With papers covering the breakup and alimony drama of Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger and his former common-law wife of seven years, Marianna Goriuk, we got to thinking about some of the more truly epic breakups and broken relationships in rock music. Sure, Marianna’s asking for $95,000 a month (and currently getting $25,000), and according to legal papers, she’s spending over $5k of that every month on “pet care,” but compared to some of the more legendary breakups of rock n roll, whether Kroeger has to pay for his ex’s limos, cocktail parties, and vet bills is small potatoes. Here are six of the most intense, protracted, ridiculous, and productive breakups in rock music history.
Author: MaxK
New Music Alert: I’m From Barcelona – “Always Spring”
Spring has sprung fully at the ShowTimetickets.com HQ in Vancouver, and summer is just around the corner–the sun’s out, the birds are chirping, and it’s not pitch-black at 9 AM anymore. Hopefully there’ll still be some ice left for the Canucks to win the playoffs on.
With that, we thought we’d bring you one of the first really fantastic songs of summer. There’s just something about catchy, upbeat pop released between May and August which makes us incredibly excited for the beach. Here’s the brand-new track “Always Spring” from Swedish indie pop group I’m From Barcelona (you might remember their unimaginatively-titled but incredibly catchy track “We’re From Barcelona” from a few years ago). It’s got a great hook, a wonderful little piano line, and is so crammed full of saxes, glockenspiels, and handclaps that you can’t help but dance in your seat a little when listening. Pop this on your iPod and start thinking about what snacks you’ll bring to the beach this weekend.
Confessions: Our Top Five Usher Songs
With Usher’s Vancouver concert coming up so soon (May 25 at Rogers Arena), now’s the time to relive some of Usher Raymond IV’s (neither Usher Raymond I, II, III, or V has a singing career… yet!) greatest hits.
Jimmy Eat World Comes to Vancouver May 21
Back in 2001, “The Middle” was my jam. Jimmy Eat World had just come out with their breakthrough album Bleed American, and the song was everywhere. It was great. The lyrics were sort of sad in an uplifting way, the hook stayed catchy no matter how many times it was played on the radio, and the guitar part was enough that I, along with millions of other high school kids, could pick out the simple chords on our cheap knockoff Stratocasters.
Then Jimmy Eat World kept releasing good albums, like 2004’s Futures and 2007’s Chase This Light (their highest charting work to date), and managed to avoid being stuck with the label of “that band that does that ‘Middle’ song.” Their latest album, Invented, was released in September 2010, and the band went on tour in support of it, playing shows worldwide as well as festival dates at Coachella, Soundwave, and an upcoming headlining gig at Reading and Leeds.
The band plays the Commodore Ballroom on May 21, and there are a few tickets to the Jimmy Eat World Vancouver concert still available at ShowTimeTickets.com. They’ve been touring for well over a decade, so they’ve had plenty of time to hone their stage act. Anybody else thinking of going? Seen them live before? Let us know in the comments section!
Lady Gaga’s New Album Leaks Early (Listen to Tracks Below!)
Lady Gaga’s “little monsters” were in for a treat earlier this week when her latest studio album, Born This Way, leaked days before its May 23 release date. After music lovers worldwide were teased with a string of rapid-fire singles after the video for “Judas” was released, including “Edge of Glory,” “Marry the Night,” and “Hair,” fans and critics alike were finally able to listen to the Born This Way LP in its entirety.
I’ve gotta be honest: I wasn’t wild about the first single off the album (also called “Born This Way”). I thought it had a great social message (equality, the importance of being yourself, etc), but didn’t quite live up to tracks like “Bad Romance” and “Telephone” off her fantastice Fame: Monster album. A lot of critics agreed, saying that the song felt cluttered and was derivative of Madonna (specifically “Express Yourself”). While the Lady formerly known as Stefani Germanotta has never been shy about paying homage to her inspirations (it’s almost impossible to listen to Gaga’s “Alejandro” and not make comparisons to Ace of Base’s nineties hit “All That She Wants”), “Born This Way” seemed to step over the invisible line separating inspiration from imitation.
After listening to the full Born This Way album, though, I was relieved. The album is long, totally unique in its computerized homages to monster balladry of the 70s and 80s, and a refreshing diversion from the rest of the Billboard Top 40. Plus it has (multiple!) sax solos by Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Sure, it’s not everybody’s idea of a good time, but for those already gaga over Gaga, as well as those who like huge, bleepy, crypto-religious disco anthems, it’s an hour of good, slightly unclean fun. Take a listen to some of the tracks and decide for yourself:
Lady Gaga – “Hair”
Lady Gaga – “The Edge of Glory”
Have you heard the album yet? What’s your take? Let us know in the comments below.
For Those About to Rock (and Pop, and Country, and Metal)…
Greetings, fellow music lovers, and welcome to the newly redesigned ConcertPULSE blog at ShowTimeTickets.com! My name’s Max, and over the coming months, I’ll be covering all the latest happenings in the music world, bringing you news, gossip, and ticket info for pretty much every act going on a summer 2011 concert tour. My taste is pretty eclectic, so I’ll be covering artists from almost any genre you can think of.
From Taylor Swift to Rocket from the Crypt, U2 to Hüsker Dü, I’ll be taking a look at goings-on in the music world, and letting you know about concert dates and tours to check out in your area.
For up-to-the-minute info about concert tickets and more, follow @ShowTimeTickets on Twitter. Also check out our sister blogs, Hockey Talk and TicketMatter, for information about hockey and tips on how to get the best deals on event tickets.