Nineteen years ago, on April 5, 1994, the legendary Nirvana founder Kurt Cobain passed away. Defined by some as a shotgun blast heard by the entire world, the one that killed Cobain left many fans and followers in anxiety and pain. However, death did not impede Cobain’s ability to remain an icon and point of reference for people of generations to follow, who share a particular vision of the world and a peculiar kind of emotional bond.

With only a few years of public activity, Kurt Cobain managed to remain in the heart of tons of people who have felt deeply connected to his artistic genius and personality for almost two decades. The continued relevance of his songs and thoughts is astonishing. After 19 years Cobain is still saying what many do not dare, taking the stands many still won’t, and continuous to connect with those who lack profound representation.

The work of Cobain did not end with his life. The message he spread around the world in the years of his musical activity has been enhancing itself even after his death. The shades of emotions he addressed and presented are still found in his voice and resounding among many people who find a daily refuge in them. The way he addressed extremely real and raw feelings in his songs and interviews has offered a hand to people defined as misfits by society; with his attitude Cobain told those misfits it is o.k. to be one, and it is o.k. to care.

The legacy of the late musician from Aberdeen goes beyond music, albeit through music. Recognized by many as one of the most influential artists of all times, he has put in music something rare to find these days: honesty, depth and humility.

Nevertheless Cobain’s persona has also suffered from that special illness affecting the ‘great ones’ of different eras: his personality has been used, copied and manipulated, to be used as a representation of a cool and alternative way of living. “I’d rather be dead than cool” said the late Cobain in the song “Stay Away.” A sick irony wants him to be both. In a society which allows holograms of dead musicians to perform on a stage never chosen, which seems to be willing to worship appearance in place of substance, and which celebrates the manic obsession with popularity at any cost, even the figure of Cobain, who has always fought against this very concepts, has been violated by not-so-genuine intentions.

The point is not the personal battles of the late musician’s family members, such as his wife, nor the use of Cobain’s name by those who should take care of his legacy. It is the concept of him, distorted by the media and the industry as a representation of something originally criticized by the musician, which is sickening.

The last months are a good example of the improper use of his name. In the wake of “Nevermind”s 20th anniversary edition’s success, Nirvana and Cobain’s name have been over-used with no respect at all, as in the case of the so-called acclaimed ‘Nirvana Reunion,’ on the occasion of the Sound City project carried out by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. It is hard to reunite a three piece band of which the founder, singer, guitarist, composer, lyricist, artwork and occasional video designer, and inventor has been dead for 19 years. Nevertheless this does not matter to those who want to sell a magazine, screaming there will be a Nirvana tour with somebody else filling in. Nor does it for somebody wanting to use Cobain’s face in order to promote their new album, because liking Cobain is cool. For some reason, it even became acceptable to read his journals, the most intimate expression of a person’s emotions. When one becomes an icon such as Cobain, respect does not always matter.

As in every human situation, Cobain’s state of being an icon has taken good and bad turns. Luckily, the good seems to be winning. Kurt Cobain needs no reunion, no holograms, and no advertisement to stay real and present in this world: his vision and honesty keep on marking his presence, and the shot which killed him still sounds thunderous in the hearts of many.

“Cobain can you hear the spheres singing songs off Station to Station?” sing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Californication, invoking the philosophical concept according to which the universe is made of constantly moving celestial bodies, which produce music. This is probably one of the most beautiful wishes for the late Kurt Cobain: to be peacefully listening to the songs of his favorite Bowie’s album while floating in the universe, far from the noisy madness created around his name.

Image credit: Niadub via Flickr.com

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On December 15, 1992 (December 14 in Europe) Nirvana released its compilation album Incesticide. Too often considered an underdog in Nirvana discography, this album is an excellent work by the band.

After the astonishing success Nevermind acquired with its release in 1991, expectations on Nirvana were set very high. The work on the band’s next studio album In Utero was taking quite long, so Nirvana offered the fans a compilation of tracks, most of which were already circulating in bootleg versions among the fan community. According to Charles Cross’ book ‘Cobain Unseen,’ Kurt Cobain agreed on releasing the compilation only after he was assured to have complete control over the art cover, which was entirely drawn by him.

1992 was a relevant moment for the band, which reached the top of the music world in 1991, changing music history forever; moreover the entire grunge movement had become a huge deal. This was reflected on the industry in a pushing need for a new Nirvana album, playing as a bridge between Nevermind and the announced In Utero: here comes Incesticide. The tracks contained were mostly outtakes, demos and covers, accompanied by some unreleased songs.

Incesticide turned out to be a pearl in Nirvana discography. It surely did not have the impact Nevermind had on masses, nor on the industry, nevertheless it is a very good mirror of who Nirvana was. The album in its entirety describes the complex spirit behind Nirvana. With its mixture of different momenta in music inspiration, Incesticide has a unique soul expressing the Seattle band’s geniality. Kicking off with Dive, a hard and straightforward amazing song, it also contains catchier tracks with a more popular oriented spirit, such as Sliver and Molly’s Lips. Punk is well defined by the amazing covers of Turnaround and Son of a Gun; the last song of the album, Aneurysm, is a strong, energetic track that can hardly be defined by words. Big Long Now is an obsessive repetitive song which results in perfection, and deeply touches the spirit of the listener; Beeswax has a peculiar construction and is probably the real pearl of the album, just to name a few.

The variety of the tracks well represents the multiple personality shades that Nirvana was able to express. Incesticide goes back and forth between the singular components of the complex musical mind created by Cobain and Co.. In every album, the band’s poetry is modeled through a selection of soul and inspirational movements, which are able to take form through simplicity. Putting together something so complex and passing it through with the kind of simplicity Nirvana was able to achieve in composing is surely one of the highest levels the music craft can reach. Incesticide explains exactly that.

The anniversary was celebrated on Record Store Day on November 23, with the release of double LP limited to 4000 copies. The anniversary edition features recompiled and remastered tracks from the original analog master tape and recording sources by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios. It was pressed on two 180 gram virgin vinyl discs and cut at 45 RPM vinyl.

No fancy celebrations as for last year’s Nevermind 20th anniversary and it is comprehensible. Nevertheless, big excitement should be expected for the piece of excellence that Incesticide is. A must have for all Nirvana and grunge fans of course, but also for those who are interested in understanding the many faces this band had.

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Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters frontman and ex-Nirvana drummer, and Krist Novoselic, ex-Nirvana bass player, have been working with infamous producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig, on the soundtrack for the Sound City Movie, the documentary project that has been carried on by Grohl.

Recently, Vig, who produced both Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ and Foo Fighters’ ‘Wasting Light,’ tweeted “The last 24 hours have been surreal! Had a great gig at the El Rey last night, and spent today recording with Dave, Krist and special guest!”

This was enough to create big excitement in the web about the nature of the work, also generating all sorts of guesses about the special guest who could have possibly participated in the recordings. It was then soon clarified that the project the three musicians have been working on is the Sound City Movie soundtrack.

Butch Vig gave an update to NME.com, about the work and the time of the future release “We’re not really sure how it’s all gonna end up at this point but its been fun. There’s still quite a bit more work to do and we hope to finish up in the next three or four months, and try get it all mixed and completed some time in the fall.”

The Sound City documentary will feature the glorious studios of Los Angeles, CA, where some of the greatest rock masterpieces, including Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind,’ were born.

After its closure as a commercial studio in May 2011, Grohl decided to pay tribute to the place where many of the most famous rock albums were recorded. Grohl told Rolling Stone some time ago “When Sound City closed last year, it was a very sad day. That place was like a church. The list of people that recorded there reads like a virtual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… We recorded Nevermind there back in 1991. That funky old place had the best drum room in world. The drum sound at the beginning of Smells Like Teen Spirit – that’s Sound City.”

Some jam sessions and co-operations for the documentary, with several artists, have already been announced by Grohl himself(read Toonari Post’s article on the Sound City Movie), and we are sure the rock star is working on surprising fans even more. The collaborations, also expected in the album, are one of the reasons why the soundtrack of the documentary has been much awaited. The now-announced participation of Novoselic in the project spices things up even more.

After Kurt Cobain’s death and the subsequent Nirvana break-up, Novoselic has not been very active in the music scene, dedicating his efforts mainly towards politics, although he played bass on Flipper’s latest album, released in 2009. Grohl and Novoselic recently got back together for recording a track, ‘I Should Have Known,’ for the latest Foo Fighters’ album ‘Wasting Light,’ released in 2011, which has already become a milestone of rock.

What is sure is that Grohl, Novoselic and Vig are a great musical combination, since whenever they have been together, they created musical masterpieces, first with Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind,’ and recently with Foo Fighters’ ‘Wasting Light.’ Very high expectations are then set for the Sound City Movie soundtrack.

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“[Kurt] was headed in a direction that was really cool. It would have been his White Album,” said Eric Erlandson, ex guitarist and co-founder of the band ‘Hole,’ to William Goodman of Fuse TV in a recent interview, for the promotion of Erlandson’s book ‘Letters to Kurt,’ a tribute to the late Nirvana frontman.

Eric Erlandson was in the same band as Cobain’s wife, and he was also Kurt Cobain’s friend. Making a clear reference to the Beatles’ ‘White Album,’ Erlandson pictures the magnificence attributed to Cobain’s solo work.

“That’s really what he was going towards, a solo album but working with different people. I was really excited about some of the stuff he was working on. I got to see him play it in front of me. That’s why I was really sad [when he died]. I was like, ‘Oh man, not only are you cutting off a life, but a message to the world, a musical path is just left with… Bush and all this other stuff [laughs]. He was cut short. Who knows where the music would have gone.”

Mysteriously referring to a cover played by Cobain, Erlandson told Goodman “There is one cover… I won’t say what it is. I don’t own the stuff.” He then went on “I just hope that one day it will be released for fans. It’s just so heartbreaking.” When asked if the song would be considered a surprise, taking into account Kurt Cobain’s widespread musical taste, Erlandson said “No, it’s not surprising. It’s a very sweet, just touching song.”

Although with no assurance, the ‘Hole’ guitarist gives a hint about a possible future release “I heard some talk about somebody putting together some raw, rough acoustic thing… and that would be more intimate than the box set [With the Lights Out], because all those little jams you have to throw out [for that box set release]. They presented some [demos] but there is stuff that has not been put out.”

When Goodman referred to one of the demos present in the box, namely “Do Re Mi,” as the musical style possibly explored by Cobain for his solo work, Erlandson replied that the song, indeed, represents the path apparently chosen by Kurt Cobain “Imagine that,” he said. “I’m not in control of things,” while he added, “I just wish something would come together. I think the fans would be a lot happier. If nobody ever hears those songs, except for like three people, then… that’s the way it goes.”

If the existence of this material is real, it is surely desirable that it will be released soon, for the joy of Cobain’s fans and music lovers. The timing of Erlandson’s surprising declaration seems suspicious though. Hopefully this is not simply a marketing strategy aiming to raise some noise around the release of Erlandson’s book, in order to push audiences’ interests and sales.

Hopefully, the image of Kurt Cobain is being used to promote his music and his message, instead of all the commercial interests that followed his tragic death.

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For every music style it is possible to identify the milestone tracks or bands that made possible for it to develop; this kind of classification can often be a source of discussion, with people identifying the turning point of a musical movement with different bands and songs. Hardly with grunge.

Although grunge is a very diversified music style, with fans’ preferences spread around several bands and approaches, it is acknowledged worldwide that there is a record label, an album, and a track of that album, which made grunge one of the most influential music movements of rock history.

The record label is Sub Pop Records, the album is ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana, and the song is the first single of that album, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ Neither Nirvana nor Sub Pop started the grunge movement, but they made it what it has been since their creation.

Grunge developed in the state of Washington, U.S., mainly in the Seattle area, during the second half of the ’80s. It is indeed often referred to as ‘The Seattle Sound.’ Grunge reached the peak of its commercial success in the first half of the ‘90s; it has often been defined as the last rock revolution. As it usually happens when a musical innovation takes place, the sound development was accompanied by a strong social movement.

Musically speaking, the aim of grunge music was to take the sincerity of punk, and to mix it with the sludge sound that pertained to metal bands such as Black Sabbath, and the structure of popular melodies pertaining to bands like The Beatles. One of the main features of grunge music, although it presents itself in very differentiated shapes depending on the bands, is the raw, dirty, sound, full of heavy guitar distortions, along with angry, disappointed, and profound lyrics.

In 1986, Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman founded in Seattle the independent record label Sub Pop records; the label was interested in the local bands that were developing at the time. Pavitt and Poneman worked to create a proper sound identification for the label, carrying a promotion of the Sub Pop product itself.

They associated that image to the Seattle sound, signing several artists of the area. Sub Pop is the record label that first signed bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney, who then became central acts of the grunge scene.

By Nirvana is the most influential track of the Seattle Sound: ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ Although probably not Nirvana’s best song, the track, together with the album ‘Nevermind,’ changed the music scene forever; it became an icon for the grunge movement and for an entire generation. Developed around the idea of young people’s mixture of angst and apathy, the song presents itself extremely catchy, with intriguing lyrics along with a powerful sound.

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has been defined as the anthem of a generation at the time, and has become, ever since its release in 1991, the anthem of people who look at the world in a specific way.

The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, portraits the band performing in a school gym, together with anarchic cheerleaders, and kids who end up destroying everything around; Cobain said he had been inspired by The Ramones’ video for ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’. The ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video won Nirvana the Best New Artist and Best Alternative Group awards at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1992, and it has also become a milestone of music history.

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ announced the upcoming rock revolution. It is the first track of the album ‘Nevermind,’ the record responsible for the redistribution of power between mainstream and counterculture in the music industry.

When it was released on September 24 in 1991, not even Geffen Records, the major record label Nirvana had moved to, was prepared for the huge success of the album; the label initially pressed only 40,000 copies of ‘Nevermind,’ which instead sold a million within six weeks. Geffen had to stop pressing any other record in order to meet the demand.

The huge commercial success of ‘Nevermind’ led bands pertaining to the counterculture to sing with major record labels and to gain visibility in the commercial channels, and took grunge on top of the music world; according to various artists of the scene, record labels would sign any band coming from the Seattle area at the time, just to be part of the grunge movement.

As Krist Novoselic, bassist of Nirvana, once said, “Nirvana didn’t go to the mainstream; the mainstream went to Nirvana.” ‘Nevermind’ is not only considered the most influential album for grunge, but also one of the most influential and meaningful albums of all times.

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Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana drummer, Dave Grohl, reached out to his fans to talk about music and its meaning and to clarify some of his statements at the 54^th Grammy Awards show.

Foo Fighters had an exceptional night on February 12 at the Grammy Awards; the band took home five awards: Best Rock Album with their ‘Wasting Light,’ Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance with ‘Walk,’ Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for ‘White Limo’ and Best Long Form Music Video with their documentary ‘Back and Forth.’

While accepting the award for Best rock song, Grohl gave a speech about Foo Fighters latest album and the importance of the human element in music, explaining how this issue was addressed in the making of Foo Fighters ‘Wasting Light.’ He said:

The human element of making music is what’s most important. Singing into a microphone, and learning to play an instrument, and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do. It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct; It’s not about what goes on in a computer, it’s about what goes on in here [heart] and what goes on in here [head].

When the speech time finished, the musician was clearly not done talking; he tried to say something and ended up screaming ‘Long Live Rock ’n’ roll!’ when it was clear Foo Fighters had to leave the stage.

His speech has caused a host of reactions, going from those who got very excited about the statement about his recording approach and Grohl’s attitude, to some electronic music fans and artists who interpreted Grohl’s speech as an accusation that their style of music is insincere.

To clarify, Grohl got back in touch with his audience through the Foo Fighters facebook page, explaining what he really meant and what was left to say on Sunday night.

In the message, he talks about his love for all kinds of music; “Electronic or acoustic, it doesn’t matter to me. The simple act of creating music is a beautiful gift that ALL human beings are blessed with.”

He then specifies: ‘The ‘human element’. That thing that happens when a song speeds up slightly, or a vocal goes a little sharp. That thing that makes people sound like PEOPLE. Somewhere along the line those things became “bad” things, and with the great advances in digital recording technology over the years they became easily “fixed”.

The end result? I my humble opinion…..a lot of music that sounds perfect, but lacks personality. The one thing that makes music so exciting in the first place. And, unfortunately, some of these great advances have taken the focus off of the actual craft of performance.”

After making clear he does not think of himself as the best musician ever, he goes on saying; “I try really f***ing hard so that I don’t have to rely on anything but my hands and my heart to play a song. I do the best that I possibly can within my limitations, and accept that it sounds like me. Because that’s what I think is most important. It should be real, right? Everybody wants something real.”

He concludes by mentioning Skrillex, an electronic musician who makes a real craft out of his music in Grohl’s opinion, even if he uses different tools in respect to rock‘n’roll. Dave Grohl explains; “if it were that easy, anyone could do it, right? (See what I did there?).” His last hint refers to the well-known criticism of Grohl’s former band Nirvana, whose technical simplicity has been considered a negative feature by some, albeit never succeeding as a conclusive argument against enjoying Nirvana’s music.

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Few places in the world can boast a worldwide musical community like Seattle, WA, and the entire surrounding Northwestern region can. This has probably been the reason lying behind the new initiative “Experience the City of Music” promoted at Sea-Tac International Airport.

The airport will indeed become a window onto the musical soul of the city; as Mayor Mike McGinn stressed, “Seattle is known around the world for its music culture, so it’s great to see this identity embraced and showcased to all the travelers going through the airport.”

Whether having Sea-Tac as a stop-over, layover, or a final destination, travelers will be able to enjoy the Northwestern music coming out of the airport speakers, as well as music videos showed on screens throughout the airport. Waiting at baggage claim will no longer be a boring waste of time, as travelers will have the chance to be amused by some of the best artists that characterize the Seattle music scene.

Furthermore, travelers will hear artists such as Jerry Cantrell read public informative announcements, and will have the chance to enjoy a dedicated music channel web radio available through the free Wi-fi network present at the airport.

The artists featured in the program will be numerous, ranging from historical musicians such as Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Alice in Chains and many more of those who made Seattle’s history, to new emerging groups in the region.

It will, indeed, not only be a celebration of what made Seattle be one of the most famous cities in the world– such as the raise of grunge and the masterly ability of guitar playing by Hendrix–but also a boosting action for the upcoming sounds of the area. Given that over 32 million passengers pass through Sea-Tac Airport each year, this will be an opportunity of unmatched value for local emerging bands to be featured at the airport.

Seattle Music Commissioner Marcus Womack addressed the initiative as a relevant community effort.

“This project has been so much fun to work on because of all the community support and excitement to show off our music culture in such a significant way. I am proud to be on the Seattle Music Commission and drive this forward.”

The opening of the initiative will take place on Saturday, January 28. A free and open to public launch party will run from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Pacific time) in the ‘Gina Marie Lindsey’ Arrivals Hall, with live performances by local bands. Additional live performances will take place onboard in the rail trains connecting to the airport from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m..

“Experience the City of Music” is the result of a co-operation between the Port of Seattle, Seattle Music Commission and PlayNetwork, with the support of The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and other organizations based in the city of Seattle.

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Jagermeister, a brand as deeply rooted in music as it is in mythology and lore, is proud to announce an upcoming tour with headliner Alaskan rock band Portugal. The Man and supporting act, The Lonely Forest. The live shows kick off April 3rd and will be in 26 cities across the nation.

Jagermeister, the #1 selling imported liqueur in the United States, has a long history of supporting bands, both from a local level to national amphitheater acts. The brand has spent almost two decades developing artists and has seen many go from obscurity to the top of their fields. John Gourley, lead singer of Portugal. The Man said, “We were planning on taking a short break from the road, but Jagermeister presented an opportunity for us to visit a handful of cities that we have not been to in ages, so we jumped at the chance to play these shows.”

Last year, Atlantic Records artist Portugal. The Man released In The Mountain In The Cloud, the sixth album in six years from the Wasilla, AK-via-Portland, OR-based band. The critically-acclaimed album garnered inclusion in several notable “Best of 2011″ lists, including MTV, Huffington Post, and KCRW. Produced by John Hill (Santigold, M.I.A.) with co-production from Portugal.

The Man lead singer/guitarist/songwriter John Gourley as well as longtime band producer Casey Bates and mixed by Grammy Award winner Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley), In The Mountain In The Cloud marks the first recording to truly harness the band’s exhilarating live show. From the dramatic “Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)” to the sprawling vision of “Sleep Forever,” the album captures a truly distinctive band evolving in real time, revealing their singular sonic vision in its purest and most powerful form thus far.

The Lonely Forest, an American indie rock band discovered and signed by Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie, who launched their debut album Arrows for his imprint label Trans via Atlantic Records, will serve as the supporting act.

Tickets will be on pre-sale starting Monday, January 23rd at www.portugaltheman.com and on sale to the public beginning Friday, January 27th. The 2012 Jagermeister Music Tour will feature Jagermeister custom tour prizes from Schecter Guitars and Peavey Electronics. For more information on Jagermeister, visit www.jager.com and for additional information on Portugal. The Man, visit www.facebook.com/portugaltheman, twitter.com/portugaltheman, and http://youtube.com/portugalthemanband.

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Sirius XM Radio has announced recently that Ringo Starr will sit down for a rare, exclusive Q&A session, hosted by Russell Brand and moderated by legendary producer Don Was, with a select group of SiriusXM subscribers at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California.

“SiriusXM’s Town Hall with Ringo Starr” will air live on The Spectrum, channel 28, on Monday, January 30at 4:00 pm ET, the day before the release of Starr’s new album, Ringo 2012. The special is part of SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series, an intimate gathering with an iconic musician and a studio audience of SiriusXM listeners. Previous “SiriusXM Town Hall” specials have featured Bruce Springsteen, the surviving members of Nirvana, Tom Petty and Coldplay.

Hosted by Russell Brand, and moderated by Don Was, who is featured on Ringo 2012, the “SiriusXM Town Hall with Ringo Starr” will include the legendary singer/songwriter/drummer answering questions from the studio audience.

The “Town Hall” special will also feature an in-studio performance by Starr and his band. SiriusXM listeners will hear some of Starr’s classics as well as songs from his new album Ringo 2012.

“I am a massive fan of Ringo and of all his work, but like most people I am ignorant as to his life before he rose to prominence with Thomas the Tank Engine,” said Russell Brand. “Now we can unravel the enigma of Ringo.”

“As a member of The Beatles and with his enduring series of hits as a solo artist, Ringo Starr changed not only popular music, but pop culture,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We are thrilled to give Ringo’s fans the chance to sit, talk and ask questions of this music icon as part of our Town Hall series.”

Ringo 2012 is Ringo Starr’s 17th solo studio album and was produced by Starr. The album, from Universal Music Enterprises, was recorded in Los Angeles and features nine songs – including covers of Buddy Holly’s “Think It Over” and Lonnie Donegan’s “Rock Island Line” plus two new versions of his own songs, “Wings” and “Step Lightly.” Special guests on the album include Joe Walsh, Dave Stewart, Edgar Winter, Charlie Haden, Van Dyke Parks and Don Was. For more information on Ringo Starr and Ringo 2012, visit www.ringostarr.com.

The Spectrum plays music spanning the past, present and future. Listeners will hear artists like U2, Dave Matthews, REM, Tom Petty, Coldplay, Wilco, David Gray, Neil Young, Counting Crows, Ryan Adams and more.

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Fans of the nicest man in rock must be thrilled knowing that Dave Grohl is back in the studio. Butch Vig, the man who infamously produced Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” wrote on Twitter a while ago that he and Grohl spent an entire day together at studio 606 in late December listening to some of Grohl’s new material.

From being the drummer of Them Crooked Vultures to collaborating with glam metal band RATT, Foo Fighters’ frontman has never shied away from side projects during his career. So the question is; where does this upcoming work belong?

In 2011, the release of “Wasting Light,” another production by Butch Vig, proved a successful start on the new decade. The April album release was followed by a world tour, international recognition and six Grammy nominations, and its successor is supposedly on its way so it would not be a long shot to assume that the new material could be destined for Grohl’s primary project Foo Fighters.

The announcement of an upcoming record came from Dave Grohl himself; he wrote a note to the fans, thanking them for their support in late December and letting them know a new album would come out soon. The note read, “And to all of you…..we’re not finished yet. There are still more shows to play, more songs to write, more albums to record, for years to come. I mean… If you would have told me 17 years ago that, in 2012, I would be writing songs for our eighth studio album… well…”

On the other hand, fans of Them Crooked Vultures, with Dave Grohl on drums, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on bass, and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age as lead vocalist and guitarist constituting a super band, are also very excited. After a successful self-titled album released in 2009, the band has not released anything else.

Since 2010, there has been much talk about a second album, which was supposed to be release in late 2011, but never made it, according to some sources. One of the main reasons for the delay has been Grohl and Homme having been too busy with their respective bands. So with the news of Dave Grohl working on new material, and considering the timing, there is a real chance that Them Crooked Vultures are the benefactor and will be releasing their second album soon.

However, as mentioned, Them Crooked Vultures is not Grohl’s only side project. Recently, a collaboration between RATT, and the Foo Fighters frontman was announced by RATT themselves.

This is bound to be an interesting project as Nirvana, Dave Grohl’s former band, is considered to be responsible for the ‘defeat’ of glam metal in the 1990s through their introduction of grunge. RATT singer, Stephen Pearcy, has said that the song they will release together, “will not be a new RATT song, but just something cool Dave wants to do.”

Hence, the new material could turn up in any direction, from his Foo Fighters base to any of Grohl’s side projects, even new ones. After all, he is a music explorer. What is certain is that Grohl’s choice of Butch Vig as a collaborator is destined to create a musical firestorm and keep interest soaring for his new project.

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Foo Fighters is one of the most popular Rock bands in the music scene since years, being active since 1994. The band is led by Dave Grohl (ex Nirvana drummer), and composed of Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, and Pat Smear.

Although Foo Fighters’ success is not new, what this band accomplished this year is unbelievable. Their 7th studio album “Wasting Light” debuted as number one in the Billboard 200 chart upon its release on April 12 this year, sold 235,000 copies only in its first week, becoming soon a Gold record in the U.S., as well as in other countries. In some others it even became Platinum record. As Dave Grohl declared, although they were big before, mainly in some parts of the world, this album made them huge.

The record comprises other artists’ participations, including the ones of Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) and Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü, Sugar). The album has been recorded in Grohl’s garage completely analog to tape, and was produced by Butch Vig, the same producer of Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. As Dave Grohl recently declared referring to the producer “Together, we made the album of a lifetime. Again.”

The record sound is raw, powerful, loud, aggressive, sweet, melancholic, and angry, it explores all of the aspects of Rock. It is the heaviest record belonging to the band so far as well as the “grungiest” one. The lyrics come as emotional waterfalls on the perfectly melt sounds. It goes from the screaming hard rock of “White Limo” to the deep and intriguing “I Should Have Known” where Novoselic’s performance gives goosebumps due to its perfection.

Besides the album release, the documentary “Back and Forth,” which explores the development of the band, came out in April; in the same month the band released the limited vinyl “Medium Rare,” a covers album, for Record Store Day. Furthermore this year their video for the track “Walk”, which is a parody of the movie “Falling Down,” won the prize as Best Rock Video at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

After recording the latest album in Grohl’s garage, the Foo Fighters also started touring in some garages. The band, indeed, performed from New York to Seattle in garages belonging to their fans who participated to a dedicated contest. Moreover the band played secret gigs in small clubs. Then, they started the world tour, touching Europe, North America, South America and Australia. Japan and other countries are coming next year. They played in arenas, festivals, stadiums. In July they played two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in the U.K to over 140,000 fans. The band just owns it all.

Foo Fighters started in 1994 as a solo project by frontman Dave Grohl, after the death of the late Kurt Cobain and the consequent disappearance of his band Nirvana. What Grohl had for Foo Fighters at the time was only a tape, not even a band. During those seventeen years a lot happened to Foo Fighters. Musicians have come and gone, motivation seemed to be lost for a moment, but what always stayed was Grohl’s determination.

The guy who gained the title of “The nicest guy in Rock,” due to his particularly considerate and respectful personality, seems to be also the toughest guy in Rock, in the best sense of it. He had a dream and did not let anything corrupt it. He did not just try, he did it. Not even when Foo Fighters gained the big scene he let the business corrupt the music. He came back to his garage with a finally solid and sound group which expressed its cooperation in the highest level possible, recording the album on tape where everything sounds just real.

Foo Fighters’ history shows that probably the most remarkable characteristic of Grohl’s personality is his respect to music, and to Rock in particular, beyond any boundary. Let’s not forget this guy, twenty years ago, changed the music scene forever together with two friends of his. Listening to Foo Fighters one can feel the same attitude is still all there in Mr. Grohl.

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In 1991, a band belonging to the counterculture changed music forever. On September 24 of that year, Nirvana, the band composed by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl, released its second album (first one with Grohl as a drummer) ‘Nevermind’. What was, and what is ‘Nevermind’?

Nirvana started playing in 1987, developing within the grunge scene taking shape in the Seattle area at the time, where several bands experimented this enhancement of punk rock. Nirvana was shown to have that little more, which led them to change music history. With the release of their first album ‘Bleach’ in 1989 with Sub Pop Records, Nirvana sold a decent amount of records and started touring, getting the success that pertained to good bands of the grunge scene.

Then, in 1991, something changed. The musicality of the group, although keeping that honesty that has always characterized Nirvana, had been slightly modified. They mixed strong sounds with pleasant melodies, screamed anger, pain, and pure irony. Many think that the most popular records cannot be a piece of art, except in this case. ‘Nevermind’ has been the most meaningful record ever since its release in 1991. Its biggest power was the ability to reach everyone, while saying something meaningful, something true, something deep, and playing hard.

The sound of ‘Nevermind’ explodes very strong, yet very fragile. The power of Grohl’s drums, the perfection of Novoselic’s bass, along with the lyrics and the extraordinary voice of the late Kurt Cobain, a voice which instantly reaches the deepest part of an open soul, created something splendid. The deepness of the record is hard to explain; it has to be lived.

The band was able to send a message using unusual sonorities along with good melodies, expressing what nobody had before or has done afterwards. This created a phenomenon that ran all over the world and seemed impossible to catch, leading an underground band to be one of the most important and relevant creations of music history and surely the most significant change in the music scene in decades. As Krist Novoselic once said, “Nirvana didn’t go to the mainstream; the mainstream went to Nirvana.”

The enormous success of ‘Nevermind’ made it possible for bands from the counterculture to play on MTV, to be heard on mainstream radios, and to sign with major record labels. Nirvana changed the rules in the game with an album that contains very differentiated tracks, each one able to play every single chord of that dark inner soul Nirvana has.

Nobody was prepared for the huge success of ‘Nevermind’ back then, not even Geffen Records, the major record label with whom Nirvana signed before the final production of the album. The record label initially pressed 40,000 copies of the album, which instead sold a million within six weeks. Geffen had to stop pressing any other record in order to meet the demand.

In a music scene dominated by hair metal and superficiality, Nirvana was able to break through that thick peel of an uncaring society and give voice to all those people who were feeling forgotten by the world. Those people had been waiting, and Nirvana gave them what they needed and what they probably still need. Nirvana has often been said to be the voice of a generation, but this is not precise, and it is very reductive.

They have always given voice to the people who feel rejected, disappointed, hurt, frustrated, abandoned, and as Everett True said in his book about the band, the ones who know how it feels not to be loved. Those people unfortunately do not belong to a single generation, they belong to our society.

This is as well demonstrated by the fact that after twenty years from its original release, the reissue of ‘Nevermind’ hit the UK Top 5 right after its release. ‘Nevermind’ has been reissued in several formats, including a limited super deluxe edition. All of the formats received significant success and created a lot of excitement within the people who still feel represented by grunge and Nirvana, and the ones that are simply passionate about good music.

All around the world, there has been a lot of celebration on the twentieth anniversary of the album, starting from the opening of the exhibition “Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses“ in Seattle, as well as “In Bloom: The Nirvana Nevermind Exhibition“ in London, which was accompanied by “Territorial Musing: a Nirvana Q&A and Album Playthrough” by Classic Album Sundays and Linn.

The website www.nevermind20.com conquered the net. There was also a screening during this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals of the recorded 1992 Nirvana performance live at Reading, a tribute concert at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, a night tribute with artists performing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ 144 times in a row in Toronto, and magazine special editions, just to cite some.

What made Nirvana and ‘Nevermind’ so special back in 1991, besides the peculiar characteristics of the music, was that the band and the record had a lot to say and said it with pure honesty. Given the reaction to the anniversary and the reissue of the album after 20 years from the release of the record and 17 years after the passing of the late frontman Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and ‘Nevermind’ still have a lot to say.

Twenty years later, indeed, ‘Nevermind’ appears to have done exactly the same thing it did back in 1991: hit big all over the world and unify outsiders and music lovers, who currently have to face a music scene which too often seems to forget what music is really about.

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Yesterday’s tragic death of Grammy-winning singer Amy Winehouse adds another name to the infamous 27 Club.

The number 27 has become a symbol for lost talent in music history – many great musicians have died during this age. This has led to the creation of the club known as the 27 Club.

More than 30 musicians have been added to the list over the years and and yesterday the Club  added another great singer.

Being part of this club for some can mean gaining status as a legend, for others its their natural end of their lives.

The 27 Club includes several artists that have made a remarkable impact on the music world. The original musicians usually referred to when speaking of the club are Rolling Stones man Brian Jones, pioneering guitarist Jimmi Hendrix, singer Janis Joplin, Doors front man Jim Morrison and the face of Seattle grunge Kurt Cobain.

Neil Young once said “it’s better to burn out than to fade away”, this phrase was found in the suicide note of Kurt Cobain. The burn word on this phrase emphasizes the idea of leaving a mark on this world rather than just being forgotten.

These great musicians ended up leaving this world at the height of their musical creativity, leaving an imprint that will never wear out through their bands — The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and Nirvana.

What all of these legendary musicians have in common besides their musical brilliance is the tragic way in which they died. Their deaths differ but most of them have been associated with drug abuse. It’s also said that with the exception of Janis Joplin, a confirmed suicide, all of these deaths have been suspicious in their own way.

Is 27 the age we should fear? Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, try to answer this question by explaining: “Of course late twenties is not that old, but we spend an awful lot of our twenties defining ourselves with our jobs, with our relationships. When we reach 27 we’ve been trying so hard to reach certain goals – fame, money, success – that we might suddenly realize for the first time that we’re not that happy after all. And we are supposed to be grown-up and responsible, and we don’t feel ready.” The age represents the final step into adulthood and enforces the thought of growing up and leaving behind the carelessness of youth.

Some would say Amy Winehouse´s death was unavoidable while some are in shock. The responses coming in through twitter speak of both sadness and predictions – many from the music industry have expressed their deepest condolences to her family.

The only thing left by the legends lost at 27 is their music which will live on in our minds and their lyrics which will never be forgotten.

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