2014: The Year in Modern Rock

Dec. 27, 2014

Taylor Swift ruled, U2 cooled. Kings of Leon toured, Lorde’s career was assured. Music festivals won, Chris Walla was done. Fans flocked, everybody rocked. Here’s a recap of all the Modern Rockin’ happenings on the music scene in 2014.

JANUARY

The Grammys are a great way to start the musical year and 2014’s had performances from Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Lorde and Blake Shelton"¦ Barsuk Records celebrated their 15th anniversary"¦ Sharon Jones and Daniel Johns both returned to the music scene"¦ the Van Andel Winter Jam hit Grand Rapids with music from Lecrae and Newsboys"¦ the 37th Ann Arbor Folk Fest welcomed Neko Case, Jeff Daniels and The Crane Wives"¦ Bruno Mars was named Billboard’s 2013 Artist of the Year"¦ Lollapalooza confirmed a South American edition for 2014"¦ and January’s album releases included Switchfoot’s Fading West, Warpaint’s Warpaint and Maximo Park’s Too Much Information"¦

FEBRUARY

The Beatles celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first trip to America"¦ The Weezer cruise departed from Florida with The Cribs, Ash and Toro Y Moi all on board to rawk!"¦ the Noise Pop Fest hit San Francisco"¦ Starbucks released its annual Valentine’s Day album with tracks from Beck, Fiona Apple and Vampire Weekend"¦ Aberdeen, Washington named Feb. 20 Kurt Cobain Day"¦ Kings of Leon played the Palace in Detroit"¦ Jimmy Fallon kicked off his gig as new host of NBC’s The Tonight Show"¦ Paul Simon and Sting performed together in Detroit"¦ and February’s album releases included Band of Horses’ Live Acoustic at the Ryman, Cibo Matto’s Hotel Valentine and The Fray’s Helios"¦

MARCH

The 40th anniversary of David Bowie’s "Rebel Rebel" was honored with a vinyl picture disc"¦ Kings of Leon and Dave Matthews both announced a long list of new tour dates"¦ Demi Lovato and Fifth Harmony played Van Andel in Grand Rapids"¦ Keb’ Mo’ played the Royal Oak Music Theater"¦ The Dead Weather and Foo Fighters headed into the studio to start work on their respective next albums"¦ Jonny Lang performed at Detroit’s Fox Theater"¦ Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary concert was reissued on DVD"¦ Governor’s Ball and Hangout Music Fest announced their lineups"¦ and March’s album releases included Arctic Monkeys’ AM, Foster the People’s Supermodel and Metronomy’s Love Letters"¦

APRIL

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2014 inductees included Peter Gabriel and Hall and Oates"¦ Doves singer Jimi Goodwin embarked on a solo tour"¦ Radiohead released their Polyfauna iPhone app"¦ Blur/Gorillaz’ Damon Albarn released his solo album, Everyday Robots"¦ Interpol headed back into the recording studio"¦ Google Play added a colorful Music Visualizer to their music player"¦ the Coachella Fest hit the desert mid-month with sets from Muse, Beck, OutKast, Broken Bells and more"¦ the Green Man Fest welcomed Beirut, Lanterns on the Lake and Happyness"¦ Simon Cowell took "The X Factor" back to the UK"¦ and April’s album releases included Eels’ Cautionary Tales, The Whigs’ Modern Creation and Gruff Rhys’ American Interior"¦

MAY

The Sasquatch Music Fest expanded to a twoweekend format this year with The National, Foster the People and Neko Case"¦ Morrissey embarked on a big U.S. tour"¦ Jack Johnson traded his surfboard for a tour bus"¦ One Direction opened their first One Direction Cafe in Japan"¦ Jack White headlined the Free Press Summer Music Fest in Houston"¦ Mogwai played a raucous concert at Saint Andrew’s in Detroit"¦ Conor Oberst promoted his new album, Upside Down Mountain, with a series of live shows"¦ the Detroit Electronic Music Fest hit Hart Plaza with Digweed, Bonobo, DJ Zebo and over 100,000 music fans"¦ and May’s album releases included Leisure Cruise’s Leisure Cruise, Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour and Klaxons’ Love Frequency"¦

JUNE

The 2014 Electric Forest Fest in Rothbury welcomed Jamiroquai, STS9, Pretty Lights and a whole lot of noodle dancing"¦ the Meadow Brook Music Fest in Rochester included sets by Ed Sheeran, Timeflies and Icona Pop"¦ Sheeran’s latest album, x, arrived in outlets"¦ Sheeran’s pal Taylor Swift kicked off the Asian leg of her massive Red Tour"¦ Katy Perry started her Prismatic World Tour in North Carolina"¦ Bruno Mars played two massive shows in Michigan this month, both Grand Rapids and Detroit"¦ Cee Lo Green, OneRepublic and The Script all brought their varied sounds to the DTE Energy Music Theater"¦ and June’s album releases included Jack White’s Lazaretto, Chrissie Hynde’s Stockholm and Tiesto’s A Town Called Paradise"¦

JULY

The Pitchfork Music Fest in Chicago was July’s big deal event with Beck as headliner and tUnE-yArDs, Wild Beasts and Giorgio Moroder along for the ride"¦ in Detroit, the Mo Pop Fest welcomed Cold War Kids and Tokyo Police Club"¦ Smashing Pumpkins signed a new record deal for two new albums that will be on the way in 2015"¦ The Libertines reunited at London’s Hyde Park"¦ the Vans Warped Tour stopped at The Palace in Detroit"¦ the Voice tour also hit Detroit with Tessanne Chin and Will Champlin"¦ the Faster Horses Country Fest brought Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert to the Motor City"¦ Counting Crows played at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids"¦ and July’s album releases included La Roux’s Trouble in Paradise, Manic Street Preachers’ Futurology and Jenny Lewis’ The Voyager"¦

AUGUST

Even bigger than July’s Pitchfork for the Midwest was August’s Lollapalooza, which brought Kings of Leon, Outkast, Lorde, Interpol and The Avett Brothers all to Chicago’s packed Grant Park"¦ Outkast then headed to Montreal for the Osheaga Fest, which also welcomed Jack White and Arctic Monkeys"¦ the MTV VMA performances included Taylor Swift, Sam Smith and 5 Seconds of Summer"¦ Riot Fest made a stop in Chicago"¦ Frozen and Beyonce hopped into the running for biggest-selling album of the year"¦ 89X’s Chill on the Hill in Detroit brought tunes from The Offspring, Silverstein and The Orwells"¦ and August album releases included Beach Day’s Native Echoes, Kimbra’s The Golden Echo and Maroon 5’s V"¦

SEPTEMBER

Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy debuted his new solo album project Sukierae"¦ the Boston Calling Music Fest hit Beantown with The Roots, The Replacements and Lorde"¦ all five members of Fleetwood Mac returned for their "On With the Show" tour"¦ Jack White wrapped his North American tour"¦ Michigan’s Andrew Dost and his band fun. started work on their next album"¦ Bruce Springsteen published a kids’ book called Outlaw Pete"¦ Nick Carter and Jordan Knight took their duo tour to Royal Oak"¦ Alanis Morissette performed at Caesars Windsor"¦ U2 delighted fans and alienated others with the "complimentary" release of their album on new iPhones"¦ La Roux performed at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit"¦ and September’s album releases included Interpol’s El Pintor, Ryan Adams’ Ryan Adams and Ne-Yo’s Non Fiction"¦

OCTOBER

Taylor Swift dropped her newest album 1989 and it was an instant hit"¦ Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Fest launched an international version in Paris with Chvrches, Mogwai and James Blake"¦ Gwen Stefani duetted with Adam Levine on a new Maroon 5 song"¦ OK Go played twice in Michigan this month, at Calvin College in Grand Rapids and Detroit’s Magic Stick"¦ Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters’ series "Sonic Highways" debuted on HBO"¦ the CMJ Music Marathon took over Manhattan with shows from The Kills, Cold War Kids and Matthew Dear"¦ Jessie Ware released her Tough Love album"¦ Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla left the band after 17 years as a bandmate"¦ Janelle Monae appeared on Sesame Street"¦ and October’s album releases included Colbie Caillat’s Gypsy Heart, Boyz II Men’s Collide and OK Go’s Hungry Ghosts"¦

NOVEMBER

The Voodoo Music and Arts Experience kicked off November with Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots and Thirty Seconds to Mars"¦ this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest brought in Nas and Yo La Tengo"¦ The Ready Set played Saint Andrew’s in Detroit"¦ Bastille performed at the Masonic Temple Theater also in D-town"¦ Madonna hit the studio with producer Diplo and collaborators Alicia Keys and Avicii"¦ Carrie Underwood hosted the 48th Country Music Awards"¦ Jason Mraz and Vance Joy played shows in Detroit"¦ Alt-J indie-rocked Detroit’s Fillmore"¦ Jack White released a new music video that was shot and produced in just 24 hours"¦ and November’s album releases included Angels and Airwaves’ POET, R.E.M.’s REMTV and One Direction’s Four"¦

DECEMBER

Florida’s Big Ticket fest brought in Weezer, Alt-J, New Politics and Fall Out Boy"¦ The Who kicked off a mini-tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band"¦ Spandau Ballet started work on what will be their first album since 1989"¦ Darius Rucker released a holiday album with musical pal Sheryl Crow"¦ Relient K performed at The Intersection in Grand Rapids"¦ Bob Dylan was announced as the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year"¦ Katy Perry and John Legend were the first two acts confirmed for 2015’s Rock in Rio in Brazil"¦ Madonna auctioned off part of her wardrobe"¦ Diplo, Cake, Nellie McKay, Sharon Jones and Taylor Swift all performed at big New Year’s Eve bashes"¦ and December’s album releases included Smashing Pumpkins’ Monuments to an Elegy and Simple Minds’ Big Music "¦ and that was the buzz for 2014.