While 2020 was a tumultuous year, much of mainstream rock stayed the same by relying on status quo. This video takes a look at the Top 10 Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Of 2020.
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in Billboard magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in March 1981, as Rock Albums and Top Tracks, after which the name changed first to Top Rock Tracks, then to Album Rock Tracks, and finally to its present title in 1996.
The Podcast That Rocked episode for 12/29/20 featuring Geaux Gretchen. This episode is a casual recap of some of the best and worst moments of 2020 in rock, metal, alternative, etc. At the very least, we can at least say this year was not boring.
The Best And Worst Of 2020 | The Podcast That Rocked
The Podcast That Rocked on Spotify
Discussion Topics: -Neil Peart, Eddie Van Halen, etc. -Tool won a Grammy for “7empest” -Live Stream concerts -Bring Me The Horizon made a big comeback and future plans -BLM Movement showed how many bands and musicians felt -System Of A Down came out with “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”: first new songs in 15 years -Women in rock get slightly more attention than the bare minimum -Vinyl had its best week AND year ever -Trapt… -2021 gives us much to look forward to -Much more
Thanks to everyone who listened to the podcast this year through YouTube, Twitch, Spotify, etc. You’ve helped the podcast grow steadily through the year. Onward and upward through 2021.
‘Twas the night of December 28, 2019, when all through The Crofoot Ballroom, creatures were stirring, moshing and expelling guttural screams. Detroiters WILSON were on stage delivering one last dose of their signature “fuckery sound,” which they hold so close. Smashing drums, deafening bass, roaring guitars and searing vocals were enjoyed by WILSON fans — from the world over, not just locals. Knowing this could very well be the final time, WILSON performed an unforgettable set that many would call sublime.
THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT. LIVEcaptures the show in all its glory and gives a taste to all those fans who could not attend. The energy, the attitude, the fuckery, and even the heartbreak are all visceral in this collection of 10 songs from the band’s last ever performance.
THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT. LIVE (NovelGoot) will be available at all DSPs on January 29, 2021, with pre-orders beginning January 15. The song “Dumptruck” is now available as the first release from the album. “Dumptruck” is a sonic punch to the face as it kicks in with gang vocals chanting, “This shit bumps, this shit fucks, this shit dumps like a dump truck.”
Knowing it was ambiguous if the band would continue after 2019, WILSON decided to play one last very special show in their hometown of Detroit, Michigan as a thank you to all of their longtime fans and supporters. Having all of the rooms at The Crofoot Ballroom in nearby Pontiac, MI at their disposal, the band held a pre-party for a limited number of fans in the Pike Room as well as a silent auction of WILSON lifeline items like backdrops, music video props and costumes, stage props, and even Chad’s beard which he had shaved off in 2016. All proceeds went to the charities Lighthouse Of Oakland County and MusiCares.
The sold-out 1200 capacity venue saw people attending from all over the US, as well as hosting fans from Sweden, Germany and the UK who dared not miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. For the band, the show was extremely emotional with the energy and anxiety going through the roof. With family, friends and fans new and old in attendance, the band roared through 19 songs from 2015’s RIGHT TO RISE and 2018’s TASTY NASTYalbums, of which the band have curated their 10 favorites for this collection.
The room was loud with WILSON’s manic performance and approving roars from the audience. It had that ripe, but sweet smell that only a hall full of sweaty humans and a floor soaked with years of stale beer can create. “The emotion dripped from all of our eyes,” says lead singer Chad Nicefield. (Though that could’ve also come from the smell.) They’ve captured all of that with this release, defining their legacy and cementing their place in the annals of Detroit Rock City history.
“I had the show recorded at the time for the purpose of us to listen back to it and hold that moment in our hands and minds forever,” says Nicefield. “I don’t think any of us had even thought about releasing a live record at that time. It wasn’t until our friend Josh Sobeck (one of our favorite live Sound Engineers) randomly sent me a mix of ‘Dumptruck’ he had put together that we imagined showing this moment to anyone else. Thankfully he did, though! One listen to that track and it was clear as could be…the fans deserve to own this moment with us. So, cheers to you all, the REAL Masters Of Ceremony! This one goes out to the house that Fuckery built! See you all again one day, maybe?”
To which Lloyd Christmas would say, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”
In the meantime, while it is bittersweet that the band chose to end their decade long run as WILSON that night (for now, anyway), it is exciting and completely appropriate that they would gift their fans with one last full blast of their signature “fuckery sound,” and that is THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT. LIVE.
THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT. LIVETrack Listing: 1. Dumptruck 2. Wrong Side Of History 3. Give Em Hell 4. Windows Down! 5. Summertime Treat (Tasty Nasty) 6. The Flood 7. All My Friends 8. Fuck Up My High 9. Like A Baller 10. House Of Fuckery
Today, ††† (Crosses) have dropped a surprise release, a cover of “The Beginning of the End” by ’90s electropop band Cause & Effect.
††† (Crosses) – “The Beginning Of The End”
This is the first new music from the alternative band, fronted by Chino Moreno (Deftones) and guitarist Shaun Lopez, since their 2014-released, self-titled record.
Buy or stream the track here or listen by clicking below! Let us know what you think on Twitter. Click here to follow.
Keep an eye out for more news about ††† (Crosses) and hopefully we’ll get more new music from then and every other band we love. Let’s be honest, we could all do with some good news in 2021 and now that it’s a week away, it’s easy to have a little hope.
Also, that link above for the best albums of 2020 is a good place to check out what you may have missed. Even though 2020 was rough, there was some great music that came out this past year, including Deftones, Trivium, and more.
The Podcast That Rocked episode for 12/22/20 ft. Geaux Gretchen. Discussion on the US Stimulus Package including concert venue relief, Taylor Momsen’s interview on new music and mental health, Starset remix contest, Greta Van Fleet trying something new, and more.
Stimulus Relief For US Concert Venues | The Podcast That Rocked
The Podcast That Rocked on Spotify
Discussion Topics: -Stimulus Package for Concert Venues in the US. -Will we get concerts in 2021? -Taylor Momsen gives in-depth interview/The Pretty Reckless coming back in 2021. -Greta Van Fleet trying to sound different. -“Shame Shame” does not represent Foo Fighters well. -Starset offering remix contest. -Billboard Mainstream Rock Top 3
Breaking down the Shinedown discography and compromising where to put each album in a tier list from gold to trash. Joined by Geaux Gretchen, this video is all about Shinedown, how we love the band, and discussing each album.
Click below to watch the tier list discussion and scroll below to hear some of our favorite Shinedown songs.
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of Dreve, his previous band. Smith, still under contract with record labelAtlantic Records, recruited the band’s original lineup of Jasin Todd as guitarist, Brad Stewart on bass, and Barry Kerch on drums. Consistent for the first two album cycles, a few lineup changes followed in the late 2000s, eventually stabilizing with Smith and Kerch alongside Zach Myers on guitar and Eric Bass on bass. The group has released six studio albums: Leave a Whisper (2003), Us and Them (2005), The Sound of Madness (2008), Amaryllis (2012), Threat to Survival (2015), and Attention Attention (2018). Shinedown has sold more than ten million records worldwide, and has had the most number one singles on the BillboardMainstream Rock charts out of any band, with 16.
Heavy Metal heroes SABATON have just reached the amazing amount of 1 million subscribers on their YouTube channel. To celebrate this, as part of their Advent Calendar, they surprise-released an animated video-clip for their hymn ‘No Bullets Fly’, taken from their “Heroes” album.
The video tells the story of Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown, two (enemy!) pilots in the second world war. While Charlie’s plane was severely damaged and the pilot hurt, Franz decided instead of shooting him down, to risk his own life and escort him into safety. Both survived and over 50 years later they met each other again and became very close friends. A lovely story, that did not became public before 1990.
SABATON’s latest album, “The Great War”, was released in 2019 and it hit the #1 in the charts in various countries including Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. The record has been lauded by fans and critics since its debut on worldwide charts last summer, and features numerous colossal singles like ‘Great War’, ’82nd All The Way’, ’The Red Baron’ and ‘Fields of Verdun’.
SABATON Live:
2021: 05.06. AT Nickelsdorf – Novarock 18.06 DK Copenhagen – Copenhell 06.07. DE Frankfurt – Deutsche Bank Park 14.07. RUS Moscow – Park Live Festival 15.07. BG Mogilovo – Midalidare Rock 2021 17.07. GR Athens – Release Festival 07.08. SE Falun – Sabaton Open Air 20.08. CZ Moravsky Krumlov – Rock Castle 29.08. CH Aarburg – Riverside Open Air 11.09. US Orlando – Orlando Amphitheater 13.09. US Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion 17.09. US Youngstown, OH – Covelli Center 22.09. US Milwaukee, WI – Miller Life High Theater 25.09. US St. Louis, MO- Saint Louis Music Park 29.09. US Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom 06.10. US Los Angeles, CA – Microsoft Theater 08.10. US Las Vegas, NV – Zappos Theatre at Planet Hollywood 09.10. US Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre 12.10. US San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum 13.10. US Austin, TX – H-E-B Center 15.10. US Dallas, TX – Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory 16.10. US Oklahoma City, OK – The Zoo Amphitheatre 28.10. US Oxon Hill, MD – MGM National Harbor 30.10. US Ledyard, CT – Foxwood Casino Arena
2022: 07.01. SE Karlstad – Nöjesfabriken 08.01. SE ÖrebroConventum – Kongress 10.01. SE Halmstad – Live 11.01. SE Mölnlycke – Råda Rum 12.01. SE Kalmar – KalmarSalen 14.01. SE Skellefteå – Sara Kulturhus 15.01. SE Piteå – Rivierahallen Pite Havsbad 16.01. SE Luleå – Kulturens Hus 18.01. SE Huskvarna – Folkets Park 19.01. SE Linköping – Garden 21.01. SE Sundsvall – Avenyn 22.01. SE Umeå – Idun Folkets Hus 23.01. SE Östersund – Folkets Hus 24.01. SE Gävle – Gasklockorna 26.01. SE Uppsala – Uppsala Konsert & Kongress 27.01. SE Eskilstuna – Lokomotivet 28.01. SE Borås – Åhaga 29.01. SE Älmhult – Arenan Älmhults Handelsplats 31.01. SE Helsingborg – Sundspärlan 01.02. SE Malmö – Slagthuset 02.02. SE Kristianstad – Södra Kasern 04.02. SE Karlshamn – Bellevueparken 05.02. SE Skövde – Valhall 06.02. SE Trollhättan – Apollon 07.02. SE Värnamo – Gummifabriken 09.02. SE Ronneby – Klubb Ronn 10.02. SE Norrköping – Flygeln 11.02. SE Borlänge – Galaxen 12.02. SE Falun – Magasinet
As the world gazes up at the sky for Jupiter and Saturn to unite in Aquarius, Starbenders have immortalized the Great Conjunction with a live video of their single, ‘Holy Mother‘. The band captured what they do best, playing live while feeding off of one another’s energy. ‘Holy Mother‘ is sonically built upon a Godzilla-sized riff which provides the perfect launchpad for Kimi Shelter‘s signature raven-winged vocals.
Speaking about the music video, Kimi Shelter shared:
“We wanted an opportunity to connect with the people, so we set up some microphones and blasted through a raw performance of ‘Holy Mother’. Our wish is for you to take Starbenders home for the holidays. The band sends all our love to you as we glow into the fifth dimension.”
Watch the live music video for ‘Holy Mother‘ here or by clicking the image below.
There really isn’t anyone else out there doing what Starbenders have been since forming in 2014: The intoxicating combination of ’70s glitter and ’80s glam with new wave and new romantic, seduced into this new decade by four thrilling musicians and, in frontwoman Kimi Shelter, one of the most exciting songwriters in contemporary rock & roll.
The band is completed by bassist Aaron Lecesne, guitarist Kriss Tokaji and drummer Emily Moon. The band’s latest album, “Love Potions“, sees Starbenders moving in a more adventurous and slightly experimental direction.
THE PRETTY RECKLESS have shared the official video for their gripping new single “25.” Watch it here & below:
Singer Taylor Momsen spoke exclusively to PAPER about the video. Read the interview here.
Can’t get enough of this track? Then, watch an absolutely powerhouse live performance of “25” here.
The Pretty Reckless will release their fourth album, Death By Rock And Roll, on February 12 via Fearless Records. Pre-orders are live here.
The album, which follows 2010’s Light Me Up, 2014’s Going To Hell, and 2016’s Who You Selling For, is titled after the first single, which rocketed to No. 1 on the rock charts and held strong for several weeks. It marked the fifth No. 1 single of the band’s career and was heralded by Paper, Loudwire, CNN, Forbes, and more. The band also has the incredible and impressive distinction of being the first female-fronted band to have back-to-back No. 1 singles at the active rock format and the first female-fronted act to have five No. 1 singles on the Billboard chart.
DEATH BY ROCK AND ROLL TRACK LISTING: “Death By Rock And Roll” “Only Love Can Save Me Now” “And So It Went” “25” “My Bones” “Got So High” “Broomsticks” “Witches Burn” “Standing At The Wall” “Turning Gold” “Rock And Roll Heaven” “Harley Darling”
LA alternative metal band Gemini Syndrome releases the music video for their new single “Reintegration” today via Another Century. Watch the music video, directed by Brian Cox (Bring Me The Horizon, The Used, Starset), HERE. The track, which is the first release off the band’s forthcoming full-length album, is also available to purchase and stream, HERE.
“Our video for ‘Reintegration’ tells the story of an initiate’s journey as he travels through the various stages of initiation,” states Gemini Syndrome vocalist Aaron Nordstrom about the video. “We follow him as he walks away from his past in an effort to find himself by facing and overcoming various trials and tribulations, until he ultimately ascends to the highest version of himself.”
Brian Steele Medina, Gemini Syndrome’s drummer, adds, “We worked with director Brian Cox again, who is a good friend and a visionary artist, who also happens to be stuck in UK due to quarantine restrictions. These unique times forced us to get creative. Between shooting the live band shots in the US, animations done in Portugal, rendered in Russia, and edited in UK, this ended up being a worldwide collaboration.”
“The video for ‘Reintegration’ allowed me to re-connect with my inner layers, distortions and glitches, reestablishing my continued search of artistic clarity,” states director Brian Cox. 2020 has been a force to allow us to think outside of the box. Directed all the way from my studio in England, band performance shot on location in the US, animations created in Portugal… this video truly is a worldwide collaboration”
GEMINI SYNDROME spent the better part of 2018-2019 writing the final installment of their long planned three album trilogy. They retreated to drummer Brian Steele Medina’s Las Vegas home studio, where they meticulously crafted song after song, relentlessly reworking and rearranging the musical arrangements until they were fully satisfied. After an exhaustive writing process, GEMINI SYNDROME relocated to Good Sounds Studio in Tempe AZ, where producer Matt Good would help realize the collection of songs. Medina recalls, “We absolutely loved working with Matt and he completely understood where we wanted to take this album creatively and what it was going to take to bring the third chapter of this trilogy to light. Our actual collective blood, sweat and tears went into its creation.”
“Reintegration” is the band’s first new music since the release of their sophomore album Memento Mori (2016), which hit #1 on Billboard Heatseakers Chart and spawned five singles: “Eternity“, “Anonymous“, “AliveInside“, “SorryNotSorry“, and “RememberWeDie“. Stay tuned for more details about the band’s forthcoming third album by following the band on socials.
Gemini Syndrome is Aaron Nordstrom (vocals, keyboards), Brian Steele Medina (drums, programming), Alessandro “AP” Paveri (bass), Meegs Rascon (guitar), and Nicholas Paul Arnold (touring guitar).
