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Bob Gendron

Bob Gendron has been obsessing over music, albums and audio ever since he landed a job at an indie record store at age 13. A longtime contributor to the Chicago Tribune and the first Associate Editorial Director at The Coda Collection, he was also the longtime Music Editor at The Absolute Sound and performed the same role at TONEAudio. Gendron is the author of “Gentlemen” (Bloomsbury) and a coauthor of “Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History” (Voyageur). His writing has also appeared in DownBeat, Rolling Stone, Revolver and other outlets.

Collections

Getting in the Van

The ethos between rock bands and their transport rolls on

Down on the Farm

A rural recording studio becomes a hub for iconic music

Enjoying the Ride

The Grateful Dead surges in the late ‘80s

Silence Is a Dangerous Sound

Protest music surges from 1988-93

Poignant Complications 

Aimee Mann captures humanity in her character-driven songs

Stories

Story

We Will Get By, We Will Survive

The reality of the Grateful Dead’s world two years removed from its smash “In the Dark” LP came to a head in early summer 1989. Citing the allegedly deviant behavior of Deadheads, Washington, D.C. councilmember Nadine Winter called for the group’s scheduled two-night stand in her hometown to be scrapped.

Story

Aural Cosmonauts

Jim James will probably never be mistaken for a Wall Street banker. Sporting a woodsy beard and long mane of curly hair, the My Morning Jacket singer-guitarist looks like his band sounds. At least he did at the onset. Emerging at the dawn of the 21st Century amid a period devoid of music featuring driving guitars and golden harmonies, the Kentucky-based group embraced its heritage with open arms. Soaked in reverb and steeped in ragged country, its early songs spoke with a Southern accent that gave the band a distinct identity.

Story

When the Healing Has Begun

Though breaking up is said to be hard to do, getting back together appears to be much easier. At least in the world of rock and pop, where reunions are de rigueur and often translate into big paydays. Akin to what happened with the stigma associated with artists who license songs to advertisements, the cynicism that once greeted reformations has faded. The notion of “selling out” by staging a reunion now feels as antiquated as the cassingle.

Story

Wiser for the Time

You’ll be hard-pressed to spot any smiles on the faces of the Black Crowes during their otherwise convincing performance on Nov. 17, 1996 at Bullet Sound Studios in Amsterdam. When he teases drummer Steve Gorman for causing the band to pause amid “Better When You’re Not Alone,” singer Chris Robinson finally manages a grin that spreads to a few of his colleagues for the briefest of moments. Largely, however, we see six individuals who don’t appear to like one another much — and seem allergic to having fun while playing together.

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Evolution of the Cowboy into the Weirwolf

Bob Weir was a newly minted septuagenarian when Dead & Company embarked on its 2017 fall tour. By then, the singer-guitarist had already spent more than half a century — almost three-quarters of his life, including his entire adulthood — performing on stages big and small, often to the tune of more than 75 shows per year. That legacy places the San Francisco native in rare company. Just 18 years old when he helped form the Grateful Dead, Weir has quite possibly played more shows than any rock ‘n’ roll musician on the planet. 

Story

A Charming Mess

Forget about peace, love and understanding. Brothers in rock ‘n’ roll bands aren’t meant to get along. The unwritten rule stretches back to the Everly Brothers, whose siblings, Phil and Don, cemented their disdain for one another by breaking up on stage in 1973. Similar feuds between Liam and Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Ray and Dave Davies (Kinks), William and Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) and Gary and Van Conner (Screaming Trees) have become as famous as their respective groups’ music.

Story

Three-Dimensional Chess

In the award-winning Netflix drama “The Queen’s Gambit,” Beth Harmon lies awake in bed and imagines a chess board on the ceiling. In the games she projects in the theater of her mind, rooks, pawns and the like skate across the checkered squares with blinding speed. The orphan prodigy considers every move. Her brain races; we see blurred paths of the advancements and reversals, the contrails of where Harmon’s thoughts start and end. She deliberates until she lands on an unassailable strategy and achieves the seemingly impossible: perfection.

Story

Bands in Vans: Does the Road Really Go on Forever?

With all due respect to country singer-songwriter Roger Miller, Mike Watt is the true “king of the road.” In “What Drives Us,” the punk-rock vet talks about the lengths to which he’s gone to make a living as a musician — a pursuit that’s required him to get in a van and motor from one town to another, never sure of how many people might show at a concert or what he might encounter along the way. His balance from a 2019 trek, one of more than 100 tours the bassist has endured: 45 gigs, 45 days, 13,380 miles. The Minutemen cofounder sat behind the wheel for the entire trip.

Story

Nothin’ Left to Do But Smile, Smile, Smile

Brent Mydland isn’t merely serenading a stadium packed with 60,000-plus people when he begins to sing “Dear Mr. Fantasy” on July 2, 1989 in Foxboro, MA. The Grateful Dead keyboardist is in the process of turning the Traffic staple — a collective plea to a musician to break an overriding gloom by playing an upbeat tune that puts everyone in a good mood — into a resonant biographical statement. In the song, communal happiness comes at a simple albeit exacting cost, spelled out in the lyrics: Laughter for many in exchange for the tears of one, namely, the performer. Mydland knows the deal all too well. So does guitarist-vocalist Jerry Garcia.

Timeline

Having a High Time: A Grateful Dead Timeline, July 1986 - March 1992

Following an uneventful period, the Grateful Dead’s world began to radically change in the mid-‘80s. Here’s a look at the key events and developments that sparked a creative and commercial resurgence — and marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. 

Timeline

Sensational Studios

Professional studios have been central to making records — and making those records sound a certain way — for ages. Artists and producers seek out specific locations for acoustics, equipment, ambience, approach, geography, reputation, experience and more. The practice has helped Rockfield thrive for decades. Here’s an overview of 20 other iconic studios that continue to play (or played) a crucial role in how we hear what we hear.

Story

Betting on Themselves

Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann played with ‘Til Tuesday for nearly a decade before launching a solo career in the early ‘90s. Several Grammy Awards, nine albums (and counting) and critical accolades followed. Mann is in good company. Here’s a look at 25 other notable vocalists who left famous bands to pursue a solo career that proved equally — and sometimes more — successful. 

Story

High-End Discipline, High-Voltage Rock ‘n’ Roll

AC/DC’s story has been rehashed to the point where everything about it seems rote. Obvious, even. But the narrative is far more complex than how it’s usually presented.

Timeline

Six Degrees of Separation

The Steve Miller Band (SMB) has acted as a magnet for first-rate talent for more than five decades. While the namesake vocalist-guitarist has remained the focal point, many of his collaborators claim impressive resumes of their own. Here are 11 musicians — members and guests alike — whose histories seem to establish six degrees of separation with the broader music community.

Story

Fighting the Power

In the venerated 1989 film “Do the Right Thing,” director Spike Lee shows how festering issues can snowball. A sobering reflection of American race relations, it remains equally significant for launching Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” 

Story

Ready for Their Closeup

Aimee Mann’s involvement in TV and film runs deep. Known for playing herself on “Portlandia” and creating the soundtrack for “Magnolia,” her acting breakthrough came while portraying a toe-sacrificing, lingonberry-pancake-eating nihilist in “The Big Lebowski.” Here’s a look at 20 other famous musicians with movie cameos — and the films themselves.

Story

Q&A with Director Hannah Berryman

Director Hannah Berryman spent several years making “Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm,” whose original theatrical plans were thwarted by the pandemic. In this short interview, the documentarian shares her thoughts about the film, process and more.

Timeline

Rockfield’s Guest Book

Hundreds of artists have made the trek to Rockfield during the last 50-plus years. Though some failed to achieve critical or mainstream success, an incredibly diverse mix of musicians has recorded a wealth of memorable music at the studio. From Queen and the Pixies to Rush and Iggy Azalea, here’s a decade-by-decade look at the key artists and albums connected to Rockfield.

Story

Cows, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll

Let Harry Potter have Hogwarts. Artists like Oasis, Rush, Robert Plant and the Cure will take Rockfield. Surrounded by rolling hills, green pastures and Jersey cows, and framed by quaint brick buildings and half walls, the Welsh farm that doubles as an improbable recording studio touts a clear advantage over the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Unlike the J.K. Rowling creation to which Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin compares it in “Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm,” Rockfield is entirely real.

Playlist

Over the Wall: A Rockfield Playlist

Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” Coldplay’s “Yellow” and Ace’s “How Long” are among the iconic songs that came to life at Rockfield. Over the course of five decades, the studio has produced a diverse array of music as significant (if not as popular) as those massive hits. Here’s an introduction to that rich history.