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Apple TV’s The Studio, Belissa Escobedo, and Beth de Araújo Head to the NHMC Impact Awards Gala

Eric Alper
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Apple TV’s The Studio, Belissa Escobedo, and Beth de Araújo Head to the NHMC Impact Awards Gala

The National Hispanic Media Coalition has announced the first wave of honorees for its annual Impact Awards Gala, taking place April 24 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The evening celebrates individuals whose work is actively expanding Latino representation in film and television, and this year’s list arrives with serious creative credentials behind every name on it.

Apple TV’s sharp Hollywood satire The Studio takes home the Beyond the Lens Impact Award, with recognition going to co-creator, writer, and co-executive producer Frida Perez, actor Keyla Monterroso Mejia, music editor and composer Lorena Perez Batista, and composer Antonio Sanchez. The show has made a genuine industry impact since its debut, and the NHMC’s recognition reflects exactly the kind of collective, behind-the-scenes contribution that rarely gets its due.

Belissa Escobedo receives the Outstanding Actress Performance in a Series Impact Award for her role as Isabella on NBC’s Happy’s Place opposite Reba McEntire, one of the few Latinas in a lead role on broadcast television right now. Beth de Araújo is honored with the Visionary Impact Award for her feature film JOSEPHINE, which won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and went on to compete at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear. Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters co-writers Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan share the Storytelling Impact Award for a collaboration that blends genre storytelling with themes of identity and belonging in ways the industry has rarely attempted.

Comedians Chris Estrada and Frankie Quinones co-host the evening. “This year’s honorees are the latest examples of our voices having an impact and leading their work into award and cultural recognition,” said NHMC President and CEO Brenda Victoria Castillo. Additional honorees and presenters will be announced ahead of the April 24 gala.

Third Man Records Unearths the Lost World of Detroit Folk Genius Ted Lucas With Stunning 3xLP Boxset ‘Images of Life’

Eric Alper
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Third Man Records Unearths the Lost World of Detroit Folk Genius Ted Lucas With Stunning 3xLP Boxset ‘Images of Life’

Ted Lucas spent his life making music that almost no one heard. Third Man Records is methodically correcting that. Following last year’s reissue of Lucas’ 1975 cult classic self-titled album, the label announces ‘Images of Life,’ a career-spanning 3xLP retrospective boxset arriving May 22. Today, disc two, ‘Rainy Days (1970-1974),’ is available to stream in full, offering the most direct entry point yet into the world of one of Detroit’s most gifted and overlooked songwriters. Listen here.

The boxset covers three distinct chapters. Disc one, ‘Strange Mysterious Sounds (1965-1970),’ documents Lucas’ psychedelic early period with his bands The Spike-Drivers, The Misty Wizards, and The Horny Toads. Disc two, ‘Rainy Days (1970-1974),’ captures the solo acoustic warmth that defines his self-titled album, featuring live performances, unreleased studio tracks, and intimate home recordings from the peak of his creative power. Disc three, ‘Impossible Love (1979),’ is his lost second album, produced by the legendary Don Was, a smoother, near-yacht-rock turn that never compromises his core artistry.

The story behind Lucas is one of genuine tragedy and genuine greatness in equal measure. A trained sitarist under Ravi Shankar, a first-call session player at Motown where Norman Whitfield called him his “exotic instrumentalist,” and by all accounts the most talented guitarist and songwriter in the Detroit counterculture scene of his era. He was never able to translate any of it into lasting recognition during his lifetime. What he did leave behind was hundreds of hours of recordings: reel-to-reel tapes, brittle acetates, homemade cassettes, and obsolete video formats. Third Man is making good on all of it.

Pitchfork called his transmissions “glowing” and enduring. AllMusic placed his sole album at the border of timelessness. ‘Images of Life’ gives listeners the full picture, and it is a substantial one.

‘Images of Life’ Tracklist:

Strange Mysterious Sounds: Group Recordings (1965-1970)

The Spike-Drivers, “Strange Mysterious Sounds”

The Misty Wizards, “It’s Love”

The Horny Toads, “High on Love”

The Spike-Drivers, “High Time”

The Misty Wizards, “Often I Wonder”

The Misty Wizards, “Harold Lloyd”

The Spike-Drivers, “I’m So Glad”

The Spike-Drivers, “Can’t Stand the Pain”

The Misty Wizards, “Love Took a Trip”

The Spike-Drivers, “Blue Law Sunday”

The Horny Toads, “Head in California”

Rainy Days: Solo Recordings (1970-1974)

You’ve Got the Power

Rainy Days

It’s Love

Nobody Loves Me Like My Baby Does

Stay High

It’s Not Easy

Anastasia

Take What You Need

Driftin’ Free

Images of Life

I Wish I Knew

Impossible Love: The Unfinished Second Album (1976-1979)

Slow Motion Ocean (of Love)

Impossible Love

What Can I Believe in Without Love

Searching for Love

You Win Again

Sgt. Pinhead

If I Can’t Be Your Lover (I Won’t Be Your Friend)

How Does It Feel

I Can See It in Your Eyes

Impossible Love (Acoustic)

Grand Ole Opry Stalwart T. Graham Brown Brings Lonestar’s Richie McDonald to SiriusXM’s LIVE WIRE

Eric Alper
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Grand Ole Opry Stalwart T. Graham Brown Brings Lonestar’s Richie McDonald to SiriusXM’s LIVE WIRE

T. Graham Brown’s monthly SiriusXM show has built a reputation for bringing country music’s real voices together, and this episode delivers. The GRAMMY-nominated, Grand Ole Opry member welcomes Richie McDonald of The Frontmen to LIVE WIRE on Prime Country Channel 58, airing April 1 at 10 p.m. ET with multiple replays throughout the month. McDonald, best known as the lead voice behind Lonestar’s run of number-one hits including “Amazed,” “No News,” and “I’m Already There,” now performs alongside Tim Rushlow of Little Texas and Larry Stewart of Restless Heart in The Frontmen.

The episode is built around a full sit-down interview with McDonald, but the music runs deep throughout. Live performances from Asleep At The Wheel, Martina McBride, Alabama, The Frontmen, Waylon Jennings, and Ringo Starr fill out the broadcast, making this one of the stronger lineups LIVE WIRE has assembled. Brown has a gift for choosing recordings that remind listeners exactly why live country music hits differently, and this episode is no exception.

The episode lands during a busy stretch for Brown personally. He is marking the 40th anniversary of “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again,” the second single from his debut album ‘I Tell It Like It Used To Be’ on Capitol Records, written by Curly Putman, Rafe Van Hoy, and Don Cook. He also recently appeared at The Gatlin Brothers’ 70th anniversary celebration at the Ryman Auditorium and Ronnie Milsap’s 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member, two milestone events Brown clearly took to heart. “Ronnie is my hero,” Brown said, “and he’s been a huge influence on what I do.”

LIVE WIRE is available on demand through the SiriusXM app and Pandora NOW for standard subscribers. With 15 studio albums, more than 20 Billboard charted singles, and a touring schedule that shows no signs of slowing, Brown remains one of country music’s most committed lifers.

T. Graham Brown Upcoming Tour Dates:

Apr 3: Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, TN

Apr 17: The Sewanee Inn, Sewanee, TN

Apr 30: Little Roy and Lizzy Music Fest, Lincolnton, GA

May 9: The Amish Country Theater, Berlin, OH

May 16: Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, Riverside, IA (with Lorrie Morgan)

Oct 9: Clay Cooper Theatre, Branson, MO (with The Malpass Brothers)

Oct 17: Auburn VS Georgia Party, Dadeville, AL

Guitar Center Is Hosting Its First-Ever Industry Expo and Nashville Is the Perfect Place for It

Eric Alper
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Guitar Center Is Hosting Its First-Ever Industry Expo and Nashville Is the Perfect Place for It

Guitar Center has spent more than 60 years as the country’s leading musical instrument retailer. On April 9, the company takes a significant step into new territory. Resonate, Guitar Center Business Solutions’ inaugural industry expo, opens at Nashville’s Music City Center, a free one-day event built around the accelerating convergence of pro audio, commercial AV, control systems, and enterprise technology.

The event runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT and targets a wide cross-section of the industry, including AV and IT leaders, integrators, consultants, studio owners, educators, venue operators, and decision-makers across corporate, healthcare, worship, hospitality, and live entertainment sectors. Hands-on demos and expert-led sessions cover networked audio, collaboration platforms, video and LED display, control and automation, and integrated distribution workflows. Platinum sponsors Shure, QSC, Logitech, DVS LED Systems, and Electro-Voice anchor the expo floor.

The programming goes beyond gear. Keynote speaker Micheal Burt, founder of The Greatness Factory and an international speaker and best-selling author, opens the day with a focus on leadership and performance, framing the human side of technology implementation. A Custom House Songwriter’s Round features Nashville hitmakers including Josh Phillips, the writer behind Cody Johnson’s 2025 ACM Song of the Year “Dirt Cheap,” and Brock Berryhill, a co-writer behind Jelly Roll’s 2025 ACM Album of the Year nomination.

“We created Resonate as systems are converging faster than organizations can adapt, and the industry needs clearer leadership around how everything connects,” said Curtis Heath, president of Guitar Center Business Solutions. Resonate is the public face of that leadership, and its Nashville location is no accident. The city represents exactly the kind of creative-meets-commercial intersection Guitar Center Business Solutions was built to serve. Registration is free and space is limited.

Country Legend Ty Herndon Holds Nothing Back in Powerful New Memoir ‘What Mattered Most’

Eric Alper
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Country Legend Ty Herndon Holds Nothing Back in Powerful New Memoir ‘What Mattered Most’

Ty Herndon has carried a lot of weight over a long career, and ‘What Mattered Most’ puts all of it on the table. The legendary country singer, known for his hits “Living in a Moment” and “It Must Be Love,” has released his memoir in full, written alongside celebrated biographer David Ritz, whose credits include Marvin Gaye, Janet Jackson, and Willie Nelson. In a new interview with GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos, Herndon opens up about why telling this story on his own terms was the only way it could be told.

The memoir covers territory Herndon kept private for decades. Living as a gay man in secret through the height of his career. A traumatic 1995 encounter with an unidentified police officer that lasted seven hours. Sexual assault he was told never to speak of, and carried alone until the age of 57. “To get into that space, and the breath that I took, the exhale that I took when I finally got to speak of it,” Herndon said in the interview. The book does not shy away from any of it.

Herndon speaks with particular clarity about why he chose to come forward as a male survivor of sexual assault. “We’ve seen so many brave women who’ve come forward and changed the world with their stories, but there’s still a massive silence around men, and I wanted to break that glass,” he said. The memoir is not about naming names or seeking forgiveness. It is about reclaiming integrity, and Herndon makes that distinction with real force.

The personal passages carry equal weight. Herndon reflects on a past relationship he calls one of the great loves of his life, on reconnecting with his late father, and on his mother Mama Peggy, who read the book and met him for coffee afterward with a single question: “Son, I love you. How does redemption feel?” He also speaks about his husband, Alex Schwartz, with warmth and relief. ‘What Mattered Most’ is the account of a man who found his way back to himself. It is essential reading.

French Rock Duo Chevreuil Unveil “Ordrus” Video as Comeback Double Album ‘Stadium’ Arrives April 24

Eric Alper
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French Rock Duo Chevreuil Unveil “Ordrus” Video as Comeback Double Album ‘Stadium’ Arrives April 24

Chevreuil have been building sonic architecture since 1998, and their return is anything but quiet. The French rock duo of Julien F. and Tony C., who met at art school in 1995 and have treated the concept of a band as a performative installation ever since, unveil “Ordrus” today, the third single from their forthcoming comeback double album ‘Stadium,’ arriving April 24 through Computer Students.

“Ordrus” opens with martial, deep drumming before fracturing into layered guitar textures that feel simultaneously disorienting and inevitable. It functions as both standalone interlude and connective tissue, a compressed, haiku-like moment that captures the larger motion of ‘Stadium’ in miniature. The track is a precise entry point into what the full record promises: a listening experience that operates more like an environment than a sequence of songs.

Chevreuil’s approach has always been structural. Tony’s guitar runs through four amplifiers arranged in a quadraphonic field around Julien’s unamplified 1976 Ludwig kit, the same year both musicians were born. No bassist, no fixed venue requirements, just one outlet and the physics of sound moving through space. ‘Stadium’ preserves those core conditions while expanding the conceptual frame, drawing on the music of the spheres, magnetism, radioactivity, barometric oscillations, astrometry, and magic as lenses for vibration and transformation.

The double LP is organized into two four-piece sequences per side, structured to function as parallel albums or a single continuum. Every variation across the sixteen tracks arises purely from performance, with identical recording settings maintained from tracking through mastering. The physical release arrives as a 180-gram, 33rpm double 12″ in a reverse-board gatefold. A deluxe edition adds a 12-page codex documenting the band’s full recording configuration, housed in Computer Students’ sealed aluminum sleeve. A limited colored-vinyl edition is available exclusively through the Computer Students website. CD, cassette, and digital formats are also available.

‘Stadium’ Tracklist:

Alliage

Tartarus

Aria

Ordrus

Plexus

Theorus Macrocosmus

Mortalis

Hypnosis

Magnus

Corpus

Quantum

Sanctus

Profundis

Cerberus

Opus

Atoll II

Masked Canadian Math Rock Duo Angine de Poitrine Bring ‘Vol. II’ and a Full EU and UK Tour This Fall

Eric Alper
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Masked Canadian Math Rock Duo Angine de Poitrine Bring ‘Vol. II’ and a Full EU and UK Tour This Fall

Angine de Poitrine have earned their moment, and they are moving fast to meet it. The masked Canadian math rock duo, known to the world as Khn de Poitrine on microtonal guitars and vocals and Klek de Poitrine on percussion and vocals, have announced a full EU and UK tour this October, following a sold-out UK run next month and festival appearances through the summer. The demand is real and the momentum is undeniable.

The October run opens October 13 in Bristol and moves through Glasgow, Dublin, Leeds, and London before crossing into France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. The stretch closes November 1 in Groningen at VERA, with a festival appearance at Amsterdam’s London Calling Festival on October 31. Twelve dates across two continents worth of venues that, based on recent history, may not stay available for long.

Driving all of it is ‘Vol. II,’ the duo’s second studio album, released April 2 through Spectacles Bonzaï. It follows their 2024 debut, ‘Angine De Poitrine Vol. 1,’ and arrives with serious context behind it. Their Live At KEXP session on YouTube has surpassed 6.2 million views, an extraordinary number for an instrumental math rock act and a testament to how viscerally their music translates on screen.

Angine de Poitrine play with a precision and physicality that rewards both the close listener and the first-time viewer. ‘Vol. II’ gives a new entry point to an act that has already converted millions from casual clicks into genuine devotion. The tour is the live argument for everything the record makes on record.

Angine de Poitrine EU and UK Tour Dates:

Oct 13: Bristol, UK, Prospect Building

Oct 14: Glasgow, UK, SWG3 Galvanizers

Oct 16: Dublin, UK, Opium

Oct 18: Leeds, UK, Project House

Oct 19: London, UK, Troxy

Oct 21: Paris, FRA, Elysee Montmarte

Oct 24: Lyon, FRA, L’Épicerie Moderne

Oct 25: Antwerp, BEL, Trix

Oct 27: Berlin, GER, Festsaal Kreuzberg

Oct 28: Hamburg, GER, Molotow

Oct 29: Heidelberg, GER, Metropolink

Oct 31: Amsterdam, NED, London Calling Festival

Nov 1: Groningen, NED, VERA

Florida Swamp Rockers Gunshine Drop “Single Looks Good On You” With Album ‘Grand Rising’ Due This Summer

Eric Alper
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Florida Swamp Rockers Gunshine Drop “Single Looks Good On You” With Album ‘Grand Rising’ Due This Summer

Gunshine are building real momentum heading into summer. The Pensacola, Florida rockers have released their third single, “Single Looks Good On You,” a gulf coast-soaked anthem built for warm weather and wide-open spaces. It carries the band’s signature swamp rock sound, hooky and immediate, with the kind of melodic instinct that sticks well after the first spin. Listen here.

The track was recorded in Vancouver at The Armoury with producer Brian Howes, whose credits include Nickelback, Skillet, Hinder, and Simple Plan, and mixed and mastered by Chris Collier, who has worked with Korn, Mick Mars, and Whitesnake. That production pedigree comes through in the track’s sonic punch. “Single Looks Good On You” hits with the polish of a band that knows exactly what it wants to sound like.

The single is a preview of ‘Grand Rising,’ a 13-track full-length arriving digitally on July 24 through vnclm_ and Create Music Group. The album was largely tracked in Las Vegas with Collier, who has been working with guitarist and vocalist Austin Ingerman for close to nine years. “He’s incredibly talented, has a great ear, and adds a heavy hitting production value that makes the songs sonically translate very well,” Ingerman said. Physical copies on CD and double vinyl, along with exclusive merchandise, are available now at gunshine.diggers.store.

Gunshine have always operated at the intersection of raw rock attitude and sharp pop instinct, and ‘Grand Rising’ pushes that combination further than anything they’ve released before. Thirteen tracks, each one built to stand on its own. The album also features a guest appearance by Michael Starr on “Shark Lounge,” adding another high-wattage moment to an already loaded tracklist.

‘Grand Rising’ Tracklist:

Grand Rising

Finite

Goth Girl

Single Looks Good On You

My Oh Miley

Mystery

Man Down

Leave the Light On

I Know You Love Me

Capt’n Save a Hoe

Shark Lounge (feat. Michael Starr)

Valentine

Table Dancing

Tesla and W.A.S.P. Veterans Unite With Saliva’s Josey Scott to Launch Hard Rock Supergroup T3rminal

Eric Alper
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Tesla and W.A.S.P. Veterans Unite With Saliva’s Josey Scott to Launch Hard Rock Supergroup T3rminal

T3rminal is a real band, and the roster demands attention. Brian Wheat and Tommy Skeoch, both veterans of Tesla, have joined with Josey Scott, the original voice of Saliva, and Chris Holmes, longtime guitarist of W.A.S.P., to form a new modern hard rock outfit built on decades of combined stage time and studio experience. This is not a reunion. This is something new.

Rounding out the lineup on drums for the studio recording is Sal Giancarelli of Staind, whose presence only deepens the collective firepower in the room. The band is currently in production on their debut full-length album, expected later this year. What’s taking shape is loud, heavy, and by all accounts uncompromising, with a bluesy undertow that gives the material some real range.

The chemistry already sounds like it goes beyond a curated lineup. The band has shared footage from the studio sessions, and it shows a group locked in and working with purpose. With players who have each spent careers in front of massive rock audiences, T3rminal enters the picture with zero learning curve.

Tour dates will follow the album’s release. Given who is involved, those announcements will move fast when they come. Keep this one on your radar.

Fresh Off His Fifth JUNO Win, Toronto Rapper TOBi Drops Jazz-Driven Live EP ‘For Good Measure’

Eric Alper
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Fresh Off His Fifth JUNO Win, Toronto Rapper TOBi Drops Jazz-Driven Live EP ‘For Good Measure’

TOBi has had quite a week. The Nigerian-born, Brampton-raised rapper and singer arrives at April 1 with a fifth career JUNO Award in hand and a brand new project ready for the world. ‘For Good Measure,’ released today via ADA Canada, is a seven-track live EP that pulls from TOBi’s catalog and routes it through a jazz lens, capturing something rawer and more immediate than a conventional studio release. Listen here.

The project originated from a session last year in Toronto, where TOBi and producer Nick Ferraro started experimenting with a jazz-quartet reimagining of “Hoodwinked,” TOBi’s 2022 single. That single experiment opened into something larger. Over two days in September, TOBi, Ferraro, and musicians Jeremiah, Noam, and Julian recorded the entire EP live off the floor at Dreamhouse Studios. The result is unguarded and deeply musical, with TOBi’s vocal range and instincts front and center.

The EP’s lead track, “City Blues,” anchors the release with a live visual. It’s the kind of performance that reminds you how much space a great vocalist can fill without a single production trick. TOBi’s voice carries the weight of the whole set.

The timing of ‘For Good Measure’ lands with real momentum behind it. Last weekend, TOBi took home the JUNO Award for Rap Single of the Year alongside Canadian music legends Jully Black and Saukrates, adding to a run that includes a Best Rap Album win at the 2024 JUNOs for his critically praised album ‘PANIC.’ Billboard, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and COLORS have all taken notice. This is an artist operating at the height of his powers.

For Good Measure Tracklist:

Someone I Knew (at Dreamhouse Studios)

City Blues (at Dreamhouse Studios)

Hoodwinked (at Dreamhouse Studios)

Flowers (at Dreamhouse Studios)

Feel (voice memo)

Keep From Falling (at Dreamhouse Studios)

Shine (at Dreamhouse Studios)

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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