Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
Appetite for Destruction
I'm 40 years old now. I first heard this song on my friend's cassette player when I was ten years old. I fell in love. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This song just consumed me! I was like "Oh My God!" I was ten years old and had never heard anything like it! I couldn't wait to get the cassette for myself. Of course, my parent's were skeptical just by the group's name. "Guns N' Roses." I remember my sister, who is older, said it had to be bad just by the name. "Guns N' Roses," she said, "It's simple, you shoot someone with a gun, and then put roses on their grave."
By Kelli Cartrette9 years ago in Beat
Billboard Update: Big Debuts From Lorde, 2 Chainz, DJ Khaled and More
Here are the updates for both the Billboard 200 and The Hot 100 charts. First off, I missed last week's Billboard update so I feel the need to mention that SZA debuted at No. 3 with her first studio album, CTRL. Amazing!
By Sadé Sanchez9 years ago in Beat
The Greatest Music Man You Have Probably Never Heard Of
So, what you do if you're a scion of one of the richest dynasties in America? Well, you turn to music, of course. John Henry Hammond, Jr., born in 1911 into a branch of the Vanderbilt family, was never destined to tread a path into the world of banking. From an early age, he was only interested in music.
By Bob Robertson9 years ago in Beat
#OverloadMondays: New Releases from DJ Khaled, the OVO Clan, Diddy and more.
Before I start, I of course have to address the loss in Hip Hop we had to face this week. Prodigy of Mobb Deep passed away at 42 last Tuesday. The news came suddenly and was just overly shocking. I remember first hearing Mobb Deep, I was maybe 7 or 8, and I was just obsessed with the sound of it. Obviously, it took me some time to catch up to the content but I got it eventually. Their music takes you somewhere. A legend himself, the man was the voice of Hip Hop. The gritty sound Mobb Deep, of Prodigy himself, embodied New York. And he was just 42… damn. Now having to keep up with the current music, I haven’t played my throwback playlist in quite some time. I can’t recall last time I heard a bar from Prodigy. Salute to a real G.
By Sadé Sanchez9 years ago in Beat
How Do Musicians Make Money?. Top Story - June 2017.
If you have ever seen a guitar player busking for money, you're probably under the belief that musicians really are almost always either totally broke or filthy rich. Speaking as someone who has a lot of friends in the music industry, I can tell you that being a career musician is really brutal.
By Skunk Uzeki9 years ago in Beat
German Country Singer Gunter Gabriel is Dead!
Germany's Johnny Cash is dead. As a pioneer of the German country music scene, singing in German and therefore connecting directly to the blue collar masses, country music and especially trucker-song-singer Gunter Gabriel passed away on Thursday, June 22nd. He died from complications from an earlier fall down a set of stairs, on the eve of his 75th birthday.
By A. Michael Uhlmann9 years ago in Beat
Prince: Purple Rain (Deluxe Expanded Edition)
In 1984, Prince became a household name when his popularity soared into the stratosphere upon the release of his film debut and its accompanying soundtrack, Purple Rain. Eventually selling over 25 million copies to date, Prince’s sixth studio album concurrently served as a full-length release of new material as well as underscored his dramatic first appearance upon the silver screen.
By Eric Allen9 years ago in Beat
Experimental?
Does experimental music involve the giving up of music? To answer this question both music and experimental music needs to be defined. Composer Elliot Schwartz (n.d) defines music as ‘the organisation of sound and time’. Similarly, composer Larry Austin (n.d) uses the word sound rather than harmony in his definition: ‘music is wanted sound’. The use of the word ‘sound’ is interesting as John Cage (n.d) said that the ‘more meaningful term; the organisation of sound’ should be used rather than the word music when talking about all music not played on ‘18th and 19th century instruments’, suggesting all post 19th century music is experimental music. However, the definition of experimental would contradict this suggestion. The dictionary definition of experimental is ‘involving a radically new or innovative style’, suggesting that experimental music is music that involves new and innovative ideas, for example, Royal Blood (band) can be considered experimental music as it features the use of heavy processing and FX to create a full rock band (four - five piece) sound from a two-piece band (drums and bass guitar). This definition of experimental music is heavily linked to John Cage’s use of non-traditional instruments and prepared piano, for example, in the piece ‘Water Walk’ (1960), which features heavy use of items not considered to be instruments (radios, water, a bath etc.) to create the sonic content of the piece.
By CHEM USERS9 years ago in Beat
Guide to Metal Subgenres
Any newcomer to metal is almost immediately overwhelmed by the cornucopia of metal subgenres in existence. When you look on paper, names don't mean too much. Doom metal? Black metal? Death metal? They basically sound the same, so what's the big deal in mixing the terminology up a little? Who's gonna care?
By Bethany Tiamat9 years ago in Beat
Signs You're Getting Dropped From the Band
Being part of a band isn't easy. There are constant practice sessions, rehearsals, and work involved in touring. At times, even just squeezing the time to play at different venues and sync up schedules can make you want to cry.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart9 years ago in Beat
Memories of Old and AM Gold (Part 3)
Often reflecting back upon the days when AM radio ruled the airwaves with infectious bubblegum earworms and Casey Kasem’s weekly American Top 40 countdown, I remember prime time television also provided a moderate source of musical entertainment with series such as The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Donny & Marie, and The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show. Additionally, late night programming provided the rock-oriented Midnight Special and Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert for the hard-core music enthusiasts who were dedicated to stay up past midnight.
By Eric Allen9 years ago in Beat
Must Listen: Jay-Z Greatest Songs
"... First I snatched the streets then I snatched the charts/First I had they ear, now I have they heart..." These lines could summarize Jay-Z's career but it hardly covers everything that Jay-Z has accomplished. Jay-Z made history one more time when he became the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Former President Barrack Obama made a tribute towards the other inductees but made a special shootout to the hip-hop mogul. Jay-Z has accomplished so much from MC of Marcy Projects to business mogul and philanthropist and music legend.
By J.R. Gonzalez9 years ago in Beat
