Pearl Jam hit Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on June 26, 2018, as part of their European tour, delivering a guitar-driven, rhythm-heavy set to a crowd of over 70,000 that drew from ‘Lightning Bolt’ (2013) and deep into their classic catalog, with Eddie Vedder’s vocals moving from raw grit to melodic highs while Mike McCready, Matt Cameron, and Jeff Ament locked in behind him with the kind of tight, powerful band chemistry that has kept Pearl Jam one of rock’s most commanding live acts for over three decades.
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Hawthorne Heights Bring ‘If Only You Were Lonely’ Back to Vinyl for Its 20th Anniversary
Hawthorne Heights’ Gold-certified sophomore album ‘If Only You Were Lonely’ returns to vinyl on July 17 via Craft Recordings, marking its 20th anniversary with a proper reissue and a worldwide tour already well underway. Pre-order is live now, with multiple exclusive colorways available including “Blue and Purple with Black Splatter” through Hawthorne Heights, “Pink Swirl” through Urban Outfitters, and “Ink Swirl” through Craft Recordings and Victory Records. Pre-order is available now.
Released in February 2006, ‘If Only You Were Lonely’ hit number three on the Billboard 200 and claimed the top spot on both Billboard’s Independent Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. Produced by David Bendeth (Paramore, Mayday Parade) and recorded at Water Music Recording Studios in Hoboken, NJ, the 12-track album pushed the Dayton, Ohio band into more cinematic territory, weaving in string sections and piano alongside the visceral energy that defined their debut. PopMatters called it “a confident band belting off catchy tune after tune.”
The album’s lead single “Saying Sorry” climbed to number seven on Billboard’s Alternative Songs Chart and remains one of the band’s most immediate and emotionally direct tracks. “This Is Who We Are,” “Pens and Needles,” and “I Am on Your Side” round out a setlist of songs that have held up across two decades of heavy rotation. “If Only You Were Lonely is kind of like your favorite hoodie,” frontman JT Woodruff says. “You keep buying new ones, but nothing quite feels like it, so you keep putting it on.”
The album took shape as Woodruff contended with the alienation that followed sudden fame, what he describes as “feeling like I’m on the outside looking in and being a spectator of my own life now that I constantly have an audience.” That emotional honesty is exactly what made it connect so deeply, and what keeps it resonating twenty years later.
The If Only You Were Lonely 20th anniversary tour is a massive international run covering Australia, Asia, Europe, the UK, and North America, continuing through November with a January 2026 appearance on the Emo’s Not Dead Cruise. Hawthorne Heights’ current lineup consists of Woodruff, Matt Ridenour, Mark McMillon on vocals and lead guitar, and Chris Popadak on drums. Full dates below.
‘If Only You Were Lonely’ Tracklist:
Side A
01 “This Is Who We Are”
02 “We Are So Last Year”
03 “Language Lessons (Five Words or Less)”
04 “Pens and Needles”
05 “Saying Sorry”
06 “Dead in the Water”
Side B
01 “I Am on Your Side”
02 “Breathing in Sequence”
03 “Light Sleeper”
04 “Cross Me Off Your List”
05 “Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears”
06 “Decembers”
If Only You Were Lonely 20th Anniversary Tour Dates:
April 22 — Magnet House — Perth, Australia
April 24 — The Gov — Adelaide, Australia
April 25 — The Croxton Bandroom — Melbourne, Australia
April 26 — Manning Bar — Sydney, Australia
April 28 — The Brightside — Brisbane, Australia
May 1 — Capitol Theatre — Singapore
May 2 — RockOn Festival — Selangor, Malaysia
May 5 — Speakerbox Livehouse — Bangkok, Thailand
May 6 — SM Skydome — Manila, Philippines
May 8 — Yogibo Meta Valley — Osaka, Japan
May 10 — ReNY Alpha Akabane — Tokyo, Japan
May 11 — ReNY Alpha Akabane — Tokyo, Japan
May 14-17 — Sonic Temple Festival — Columbus, OH
May 20 — The Grand Social — Dublin, Ireland
May 21 — Voodoo — Belfast, UK
May 23 — Slam Dunk Festival — Hatfield, England
May 24 — Slam Dunk North — Leeds, UK
May 25 — The Dome — London, England
May 26 — Backstage BTM — Paris, France
May 27 — dB’s — Utrecht, Netherlands
May 28 — Kavka Zappa — Antwerp, Belgium
May 29 — Slam Dunk Germany — Oberhausen, Germany
May 30 — Noise and Needles Festival — Cologne, Germany
May 31 — Feierwerk — Munich, Germany
June 1 — Slam Dunk Italy — Milan, Italy
June 11 — Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races — Charles Town, WV
June 13 — Vans Warped Tour — Washington, D.C.
June 20 — Roxx Fest — Portage, IN
July 23 — Pappy + Harriet’s — Pioneertown, CA
July 24 — Pappy + Harriet’s — Pioneertown, CA
July 25 — Vans Warped Tour — Long Beach, CA
September 12 — Vans Warped Tour — Mexico City, Mexico
October 1 — Aftershock Festival — Sacramento, CA
October 21 — Town Ballroom — Buffalo, NY
October 22 — House of Blues — Boston, MA
October 23 — Aura — Portland, ME
October 24 — Irving Plaza — New York, NY
October 25 — Starland Ballroom — Sayreville, NJ
October 27 — Brooklyn Bowl Philly — Philadelphia, PA
October 30 — Elevation 27 — Virginia Beach, VA
October 31 — The Underground — Charlotte, NC
November 1 — Charleston Music Hall — Charleston, SC
November 3 — The Orange Peel — Asheville, NC
November 4 — Mercury Ballroom — Louisville, KY
November 5 — Cannery Hall — Nashville, TN
November 6 — Heaven at The Masquerade — Atlanta, GA
November 7 — Iron City Bham — Birmingham, AL
November 8 — House of Blues — New Orleans, LA
November 10 — Vinyl Music Hall — Pensacola, FL
November 12 — Jannus Live — St. Petersburg, FL
November 13 — Revolution Live — Fort Lauderdale, FL
November 14 — Vans Warped Tour — Orlando, FL
November 17 — The Vogue Theatre — Indianapolis, IN
November 20 — Clyde Theatre — Fort Wayne, IN
November 21 — Elevation at The Intersection — Grand Rapids, MI
November 22 — Saint Andrew’s Hall — Detroit, MI
November 23 — Warehouse on Broadway — Kansas City, MO
November 24 — The Vanguard — Tulsa, OK
November 25 — The Hawthorn — St. Louis, MO
January 22-26 — Emo’s Not Dead Cruise — Miami, FL
Wu-Tang Mastermind RZA and Tyler Bates Unite for the Visceral Score to ‘One Spoon of Chocolate’
RZA and composer Tyler Bates have delivered the original motion picture score to ‘RZA’s One Spoon of Chocolate’, arriving May 1 on all digital platforms via Gravel and Echo Recordings. A limited 180-gram vinyl edition signed by both RZA and Bates is available now through Gravel and Echo Recordings.
The score lands alongside the film itself, also releasing May 1, and it holds up as a powerful standalone listen. Written together by RZA and Bates, it moves from bone-crushing percussive force to deeply emotive compositions, navigating grief, love, rage, and despair across a cinematic range that mirrors the film’s grindhouse intensity. It’s the kind of score that doesn’t just serve the picture, it expands it.
“The collision of violence and raw emotion is the space I find most compelling as a composer and songwriter,” Bates says. “The ‘RZA’s One Spoon of Chocolate’ is an intersection of love and hate, setting the stage for a brutally primal musical approach to serving the film and its characters. Collaborating with the RZA was among the most gratifying of my career.”
The film follows Unique (Shameik Moore), an Army veteran falsely accused of assault who, newly paroled and relocated to the town of Karensville, Ohio, uncovers a racist sheriff and his deputies running a violent operation tied to the disappearance of young Black men. When they target Unique, they trigger a relentless chain of vengeance with explosive consequences. Blair Underwood and RJ Cyler co-star.
Quentin Tarantino, who presents the film, doesn’t hold back. “As a filmmaker, RZA really brought home the bacon on an old-school, foot-to-ass, Revenge-a-matic,” he says. “This picture drives audiences wild wherever it screens. We’ll sell you a whole seat, but you’ll only use the edge of it.” The score and the film hit together on May 1. Both are essential.
Traditional Country Road Warrior John PayCheck Expands the Better Plan Tour to 43 Cities Across 26 States
John PayCheck and the Cavalry Band have expanded the 2026 Better Plan Tour, now spanning 43 cities across 26 states throughout the year. New dates have been added in California, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Iowa, with upcoming May stops in Ohio, New York, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Arizona.
PayCheck carries a name that opens doors and invites comparisons, but he’s spent his career building something that stands entirely on its own. Born in Nashville, he learned the road the old-school way, starting as a roadie traveling with his father, Grand Ole Opry member and country legend Johnny PayCheck, before stepping out to forge his own path through clubs, honky-tonks, and everything in between.
His first two albums, 2021’s ‘We All Have A Story’ and 2024’s ‘More Days Behind’, have earned him national press from Forbes, American Songwriter, and Cowboys & Indians, a debut single that landed on the MusicRow charts, a CMA of Texas Jim and Mona Boles Legacy Award, and recognition from the Academy of Western Artists for best country album in 2021. ‘More Days Behind’ earned GRAMMY consideration in 2025, landing in a field of 45 releases under consideration for nomination. The road has backed every bit of it up.
A third album, recorded in Nashville with producer Bill McDermott across 18 new tracks, is due late 2026, with singles rolling out throughout the year. Co-writers on the project include Erin Enderlin, Struggle Jennings, and longtime collaborator Scott Gabbey. “When the lights go down, the amps kick on, and you see a crowd ready to have a good time, every mile is worth it,” PayCheck says. “That connection with the fans is what keeps us rolling.”
The Better Plan Tour runs through November. Full dates below.
2026 Better Plan Tour Dates:
May 2 — The Patriot Public House — Hillsboro, Ohio
May 3 — Wadsworth’s Grill — Wadsworth, N.Y.
May 6 — The Law Office Pub — Yorkville, Ill.
May 7 — Shank Hall — Milwaukee, Wisc.
May 9 — The Venue Event Center — Cadillac, Mich.
May 12 — The Doublewide — Elko New Market, Minn.
May 28 — The Dirty Drummer — Phoenix, Ariz.
May 29 — Bisbee Grand Hotel — Bisbee, Ariz.
May 31 — Club Underground — Reno, Nev.
Jun 3 — Almost Famous Wine — Livermore, Calif.
Jun 4 — The Cathedral — Pomona, Calif.
Jun 5 — Aces High Saloon — Salt Lake City, Utah
Jun 6 — Locking Horns Riverside Restaurant — Horseshoe Bend, Id.
Jun 11 — Knuckleheads — Kansas City, Mo.
Jun 13 — Hot Tails Crawfish — Texarkana, Ark.
Jun 19 — The Continental Club — Houston, Texas
Jun 20 — Hoots Hall — Burleson, Texas
Jun 24 — Amish County Theater — Millersburg, Ohio
Jun 27 — Shriners Hospital Benefit — New Castle, Del.
Jun 28 — Opera House LIVE — Shepherdstown, W.V.
Jul 3 — The Wallace Theatre — Levelland, Texas
Jul 11 — Lake Blackshear Resort & Golf Club — Cordele, Ga.
Jul 17 — Brass Hall — Marble Falls, Texas
Aug 8 — Cortland Country Music Park Campground — Cortland, N.Y.
Aug 15 — Crow Peak Brewing Company — Spearfish, S.D.
Aug 20 — Bottleneck — Lawrence, Kan.
Aug 23 — Rollie’s — Sauk Rapids, Minn.
Aug 28 — Southern Rhythm Venue & Entertainment — Denham Springs, La.
Sep 12 — The Farm Party — Brookeville, Ind.
Sep 17 — Bigs Bar — Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sep 18 — Rhythm City Casino Resort — Davenport, Iowa
Sep 19 — Riverside Casino & Golf Resort — Riverside, Iowa
Sep 24 — Potomac Gardens — Coltons Point, Md.
Sep 26 — Hub City Vinyl — Hagerstown, Md.
Sep 27 — Howland Cultural Center — Beacon, N.Y.
Oct 3 — Rathskeller Down Back — Charlestown, R.I.
Oct 17 — Soggy Bottom Saloon — Beaumont, Texas
Nov 7 — 11th St. Cowboy Bar — Bandera, Texas
Kenny Chesney Returns With Genre-Blending New Single “Carry On” May 8
Kenny Chesney ends a two-year recording absence on May 8 with “Carry On,” a genre-blending single that pulls from country, bluegrass, and reggae into something warm, immediate, and built for a crowd with their arms around each other. It’s his first new music since a 2025 that by any measure was extraordinary, and it arrives with the ease of an artist who knows exactly what he’s doing.
That 2025 run included a historic residency at Vegas’ Sphere, where Chesney became the first solo headliner and the first country artist to play the venue. He also debuted two books simultaneously on the New York Times bestseller list with ‘Heart Life Music’, which was received as “a love letter to the journey,” and capped the year with induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The return to recording, then, carries real weight.
“Carry On” centers on a Key West bartender, 69 years old, smoking hot, pouring drinks at the legendary Schooner Wharf, a woman who kissed Elvis and had stories that would make Penny Lane jealous. She’s figured out the secret to living well, and the song distills that wisdom into a chorus that works on a Tuesday morning and a white-hot Saturday night equally. “It all just falls into place because it just feels good,” Chesney says of the recording session.
The chorus is the kind that begs for arms-around-each-other shout-alongs, a full-throated invitation to sing loud regardless of ability, shake off what doesn’t matter, and get carried away when Saturday night calls for it. The bridge puts it plainly: “If it feels good do it, if it doesn’t, then don’t.” It’s Chesney at his most direct and most generous.
Co-produced with Buddy Cannon, “Carry On” sits comfortably alongside Chesney’s multi-week number ones “American Kids,” “Save It for a Rainy Day,” and “Get Along,” songs that double as road maps through the hard times and the good ones. “Nothing lifts a mood like music,” he says. “I love that this song says, ‘Get out there and sing, even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, because that’s real.'”
“Carry On” arrives as the lead track from Chesney’s 20th studio release. Billboard named him Top Country Artist of the 21st Century, and listening to this single, it’s easy to hear why. He hasn’t lost a step.
Singer-Songwriter Cooper Riley Drops Blues-Tinged Country Single “Outta Time” May 1
Cooper Riley has a new single dropping May 1. The Memphis-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter releases “Outta Time,” a blues-tinged country track co-written with Alex Angelo and produced by Angelo. It follows previously released singles “Why Why Why” and “Beyond Me,” and continues to build a catalog that draws from personal experience and leaves room for listeners to find themselves in it.
The song tackles the grind of pursuing a music career head-on, zeroing in on the tension between putting in time and actually growing from it. “Time can either work for you or against you,” Riley says. “I choose for it to work for me.” At 22, he’s already performing festival stages, with recent appearances at Backstage Access Presents: Heartland and Backstage Access Presents: Napa Valley, and more new music on the way throughout 2026. Inspired by John Mayer, Chris Stapleton, and B.B. King, Riley’s building a lane that feels earned and entirely his own.
Tyla Announces Sophomore Album ‘A*POP’ Arriving July 24
Tyla has announced her sophomore album ‘A*POP’, arriving July 24, and the rollout is already moving fast. The South African global superstar has shared the official album trailer and released “She Did It Again” featuring Zara Larsson, which racked up over five million video views in its opening weekend and drew “shook the culture” praise from Vanity Fair. Pre-order is live now.
‘A*POP’ follows ‘TYLA’ and ‘TYLA+’, the debut campaign that made her the highest-charting African female soloist in Billboard 200 history. The new album is supported by two singles already making noise: “Chanel,” which hit number one on Billboard Afrobeats and Billboard Rhythmic Airplay during its 17 weeks on the Hot 100 and has pulled over 120 million music video views, and “She Did It Again,” which earned Rolling Stone ‘Songs You Need This Week’ honors on arrival.
Tyla told Rolling Stone at this year’s GRAMMY Awards that the album had finally clicked into place. “I feel like I just did something really fresh and so… Tyla,” she said. That evening she took home her second GRAMMY, “Best African Music Performance” for “Push 2 Start,” the standout from ‘TYLA+’. Her hardware collection now includes two GRAMMYs, two Billboard Awards, two MTV VMAs, two MTV Europe Music Awards, an AMA, and an NAACP Image Award.
This summer, Tyla headlines Afronation in Portugal and plays marquee sets at Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival, Romania’s Beach Please!, and Italy’s Hellwatt Festival. She also performs at the TODAY Show’s Citi Concert Series in New York City on July 24, the same day ‘A*POP’ drops. She’s also nominated four times at next month’s American Music Awards, including “Best Female R&B Artist” and “Best Afrobeats Artist.”
‘A*POP’ arrives July 24. It’s shaping up to be one of the year’s most anticipated releases.
Crashing Wayward Go All-In With Drenching New Video for “Bullet For A Heart”
Crashing Wayward have released the video for “Bullet For A Heart” today, and they did it the hard way. Filmed at SON Studios in Las Vegas with water pouring over the entire band on a freezing cold night, two days before a Pacific Northwest tour, the clip captures the raw energy the song demands. It’s out now via Golden Robot Records.
“Bullet For A Heart” is a reworked version of a previously released track, rebuilt from the ground up with guitarist David Harris adding meatier guitar parts and producer Shawn McGhee (Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Strung Out) sharpening the mix. Mastering was handled by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound. The result hits harder and closer to what the band originally heard when Peter Summit, Harris, and Carl Raether first wrote it together at Summit’s house.
Lyrically, the song pulls no punches. Summit wrote it in response to a high-profile public figure pushing hate rhetoric, with the central message landing clearly: words are weapons, and accountability matters. “I wanted to make the ‘Bullet’ represent something for good,” he says, “like it says in the first line of the song, ‘Feed the love, with the bullets full of heart.'” The track is urgent, melodic, and built for a room that wants to move.
“Bullet For A Heart” will appear on ‘The Fight Within’, a six-song EP due in Q3 2026 via Golden Robot Records. The EP also includes previous single “Holding For Dear Life,” which Classic Rock magazine called “a tight, groovy beefcake of a song that manages to be fiery, introspective and energizing at once.” Crashing Wayward, comprising Peter Summit on vocals, David Harris and Tucker Jones on guitars, Carl Raether on bass, and Jon Gunder on drums, formed in 2020 and have been building steadily ever since, with their debut album ‘LISTEN!’ produced by Mike Gillies (Metallica, The Cult).
The band hits the road now. Dates below.
2026 Tour Dates:
Thursday, April 23 — Palmdale, CA — Transplants Brewing Co
Saturday, April 25 — Santa Ana, CA — Stages
Wednesday, April 29 — Kansas City, MO — Knuckleheads
Thursday, April 30 — Sioux Falls, SD — Bigs Bar
Saturday, May 2 — Rapid City, SD — The Park
Wednesday, May 6 — Las Vegas, NV — Backstage Bar & Billiards
Thursday, May 7 — Grand Junction, CO — Mesa Theater
Friday, May 8 — Denver, CO — The Roxy Theatre
Saturday, May 9 — Draper, UT — Leatherhead’s Sports Bar
Cool Kids Trendsetter Sir Michael Rocks Drops High-Stakes New Project ‘Rocks, Paper, Scissors: Choices’
Sir Michael Rocks has a new project out today. ‘Rocks, Paper, Scissors: Choices’ is available now on all DSPs via Fake Shore Drive, and it arrives with a full roster of collaborators, a deliberate sonic vision, and a concept rooted in the weight of real decisions. Features come from Bruiser Wolf, Valee, Tha Musalini, DJ Fresh, and Skooda Chose.
Mikey lays out the thinking plainly. “Rock Paper Scissors is one of the world’s oldest games. It’s balanced, fair, and hard to cheat,” he says. “This album captures that spirit of big decisions and high stakes. I carefully selected each feature for their specific contribution to the story. I wanted to make a project that highlighted the pros and cons of taking risks, while providing a vivid backdrop of Chicago living. The good and bad and everything in between.”
The project lands with the kind of confidence that comes from an artist who has never needed to chase the moment. One half of the influential duo The Cool Kids, Sir Michael Rocks has been shaping minimalist rap aesthetics and Chicago street cool since before most of his peers caught up. ‘Rocks, Paper, Scissors: Choices’ follows a sold-out Cool Kids tour alongside Chuck Inglish, the October 2025 release ‘Hi Top Fade’, and the February 2026 re-release of ‘Gone Fishing’ with Don Cannon, which featured Ludacris, Bun B, Ryan Leslie, and more.
Twelve tracks deep, cohesive in sound and sharp in execution, ‘Rocks, Paper, Scissors: Choices’ is Sir Michael Rocks at his most focused.
‘Rocks, Paper, Scissors: Choices’ Tracklist:
01 “Expensive Taste”
02 “For The Money”
03 “In Solace” feat. Valee
04 “Sneak N Geek”
05 “Last Dub” feat. Bruiser Wolf
06 “500K”
07 “All The Chips” feat. Tha Musalini
08 “Mind Yours” feat. Skooda Chose
09 “She Don’t Wanna Ride”
10 “Talkin’ Legit”
11 “Soda Club Pelle”
12 “Walls”
Ernie Smith, Jamaican Reggae Legend and Velvet Baritone, Dead at 80
Ernie Smith, the Jamaican singer-songwriter whose deep baritone and easy-listening style made him one of the Caribbean’s most enduring musical voices, died on April 16 at the University of Miami Hospital following cardiac incidents. He was 80 years old and would have turned 81 on May 1. He is survived by his wife of three years, Claudette Bailey-Smith, three daughters, two sons, and one grandchild.
Born Glenroy Anthony Michael Archangelo Smith in Kingston and raised in St. Ann and May Pen, Smith picked up his first guitar at age 12, a gift from his father. He honed his playing with local band The Vandals before landing his first recording opportunity almost by accident, walking into Federal Records looking for work as a songwriter and ending up recording his own songs. His chart success arrived in the late 1960s with “Bend Down” and “Ride on Sammy,” the first of several Jamaican number one hits.
The defining moment of his career came in 1972, when “Life Is Just For Living,” a song originally written as a Red Stripe commercial jingle, won the prestigious Yamaha Music Festival in Japan, one of the earliest international victories for Jamaican popular music outside the reggae genre. The Jamaican government awarded him the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service in the Field of Music the following year, and he received the Order of Distinction in 2006.
His catalogue threaded country, folk, reggae, and gospel with ease. Hits like “Pitta Patta,” “Duppy Gunman,” and “Key Card” were recorded at Federal Records alongside fellow artist Pluto Shervington, who died in 2024. His songwriting reach extended further than many realized: his composition “I Can’t Take It” topped the UK Singles Chart in 1975 when recorded by Johnny Nash under the title “Tears on My Pillow.”
Smith’s laid-back sound stood apart from the militant roots-reggae of the era, but he was no stranger to courage. His 1976 protest song “The Power and the Glory,” a response to the violence surrounding Jamaica’s election season, was reportedly banned from airplay and prompted threats on his life, pushing him to relocate with his family to Toronto. He later moved to Miami in 1981 and returned to Jamaica in the 1990s, continuing to write, record, and perform on the live show circuit well into his later years.
His wife Claudette told DancehallMag that even during his final hospital stay, Smith had seemed anxious to return to his music. In late 2025, he and singer Ed Robinson recorded a new version of “Pitta Patta” that entered the South Florida reggae chart. Manager Joanna Marie Robinson said that “Ernie Smith was a true treasure to Jamaica and to the world, a legendary artist whose warmth, wisdom, and spirit touched so many lives.”