Steve Winwood for a mini-reunion of the famously short-lived band that put out one album and toured in 1969. “We’ve got unfinished business,”

Published: 2007-03-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: General

Peachy Keen: Willie Nelson and a Brief History of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Oh happy day! Ben & Jerry are presenting us with a whole new flavor to drool over. Yes folks, today marks the street date for Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler (peach ice cream with cinnamon sugar shortbread pieces). With the new creation, Willie joins the ranks of progressive pop culture icons Jerry Garcia, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Wavy Gravy and, most recently, Stephen Colbert, all of whom have been awarded their very own tailor-made ice cream flavors. The question on hardcore

Published: 2007-03-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: General

Rewind: The Week in Rock Daily

Photo: HONDA/AFP/Getty Obamania culminated with Barack being elected the 44th President of the United States, thanks (maybe) to some last-minute stumping by Bruce Springsteen in clutch swing state Ohio. Pretty much everyone voted (except David Byrne), then the music world celebrated. Jack Bruce of Cream started a rock feud with Led Zeppelin about 35 years too late, calling the band “crap,” saying Jimmy Page “ain’t no Eric Clapton” and topping it all off by accusing Robert Plant of being “the wrong kind of fertilizer.” Pwned! Bruce Springsteen’s fansite revealed that New Jersey’s rock god is working on the follow-up to 2007’s Magic and that it should be released by January 2009. That’ll give Bruce some new material to play at the inevitable Obama inauguration all-star concert. We still had way too much time on our hands as we tested out the new Wii Music game, explored the 50 Best Rock & Roll Video Games of All Time and talked Guitar Hero: World Tour with the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne. Our thumbs have never been more blistered.

Published: 2008-11-07 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Waylon Jennings’ Final Recordings To Get Released in October

The final recordings of “outlaw legend” Waylon Jennings will get a release on October 21st. Waylon Forever will feature eight songs all backed by his son Shooter Jennings and his band the 357’s. The recordings on this album were taped in an Arizona pool-house/studio and date back 12 years. After Waylon’s death in 2002, Shooter collected the tapes and provided backing tracks for the songs over the course of the following years. Waylon Forever features covers of artists like Neil Young (”Are You Ready for the Country”) and Cream (”White Room”), plus re-recordings of Waylon’s own songs and one new piece entitled “I Found the Body.”

Published: 2008-08-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Jack Bruce Wants More Cream Reunion Gigs

Cream bassist Jack Bruce says that he and Eric Clapton will meet up with drummer Ginger Baker on October 3rd when Baker is given Zildjian’s Drummers Achievement Award at the Royal Albert Hall in London. As for another possible reunion for the “Sunshine of Your Love” trio, Bruce says “‘Cause I’m only the bass player, I can’t say for sure. I know there’s a good chance we may play at that event … but I don’t want to overstate it and make it into something it isn’t.” The band last reformed in 2005 for a run of concerts in London and New York. “I think there might be a chance of some more,” Bruce tells Billboard.com. “I would like to do some more, ’cause I enjoyed it. It was very emotional. I would like another shot at it.” The main roadblock in another Cream reunion is location and timing, as Baker lives in South Africa and Clapton is always on the move, as evidenced by the recent Blind Faith get-together. As for the Zildjian show, the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Mitch Mitchell will also be honored, with Jason Bonham and the Killers‘ Ronnie Vannucci among those performing. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-07-28 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Rock List: Readers’ Dream Festival Lineup

With the announcement of the lineups for Bonnaroo and South By Southwest last week, we asked the readers what bands would make up their dream festival lineup. Getting together the below list of twenty-seven bands would certainly be a challenge, but the readers certainly didn’t refrain from dreaming big. The lineup was based on number of votes, so the three headliners received the biggest number of endorsements (with Led Zeppelin coming in first overall). Check out the full three-day fantasy lineup of Rock Daily Readersapalooza after the jump. Friday Headliner: Radiohead David Bowie Arcade Fire Talking Heads Beck Flaming Lips Daft Punk Oasis White Stripes Saturday Headliner: Led Zeppelin Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr Bob Dylan The Rolling Stones Bruce Springsteen Foo Fighters Pearl Jam Red Hot Chili Peppers Cream Sunday Headliner: Pink Floyd Velvet Underground Phish U2 Prince Guns N’ Roses Rage Against the Machine Tom Waits The Allman Brothers Band [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-02-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists, Rock Daily

Discontinued Ben & Jerry’s Flavors or MySpace Bands?

Ben & Jerry’s loves band-related ice cream flavor names (you got your Dave Matthews Band-inspired One Sweet Whirled, Phish Food and the classic Cherry Garcia, of course). MySpace loves bands — in fact, new groups’ names seem to be getting increasingly bizarre, perhaps in an attempt to nab a /bandname url on the site that hasn’t already been taken. Pop Candy has kindly guided us to a clever little quiz that poses the question “Discontinued Ben & Jerry’s Flavor OR Band I Found on MySpace?” The ten examples are harder to figure out than they look, but give it a shot here. Post your scores in the comments, but please respect the rights of others to guess the pedigree of Caramel Sunspot and keep your answers to yourself.

Published: 2007-10-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Rock Quiz: Concert Poster Answers Revealed

You guys correctly identified every single error with this poster. Bob Dylan & The Hawks did play a show in Norfolk, Virginia, on February 13, 1966, but neither Led Zeppelin or Fleetwood Mac opened that night since they didn’t exist yet. Eric Clapton was just starting Cream at that time period and Jimi Hendrix was largely unknown. There’s also, as some of you noted, no venue or city listed on the poster. The Zeppelin poster — which suspiciously has the same background as the Dylan one — lists the band as playing the Fillmore about two months before their first American show. And the picture seems to have been taken about ten years after the show supposedly happened. Anachronistic rock posters aside, Dave’s makes one hell of a sub, but maybe the section of the shop’s Web site that says it represents a time of “love, truth and sharing” needs to be reworked.

Published: 2007-07-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Bob Dylan

Ben Harper Gets Heavy With Relentless7 on “White Lies for Dark Times”

Photo: Foley/FilmMagic Ben Harper has plugged his guitar back in and cranked up the amp for his new album White Lies For Dark Times, an 11-song set soaked with hard rock and the deep Delta blues. “It’s a sound I’ve been looking for and reaching for in my mind,” Harper tells Rolling Stone (a full in the studio report can be found in our current issue). “We’ve taken turns kicking each others’ asses in the most gracious fashion, pushing this into new places.” Which means the album is more Cream than Jack Johnson, more “Faded” than “Steal My Kisses.” Why the louder sound? Harper’s ninth studio album will be his first with his new backing band Relentless7, three Austin-based musicians who initially worked with Harper on 2006’s Both Sides of the Gun. It also marks the first time Harper has recorded an album without his Innocent Criminals since 2003’s Diamonds on the Inside. Even though he’s fully committed to Relentless7, and will bring the band along for his slot at Bonnaroo, Harper still plans to keep the Innocent Criminals together, much like how Neil Young and Crazy Horse often took different paths but somehow always found their way back together. Rolling Stone caught Harper and Relentless7 at Los Angeles’ Spaceland in December 2008, where the band played White Lies tracks like the tough, howling “Number With No Name” and the brooding 12-string acoustic ballad “Skin Thin,” plus a cover of the Queen/David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure.” The Smoking Section also talked with Harper about the R7 in the days following the group’s slot on the Rock the Vote! Tour. Related Stories: • Ben Harper Introduces New Blues-Rock Band Relentless7 • Smoking Section Exclusive: Ben Harper’s New Band • Ben Harper Turns Guitar Troubles Into Triumph at All Points West

Published: 2009-02-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Meet Crooked X, The Quartet of 14-Year-Olds MTV, Kiss and “Rock Band” Adore

When Start a Band - Rock the World premieres January 13th on MTV, the rock doc will introduce the world to Crooked X, four heavy-hitting 14-year-olds from the heartland of Coweta, Oklahoma, who went from having their parents drive them to practice to playing arena shows with Kiss and Ted Nugent. But for all their fresh-faced youth, the X boys have been playing together since they were 10 and 11. They started out covering songs by their heroes — Metallica, AC/DC, Cream — playing their first gig at singer Forrest French’s sister’s birthday party, but quickly started writing original songs, the first of which, “Nightmare,” would become the first tune by an unknown act to be included in the Rock Band game. But Crooked X had already been a local phenomenon, playing around the Midwest to a burgeoning fanbase. Guitarist Jesse Cooper says his rock-musician father “asked us years ago, ‘Do you want to be a garage band, or do you want to be a touring band?’ ” Making the commitment meant disciplined practice “Five, six days a week, not including all day at home… we all grew musically together.” After placing second in a nationwide contest on CBS Early Morning Live, the band got a leg up from managers Spencer Proffer and Doc McGhee, the latter famed for breaking everyone from Bon Jovi to Skid Row. Now Crooked X are set to release their self-titled EMI debut album in conjunction with the show. It presents a band that sounds considerably older than 14, but maybe that’s because, as Cooper says, “Most of the music I listen to was made before I was born,” citing Metallica, Eric Clapton and Alice in Chains as key influences. There are hopes for the show to become a series chronicling Crooked X’s touring life, but rocking is job number one for the young Oklahomans. “We want to be able to inspire people,” says Cooper, as he and his buddies prepare to become the rock stars they were born to be, which all works out for the best, since, as he admits, “We suck at Rock Band.”

Published: 2008-12-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Cream’s Jack Bruce Starts Feud With Led Zeppelin 35 Years Too Late

Photo: Shugerman/Getty Jack Bruce of Cream recently unleashed some harsh words about Led Zeppelin, airing some grievances to the press at a recent award ceremony by saying “Fuck off, Zeppelin, you’re crap.” “Everybody talks about Led Zeppelin, and they played one fucking gig — one fucking lame gig — while Cream did weeks of gigs,” Bruce said in the unprovoked attack. “Fuck off, Zeppelin, you’re crap. You’ve always been crap and you’ll never be anything else. Cream is 10 times the band that Led Zeppelin is.” Bruce was apparently angry that Zeppelin and not Cream (as had been scheduled), became the headliner of the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert at the O2 Arena in London in December 2007. Bruce later tried to back away from the comments, saying “I was just having some fun with the press gallery, really” but then added a post script to the apology by lambasting Zeppelin some more. “The thing about Zeppelin is that obviously it’s a little bit of jealousy on my part — or more than a little bit — because the audience was created by Cream and Jimi Hendrix…this sort of very large audience…Then Zeppelin came along and had a very easy ride in that way. We were the pioneers and pioneers don’t always get the recognition they deserve, maybe.” As for Led Zeppelin’s decision to tour with a replacement for Robert Plant, Bruce added “Well, I always thought Robert Plant used the wrong kind of fertilizer, anyway, so I think he might be an improvement…I’m just joking.” As for the battle of the guitar gods, “Let’s face it: Jimmy Page ain’t no Eric Clapton, no matter what anybody thinks,” Bruce said. Related Stories: • Fricke’s Picks: The Cream of Bruce • Jack Bruce Wants More Cream Reunion Gigs • John Paul Jones Hints At Led Zeppelin Tour Without Robert Plant • Led Zeppelin: Full Report From O2 Arena

Published: 2008-11-05 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Of Montreal Attracts Football Players, Glam Fans in D.C.

Photo courtesy of Nestor Diaz/DCist.com Live shows are a much better fit for Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes’ ambitions. On record, it can seem like he’s determined to re-create the high points of glam rock using just a drum machine, some zithers, and a selection of powered yard-care tools. And while Of Montreal’s stage set is unmistakably homemade, it’s a platform for Pink Floyd-sized (or at least GWAR-sized) aspirations. At the 9:30 Club, Barnes, dressed like a cross-dressing mariachi, emerged on a sedan chair, carried by four dancers dressed in gold lame Buddha outfits. It was one of the easier-to-explain spectacles in a night that saw him hanged from a gallows, painted red, and emerging from a flower-encrusted coffin covered in shaving cream. Also, there was music, but Of Montreal’s ironic disco couldn’t carry a show on its own. The six-piece band is charged not with hammering out musical epiphanies but with keeping the sexed-up dance party going. Barnes, incongrously for a fellow who looked as if he might kill himself at any moment, provided the sex, belting out falsetto tributes to Antarctica and blowjobs and lolling in a cardinal’s outfit during “Women’s Studies Victims” while a dancer in a naughty nun outfit tended to his tootsies, fitting him with some strappy ladies’ sandals. He wore those (and little else save for a gold high-waisted, Capt. Kirk-style bikini bottom) for the rest of the show, leading a crowd that included Redskins tight end Chris Cooley in “Plastis Wafers”‘ chorus of “You are such a fucking star/You know you are.” He was, for good reason, talking about himself. Set List: “Id Engager” “So Begins Our Alabee” “Triphallus, To Punctuate!” “She’s a Rejecter” “For Our Elegant Caste” “Touched Something’s Hollow” “An Eluardian Instance” “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse” “Gallery Piece” “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)” “Women’s Studies Victims” “St. Exquisite’s Confessions” “Eros’ Entropic Tundra” “Nonpareil of Favor” “October is

Published: 2008-10-10 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows

The Saturday Knights, Howlin Rain Rule Bumbershoot’s Second Stages

Photo: Chona Kasinger While big names like Stone Temple Pilots, T.I., Beck and Paramore rocked Seattle’s Bumbershoot festival this weekend (read the mainstage report here), as usual the 36-year-old event’s secondary stages were packed with talent. Here’s a breakdown of the best: • Darondo, the 61-year-old SF Bay Area soul legend, made a rare appearance on Saturday, backed by a band half his age. Anyone squeamish about sexy seniors would’ve blanched as the zoot-suited singer pushup-humped the stage and riffed on “whip cream and titties,” but Darondo redeemed himself with a Al Green-flavored liberation manifesto called “Let My People Go” to end his set. • Sunday’s heroes were the Saturday Knights, longtime hometown favorites forever on the brink of going huge. Backed by a trio of horns, drummer, and guitarist, the roguish hip-hop trio rhymed over Seattleites-of-the-moment Fleet Foxes, turning their “White Winter Hymnal” into a mock cocaine anthem. Their sunset set under an illuminated Space Needle was like a lawn party thrown by old friends. • U.K. superstar-to-be, iTunes victim and RS Artist to Watch Estelle seduced a massive crowd with around-the-way-girl ease. She played with an eight-piece band, including three backup singers and a DJ. To introduce “Wait a Minute (Just a Touch),” she pulled a young dude from the front row. “This is you, Seattle,” she said, and the kid popped and locked and looked as giddy as he probably felt. • Howlin Rain drew a surprisingly small crowd for a major label band, but the balding, bearded foursome played more to the gods than the audience. “This might be my new favorite band ever,” Whigs drummer Julian Dorio said backstage. An hour earlier, his bandmate Tim Deax did some inspired gear humping when his bass strap snapped during “Right Hand on My Heart.” The two were opposite sides of the same coin, the Whigs impeccable garage rock soul, Howlin Rain ragged arena-rock glory.

Published: 2008-09-02 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Festivals