Recommended Reading: 'Under the Big Black Sun'

There would be no other authority to write the story of the history of L.A. punk better than John Doe of legendary band, X. Last year, Doe, along with Tom DeSavia linked up to write Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk. 

Read Our 2012 Interview with X

The book, which has a forward from Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong discusses how the sound shaped the youth of the city between 1977 and 1982. Featuring commentary from Exene Cervenka (X), Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Mike Watt (The Minutemen), Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey (Go-Go's), Dave Alvin (The Blasters), Chris D. (The Flesh Eaters), Robert Lopez (The Zeros, El Vez), Jack Grisham (T.S.O.L.), Teresa Covarrubias (The Brat), and historians, Doe narrates how to the scene came about through his eyes.

Read Our 2009 Interview with Henry Rollins

Just as much about the music, the book is also about the friendships, bonds, love affairs, and cultural impact the music of Los Angeles had on the world by the people who created it. 

Green Day to Release Greatest Hits Compilation

Next month, Green Day will release the career-spanning retrospective Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below:

1. 2000 Light Years Away
2. Longview
3. Welcome To Paradise
4. Basket Case
5. When I Come Around
6. She
7. Brain Stew
8. Hitchin' a Ride
9. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
10. Minority
11. Warning
12. American Idiot
13. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
14. Holiday
15. Wake Me Up When September Ends
16. Know Your Enemy
17. 21 Guns
18. Oh Love
19. Bang Bang 
20. Still Breathing
21. Ordinary World (feat Miranda Lambert)
22. Back In The USA

Billie Joe Armstrong on 'Fallon'

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong appeared solo on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Friday and performed his band's hit, "Ordinary World." Take a look.

Green Day on 'Corden'

Watch Green Day perform "Still Breathing" on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Green Day on 'Colbert'

Watch Green Day perform "Still Breathing" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Recommended Reading: 'How to Ru(i)n a Record Label'

Green Day, Rancid, Operation Ivy, Screeching Weasel, The Queers, The Mr. T Experience, the list goes on for all of the influential punk and DIY artists that Larry Livermore signed to his label, Lookout Records. The label was a breading ground for new and emerging talent in the late 80s and early 90s in the Bay Area of California. By the time of the Millennium, the label went belly up and it was nothing more than a memory to fans and those who they influenced along the way.

Last year, Livermore put his memoirs together and told the definitive story of Lookout with his book, How to Ru(i)n a Record Label. In a label that started out in a small house in Northern California turned into a multi-million dollar company before he walked away from it all. Livermore chronicles and details what happened and for the first time, a first hand account as to what led to the fall of the legendary label has been told.

Billie Joe Armstrong on 'Conan'

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong performed a rare solo set on Conan. Watch him play "Ordinary World" off the band's latest, Revolution Radio.

Playlist

Here is December's playlist of 27 random musical musings.

Green Day on 'Corden'

For the second night in a row, Green Day were on late night TV and on Tuesday they appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden where they performed "Bang Bang." Take a look!

Green Day on 'Kimmel'

Watch Green Day perform "Revolution Radio" and "Bang Bang" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Quick News

The long awaited street sign dedicated to Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest on 192nd Street and Linden Blvd., in St. Albans, Queens has been unveiled.

#Repost @goodreverenddr ・・・ It's official! #LindenBlvdRepresent #ripphifedawg #wegotitfromherethankyouforyourservice

A photo posted by ATCQ (@atcq) on Nov 19, 2016 at 1:51pm PST

Next month, a documentary on Frank Turner's 2015/2016 tour, Get Better: A Film About Frank Turner will be released. The musician also spoke to NME about a new album, saying: "“I’ve got a mountain of new material at the moment but I have two reservations about it. The first being that I feel ‘Positive Songs…’ felt like a sort of conclusionary statement. It wasn’t written that way, but looking back on it feels like that’s me wrapping up a certain era of my songwriting. Another way of saying it is I feel like I have the opportunity to go somewhere new and somewhere different at this point, so I’m thinking about doing something reasonably radically different next time round, but we’ll see. And of course, [since Trump won the election] I’ve been thinking about trying to react to the world as it is in 2016 perhaps a bit more openly in my art."

Before Green Day were making American Idiot, they were making an album called Cigarettes and Valentines, however, the record was never released because many of the recordings were stolen. Due to the stolen material, the band retreated and made American Idiot. Now, speaking about the lost recordings for the first time Billie Joe Armstrong told NME that whatever was recovered or saved could come out. He said: "It’s pretty much in the vault right now. There was the one song, ‘Cigarettes and Valentine’ that we brought out live, I don’t know, we’ll see if any of that stuff ends up seeing the light of day.”

In a Reddit AMA, Jim James has confirmed a new Monsters of Folk album will be happening. He said: "we started another monsters of folk record a few years ago, for a screenplay that conor wrote for a monsters of folk film, we hope both happen someday, cuz we wanna write music for the film, but its tough to get a weird film made these days! maybe someday!"

Playlist

Our November playlist is here! Take a listen to our 27 musical musings for the month.

QUICK SPINS

Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation

The mathcore band announced that after 20 years together and Dissociation was their swansong. If you are a fan of this band, this was a bittersweet farewell as one of the greatest and heaviest live bands around was saying goodbye but in typical fashion they were not doing it quietly. Dissociation is their way of letting fans knows they were going out with a bang on their explosive career.

FINAL GRADE: A-

The Pretenders – Alone

Linking up with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Ohio’s finest Chrissy Hyde and the Arcs frontman bring their sounds and styles together from the Midwest. It is easily one of the best Pretenders records in decades as Auerbach gives the band a much needed modern twist but still maintain their identity.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Crocodiles – Dreamless

Six records in and the California noise pop band continue to bring a different atmosphere to their music with every record. Dreamless takes a slightly more shoegaze approach but still challenges their past material.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Kings of Leon – WALLS

The brothers Followill are back and return with their most solid record since their 2008 breakout, Only By The Night. Singer Caleb Followill assess his life and career on WALLS making it their most personal to date. The band started  rebuilding with 2013’s underrated Mechanical Bull but now come full circle.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Lady Gaga – Joanne

Mother Monster is back with her new album that is a hybrid of Americana, pop and rock. Gaga dives into her soul and comes out with an appreciation for life, women and herself as Joanne becomes her most personal album to date.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Green Day – Revolution Radio

It is no surprise that Green Day released a record during this election season but we are glad they did. The band come back and bring forth the political punk bite that made them enter a new chapter in their career back during Green Day’s American Idiot days.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Jimmy Eat World – Integrity Blues

How does an emo band survive in 2016? They look at how Jimmy Eat World have done it. The emo vets are back with one of their most solid records since Futures and show they still got some sugar in their tank.

FINAL GRADE: B+

CRX – New Skin

The Strokes’ Nick Valensi links up with a new band and Josh Homme to produce a biting rock and roll record and allows the guitarist to take center stage.

FINAL GRADE: B

Bell X1 – Arms

The Irish rockers return with their 10^th record and for fans it is another collection of solid songs for their arsenal.

FINAL GRADE: B

Sting – 57^th and 9^th

Sting returns to his rock roots and looks at his illustrious career with his latest. The artist was humbled by the passing’s of Bowie and Prince this year and took to the studio to assess what his life and career have been with this batch of songs.

FINAL GRADE: B

American Football

It has been over a decade since American Football released their debut and the emo indie heroes returned with a record for fans who have waited and grew up as they got older.

FINAL GRADE: B

Mike Doughty – The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns

The former Soul Coughing frontman’s new solo record is another lyrical adventure for fans to indulge as he adds to the growing collection of fantastic records he has given out over the years.

FINAL GRADE: B

Kaiser Chiefs – Stay Together

Using a crowdfunding campaign to record Stay Together, Kaiser Chiefs made a record totally for the fans as they didn’t experiment too much but crafted the same lovable rock and roll they became popular for.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow

One of the finest bands around have released one of the most confusing records of their career. Two Door Cinema Club were known for poppy hooks and catchy riffs but on Gameshow they really try and push for a radio single in an era when radio singles are not as important as they once were.

FINAL GRADE: C

Quick News

via GIPHY


Prince's secretive Paisley Park estate outside Minneapolis will be turned into a museum according to the late musicians sister. The estate will feature guided tours were visitors will see his living quarters, recording studio, wardrobe and other personal items. Tours begin in October.

Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Marcus Miller have formed a super group called Mega Nova. The group are set to make their live debut on August 24 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Speaking to Q magazine, Pixies Frank Black said when the band broke up in the mid 90s it was because they needed a vacation. He said: "Kim and I just didn’t get along well after a time. She always had her own ambitions and became comfortable in a leadership role in her other band. It must have been hard for her to be in a band where some other guy was always pulling at the reins. We would have survived if we could have just stopped the train and taken a fucking vacation. The people around us who were older should have seen that.”

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong also spoke to Q about the band's forthcoming Revolution Radio album and said that the massacre's in Paris and Orlando inspired  the song "Troubled Times." The singer said: "I don’t think anything like terrorism hit home right in our backyard the way it did that night. At first, I wrote it and thought ‘I don’t know if I want this on the album.’ It’s really heavy to write about and I didn’t want it to be trite or maudlin.” The band eventually put it on the record which will come out this fall.

Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill also spoke to Q, apparently everyone did this week, and said that their new album, We Are Like Love Songs, was inspired by his wife, supermodel Lily Aldridge and his battle with booze. The record was announced yesterday and is expected this fall.

Taking to social media, Flying Lotus confirmed that he will be putting out the new George Clinton record that he and Thundercat have been working on via his label Brainfeeder. He said that details are coming soon.

For the first time in 17 years, Letters to Cleo will release new music. The band will release the New EP next month. Take a look at the tracklisting, below:
Hitch a Ride
Back to Nebraska
Can’t Say
4 Leaf Clover
Good Right Here

Quick News

via GIPHY


In his first interview in 3 years, Liam Gallagher said he would love to reunite Oasis. Speaking to Q magazine, the former frontman said: "I believe Oasis will sail again and it'll be glorious. If it's really about the fans, Noel, let's do it - because they want it. One year. Tour for a year. We'd smash it. My bags are still packed from my last tour, so I'm ready." The singer said he has been working on new music, however, he made it unclear if he will release a solo album since he broke up Beady Eye in 2014.

Green Day has said that their new song, "Revolution Radio" has been influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement. Singer Billie Joe Armstrong told Rolling Stone: "I was in a car coming from Brooklyn to Manhattan and there was these protesters for Ferguson holding up traffic all the way back across the bridge. I got to where I was staying at and I could see on 8th avenue there was all the protesters out there and I was just looking out and I wrote about it the day after. I walked out and marched with people a little bit but I was mostly kind of observing and seeing what was happening. It's a trip to watch people just completely rebel against the old order or whatever you want to call it and get to something that's more pure. There was this controlled chaos that was going on and it was happening all over the country. People don't want to feel obsolete."

In an interview with Spin, Big Boi has said he and Killer Mike are working on an joint EP together. He said: "We’ve been entertaining the idea for a long time and finally got enough songs to where we just said the other night that we’re gonna do it." No other word or info was given.

VINTAGE CLIP: Green Day on 'Letterman' in '94

To celebrate the announcement of a new Green Day album, take a look at this VINTAGE CLIP of the band performing "Basket Case" on Letterman in 1994.

Green Day Detail New Album

Green Day will release their first album in four years, Revolution Radio, in October. 

In a press release, Billie Joe Armstrong said: "Of course the world has lost its collective mind... and me, Mike and Tré are lost souls too,. Revolution Radio is a movement for lost souls to come together... dance together... sing together... and most of all, find each other. That's what the spirit of Green Day has been about since day one."

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single "Bang Bang."

1. Somewhere Now

2. Bang Bang

3. Revolution Radio

4. Say Goodbye

5. Outlaws

6. Bouncing Off The Wall

7. Still Breathing

8. Youngblood

9. Too Dumb To Die

10. Troubled Times

11. Forever Now

12. Ordinary World

Recommended Reading: Punk USA

Lookout! Records were a record label that helped define the 80s and early 90s punk scene in California's Bay Area. Signing bands like Green Day, Operation Ivy, The Mr. T Experience among the many they had on their roster, they would craft a sound that would move a generation out of the grunge era and into something so much brighter but just as important. Author Kevin Prested captured the importance, rise and fall of Lookout! in his 2014 novel, Punk USA.

The book, which gives an account as to how founder Lawrence Livermore founded the label to fund his own band The Lookouts album sessions in 1987, to how he discovered Green Day and released their first two albums. By the mid 90s the band were bringing in more money than they could imagine until one day it all went away. It is a story of rock and roll behind the scenes of the sex and drugs and the business end of things that came crashing down. In an era when major labels struggle, this is a lesson they could learn.

VINTAGE CLIP! Green Day Play A High School in 1990

Before they were Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Green Day had humble roots like most bands before they were rock stars. Footage of the band playing Pinole Valley High School in 1990, the school Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt attended, has surfaced online. The footage was loaded in 2013, but only now has been circulating. At the time, the band only had 39/Smooth out on Lookout! Records. Take a look at the performance!

Quick News

Sad news to report, British rockers Exit Calm are calling it quits. The band, who released two albums, partied ways and announced it on Facebook earlier this week. The band stated: "It's with a heavy heart that we announce to all our brilliantly loyal fans, and all the excellent people who have tirelessly invested time and money into our music, that we have sadly parted ways with Nicky Smith - a brilliant front man with whom have written 2 solid albums. Therefore we also announce the conclusion of exit calm." In 2011 we interviewed the band, take a look at that HERE.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Deftones Chino Moreno said that the band's follow-up to 2012's brilliant Koi No Yokan will arrive this fall and will be different from previously releases. The singer said, "I think it's a little more of a heady record. I feel like we've gone into the songs and really dissected them. If something sounded a little straight, we took a left turn and made things a little screwy. We just tried something completely opposite, not to sabotage it, but to challenge ourselves and try new things that we haven't done in the past. It definitely feels like we've taken a step from our last record. ut it's definitely a Deftones record, and it has all the elements that make us who we are. We're not going out there to change anything, other than just thinking outside the box."

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong will open a guitar shop next month in Oakland, California, called Broken Guitars. Armstrong is opening the shop with fellow musician Bill Schneider who told East Bay Express, "We want to be a shop for musicians. The focus is used American guitars: Gretsch, Fender, and not necessarily just vintage ones."

Later this month, Modest Mouse will release their first album in eight years and speaking to HMV, singer Isaac Brock says the follow-up to Strangers to Ourselves will arrive hopefully sooner than fans expect. He said, "I’m pretty far along with the next one as it is. I went in to making this one with two records in mind. It’ll be released as quickly as it’s legally allowed to be. It’s a partner to this one."

Snoop Dogg has been confirmed as the SXSW keynote speaker next week in Austin, Texas. The rapper also released the title and cover to his upcoming Pharrell produced album. The record, BUSH, will arrive in May. Take a look at the cover below: