Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
Movie Soundtracks That Changed Alternative Music
If you thought movie soundtracks were just noises in the back that worked up movie plots, think again. Sometimes, they change lives, make teens practice music in their garage and turn out to be music legends like Nirvana or Billy Holiday. Sometimes, the thrums of those like Slash's guitar solos and Joe Satriani are inspired by more than drugs and booze. Sometimes, it is these movie soundtracks that instill the idea to make a difference, to make music the likes of which have never existed before. From the blues and hip-hop of old jazz movies to the present-day electronic and grunge solos, movie soundtracks continue to reshape the music world every day.
By Beat Staff8 years ago in Beat
Most Famous Music Break Ups In History
Everyone loves one form of music or another, and every person has a band they love, and every person has a music breakup they never forgot. Bands come and go, but their music can last forever. When you hear a band you love, it can change everything for you. When that band breaks up, it can seem like your own family is breaking up.
By Adam Quinn8 years ago in Beat
Christopher Makos' 'White Trash' Book Review
The organic and semantic problem of decadence is its capacity to bore; an absence of vitality, no matter how stylishly served, puts one on the nod faster than a freshly rolled one right before bedtime. Christopher Makos, photographer to the beautiful catatonics of the 1970s, assembled a not-uninteresting and widely selling collection of New Wave photo scenes.
By Arnold Seleskey8 years ago in Beat
Unmasking The Punk Underground
He's tough tonight, with a non-filter cigarette dangling from his soft, adolescent lips as beads of warm sweat run down his hairless chest. Standing in front of the New York rock club, CBGB, he's imagining himself as Brando, flexing his self-image, imagining knife fights in alleys or plugging chicks like there's no tomorrow. Tough, real tough, like the rock band inside, the Ramones, who are the essence of the emerging rock trend, punk rock.
By Adam Quinn8 years ago in Beat
'Rock N Roll Is Here to Pay' Book Review
Steve Chapple and Reebee Garofalo's Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Pay, together with Geoffrey Stokes' equally outstanding Star Making Machinery, should be considered required reading for anyone with a serious interest in either popular music or American methods of merchandising culture. It contains an incredible amount of information pertaining to the rise of pop music as the dominant force in the entertainment industry, far too much to even attempt to describe here. But this look back on the origins of marketing in the music industry is a relevant lesson for those interested in navigating a world where Spotify has usurped the power of big labels.
By Arnold Seleskey8 years ago in Beat
Elvis Costello's Classic 'My Aim Is True'
For a while, at the beginning of his journey especially, some thought he was another Elvis Presley rip-off. That was, of course, before they heard him. He had his name long before the King died. Elvis Costello initially broke out in England, and remained a mystery in America for the first few years of his success.
By Frank White8 years ago in Beat
Back Together Again: Bands That Have Survived a Hiatus
When our favorite bands began rocking fans, we all thought they were here to stay. It never crossed our minds that it would get to a point where they would be on a list of "bands that have survived a hiatus." We've all witnessed bands like One Direction taking a break, unsure why and for how long. Maybe being part of a band isn’t as much of a fun, sunshine and roses experience as we outsiders think. Or could it be internal differences that rarely go public that make these bands call it quits, only to reunite later?
By Adam Quinn8 years ago in Beat
History of the Lighter at Concerts
It's an image we all know: thousands of people holding lighters in the air, in flickering tribute to their favorite musicians. No concert is complete without it; it's a way of bringing people together during the most emotional parts of a concert, and also used by fans to request an encore or show their overall appreciation.
By Will Vasquez8 years ago in Beat
Add These Best 70s New Wave Songs to Your Playlist
I have about 2000 albums—that's vinyl for all you digital people. 1000 or so are classical, collected during my early teens, better known as the 70s. The collection is particularly strong on Beethoven, boasting perhaps 9 versions of his only opera, Fidelio. Lieder - classical German songs composed to poetry - is well covered, and so is chamber music of the 19th and 20th centuries.
By Adam Quinn8 years ago in Beat
Strange Music Genres You Need to Know. Top Story - December 2016.
While musical genres like rap, rock, pop, hip hop, jazz, R&B and EDM have huge audiences and are known all over the world, there are many more interesting types of music that are worth discovering. Some are a fusion of categories, while others are their own bizarre niche. Either way, it's worth opening your ears and expanding your playlists with these strange musical genres.
By George Gott8 years ago in Beat