The always-controversial Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will induct the “Class of 2019” at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 29. This year, the Hall of Fame will induct The Cure, Def Leppard, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, Roxy Music, and The Zombies. While some of the inductees are sure to raise an eyebrow—as they so often do—the selections of Roxy Music and the Cure are a major coup for alternative and modern rock. Additionally, the induction of Stevie Nicks is a legitimate sign of progress for the Hall of Fame, as she becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Hall twice—first with Fleetwood Mac in 1998, and now as a solo artist. Still, the induction of Radiohead ensures the cynical cloud that hangs over the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be going nowhere anytime soon. Certainly, Radiohead deserves the honor, and is by all measures a Hall of Fame-worthy group. But, when you consider that The Smiths, Jane’s Addiction, and Iggy Pop (for his solo work; Pop was inducted as a member of The Stooges in 2010) are still not members of the Hall of Fame, it remains easy to dismiss the institution as nothing more than a popularity contest. At the time of this publication, the Hall had not revealed who would be performing at the ceremony, but a list of presenters—including Trent Reznor, Brian May, Susanna Hoffs, John Taylor and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, David Byrne, and more—was released in early March. Tickets for the induction ceremony remain available through Ticketmaster.
A PHOSPHORESCENT FOLKIE
Australian artist Jo Schornikow will be performing at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn on March 28, in support of her upcoming label debut, Secret Weapon. For the last five years, Schornikow has played keyboards with the indie folk group, Phosphorescent, but she’s also contributed her talents to the works of Lana Del Rey and The National. Most recently, Schornikow dazzled audiences at SXSW, and the two recent singles from Secret Weapon—“Incomplete” and “Ghosts”—have been met with universal acclaim. To celebrate the release of Secret Weapon on March 29, the talented singer-songwriter will be doing an instore appearance at Rough Trade Records in Brooklyn. To hear select tracks from Secret Weapon, head to Schornikow’s Bandcamp page: joschornikow.bandcamp.com
THE DYNAMIC DUO
When the lead singers from your favorite bands when you were 14-years-old start a side project together, you kind of freak out. That’s what happened when Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 announced their side project, Simple Creatures. Partnering with their mutual friend and producer Zakk Cervini, they’ve put out a pair of singles from the EP, Strange Love, which will be released on March 29. “Strange Love” and “Drug” are best described as electro-pop bops and are definitely going to be included on the soundtrack of this summer. The duo are heading out on the road for a five-stop tour, including a sold out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 1. If the show is anything like an All Time Low or Blink-182 show, it’s going to be a hell of a good time.
IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA, BABY!
It rang out loud, heavy, and psychedelic in 1968. “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” by Iron Butterfly, from San Diego, was a hippie’s dream, rambling on for 17 minutes on the nascent free-form FM radio scene. They were supposed to play Woodstock in 1969 but got held up at the airport. A half-century later, with a revised lineup, they hope to make it to Pennsylvania, where they are booked to perform at The Sellersville Theatre on April 7. Formed in ’65, their Heavy debut captured the attention of hard rock enthusiasts, but it was their next album, with the aforementioned title song, that sold 30 million copies and became the very first rock gold record. Although they never quite lived up to that glory, they’ve plodded along for decades playing that same brand of dinosaur stomp.
