Paul Rogers

Sometimes when a successful band splits up, former members feel inclined to continue earning income from performing its songs (which, after all, they helped to ...

When musicians attempt to very publicly reinvent themselves, the motivation can be anything from an admirable sense of sheer sonic adventure to pure survival instinct in the face of changing fashions. Some such rebirths — Katy Perry going from teen gospel crooner to glitzy pop princess; Pantera’s shift from poofy-haired glam to punishing groove metal — have proven staggeringly successful, while others became best-forgotten flops. We looked at eight of the most disastrous artist reinventions....

Most concertgoers have tales about opening bands “blowing away’ headliners, but often these are simply subjective opinions or one-off circumstances (such as openers playing in their hometown, or headliners suffering technical issues). But occasionally there’s a consensus that a particular opening act upstaged the headliner for an entire tour, sometimes to the point of being promoted to top billing themselves....

In this city where some musicians would sell their mother for a shot at success, it’s ironic to learn that some rock stars “made it” almost accidentally. Here are some prominent examples of folks whom fate or circumstance propelled onto the stage and into the limelight, often despite their having zero prior musical experience....

Keep your eye on the quiet ones. See, while it’s the most extroverted musicians who hog the limelight, their unsung bandmates may be creating much of the behind-the-scenes magic. While they might not be songwriters or virtuosos, these folks can be the X factors that hold a band together or help shape its music in less tangible ways. Yet the depth and subtleties of their contribution often are not fully appreciated until they’re gone....

Omniflux’s debut album, Aquarelle, is a woozily seductive trip-hop Trojan horse. Amidst its throbbing grooves, swaths of cultured electronica and heady melodies lurk calls to arms against the collective coma of marketing-induced materialism that obscures our inner truths....

While Onesidezero’s return to the stage at the Viper Room on Aug. 18 has been billed as a reformation, these melodic L.A. alt-metallers, despite not releasing an album since 2007, never truly went away. What’s different this time is a new lineup, promise of a new full-length, and a determination to recapture the spirit of brotherhood and adventure that propelled them to major-label “buzz band” status in the early aughts....