Home Blog Page 2

Charles Wesley Godwin and Luke Combs Join Forces on New Single “Better That Way”

Eric Alper
-
0
Charles Wesley Godwin and Luke Combs Join Forces on New Single “Better That Way”

Charles Wesley Godwin made one of the bigger announcements to come out of Stagecoach this weekend. During a packed set at the Palomino Stage, Godwin revealed that his new single “Better That Way” features country superstar Luke Combs, with the track arriving May 15 via Big Loud Records. A new album tease from the stage added even more fuel to an already charged moment. Pre-save it here.

The Stagecoach set delivered beyond the announcement. Wyatt Flores joined Godwin for the new song “Hey There, Son,” and Willow Avalon appeared on fan favorite “Temporary Town,” giving the crowd a full-tent experience that underscored exactly why Godwin’s live reputation keeps growing.

Godwin has kept a relentless pace since his acclaimed Big Loud debut ‘Family Ties.’ The ‘Lonely Mountain Town’ EP brought collaborations with ERNEST and Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers, and last September’s ‘Live From The Steel City’ documented a sold-out night at Stage AE in Pittsburgh in front of 5,550 fans across 23 songs. That live album captures Godwin and his band the Allegheny High at full power, and it’s a serious document.

The road has matched the recordings. Godwin and the High toured Europe and the UK, opened for The Avett Brothers on the West Coast, joined Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan on select Outlaw Music Festival dates, sold out their headline debut at Red Rocks, and closed out 2025 opening for Eric Church on his “Free The Machine” arena tour.

Godwin makes his CMA Fest debut in June and plays the Under the Big Sky festival in July, with new tour dates still to come. Pre-save “Better That Way” now and watch for what’s next from one of country music’s most compelling voices working today.

Video: Ayra Starr’s Les Ardentes Set Proves This Afropop Powerhouse Belongs on Every Major Stage

Eric Alper
-
0
Video: Ayra Starr’s Les Ardentes Set Proves This Afropop Powerhouse Belongs on Every Major Stage

Ayra Starr’s 2024 performance at Les Ardentes festival in Liège, Belgium is exactly the kind of set that expands a fanbase. The Nigerian Afropop sensation moves through her catalog with vocal precision and magnetic stage presence, blending Afrobeats, R&B, and pop into a showcase that’s as confident as it is captivating.

The Moss Drop ‘Big Blue Moon’ and Hit the Road on a Spring Headline Tour

Eric Alper
-
0
The Moss Drop ‘Big Blue Moon’ and Hit the Road on a Spring Headline Tour

The Moss have a new album out and a full tour underway. ‘Big Blue Moon’ is a nine-song collection built around freedom, self-confidence, and living entirely on your own terms. It’s the band’s first complete project in years, and it sounds like a group that’s been doing the work.

Frontman Tyke James has been busy. Between living out of a van in Santa Cruz, surfing in France, working a horse ranch in Montana, and paragliding in Utah, he’s been writing and growing, and it shows. “I feel like a totally different person from the last time we released an album,” he says. “We love how it came together and are proud to have found a more current version of our music in the studio this past year.”

The Moss carry a sound that pulls from ’60s surf-rock, The Beatles, reggae rhythms, and a hard-edged ’90s aesthetic with echoes of The Replacements, U2, and Vampire Weekend. It’s a wide net, and they cast it confidently. ‘Big Blue Moon’ lands with the kind of assured, sun-drenched energy that rewards repeated listens and travels well live.

The band has surpassed 75 million streams, earned Alt Press’s “Rising Artist To Watch” recognition, and logged festival appearances at BottleRock, Levitate, Ohana, and Paradiso alongside Briston Maroney. Their spring 2026 headline tour includes a spot at Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City alongside Lorde, The xx, and Modest Mouse, a lineup that speaks to exactly the kind of company The Moss belongs in.

“There’s something special that happens when you get an immediate reaction to a song,” James says. “Whether it’s during a live show or even just a songwriting session, if there’s a reaction from people in the room, you know you’re on the right track.” With ‘Big Blue Moon’ out now and the road ahead, The Moss are very much on it.

2026 Tour Dates:

April 29, Ann Arbor, MI, Blind Pig

April 30, Columbus, OH, Skully’s

May 1, Indianapolis, IN, Hi-Fi

May 2, Chicago, IL, Thalia Hall

May 6, Minneapolis, MN, Fine Line

May 7, Madison, WI, Majestic Theater

May 8, St. Louis, MO, Off Broadway

May 9, Kansas City, MO, Madrid Theater

May 11, Omaha, NE, Slowdown

May 13, Fort Collins, CO, Aggie Theater

May 14, Englewood, CO, Gothic Theater

May 16, Salt Lake City, UT, Kilby Block Party

Metallica’s ‘ReLoad’ Gets the Definitive Treatment With a Massive Remastered Deluxe Box Set

Eric Alper
-
0
Metallica’s ‘ReLoad’ Gets the Definitive Treatment With a Massive Remastered Deluxe Box Set

Metallica is giving ‘ReLoad’ the full treatment. The band’s quadruple platinum seventh studio album arrives June 26 in a Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set via Blackened Recordings, remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering with Greg Fidelman overseeing. Pre-orders are live now, and they’re loaded with instant grat material including remastered, instrumental, and live versions of “The Memory Remains.” Listen here.

Originally released November 18, 1997, ‘ReLoad’ was the third consecutive Metallica album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, spending nearly 80 weeks on the chart and hitting number one in six countries. The 1995-1997 sessions at The Plant in Sausalito, California, found James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Jason Newsted pushing into expanded creative territory, from the hurdy-gurdy and violin on “Low Man’s Lyric” to Marianne Faithfull’s haunting guest vocal on “The Memory Remains.”

The Deluxe Box Set is a thoroughly curated document of the 1997-1998 era. It includes the remastered album on 180g double vinyl, a “The Memory Remains” 7″, and ‘Live at Ministry of Sound ’97’ on 140g triple vinyl. The 15 CDs span the remastered album, never-before-released riff collections, demos, rough mixes, B-sides, rarities, and a deep catalog of live material.

Four DVDs round out the audio content with behind-the-scenes and in-studio footage, live performances, on-air and television appearances, the band’s pop-up at the CoreStates Complex Parking Lot in Philadelphia, and visits to Seoul. Memorabilia includes 13 Rorschach Test cards, an 11×17 Gimme Fuel poster, a Pushead print, guitar and bass picks, lyric sheets, three laminated tour passes, and a 128-page deluxe book with never-before-seen photos and stories from the people who were there. This is a one-time numbered pressing.

The reissue also launches the #GetTheReLoadOut fan cover competition, the follow-up to last year’s wildly popular #GetTheLoadOut. This round adds a second category, welcoming performance and visual artists alongside musical cover submissions. A different ‘ReLoad’ track gets highlighted each week throughout the competition, with two Grand Prize Winners each taking home a Metallica-autographed Deluxe Box Set.

“The Memory Remains (Live in Philadelphia)” video is out now. ‘ReLoad’ (Remastered) arrives June 26. Pre-order at metallica.lnk.to/reloadreissue.

Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney Are Taking “The Flannel and the Fury” Tour Across America This Fall

Eric Alper
-
0
Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney Are Taking “The Flannel and the Fury” Tour Across America This Fall

Two of the most influential voices to come out of the 1990s indie rock underground are hitting the road together this September. Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney have announced “The Flannel and the Fury,” a co-headline U.S. tour running September 6 through 21, with tickets on sale to the general public May 1.

This pairing carries real weight. Both artists built their reputations in the early Riot Grrrl scene, and both carved out catalogs that have only grown in stature over the decades. Sharing a stage for the first time, they bring together two distinct but complementary legacies, and the result is one of the more genuinely exciting tour announcements of the year.

Phair put it directly: “The Flannel and The Fury is a nod to 1990s alt-rock culture and the female-fronted bands who staked their claim to center stage in a male-dominated music industry. Sleater-Kinney and I both cut our teeth in the early Riot Grrrl scene. It’s been a dream of mine ever since to bring our music and our fans together for one night of reckless hope and musical splendor.”

Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker were equally direct in their enthusiasm: “For those of us who listened to ‘Exile in Guyville’ on repeat in 1993, Liz Phair has always been a leader and a truth-sayer for the female experience. She’s a legend and a stone cold classic; what a thrill to share the stage with one of our biggest inspirations.”

The 10-date co-headline run touches both coasts and major markets in between, from California’s Greek Theatre to Chicago’s Salt Shed Outdoors to MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. Liz Phair also plays four additional solo dates in St. Paul, Portland (Maine), Albany, and at the Oceans Calling Festival in Maryland. Tickets go on sale May 1 at lizphairmusic.com and sleater-kinney.com.

“The Flannel and the Fury” 2026 Tour Dates:

September 6, El Cajon, CA, The Magnolia

September 8, Los Angeles, CA, The Greek Theatre

September 9, Berkeley, CA, The Greek Theatre

September 11, Troutdale, OR, Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn

September 12, Bonner, MT, KettleHouse Amphitheater

September 14, Denver, CO, Fillmore Auditorium

September 16, St. Paul, MN, Palace Theatre (Liz Phair only)

September 17, Chicago, IL, The Salt Shed Outdoors

September 19, Brooklyn, NY, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!

September 20, Philadelphia, PA, Franklin Music Hall

September 21, Boston, MA, MGM Music Hall at Fenway

September 23, Portland, ME, State Theater (Liz Phair only)

September 24, Albany, NY, Hart Theatre at The Egg (Liz Phair only)

September 25, Ocean City, MD, Oceans Calling Festival (Liz Phair only)

Ariana Grande Announces ‘Petal,’ Her Eighth Studio Album, Arriving This Summer

Eric Alper
-
0
Ariana Grande Announces ‘Petal,’ Her Eighth Studio Album, Arriving This Summer

Ariana Grande just announced her eighth studio album, and the music world is paying attention. ‘Petal,’ co-written and executive produced by Grande alongside longtime collaborator Ilya, arrives July 31 via Republic Records. The 12-track project follows 2024’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ and marks another chapter in one of pop’s most consistent and compelling catalogs.

Ilya, the Swedish-Persian producer who co-produced much of ‘Eternal Sunshine’ and has clocked hits with Taylor Swift and Sam Smith, returns as Grande’s primary creative partner here. That’s a proven combination, and ‘Eternal Sunshine’ more than demonstrated what these two are capable of together, topping the Billboard 200 and producing two Hot 100 number ones in “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”

Grande described ‘Petal’ as “something that is full of life and growing through the cracks of something cold and hard and challenging.” The album cover, a close-up black-and-white photo of Grande smiling with her hair down, carries that same quiet confidence. It’s a deliberate image from an artist who knows exactly what she’s communicating.

The announcement lands ahead of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, her first since the Sweetener World Tour in 2019, kicking off June 6 and running through September 1, closing with 10 nights in London. Grande has called the run her “one last hurrah” for the foreseeable future, making both the tour and ‘Petal’ feel genuinely significant. This is an artist giving everything she has right now.

‘Petal’ drops July 31. Mark the date.

Daddy Yankee and Shenseea Unite on “Echo,” the Latest Track From the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album

Eric Alper
-
0
Daddy Yankee and Shenseea Unite on “Echo,” the Latest Track From the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album

The Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album keeps building momentum, and its third single is one of the most compelling drops yet. “Echo” pairs reggaeton legend Daddy Yankee with Jamaican powerhouse Shenseea in a high-energy collaboration executive produced by multi-GRAMMY Award-winner Tainy, out now on all major streaming platforms via SALXCO UAM and Def Jam Recordings. Listen here.

The track samples Ibrahim Maalouf’s “Red & Black Light,” with additional production from Maalouf, Massari, Adium, Jota Rosa, and Albert Hype. That’s a deep production bench, and the result reflects it. “Echo” fuses dancehall and reggaeton through a shared rhythmic foundation that feels immediate, globally resonant, and built for the kind of moment the World Cup delivers.

Shenseea’s genre-blending energy and Daddy Yankee’s decades-long impact on reggaeton make for a pairing that goes beyond novelty. The cultural connection between Caribbean and Latin music scenes runs deep, and “Echo” draws on that history while pushing it forward into something fresh and kinetic.

“What a blessing to be able to unify the world through music and fútbol,” said Daddy Yankee. “It’s an opportunity to bring people together beyond any language or border.” Shenseea echoed the sentiment: “Music and fútbol both speak a universal language. And to be part of something that brings the world together like this is special.”

“Echo” follows “Lighter” and “Por Ella” as the third chapter in a multi-single rollout soundtracking the biggest sporting event on the planet. With Tainy at the executive producer helm for the second consecutive track, the album’s sonic identity is sharpening with every release. More is coming before the tournament kicks off, and the bar keeps rising.

CIMA and the National Arts Centre Are Handing Out 50 Free Memberships to Canadian Music’s Next Generation

Eric Alper
-
0
CIMA and the National Arts Centre Are Handing Out 50 Free Memberships to Canadian Music’s Next Generation

Two of Canada’s most important music and arts institutions are joining forces, and the result is a direct investment in the people building this country’s musical future. The Canadian Independent Music Association and the National Arts Centre have announced a partnership that puts 50 fully funded CIMA memberships into the hands of emerging artists and developing music businesses across Canada.

The NAC is covering the cost, removing the financial barrier that keeps too many talented people on the outside of the industry networks they need. Each successful applicant receives a complimentary one-year CIMA membership built specifically for artist entrepreneurs and independent music businesses at the earlier stages of their careers.

What that membership delivers is substantial. Recipients get access to professional development and industry-focused training, networking events and export opportunities, industry discounts, curated resources, and entry into CIMA’s Make It Better mental health benefit program. That last piece matters. The music industry is demanding, and having structured mental health support built into a membership benefit is a meaningful addition.

The NAC’s mandate as Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts has always included nurturing the next generation of artists. This partnership extends that commitment into the music business ecosystem, reaching artist entrepreneurs who need connections, knowledge, and community to grow both domestically and internationally.

Applications are open now. If you’re an emerging artist or an independent music business looking to plug into one of the country’s strongest industry networks, this is the opportunity to do it. Head to CIMA’s website and apply today.

Prime Video’s New Drama ‘Sterling Point’ Has a Premiere Date and It Looks Like a Summer Must-Watch

Eric Alper
-
0
Prime Video’s New Drama ‘Sterling Point’ Has a Premiere Date and It Looks Like a Summer Must-Watch

Prime Video just locked in the premiere date for ‘Sterling Point,’ and the new coming-of-age drama from writer-director Megan Park already looks like one of the more compelling series of the summer. All eight episodes drop globally on August 5, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.

Park, who wrote and directed the widely praised ‘My Old Ass,’ brings that same emotional intelligence to ‘Sterling Point.’ The series centers on 17-year-old Annie Jacobson, played by Ella Rubin, a New York City teenager raised alongside her twin brother (Keen Ruffalo) by their loving adoptive father (Jay Duplass). When Annie inherits her mysterious grandfather’s island in Canada, everything shifts. New friendships, a budding romance, and some deep family secrets come with the territory.

The cast assembled here is genuinely impressive. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Missi Pyle, and a strong ensemble that includes Amélie Elisabeth Hoeferle, Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Bo Bragason, Nikko Angelo Hinayo, Mabel Strachan, and Elle-Maija Talifeathers round out a series that carries real production weight behind it.

‘Sterling Point’ is produced by Amazon MGM Studios alongside Fake Empire and LuckyChap, with Park serving as director, co-showrunner, and executive producer. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage produce under their Fake Empire banner, with Dani Gorin and Tom Ackerley producing under LuckyChap. That’s a creative team with serious pedigree, and it shows in everything released so far.

The series has the warmth, the stakes, and the visual texture of something that’ll connect hard with audiences looking for smart, character-driven storytelling. ‘Sterling Point’ premieres August 5 on Prime Video.

Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa and Harry Fraud Drop ‘Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2’ and It Hits Different

Eric Alper
-
0
Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa and Harry Fraud Drop ‘Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2’ and It Hits Different

‘Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2’ is out now, and Spitta, Wiz, and Harry Fraud are running their lane like nobody else is in it. The follow-up to their celebrated first disc arrives on all DSPs, picking up exactly where the trio left off, cinematic production, effortless delivery, and the kind of chemistry that only deepens with time. Listen here.

Harry Fraud handles every track on the project, and his signature sound is all over it. The production is lush, unhurried, and precise, built for late-night drives and top-down cruises with no particular destination. Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa glide over it like they’ve been doing this together their whole careers, because in many ways, they have.

Eight tracks. No features. No filler. Just Spitta and Wiz in peak form, trading bars and inhabiting the world they’ve spent years building together. Exotic, elevated, and completely self-contained, ‘Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2’ is the kind of project that rewards full listens and repeat plays equally.

The trio has built one of the most quietly consistent catalogs in premium rap, and this release adds another strong chapter to that body of work. It’s focused, confident, and completely on brand in the best possible way.

Stream ‘Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2’ now at orcd.co/rooflessrecords.

‘Roofless Records For Drop Tops: Disc 2’ Tracklisting:

Pink Panther

The Coin Toss

Champagne Bottle Emotes

Smoke N’ Pray

Long As You Live

Storm Shadow & Snake Eyes

Z28

Palm Island

All songs produced by Harry Fraud

123...3,619Page 2 of 3,619

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

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

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper