The Who: 50 Years and Counting

Formed in 1964, The Who instantly burst onto the burgeoning rock scene, thanks to their early hit single, “I Can’t Explain.” During the next decade, the quartet—an absurdly talented gang of musicians fueled by a cataclysmic rhythm section, a brilliant songwriting guitarist and an edgy but stoic lead singer—created some of the finest records rock and roll has ever heard: Tommy, Who’s Next? and Quadrophenia, among them. As they begin their fiftieth year of playing—down two founding members but still soldiering on—Relix honors their work both in the studio and onstage with the help of longtime music journalists, fellow artists and even Pete Townshend himself.

“Hallelujah,” The World’s Greatest Cover

In his new book The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah,” veteran rock scribe and Relix contributor Alan Light explores the legacy of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” one of contemporary music’s most enduring songs. Throughout the years, everyone from punk rockers to pop stars have recorded Cohen’s classic but no one has owned the song quite like Jeff Buckley has. In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Light looks back on the roots of “Hallelujah” and, through interviews with Bono, Glen Hansard and many others, explores how one of music’s tragic heroes revitalized the song.

Jim James: Shadows & Light

Although Jim James started My Morning Jacket as a solo project, the Louisville, Ky.-based rockers have quickly grown into a full-on band capable of rocking both Bonnaroo and Madison Square Garden. Almost 15 years since the release of My Morning Jacket’s James-centric debut The Tennessee Fire —and with a few star-studded super groups under his belt—James has the solo itch again. But instead of recording an album of stripped-down acoustic material or demo-like solo musings, James’ Regions of Light and Sound of God embraces his full kaleidoscope of sounds. During a recent trip to New York, James sat down with Wes Orshoski, opening up about his musical past, solo aspirations and the future of one of America’s best bands.

Marco Benevento: Home on The Fringe

During the past decade, Marco Benevento has explored the often-busy intersection of jam-rock, indie-pop, groove-oriented jazz and egoless avant-garde music with his breakthrough Benevento-Russo Duo and, more recently, with his own trio. He’s toured with rock royalty, played in bands with most of the members of Phish and released three hipster-approved albums. With his fourth and potentially career-defining solo studio recording TigerFace, Benevento meshes his varied influences into a seamless, utterly originally blend of experimental pop that may finally bring him to the masses. Executive Editor Mike Greenhaus spent time with Benevento at his Upstate New York home and found out what’s next for one our of the scene’s brightest stars.

Plus: Aaron Neville, Larry Bloch, Jim Dolan, The Lee Boys, The Infamous Stringdusters, Kinky Friedman, Bunny Marrett, Rosie Flores, Holy Ghost Tent Revival and much more!

Want to read more? There are three ways to get the goods:

1) Pick up a copy of the January-February issue of Relix magazine with The Who on the cover at a newsstand near you

2) Subscribe to Relix by clicking HERE

3) Buy the January-February issue by clicking HERE