Cody Johnson has a new album coming and the story behind it is as country as it gets. ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ arrives June 26th via CoJo/Warner Music Nashville, and Johnson announced it with a social media post that reads like a short story about dirt roads, cream sodas, and the kind of childhood memories that don’t fade. The album cover features a photo of Lawrence’s Grocery Store, a place he used to ride his bike two miles down an old dirt road just to reach as a kid.
Johnson explains it directly: “When I heard the song ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ for the first time, it was like a portrait flashed in my head of memories I thought I’d forgotten. It took me straight back home to Sebastopol, Texas, where I grew up on the river.” That’s the emotional core of this record, and it’s already earning its place before a single note hits streaming platforms.
The first single, “I Want You,” is out now. It arrives on the heels of one of the most remarkable moments of Johnson’s career, closing out the 94th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium with 80,203 attendees, surpassing the legendary concert-only attendance record of 80,020 set by George Strait in 2013. Strait held that record for over a decade. Johnson broke it in front of a hometown crowd.
The momentum doesn’t stop there. Johnson received his third consecutive ACM nomination for Entertainer of the Year and his fourth consecutive nomination for Visual Media of the Year (“The Fall”) at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards. He’s also among the performers set for the 61st ACM Awards on May 17th on Prime Video. ‘Banks Of The Trinity’ drops June 26th.
nugs, the leading platform for live music streaming, today announced Play Dead, the Grateful Dead-branded app dedicated exclusively to hi-res streaming of the legendary Grateful Dead vault. Authorized by Grateful Dead Productions and developed in concert with Rhino Entertainment, the longtime stewards of the Grateful Dead catalog, Play Dead offers fans unprecedented access to newly transferred, mastered and enhanced live recordings from one of the most beloved and cherished archives in music history.
Play Dead offers Dead Heads unprecedented access to the Grateful Dead’s live legacy; bringing together for the first-time ever the Grateful Dead’s previously unreleased vault recordings in high-resolution audio, as well as releases previously only available on CD.
With Play Dead, listeners can experience:
Exclusive access to newly transferred, mastered and enhanced recordings from the vault, streaming in hi-res
New vault releases every Tuesday, curated by David Lemieux and mastered by David Glasser
CD-only releases now streaming for the first time, including the “Dave’s Picks” series
Previously released live recordings presented in both hi-res and chronological order by performance date, a first in Grateful Dead history
“Play Dead kicks off the largest tape transfer project in the history of rock ‘n roll. We are pulling tapes off the shelf of the vault and transferring them at their highest resolution to date, and mastering in the studio for the first time,” said Brad Serling, Founder and CEO of nugs. “These tapes were in the room with the band each night, and Play Dead will be the official hi-res streaming home of the vault, browsable chronologically in the order the music was performed. Working with Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino, we are giving listeners unprecedented access to 30 years of live recordings, via one of the greatest live archives ever assembled, with new discoveries coming every single week.”
To mark its debut, Play Dead includes 20 previously unreleased shows from the vault, with two new releases every week, offering fans a constantly expanding window into the band’s live evolution.
“Play Dead is the most complete way we’ve ever been able to share the vault,” said David Lemieux, longtime Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager. “These recordings capture the band’s journey night by night, and bringing them together in chronological order, with newly transferred and mastered audio, gives fans an entirely new way to experience this music. There’s always more to discover in the vault, and I’m excited to share something new every Tuesday.”
Designed for both lifelong Dead Heads and new explorers alike, Play Dead transforms the way fans connect with the Grateful Dead’s unmatched live history, offering a persistent, curated journey through decades of performances, now available at an audio quality geared towards audiophiles.
“Rhino has been proud to steward the Grateful Dead’s catalog for decades,” said Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino Records. “We’re excited to help Grateful Dead bring the vault to life through nugs and Play Dead, giving fans an official new way to experience these legendary live recordings with the care and sound quality they deserve.”
Play Dead is available through several subscription options, giving fans the flexibility to stream the vault on its own or seamlessly through nugs:
Play Dead standalone subscription: $9.99/month or $99.99/year
Play Dead Add-on for existing nugs subscribers (available directly in the nugs app): $4.99/month or $49.99/year
Play Dead x nugs Bundle (for new customers, with built-in savings): $17.98/month or $169.98/year, starting at a $7 monthly savings for first-time nugs subscribers for the first year
Play Dead app is available on the App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android and on the web at playdead.app. Full subscription details, eligibility, and plan information are available at playdead.app.
SOMBR just made 2026 significantly more exciting. The GRAMMY-nominated 20-year-old New York City superstar has released “Potential,” a brand new single arriving with a cinematic music video directed by Gus Black, hot off a Coachella performance that had fans stretching to the outer edges of the field. He wrote every word of it himself, the way he does with everything.
“Potential” follows “Homewrecker,” which marked SOMBR’s fifth Billboard Global 200 entry, fourth Hot 100 placement, and his highest first-week debut yet. It’s a trajectory that shows zero signs of levelling off. The new track was teased live at Coachella last weekend, and the full video is out now. Variety called him “the new prototype for the modern rock star,” and nothing about “Potential” argues otherwise.
The arena tour announcement lands just as hard. The 39-date You Are The Reason Tour kicks off July 22nd in Mexico City and runs through November, hitting legendary rooms coast to coast with support from Interpol, The Last Dinner Party, Tom Odell, Dove Cameron, Balu Brigada, King Princess, The Hellp, and Hannah Jadagu. Two nights at Madison Square Garden in his hometown of New York City are on the schedule, with the second date added due to immediate demand. Red Rocks also gets a second night for the same reason.
SOMBR’s rise has been relentless. “Back to Friends” charted for 52 weeks on the Hot 100, hit number one on Spotify globally, ruled Alternative Radio for five weeks, and reached number one on U.S. Pop Radio more than a year after its release. His debut album ‘I Barely Know Her’ produced three Top 20 hits on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Hot 100. A Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination, an MTV VMA win for Best Alternative, and a Coachella surprise appearance with Billy Corgan performing “1979” rounded out a stretch that would define most artists’ entire careers. SOMBR is just getting started.
You Are The Reason North American Arena Tour Dates:
July 22 – Mexico City, MX – Pepsi Center
July 26 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
July 27 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater (NEW DATE)
Sep 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Oct 1 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Oct 2 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Oct 6 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Oct 7 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
Oct 9 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
Oct 13 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
Oct 14 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
Oct 16 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Oct 17 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Oct 18 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Oct 20 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Oct 22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Oct 24 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
Oct 25 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center
Oct 27 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Oct 28 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Oct 30 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Oct 31 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Nov 1 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
Nov 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Nov 4 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Nov 6 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Nov 7 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Nov 8 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Nov 10 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Nov 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Nov 13 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
Nov 14 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Nov 16 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Nov 18 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Nov 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Nov 21 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Nov 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Nov 24 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (NEW DATE)
2026 Festival Dates:
April 18 – Coachella (Weekend Two) – Indio, CA
May 24 – BottleRock Napa Valley – Napa, CA
July 30 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
August 1 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, QC
August 11 – Sziget Festival – Budapest, Hungary
August 13 – Syd For Solen – Copenhagen, Denmark
August 14 – Øyafestivalen – Oslo, Norway
August 15 – Way Out West – Gothenburg, Sweden
August 16 – Flow – Helsinki, Finland
August 20 – Openair Gampel – Gampel, Switzerland
August 22 – Lowlands – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands
August 23 – Pukkelpop – Hasselt, Belgium
August 26 – Rock En Seine – Paris, France
August 28 – Electric Picnic – Stradbally, Ireland
August 29 – Reading Festival – Reading, UK
August 30 – Leeds Festival – Leeds, UK
September 1 – Superbloom – Munich, Germany
September 11 – Fono Festival – Quebec City, QC
September 12 – Sommo Festival – New Glasgow, NS
The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a brand new set of residents, and they’re considerably furrier than Aerosmith. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opens May 26th, reimagining the iconic launch coaster as a chaotic Hollywood premiere anchored by Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. The concept is ridiculous in the best possible way, and it’s going to be an absolute blast.
The soundtrack is the centrepiece. A rotating setlist of five high-energy Muppet covers and original tracks features contributions from Def Leppard, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Questlove. That’s a genuinely stacked musical roster for a theme park attraction, and it lands with the kind of energy the ride demands.
The pre-show is pure Muppet chaos. Disney’s first-ever Scooter Audio-Animatronics figure anchors a frantic scene where Scooter and a team of penguin engineers desperately try to shut down The Electric Mayhem’s jam session and get everyone into their limos before missing the concert entirely. From there, guests race across a Muppet-twisted version of Hollywood in a very fast limo, the scenery delivering Tinseltown landmarks with maximum absurdity.
The courtyard transformation completes the package. Muppet tycoon J.P. Grosse has taken over G-Force Records, giving the iconic red guitar marquee a psychedelic new paint job. Sharp-eyed guests will spot cameos from Awkwafina, Danny Trejo, Darren Criss, John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris, Travis Barker, Yvette Nicole Brown, Wayne Brady, and Weird Al Yankovic woven throughout the experience.
Tribeca Festival turns 25 this year and it’s not holding back. Running June 3–14 in New York City, the 2026 edition announces Sara Bareilles, Peter Frampton, Mumford & Sons, The Lox, Magdalena Bay, and Noga Erez & Ori Rousso for exclusive post-premiere performances across the festival run. The lineup is deep, the stakes are high, and the music programming alone makes this essential.
The festival opens June 3rd with the world premiere of Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World), directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, followed by a special performance from Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots. That’s an opening night that sets a nearly impossible bar, and the rest of the festival rises to meet it.
Closing Night, presented by OKX and 10 Lives Studios, delivers the world premiere of Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell’s Kitchen, directed by Tribeca alum One9, a love letter to New York City from one of its most celebrated voices, followed by a personal appearance from Keys herself. The 118-feature lineup includes a record 103 world premieres across the full run.
The music video slate adds another layer entirely. Linda Perry’s “Beautiful” directed by Sara Gilbert, Jack White’s “Archbishop Harold Holmes” starring John C. Reilly, Benson Boone’s “Mr. Electric Blue,” and 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Everyone’s A Star” all feature. Programmer Sharon Badal has assembled something genuinely eclectic and worth exploring film by film.
Alan Jackson’s final concert is shaping up to be one of the most significant nights in country music history. Little Big Town, Jake Owen, and Thomas Rhett have joined the lineup for Last Call: One More for the Road, The Finale, the sold-out all-star event on June 27th at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. The show marks the end of a touring career that has spanned decades and crossed continents.
The lineup already reads like a who’s who of country music. Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood, and Lee Ann Womack were previously announced, with more names still to come. Every addition raises the stakes on what’s already an unmissable evening.
Jackson’s road history is the stuff of legend. His catalog has traveled coast to coast across North America, through Canada, and reached audiences in Australia, Brazil, and Europe. Over the last four years alone, his Last Call tour played to sellout crowds everywhere it landed. June 27th brings that chapter to a close in the city that knows him best.
The concert carries meaning beyond the music. For every ticket sold, one dollar goes to the CMT Research Foundation, funding research toward a cure for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, matched by two dollars from a generous donor. Last Call: One More for the Road, The Finale is presented by Edward Jones and Silverbelly Whiskey, and promoted by Doussan Music Group and Peachtree Entertainment.
Five CDs. Nine previously unreleased tracks. Source tapes pulled directly from the late producer Felix Pappalardi’s personal reference reels. Polydor is releasing a ‘Wheels Of Fire’ Super Deluxe Edition on June 12th, and it’s the most comprehensive look at Cream’s groundbreaking 1968 third album ever assembled. This is the real thing.
The centerpiece is a newly remastered, phase-corrected version of the studio album, de-CSG’d for the first time, delivering the recordings with greater detail and a crisp soundstage that the original release simply couldn’t achieve. Both stereo and mono versions sourced from Pappalardi’s personal reels are included, and neither has ever been released before. Every mix here tells you something new about how this record was built.
The live material is just as substantial. Remastered versions of the original four live tracks are joined by eight additional performances from the March 1968 concerts, including a previously unreleased live recording of “We’re Going Wrong” captured at Winterland Ballroom on March 10, 1968. Cream live in 1968 needs no further endorsement.
The rarities disc seals it. Fifteen tracks total, nine previously unreleased, including “White Room” (Early Version Mono Mix), “Deserted Cities of the Heart” (Rough Mono Mix / No Strings), and “Crossroads” (Mono Single Version). The whole package comes housed in a gatefold sleeve with a hardcover book featuring sleeve notes by Jim Faber and era photographs, all enclosed in a silver-laminated rigid slipcase.
‘Wheels Of Fire’ Super Deluxe Edition Tracklist:
CD 1: Wheels Of Fire: In The Studio (2026 Remaster)
Ava Max doesn’t do subtle. “Out Of Your Mind” is out now, and it arrives as a full-throttle, defiant pop anthem built on soaring guitar riffs, an addictive beat, and a vocal performance that reminds you exactly why she’s accumulated over 29 billion streams. The track hits hard from the first bar and doesn’t let up.
The song is personal. Max wrote it as a direct response to anyone who’s ever tried to shrink her, and you feel that throughout. She transitions effortlessly into falsetto heading into a chorus that lands like a declaration. “Got uncommon sense and it’s all making sense so just smile and wave” isn’t a lyric you forget quickly.
Max connects the track directly to her biggest moment: “‘Out Of Your Mind’ reminds me of ‘Sweet But Psycho.’ I feel how I felt right before that song blew up.” That’s not nostalgia talking. It’s a songwriter who knows when she’s onto something real, and this track has that same uncontainable energy.
Following the recent “Kill It Queen,” “Out Of Your Mind” continues a new era where Max is holding absolutely nothing back. She sits among a small group of female artists with three songs surpassing three billion streams on Spotify. This is an artist fully reclaiming her lane, on her own terms, with zero apologies.
Jewel’s new single “Upon Meeting the Goddess of Love” is out now, and it’s a direct line back to everything that made her essential. Stripped-down, acoustic, and emotionally immediate, the track previews a forthcoming collection and carries the same intimate weight as ‘Pieces of You,’ her landmark debut and one of the best-selling debut albums of all time. This is Jewel at her most focused and unguarded.
The single connects to something much larger. It was first introduced as part of The Portal: An Art Experience by Jewel, her debut museum exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, an immersive installation weaving together original artwork, sound, technology, and mental health reflection. The song’s artwork features one of Jewel’s own paintings, extending her creative reach well beyond music.
That visual art thread runs deep. Her upcoming exhibition, Matriclysm: An Archeology of Connections Lost, opens May 6th in Venice and runs through November 22nd, presented alongside the 2026 Venice Biennale. It’s the largest presentation of her visual art to date, spanning painting, sculpture, textiles, installation, and original sound design. A centerpiece called Heart of the Ocean, an eight-foot kinetic sculpture built with scientists from NASA, NOAA, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley, translates real-time oceanographic data into sound and light.
Jewel says it plainly: “There’s something powerful about simplicity. This song strips everything back to the raw emotion and storytelling that first made me fall in love with music.” That’s not a talking point. That’s exactly what this song delivers.
Arkells have a new album and they’re not waiting around. ‘Between Us,’ the 9x JUNO Award winners’ latest studio album, is out now via Universal Music Canada and Virgin Music Group, and the North American tour kicks off tonight with two sold-out album release shows in Buffalo, NY. Eleven tracks, real momentum, and a band operating at full capacity.
Produced by LA-based John Congleton (St. Vincent, Death Cab for Cutie, Wallows), ‘Between Us’ is a genre-spanning record that moves with real range and confidence. From the disco-tinged, synth-heavy “What’s On Your Mind?” featuring San Francisco’s Poolside, to the politically charged radio single “Money” with Portugal. The Man, to the breezy, crowd-ready “Ride” with GROUPLOVE, the collaborations hit. The album sounds like a band with nothing to prove and everything to say.
The deeper cuts are worth your full attention. “Imagine Barcelona” is a dreamy, earnest love song that’s going to wreck people live. “Rumour” brings a mischievous edge. “Escape Door” closes things out with winding chords and real ache. Frontman Max Kerman puts it plainly: “Between Us is about connection, not the hollow online kind we get when we’re scrolling, but about the feeling we get in a shared space.”
‘Between Us’ is available now on vinyl, CD, and a signed edition grass-green vinyl, with cover photography by Boston-based Pelle Cass, shot atop Hamilton’s Jackson Square rooftop. The upcoming Canadian run features multi-night “City Takeovers” at intimate clubs the band hasn’t played in over a decade, and several dates are already sold out.
Between Us Tracklist:
Next Summer
What Good?
Ride (ft. GROUPLOVE)
Money (ft. Portugal. The Man)
Imagine Barcelona
Desire’s Got Some Questions
Universe Talking
Two Hearts
What’s On Your Mind (ft. Poolside)
Rumour
Escape Door
2026 Between Us Tour Dates:
April 17, 2026 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom SOLD OUT
April 18, 2026 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom SOLD OUT
April 26, 2026 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
April 28, 2026 – Detroit, MI – Shelter SOLD OUT
April 30, 2026 – Washington, DC – Atlantis
May 1, 2026 – Philadelphia, PA – Foundry
May 2, 2026 – New York, NY – Racket
May 7 – Vancouver, BC – The Penthouse SOLD OUT
May 8 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre SOLD OUT
May 9 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom SOLD OUT
May 14 – Edmonton, AB – The Buckingham SOLD OUT
May 15 – Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room SOLD OUT
May 16 – Edmonton, AB – Midway Music Hall SOLD OUT
May 19 – Calgary, AB – The Palomino SOLD OUT
May 20 – Calgary, AB – The Royal Canadian Legion SOLD OUT
May 21 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre SOLD OUT
May 30 – Fergus, ON – Meadows Music Festival
June 3 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – The Machine Shop
June 5 – Montreal, QC – Beanfield Theatre
June 6 – Quebec City, QC – Grizzly Fuzz
June 17, 2026 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace SOLD OUT
June 18, 2026 – Toronto, ON – History SOLD OUT
June 19, 2026 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
July 7 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Amphitheatre (FIFA Fan Fest)
Aug 8 – Moncton, NB – Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium (supporting Jonas Brothers)
Aug 14 – Sudbury, ON – Grace Hartman Amphitheatre
Aug 28 – Charlottetown, PEI – PEI Brewing Company SOLD OUT
Aug 29 – Hubbards, NS – Shore Club on the Cove SOLD OUT
