Tag: "The Beatles"

It’s that time of the year again: gearing up for the inevitable onslaught that is the South by Southwest schedule. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. To make it a little easier to pick through the massive amount of events going on, we’ve highlighted the five best music-related films for you to check out, along with a handy “when to watch” guide to enhance your viewing experience.

Broadway Idiot & ¡Cuatro!

>

It’s a two-for-one deal for Green Day this year, so we’re grouping the dual documentaries on the band into a single punktastic category. Broadway Idiot focuses on Billie Joe Armstrong’s transition to the Broadway stage for the theatrical rendition of the band’s 2004 rock opus American Idiot, while ¡Cuatro! focuses on the making of the band’s recent trilogy of albums.

Watch it after: Missing your favorite punk band’s set in favor of that “awesome new shoegaze, EDM meets post-punk” act that your friend misguidedly recommended. Continue reading ’5 Most Anticipated Music Films Of SXSW’

This Year’s South By Southwest Festival will see the premiere of several notable music documentaries, with themes ranging from the digital download revolution to a little-known secretary for The Beatles. The new documentary Downloaded tracks the precipitous rise and fall of Napster and the whiz kids behind it: Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker. Fun fact: it’s directed by Alex Winter. Don’t know the name? Well, surely you know Bill S. Preston, esquire. Yep, that’s right. The new documentary film is directed by Keanu Reeves’ co-star in the famous Bill and Ted movies. Though it might come as a surprise, Winter made the jump to directing in 1993 with the comedy sci-fi flick Freaked. Excellent.

Another SXSW premiere this year is Good ‘Ol Freda, which tells the almost entirely unacknowledged life story of Freda Kelly, the president of the Beatles Fan Club, and the band’s “secretary” for 11 years. Kelly became close to the band during their early days as an up-and-coming Liverpool act and stayed loyal to the band during their rise to fame and subsequent breakup. The film depicts how, “as the Beatles’ devoted secretary and friend, Freda was there as history unfolded; she was witness to the evolution – advances and setbacks, breakthroughs and challenges – of the greatest band in history.” Even more reason to get excited for SXSW 2013.

More like this:

• SXSW Announces Third Wave Of Bands
• SXSW Add 600 Bands To Line Up

To those of you who haven’t fainted yet from disbelief at the sight of that headline, I can assure you this is no joke.

For the first time in 20 years, the two surviving members of the legendary ’90s grunge band Nirvana will reunite for a special charity performance tonight in New York to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy. However, since their iconic frontman Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, the reunion calls for a replacement. So, who better to join drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic than the great Sir Paul McCartney?

That’s right. If a Nirvana reunion didn’t sound bizarre enough, then allow Macca to be the icing on the awkward cake. According to The Sun, the 70-year-old pop rock legend was asked by Grohl to “jam with some mates,” who, unbeknownst to the Beatle, turned out to be Nirvana with the addition of unofficial fourth member Pat Smear.

Next thing you know, they’re playing a reunion show for a star-studded audience like it’s no big deal. Can you even imagine Macca’s aged British accent uttering the angst-ridden drugged out gravely vocals on “Smells Like Tean Spirit?” Who would have thought that “Rape Me” would be sung by the same guy who performed “Yellow Submarine.” Well, millions of listeners are about to find out tonight. It will certainly be a spectacle, that’s for sure. Let’s just hope this is a one time tribute.

If you like Nirvana, then you might also like OurStage’s own Fiction Reform.

More Like This:

Courtney Love (Ew) Says Nirvana Musical (Gross) Isn’t Happening (Thank God)
Watch The Official Trailer For Dave Grohl’s “Sound City” Documentary
GRAMMY Nom Says The Beatles are History/iTunes Brings Them Up To Date

• L(atin)MFAO
• Nicki takes us back to high school.
• Macca the vegetarian.
• If only One Direction were cast in Star Wars for real.
• Franco, Lohan, and R.E.M.
• That’s right, Mumford.

What’s underneath those beards, anyway? Anyone who has ever lent an ear to the legacy of long-lived boogie rock legends ZZ Top can tell you that there’s a fair share of Texas blues in the band’s background. But as an elegantly appointed new boxed set makes clear, the backstory of Billy Gibbons—the Top’s singer and guitarist since their ’69 inception—also boasts a heaping helping of psychedelia.

Moving Sidewalks – The Complete Collection, just released by reissue specialists Rockbeat Records, chronicles the journey of a young Billy Gibbons through the Houston music scene of the mid-to-late ‘60s on his way to forming the band that would become a rock & roll phenomenon. If you’ve ever yearned to peek beneath the fulsome facial hair of the famous frontman, either literally or figuratively, all you have to do is open up this enticing package. Not only does the photo-laden 54-page booklet offer up images of a clean-shaven, baby-faced Billy in his teens as a member of The Coachmen and then the Moving Sidewalks, the two CDs encompass the entirety of both bands’ output. Continue reading ‘Riffs, Rants & Rumors: Putting ZZ Top’s Fuzzy Past in Focus’

• Paul gets toasty.
• This is as much of a semi–endorsement as you’re gonna get, Obama.
• Another thing that Kurt would have hated.
• Amy Winehouse: the play.
• Diddy is unbreakable.
• Voodoo, as it was meant to be heard.

• Canadians stick together. Genetically.
• The baddest men alive.
• I am not a thief.
• That footage is going to be online so fast.
• A PSA from Sean Penn and…Kid Rock?
• The Beatles like you’ve never seen them before.

• Oh, it’s not “Rack City?” We’re surprised.
• A crazy meeting of the minds.
• This is a supergroup if there ever was one.
• Please, Paul!
• Take that, ex-girlfriend.
• Stephen Jenkins will write you a message…for $250.

• Sure you are, One Direction. Keep dreaming.
• Jay-Z commutes to his shows just like a normal New Yorker.
• Jesus Christ(ina).
• Mumford & Sons keep having the best month ever.
• This dad needs a head check.
• The saga continues.

• Seoul Style!
• Happy golden anniversary, Beatlemania.
• Hip–hop respect for grunge.
• A surprisingly hipster soundtrack.
• Most people would agree with you, Chino.
• This is the coolest youth soccer team ever.