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J Mascis, Dum Dum Girls, and Still Corners Lead Soothing CMJ Sub Pop Showcase

Jason Persse for AOL Twenty years after leading the charge in the Grunge revolution, Sub Pop records is still going strong -- though based on Thursday night's Sub Pop CMJ showcase at Manhattan's Mercury Lounge, the venerable Seattle label has mellowed nicely with age. Massive waves of sludge and feedback were nowhere to be found, replaced by ...

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Best Opening Songs: 25 First Tracks in Film That Left Us Wanting More

The right opening song can make or break a movie and forever change the way you think about a piece of pop music. Because there are so many classic examples, we compiled our list of favorites with a few ground rules. First, no musicals -- sorry, 'Sound of Music.' Second, songs only -- hence the absence of ...

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Screaming Females, OFF!, !!! + More Rock SXSW Mess With Texas -- Exclusive Photos

Jason Persse for AOL On Saturday, March 19, Austin played host to the fifth Mess with Texas party -- a massive, free, and totally unofficial two-stage blowout held during South by Southwest. Held at the East Side Drive-In, the all-day show's stacked line-up featured a who's-who of SXSW's biggest acts, from fresh faces like Esben and the ...

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50 Greatest Guitar Riffs in Rock 'n' Roll

A "riff" is defined as a short, repeating musical theme that forms a song's framework. Thus, guitar riffs are the basic building blocks of rock 'n' roll -- and we've gathered the greatest of the great. Emotional impact, cultural significance and good old-fashioned recognizability are just as important as being flashy or hard to play. ...

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Musician Movie Cameos You May Have Missed

The rock star film cameo is a time-honored tradition dating back to, well, the birth of rock 'n' roll, but sometimes those guest spots get so much hype they're not really "cameos" at all. (Remember Alanis Morissette as God in Kevin Smith's 'Dogma,' or Keith Richards as Johnny Depp's dad in the last 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie?) ...

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15 Films Defined by Songs of a Single Artist

Christina Aguilera's new movie, 'Burlesque,' continues a long tradition, from 'Jailhouse Rock' to 'Purple Rain' to 'The Bodyguard,' of singers starring in films for which they also dominate the soundtrack. Which got us thinking about singers who have defined the sound and spirit of an entire film without ever appearing onscreen. Here ...

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Tamaryn Headlines Eclectic CMJ Showcase -- Exclusive Photos

Jason Persse for AOL No Joy, Soldiers of Fortune, Robert Lester Folsom, Tamaryn Thursday, Oct. 21 at the Knitting Factory The young ladies of No Joy kicked off the Mexican Summer Records CMJ showcase with a massive wall of fuzzed-out reverb that brought stragglers running in from the bar, and that was just the beginning of the night's guitar ...

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