Guides

  1. Detroit Garage Rock With the Stooges’ Fire Still BurningDetroit has never needed permission to sound dangerous. Its best rock bands carry the city’s industrial weight into rehearsal rooms, turning cheap amplifiers,…
  2. Why Every Rock Fan Should Visit Los Angeles’ Sunset StripThe Sunset Strip is more than a bright stretch of Sunset Boulevard. It is a living chapter of rock history, where club stages, record stores, neon signs, and…
  3. The Untold Story of the First Rock Festival Ever HeldBefore festival season became a branded industry of wristbands, sponsor villages, and giant LED screens, rock music gathered in far less predictable…
  4. Bruce Springsteen’s Lyrical Genius, Line by LineBruce Springsteen writes about America as a lived experience rather than an abstract ideal. His songs contain factories, boardwalks, highways, bars, churches,…
  5. The Best Rock Songs to Play at Maximum Volume in Your CarSome songs are built for headphones, some for a crowded club, and some for the long stretch of highway when the stereo becomes part of the vehicle. The best…
  6. How The British Invasion Rewired American RockWhen British bands crossed the Atlantic in the 1960s, American rock was already a powerful cultural force. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Elvis…
  7. Rediscovering the lost art of the rock concept albumThe rock concept album once turned a collection of songs into a larger artistic statement. A record could follow a character, build an imaginary city, trace a…
  8. Why the Bass Guitar Deserves More Respect in Rock HistoryRock history is often told through guitar solos, flamboyant frontmen, and drummers who seem to attack their kits. The bass guitar usually appears in the…
  9. The Forgotten Masterpieces of 1970s Prog RockProgressive rock is often reduced to a familiar gallery of giants: Close to the Edge, Selling England by the Pound, The Dark Side of the Moon. Those records…
  10. Why the One-Hit Wonder Deserves a Place in Rock HistoryRock history is often told through the careers of icons: the bands with sprawling discographies, celebrated reunions, and decades of influence. That version of…