This post contains independently chosen affiliate links. See full affiliate disclosure. If a cover band is worth their salt, it’s in their repertoire. The opening floor-tom thud of Jet’s ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ is sure to get the crowd on your side. It is the ultimate cover band mainstay, a song that managed … Read more
We’ve all been there. You’re in a cover band, the setlist is killer, and then someone suggests “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Suddenly, the room goes quiet. If you don’t have a keyboard player, the song feels “naked.” Even worse is the keyboardist who owns a $3,000 workstation but insists on layering a generic, syrupy “String … Read more
This post contains independently chosen affiliate links. See full affiliate disclosure. The Anthem of the 7:00 PM Set: You can’t have a classic rock cover band without doing Hot Blooded by Foreigner. It is the definitive high-energy opener, but for the guitarist, it’s a trap. Most players make the mistake of cranking up the gain … Read more
In a recent deep-dive video feature on Lou Gramm, a classic band dynamic the narrative is framed instead as classic rock-and-roll tragedy. The story goes that Gramm, the powerhouse voice behind Foreigner’s legendary anthems, was being “suppressed” by band leader Mick Jones. While Gramm wanted to keep the band’s feet firmly planted in the grit … Read more
In 1987, the musical landscape was shifting toward a digital horizon, and Manchester-based trio Living in a Box arrived with a debut that was less of a traditional “band” effort and more of a masterclass in FM synthesis. Formed by keyboardist Marcus Vere and Anthony Critchlow, the group found their voice, literally, after two failed … Read more
In 1987, the independent label 4AD made a gamble that shouldn’t have worked. And it didn’t. They paired two wildly different acts, the ethereal “dream-pop” duo A.R. Kane and the sample-heavy industrial group Colourbox, for a collaboration. The goal wasn’t to create a polished radio hit; in fact, the members of A.R. Kane specifically stated … Read more
Two things are true about Paul McCartney’s iconic guitar piece Blackbird: Nobody but McCartney himself can get it right and the story of how the song came about has changed drastically over the years. The original story of the inspiration for Blackbird was that Paul and George used to play Bach’s “Bourrée in E minor” … Read more