ELLIE GOULDING Global success scores the singer more creative control on her latest      Ellie Goulding hit the ground running after she released her debut album, Lights, two years ago, and she hasn’t slowed down one bit. In her native England, she won a coveted Brit Award and was invited to play at the Royal Wedding. In the U.S., she scored an unexpected hit with “Lights”—which has been downloaded a whopping 3 million times. Now Goulding,... 

FIERY FOCUS Photographer Rob Shanahan immortalizes rock ’n’ roll passion “I’ve always equated music and photography, and blended the two,” says veteran rock shutterbug Rob Shanahan, who took up drums at 11 and photography at 12. Both loves are on display in a new book of Shanahan’s photography, Volume 1, featuring a foreword by Ringo Starr—an indication of the lensman’s particular affinity for percussionists (like Stone Sour’s... 

MADONNA CAN’T STOP SHOCKING At 54, Madonna’s still got it: Breast baring in Turkey, mooning in Italy, and supporting gay rights and Pussy Riot in Russia Whatever you think of her—that is, if you think of her at all—there can be no denying that Madonna’s current MDNA tour show is spectacular. Though short of Stones-Age, the 54-year-old icon is still long past her performing prime, yet remains Jagger-like in her ability to work a... 

APRIL KRY HOMETOWN: Hartford, Conn. INFLUENCES: Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Billie Holiday ALBUM: Music Speaks EP, out now WEBSITE: aprilkry.com  Pop-rock singer-songwriter April Kry embarked upon her music career in a traditional setting—growing up singing in the church where her father served as a worship leader. Kry moved around a lot as a child in central Connecticut, and music eased her loneliness. “I found that music was my escape from... 

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE HOMETOWN: Monroe, Ga. (Tyler Hubbard); Ormond Beach, Fla. (Brian Kelley) INFLUENCES: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lil Wayne, Garth Brooks ALBUM: It’z Just What We Do EP, out now WEBSITE: floridageorgialine.com Country rock duo Florida Georgia Line—Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley—has made an auspicious start for a new act. The duo, who began performing and writing songs together while attending Nashville’s Belmont University, has... 

NVS HOMETOWN: Toronto, Canada INFLUENCES: Prince, Kanye West, Aaliyah ALBUM: Who Is NvS EP, out now WEBSITE: whoisnvs.com R&B artist NvS (pronounced “envious”) claims her love of music began before she was born. Her father was a reggae musician and sang to her when her mother was pregnant. “He would take his guitar and play his songs to me,” she says. At age 18, NvS enrolled at Toronto’s Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts where she... 

Bob Crawford, Scott Avett, Seth Avett THE AVETT BROTHERS Creative challenges keep these Americana darlings moving forward   One would think a band with as many influences as the Avett Brothers would have an extensive list of dream collaborations or future goals. But the North Carolina-based trio prefers to live in the moment, an attitude that’s helped them deal with the fame that comes after scoring multiple Americana Music Awards and performing... 

REGINA SPEKTOR This quirky Russian-American original lets her art speak for itself     Regina Spektor’s current world tour included two stops in Russia—the homeland she hasn’t visited since her family moved to the Bronx 23 years ago. “It feels incredibly big and emotional and overwhelming,” she said prior to the trip. “I’m also excited to see who will come to my show. Are there fans in Russia?” She needn’t have wondered. After... 

Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, Brian Fallon, Benny Horowitz THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM For their latest project, the folk-punk rockers go bigger and bolder   Accolades piled up fast after Gaslight Anthem’s 2010 album, American Slang, but the New Jersey band shut out as much of the hype as possible to focus on writing music for their latest, Handwritten. “Really, you just want to make great songs,” says drummer Benny Horowitz. “That’s where it... 

PiL: Bruce Smith, Scott Firth, John Lydon, Lu Edmonds JOHN LYDON   The former Johnny Rotten on PiL, the Pistols and the gift of life    “I can’t be linked to one thing forever and a day,” declares John Lydon. “There’s a big musical universe out there for me to float around in. I love pop music and I love experimental music.” While much of the world never stopped thinking of Lydon as “Johnny Rotten,” the snarling lead singer of... 

CAT POWER After years of recording covers, Sun brings her original tunes to light      Long before Cat Power recorded Sun—her first album of original material in six years—she knew there would be an album with that title. “Before I did The Covers Record, I was on tour with these songs that I wrote and some cover songs, playing this Passion of Joan of Arc movie by Carl Dreyer,” says Chan Marshall, the woman behind Cat Power, of her 2000... 

Alex Greenwald, Michael Runion, Z Berg, James Valentine, Jason Boesel JJAMZ Five successful artists go from musical friendship to supergroup  It’s a steamy summer afternoon, and Elizabeth “Z” Berg is in a van with the rest of the newly formed band JJAMZ, ready to embark on a 24-hour trip from Austin, Texas, to Billings, Mont. “Well, I’ll get a book read. That’s a positive,” Berg chuckles. “Somehow I am built for tours, which is good... 

Jeremy Faccone, Frank Zummo , Dhani Harrison, Jonathan Sadoff, Nick Fyffe THENEWNO2 A Beatle’s son forges his own path with a little help from his friends    Dhani Harrison is humble as he discusses the mysterious art of musical inspiration. The son of late Beatle George Harrison plays down his natural knack for finding lively hooks and heartfelt lyrics. “You never know what spark is going to be created,” he says. “Collaborations can change... 

CHRISTIAN SCOTT Connecting past and present in one genre-stretching collection Christian aTunde Adjuah isn’t just the title of Christian Scott’s new double album—it represents a new phase in the jazz trumpeter’s life. “I felt my experience is indicative of someone who probably shouldn’t be called Scott all the time,” says the New Orleans native, explaining why he now goes by Christian aTunde Adjuah Scott, completing a tie to his African... 

MATT SERLETIC Creating big hits takes talent, toil and the ability to thrive under pressure            By Michael Gallant When Grammy-winning producer Matt Serletic steps into the studio to record with the likes of Rob Thomas, Carlos Santana, Aerosmith or Joe Cocker, he brings lots more than a knack for piecing together catchy tunes. Thanks to exceptional talents as a musician, songwriter, arranger and music business executive, Serletic has... 

STEVE VAI The legendary shredder crosses boundaries to deliver the unexpected   By Russell Hall  Steve Vai is mulling over his process to get songs ready for the stage. “I don’t write my songs and then record them,” he muses. “I build them as I record, which means I have to learn them after they’re finished. My first reaction when I’m getting ready for rehearsals is anxiety and fear. It’s like, ‘Do I really have to learn all this... 

How classic-rock juggernaut Journey turned a whole new generation into believers By Chris Neal Jonathan Cain is in the midst of a minor crisis. He was just shopping with his son in the Irish capital of Dublin when his wife called to let him know that their laptop computer has gone kaput, the victim of a virus that hacked all their credit cards—except for one, which happens to be a brand that isn’t welcomed by merchants here in Dublin. So while... 

DEFINING MOMENTS Photographer Danny Clinch captures the essence of music’s finest Danny Clinch’s unforgettable images have graced countless publications and album covers from Johnny Cash and Gregg Allman to Willie Nelson, the Fray and Bruce Springsteen (above, on a New Jersey back road in 2007). Before establishing himself as a premier lensmen, Clinch studied under the legendary Annie Leibovitz and Mary Ellen Mark. “These photographs are... 

Born in the studio, raised in the club, EDM is now poised to conquer the world By Kenneth Partridge It’s the bouncing, humming high-voltage strings that launch Nicki Minaj’s hit “Starships.” It’s the swirling, building buzz in Rihanna’s No. 1 smash “We Found Love.” It’s the driving dance groove in hits by Usher, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Chris Brown—you can’t turn on pop radio for 10 minutes without hearing... 

   MAY  THE BAMBOOZLE  Headliners: Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, Skrillex, Brand New, the Gaslight Anthem, All American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, Incubus, Mac Miller Where: Asbury Park, N.J. When: May 18-20 Website: thebamboozle.com Promoted as the largest beach-based music festival in the U.S., the 10th annual Bamboozle offers more than 100 acts. This year the sounds will continue well into the night, as the lineup has expanded to include... 

It’s a midsummer morning, and Alanis Morissette is enjoying some rare downtime in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada. Although she’s lived in Los Angeles since the mid-’90s, clearly there’s no place like home. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” she says. “I used to come up three times a year but almost two years have passed this time. Today we’re getting all the cousins together—having about 10 kids in one place. I’m... 

SLY STONE WAS IN AN ESPECIALLY UPBEAT MOOD when photographer Norman Seeff shot this L.A. session for the 1974 album, Small Talk. “His music had such a scintillating vitality, and that’s exactly how I found him to be as a person,” Seeff recalls. “He was like, ‘Hey, whatever you want, I’m here.’ And then he would deliver.” Stone’s positive frame of mind appeared to be rooted in his new role as a husband and father, something Seeff... 

SAINT SAVIOUR HOMETOWN: London, England INFLUENCES: Janis Joplin, Deep Purple, Björk ALBUM: Union, out now WEBSITE: saintsaviour.co.uk After establishing herself as one of the most sought-after session vocalists in London, Saint Saviour secured prime gigs as lead singer for indie pop outfits the RGBs and Groove Armada. In fact, she sang three tracks on Groove Armada’s Grammy-nominated 2010 album, Black Light, and joined them on their last headlining... 

BAKER HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: David Bowie, Jack White, Kanye West ALBUM: The Baker EP, out now WEBSITE: bakermusic.com Christopher Baker was playing cello by age 5, eventually played Carnegie Hall and graduated from Harvard University. Since transitioning his career path from classical cellist and vocalist to electro-pop singer, he has earned rave reviews with his cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box.” Since releasing a seven-track... 

HALEY REINHART HOMETOWN: Wheeling, Ill. INFLUENCES: The Beatles, Nina Simone, Tony Bennett ALBUM: Listen Up!, out now WEBSITE: haleyreinhart.com American Idol alum Haley Reinhart—who finished third in season 10—recorded her debut album Listen Up! following the show’s international tour. “I wanted to wait till I could put all my focus and energy into the album and be very hands-on with every single aspect,” she says. “It was really important... 

MINDY SMITH Taking chances is paying off for one of Americana’s most distinctive talents     “The risk is pretty intense, but it’s worth it.” Mindy Smith is discussing the realities of navigating the music industry as an independent artist. Her new self-titled album is her first after parting ways with Vanguard Records in 2010. “The opportunity to go indie presented itself when my contract was up,” Smith says, “and it felt right... 

TENACIOUS D Playing their music for fun and the industry for laughs How does a comedy duo follow an album that won neither stellar reviews nor sales? Turn it into a joke, of course. Tenacious D’s 2006 film The Pick of Destiny and its accompanying soundtrack garnered a lukewarm reception at best, but it has since gained a cult following. After six years, Jack Black and Kyle Gass have returned with their follow-up, Rize of the Fenix—rife with self-deprecating... 

THE MEMORIALS From Berklee to Berkeley, their art has always been a collaborative effort   When recording their second album, Delirium, the Berkeley, Calif., outfit known as the Memorials employed a wonderfully effective everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sonic philosophy. For the follow-up to 2011’s self-titled debut, band organizer and former Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen, vocalist Viveca Hawkins and guitarist Nick Brewer kept the tempo cranked... 

EVERCLEAR   Life changes bring the inspiration for their long-awaited new album    Everclear fans have been waiting for an album of new material since 2006’s Welcome to the Drama Club. Now that the band has released its eighth studio record, Invisible Stars, leader Art Alexakis explains that it simply took that long before he felt he had something new to say. “I wasn’t writing songs for a while because I didn’t feel like I had anything... 

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Exploring the world around him, from the streets of Mexico to the sky    Austin-based singer and songwriter Alejandro Escovedo often finds himself pigeonholed as an alt-country act. But the man who—lest we forget—was a founding member of pioneering punk band the Nuns and roots-rockers Rank and File and True Believers, is a rocker at heart. “If you look at my solo records and the bands I’ve been in, at the core of it... 

SHAWN COLVIN Feeling at home with some of music’s greatest singers and songwriters It’s been 15 years since Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home” catapulted the singer-songwriter into the mainstream. Since then the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has collaborated with artists from James Taylor and Béla Fleck to Mary Chapin Carpenter and Sting. For All Fall Down, Colvin adds to that list producer Buddy Miller (who recorded the album at his... 

JOE BONAMASSA A guitar master enjoys an overnight success decades in the making  Joe Bonamassa nurses a sore neck as he discusses his new album, Driving Towards the Daylight—the result of too much headbanging onstage the night before. “We added a bit of ‘Still of the Night’ by Whitesnake,” he muses. “Maybe that’s what wrenched out my neck.” Bonamassa, 35, isn’t letting a wrenched-out neck slow him down now. He’s an acknowledged... 

  The Governor General’s Performing Arts Award is the highest honor the nation of Canada can bestow upon its artists. The first recipient was Gweneth Lloyd, who co-founded the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. This year the honorees included Stratford Shakespeare Festival artistic director Des McAnuff, classical pianist Janina Fialkowska, choreographer Paul-André Fortier and several other creative Canadians familiar with respectable, best-behavior black-tie... 

  KISS WAS A FULL YEAR AWAY FROM SUPERSTARDOM when photographer Norman Seeff shot this L.A. session for the cover of 1974’s Hotter Than Hell. When Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley (above, from left) entered his studio in full costume, says Seeff, “I was incredulous. My first thought was, ‘Are they covering up for mediocrity?’ Of course I was completely wrong about that.” Seeff quickly realized the foursome had... 

NORAH JONES How she made the most unexpected music of her career with some help from Danger Mouse.  In June 2009, Norah Jones was somewhere not many people would expect her to be: in a small Los Angeles studio, cooking up new music with producer Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton. Ten years ago, Jones’ diamond-selling debut, Come Away With Me, established her as a pop icon with a soft, jazzy touch. Each of her follow-up solo albums—all of which... 

MEIKO HOMETOWN: Roberta, Ga. INFLUENCES: Fiona Apple, Patty Griffin, Sade ALBUM: The Bright Side, out now WEBSITE: meikomusic.com Growing up in a small rural hometown with a population of 800, Meiko Sheppard learned to entertain herself. She picked up her father’s guitar and was writing songs by age 5; three years later she made her public debut singing “White Christmas” at church. “Being an awkward, bored middle-schooler was really helpful... 

SPEAKERS HOMETOWN: New Orleans MEMBERS: “Keon B” Brown (vocals), Blair Taylor (music) ALBUM: New Frequency EP, out now WEBSITE: speakersmusic.com Blair Taylor was getting established as a go-to musician and producer in his native New Orleans when singer and rapper Keon B moved to town from Waynesboro, Ga. When Keon heard Taylor’s production work, he was impressed enough to try contacting him. “I called and texted Blair for a whole year after... 

SHANNON LABRIE HOMETOWN: Lincoln, Neb. INFLUENCES: Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, James Taylor ALBUM: Shannon Labrie EP, out now WEBSITE: shannonlabrie.com The daughter of an opera-singing mother and guitar-playing father, Shannon Labrie took to music early—she astounded her first vocal coach with her four-octave range, and began writing classical piano pieces as a child. She got her first guitar at around 10 and began learning chords from her dad, who... 

CALLAGHAN HOMETOWN: Boston, Lincolnshire, England INFLUENCES: Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, James Taylor ALBUM: Life in Full Colour, due out May 1 WEBSITE: callaghansongs.com Georgina Callaghan was playing flute by age 6, learned piano shortly afterward, began writing songs at 14 and by 18 made the long trek from her small hometown to London to pursue a life in music. She slept under the kitchen table in her sister’s tiny apartment while gradually... 

SPREE WILSON HOMETOWN: Nashville INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Outkast, Snoop Dogg ALBUM: The Spark, out soon WEBSITE: spreewilson.com Rapper, singer and guitarist Spree Wilson grew up in the capital of country music, Nashville—but while he enjoyed learning from the city’s rich musical tapestry, he knew his own destiny lay elsewhere. After high school he headed to Clark Atlanta University, where producer Dallas Austin became an invaluable mentor.... 

CRAIG CAMPBELL HOMETOWN: Lyons, Ga. INFLUENCES: Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt ALBUM: Craig Campbell, out now WEBSITE: craigcampbell.tv Craig Campbell first fell in love with music while performing at church, where he played piano for his local Baptist congregation throughout his teens. Winning a regional singing competition at age 15 set his career path in stone. “I wanted to be onstage for sure,” he says. “The crowd response is... 

GOSSIP Beth Ditto on personalities, producers and rocking for the right reasons   Creating the follow-up to a hot-selling major-label debut can be downright stressful, but Gossip was looking to do so with as little drama as possible. After 2009’s Music for Men proved a success, the Portland trio’s members readied a new batch of songs—but found themselves unsettled on the album’s direction. “Being just a three-piece, it would be easy to... 

ANDREW BIRD Breaking out with his barn, his band, his baby and his books     After a long stretch of working mainly solo, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird was in a more sociable mood while making his latest album, Break It Yourself. It’s easily Bird’s most collaborative effort in years. He recorded the 14 songs during two week-long stints playing with his band in a barn on his family’s farm in Western Illinois.... 

SPECTRUM ROAD Jack Bruce and friends pay tribute to one of fusion’s founding fathers    The word “supergroup” gets tossed around a lot, but Spectrum Road makes an impressive case for itself. Each member of the quartet comes with a wildly impressive résumé. Guitarist Vernon Reid is the prime mover behind Living Colour, the juggernaut that helped define rock-funk in the ’80s. Keyboardist John Medeski, one-third of Medeski Martin &... 

DAR WILLIAMS  Making sense of the modern world through the myths of an ancient time   When she titled her eighth and latest album In the Time of Gods, singer and songwriter Dar Williams wasn’t just looking for something that sounded lofty. On the contrary, Williams has lately been fascinated with Greek mythology and its gods and goddesses—Zeus, Hermes, Athena and their compatriots, whose tales she considers a prism through which to see the... 

THE HIVES Sweden’s super-caffeinated, supremely confident rockers rediscover one another   Onstage, Hives frontman “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist has moves like Jagger and the personality of a carnival barker. Comically arrogant, he’s there to tell you how great his band is and how thoroughly you’re about to be rocked. Discussing the group’s latest studio effort, Almqvist is less prone to bold proclamations. He’s plenty confident, but... 

GARBAGE Pioneering alt-rockers push forward, leaving the labels and the ’90s behind   On the eve of Garbage’s first tour in more than seven years, guitarist Duke Erikson is puzzled. “I’m trying to figure out how the hell to pack all this stuff,” he says, facing an unruly pile of clothes. “I can’t remember how I did this before.” Luckily, he and his bandmates had no such trouble reminding themselves of the chemistry that propelled... 

GLENN FREY The Eagles’ co-leader takes a solo flight through classic love songs  “The Eagles is the mothership,” says Glenn Frey. “We venture to and from that.” For his first solo album in 20 years, the 63-year-old Detroit native ventured far indeed: After Hours is a collection of love songs dating from the ’40s to the present. Producing with Richard F.W. Davis and Michael Thompson, Frey gives candlelit treatment to such gems as Johnny... 

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT It was the best of times, it was the worst of times—now let’s dance      After spending a few years exploring esoteric pursuits like composing the opera Prima Donna and staging a Judy Garland tribute at Carnegie Hall, Rufus Wainwright was ready to aim for the mainstream. “My listeners have been very patient with my little dalliances,” he says. “So I wanted to give them the kind of record you can bring to a party and... 

RODNEY CROWELL  A unique teaming with poet Mary Karr brings it all back home   After more than three decades, 13 solo albums and collaborations with some of music’s greatest names, Rodney Crowell knows a born songwriter when he sees one—even if that particular songwriter has never written a song. When he read poet and memoirist Mary Karr’s 1995 book The Liars’ Club, he couldn’t help but see the parallels between himself and the author—they...