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The Latest Breaking News from Sonic Youth

“I hadn’t been playing guitar for that long. I’d just make up chords with the least amount of fingers possible”: In 1985, J. Mascis was a beginner guitarist stumbling upon a sound – yet Dinosaur Jr.’s debut would shape a generation of players

Recorded in a cabin in the woods, Dinosaur Jr.'s debut was the sound of a beginner guitarist stumbling upon on guitar tone that would influence a generation of players

“Our guitars were so bad, we couldn’t make them work for us. Glenn came over to my apartment with six guitars, three under each arm, and threw them onto the futon”: Sonic Youth are now alternate tunings icons – but the band opted for them out of necessity

“Our guitars were so bad, we couldn’t make them work for us. Glenn came over to my apartment with six guitars, three under each arm, and threw them onto the futon”: Sonic Youth are now alternate tunings icons – but the band opted for them out of necessity

The noise-rock icon is famous for his love of weird tunings, but that fixation only happened with a little help from one of the NY art-rock scene’s biggest innovators

“This is another item that people kill for. This is the sound of Diamond Sea… This is such a preposterously cool item”: Sonic Youth are selling some super rare gear on Reverb – including Lee Ranaldo’s first electric guitar and a holy grail Ludwig Phase II

“This is another item that people kill for. This is the sound of Diamond Sea… This is such a preposterously cool item”: Sonic Youth are selling some super rare gear on Reverb – including Lee Ranaldo’s first electric guitar and a holy grail Ludwig Phase II

The Sonic Youth Official Reverb Store is officially open and as Lee Ranaldo explains, it is 100% stocked with Kool Things

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“When my first band was playing, I needed an amp. I traded this guitar and $60 to my drummer's sister, who had a Super Reverb”: Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo is selling his first-ever electric guitar on the band's relaunched Reverb store

This is the third time the iconic experimental rockers have linked up with the online gear marketplace to sell a collection of their own gear to fans

"I was talking with Kurt, and he said, You should join my band." The night that Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, and DinosaurJr's J. Mascis realised that newcomers Nirvana were going to change alternative rock forever

Watch a four-piece Nirvana play one of the most important gigs of their career in July 1989

“When I heard Sonic Youth, I was like, ‘I need a Jazzmaster, and I’m gonna put duct tape on it!’”: Bartees Strange on working with superstar producer Jack Antonoff, his vintage guitar collection, and emulating Neil Young’s “spluttery” guitar sounds

The UK-born, Oklahoma-raised songwriter reflects on lusting after a Jimi Hendrix-style whammy bar, pre-amp pedals, and why he loves electric-acoustic guitars (and not acoustic-electrics)

10 brilliant new Irish artists you should listen to before next St. Patrick's Day rolls into view

The Irish music scene continues to go from strength to strength, and here's further proof

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Watch alt-rock’s two iconic Kims' "first time performing together, anywhere"

Watch alt-rock’s two iconic Kims' "first time performing together, anywhere"

Kims Gordon and Deal team up for Netflix show

Napalm Death have recorded a cover of a Ramones song with a guest appearance from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore – and we cannot wait to hear it

Napalm Death have recorded a cover of a Ramones song with a guest appearance from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore – and we cannot wait to hear it

Napalm Death, Voivod, Ihsahn, Mondo Generator and more will cover The Ramones for a pair of upcoming tribute albums

I’ve just discovered how many classic seventh records exist and it’s blown my mind

I’ve just discovered how many classic seventh records exist and it’s blown my mind

Are you aware of how many incredible seventh records there are? Introducing the magnificent seven...

Neil Young – has the godfather of grunge just given us the first Maga anthem?

Neil Young – has the godfather of grunge just given us the first Maga anthem?

IN FOCUS: The Glastonbury headliner and contrarian-in-chief shows no signs of losing his edge. Stevie Chick explores his life, career, his new unreleased album from the Seventies and his ominous rock augury

The Independent UK

“If we can fill the performance with these incredible women singing Nirvana songs, then we’ll have achieved our own revolution”: Nirvana reunite unannounced at FireAid concert, with four guest frontwomen

“If we can fill the performance with these incredible women singing Nirvana songs, then we’ll have achieved our own revolution”: Nirvana reunite unannounced at FireAid concert, with four guest frontwomen

But for Violet Grohl taking the place of Lorde, it was the same group of singer/guitarists the remaining Nirvana trio played with at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction performance in 2014

Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: Tate Modern’s cultural shapeshifting takes the art prize

Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: Tate Modern’s cultural shapeshifting takes the art prize

We sing the praises of Tate Modern for celebrating the artists that are drawn to other worlds

“Every time I play with a session musician, they’re like, ‘What are you doing? What chords are you playing? That chord doesn’t even exist!’” Why Gen Z guitar star Beabadoobee’s chords have confused her fellow guitarists – but won over Rick Rubin

“Every time I play with a session musician, they’re like, ‘What are you doing? What chords are you playing? That chord doesn’t even exist!’” Why Gen Z guitar star Beabadoobee’s chords have confused her fellow guitarists – but won over Rick Rubin

Beabadoobee, aka Beatrice Laus, recently landed a number one album in her native UK, but her fondness for My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Elliott Smith has spawned a guitar style that has confounded her fellow players

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The Guardian - AU

Ben Lee: ‘My whole career is chasing the dragon of opening for Sonic Youth’

The singer-songwriter shares his most cringeworthy celebrity run-in, his theory about Nick Cave and his love for Real Housewives

“I’m not really a fan of Taylor Swift. When it comes to pop icons, I would choose Billie Eilish.” Ex-Sonic Youth alt. rock icon Kim Gordon risks the wrath of the Swifties, admits “I couldn’t tell you what her music sounded like”

Kim Gordon "couldn’t tell you" what Taylor Swift's music sounds like

“I can’t get into somebody else’s mind and decide what their problem is.” Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna was close friends with Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, but she still doesn't know why Courtney Love hated her so much

Kathleen Hanna on that one-sided 'feud' with Courtney Love

“He was always right, even when he was wrong.” Thurston Moore and PJ Harvey share memories of their friend Steve Albini

Thurston Moore and PJ Harvey add to the wealth of tributes saluting the life and legacy of the late Steve Albini

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“I note the passing of old friend Steve Albini – certainly gone too soon”: Lee Ranaldo remembers the time Steve Albini made Sonic Youth a guitar with 16 high E-strings –and an inlaid appendage

The alt rock icon has recalled the producer and guitarist’s ultimate in-joke custom guitar build

“He expressed being upset by my horrible remix, which made me even more proud of it!” Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore once mixed a quote from Oasis' Noel Gallagher into a Blur song purely to annoy bassist Alex James, a petty gesture we can all respect

Blur + Oasis x Sonic Youth = one hell of a racket if Thurston Moore's remix of Essex Dogs is anything to go by

“I was trying to do the ultimate guitar solo”: Lou Reed once recorded a double album consisting solely of guitar feedback – but his label took it off sale after three weeks

Metal Music Machine nearly cost Reed his reputation… over the years, it became a source of inspiration for Sonic Youth and Neil Young

“I view everything from the pick to the speaker as my instrument”: Meet John Frusciante favorite Anthony Pirog – the boundary breaking guitarist who’s jamming jazz, punk and fusion with Fugazi’s rhythm section

The D.C. virtuoso has joined forces with his heroes as The Messthetics

“Drugs were everywhere in New York. Everybody knew at least five people who had OD’d. I always learned from other people’s mistakes”: the unlikely rise and sudden fall of White Zombie

White Zombie’s final album Astro-Creep: 2000 was released on this day in1995. Rob Zombie looks back on the band’s unlikely success

“I don’t know that much about folk music, except that most of it bores me to tears”: the incredible life of Michael Chapman, the greatest singer-songwriter the world never knew about

The life and times of Michael Chapman, the cult singer and guitarist beloved of David Bowie, Elton John and Sonic Youth

Kim Gordon Curates Influential Films For Galerie Film Club

Discover Kim Gordon's curated film list for Galerie film club, showcasing her eclectic tastes and artistic sensibilities.

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