Green Day whips through its decades of pop-punk hits at Coachella

Billie Joe Armstrong has invited enough audience members onstage to sing or play guitar with Green Day for a song or two that at this point you figure he’s developed a keen sense for what type of fan is likely to pull off the bit. But it’s possible the frontman has never called on somebody … Read more

The Dude really rocks: Jeff Bridges leans into raw truth of his music on the old/new songs of ‘Slow Magic’

With his extraordinary acting prowess, it’s no surprise that Jeff Bridges made “the Dude” as iconic as the greatest rock stars. However, most fans of “The Big Lebowski” probably aren’t aware that Bridges is a real rocker in his own right, a gifted singer-songwriter who plays both guitar and piano. Beyond his acclaimed performances in … Read more

Al Barile, guitarist with pioneering hardcore band SSD, dies at 63

Al Barile, who played guitar in the influential Boston hardcore band SS Decontrol — a linchpin of the drink-and-drug-shunning straight-edge scene of the early 1980s that also encompassed Washington’s Minor Threat — died Sunday at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He was 63. His death was announced on Instagram by his wife, Nancy Barile, who … Read more

Role Model returns to his songwriting roots and writes most sincere record yet

Role Model answered the phone while pacing around a Holiday Inn Express gym. The 27-year-old singer explained that he was trying to get a workout in before his Tampa, Fla., show later that night. Born Tucker Pillsbury, the in-demand musician was about two-thirds of the way through his tour’s North American leg. While talking about … Read more

The World of Warframe Gets Weirder Than Ever With a Living Guitar

Her name is Lizzie, she looks like a fleshy Stratocaster and she has big feelings about being attached to the hip of a rock star named Flare. Long-running online shooter Warframe’s Techrot Encore update amps up an already strange game by introducing, yes, a living guitar. That’s also a flamethrower. In a world with eldritch … Read more

Brian Setzer of Stray Cats fame reveals autoimmune disease’s toll: ‘I cannot play guitar’

For rockabilly musician Brian Setzer, his hands “cramping up” while on tour with Stray Cats last year was an early sign of a larger health issue. The 65-year-old rocker got candid about his health Thursday, writing on social media that he discovered after returning from tour “that I have an auto-immune disease.” Setzer, the pompadoured … Read more