Guides
The real desert behind that iconic 1968 album coverIn 1968, rock albums were getting bigger, louder, and more ambitious. As the psychedelic movement reached full bloom, bands and their record labels started…The forgotten rock bands who opened for legends and never made itThe opening slot was once rock's great proving ground. Bands rolled into empty arenas, soundchecked to road cases, then played thirty-five minutes to a…How the Hand Clap Became a Secret Weapon in Rock RecordingsA hand clap can sound almost laughably simple: a brief smack of skin, a little room noise, a pulse anyone can copy. In a rock recording, though, that small…The best rock playlist for a long haul on a HarleyA Harley-Davidson growls differently than any other bike, and nowhere does that rumble feel more at home than on an endless stretch of Australian highway. From…Why certain rock riffs are instantly recognizable after one noteThere's a peculiar sorcery when a single guitar note cuts through the air and every listener knows what's coming next. Before the rhythm section locks in,…When Steel Met Strings: Rock Songs Inspired by Iconic CarsFew cultural pairings feel as natural as rock music and the automobile. Both trade in the currencies of speed, rebellion, and the open promise of the next…Where Stone Walls Turned a Concert Into WeatherA live-stream concert recorded inside a national park visitor centre sounds like a contradiction: wild country outside, cables and folding chairs within. Yet…The most overlooked rock guitarists who never got their dueRock history is full of guitarists whose fingerprints are all over the genre's defining moments, yet rarely surface when fans list their heroes. From session…a broken down tour bus led to a band's breakthrough albumFew albums in rock history were born from disaster, but the story of one band's record begins with a sickening clunk on a regional highway west of Melbourne.…The best albums to listen to while camping in the mountainsThere's something inherently rebellious about dragging a record collection into the wilderness. Mountain camping strips life down to the essentials — a swag, a…