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Farm Aid Heads To Virginia Beach With Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Mellencamp And Dave Matthews

Eric Alper
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Farm Aid Heads To Virginia Beach With Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Mellencamp And Dave Matthews

The longest-running benefit concert in America sets up shop by the ocean this fall. Farm Aid makes its Virginia Beach debut on September 26, inviting fans to soak up the ocean air, enjoy incredible music, and celebrate the farmers who grow the country’s food. The event lands at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach.

The board artists anchor the bill, with Willie Nelson, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, and Nathaniel Rateliff all set to perform. The lineup runs deep beyond them, featuring The Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Welles, Sierra Ferrell, Mon Rovîa, I’m With Her, Amythyst Kiah, Lily Meola, and Chris Pierce.

Nelson framed the move in a statement, saying family farmers grow our food and strengthen communities, and that fewer of them remain on the land now than when Farm Aid started. He said bringing the festival to Virginia stands with the farmers and fishers who feed Hampton Roads and beyond, working toward a food system that works for everyone.

Beyond the music, the FarmYard Stage gives attendees a chance to hear from farmers and artists on pressing issues, with agrarian skill demonstrations in the HOMEGROWN Skills tent and family farm-identified, local, and organic food at HOMEGROWN Concessions.

Nelson, Young, and Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and keep farm families on the land. Since then the event has raised more than $90 million to support a strong and resilient family farm system. A limited number of presale tickets open at 10am ET on June 10, with the public sale starting Friday, June 12 at 10am ET. It’s a powerful cause and a stacked bill rolled into one unforgettable day.

Farm Aid 2026:

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026

Venue: Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

Presale: June 10 at 10am ET

Public on-sale: June 12 at 10am ET via FarmAid.org/tickets

Neko Case Maps Out A U.S. Fall Run On The “Neon Grey Midnight Green Tour”

Eric Alper
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Neko Case Maps Out A U.S. Fall Run On The “Neon Grey Midnight Green Tour”

A run of intimate rooms awaits one of indie rock’s most distinctive voices this fall. Neko Case announced new “Neon Grey Midnight Green Tour” dates that begin on the East Coast and wind through the Midwest, including a stop at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium billed as Neko Case & Friends featuring Jimmie Dale Gilmore, with more artists to be announced.

The tour closes with two shows in Case’s hometown of Tacoma, Washington, joined by legendary Pacific Northwest acts Girl Trouble and Team Dresch. Destroyer supports solo across most of the run. Presales start June 10 at 10:00am local time.

The dates coincide with a major new project. Case is the composer and lyricist for the forthcoming stage adaptation ‘Thelma & Louise: A New Musical’, having been personally selected by original screenwriter Callie Khouri to create the score and songs. The production premieres this fall at The Young Vic in London, running September 3 through October 24.

The tour also celebrates her ninth LP, ‘Neon Grey Midnight Green’, her most intimate-feeling album yet. Released last fall and quickly declared an essential entry in her catalog, it was laid down live with a full band, keeping even breaths and shirt-sleeve rustlings in the final mix as a reminder that humans were here. Case produced the record herself, noting how rare it is to see women, nonbinary, or trans producers treated as an option, and saying she’s proud to have done it.

Her memoir ‘The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You’ arrived last year, reaching No. 5 on The New York Times nonfiction best sellers list and landing on year-end best-of lists from Vulture, The Washington Post, Apple, and NPR. It’s a rich, prolific chapter for an artist working at the top of her craft.

Neon Grey Midnight Green Tour Dates:

Oct. 15 – Lexington, MA @ Cary Hall (with Destroyer)

Oct. 16 – Rockport, MA @ Shalin Liu Performance Center (with Destroyer)

Oct. 18 – Nashua, NH @ Nashua Center for the Arts (with Destroyer)

Oct. 19 – Moncton, NB @ Capitol Theatre (with Destroyer)

Oct. 20 – Fredericton, NB @ Fredericton Playhouse (with Destroyer)

Oct. 22 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ Bardavon 1869 Opera House

Oct. 23 – Cranston, RI @ The Park Theatre (with Destroyer)

Oct. 24 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall (with Destroyer)

Oct. 25 – Easton, MD @ Avalon Theatre (with Destroyer)

Oct. 27 – Bowling Green, OH @ Cla-Zel Theater (with Destroyer)

Oct. 30 – Nashville, TN @ The Ryman (with Destroyer)

Oct. 31 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre (with Destroyer)

Nov. 1 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert (with Destroyer)

Nov. 2 – Fayetteville, AR @ Walton Arts Center’s Baum Walker Hall (with Destroyer)

Nov. 4 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom (with Destroyer)

Nov. 6 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal (with Destroyer)

Nov. 7 – Nelsonville, OH @ EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall (with Destroyer)

Nov. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic (with Destroyer)

Nov. 11 – Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom (with Girl Trouble)

Nov. 12 – Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom (with Team Dresch)

Alanis Morissette Brings Her “Butterfly With A Machete” Residency To Los Angeles This November

Eric Alper
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Alanis Morissette Brings Her “Butterfly With A Machete” Residency To Los Angeles This November

A confessional stage play set to one of the most beloved catalogs in rock heads to Los Angeles this fall. Seven-time Grammy winner Alanis Morissette announced “Butterfly with a Machete,” a limited-run residency at YouTube Theater, the venue’s first. The shows run November 5, 6, 10, and 11, continuing the sold-out Las Vegas residency she staged in fall 2025.

Produced, performed, and co-written by Morissette, the show is a multimedia, multi-disciplinary musical stage play that blends her songs with storytelling, therapeutic insights, and an honest look at fame and trauma. It carries audiences through her own journey from Ottawa to the global stage, along with the highs and lows that followed.

As a cultural icon, Morissette has long embodied the intersection of emotional rawness and psychological depth, offering catharsis through song alongside a roadmap for self-realization and healing. No topic is off-limits, as she dives into some of the most harrowing moments of her life while shining a light on some of the most joyous, singing and performing what hurts, what heals, and what’s hidden and lost.

The residency, promoted by Live Nation, builds on a remarkable late-career stretch for one of the defining voices of her generation. It’s an intimate, unflinching show that turns a legendary songbook into something deeply personal.

Show Dates:

November 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater

November 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater

November 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater

November 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater

Presale & On-Sale:

Citi Cardmember presale: June 15 at 7:00am local

Artist presale: June 16 at 10:00am PT

Venue and Live Nation presales: noon local

General on-sale: June 17 at 10:00am local

Jay-Z Announces Paris And Southern California Stadium Shows This Fall

Eric Alper
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Jay-Z Announces Paris And Southern California Stadium Shows This Fall

One of hip-hop’s biggest names is taking the stage on both sides of the Atlantic this fall. Fresh off a performance at Roots Picnic, Jay-Z announced upcoming concerts in Paris and Southern California. The rapper plays Stade de France on September 10 and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on October 23.

The two stadium dates follow a three-night run at Yankee Stadium in New York this July, extending one of the most anticipated touring stretches of the year for the icon.

Fans have a few ways in early. Citi card presales for the Inglewood show run from 10am to 10pm local time on June 11, with Mastercard presales for Paris following the same window. General on-sale opens at 10am local on June 12, with tickets available at LiveNation.com.

It’s another marquee moment from one of the genre’s defining figures, bringing his catalog to two of the world’s biggest stages.

Concert Dates:

September 10 – Paris, France @ Stade de France

October 23 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium

New Book ‘Power In Listening’ Maps How Sound Shapes Identity, Race And Power

Eric Alper
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New Book ‘Power In Listening’ Maps How Sound Shapes Identity, Race And Power

Listening turns out to be anything but passive. ‘Power in Listening: The Sounding Out! Reader’ explores how listening shapes, and is shaped by, power, arriving August 2026 from NYU Press. The collection investigates how sound and listening inform identity, embodiment, and social life, from the politics of “sad girl” Spotify playlists to the sonic architectures of surveillance and the gendered voices of Siri and Alexa.

Built from the groundbreaking Sounding Out! blog, the reader curates 40 revised and expanded essays from scholars, artists, DJs, and activists across more than 20 disciplines. Together they trace how auditory culture intersects with race, gender, sexuality, technology, and media, spanning the full arc from radio and tape to streaming and AI.

The essays dig into pointed questions. How does Beyoncé’s remix of her “elevator incident” expose the surveillance of Black bodies? How do deaf listeners use multiple senses to navigate sound? How are Latina voices racialized through ideas of volume and tone? Each chapter connects theory to everyday experience, offering tools to hear the world, and each other, more critically.

The book is edited by Jennifer Lynn Stoever, founding Editor-in-Chief of Sounding Out! and author of ‘The Sonic Color Line’, alongside managing editor Liana Silva and Aaron Trammell, author of ‘Repairing Play: A Black Phenomenology’. Accessible yet rigorous, it reveals sound studies in motion, a field that listens as a form of inquiry, protest, and care.

It’s a thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection that reframes listening as a social practice, a political act, and a method of understanding one’s place in a contested public sphere.

Country Outlaw Wheeler Walker Jr. Announces Retirement With Final Album ‘Pullin’ Out’ And Farewell Tour

Eric Alper
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Country Outlaw Wheeler Walker Jr. Announces Retirement With Final Album ‘Pullin’ Out’ And Farewell Tour

Country music’s self-proclaimed last real outlaw is riding off into the sunset. Wheeler Walker Jr. – the raunchy, satirical country music alter-ego of American comedian and writer Ben Hoffman – officially announced his retirement, flipping double birds at Music Row on his way out the door with one final album and a farewell tour. ‘Pullin’ Out’ arrives as a loud, bourbon-soaked send-off aimed squarely at the modern Nashville machine.

The album’s first single, “Fuck This Bar,” is available now, ahead of tickets going on sale Friday, June 12 at 10am local time. Walker didn’t mince words about his exit, saying he can’t do it anymore and griping that every song in Nashville seems written by a dozen guys named Chase about trucks they don’t own and farms they never worked.

‘Pullin’ Out’ marks the sixth Wheeler Walker Jr. record produced by Grammy winner Dave Cobb, the longest producing relationship of Cobb’s career. Already being touted as his strongest record since his debut, it serves as his final sermon from the barstool, and after a rock detour on his last album ‘Ram’, a return to the hard-core country he loves. The record packs savage commentary, heartbreak, hangovers, and at least three songs that might get banned before release day.

His track record is no joke. Over the last decade, Walker has released five albums that all hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Comedy chart, with two debuting in the Top 10 on the Country chart. He’s amassed more than one billion career streams and earned two platinum and gold-certified records, bursting onto the scene with ‘Redneck Shit’ as the first artist to simultaneously chart on Billboard’s Country Album chart at No. 9 and Comedy Album chart at No. 1.

The Pullin’ Out: The Farewell Tour kicks off this fall and runs through North America, hitting Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Detroit, and multiple Canadian cities before his final show ever at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on May 15, 2027. It’s one last filthy, funny, defiant lap from one of country’s most singular characters.

Pullin’ Out: The Farewell Tour Dates:

Oct 15 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection

Oct 16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre Presented by Citizens

Oct 17 – Beaver Dam, KY @ Beaver Dam Amphitheater

Oct 19 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee

Oct 21 – Davenport, IA @ Capitol Theatre

Oct 22 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit

Oct 23 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s

Oct 24 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

Nov 5 – Jordan, NY @ Kegs Canalside

Nov 6 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount in concert with Northwell

Nov 7 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place

Nov 8 – Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues

Nov 10 – Moncton, NB @ Casino New Brunswick

Nov 12 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS

Nov 13 – Ottawa, ON @ HISTORY

Nov 14 – London, ON @ London Music Hall

Nov 15 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY

Nov 17 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom

Nov 19 – Columbus, OH @ The Bluestone

Nov 20 – Cleveland, OH @ The Agora

Nov 21 – Charles Town, WV @ Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races

Feb 24 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave / Eagles Club

Feb 25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Factory

Feb 26 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater

Feb 27 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall

Feb 28 – La Vista, NE @ The Astro Theater

Mar 2 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom

Mar 4 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Mar 5 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory

Mar 6 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston

Mar 7 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Brewster Street Icehouse

Mar 9 – Odessa, TX @ Dos Amigos

Mar 11 – Albuquerque, NM @ Revel

Mar 12 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre

Mar 13 – Del Mar, CA @ The Sound

Mar 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

Mar 18 – Napa, CA @ Uptown Theatre

Mar 19 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort

Mar 20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex

Mar 21 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall

Mar 23 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre

Mar 25 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

Mar 26 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo

Mar 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom

Mar 30 – Kelowna, BC @ Kelowna Community Theatre

Apr 1 – Calgary, AB @ Event Centre @ Grey Eagle Resort & Casino

Apr 2 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall

Apr 3 – Saskatoon, SK @ Coors Event Centre

Apr 5 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre

Apr 7 – Green Bay, WI @ EPIC Event Center

Apr 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

Apr 9 – West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom

Apr 10 – Rosemont, IL @ Joe’s Live

Apr 22 – Richmond, VA @ The National

Apr 23 – Raleigh, NC @ Bowstring

Apr 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern

May 15 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

Taylor Swift, Kiss And John Fogerty Headline A Star-Studded 2026 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction

Eric Alper
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0
Taylor Swift, Kiss And John Fogerty Headline A Star-Studded 2026 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction

One of the biggest nights in songwriting is about to fill a New York ballroom with legends. The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its 2026 performers and presenters for the Induction and Awards Dinner, slated for Thursday, June 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

The presenter and performer roster runs deep, with Dallas Austin, Tamar Braxton, Kylie Cantrall, Brandi Carlile, Billy Corgan, Madison Cunningham, Taylor Dayne, Gavin DeGraw, Steve Miller, Jeremy Renner, Nile Rodgers, Johnny Rzeznik, Sheléa, SistaStrings, and Sombr all set to take part.

This year’s inductees include songwriting icons Walter Afanasieff, the team of Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss, Kenny Loggins, Alanis Morissette, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, and Taylor Swift. Four-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Raye will receive the Hal David Starlight Award, given to young songwriters making a significant impact, while John Fogerty takes home the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award.

The Class of 2026 represents a massive footprint on the Billboard charts and the cultural zeitgeist. To be eligible, a songwriter must have a notable catalog spanning at least 20 years from their first commercial release.

Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame serves as more than a museum of hits, acting as a bridge between the pioneers of the craft and the next generation. Through outreach and scholarship, it continues to groom the troubadours of tomorrow. It’s shaping up to be a remarkable celebration of the people behind the songs.

Katharine McPhee And The Late Dan Seals Unite For Posthumous Duet On “The Healing Kind”

Eric Alper
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Katharine McPhee And The Late Dan Seals Unite For Posthumous Duet On “The Healing Kind”

A voice from the past meets one of today’s most acclaimed singers on a deeply moving new recording. The late Dan Seals and singer and actress Katharine McPhee unite for a brand-new duet version of Ronnie Bowman’s beloved “The Healing Kind,” out now. Seals first covered the song in 1995, and it was later redone by Lee Ann Womack.

McPhee called the experience both emotional and beautiful, saying Seals’ voice and spirit are still so present in the music, and that she’s honored to help keep his legacy alive. His vocals on the track, like those across the full album, were extracted from his acclaimed solo projects.

The duet previews a larger tribute. ‘Dan Seals & Friends: The Last Duet’, dedicated to the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Famer, arrives August 28 on Melody Place Records. The collection pairs Seals’ most adored hits with today’s most dynamic artists, including Jamey Johnson, Luke Bryan, and Tanya Tucker, and is produced by his frequent collaborator, award-winning producer and engineer Kyle Lehning.

McPhee, meanwhile, continues to tour across the globe, with hits that have charted across pop, jazz, and adult contemporary. Beyond music, she’s acted in television series including Scorpion, SMASH, and Country Comfort following her breakout 2006 season on American Idol. She frequently performs with her husband, 16-time Grammy winner David Foster, and is currently in Nashville working on new music due in the coming months.

It’s a tender, beautifully rendered duet that lets one of country’s most cherished voices live on.

Video: Stereophonics Tear Through A Blistering 2005 Sydney Show In Stunning 4K

Eric Alper
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Video: Stereophonics Tear Through A Blistering 2005 Sydney Show In Stunning 4K

A no-frills rock and roll powerhouse caught at full throttle. This blistering 2005 performance, recorded at the Seymour Centre in Sydney, captures Welsh rock stalwarts Stereophonics on their global tour behind the acclaimed album ‘Language. Sex. Violence. Other?’, tearing through a setlist that blends new tracks with the anthems that built their reputation. Fronted by the unmistakable gravelly voice of Kelly Jones, the band pours its heart out with the kind of tight, high-octane energy that has kept its global fanbase loyal for decades. Remastered in stunning 4K, the footage offers a crystal-clear window into a band built on solid songwriting and the timeless power of guitar, bass, drums, and a voice that tells a story.


Yacht Rock Hitmaker Stephen Bishop Celebrates 50 Years Of His Debut ‘Careless’ With Anniversary Vinyl

Eric Alper
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0
Yacht Rock Hitmaker Stephen Bishop Celebrates 50 Years Of His Debut ‘Careless’ With Anniversary Vinyl

A cornerstone of the soft-rock era turns 50 and gets the vinyl treatment it deserves. Oscar and two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop announced the 50th anniversary limited edition vinyl release of his landmark debut album ‘Careless’, out August 14 on his own Life’s A Bish Records. Bernie Grundman, the legendary engineer who mastered the original 1976 release, returned to remaster this edition.

Originally released in 1976 via Universal Music Group, ‘Careless’ established Bishop as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation. It featured the Billboard Hot 100 hit “On and On,” covered on Keith Urban’s upcoming album ‘Flow State’, along with “Save It for a Rainy Day.” The album boasted an extraordinary lineup for a debut, with Eric Clapton on electric slide guitar for “Sinking in an Ocean of Tears” and the solo on “Save It for a Rainy Day,” plus Chaka Khan and Art Garfunkel.

The anniversary edition presents the album as it’s never been experienced before. The original 1976 release came without a gatefold or booklet, while this expanded version adds a newly designed gatefold package and a 20-page booklet with rare and previously unseen photographs, archival material, and Bishop’s first-ever liner notes and personal reflections.

Reflecting on the milestone, Bishop said it feels like 1976 was just yesterday, recalling a time when you brought an album home and listened from start to finish, no streaming or distractions, just music in its purest form. He added that the songs which didn’t make the album the first time had waited long enough.

The album’s iconic black-and-white cover has been newly colorized for the occasion, pressed as a limited edition confetti splatter vinyl with each record uniquely finished. Two bonus tracks, “Back Again” and “I Don’t Know You Anymore,” both written during the original sessions, round out the set. Released under license from Universal Music Group as a vinyl-only pressing, with no digital or CD versions planned, it’s a true collector’s release built for fans and audiophiles alike.

‘Careless’ Track Listing:

  1. “On and On”
  2. “Never Letting Go”
  3. “Careless”
  4. “Sinking in an Ocean of Tears”
  5. “Madge”
  6. “Every Minute”
  7. “Little Italy”
  8. “One More Night”
  9. “Guitar Interlude”
  10. “Save It for a Rainy Day”
  11. “Rock and Roll Slave”
  12. “The Same Old Tears On a New Background”
  13. “Back Again” – Bonus Track
  14. “I Don’t Know You Anymore” – Bonus Track
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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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