Lafayette’s Rock and Alternative 106.3 wants to help you look back at the best events, music, news stories, and more from the rock and alternative genre.
Each week, we will bring you a list of major events from history that opened in our music scene.
Let’s dive in!
May 19
2016 – John Berry, a founding member of the Beastie Boys, died at the age of 52. In 1978, Berry originally formed the four-piece hardcore punk band, the Young Aborigines, who later became the Beastie Boys.
May 20
1997 – Foo Fighters released their second album, The Colour And The Shape.
May 21
2010 – Stone Temple Pilots released their sixth studio album, a self-titled affair. It’s the final release with the full original lineup.
May 22
1971 – The Rolling Stones’ album Sticky Fingers started a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. charts, the group’s second U.S. No. 1 album. The artwork for Sticky Fingers, which, on the original vinyl release, featured a working zipper that opened to reveal cotton briefs, was conceived by Andy Warhol. Although it’s widely assumed the cover model is Mick Jagger, the jeans in the photo were actually worn by actor Joe Dallesandro. The album also features the first use of the “Tongue and Lip Design” designed by John Pasche.
May 23
1995 – Everclear released their second album, Sparkle and Fade. It features “Santa Monica,” “Heroin Girl,” and “Heartspark Dollarsign.”
1995 – The Rembrandts released their third album, L.P., which features the hit single, “I’ll Be There for You,” best known as the theme from the long-running NBC sitcom, Friends. The success of the theme music sparked further interest in the Rembrandts’ back catalogue, including their 1990 hit, “Just The Way It Is, Baby.” The Rembrandts also enjoy a Minnesota connection: guitarist Phil Solem is from Duluth, Minnesota, and he was in the Minneapolis-based band T.H.R.U.S.H. alongside Michael Bland and John Fields.
May 24
1978 – Van Halen’s self-titled debut album was certified gold by the RIAA. It later went on to sell 10 million copies in the U.S.
1999 – Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, was honored on a new set of millennium stamps issued by the Royal Mail. Fun fact: according to Smithsonian Magazine, Mercury had a stamp collection of his own as a child between the ages of 9 and 12, he put together a substantial collection that included stamps from different British colonies. Though he died at age 45, he was known for his powerful vocal range and live performances and as the composer of many of Queen’s biggest hits, such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “We Are the Champions.”
News and Information from The Current