Gary LeVox is bringing music, patriotism, and purpose to the fairway. The Rascal Flatts lead vocalist and co-founder of premium performance eyewear brand Birdi will host the Birdi Celebrity Golf Invitational on August 11 at Old Hickory Country Club in Old Hickory, Tennessee, presented by Hard Rock and benefiting Folds of Honor, the organization that provides educational scholarships to the families of fallen and disabled military service members and first responders.
The event goes well beyond a golf tournament. Guests get 18 holes alongside celebrity players, premium hospitality, exclusive gifting, and a post-round guitar pull-style live music performance and awards dinner, with silent and live auctions expected to drive significant scholarship funding. “I have deep respect for our armed forces and am extremely grateful for all the hard work and dedication,” says LeVox. “I am excited to be partnering with Hard Rock as our presenting sponsor as we collectively join forces to acknowledge the great men and women who fight for our country.” The event arrives as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary on July 4, making the occasion carry even more cultural weight.
Ryan Hamilton is back with his first new music in over three years, and he’s not easing into it. “Dreaming Screaming,” out now across all digital platforms, is a roots-leaning, guitar-driven track that channels the road-worn energy of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers while staying firmly in Hamilton’s own songwriting voice. The single also launches pre-orders for his forthcoming full-length ‘Haunted By American Dreams,’ arriving July 3 on Wicked Cool Records.
“It explores the cost of chasing a dream past its breaking point,” Hamilton says of the track, “when ambition erodes mental health and pulls you from family.” Driving instrumentation, introspective lyricism, and sharp hooks make “Dreaming Screaming” a strong opening statement for an album that promises hard truths delivered with warmth and melodic clarity.
Carly Simon’s 1971 sophomore album ‘Anticipation’ arrives in definitive form this May. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has announced a strictly limited 180g 45RPM 2LP reissue of the gold-certified classic, sourced from the original master tapes and pressed to just 3,000 numbered copies. It marks the first time ‘Anticipation’ has been presented in audiophile-grade 45RPM sound, and it’s available to order May 1.
The reissue was sourced from the original quarter-inch/15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket. The wider grooves of the 45RPM format bring out the full richness of the album’s spare soft guitars, mellow orchestration, and dreamy melodies, with Andy Newmark’s drumming sounding dynamic and balanced throughout, and Simon’s vocal investment in every lyric rendered with genuine intimacy.
Released before the singer-songwriter movement reached full bloom, ‘Anticipation’ stands as a courageous, deeply personal statement. Simon drew from her own experiences, including her relationship with Cat Stevens in the lead-up to recording, crafting songs of honesty, romantic yearning, and hard-won identity. The Grammy-nominated title track, written in just 15 minutes while Simon waited for Stevens to pick her up for a date, captures the record’s core in one extraordinary song. From the soulful “Legend in Your Own Time” to her cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “I’ve Got to Have You,” the album’s emotional directness remains remarkable more than 50 years on.
Simon would reach international fame with ‘No Secrets,’ but as this reissue makes clear, the rest of the world was simply catching up. Limited to 3,000 copies, order opens May 1.
Papa Roach hit the Pukkelpop main stage in Hasselt, Belgium in August 2025 and delivered a 60-minute set that had the crowd singing every word, running through “Last Resort,” “Scars,” “Getting Away with Murder,” and “Born for Greatness” with the kind of full-band intensity that’s kept them a live force for over two decades.
Dale Watson doesn’t follow trends. He never has. The acclaimed Ameripolitan icon has released ‘Unwanted’ via 40 Below Records, an entirely self-written and self-produced album that delivers exactly what his most devoted fans and the country music tradition demand: lean, hard-hitting honky-tonk, outlaw country, western swing, and rockabilly from one of American roots music’s most uncompromising originals.
Backed by his longtime band The Lonestars and joined by Celine Lee, The Memphians, Katie Shore of Asleep at the Wheel, and pianist Matt Hubbard, ‘Unwanted’ carries the kind of lived-in authenticity that critics keep reaching for superlatives to describe. MOJO gave it four stars, Country Music People called him “the Ameripolitan torchbearer,” and Americana Highways put it simply: “Others drink ginger ale and smile; Watson is bourbon with a bite.” PopMatters puts his catalog “in the same jukebox as Willie, Waylon, Ernest Tubb, and Bob Wills,” and Saving Country Music calls him “the true embodiment of country.”
Watson has shared stages with Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Price, Loretta Lynn, and Dwight Yoakam, and has appeared on Austin City Limits, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Late Show with David Letterman. None of it has pulled him off the road. “I still play over 300 shows a year,” he says. “That’s where the truth is. That’s where the songs tell you if they’re real.” As founder of the Ameripolitan Music Awards and an honored Texas State Musician, Watson views ‘Unwanted’ as part of a living tradition. “Outlaw country isn’t nostalgia. It’s alive, it’s loud, and it’s still being written.”
Tour Dates:
May 2, Austin, TX, Broken Spoke
May 2, Austin, TX, Brentwood Neighborhood Park
May 4, Austin, TX, The Continental Club
May 9, Yantis, TX, Neon Moon Restaurant & Social Club
May 11, Austin, TX, The Continental Club
May 16, West Jackson, TN, Ned R McWherter TN Cultural Arts
May 17, Nashville, TN, Eastside Rockin’ Rumble
May 21, Houston, TX, McGonigal’s Mucky Duck
May 22, Coupland, TX, Coupland Dancehall
May 23, Austin, TX, Rollins Theatre
May 24, New Braunfels, TX, Gruene Hall
May 25, Austin, TX, The Continental Club
May 28, Austin, TX, Parker Jazz Club
May 29, Memphis, TN, Memphis Italian Fest at Marquette Park
May 31, Llano, TX, Sundown
June 6, Dallas, TX, Sons of Hermann Hall
June 7, Buchanan Dam, TX, Pardners Nightclub Largest Dancehall
June 10, Tomball, TX, Main Street Crossing
June 13, Lewisville, TX, Lewisville Grand Theater
June 20, Austin, TX, Broken Spoke
June 21, Llano, TX, Sundown
June 25, St. Louis, MO, Off Broadway
June 26, Columbia, MO, Rose Music Hall
June 27, Kansas City, MO, Knuckleheads
July 2, Corpus Christi, TX, House of Rock
July 3, Austin, TX, The Continental Club
July 4, Taylor, TX, American Legion Post 39
July 9, Livingston, MT, Empire Twin Theatre
July 18, Austin, TX, Broken Spoke
July 19, Llano, TX, Sundown
July 24, Coupland, TX, Coupland Dancehall
August 1, Austin, TX, Broken Spoke
August 7, Robinson, ND, Hanson’s Bar
September 4, Bandera, TX, 11th Street Cowboy Bar
September 5, Austin, TX, Broken Spoke
September 30, Cleveland, OH, Beachland Ballroom
October 8, Columbus, MS, Barn Concert Series
October 9, Decatur, GA, Eddie’s Attic
October 16, Evansville, IN, Vanderburgh 4-H Center
November 7, Lockhart, TX, Manny Gammage’s Texas Hatters Inc
Romeo are a rock ‘n’ roll band formed in 2024 with a clear point of view and the songs to back it up. Their new single “True Confessions,” out now on all digital platforms with an accompanying music video, arrives ahead of their debut album ‘Deja Vu Letters,’ set for release May 29 via Street Symphonies Records and Burning Minds Music Group. Recorded at Slack Studios and Fico Studio, the album was produced by Romeo and Fede Randi.
Inspired by the vintage sound of mid-70s and early 80s rock, with Thin Lizzy, UFO, Cheap Trick, and The Dogs D’Amour as touchstones, “True Confessions” leans into the dark side with real swagger. The band puts it directly: “We stood in front of a mirror and confronted our evil side, took what we said, and combined it with a rock ‘n’ roll beat made for the occasion.” Nine tracks, a full band lineup, and guest appearances including Hammond organ, horns, and backing vocals round out a debut that sounds refined and built to ignite a room in equal measure. Pre-save ‘Deja Vu Letters’ now.
Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth are keeping busy this summer. The hard-rock outfit has announced a run of headline tour dates for July and August 2026, mixed in with previously announced support slots alongside Creed, all coming on the back of ‘The End,’ the band’s third full-length album released in October 2025. Big Wreck supports the Omaha headline date and 10 Years joins for the Myrtle Beach and Baltimore shows.
Mammoth 2026 Tour Dates:
July 12, Edmonton, AB, Exhibition Lands Racetrack (w/ Creed)
July 14, Winnipeg, MB, Canada Life Center (w/ Creed)
July 16, Des Moines, IA, Wooly’s (Headline)
July 18, Omaha, NE, The Astro Theater (Headline / Big Wreck Supporting)
July 19, Tinley Park, IL, Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival 2026 (w/ Creed)
July 22, Huntsville, AL, Orion Amphitheater (w/ Creed)
July 24, Orange Beach, AL, The Wharf Amphitheater (w/ Creed)
July 25, Tupelo, MS, Cadence Bank Arena (w/ Creed)
July 27, Savannah, GA, Victory North (Headline)
July 29, Chattanooga, TN, Barrelhouse Ballroom (Headline)
July 30, Raleigh, NC, Lincoln Theatre (Headline)
August 1, Myrtle Beach, SC, House of Blues Myrtle Beach (Headline / 10 Years Supporting)
August 2, Baltimore, MD, Nevermore Hall (Headline / 10 Years Supporting)
August 4, Virginia Beach, VA, Elevation 27 (Headline)
August 5, Lititz, PA, Mickey’s Black Box (Headline)
Fifty years on, Jon Anderson’s solo debut still sounds like nothing else ever made. Mobile Fidelity is marking the occasion with a strictly limited 180-gram reissue of ‘Olias of Sunhillow,’ pressed to just 2,000 numbered copies and representing only the second domestic vinyl release of the record since its original 1976 Atlantic Records pressing. It’s the first time this album has received the full audiophile treatment, and given the complexity of what Anderson created, that matters enormously.
The backstory remains astonishing. Following Yes’s 1975 Relayer tour, Anderson brought a mobile recording unit to his Buckinghamshire home and played every single instrument himself, from koto and ethnic flutes to harp, percussion, and modern electronic keyboards, assisted only by Yes sound engineer Mike Dunne. The album debuted at number 8 on the UK charts and number 47 on the Billboard 200, and its ambient landscapes, new-age synthesizers, and Anderson’s signature vocals have only grown in stature since. “The dream of Olias was to spend time learning how to play the numerous instruments I had collected,” Anderson says. “The evolution of the idea took me on an everlasting mission, driving me a bit crazy but nonetheless a satisfying experience which has stood the test of time.”
The Mobile Fidelity reissue replicates the original gatefold jacket with an inner hinged panel and embossed textures, with artwork by David Fairbrother-Roe, who stepped in when longtime Yes artist Roger Dean was unavailable. The vinyl is sourced from a quarter-inch/15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe. The reissue arrives this July. With only 2,000 copies pressed, this one moves fast.
Calgary heavy alternative outfit Howells have released ‘Fade Into Being (Part 1),’ their most expansive and collaborative work to date, alongside the video premiere for standout track “Overflow” featuring fellow Alberta emo collaborators Astrology Girl. Produced by Devin Taylor (5x Nail The Mix winner) and shaped with visual guidance from JUNO-nominated Mercedes Arn-Horn of Softcult, the EP blends emo emotional weight, shoegaze atmosphere, and metalcore force into what the band calls “halo-core,” equal parts lift and collapse, beauty and ruin.
“Writing ‘Overflow’ with Astrology Girl was effortless,” says frontman Benjamin Howells. “They’re exceptional songwriters, sharp instincts, no hesitation. Chaos, but the right kind.” The EP also features contributions from Folded Hand, and its visual world, shot on a 1984 Minolta X-700 and built around a stark recurring image of a white-tailed deer captured across stages of decay, reflects a project rooted in transformation and rebirth. ‘Fade Into Being (Part 2)’ follows in fall 2026. Nominated for Rock Recording of the Year at the 2025 YYC Music Awards and earning regular airplay on CBC Radio One and X92.9, Howells are one of Canada’s most compelling emerging voices in heavy alternative music. Stream ‘Fade Into Being (Part 1)’ now.
Billy Childs has waited 25 years to make another trio album, and ‘Triumvirate’ makes clear it was worth every year. The six-time GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer releases the new record on Mack Avenue Records, bringing together bassist Matt Penman and drummer Ari Hoenig for an intimate, deeply swinging session built around material revisited from his earliest recordings. It’s a long-overdue return to a format that suits Childs completely.
The company he keeps here is elite. Penman, a longtime member of the all-star SFJAZZ Collective, has worked with John Scofield, Joe Lovano, and Wayne Shorter, and co-founded the collective quartet James Farm with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, and Eric Harland. Hoenig has logged time with Chris Potter Underground, the Kurt Rosenwinkel Group, and bands led by Wayne Krantz, Mike Stern, Richard Bona, and Pat Martino. While Childs hadn’t officially recorded with either before, the three had shared stages as a rhythm section behind frontline players including Steve Wilson, Chris Potter, and Sean Jones, and that existing chemistry translates powerfully to tape.
‘Triumvirate’ follows Childs’ 2023 LP ‘The Winds of Change,’ which took home the GRAMMY for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Across eight tracks including “One Fleeting Instant,” “Flamenco Sketches,” and “Whisper Not,” the album moves with the kind of equal-power interplay the title promises, each member steering the sound from moment to moment with full creative authority. Nearly 50 years into a career that has earned him six GRAMMYs and 17 nominations, with commissions from the Kronos Quartet, the LA Philharmonic, and performances at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center, Childs sounds as focused and present as ever.
Childs brings ‘Triumvirate’ to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and beyond in the weeks ahead.
Tour Dates:
April 30, San Francisco, CA, Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall *
May 5, Los Angeles, CA, Walt Disney Concert Hall +
May 13-17, New York, NY, Smoke Jazz Club
May 19, Washington, D.C., Blues Alley
May 22, Rockport, MA, Shalin Liu Center
May 23, Old Lyme, CT, Side Door
May 29-30, Los Angeles, CA, Catalina’s
July 5, Portsmouth, NH, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club
*RJAM Big Band featuring Billy Childs on piano
+Billy Childs on piano, Dan Chmielinski on bass, Christian Euman on drums, with strings from the LA Phil
