Axl Rose won’t be the only notable frontman missing from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday night. As Billboard reports, Rod Stewart will be unable to join Faces’ reunion, after being diagnosed with strep throat and ordered to not travel by doctors.

The rest of Faces — drummer Kenney Jones, keyboardist Ian McLagan and guitarist Ronnie Wood — will instead perform with Simply Red singer Mick Hucknal.

Rod Stewart will perform with Faces for the first time in 19 years during the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14th. Faces’ drummer Kenney Jones revealed the news in an interview with Music Radar, adding, “We all had dinner about a month ago and decided that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be the perfect time and place.”

Formed in the wake of The Small Faces’ breakup in 1969, Faces comprised Stewart and Jones, along with The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan, and Ronnie Lane. During their six-year existence, the band released four studio albums and toured regularly until Stewart left the group to pursue a solo career. In 2010, Faces reunited sans Stewart, who was unable to participate due to vocal problems.

Jones says the band has no plans beyond the Hall of Fame ceremonies, though they are open to the idea. “We’ll just have to see how it goes. I’d like to think there’s more to come, although it depends how everyone’s individual schedules are shaping up. But we’re all really looking forward to getting up on stage again, it’s been far too long.”

Watch Faces perform their biggest hit “Stay With Me” in the video below.

The now-classic program first aired on November 26, 1989, but the idea for the show dates back to about a decade prior. A benefit concert known as The Secret Policeman’s Ball in June ’79 featured a performance from Pete Townshend, where he performed “Pinball Wizard” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” acoustically. This had been a groundbreaking performance, because it was very rare to hear someone play one of their biggest songs in such a stripped-down interpretation. Two years later, a follow-up benefit known as The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball featured Phil Collins and Sting also doing acoustic performances. These sessions would prove to be the inspiration for the show Unplugged, created by producers Jim Burns and Robert Small in the late 80′s.

You can still catch new Unplugged sessions on the Palladia network, and it’s still entertaining to see artists take away the big production that albums have now and just play the songs the way they were probably written. However, unlike today’s performances, there was a certain vibe you would get from watching an Unplugged premiere. These were the biggest names in music, and what they were doing had not been done before. It was exciting to watch what worked, what didn’t, and the odd things that would occur at a small, live performance.

The first acts billed were Squeeze, Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton, and these show’s successes opened the door to bigger acts for MTV. As a result, the first season ran 13 episodes and featured 10,000 Maniacs, Elton John, Don Henley, Hall & Oates, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Once the first season finished, acts were lining up to take part in the special concert series. This was an opportunity for artists and bands to shed new light on some of their biggest hits, and in some cases, make themselves relevant once again. Soon enough, Unplugged spawned a list of participants who are some of the best known acts in the business. Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Sting, Elvis Costello, The Cure, and many more, all played that intimate setting, usually in New York City, and this was all within two years of the series debut. An array of Hall of Fame talent saw that this series was something special, and the public was aware of this as well.

In 1991, Unplugged aired the first ever acoustic rap performances on the program, featuring LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, MC Lyte, and De La Soul. Each performed a couple of acoustic tracks and, in doing so, made history. Today, it seems many of the more recent shows are by hip-hop artists performing in front of a live band, most notably 2010′s B.o.B performance.

Perhaps the most memorable moment surfaced in 1993, when Nirvana took center stage. Dave Grohl proclaimed that the band had seen other performances, and they decided they didn’t like them and wanted to do their own thing. The band didn’t play their biggest hits and instead chose some lesser-known tracks in addition to six covers. The best of these was the cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World”. This show was historic, because it was one of the final televised performances by Kurt Cobain, who would die only five months later.

Maybe the oddest moment in the series arrived in 1996 when Oasis performed – mostly because of the backstory. At the day of the performance, the band readied themselves for the show, the crowd had filed into their seats, when, out of nowhere, singer Liam Gallagher pulled out at the last minute, citing a sore throat. This stirred the pot a little, but didn’t prohibit the show from happening as brother Noel Gallagher said that he would take over the singing duties, instead. The show went on as planned, without Liam on stage, but he didn’t leave the building. He sat above the band on a balcony, got drunk, and heckled his bandmates and brother throughout the entire performance. Looking back, it’s amazing the band lasted as long as they did.

With so many varying genres showcased, the show catered to a wide demographic – including those both young and old. For example, on one night you’d see Stone Temple Pilots and the next you’d see Rod Stewart. Both proved worthwhile. The former featured a young, bearded Scott Weiland sitting in what appeared to be a huge throne of sorts, churning out acoustic renditions of “Big Empty” and “Plush”. It’s hard to not be moved by Stewart, either. Between his cover of Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately” and the fact that the performance marked the first time he had reunited with Ronnie Wood, his former Faces bandmate, it was the stuff rock historians dreamt up. For producers, this meant one thing: ca-ching. Because of this, several artists would later release their performances as an album, and they often did very well commercially.

Critically, too. Not only were these albums popular amongst fans, but in the eyes of the Grammy boards, as well. Eric Clapton won album of the year in 1993, while Nirvana took home “Best Alternative Music Album” in the same year. The series propelled to new heights around this time, and one thing that the audience always loved was when the artist would perform a cover. It wasn’t until Mariah Carey’s rendition of the Jackson 5′s “I’ll Be There” in 1992 that this became a staple. The version went to number one on the Billboard Charts and remains one of the more memorable moments in the series.

Say what you will about the station as a whole nowadays, but to date, MTV Unplugged remains a revolutionary and cultural landmark in the music industry. Although, like many things today, it doesn’t carry the weight it once did – although, it’s trying, what with upcoming performances by Lykke Li? – critics and fans can remember those special moments with legendary artists who have now come and gone. Who would have thought you could reach such a wide audience just by unplugging your guitar?

Once known as a serious sex symbol, Stewart gives the ladies — and men (not that there’s anything wrong with that) — exactly what they want. Dressed in leather and leopard skin, the real question is “How can you not think he’s sexy?” Well, I’m going to try. For starters, his hair eerily resembles that of his love interest in the video, and at times this can actually get confusing. Which is the woman and which is the rock star? She doesn’t seem to mind, though. The band also seems very turned off by their front man, as they all huddle together, hoping he won’t use his magic powers to lure them in.

This video actually has no real plot at all. It shows the band performing, awkwardly, then cuts to Rod and his love interest in a bar, watching the band perform awkwardly on a television. The two never say a word to each other, just glance and bat their eyes at one another and then leave together, if only it were that easy.

Cut to the romance scene. While some couples would put on a movie or some music while lying in bed, Rod decides to put on the same performance of himself that they were watching at the bar. Talk about vain. Exactly what channel plays this video all the time anyway? Does this woman not find it weird that Rod only watches videos of himself when he gets intimate? Something doesn’t add up here.

Granted, the song is about being self-indulging for the most part. With the provocative lyrics “If you want my body, and you think I’m sexy, come on sugar, let me know,” it’s surprising that Miley Cyrus never remade this gem. Imagine the ground-breaking cinematography that could be done with those lyrics in 2010. If you’re sick of your Carmen Electra pole dancing video, you can learn some new moves from Stewart. Tune in around the 2:26 mark, and he’ll show you some old school moves.

Do Ya Think He’s Sexy?

As for 2009? Well, the Dirty Projectors became a household name, as did Twitter, Girl Talk turned into a gimmick, Kanye continued to be an asshole, online music streaming got big (and bought), and the sales of digital and vinyl releases continued to increase, while the Virgin Megastores and Sam Goody’s of the world went bye bye.

And that’s not even scratching the surface. Before we turn the page on the 2000s, we wanted to take one more look at the year that was the last 365 days. Music, here was your 2009…

Top Albums of 2009

As selected by the CoS Staff…

01. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

02. Passion Pit – Manners

03. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

04. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

05. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

06. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

07. Kittens Ablaze – The Monstrous Vanguard

08. Wale – Attention Deficit

09. The Antlers – Hospice

10. The Dead Weather – Horehound

Click here for #11 – #100

Top Songs of 2009

As selected by the CoS Staff…

01. Phoenix – “1901″

02. Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”

03. Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”

04. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks”

05. Phoenix – “Lisztomania”

06. Wale – “Triumph”

07. Jay-Z – “Run This Town” (feat. Kanye West and Rihanna)

08. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll”

09. Girls – “Lust for Life”

10. Animal Collective – “My Girls”

Click here for #11 – #50

Headline Grabbers

There is always a few particular artists who seem to appear in the headlines more than others. Take these three for example:

Lil Wayne appeared on ESPN, began work on a rock ‘n’ roll album, talked gangsta with Katie Couric, won some Grammys, released the worst song ever, pushed back the release of his rock ‘n’ roll album, pushed back the release of his rock ‘n’ roll album again, told kids to stay in school, teamed up with Madonna, collaborated with Kanye, Eminem, and Drake, promised two albums before the year was out, plead guilty to weapon possession, released a stellar mixtape, watched his mom get a TV show, had his rock ‘n’ roll album mistakenly leaked, and got arrested again, all while actually failing to release any studio albums at all before the year was out. And to cap it all off, he’s going to prison in February!

For a band that didn’t release an album in 2009, Radiohead sure managed to grab quite a few headlines. Capitol Records reissued their discography, Thom Yorke debuted a new song, as well as contributed to the New Moon soundtrack, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway collaborated with Neil Finn and Wilco, the entire band got together to release a tribute song for Harry Patch, the last surviving World War I combat soldier, Thom Yorke covered Mark Mulcahy’s “All for the Best”, the entire band got together again to release a track titled “These Are My Twisted Words”, Thom Yorke offered a secret 12″, Thom Yorke formed a new band and played some shows, the entire band got together for a third time to begin work on a new studio album, and Thom Yorke became really pissed about climate change.

You either loved or hated the amount of U2 present in 2009. Bono and crew got on their boots, played the Grammys, resided on Letterman, released a new album, teamed up with Brandon Flowers and Chris Martin, started talking another new album, took to Fordham University for a secret show, embarked on the first leg of their claw-featuring global 360 tour, tapped Muse as an opener, wrote a Broadway musical about Spider-Man, pissed off David Byrne, got reviewed in Chicago, reissued The Unforgettable Fire, apparently made no money, played the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall-of-Fame anniversary, titled their next album, wanted to be like The Beatles, plotted more tour dates for 2010, played a free Berlin Wall concert behind the backdrop of a different wall constructed by MTV to prevent those without tickets from watching U2 play a free Berlin Wall concert, teamed up with Jay-Z, got tapped for Glastonbury 2010, and announced a remix album.

Music Festivals

Despite a recession which saw a number of mid-tier summer music festivals call it quits, the big boys were as grand as ever. Coachella rounded up McCartney, Bonnaroo brought The Boss and Phish, and Lollapalooza finally saw Perry using his festival to his advantage. What’s more, Outside Lands proved once again that its a festival to be reckon with, while Sasquatch! demonstrated that Washington state can also rock hard. Hova was able to save All Points West from a mud filled weekend, Pitchfork continued to serve as a hipster’s wet dream, and the Virgin Mobile Festival reminded us that some good things can be free. Finally, Consequence of Sound hit South by Southwest for the first time, celebrating with events featuring the likes of Astronautalis, Gringo Star, Shad, 13ghosts, Kittens Ablaze, Catfish Haven, and Blueblood. Oh, and did we mention we have already begun planning for next year?

Supergroups

By the time December rolled around, there were as many supergroups in existence as there were non-supergroups…

Dave Grohl + John Paul Jones + Josh Homme = Them Crooked Vultures, Conor Oberst + M. Ward + Jim James = Monsters of Folk, Jack White + Alison Mosshart + Jack Lawrence + Dean Fertita = The Dead Weather, Thom Yorke + Flea + Nigel Godrich + Joey Waronker + Mauro Refosco = ???, Phil Lesh + Bob Weir = Furthur, Coldplay + Mew + a-ha = Apparatjik, Supergrass + Radiohead = The Hot Rats, Joe Budden + Joell Ortiz + Royce da 5’9″ + Crooked I = Slaughterhouse, King Khan + Black Lips = The Almighty Defenders, New Order + Blur = Bad Lieutenant, Sammy Hagar + Michael Anthony + Joe Satriani + Chad Smith = Chickenfoot

Reunions, Hiatuses, and Nothing at All!

Two 2009′s biggest themes were bands reuniting and bands calling it quits (or announcing extended hiatuses). And then there were those that couldn’t make up their mind at all.

Blur began its reunion, The Stooges revived Raw Power, Pixies gave it another go, Creed came back!, No Doubt did too, Faith No More hit Europe, Phish returned, The Murder City Devils reunited for Coachella, Sunny Day Real Estate returned for some grunge, Deadheads got the best Christmas present ever, Blink-182 got back together for the kids, Spinal Tap released a new album for the first time in 17 years, Sublime played a show and then got sued, Eminem reunited with D12, Simon and Garfunkel became friends, Limp Bizkit dusted off the red cap, Three members of the Velvet Underground got together for a discussion, Orbital celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reunion, Jawbox made its first live performance since 1997 on J-Fal, Faces reunited without Rod Stewart, while Take That did reunite with Robbie Williams, John Lydon moved on to Public Image Ltd., Cee-Lo got back together with Goodie Mob, The Jayhawks reunited, as did The Gories, and Ben Lee resurrected Noise Addict. Oh yeah, and some band named Pavement announced plans for a busy 2010.

On the other hand, Blur also ended its reunion, The Verve broke up again, Oasis had a fight, Flight of the Conchords called it quits, Music journalism died, Nine Inch Nails said goodbye, as did Harlem Shakes, The Broken West, and Pela, and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Blitzen Trapper, Bon Iver, Lily Allen, Deerhunter, and TV on the Radio all announced lengthy hiatuses.

Plus, we learned an At The Drive-In reunion apparently wasn’t a possibility, nor was the rumored Stone Roses comeback, Spacemen 3 got an offer, but declined, The Kinks kept thinking about it but still didn’t do anything, contrary to Courtney Love’s comments, Hole didn’t reunite, Pulp teased and then unteased, and Swans thought about it and didn’t. And not surprisingly, The Libertines, The Smiths, and Neutral Milk Hotel all continued to tease to no fruition, while Led Zeppelin continued the suspense.

Soundtracks with benefits

There’s nothing like a nice movie soundtrack or benefit album featuring some of our favorite musicians. 2009 exemplified this fact to the max…

Grizzly Bear, LCD Soundsystem, Badly Drawn Boy, Arcade Fire, Karen O and friends, Daft Punk, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Beck, Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard, British Sea Power, Dengue Fever all provided sounds for the silver screen, as did the inane number of musicians appearing on the New Moon soundtrack.

Ben Gibbard, Fleet Foxes, and The Cave singers contributed to the Give Seattle charity album, while Tom Waits, Pete Seeger, and Jim James lent their talents to Preservation, an Album Benefiting Preservation Hall and Its Music Outreach Program. Our friends at Ear Farm rounded up Tom Tom Club, Sean Bones, tUnE-yArDs for their pro-Xmas Do you EAR what I EAR?. Peter Bjorn & John, Juliette Lewis, and White Rabbits helped fight malaria. The Climate change benefiting Rhythms Del Mundo Classics saw contributions from The Killers, The Rolling Stones, and Amy Winehouse. Stars (like Yorke and The National) collided for Mark Mulcahy. Hot Chip, The Hold Steady, and Lily Allen shared reinterpretations on War Child Heroes. And let’s not forget about Dark Was The Night, the tantalizing 31-track effort featuring the Dirty Projectors with David Byrne, Feist with Ben Gibbard, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, and more, all in benefit of The Red Hot Organization and AIDS awareness.

Our Most Memorable Features

In addition to everything else that went down, 2009 also saw Consequence of Sound further expanded our feature stories. The following are some of our favorites/most memorable:

We brought you interviews with Pavement, Ms. Consequence of Sound herself, Regina Spektor, Tom Jones, Passion Pit, Slayer, Ben Kweller, The Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, Hot Water Music, The Von Bondies, The Screaming Blue Messiahs, The Antlers, Boots Riley, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Fleet Foxes’ J. Tillman. Oh and we talked with Los Campesinos! not once, but twice.

Our Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman gave us the entire story of The Thermals, contributing writer Alyssa Spiel spoke with 311 about its 20th anniversary, and the one and only Cap Blackard spent the day with Astronautalis.

We listed everything from the Top 11 Influential Minds of Industrial Metal and Top 10 Grunge Albums to the  Top 10 Fake Bands and Top 10 Sleepiest Albums. We did some Audio Archaeology, dusted off some ol’ classics, shared our guilty pleasures, introduced you to some great new bands, and continued teaching Rock History 101.

As for the most commented posts of the year? That honor goes to Laina Dawes’ review of 311′s Uplifter.

The Year’s Most “Unique” Moments

We thought we’d close on a light note, as in this year’s stories and moments that, well, left us scratching our heads the most…

Bill Corgan wrote a song for the Super Bowl, Bruce Springsteen apologized for selling music through Walmart, Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged, Mandy Moore married Ryan Adams, Lil Wayne released “Prom Queen”, we wrote a post about the Jonas Brothers, Crystal Castles had a meltdown, Santogold had to change her name to Santigold, Manu Chao pissed off Mexico, Chickenfoot was actually real, Prince released a $2,100 iPod, Billy Corgan made a wrestling promo, Tupac revealed he might still be alive, Creed released a new album, Billy Corgan hired a 19-year-old drummer, Kanye West helped kids stay in school, Ron Artest paid homage to Michael Jackson, Reading Music Festival banned flags, Kidz Bop covered Kanye West, Ryan Adams became a video game reviewer, R. Kelly forgot to title his new album, Oasis broke up, Liam Gallagher formed Oasis 2.0, 30 Seconds to Mars and Kanye West released a song together, 7-Eleven reissued The Beatles, Snoop Dogg got himself a new name, Rivers Cuomo was interviewed by a dog, Diddy appeared on the Home Shopping Network, Morrissey and Johnny Marr emailed, Marilyn Manson got swine flu, Radiohead didn’t break up, Elvis Presley’s grandson scored a record deal, Starfucker changed its name, Fall Out Boy formed a metal band, and Pete Doherty sang a Nazi song.

Thank you!

Before we end our 2009 recap, we would just like to take one last moment to thank the individuals who have helped Consequence of Sound become what it is today. Thank you to the publicists who work hand-in-hand with us each and everyday, thank you to the festival promoters who continue to work with us despite the fact we ruin your lineup announcements, thank you to the message boards which provide such a bevy of information, thank you to those who email us news tips and music submissions, thank you to our fellow bloggers, thank you to our amazing and tireless staff, and thank you to our readers who have put trust in us and our the reason we keep at this 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

2009 was an amazing year for Consequence of Sound, but 2010 will be even better. Stay tuned for a number of brand new features, including that much needed change we’ve all been eagerly awaiting.

The list of 16 ranges from the near blasphemous (Myth: Radiohead can do no wrong. Reality: Radiohead kinda blow) to the obvious (Myth: Marilyn Manson Is A Puppy-Killing Nazi. Turns out it’s an image, people). They also manage to raise some interesting questions, however (Myth: Biggie & Tupac Are Hip-Hop’s Pillars. Reality: Biggie and Tupac don’t matter anymore). There’s even a few that finally let the world know the deep, dark truth (Sorry, fans. There was no girl pleasured with a mud shark by Led Zeppelin. It was a red snapper!) Many of the entries and the feature interviews feature well organized insight and meticulous defenses; even if we’re still not that sure about Lady Gaga.

You can read the list here. It’s also featured in the December 2009 issue, with an expanded list of 33 nuggets of wisdom.

“If we don’t do it very soon, one of us is gonna check out,” McLagan explaines. “I’m 64, for chrissakes! We’ve been waiting and waiting for Rod to say yes; now he’s finally said no. He’s busy doing other shit. So we’re gonna do it.”

Instead, the band could turn Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall to serve as Stewart’s replacement. Hucknall has experience with the band after all, having performing with them during last month’s surprise reunion at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

McLagan went on to note that the trio is also considering replacements for the band’s former bassist, the late Ronnie Lane, a list which includes the Sex Pistols’ Glenn Matlock and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea.

“I think it’s more exciting, actually, with different singers, different bass players, maybe some other guests, another guitarist or whatever,” McLagan said. “(Saxophonist) Bobby Keys would probably sit in. It’s more adventurous. It won’t be the same old shit.” We wouldn’t think so either.

Anyhow, things went pretty well, with Jones offering his desire to make the band’s “reunion” more than just a one-off.

“I’d like to think it’s entirely possible and I think it’s on the cards,” Jones said (via Undercover). “I’d love to see it in 2010, if not the following year but time’s not on our side, the sooner we do it the better. Like I said it’s all subject to everyone’s busy schedules.”

And despite his lack of an appearance, Mr. Stewart shared similar words in a recent interview with CNN (via TFB):

“[Faces had] a reunion… in London without me because I’m promoting this album… Hopefully, I’ll get me old job back. It’s on the cards. I’ll do it eventually.”

So, to summarize, a full Faces reunion will probably be happening sometime soon.

Billboard apparently thought so as well, and by late afternoon had gotten in touch with Stewart’s spokesperson, who declared the entire report false. In fact, the spokesperson went on to note that there are currently “no plans for a Faces reunion tour this year.”

So what exactly happened between last November and now?

It appears Face did reunite late last year and hit the studio soon thereafter. However, as the New York Post first reported in its always entertaining style earlier this month, the reunited bandmates and egos, didn’t gel as well as one would hope:

Rehearsals began in Paris but did not go well. The grampas can still make music, but they can’t make nice. They can still play the songs but ain’t no harmony between them personally. Result? Concert dates aren’t being booked.

Add this with the fact that the band’s keyboardist, Ian McLagan, recently unveiled dates for a spring solo tour in support of his forthcoming studio album, Never Say Never, and the likelihood of Faces hitting the stage anytime soon now appears slim to none.

So where’d NME get their info from? Probably from the same guy who reported Led Zeppelin would be playing Bonnaroo last year…

Ian McLagan 2009 Tour Dates:
02/21 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe
02/22 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
02/24 – Raleigh, NC @ Berkley Cafe
02/25 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
02/26 – Piermont, NY @ The Turning Point
02/27 – Bordentown, NJ @ The Record Collector
02/28 – Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
03/01 – Whippany, NJ @ Ukrainian American Cultural Center
03/03 – New York, NY @ BB Kings
03/04 – Rochester, NY @ The German House
03/05 – Buffalo, NY @ The Tralf Music Hall
03/06 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
03/07 – Berwyn, IL @ Fitzgerald’s
03/08 – Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
03/13 – Houston, TX @ Continental Cafe
03/17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
04/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
04/29 – San Diego, CA @ Anthology
04/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
05/01 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
05/02 – Arcadia, CA @ Arcadia Blues Club
05/03 – Folsom, CA @ Powerhouse Pub
05/05 – San Francisco, CA @ Red Devil Lounge
05/07 – Portland, OR @ White Eagle Saloon
05/08 – Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door