Stereogum — The shred-master guitarist Ronnie Montrose, the former leader of the band Montrose and one of the great technical wizards from the early days of hard rock, died on Saturday, possibly of prostate cancer. He was 64. Montrose got his start as a session ... more info

ContactMusic — The guitarist RONNIE MONTROSE has sadly died at the age of 64 his booking agent Jim Douglas confirming that the virtuoso had passed away at his home in California on Sunday Montrose had several of his own bands but hell be known more for his diverse ... more info

Guardian Music — Barbican, YorkWith Van Morrison's reputation for unpredictability or grumpiness, you fear the worst when a disembodied voice threatens to remove anyone in the audience using a mobile phone. However, moments later, the singer rampages into a cheery,... more info

Guardian Music — (One Fine Day)The idea is certainly original: take a series of interviews with well-known Irish musicians, and then mix short excerpts of speech with instrumental work that follows the rhythms of a spoken phrase. The interviewees include Christy Moor... more info

Guardian Music — As this column ends, I thought it appropriate to talk about rock's profound sense of beginning – its power and possibility, its surging promiseThis column began five years ago, born, in a roundabout way, out of a friendship with my editor, Michael.... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Albert Hall, LondonWho, having witnessed Gary Barlow lose the solo chart battle to Robbie Williams in the late 1990s, could have imagined the resurgence of recent years? Probably not even Barlow, who spends a good part of this sold-out show –... more info

Guardian Music — A positively cherubic Van Morrison struts like a rooster, celebrating the free world of the radioIt's a "joyous shot at how things ought to be" – getting together, staying late, to talk, to sing. The song lifts the spirit. Van Morrison is perhaps b... more info

Guardian Music — A cover of a 60s staple helped set in motion a musical revolution in mid-70s New York"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine …" The first line of Gloria, the first song on what was Patti Smith's first album.Smith was a virtual unknown in the ... more info

Guardian Music — St John-at-Hackney church, LondonDuring the opening chords of The Scientist, the tinkles from the balcony become too much. Chris Martin stops the song, picks out the woman rattling a tambourine and launches a characteristically good-humoured rant abo... more info

Guardian Music — The music of the fields and the woodlands, the lapwings and bunting, is giving way to the sounds of the city, the new housing estates, the motorwaysIn Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art this December, there will sprout up a peculiar kind of forest:... more info