Punk Greats Join Forces for a Good Cause

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Green Day might be going head to head for a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean the two punk icons can’t join forces for a good cause.

At the Little Kids Rock Benefit which took place last night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, Joan Jett was named “Rocker of the Year” a well deserved honor considering Jett’s contribution to the world of punk music. Jett performed at the benefit, but not without a little help from Green Day frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong.

Instead of picking a mainstream, well-known song from either of their lengthy catalogs, Jett and Armstrong went on to perform a song titled, “Don’t Abuse Me.” “Don’t Abuse Me” might not be a widely known song, but it was featured on Jett’s 1980’s album Bad Reputation.

Check out the joint performance below.

The Little Kids Rock Benefit is an event held every year since 2009. The event honors rock greats who help support music education in public schools; a stance that many musicians have taken. Since its creation, the foundation has raised millions of dollars to the cause.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Nominees Announced

It’s that time of year again; the time when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announce the nominees for the class of 2015.

Among the 15 artists being considered for inclusion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland are: Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, Lou Reed, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, N.W.A., Sting, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Marvelettes, The Spinners, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chic, War, and Bill Withers.

In order for a musician to be considered for a nomination into the Hall of Fame, their first recording (or debut record) must have been released at least 25 years ago.

For Green Day and Nine Inch Nails, this is the first year that either band have been eligible for consideration. Green Day’s debut record 1,000 Hours and Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine were both released in 1989.

Unlike Green Day and Nine Inch Nails, The Smith have been eligible for years now, but this is the first time they have been nominated. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts as well as N.W.A have been nominated a total of three times now, while Kraftwerk have been nominated one time before.

Lou Reed was previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of Velvet Underground while Sting was inducted as a member of The Police.

Ballots will now be sent out to an international voting body of over 600 rock experts which include artists, historians, and music industry members. The top five nominees with the most votes will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in April 2015.

Fans can also vote on their worthy nominees with the “fan’s ballot” which accounts for one of the 600 ballots. Fans have until Dec. 9 to put in their votes over at RollingStone. com.

Alternative Press to Hold Their Own Music Award Show

What do you do when your publication has been around for a while (like let’s say 30 years)? Well, form your own music awards and that’s exactly what Alternative Press has now done. 

The music magazine which many of us probably lived on during those rough teen years, has announced that they will be holding the inaugural Alternative Press Music Awards at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on July 21 in the magazine’s hometown of Cleveland. For those not able to attend, AXS TV will be broadcasting the show live. 

The show will be hosted by blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and will feature live performances. Performers that have been confirmed at the moment are Fall Out Boy, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, the Misfits, A Day To Remember, All Time Low, Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco, Asking Alexandria and twenty one pilots.

Also scheduled to make an appearance are Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides, Machine Gun Kelly, Frankie Palmeri of Emmure and more to be announced. 

Both Corgan and Jett will be receiving special honors for their influence in the genre of rock music. Corgan will receive the first “Alternative Press Vanguard Award” while Jett and her band will receive the “AP Icon Award,” because that is what she is, an icon. 

As for the actual award, fans can cast their votes here, but before you do so, check out the categories below and those that are nominated for them. 

ALTERNATIVE PRESS MUSIC AWARD NOMINEES:

Artist Of The Year Presented by Monster Energy Drink
A Day To Remember 
Avenged Sevenfold 
Black Veil Brides
Bring Me The Horizon
Fall Out Boy
Of Mice & Men
Panic! At The Disco
Paramore
Pierce The Veil
Sleeping With Sirens

Album Of The Year presented by Journeys
A Day To Remember • Common Courtesy
Avenged Sevenfold • Hail To The King
Black Veil Brides • Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones
Bring Me The Horizon • Sempiternal
Fall Out Boy • Save Rock And Roll 
Paramore • Paramore 
Sleeping With Sirens • Feel
Touché Amoré • Is Survived By 
twenty one pilots • Vessel
The Wonder Years • The Greatest Generation

Artist Philanthropic Award Presented by Sub City / Take Action
All Time Low — Skate4Cancer
Memphis May Fire— peta2
Modern Baseball — 1BlueString
Pierce The Veil — The Keep A Breast foundation
Rise Against — Shirts For A Cure
The Used — Living The Dream Foundation

Best Live Band
A Day To Remember 
All Time Low 
Asking Alexandria
Fall Out Boy
Pierce The Veil
twenty one pilots

Breakthrough Band
The Color Morale
Crown The Empire
Issues
letlive. 
The Story So Far
twenty one pilots

Song of the Year
All Time Low feat. Vic Fuentes • “A Love Like War”
Bring Me The Horizon • “Shadow Moses”
Fall Out Boy • “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)”
Falling In Reverse • “Alone”
Paramore • “Still Into You”
Sleeping With Sirens feat. Machine Gun Kelly • “Alone”

Best International Band
Asking Alexandria (U.K.)
Bring Me The Horizon (U.K.)
Crossfaith (Japan)
Parkway Drive (Australia)
Silverstein (Canada)
Frank Turner (U.K.)

Most Dedicated Fans Presented by Fearless Records 
All Time Low
Avenged Sevenfold 
Black Veil Brides
Mayday Parade
My Chemical Romance
Pierce The Veil

Best Vocalist
Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides)
Vic Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)
Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens)
Oli Sykes (Bring Me The Horizon)
Brendon Urie (Panic! At The Disco)
Hayley Williams (Paramore)

Best Guitarist
JB Brubaker (August Burns Red)
Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold) 
Phil Manansala (Of Mice & Men)
Jack O’Shea (Bayside)
Chris Rubey (The Devil Wears Prada) 
Jacky Vincent (Falling In Reverse)

Best Bassist
Jeremy Davis (Paramore)
Zack Merrick (All Time Low)
Ryan Neff (Miss May I)
Jaime Preciado (Pierce The Veil)
Devin “Ghost” Sola (Motionless In White)
Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy)

Best Drummer
Jess Bowen (The Summer Set)
Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots)
Mike Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)
Matt Greiner (August Burns Red)  
Luke Holland (The Word Alive)
Ryan Seaman (Falling In Reverse)

Artists Come Together to Celebrate Nirvana

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have finally been admitted to the museum and how else do you celebrate the honor than to host a big ceremony and then follow it up with an invite-only, intimate show?

That is exactly what went on last night. The remaining members of Nirvana -Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear- reunited at St. Vitus in Brooklyn, New York for an intimate set of Nirvana songs. Though Kurt Cobain left big shoes to fill, Joan Jett, St. Vincent, Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis, and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon all did their best to fill the role, even for one song.

Jett sang “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” St. Vincent performed “Lithium,” Gordon also sat in throughout the jam session while surprise guest Lorde took on “All Apologies.”

As for the ceremony, R.E.M. frontman, Michael Stipe was chosen to honor the band and that he did when he proclaimed that they “tapped into a voice that was yearning to be heard.” It also helped that Stipe was the godfather to Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter, Frances Bean.

Watch all the videos from the show here:

LORDE, “ALL APOLOGIES”:

JOAN JETT, “SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT”:

ST. VINCENT, “HEART SHAPED BOX”:

ST. VINCENT, “LITHIUM”:

Also included in this year’s induction class were  Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, KISS, The E Street Band and many, many more.

 

Joan Jett to Release New Album

Joan Jett announced yesterday that she will be releasing her first new album in over seven years. The new album will be titled, Unvarnished on October 1. Jett, who is known for her role in the Runaways, will be reuniting with her band The Blackhearts to put out the new album through her record label, also called Blackhearts.

In a press release, the frontwoman described the album as “a real band album. Everybody was involved.” Everybody includes the likes of Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Laura Jane Grace from Against Me!  as well as longtime collaborator, Kenny Laguna.

In the release, she also describes the new album as the most autobiographical to date. Topics for the songs will include dealing with the death of both her parents as well as the determination of Hurricane Sandy victims and other topics.

The first single off the album, “Any Weather” will hit iTunes on Tuesday then will debut live on Jimmy Kimmel that Thursday, August 8. Two versions of the album will be available, a standard version and a deluxe version which will include four bonus track. The full track list for both versions can be seen below.

“Unvarnished” (Standard Version)
1. Any Weather (606 Version)
2. TMI
3. Soulmates To Strangers
4. Make It Back
5. Hard To Grow Up
6. Fragile
7. Reality Mentality
8. Bad As We Can Be
9. Different
10. Everybody Needs A Hero

“Unvarnished” (Deluxe Version)
1. Any Weather (606 Version)
2. TMI
3. Soulmates To Strangers
4. Make It Back
5. Hard To Grow Up
6. Fragile
7. Reality Mentality
8. Bad As We Can Be
9. Different
10. I Know What I Know
11. Seriously
12. Different (Demo Version)
13. Any Weather (Blackhearts)
14. Everybody Needs A Hero

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

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