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Kyle Profeta (drums), Andrew Neufeld (vocals), Jeremy Hiebert (guitar), Matt Keil (bass) and Casey Hjelmberg (guitar) are Comeback Kid, a hard-hitting five-piece band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially started as a side project in 2000, the band immediately caught on in the hardcore punk community and has since released five albums (including 2010’s Symptoms + Cures) and played more than 30 countries worldwide. During a pit stop from yet another tour, Hiebert talks about the hard work and mind-blowing results that come from spending over a decade making music.

What’s the story behind your name?

Scott was flipping through the paper and found this story about Mario Lemieux – who’d retired from the NHL because of a back injury – and how he was feeling good enough to come out of retirement and start playing again. I can’t remember the exact headline but it was something like, ‘Mario Lemieux is the comeback kid.’ Scott thought it captured where we were coming from as a band – you know, not letting things keep you down and always keeping hope. It was the kind of name we were looking for.

Are there more obstacles that threaten to ‘keep you down’ being a hardcore band rather than a straight-ahead rock or pop act?

Sure, but we love the music we play. There are people who chase the dream for a buck and allow their music to be watered down or create something that they really don’t even like. That doesn’t come off as honest even though it might sell. We’re not part of the mainstream but there’s a lot of passion for the genre of music that we play, and a real sense of community.

Do you often have to explain or defend your music?

Yeah, I think we do… but we know what we’re getting into. If you want to create something that’s controversial to the mainstream you have to be prepared. It comes with the territory when you’re looking to be honest about subjects that maybe aren’t so popular.

Music can be a tough career.

It’s definitely tough. We love what we’re doing but that doesn’t mean that every day is a breeze. There are hard days, and huge disagreements when it comes to getting money to record, and all kinds of headaches that come with it. From the outside, it probably seems like its all fun and silly shenanigans, but there’s a real-life side to it, too. It can wear you down. That’s why you have bands that don’t last very long because they have no idea how to deal with it. It takes a certain breed of people to be able to do this for so long.

You’ve shared stages with Foo Fighters, Incubus, System of a Down – do you use that as an opportunity to watch and learn?

Totally. That’s the beauty of playing these large festivals. We watch these bands from the side of the stage and they’re playing on a level we’ll probably never be on (laughs) and it’s cool. But festivals aren’t where we are every day, though; we’re more of a club show band, playing in small environments with 400 people crammed in there.

You’ve played together for over a decade now. What have you learned about yourselves as a band?

We had an interesting thing happen on our last European tour where our drummer wasn’t able to do it. It was the first time ever that Comeback Kid had to play without him. We realized just how much we gel with each other. That’s not to say that the guy filling in wasn’t good because he was… but we learned that we feed off each other and rely on little things from one another that we don’t even realize. It’s a pretty cool thing.

Are audiences different around the world?

Places that get bands a lot – North America, Europe, Australia – are pretty similar, but when you go to places that don’t get a lot of shows – South America, Southeast Asia – there’s this excitement that’s totally different from we experience here at home. Kids in Toronto, Montreal, New York or whatever have at least two shows to pick from a night, so it’s different playing in front of kids who want music badly…it’s actually mind-blowing.

Mind-blowing how?

I mean, we’re just these weird dudes that got together in a basement to make music. To go thousands of miles from home and have kids scream every one of your words to the songs…it’s overwhelming. We’re very fortunate to be able to have that experience with them.

With inspired vocals and dramatic guitar atop a distinctive rhythmic foundation, David Quon (vocals, guitar), Derek VanHeule (bass,vocals) and Nathan Warkentin (drums/vocals) are We Barbarians – a three-piece indie rock band that evokes a wholehearted, earnest sound with subtle undercurrents of an ’80s-era U2. Searching for new inspiration, the trio bid farewell to their lifelong home of California to take on the hustle and bustle of New York City. Their brand new EP, Headspace, is their most cohesive release to date, and according to Quon, a reflection of the band’s current state of mind.

Why migrate from Long Beach to Brooklyn?

We’d been in Southern California all of our lives. There’s a vibe there of chilling out and just letting things happen, so we wanted to put ourselves in an environment where we’d be forced to work really hard. New York kicks you in the a-- and it’s good to have that refreshed inspiration. We’ve been tying loose ends on the EP we just put out, and doing demos, and writing a lot. We’re getting our juices flowing.

Tell me about your new EP, Headspace.

We recorded it with Dan Gallucci. He plays in Modest Mouse and does some producing for them and it was cool to bring him in and have him help us solidify our songs. Our LP (2009’s There’s This There’s That) was something we did when we were still trying to find our sound and get our s--- together, but with these songs, we really feel like they’re an indication of what we want to be doing.

So it took time to find your sound?

Yeah. I think it takes awhile to come together, establish roles in the band, get into a groove and feel confident with what you’re doing. With our latest stuff, there’s a real genuine quality that we tapped into. When you first form, you have this idea of what you’ll sound like, but to actually be able to sit down and tangibly create it is harder than you think. With [Headspace], we’ve got a lot closer.

What is it about you three together that works?

I met Nate at 17 and Derek a year after that. We became friends before we started playing together and we’ve really run the gauntlet together as far as touring, getting signed to a major label and all the s--- that can go with that. We’re like brothers and I think that’s a rare thing. We sift through our s--- and we’re honest and vulnerable with one another and that makes being in the band so rewarding and easy. I think you can see that when we’re on stage. It adds to what we do.

You’re compared to early U2 – how do you feel about that?

I mean, when you’re at the airport with your guitar, someone is bound to ask what you do and what you sound like. A prideful part of you wants to say that you don’t sound like anyone else and that you’ve created something new, but we’re where we are because of bands that have come before us. Even a somewhat tainted band like U2 have a huge influence on what we do so we take it as a compliment. If you listen to songs on Boy or War, they create an atmosphere and depth that you get lost in – and that’s what we strive to do with our music.

Give me the description you give at the airport.

(Laughs) At the heart of it all, we’re a rock band… an atmospheric rock band. Then people ask, ‘Well, who do you sound like?’ and I think it’s easiest to reference bands like U2, The Clash, Joy Division…anything in the vein of post-punk rock. That’s not to say we sound exactly like them but they influence how we do things. But I think there has to be more to a band than just their music, though. Great bands are about art or politics... there’s substance.

And how do you convey substance?

Nate and I studied art and graphic design so we’re very interested in creating an aesthetic that communicates our sound. Bands like Joy Division or New Order really created a distinct perception with their artwork and that’s something that’s very important to us too and we all collaborate on our artwork. As far as politics, we’re more straightforward on Headspace than we’ve been in the past. Even our name itself is sort of a social commentary. In the most civilized areas of the worlds and at the root of everything, we are all barbaric.

Upcoming North American dates mark band's first live performance on U.S. soil since 2006.

Guns N 'Roses may well be considered an American rock and roll institution, but their recently-announced concert dates mark their first North American concerts in more than five years.

According to Rolling Stone, the legendary rock band – fronted by the infamous Axl Rose – are finally piecing together a tour with confirmed dates announced for Orlando (October 28), Miami (October 29) and Kansas City (November 12). Insiders speculate that other dates should be confirmed soon.

The group's new lineup has toured extensively overseas in recent years, though they haven't performed together live since their show in Dubai last December.

Comprising Axl Rose (vocals), Izzy Stradlin (guitar), Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Steven Adler (drums), Guns N’ Roses formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The rockers rose to fame in 1987 with their major label debut, Appetite for Destruction, which went on to become the highest selling debut U.S. album of all time, selling over 28 million copies worldwide.

The cover of American singer-songwriter Chris Mills’ new retrospective, Heavy Years 2000-2010, bears a stylized and stark black and white photo and hand-drawn lettering - conveying the artistry to be found inside. With five LPs under his belt – Every Night Fight for Your Life (1998), Kiss it Goodbye (2000), The Silver Line (2002), The Wall to Wall Sessions (2005) and Living in the Aftermath (2008) – Mills has been making emotionally dense music for more than a decade – and this collection serves as an engaging introduction for those who aren’t familiar with his music. Having played countless live shows with the likes of Steve Earle, Wilco, Neko Case, and My Morning Jacket, Mills is a musician who respects his craft and has succeeded in creating genuine, appealing music that – as this retrospective shows – stands the test of time.

How have you managed to make music for so long?

Well, I really enjoy it; that’s the first thing. I’ve just been really lucky to have labels put out my records and clubs that are willing to let me play and really great musicians to play with. So, luck – and really loving what I do.

When did you first know that’s what you would do?

I think it was in high school. I played in a lot of bands. Then when I got into college, I really started to get into songwriting and I felt like I had something to say. I mean, when I looked at all the things I could do – and do well – music seemed liked it would be the thing that would matter the most.

Has making music always come easily?

Anything you do for a long time has its ups and downs, and with anything creative you’re going to struggle with things that aren’t working or have problems producing. People don’t always respond in the way you want them to and it can be unnerving. You have to be really committed and believe in what you’re doing.

How did you select the songs for this retrospective?

I wanted it to be a nice mix of songs that people have responded to the most, and the songs that I really enjoy playing and that I feel represent turning points for me.

Why call it Heavy Years?

(laughs) Well, it’s the name of one of my songs, but it’s more of inside joke. It’s a play on words, too... ‘light years’ vs. ‘heavy years.’ It just seemed to fit. And I guess you could say it’s emotionally heavy… I tend to lean towards the dark side of things when I’m writing about relationships or the human condition. A long journey can put a lot of physical weight on you, too (laughs).

What do you hear when you listen to your older songs?

I hear somebody that’s learning how to make records and learning how to write songs. I hear an evolution in the writing and the production. I also hear the people that I was playing with at that time or the things that I was going through.

By evolution, do you mean that your songs are better or somehow more interesting now?

I’ve spent a lot of time writing songs and I think I’ve gotten a lot better at it. Musically – because I’ve been exposed to so much over the years and played so often – I think I’m able to experiment more, come up with more, and make more interesting songs, definitely.

What makes a classic song?

Um… honesty. I think when you approach something honestly then it’s something that everyone can relate to and get something out of. The songs that I like are the ones that I feel really hit that emotional center. I think when you’re writing, you really try to connect with people. It can be really personal but at the same time, it’s universal enough that it means something to someone else.

Do you experiment when you’re on the road?

I use a different lineup all the time; the instrumentation changes from show to show. In New York, I’ll use a piano player, violin player and a three-piece rock outfit and when I play in Chicago I’ll use a full string section and horn section. It sometimes has to change depending on who shows up to the gig, basically.

In a band you always know who’ll show up to play – so would you say then that solo artists face challenges that bands don’t?

I think the challenges are different, yeah. When you’re in a band you have to figure out how to get along long term and when you’re a solo artist, you get to pick and choose who you want to play with. At the same time, your name is the only name on the door and you’re the one who’s responsible if things rise or fall.

Can we expect another retrospective in 2021?

(laughs) Oh, I have no idea. I didn’t expect to get this far, so who knows what’ll happen in another 10 years. I try not to make predictions.

Raised in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Louise Burns and her friends – more interested in making music than in local pastimes like hockey or hunting – formed pop/rock outfit Tigerlily when she was just 11 years old. In what seemed an impossible dream come true, Tigerlily landed a deal with Madonna’s Maverick Records in 2003, renamed themselves Lillix, and were launched into the spotlight – professionally-styled and singing carefully crafted hits like It’s About Time and a cover of The Romantics’ What I Like About You (which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Freaky Friday; with their music video starring then ‘It Girl,’ Lindsay Lohan). In 2006, disenchanted with the “meat grinder” mentality of the majors, Burns left Lillix and set off in search of her individuality. Now in 2011, the independent songstress has released her solo LP Mellow Drama and has found what she’d lost years ago... a genuine passion for making music.

You co-founded Lillix at just 11 – that’s astonishing.

In retrospect, I’ll admit it’s quite exceptional, but at the time it made perfect sense to us. We were small-town girls from Cranbrook – which was very hockey-centric and outdoorsy – and somehow, we were motivated enough to form a band and practice and enter this really crazy level of discipline. I’m not really sure how it that happened, but we never doubted it. We were really passionate.

What were your parents’ reactions?

[Lacey-Lee and Tasha-Ray Evin’s] dad was in a band so he was the most encouraging. We got to use their basement to practice and they had a lot of instruments. My parents were supportive too, but perhaps a little more reluctant because I experimented with everything. When I started with the band I was already a pianist in the Royal Conservatory so it kind of made sense to them, but then they were like, ‘Bass guitar? …Uh, okay.’

If you played piano, how did you end up on bass?

I had no idea what one was (laughs); I had no concept of it. But when Lacey and Tasha said, ‘Can you be the bass player?’ I just said, ‘Yes’ and that was it.

Eventually you got signed and things started to change – is that right?

It wasn’t a traumatic experience because nobody was hurt or abused, but the music industry – which I call a meat grinder – took everything we thought we believed in about making music and just tore it to shreds. It became about money and marketing and we became a product of theirs. We were really aware of that and it was hard to deal with. My relationship with music became all about writing commercial songs for the radio and existing to impress the people who were paying for our record. It got really messed up in my head – to the point where I didn’t know what I was doing anymore.

Tell me about the time immediately after Lillix.

Well, it was a healing period for me. I knew I loved songwriting and music more than anything else in the entire universe, but I didn’t know if I could ever do that to myself again – what if it was another heartbreaking experience and everyone just thought that all my hard work was garbage? I knew I probably couldn’t take it. So I just stopped thinking about that kind of music and started playing in bands and finding the real meaning behind my love of music, instead of forcing myself into it.

How did you finally start again?

Well, I never really stopped – I’ve been writing ever since I quit [Lillix], but I finally got my s—- together in 2008 when I found the sound that I was trying to get to, and I found out what it was I loved about music again... true passion in my songwriting.

What’s the biggest positive to being solo?

Definitely control. In the studio, I get to be creative and have control over the music I make. I really, really like that I can just call the shots and have everything go my way (laughs). There are no egos to balance. For me, it works – at least for now.

Your bio says, ‘Mellow Drama opens the book on a personality that was submerged during [your] long apprenticeship years.’ Is that true?

Nobody ever knows what they’re about in their early teens but I definitely felt like I couldn’t be myself during that time. It wasn’t honest for me to say, ‘I am so into [Lillix’s] music’ because I wasn’t. Mellow Drama reintroduced me – in an honest way.

Hollywood theme park will launch nightmarish maze in time for Halloween.

Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California has revealed plans to create an Alice Cooper-inspired Welcome 2 My Nightmare attraction in time for its annual Halloween Horror Nights event, reports pollstar.com.

Taking its cue from the shock rocker’s famous 1976 album Welcome to My Nightmare, and the newly-announced, sequel release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, the walk-through, maze-style attraction promises to be as macabre as it unforgettable.

"We'll be creating this living horror movie within screaming distance of the sound stages where horror movies first began, so there’s no place more appropriate to offer a preview of the new Welcome 2 My Nightmare," said Cooper in a statement. "This will be a nightmare that will haunt visitors’ dreams for a long time to come."

The theatrical rocker’s music will play as visitors make their way through the dimly-lit maze riddled with “guillotine decapitations, electric chairs, a sadistic insane asylum, predatory snake and giant black widow spiders.”

In an online video posted Monday (August 1), Cooper cracked, "If you’re lucky, you just might make it out alive... but I doubt it."

The band played Charlie Brown for millions of viewers on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

On Wednesday night (August 3), Coldplay treated studio guests and millions of North American viewers to a 90-minute set on a special edition of late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Their set comprised classics like Yellow, Clocks, and Viva La Vida, in addition to a number of selections from their forthcoming LP, including Major Minus and Moving to Mars. Their new album's first single, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, and another new track, Charlie Brown, were performed for the first time on American TV.

When Kimmel jokingly asked what the band had been up since performing on his show when it launched in 2003, Martin quipped, "Will [Champion] worked at FedEx and the rest of us run a pet shop."

The band also performed a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse by covering Rehab, which lead into Fix You – written by Martin for his wife Gwyneth Paltrow’s dad, Bruce Paltrow, who passed in 2002.

Looking to record country-inspired songs, the singer plans to spend time in Nashville.

The hugely successful Adele – who’s been enjoying widespread fanfare thanks to her newest album 21 – is already looking ahead to her next project.

The British singer has recently revealed an interest in taking a trip across the pond to the U.S., having been influenced by so many different American-born genres.

"I was exposed to a lot of country, rockabilly and bluegrass because I was touring for such a long time," she told British newspaper The Sun. "The melodies and to-the-point lyrics I have found in a lot of American styles of music is definitely something I'm going to be pursuing heavily from now on. I want to spend some time in Austin in Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, and learn about it."

Adele admits that it was a few years ago – while in the U.S. promoting her debut album 19 – that her tour bus driver first exposed the her to country and bluegrass music, playing his favorites for her while out on long stretches of road between publicity stops.

The Rolling In the Deep star will begin work on her new album later in the year.