Rolling Stone May-21-15

VIDEO ON THE ROAD WITH HOZIER The 25-year-old Irish songwriter behind the smash “Take Me to Church” is in the middle of a major North American tour. Watch him check out the sights of Tulsa, Oklahoma – including the Woody Guthrie museum and local roadside attractions – as part of our Dawn to Dusk video series, presented by Transitions adaptive lenses. PREVIEW 2015 FESTIVAL SEASON IS HERE Check out our in-depth guide to Lollapalooza and Firefly (both of which feature Paul McCartney on the bill), Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo and many, many more. TV LETTERMAN’S BEST MOMENTS After you’ve read our cover story on David Letterman, head to RS.com for more on the retiring host’s finest musical moments, his top guests and all of his craziest feuds. LIVE U2’S BIG TOUR: OPENING NIGHT U2 kick off their Innocence and Experience world…

Grunge God DAVID FRICKE’S INTERVIEW with Frances Bean Cobain was informative, and the piece treated the entire Cobain family with the respect they deserve [“Searching for Kurt,” RS 1233]. I look forward to seeing Montage of Heck even more so now. Christine Perdichizzi Via the Internet IT’S NEVER BEEN MORE clear to me that Frances Cobain is just like everybody else, wondering who Kurt was and why everything happened the way it did. Fricke did an amazing job opening up Kurt’s world. Here’s to Frances’ success. Sarah Betts Clark’s Corner, New Brunswick KURT COBAIN ONCE SAID that even though he could afford to buy whatever he wanted, nothing would ever compare to finding a little treasure in a second hand store and praying he had enough change to buy it. It perfectly depicted who Kurt…

MANY THANKS TO GREEN for his interview with Pete Townshend. Outside of a few odd tangents about ISIS, it was great to read Townshend’s views. He’s still one of the more interesting figures in rock. Shaan Ahluwalia, Chicago HAVING FOLLOWED ONE of my rock idols for many years, I know Townshend can be a bit bristly. The RS interview confirmed my suspicions: He remains an ornery, unhappy legend who does everything grudgingly. I, for one, wouldn’t fork over $1 to see this Who tour. I’m not sure he even wants to do it. Anthony Grasso Via the Internet I SAW THE WHO IN HIGH school, in 1982. I saw them five days before my wedding in 1989. Now I’m beyond pumped to see them in Detroit in October. If Pete Townshend isn’t ready to…

1. The Rolling Stones “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (Alternate Version)” It’s one of the Stones’ sweetest riffs ever – and on this early take from the upcoming Sticky Fingers reissue, you can hear how it came together, as Mick improvises alongside Keith’s guitar. 2. Speedy Ortiz “Ginger” The choicest jam from their excellent new Foil Deer is this gnarly anthem about feeling awkward at a party. 3. DMA’s “Your Low” Straight out of Sydney, this rising trio (who have an EP due soon) have enough catchy, jangly sunshine in their sound to last you all summer. 4. Jamie xx “Gosh” “Gosh” isn’t what we’d call a cool exclamation in 2015, but Jamie proved us wrong with this irresistible body-mover from his upcoming In Colour. 5. The Relationship “Oh Allen” Weezer guitarist Brian Bell steps out with his other band for an extra-hummable bite…

OLD Bruce Springsteen “Glory Days” The older I get, the more I can relate to this song. Everybody has their own place it takes them back to. For me, it’s high school. John Mellencamp “Jack & Diane” There probably isn’t a bar band in this country that hasn’t covered this song at some point along the way, including myself. So much energy and fun. Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” Natalie Maines’ voice grabs your attention and won’t let it go. It was a statement about how they were blacklisted – but probably not the best choice of a single to be reinstated. NEW Wiz Khalifa, feat. Charlie Puth “See You Again” I love this song. I’m always fascinated when two artists that seem completely di_ erent on paper come together. Maroon 5 “Sugar” This makes me want to get married all over again in…

MUSE BECAME ONE OF the most popular bands in the world by going bigger than everyone else. Their concerts are laser-show spectacles, and their recent albums have incorporated everything from Queen-like guitar pyrotechnics to Skrillex-inspired dubstep. Even the band admits things got a little out of hand on the last few records. “We probably spent more time in the control room fiddling with knobs and synths and computers and drum machines than actually playing together,” says frontman Matt Bellamy. So when Muse began plotting Drones, their seventh album (due June 9th), the U.K. band decided it was time to strip things down. “We wanted to go back to how we made music early in our career,” says Bellamy, “when we were more like a three-piece rock band.” Muse self-produced their last two…