Awesome Rock

It seems age is no barrier to The Rolling Stones producing quality music. Their April 2020 release is as good as many songs from the height of their popularity, and seems especially timely when set against imagery of empty cities photographed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Need your classic rock fix for the day? Well, you’re in luck. While sitting home with their tour on pause, the members of Blue Öyster Cult got together in their own home studios to record a performance of their 1977 classic about everyone’s favorite building-stomping Kaiju. Oh, no, there goes Tokyo!

To support the charity Playing for Change, musicians Robbie Robertson, Ringo Starr, joined amazingly talented artists from around the globe for a performance of The Band’s 1968 classic The Weight. Enjoy more from their Songs Around the World series here. (Thanks Jonathan!)

Even metal guitar gods are mortal. Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine is playing it safe by isolating at home with his family during the COVID-19 shutdown, so he and his daughter Electra (a monster singer in her own right) recorded a living room jam on a Beatles classic: “Come together! Right now… QUARANTINE!”

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially play Christmas music without feeling too guilty about it. If you’re tired of traditional carols, then sit back and rock out to Leo Moracchioli’s very special edition of Jimmy Boyd’s jolly little ditty I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

Archaelogist dusted off Claude Debussy’s famed classical piece Arabesque No. 1 and reworked it as a masterpiece of prog rock, giving it a powerful edge we’re certain the composer could have never envisioned back in the late 19th century when he wrote it.

The original Sonic the Hedgehog has one of the most catchy and memorable soundtracks in the history of gaming, thanks to composer Masato Nakamura. Now listen as 130Grit Sound Studio performs a trio of familiar tunes from the game, done wonderfully in Dick Dale/surf rock style.

Love the music of Queen? Then tune in for the next 43 minutes and enjoy this epic compilation from the official Queen YouTube channel including 11 incredible live performances from their heyday, including Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, and Don’t Stop Me Now.

Enjoy some holiday classics with a little extra edge, courtesy of musician Richard Campbell, who infuses some hard rock verve into tunes like I Saw Three Ships, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and Carol of the Bells with this fun and energetic medley.

Band, who needs a band? The multitalented PAB_Music manages to turn in a perfect cover version of System of a Down’s 2001 hit Chop Suey!, performing each of its instrumental and vocal parts, then editing them together into a seamless multitrack recording.

A biographical documentary about one of the most badass musicians of all time. Joan Jett cut through the male-dominated world of rock music to prove that women can be tough too, all the while creating hits that still rock to this day. From music video director Kevin Kerslake.

Interpol is going to release their first album in 4 years, titled Marauder. The Rover is the lead single from Marauder, a straight up rock & roll song that’ll get you excited for the rest of the tracks.

Put on your leg warmers, and pour a bucket of water on yourself! Electro-rock act Carpenter Brut is here to light up the place with a fantastic live performance of Michael Sembello’s hit Maniac from the 1983 film Flashdance. The track is available for download on their live album.

You will get a sentimental feeling… when you hear… Frog Leap singing ‘let’s be jolly, deck the halls with boughs of holly.’ Enjoy a holiday treat from Leo Moracchioli, as he turns in a tough-as-nails rendition of the 1960 Brenda Lee classic Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.

A rare performance from a one-shot supergroup comprised of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell, as they rock out a rough-hewn track that’s as good as any garage blues we’ve ever heard. Bonus points for the silly chat between Lennon and Mick Jagger.

Celebrate the peak of glam metal with the 30th Anniversary Edition of Def Leppard’s fourth album. It’s available on vinyl and CD, as well as a deluxe set that comes with B-sides, remixes, two DVDs, and four books.

“I move delicately, I slowly choose my words, and when my presence is felt, I’ll fly away just like a bird.” The latest album from Katie Crutchfield and her band drops the lo-fi, but it’s still indie rock through and through – quick, specific, and sincere.

“Maybe someday your name will be in lights, saying ‘Johnny B. Goode Tonight.’“ One of the fathers of rock and roll, Charles Edward Anderson Berry has passed away at the ripe old age of 90. Long live rock and roll! Long live Chuck Berry!

Electronic rock band EZXP turns in an all too short medley of covers from the soundtrack of the SEGA classic Sonic the Hedgehog. That part where Sonic runs out of air underwater still stresses us out to this day.

For his latest video, Ten Second Songs‘ Anthony Vincent performs System of a Down’s Chop Suey! in the style of 20 dramatically different performers, from Michael Jackson to the Bee Gees to the Wu-Tang Clan. The Faith No More bit cracked us up.

A decidedly lo-fi version of AC/DC’s classic Back in Black, performed by French group The Wackids, three musicians known for playing their concerts entirely on kid’s toys and other cheap musical instruments. Here they are playing some Joan Jett and Metallica.

Fans of the classic SEGA Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog will immediately recognize every one of these tracks, redone with a metal edge by Russian musician Michael Sobin. Seriously, all these tunes are permanently ingrained in our brains since childhood.

The consistently captivating Tina S shreds an insane rock rendition of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (3rd Moverment) on her Vigier electric, her fingers flying across the strings and frets at supersonic speeds. Arrangement by Dr. Viossy.