Guides

  1. How the ’90s Alternative Explosion Changed Rock ForeverThe 1990s did more than deliver a new wave of guitar music. Alternative rock redrew the map of popular culture, pushing college-radio sounds into arenas,…
  2. The Dark Side Of Rock Stardom: Addiction, Burnout, And ComebacksRock mythology has always made excess look cinematic. The trashed hotel room, the endless tour, the chemically fueled encore, and the artist who seems capable…
  3. Following Route 66 Through America’s Rock HistoryRoute 66 is more than a line across a map. From Chicago to Santa Monica, the historic highway threads through neighborhoods, truck stops, neon towns, desert…
  4. The Studio Players Who Built Rock’s Greatest SoundsRock history often celebrates the singer at the microphone, the guitarist in the spotlight, and the songwriter whose name appears first on the sleeve. Yet many…
  5. Why Vinyl Records Still Matter in the Age of SpotifySpotify has made nearly every recorded song available in seconds. Its playlists can move from a new garage-rock single to a forgotten punk B-side without…
  6. Our Pick: The Month’s Ten Best Rock SinglesRock is at its best when a song feels immediate: a riff that grabs the room, a vocal that sounds one breath away from breaking, or a chorus built to survive…
  7. The evolution of the rock music video from MTV to YouTubeA rock song once needed more than a strong chorus and a memorable riff to break through. It needed an image: a leather jacket, a smoky stage, a smashed guitar,…
  8. Behind the Setlist: A Touring Rock Musician’s Long DayA day in the life of a touring rock musician rarely begins with a dramatic entrance, a wall of amplifiers, or a roaring crowd. It often starts in a parked bus,…
  9. How to discover new rock music when algorithms fail youStreaming platforms are excellent at delivering familiar sounds, but familiarity is often the limit of their imagination. Once an algorithm decides you like a…
  10. The Most Controversial Rock Albums Ever ReleasedRock has always made a habit of provoking polite society. Its loudest records have challenged religious beliefs, sexual conventions, political authority,…