Mike Palm stories, Page 14
Interview: Gwar singer Blöthar the Berserker on entitlement, blood, Lzzy Hale and moreVideo
For the uninitiated, a Gwar concert could be considered an otherworldly experience, appropriate for the shock rock band whose mythology includes intergalactic warriors. With band members named Sawborg Destructo, Grodius Maximus and Bonesnapper, just to name a few, Gwar features over-the-top costumes, geysers of (fake) blood and mock executions accompanied...
Atlanta Rhythm Section’s Rodney Justo on rejoining after 40 years, maintaining band’s legacyVideo
When Rodney Justo, the original lead singer of Atlanta Rhythm Section, left the music business in the 1980s, he did more than retire. He “over-quit.” “I didn’t sing a note, I didn’t listen to music,” Justo said in a recent call from his home in Tampa, Fla. “For a guy...
Randy Bachman talks The Guess Who lawsuit resolution, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and ‘better days’
After years of legal wranglings over The Guess Who name, Randy Bachman is thrilled that it’s finally been resolved. The saga pitted Bachman and Burton Cummings, the band’s principal songwriters, against drummer Garry Peterson and bassist Jim Kale. It’s a complicated tale involving trademarks, accusations of tainting the group’s legacy,...
Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper deliver horror-infused rock in Pittsburgh showVideo
Every night could be Halloween on the Freaks on Parade tour, co-headlined by Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. Zombie, who also writes and directs horror movies besides his musical career, and Cooper, the godfather of shock rock, brought their unique but complementary versions of horror business Tuesday night to the...
Staind guitarist Mike Mushok dishes on Pittsburgh anecdotes, new album and tour
Back in 1999, Staind hit the road for a weekend of festival appearances, starting with a Pittsburgh show at the WXDX X-Fest at Star Lake. After playing on the secondary stage, they went to check out some of the main-stage acts, and that’s when Staind guitarist Mike Mushok became, ahem,...
Green Day mash punk, arena rock together for Pittsburgh extravaganza
The music setting the mood for Green Day’s concert Sunday night couldn’t have been more fitting. First came “Bohemian Rhapsody” from arena rock heavyweights Queen, followed by the punk anthem “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones and then a mix of “The Imperial March,” “We Will Rock You” and “I Love...
Actor/singer Charles Esten on growing up in Pittsburgh, new album, making connectionsVideo
Charles Esten came oh so close to having a perfect weekend in his hometown. Esten, who starred in ABC’s “Nashville” and Netflix’s “Outer Banks,” is also a musician, with a show on Sept. 7 at City Winery Pittsburgh. And his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers open the season on Sept. 8 —...
Jack White tears through heavy, ripping set in intimate Pittsburgh showVideo
Jack White blasted through a 90-minute set of raw blues/punk Thursday night at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale. Just announced on Tuesday, the show sold out in minutes on Wednesday afternoon, leading to a long, winding line at the ticket gate, with fans who struck out offering anywhere from $250...
Green Day, Outlaw Music Fest, Luke Bryan highlight September’s top Pittsburgh area concerts
A stadium show, a bill with three music icons and a country concert at a Westmoreland County farm highlight the top shows coming in September to Western Pennsylvania. Top concerts Sept. 1: Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, The Linda Lindas at PNC Park The veteran punk rockers Green Day are...
Jack White announces Pittsburgh show with just 2 days’ noticeVideo
Jack White is coming to Pittsburgh for an intimate show … on Thursday. Known for his work in the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and his solo projects, the veteran Detroit rocker announced on social media Tuesday that he’ll playing a trio of new shows. The first of the three shows...
Singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz discusses ‘Polaroid Lovers’ album, co-writing and more ahead of Pittsburgh show
As singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz pondered album titles for her most recent release, she wound up selecting “Polaroid Lovers,” enjoying the way it sounded and rolled off her tongue, as well as its multiple meanings. “There’s the very literal meaning of two lovers, two people in a Polaroid photograph, which is...
Singer Taylor Acorn talks about her ties to Pittsburgh, new album and ‘People Watching’ videoVideo
Pop-punk singer Taylor Acorn is originally from Wellsboro in north-central Pennsylvania and is currently living in Nashville. But she feels like she’s going to wind up in Pittsburgh someday, since her partner of five years grew up in Johnstown and his family now lives in Cranberry. “So every Christmas, birthday,...
Melissa Etheridge embraces hope ahead of headlining Women Who Rock benefit in PittsburghVideo
When Melissa Etheridge started making a name for herself in the music business in the late 1980s and early 1990s, she came in with a wave of other women, citing Tracy Chapman, Jewel, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Indigo Girls. “We all kind of showed up around the same four-,...
Australian singer Angie McMahon discusses new ‘Light Sides’ EP, songwriting, vulnerability ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
Australian singer/songwriter Angie McMahon has discovered joy in the little things of being on the road in the United States, whether it’s the novelty of the different snacks available at gas stations, good Mexican food or even experiencing snow here earlier this year. “It’s pretty special. And it’s just so...
Interview: Fantastic Cat’s Anthony D’Amato talks ‘indie supergroup,’ switching instruments, Adam DuritzVideo
The indie folk/rock band Fantastic Cat definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously. From their truth-stretching band bio to the cheeky slogan on their top-selling T-shirt to the giant cat heads appearing on their album covers, the self-dubbed “supergroup” started as a fun little project and has grown into something more....
Singer Merce Lemon shares new video, talks about balance, new album, Pittsburgh as a home baseVideo
If all goes right, Pittsburgh musician Merce Lemon may be making a splash nationally when her new album, “Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild,” drops in September. Lemon made a different kind of splash recently when she dropped her phone into the Allegheny River near Aspinwall, where she was working...
Doobie Brothers’ Pat Simmons talks about band’s longevity, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame validationVideo
When guitarist Pat Simmons stops to ponder his 50-plus years with The Doobie Brothers, it can get a little surreal to him. The band celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020 (with a tour pushed back to 2021-22 because of the covid pandemic), and Simmons still isn’t quite sure how to...
James McMurtry on scaled-down touring, Americana and more ahead of free Pittsburgh showVideo
The music industry has been turned on its head since James McMurtry released his first album, “Too Long in the Wasteland,” back in 1989. “The business model at that time was you would tour to support record sales in the hopes that you would sell enough records to live off...
Review: Slipknot brings Here Comes the Pain 25th anniversary tour to PittsburghVideo
When bands launch album anniversary tours, they generally play that album and sprinkle in the rest of their hits throughout the set or save them for the encore. Not so for Slipknot, who brought their Here Comes the Pain 25th anniversary tour to the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown...
With arms wide open: Pittsburgh welcomes Creed on Summer of ’99 tourVideo
Creed, one of the biggest bands in modern rock, is no stranger to struggles. Despite selling millions and millions of records, the post-grunge band could never seem to win over music critics. Singer Scott Stapp faced mental health issues and battled alcoholism and addiction. The band broke up in 2004,...
Interview: Former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure brings Band in a Box tour to Pittsburgh
Midge Ure has been playing music professionally for more than 50 years, so hitting the studio or going on the road for a North American tour at age 70 is as natural as “blinking or breathing.” “At the time, whichever one you’re doing seems to be the best one to...
Review: Lamb of God, Mastodon celebrate 20th anniversaries of their landmark metal albums in PittsburghVideo
An army of black shirt-clad heavy metal fans gathered for the 20th anniversaries of a pair of groundbreaking albums, soaking up the nostalgia. And by the end of the night Tuesday at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, they were quite literally soaked. The Ashes of Leviathan tour brought together Lamb of...
Review: Sleater-Kinney shakes off vocal woes in Pittsburgh stop of Little Rope tourVideo
With Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein starting to lose her voice Monday night, the band made a few alterations so the show could go off without a hitch, as the seminal punk band visited Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale on their Little Rope tour. A pair of songs where Brownstein does...
Creed, Imagine Dragons, Bruce Springsteen highlight August’s top Pittsburgh concerts
For the first time in eight years, Bruce Springsteen will be in Pittsburgh for a pair of shows — pushed back almost a year because of illness — while the Pavilion at Star Lake will host another busy month of concerts. Here’s a look at the top shows coming to...
Interview: Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker discusses ‘Little Rope’ and more before Pittsburgh concertVideo
In the course of 30 years touring the world with Sleater-Kinney, singer/guitarist Corin Tucker has learned that things don’t always go smoothly. Take, for instance, Thursday night, when the band’s bus lost power and air conditioning on the drive from Nashville to Michigan, requiring a late-night vehicle exchange. “They really...
