2014: The Year in Modern Rock

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.

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