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Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell Bring Their Electric Chemistry to Broadway This Fall in “Much Ado About Nothing”

Eric Alper
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Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell Bring Their Electric Chemistry to Broadway This Fall in “Much Ado About Nothing”

Jamie Lloyd’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing” is coming to Broadway this fall, and it’s arriving with one of the most compelling stage pairings in recent memory. Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell return as Benedick and Beatrice for a strictly limited 10-week engagement at a Shubert Organization-owned theatre to be announced.

The production already proved itself at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where it earned 4 Standard Theatre Award nominations including Best Director for Lloyd, Best Actor for Hiddleston, and Best Actress for Atwell. The chemistry between the two leads was the talk of the West End run, and Lloyd isn’t understating it.

“The chemistry between the two of them was palpable from the first rehearsal and I could sense it was a magical pairing for the ages,” Lloyd says. “It’s an honor to bring their joyous performances in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy to Broadway this fall.”

Hiddleston and Lloyd have history. Their collaboration on Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” transferred from London to Broadway in 2019, earning 4 Tony nominations including Hiddleston’s first Best Actor in a Play nod. This reunion carries that same creative trust.

Hiddleston is direct about what the role means to him. “For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to play Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Working with Jamie Lloyd and Hayley Atwell on Shakespeare’s most warm-hearted play has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my performing life.”

For Atwell, the stakes are personal in a different way. After 20 years on London’s West End stages, this production marks her Broadway debut. Lloyd’s reimagining, staged as a modern dance party with bold, vibrant pink design elements, gives Shakespeare’s classic an immediacy that has clearly resonated with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Echosmith’s Sydney Quiseng Steps Into Her Own Era With the Deeply Personal ‘That’s My Baby!’ EP

Eric Alper
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Echosmith’s Sydney Quiseng Steps Into Her Own Era With the Deeply Personal ‘That’s My Baby!’ EP

Sydney Quiseng has always written from an honest place. ‘That’s My Baby!’, her new 6-track EP, takes that honesty further than ever, chronicling marriage, pregnancy, personal growth, and the complicated emotions that come with building a new life while building a solo career simultaneously.

The EP arrives mere weeks before her due date, a deliberate and meaningful piece of timing. It follows her debut EP ‘Phases’, which was released the day she found out she was pregnant, making ‘That’s My Baby!’ a genuine full-circle moment. “I’ve always dreamt of becoming a mom while also pursuing my dream in music,” Quiseng says, “so putting ‘That’s My Baby!’ out right before my baby comes into the world feels really special.”

The new single “Bad Habit” is a guitar-driven, toe-tapping track about knowing you need to change and doing nothing about it anyway. Quiseng is specific about where it came from. “I wrote ‘Bad Habit’ after going to a party and having a lot of conversational regret. I have always been a chronic people pleaser and sometimes I shapeshift a little too much when I’m meeting someone new.” That kind of unguarded specificity is exactly what makes her writing connect.

The EP also features “Coffee Shop in Kyoto,” fan favorites “When a Good Thing Ends” and “That’s My Baby (On Main Street),” plus new tracks “Bloom” and “Mhm (I Like That).” Together they map the full emotional range of a major life chapter with real candor.

Quiseng rose to global recognition as the frontwoman of Echosmith, whose “Cool Kids” went quadruple-platinum and found a second life through a viral TikTok resurgence. Since then she’s secured a global publishing deal with BMG and landed placements on Spotify’s All New Country, Apple Music’s New in Country and New in Americana, and TIDAL’s Country Rising. Nashville has taken notice.

Lonesome River Band Find the Ache of Home on New Single “There Where the River Rolls Around”

Eric Alper
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Lonesome River Band Find the Ache of Home on New Single “There Where the River Rolls Around”

Lonesome River Band have a gift for finding the emotional center of a song and building an arrangement around it with quiet precision. Their second Mountain Home Music Company release of 2026, “There Where the River Rolls Around,” is a prime example, a track that balances old-time structure with modern arrangement touches and lands with real resonance.

The song comes from longtime collaborator Billy Smith, who previously delivered LRB staples “Hobo Blues,” “Tears In My Tracks,” and “Crazy Heart.” Banjo player and group leader Sammy Shelor describes how it came together. “As we listened to the song one late night going down the road in the bus, the arrangement just fell into place and we began working on it. A haunting song about leaving home searching for more and longing to be back.”

That arrangement is worth paying attention to. Damped rhythmic guitar chords provide a contemporary underpinning beneath a melody that traces the outline of a classic old-time fiddle tune. After each chorus, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar carry the full melody forward in a simple, sonically rich statement that rewards close listening.

Lead singer and mandolinist Adam Miller delivers the lyrics with a laconic, wistful quality that suits the song’s themes of longing and displacement perfectly. It’s a track about chasing dreams and paying the cost, told without melodrama and all the more affecting for it.

Rodrigo y Gabriela Mark 20 Years of Their Debut With a Deluxe Vinyl Release and a North American and European Tour

Eric Alper
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Rodrigo y Gabriela Mark 20 Years of Their Debut With a Deluxe Vinyl Release and a North American and European Tour

Twenty years on, Rodrigo y Gabriela’s self-titled debut still stands as one of the most striking acoustic guitar albums of its era. The GRAMMY Award-winning duo are marking the milestone with ‘Rodrigo y Gabriela + Re-Foc (20th Anniversary Edition)’, a limited edition 2xLP out now via ATO Records that pairs a new vinyl master of the original album with something fans have never had before.

‘Re-Foc’, the duo’s previously unreleased 2002 debut recording, appears on vinyl for the first time and makes its long-awaited digital debut simultaneously. It’s a genuine discovery, an early chapter that Rodrigo y Gabriela describe as essential to everything that followed.

“For most people, including ourselves, the Croc album is our debut album because it was the first one released worldwide,” they say, “but Re-Foc was a really important piece of the puzzle. Without Re-Foc, we wouldn’t have been able to write the songs on the Croc album.” That context makes the release genuinely significant.

The collection arrives in 2 vinyl editions. An exclusive limited run of 700 units pressed on gold emerald and gold black ice colored vinyl, and a retail version on jade and citrus-colored eco-wax vinyl. Both include a bonus poster.

Re-Foc standout “30 de Marzo” is available now alongside a live session performance video. It’s an immediate reminder of how fully formed this duo’s chemistry has always been.

The anniversary tour is already underway, with North American dates followed by European shows through late May. Several Irish dates are already sold out.

2026 Anniversary Tour Dates:

May 23 – Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

May 25 – The National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland

May 26 – Dolans Warehouse, Limerick, Ireland (Sold Out)

May 27 – Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Ireland (Sold Out)

BACK-ON Reclaim the Anime World They Helped Build With New EP ‘ANIMANIA’

Eric Alper
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BACK-ON Reclaim the Anime World They Helped Build With New EP ‘ANIMANIA’

BACK-ON have been part of anime music’s global rise for over two decades. With ‘ANIMANIA’, the Japanese rap-rock duo aren’t revisiting that world as guests, they’re walking back in as architects. The 4-track cover EP is out now, and it’s a confident, energetic celebration of a musical identity they helped build.

The lead single “Guess Who Is Back” sets the tone immediately. Originally performed by J-pop superstar Kumi Koda for the anime Black Clover, the track was composed by BACK-ON themselves, with lyrics co-written alongside Koda. It’s racked up over 42 million Spotify streams since its original release, and BACK-ON’s reimagining brings it fully into their lane.

“Out of all the songs we’ve provided for other artists, this one really felt the most ‘us’,” says KENJI03. “When the idea for this EP came up, this was the first track we picked, no question.” TEEDA adds that the focus was on channeling BACK-ON’s signature style rather than leaning on shout vocals, letting the track breathe in a way that feels distinctly theirs.

The animated lyric video, produced by UK-based 12 Inch Media (known for work with Bring Me The Horizon, Ed Sheeran, and Oasis), matches the track’s intensity and anime spirit with real visual energy.

‘ANIMANIA’ also includes BACK-ON’s take on “PRIDE” from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, the One Piece theme “HANDS UP!” which BACK-ON originally wrote, and “GO!!!” by longtime peers FLOW, the track known worldwide as a defining opening theme for Naruto. The EP draws on songs connected to Fairy Tail, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Kamen Rider, franchises that have carried BACK-ON’s music to audiences across the globe.

The sold-out ANIMANIA live shows late last year proved the appetite is there. The EP delivers on every bit of that momentum.

Nashville Southern Rockers Parker Barrow Bring ‘Glass Eyes Cryin’ and a UK Tour This July

Eric Alper
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Nashville Southern Rockers Parker Barrow Bring ‘Glass Eyes Cryin’ and a UK Tour This July

Parker Barrow are heading back to the UK this July, and they’re arriving with new music in hand. The Nashville-based southern rockers have released ‘Glass Eyes Cryin’, the latest single from their ‘Hold The Mash’ EP, and it’s a strong indicator of where the band is headed.

The track is groove-driven and layered, built around Megan Kane’s powerful lead vocals and threaded with gospel textures that give it real emotional range. It’s a sass-filled response to emotional manipulation, delivered with the kind of slow-burning confidence that makes it hit harder than a straight-ahead rocker would.

“Glass Eyes Cryin’ was the first song we wrote and recorded for Hold The Mash,” says drummer Dylan Turner. “We felt it was the perfect song to kickstart a musical shift to what the band has become since our previous record.” That shift is audible, and it works.

Parker Barrow is husband-and-wife duo Megan Kane and Dylan Turner, expanded in 2023 with the full-time addition of guitarist and musical director Alex Bender. His inventive riffs and fiery playing anchor the band’s signature blend of rock, southern rock, blues, and soul. Their debut album ‘Jukebox Gypsies’ earned global praise, and the single “Back To Birmingham” crossed a million YouTube views.

The ‘Hold The Mash’ EP followed in 2025, with “Make It” landing on Planet Rock’s main playlist. A UK support run with The Damn Truth that same year expanded their fanbase further. The momentum heading into this summer’s UK dates is real.

Six shows across July, including a festival slot at Steelhouse, make this a proper run worth catching.

2026 UK Tour Dates:

July 17 – Treehouse, Frome, England

July 18 – John Peel Centre, Stowmarket, England

July 21 – Audio, Glasgow, Scotland

July 22 – Greystones, Sheffield, England

July 23 – Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, England

July 24 – Steelhouse Festival, Ebbw Vale, Wales

HOKKA Unite Finland’s Rock Royalty on ‘Via Miseria IV’ and the Emotional Gut-Check “Heart Said No”

Eric Alper
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HOKKA Unite Finland’s Rock Royalty on ‘Via Miseria IV’ and the Emotional Gut-Check “Heart Said No”

Three names from Finland’s rock legacy, one band. HOKKA brings together former Blind Channel frontman Joel Hokka, The Rasmus founding member and guitarist-songwriter Pauli Rantasalmi, and drummer Jimi Aslak, and their debut album ‘Via Miseria IV’ is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

The album’s third single “Heart Said No” is the emotional centerpiece of the campaign so far. Built around a captivating piano melody, it’s a vulnerable, soaring anthem that showcases a side of HOKKA distinct from earlier singles “In The Darkness” and “Death By Cupid’s Arrow,” while staying fully within the band’s cinematic, high-intensity world.

Joel Hokka doesn’t hold back describing the track. “Big boys don’t cry, except when writing songs like this,” he says. “‘Heart Said No’ was the first song I ever wrote with tears in my eyes, and I wasn’t the only one in the band.” That kind of raw honesty is exactly what gives the song its weight.

‘Via Miseria IV’ explores struggle, resilience, and inner conflict across its full runtime, and the singles released so far confirm the album has both the sonic depth and thematic range to back that up. The cinematic video for “Heart Said No” matches the song’s emotional scale perfectly.

HOKKA also has a packed summer of Finnish festival dates ahead, plus an appearance at Rock The Lakes in Switzerland in August.

2026 Live Dates:

June 12-13 – Kesämössö, Lahti, Finland

June 27 – Tuska, Helsinki, Finland

July 3-5 – Ruisrock, Turku, Finland

July 4 – Tuhdimmat Tahdit, Tampere, Finland

July 17-19 – Ilosaarirock, Joensuu, Finland

July 23-25 – Kuopiorock, Kuopio, Finland

July 25 – QStock, Oulu, Finland

August 14-16 – Rock The Lakes, Cudrefin, Switzerland

Lost in Hollywood and Normandie’s Philip Strand Collide on the Gut-Punch Single “Love Is Dying”

Eric Alper
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Lost in Hollywood and Normandie’s Philip Strand Collide on the Gut-Punch Single “Love Is Dying”

“Love Is Dying” doesn’t ease you in. Lost in Hollywood find the exact moment a relationship starts fracturing and plant a camera there, letting the whole uncomfortable scene play out in real time. Crushing metalcore energy meets haunting melodic pull, and the combination lands hard.

The feature from Philip Strand of Normandie is the track’s secret weapon. His voice adds a fragile, almost delicate contrast to the band’s relentless aggression, turning the song into a tense push-and-pull between vulnerability and rage. It’s heavy and melodic in equal measure, and it sticks.

The single arrives with serious context behind it. Recent releases “The Fire,” “Pretty Skin,” “Like A River” featuring Of Virtue, and “The Art Of Being Torn Out” featuring Half Me each demonstrated a different dimension of the band’s range, moving confidently between atmosphere, heaviness, and emotional depth. The momentum has been building track by track.

“Love Is Dying” threads all of that together. It’s the emotional center of a campaign that’s been steadily expanding Lost in Hollywood’s place in the modern metalcore landscape, and the album it leads into, out now, is their most focused and ambitious work yet.

The Veer Union’s ‘Reinvention’ Arrives With Nearly 300,000 Monthly Listeners and Zero Compromises

Eric Alper
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The Veer Union’s ‘Reinvention’ Arrives With Nearly 300,000 Monthly Listeners and Zero Compromises

‘Reinvention’ is out now, and The Veer Union have delivered the album their catalog has been pointing toward. Heavy, melodic, and emotionally charged, it’s the sound of a band fully locked into what they do best and executing at the highest level of their career. Listen here.

The album’s focus track “Feel Again” is the emotional backbone of the record. Built around soaring hooks and crushing guitars, it’s a song about breaking through numbness and finding that spark after being worn down. The chorus sticks immediately, and it earns every second of its runtime.

The road to ‘Reinvention’ was deliberate. Singles “My Empire,” “Sea Of Fear,” “Caught In The Crossfire,” “Sunk Your Teeth In,” and “Meet Your Maker” rolled out steadily, each one pulling more listeners into the fold while staying unmistakably true to the band’s identity. The campaign built real momentum, and the album delivers on all of it.

The numbers back it up. Nearly 300,000 unique monthly listeners on Spotify, a figure that reflects both a loyal core audience and a steady stream of new fans discovering the band across the global heavy music scene.

Kalsey Kulyk Marks ‘Outlaw Poetry’ Anniversary With Vinyl, a New Strip, and Summer Shows

Eric Alper
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Kalsey Kulyk Marks ‘Outlaw Poetry’ Anniversary With Vinyl, a New Strip, and Summer Shows

Kalsey Kulyk is marking two years of ‘Outlaw Poetry’ the right way. The limited edition vinyl and CD release of her 2024 album is out now via Universal Music Canada, and it arrives alongside a brand-new “Love Me Like An Outlaw (Stripped Version)” that gives her biggest single yet another moment to breathe. Listen here.

“Love Me Like An Outlaw” already has over 2 million Spotify streams, 200,000 YouTube views, and climbed to #18 on the Canadian country charts. V13 Media called it “an unequivocal testament to Kulyk’s brilliance.” The stripped version leans into the song’s emotional core with no distractions, and it delivers.

The Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan singer-songwriter has been building steadily and deliberately. Her 2019 self-titled debut reached #2 on the Canadian iTunes Country Chart and earned a CCMA Roots Album of the Year nomination. Her 2022 single “Big Deal” topped SiriusXM Country. The catalog keeps growing, and the fanbase keeps following.

Kulyk’s live schedule this summer is stacked. Headline shows land June 24 at The Drake in Toronto and June 25 at Rum Runners in London, Ontario. From there, the summer runs deep through festival season.

2026 Upcoming Live Dates:

June 24 – The Drake, Toronto, ON (Headline Show)

June 25 – Rum Runners, London, ON (Headline Show)

June 27 – Living Skies Music Festival, Centennial Park, Humboldt, SK

July 10 – Expo Lachute Fair, Lachute, QC

July 12 – Country Thunder, Craven, SK

August 16 – LASSO, Montreal, QC

August 28 – Boots and Hearts West, Fan Park @ Ice District, Edmonton, AB

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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

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