Posts Tagged ‘nirvana’

Kurt Cobain Documentary Filmmaker Inspired by ‘Pink Floyd – The Wall’ Movie

Frank Micelotta, Getty Images A new Kurt Cobain documentary film is currently being planned for a 2014 release, and it aims to delve into the true spirit of the late  Nirvana frontman. As popular as Cobain remains, the musician’s life continues to be somewhat of an enigma even among his most rabid fans. Now, the director of the recent Rolling Stones documentary ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ has accepted the challenge to reveal the true nature of Cobain. ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ was released in 2012, receiving an impressive amount of critical acclaim and securing a 92 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes . Director Brett Morgen now seeks to create another success with the yet-untitled Kurt Cobain project. “If you think about Kurt, he’s a contradiction,” Morgen tells NME . “He could be sincere and sentimental, and also ironic and sarcastic. He was sweet and sour. He was incredibly funny too, and the film has to reflect his sprit.” Morgen adds, “The thing about him people might not know too is that he was an incredible visual artist and left behind a treasure chest of comic books, paintings, Super8 films, all sorts. We’re hoping the Cobain film, that’ll hopefully be released in 2014, will be this generation’s ‘The Wall’ – a mix of animation and live action that’ll allow the audience to experience Kurt in a way they never have before. It’s very ambitious.” As word of the Cobain documentary first broke, it was reported that Hole frontwoman and Kurt Cobain’s widow Courtney Love would be a part of the film’s creation. Although Morgen stated that Love originally brought him into the project, it has been confirmed that Love will not be involved in the filmmaking process. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/kurt-cobain-guitar-hero-5/” title=”Kurt Cobain – Rock Star Cameos in Video Games” align=”center”]

Nirvana Members + Paul McCartney Release Studio Version of ‘Cut Me Some Slack’

Sound City For everyone out there who was blown away by surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl , Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear  jamming with Beatles icon Paul McCartney at the ’12-12-12′ Hurricane Sandy benefit show, we’ve got some good news for you! The song performed by the collective, ‘Cut Me Some Slack,’ is now available on iTunes. The incredibly raw track has a strong Nirvana vibe to it, while adding a splash of Sir Paul’s personality and heavier Beatles songs such as ‘Helter Skelter.’ The unlikely collaboration was recorded for Dave Grohl’s highly anticipated ‘Sound City’ documentary, which is set for a February 2013 premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The flick will become available simultaneously through video-on-demand services as the Sundance projector starts to roll. At first, McCartney simply thought he was jamming with Grohl and some random musicians, unknowingly finding himself in the middle of a partial Nirvana reunion. “I didn’t really know who they were,” begins McCartney. “They are saying how good it is to be back together. I said, ‘Whoa? You guys haven’t played together for all that time?’ And somebody whispered to me, ‘That’s Nirvana. You’re Kurt.’ I couldn’t believe it.” Expectations were high when the public learned that an original song was composed by the group, but when McCartney, Grohl, Novoselic and Smear took the stage at ’12-12-12,’ the worldwide audience knew that they were witnessing something remarkable. The documentary’s soundtrack, ‘Sound City – Real to Reel,’ will see a March 12 release, but ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ is already available to purchase via iTunes . Go buy it! Listen to ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/paul-mccartney-nirvana-members-perform-new-song-cut-me-some-slack-12-12-12-concert/” title=”Next: A Recap of the 12-12-12 Performance” align=”center”]

Paul McCartney + Nirvana Members Perform New Song ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ at 12-12-12 Concert

Ben Pruchnie, Getty Images / Twitter: Krist Novoselic Throughout the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a monumental bulk of talent occupied the grand stage. During the charitable event, which lasted for over five hours, legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen, the Who and the Rolling Stones performed for a worldwide audience, but the true highlight of the night was the collaboration between Beatles legend  Paul McCartney  and  Nirvana members Dave Grohl , Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear (touring member) on the new song ’Cut Me Some Slack.’ Earlier in the day, there were rumors that McCartney would be singing the late Kurt Cobain’s parts for some Nirvana covers, but the collective instead performed an original track that they had written during an impromptu jam session . Bassist Krist Novoselic tweeted earlier that the song was “kind of ‘Helter Skelter’ meets ‘Scentless Apprentice.’ It rocks with a heavy groove. St. Paul is powerful.” Novoselic also tweeted out the above photo of himself with Grohl and Smear. ‘Helter Skelter’ ended up being the first song Sir Paul played as he finally to, followed by ‘Let Me Roll It,’ ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five’ and ‘Blackbird’ among others before the one-time Nirvana musicians joined the Beatles legend. Throughout the 12-12-12 show, the official Foo Fighters Twitter page had been posting pictures of single letters in succession, eventually spelling out, “Cut Me Some Slack.” Rocking an electric ukelele and a glass guitar slide, McCartney showcased his trademark howl in the new track ‘Cut Me Some Slack,’ which mixed a heavy Nirvana sound with a ‘Helter Skelter’ attitude. The band was so incredibly tight, you would have sworn that the group were playing together for years. Grohl, in particular, was a beast on the drums. (Watch a clip of the performance below.) The song was genuinely mind-blowing, and the good news is that it will be the first cut on the soundtrack to Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ documentary, according to a Foo Fighters tweet after the performance. Before McCartney’s performance with the members of Nirvana, the audience was gifted with the voice of Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder earlier in the night. The singer took a spot next to Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters to sing the rock anthem ‘Comfortably Numb.’ Vedder’s voice fit perfectly within the Pink Floyd standard, offering a diverse cadence to the track while switching back and forth with Waters. For more on the 12-12-12 Concert, click here . To donate to the relief efforts, click here . Watch a 30-Second Clip of McCartney + Nirvana Members Performing [button href=”http://loudwire.com/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-nirvana-nevermind/” title=”Next: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind'” align=”center”]

Watch the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief

Beginning at 7:30 PM ET tonight (Dec. 12), fans around the globe can tune in above to stream 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden in New York, with all proceeds benefiting the Robin Hood Relief Fund. Although musicians from a wide range of genres are participating in the humanitarian effort, the rockers are definitely coming out in record numbers. Heavyweights like Dave Grohl , Eddie Vedder , Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Roger Waters and the Who rank among the star-studded lineup, joining forces with pop and hip-hop acts like Alicia Keys and Kanye West. One rumored performance that music fans won’t want to miss is Sir Paul McCartney playing with the surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. However, instead of performing a Nirvana or Beatles tune, the all-star collaboration will apparently  debut an all-new song for the special event. The stacked lineup for the charitable affair opens up a world of possible collaborations with some already confirmed performances to look forward to. The legendary Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame has gone on record to say that he’ll be performing with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. The historic event will bring together celebrities from actors and actresses to athletes and comedians to support the worthy cause, working the live phone-banks and taking donations from the general public to assist those in the Tri-State area impacted by superstorm Sandy. For more on ’12-12-12,’ visit the official website , and to donate, click on the button below: [button href=”https://donate.121212concert.org/” title=”Click Here to Donate to ’12-12-12′ Now” align=”center”]

Kurt Cobain Multimedia Exhibition in Miami Showcased by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore

Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Few musicians possess the talent and character to retain ‘Rock God’ status nearly 20 years after their demise, but since 1994, the memory of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain has not faded one bit. Countless tributes have been paid to Cobain since his suicide, with the latest being a strange and multidimensional stage show featuring  Sonic Youth ‘s Thurston Moore . The artistic tribute , simply called ‘Kurt,’ was showcased at the Gusman Center for the Arts in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 6, as part of the city’s Art Basel extravaganza. The Cobain experiment began with a 12-minute film by contemporary artist Adarsha Benjamin, which depicted a Cobain-like figure wandering through a Super-8 world and tearing up musical instruments while Pacific Ocean waves violently crash along Northwestern shores. The face of the Kurt Cobain figure was never fully revealed, although flashes of the late musician’s physical characteristics were shown as a mysterious tease. After the film’s conclusion, a bizarre dance based off Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video began, complete with flannel shirts and a smokey atmosphere. After some strange conceptual dancing, a proverbial snake charmer with a left-handed guitar blasted out a solo guitar piece with piercing distortion, entrancing the grunged-out dancers. To conclude the night, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore introduced himself, speaking informally about his own life before focusing on the life of Kurt Cobain. “I want to read a couple of things I wrote,” Moore stated, “now or maybe later, with Kurt in mind. I thought the film was beautiful and I was happy to see that film. I love the idea that we can just be expressionistic in our feelings towards people, whether we were intimate with them or not, as long as they brought beauty and feeling into our lives.” Moore concluded the night with a multitude of spoken-word poetry along with an experimental and massively distorted noise piece. Check out some of Moore’s performance from ‘Kurt’ below. Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore Performs in ‘Kurt’

Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ Documentary Set for Sundance Premiere

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images We’ve all been curious to see ‘Sound City,’ Dave Grohl ‘s star-studded documentary tribute to the legendary L.A. studio of the same name, and now the wait is almost over — provided you have a ticket to next year’s Sundance Festival. Sundance 2013, set to kick off Jan. 17 in Park City, Utah, will play host to a wide variety of new films from across the spectrum, and ‘Sound City’ will be among the new documentaries getting their first public screenings. It’s one of the most high-profile premiere outlets a filmmaker can ask for, and Grohl is understandably enthused. As he put it in a press release, “As a first time director, I am humbled to be able to share my passion for songwriting and storytelling with this incredible cast of legendary musicians, as seen through the extraordinary story of America’s greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City. Being included in this group of artists is a true honor, and the Sundance Film Festival is the perfect place to premiere a film about craft, integrity, and passion for art. I am over the moon!” Grohl has been hard at work on ‘Sound City’ over the last year, interviewing a long list of former studio clients and organizing jams with everyone from his former  Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic to Rick Springfield to  Slipknot ‘s Corey Taylor, not to mention kicking off a SiriusXM radio show dedicated to the studio’s history. Check out the trailer below, and start saving up for a plane ticket to Utah. Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ Trailer [button href=”http://loudwire.com/foo-fighters-dave-grohl-taylor-hawkins-swap-places-to-honor-led-zeppelin/” title=”Next:  Dave Grohl Drums in Foo Fighters Tribute to Led Zeppelin” align=”center”]

Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil Recalls Attempt at Supergroup With Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic

Michael Buckner / Jason Kempin, Getty Images After grunge legends Soundgarden chose call it quits in 1997, the band members who helped bring the group to worldwide prosperity all ventured out into various musical projects. Vocalist Chris Cornell  and drummer Matt Cameron continued their massive careers after the breakup, but guitarist Kim Thayil chose to keep a low profile. However, Thayil reveals that he had started a supergroup with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and other prominent musicians. Following the disintegration of Soundgarden, Cornell found massive success with Audioslave, which combined the singer’s talent with the instrumental section of Rage Against the Machine . Drummer Matt Cameron also remained in the limelight after the breakup, going on to man the drums for Pearl Jam . Cameron also joined forces with bassist Ben Shepherd to form Wellwater Conspiracy and Hater, but where was Kim Thayil during this period? In a recent interview with Spinner , Thayil revealed that he had no desire to become neither a “hired gun,” nor a member of a “B-grade Soundgarden.” “I declined participation in a lot of projects and collaborations,” reveals Thayil. “I didn’t want to be part of someone else’s band or part of a collaborative effort that wasn’t something I started … I avoided playing in another heavy rock band. Which, if I’d pursued that, would have been a B-grade Soundgarden. I was perfectly comfortable denying the expected ambition of a successful pop culture participant.” Thayil lent his talents to Dave Grohl ‘s Probot project during Soundgarden’s hiatus, and worked with doom legends Sunn 0))) on their 2006 split with Japanese metal band Boris. In addition to these works, Thayil jammed with Krist Novoselic from Nirvana, Bubba Dupree from Void and Alfredo Hernandez from Queens of the Stone Age . “We were jamming on and off for a couple years but there was no singer,” says Thayil. “A lot of instrumental stuff and beer drinking.” Kim Thayil is now back with Soundgarden, who just released ‘King Animal,’ their first album in 16 years. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/soundgarden-rock-jimmy-kimmel-live/” title=”Watch Soundgarden Rock ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!'” align=”center”]