Playing 14 reunion shows over the past year didn't better the Replacements' chances of getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but things are looking good for their younger guitarist-for-occasional-hire Billie Joe Armstrong.
Minneapolis' rock 'n' roll anti-heroes are absent from the list of 2015 hall of fame nominees announced this morning, even though they were on the list last year and were a highlight of some of rock's biggest festivals around the country this year, including last weekend's Austin City Limits Fest (resuming this weekend). Armstrong's snarling punk band Green Day, however, did make the cut for nominations in its first year of eligibility 25 years after the release of the trio's first album. Known to have temporarily resided in St. Paul over the years with his Minnesotan wife, Armstrong played a handful of this year's Replacements shows as their third guitarist.
Trent Reznor's electro-thrash group Nine Inch Nails also made the nominations list in its first year, with the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut "Pretty Hate Machine" pending. NIN and Green Day were part of an impressive list of other first-time nominees, the Smiths, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bill Withers. Oh, and Sting also made the list for the first time as a solo artist, which should be good for at least a few more lute jokes.
Lou Reed, who died last October, made the nominations list again and seems like a shoo-in to finally get his solo career recognized (he's already in with the Velvet Underground). Other 2015 nominees who have been on the list before but failed to earn an induction are N.W.A., Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Chic, the Spinners, the Marvelettes, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Kraftwerk and War.
For the third year in a row, a "fan's ballot" vote will can be cast via RollingStone.com to determine one of the winners, which is how Kiss and Rush earned their inductions.
