Deko Entertainment marks the 50th anniversary of Angel’s sophomore album ‘Helluva Band’ with a newly remastered reissue on 180g vinyl and CD. Originally released in 1976 on Casablanca Records, the record captured the band’s theatrical blend of glam rock, hard rock, and progressive ambition. The lineup of Frank DiMino, Punky Meadows, Gregg Giuffria, Mickie Jones, and Barry Brandt delivered a swift and confident follow-up to their 1975 debut.
The anniversary edition arrives in a six-panel CD digipak and two limited vinyl variants, 400 Splatter and 600 Red Swirl, complete with liner notes by journalist Dave Reynolds. Select bundles include copies signed by surviving original members DiMino, Meadows, Giuffria, and Brandt. The album features “Feelin’ Right,” “The Fortune,” “Mirrors,” and fan favorites including “Angel Theme.”
Angel begin their Farewell Tour in March, extending through 2027, with select dates alongside Starz.
ANGEL March 27 – The Wildey Theatre – Edwardsville, IL
ANGEL w/STARZ April 17 – Sellersville Theater – Sellersville, PA April 18 – Debonair Music Hall – Teaneck, NJ April 19 – Bijou Theatre – Bridgeport, CT May 2 – Tupelo Music Hall – Derry, NH May 3 – The Vault Performing Arts Center – New Bedford, MA May 28 – The Token Lounge – Lakewood, OH May 29 – The Winchester Music Tavern – Lakewood, OH May 30 – The King of Clubs – Columbus, OH May 31 – Jergels – Warrendale, PA
ANGEL August 7 – Whisky A Go-Go – Hollywood, CA August 8 – The Bootlegger – Las Vegas, NV
ANGEL w/STARZ October 24 – Alamo City Rocktober Fest – San Antonio, TX October 28 – Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI October 30 – Arcada Theater – St. Charles, IL
Lowell’s beloved multi-venue celebration The Town and The City Festival returns April 30 through May 2 with 19 shows spanning music, comedy, and spoken word across downtown. More than 50 musical acts join a reading by Chris Wrenn from his book ‘Fenway Punk’. Inspired by the legacy of Jack Kerouac, the festival transforms the city into a walkable stage where audiences move from room to room discovering local standouts and national names.
Opening night kicks off April 30 at Taffeta Music Hall with Boston alt-emo band Future Teens, joined by Lowell rockers Western Education and Toluca Lake. Friday brings John Doe and David Lowery to Merrimack Repertory Theatre with Kris Delmhorst, while venues including The Old Court, Thirsty First, The Worthen, Tescobar, Warp & Weft, and The Lass Stop host an expansive lineup from GA-20 and The Felice Brothers to The Wolff Sisters and Ava Sophia.
Saturday begins with free afternoon performances at Brew’d Awakening and the Bicentennial Stage before evening sets from Tanya Donelly and Chris Brokaw, Steve Wynn, Nigel Wearne, and more. Comedy at Cobblestones features Tony V and Kristen O’Brien, while Jon Langford and Cristina Vane close out the night at Warp & Weft. Tickets are on sale now for the seventh edition of this citywide spring tradition.
Grammy-winning Australian psych pop force Tame Impala expand their 2026 “Deadbeat Tour” with second shows in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney after presales sold out within hours. The new dates hit Brisbane Entertainment Centre on October 11, Rod Laver Arena on October 15, and Qudos Bank Arena on October 20. All seven Australian dates go on sale Friday, February 27 at 11 am local time, with Ninajirachi joining as support nationwide.
The tour arrives on the back of ‘Deadbeat’, released in late 2025 and led by “Loser,” “End of Summer,” and “Dracula.” The latter delivered Kevin Parker’s biggest US radio debut and landed at No. 3 in triple j’s Hottest 100. Parker also secured a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “End of Summer,” following his 2025 win for “Neverender” with Justice. A new “Dracula” remix featuring Jennie is out now.
Created between Fremantle and Parker’s Wave House studio in Injidup, Western Australia, ‘Deadbeat’ captures a sharpened minimalism and playful vocal edge. Joining the run is rising electronic artist Ninajirachi, whose debut album ‘I Love My Computer’ swept the Australian Music Prize, two J Awards, and three ARIA Awards.
Tame Impala 2026 Australian Deadbeat Tour Dates: Oct 10 – Brisbane @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre Oct 11 – Brisbane @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre Oct 14 – Melbourne @ Rod Laver Arena Oct 15 – Melbourne @ Rod Laver Arena Oct 19 – Sydney @ Qudos Bank Arena Oct 20 – Sydney @ Qudos Bank Arena Oct 24 – Perth @ RAC Arena
New York hardcore punk institution The Casualties return with ‘Detonate’, their first new album in eight years, out March 27 digitally via Hellcat Records, with vinyl and CD arriving July 17. David Rodriguez, Marc “Meggers” Eggers, Jake Kolatis, and Doug Wellmon lock in with renewed force, reigniting the band’s battle-ready spirit and reaffirming their place as one of punk’s most unrelenting voices.
The band unveil the blistering title track alongside a new lyric video. “It stems from being overloaded,” says Meggers. “You feel like your head is about to explode, which I think is what everybody is feeling these days.” Kolatis adds, “Detonate is saying we’re tired of all this division. With this record, we have a chance to say something and promote some type of unity.” The result is sharp, direct, and built for the pit.
As their second album with Rodriguez on vocals and their first for Hellcat Records, ‘Detonate’ marks a defining chapter. Rodriguez calls it “the proud moment where we clicked the three Legos together.” The 14-track set charges through “People Over Power,” “Empire Falls,” “Ashes Of War,” and “Wake Up, Kill, Repeat,” carrying forward a legacy that began in 1990. The Casualties hit European festivals this summer in the UK, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Czechia, Poland, Romania, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Slovenia.
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South Australia four-piece Swapmeet announce their signing to Winspear and release the buoyant new single “I Know!” ahead of their US debut at SXSW this March. The band, Venus O’Broin, Joshua Doherty, Maxwell Elphick, and Jack Medlyn, sharpen their sound on a track that moves with restless energy and melodic bite, setting the tone for a major international step forward.
Revved up with gleaming, fuzzy guitars and punchy percussion, “I Know!” blurs jangle pop, shoegaze, and alt-rock with effortless momentum. What began as an in-between practice jam became one of their most immediate recordings. O’Broin explains, “‘I Know!’ was written accidentally – a song arising from an in-between practice jam. Unlike the other songs on the album, this song kind of wrote itself. The lyrics alike arose pretty spontaneously too, without much over-analysing or fluff. I Know! I Know! I Know! You know?” The result lands bright, cathartic, and fully alive.
SXSW Shows: March 13th, Valhalla, 8:45pm – 9:15pm March 16th, Hotel Vegas, 9:40pm – 10:20pm March 17th, Mohawk, TBC Time
Multi-platinum alternative pop visionary Melanie Martinez steps into her next era with today’s release of “Disney Princess,” a sardonic and commanding new track from her forthcoming album ‘HADES’, out March 27. The single slices into the commodification of women in the entertainment industry, reframing the idea of “selling your soul” as something far more systemic and corrosive.
“I love writing about the entertainment industry and how it affects women,” Martinez shares. “It’s a perfect microcosm of the world around us, how numb and disconnected you can become if you allow others to commodify you.” The track moves with sharp edges and theatrical bite, expanding the dystopian cinematic universe she continues to build with exacting detail.
With more than 30 billion global streams, 5.54 billion official YouTube views, and over 62 million followers across platforms, Martinez has shaped alternative pop into a fully immersive ecosystem. From her 2x-Platinum debut ‘CRY BABY’ to the Platinum-certified ‘K-12’ and ‘PORTALS’, all of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Alternative chart, her catalog carries cultural weight and sustained chart presence. ‘HADES’ arrives March 27 as the next chapter in a career defined by scale, spectacle, and total creative control.
From Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, population 400, to the Curve Theatre in Leicester, UK, Inside American Pie makes its international premiere tonight. The docu-concert sensation from Harmony House begins performances February 26, officially opening March 3 and running through March 14 in Curve’s 350-seat studio. The journey started when Mirvish Productions executive producer Brian Sewell caught the show in a converted church on PEI and returned to Toronto determined to bring it to a bigger stage.
Created and performed by Island singer-musicians, Inside American Pie dissects Don McLean’s classic song riddle by riddle, mapping the cultural and political shifts of late 1950s and 1960s America. Along the way, the cast performs music from Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Janis Joplin and more. The Toronto premiere at the 700-seat CAA Theatre drew more than 15,000 attendees in three weeks, sparking international interest.
Chris Stafford, chief executive of Curve, attended the Toronto run and invited the company to Leicester for a three-week UK premiere. Now, after flying from Halifax to Heathrow and traveling onward with instruments in tow, the Harmony House team takes its small-town Canadian production to a major UK stage. Inside American Pie returns to Toronto for an encore engagement at the CAA Theatre from April 14 to May 3, 2026.
INSIDE AMERICAN PIE CAA Theatre April 14 – May 3, 2026
Tickets are available at mirvish.com or by calling 1.800.461.3333
Some songs hit like a memory. Others feel like a late-night text that turns into a two-hour call. These are the tracks that remind you who’s been there through heartbreak, chaos, bad decisions, and the best nights of your life. Different genres, different eras, same instinct: reach for your phone.
“Lean on Me” – Bill Withers A masterclass in simplicity. Just piano, voice, and a message that has outlived every trend since 1972. This is friendship reduced to its most essential promise: I’ve got you.
“Wannabe” – Spice Girls Strip away the pop chaos and you’ll find a manifesto. Before romance, before drama, before anything else, friendship comes first. It’s loud, messy loyalty – and that’s the point.
“Count on Me” – Bruno Mars Built like a campfire song but polished for the streaming era. There’s a childlike sincerity here that makes you want to text your ride-or-die immediately.
“I’ll Be There for You” – The Rembrandts Yes, the Friends theme. But beyond the sitcom glow, it’s a tight, jangly 90s pop-rock anthem about chosen family in your 20s when nothing makes sense.
“See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth What started as a film tribute became a global elegy. It captures that ache of missing someone who shaped your story – and the need to say it out loud.
“Stand by Me” – Ben E. King An immortal bassline and one of the most durable choruses in popular music. This is friendship in the face of literal darkness. Sixty-plus years later, it still works.
“Umbrella” – Rihanna ft. Jay-Z Pop, R&B, hip-hop fusion at its sleekest. Beneath the swagger is a simple pledge: when it rains, we stand together. The hook practically demands a group chat response.
“You’ve Got a Friend” – Carole King Laurel Canyon warmth, handwritten vulnerability. King turns reassurance into something sacred – like a late-night kitchen-table conversation set to melody.
“Graduation (Friends Forever)” – Vitamin C Pure Y2K nostalgia. It plays at proms and farewell assemblies for a reason – it understands that endings don’t erase bonds.
“No New Friends” – DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne Braggadocious on the surface, but underneath it’s about loyalty. In a world of shifting alliances, it’s a reminder to protect the ones who were there early.
“Best Friend” – Saweetie ft. Doja Cat Glossy, confident, and unbothered. It reframes friendship as hype, celebration, and mutual elevation – a soundtrack for your loudest nights out.
“With a Little Help from My Friends” – The Beatles Written by Lennon and McCartney, sung by Ringo, owned by everyone. It’s communal by design – almost impossible to sing alone.
“True Colors” – Cyndi Lauper An 80s ballad that feels like emotional armor. Lauper’s voice wraps around you and says what good friends do: I see you. Fully.
“We’re Going to Be Friends” – The White Stripes Minimalist, almost childlike. It captures the innocence of first friendships – before ego, before complications.
“Best Friend” – Queen Freddie Mercury channeling warmth instead of bombast. Under the glossy 70s production is a deeply personal tribute to chosen companionship.
“Thank You for Being a Friend” – Andrew Gold Before it was the Golden Girls theme, it was a songwriter’s thank-you note. Earnest, un-ironic, and enduring.
“Bros” – Wolf Alice Indie rock that feels like running through suburban streets at dusk. It bottles that specific intensity of teenage best-friend energy.
“Good as Hell” – Lizzo Not explicitly about friendship, but functionally one. This is the song your best friend sends when you’re spiraling – and suddenly you’re not.
Across soul, pop, rock, hip-hop, and indie, one thing stays constant: music understands friendship. It knows the late-night confessions, the borrowed clothes, the shared playlists, the inside jokes no one else gets.
Oliver “Power” Grant, the executive producer and business architect behind the Wu-Tang Clan’s rise, has died at 52. His passing was confirmed by the group on social media with the message, “Rest in Power, Power.” No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
Grant played a foundational role in building the Wu-Tang empire from Staten Island to global dominance. He helped finance the group’s early recordings, served as executive producer on their landmark debut ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’, and co-founded Wu-Tang Productions. Beyond music, he launched Wu Wear, turning the group’s iconic logo into a multimillion-dollar clothing brand that expanded hip-hop’s cultural footprint.
Members of the collective shared tributes across social media. Method Man wrote, “Paradise my Brother safe Travels!! Bruh I am not ok.” GZA posted, “We couldn’t have done it without him. Wu wouldn’t have come to fruition without Power.” Grant’s legacy lives on in the sound, business model, and global influence of one of hip-hop’s most important collectives.
