Home Blog Page 27

Irish Guitar Virtuoso Paul Sherry Drops “Peace In Mind” Video From His Acclaimed Fourth Album

0

Paul Sherry has been building something real. The Irish guitarist and songwriter now shares the official video for “Peace In Mind,” the title track from his fourth album, released earlier this year to widespread critical praise. The video premiered March 20, arriving as the record continues to earn serious attention on both sides of the Atlantic.

‘Peace In Mind’ has already pulled in a four-star review from RNR Magazine, coverage in Hot Press, The Irish Post, the Belfast Telegraph, and back-to-back No. 1 singles on the UK’s Future Hits Top 40 Radio. That kind of momentum does not happen by accident. It follows 2021’s ‘Let It Flow’, which earned RTÉ Lyric FM’s Album of the Week, and finds Sherry again working with producer Rocky O’Reilly, drummer Davy Cassidy, and bassist Paul McCabe on a ten-song collection full of blues-rock grit and genuine depth.

The song draws its philosophy from American writer Alan Watts. Sherry puts it plainly: “Peace In Mind is a song about how everyday we can really flow creatively and emotionally, or struggle. As we all walk our own paths in life, we are all just trying to find peace in mind wherever we can.” The video, filmed by Brendan McElroy of Pixil Media on location in County Monaghan, brings that interior search to life in haze and atmosphere.

The track lands with weight and warmth, a blues-rooted slow burn that earns every quiet moment. Sherry’s guitar work is instinctive and unhurried, the kind of playing that prioritizes feel over flash. It is the sound of someone who has spent years developing a voice and knows exactly how to use it.

Best known as lead guitarist for the Gráinne Duffy Band, Sherry has also logged sessions and collaborations with Marc Ford, Dale Davis, Arron Sterling, Jorgen Carlsson, Kenny Aronoff, and Justin Stanley.

Luke Combs Breaks Allegiant Stadium Record With 70,921 Fans on ‘My Kinda Saturday Night’ Tour Opener

0

Luke Combs walked into Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night and rewrote the record books. The country superstar drew 70,921 fans to the Las Vegas venue for the opening night of his “My Kinda Saturday Night” Tour, setting the highest single-concert attendance mark in the stadium’s history.

That number lands above some serious benchmarks. Super Bowl LVIII drew nearly 62,000 in 2024. Garth Brooks sold over 65,000 tickets in 2021. George Strait packed in over 69,000 in December 2024. Taylor Swift brought around 68,000 per night during The Eras Tour in 2023. Combs topped them all, in a 360-degree in-the-round setup that put the audience at the center of everything.

The tour launch came one day after Combs released his new album, ‘The Way I Am’, a 22-track project he co-produced with Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews. The record goes deep into the personal, balancing vulnerability with anthemic reach. It includes a collaboration with Alison Krauss and showcases the kind of storytelling that has made Combs one of country music’s most consistent forces.

The Las Vegas moment was bigger than one record. The previous day, Combs visited the future site of his Category 10 multi-level entertainment complex, a partnership with Opry Entertainment Group opening this fall at the Flamingo Las Vegas, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South, directly on The Strip.

Lyle Lovett Takes His “Songs and Stories” Tour to City Winery Venues Across America

0

Lyle Lovett has always done things on his own terms. The four-time Grammy winner and Texas State Musician is bringing his “Songs & Stories” Tour to City Winery venues across the country this spring and summer, with 23 intimate performances across eight cities. This is a rare, up-close setting for an artist of Lovett’s standing, and that rarity is precisely the point.

Across a career spanning 14 albums, Lovett has quietly built one of the most distinctive catalogs in American music. His work draws from country, folk, jazz, and swing without being defined by any one of them. He earned the Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award for exactly that kind of boundary-pushing songwriting. The man does not fit into a box, and he never tried to.

City Winery’s listening-room format is the right stage for this tour. These are not arena shows. They are nights where Lovett revisits songs from across his celebrated catalog and shares the stories behind them, the kind of access that does not come around often. Tickets are extremely limited at each venue.

The performances are the thing. Lovett’s voice, his storytelling, and his catalog together in a small room make for something genuinely special. This is American songwriting at its most lived-in and assured, delivered the way it deserves to be heard.

“Songs & Stories” Tour Dates:

May 13, 14, 15 — St. Louis, MO, City Winery St. Louis

May 27, 28, 29 — Pittsburgh, PA, City Winery Pittsburgh

June 7, 8, 9 — Chicago, IL, City Winery Chicago

June 23, 24, 25 — Atlanta, GA, City Winery Atlanta

June 26, 27 — Hudson Valley, NY, City Winery Hudson Valley

June 29, 30 — Boston, MA, City Winery Boston

July 1 — Boston, MA, City Winery Boston

July 2, 3, 4 — New York, NY, City Winery New York

August 4, 5, 6 — Philadelphia, PA, City Winery Philadelphia

311 and Dirty Heads Announce Massive 2026 North American Co-Headline Summer Tour

0

Alt-rock and reggae-rock favorites 311 and Dirty Heads are teaming up once again for a 2026 North American co-headline summer tour, bringing their signature blend of rock, reggae, and hip-hop to amphitheatres and outdoor venues across the continent. Ocean Alley and Atmosphere will appear on select shows throughout the run with ROME as support on all dates. 

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off July 11 in Shakopee, MN at Mystic Lake Amphitheater and will make stops in Chicago, Wantagh, Toronto, Denver, Concord, Austin, Tampa, and more before wrapping up August 30 in West Palm Beach, FL at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre. Following the success of their previous runs together,  this year’s tour will once again bring the bands’ live shows to fans across North America.

Dirty Heads are also gearing up for a major new chapter with the release of their highly anticipated ninth full-length album, 7 Seas, arriving June 12 via Better Noise Music. To celebrate the announcement, the band recently unveiled their new single “One of Those Days,” a laid-back, feel-good anthem that captures the group’s signature blend of sun-soaked reggae, breezy hip-hop, and alternative pop. “‘One of Those Days’ is about getting together with close friends and enjoying the moment,” says vocalist/guitarist Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell, while bandmate Jon Olazabal adds that the track embodies the quintessential Dirty Heads vibe “something you want to blast in your car and sing along with at the end of a long week.” The song offers an early glimpse into 7 Seas, a record the band describes as having “something for every mood, every vibe, every occasion,” further showcasing the group’s evolving sound while staying true to the style that has made them a staple of the modern alternative and reggae-rock scene.

311 are also coming off a major milestone moment with their annual 311 Day celebration, which brought fans to Las Vegas for a weekend of live performances and immersive fan experiences. The band delivered two unique sets, including a special collaboration with Blue Man Group, while also debuting the first-ever 311 Museum and a series of fan-focused activations celebrating their decades-long career and dedicated community. Looking ahead, 311 have also announced the return of their 311 Day Cruise in 2027, continuing their tradition of creating unique, destination-driven experiences for fans. As they head into the summer, 311 continue to be a strong presence on the live circuit, known for their genre-blending sound and loyal fanbase.

TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with a Dirty Heads / 311 fan club presale and Citi presale, (details below) on Tuesday, March 24 at 10 am local time followed by Dirty Heads and 311 artist presales on Wednesday, March 25 at 10 am local time. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday, March 27 at 10 am local time on LiveNation.com.

PRESALE: 

CITI: Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in select cities beginning Tuesday, March 24 at 10 am local time until March 26 at 10 pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com

311: 311 Nation members receive first access to ticket presales and exclusive 311 VIP packages. Join now at 311.com/join.

Dirty Heads: First access for Dirty Heads presale tickets are through their app, you can download it now in the App or Google stores here: https://onelink.to/dirtyheadsapp  

VIP: 

311: Special VIP packages will also be available, bringing fans even closer to all the action with exclusive benefits that could include premium seated tickets in some of the best sections or a GA ticket with early entry, the chance to watch 3 songs from the side of the stage, an official meet & greet with 311, an autographed VIP-exclusive tour poster signed by 311, a VIP-exclusive 311 x YETI drinkware item, and other onsite perks. 

Dirty Heads: Enhance your night with Dirty Heads VIP packages, featuring a premium reserved seat or general admission ticket with early entry, plus exclusive merch including a Dirty Heads bucket hat and a VIP-only tour print. Each package also includes a commemorative laminate, with select options offering a limited-edition signed tour print, along with early access to merchandise shopping before doors open. 

ROME: Take your experience to the next level with the ROME VIP package, which includes a premium reserved seat or general admission ticket with early entry, as well as a meet & greet and individual photo opportunity with ROME. VIPs will also receive an exclusive merch gift, a commemorative laminate signed by ROME, and early access to merchandise shopping. 

311/ DIRTY HEADS 2026 TOUR DATES:

Sat Jul 11 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater #^

Sun Jul 12 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island #^

Wed Jul 15 – Grantville, PA – Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course #^= 

Thu Jul 16 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#^

Sat Jul 18 – Atlantic City, NJ – Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort #^= 

Sun Jul 19 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview#^

Wed Jul 22 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion #^

Thu Jul 23 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center #^

Sat Jul 25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoor #^ = 

Sun Jul 26 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre #^

Tue Jul 28 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater #^

Thu Jul 30 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre #^

Fri Jul 31 – Thornville, OH – Everwild Music Festival*

Sat- Aug 1 – Thornville, OH – Everwild Music Festival*

Sun Aug 2 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park #^

Tue Aug 4 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater #^

Wed Aug 5 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s Stir Cove #^= 

Fri Aug 7 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre = (311 ONLY)  

Sat Aug 8 – West Valley City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre #^

Tue Aug 11 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #^

Wed Aug 12 – Airway Heights, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest#^ = 

Thu Aug 13 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre #^

Sat Aug 15 – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord #^

Sun Aug 16 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl $^= 

Tue Aug 18 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Amphitheater $^

Wed Aug 19 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre $^

Sat Aug 22 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater $^

Sun Aug 23 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman $^

Tue Aug 25 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory $^

Wed Aug 26 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP $^

Fri Aug 28 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre $^

Sat Aug 29 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre $^

Sun Aug 30 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre $^

Support Key 

# Ocean Alley 

$ Atmosphere 

^ ROME

* Festival 

= Non Live Nation date 

17 Tracks That Feel Like Coming Home

There is a specific feeling that certain songs produce. Not nostalgia exactly, though that is part of it. More like recognition. Like your nervous system remembering something it never forgot. These are the tracks that do that. Play them loud. Play them alone. Either way, they find you.

“Thunder Road” – Bruce Springsteen
The opening piano and harmonica hit before the first word lands. Springsteen wrote the great American departure, and somehow it always sounds like an arrival.

“Learning to Fly” – Tom Petty
Deceptively simple. Quietly devastating. A song about starting over that never once feels heavy.

“The Chain” – Fleetwood Mac
The moment the bass line drops in the final third, something in the room changes. It has always changed. It always will.

“Wanted Dead or Alive” – Bon Jovi
Road-worn and honest. A song that understands exactly what it means to be far from where you started and completely okay with that.

“Bloodbuzz Ohio” – The National
Matt Berninger’s baritone carries the weight of every Midwest town you have ever driven through at dusk. Few songs understand longing this specifically.

“Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
A song about wanting more and knowing exactly what more costs. Chapman wrote one of the great American escape anthems, and forty years later it still sounds like the first time.

“A Long December” – Counting Crows
Adam Duritz made vulnerability sound like a superpower. This song arrives every winter and stays well past its welcome. You never mind.

“Better Man” – Pearl Jam
Eddie Vedder singing about staying too long and knowing it. The kind of honesty that makes a song feel like a confession you needed to hear.

“Nightswimming” – R.E.M.
Michael Stipe and a piano. The gentlest song about loss and time and the things you only do when no one is watching.

“One” – U2
Bono has written bigger songs. He has never written a more human one. A song about fracture that somehow feels like repair every single time.

“Running on Empty” – Jackson Browne
The road as metaphor, the road as literal truth. Browne wrote the soundtrack to every long drive you have ever taken toward something uncertain.

“Jack and Diane” – John Mellencamp
Two kids, a Tastee Freez, and the specific ache of knowing that life moves whether you are ready or not. American music at its most honest.

“Under the Pressure” – The War on Drugs
Eight minutes of guitar, synth, and forward motion. Adam Granduciel built a song that sounds exactly like the feeling of things finally becoming clear.

“Funeral” – Phoebe Bridgers
Quiet and entirely gutting. Bridgers writes like someone who has paid very close attention to the exact texture of grief, and this song proves it.

“Thirteen” – Big Star
Alex Chilton wrote this when he was a teenager and somehow captured what it feels like to be every age at once. The most tender three minutes in rock history.

“Waltz No. 2” – Elliott Smith
A song that hurts from the first note and keeps hurting in the best possible way. Smith understood the complicated architecture of love and failure better than almost anyone.

“Everything Is Free” – Gillian Welch
Two voices, two guitars, and a song about making art anyway. The most quietly defiant track on this list and somehow the one that feels most like home.

Why Authentic Artists Always Get Better Media

There is a pattern in music journalism that never changes. The artists who generate the most compelling coverage are not always the biggest. They are not always the loudest. They are the ones who show up with something real to say and the craft to back it up.

Journalists respond to authenticity the way audiences do, instinctively and immediately. When an artist has a genuine story, a real perspective, a sound that could only have come from their specific life experience, the writing almost does itself. The details are specific. The quotes land. The narrative has actual stakes. That is not a coincidence. That is what authentic artistry produces when it meets a writer paying attention.

Compare two press releases. One lists streaming numbers, brand partnerships, and carefully neutral quotes that could apply to any artist in any genre. The other tells you where the songwriter was sitting when the idea arrived, what was broken in their life at that moment, and why this particular collection of songs could not have been made by anyone else. One gets filed. The other gets written about. Editors feel the difference before they finish the first paragraph.

Authenticity also compounds. An artist who builds a career on genuine creative decisions accumulates a catalog that journalists can actually engage with, a through line, a body of work with real narrative momentum. Every new release adds to a story already worth telling. Coverage builds on coverage. Interviews get deeper. The questions get better because the answers always have been.

The artists who last are rarely the ones who optimized for attention. They are the ones who stayed focused on the music, trusted the work, and gave writers something worth championing. Authentic artists do not just get better media. They earn it, every single time.

Bluegrass Legend and Hit Songwriter Ronnie Bowman Dies at 64 Following Motorcycle Accident

0

Ronnie Bowman, one of the most accomplished and beloved figures in bluegrass and country music, died Sunday, March 22nd at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. He was 64. Bowman had been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident the previous afternoon in Ashland City, Tennessee. The loss lands with particular weight because it arrives far too soon, taking a musician who was still very much at the height of his creative powers.

The International Bluegrass Music Association, which honored Bowman with three Male Vocalist of the Year awards (1995, 1998, 1999), a Songwriter of the Year award in 2022, and two Song of the Year honors, put it plainly: “Ronnie wasn’t just a remarkable musician and songwriter, he was a remarkable person. He lifted those around him and left them better than he found them.” That sentiment echoed across the music community immediately, with Dierks Bentley calling him “the favorite bluegrass and country singer of everyone I know,” and Billy Strings writing: “Ronnie Bowman was an amazing singer and songwriter. One of the best entertainers in bluegrass and country music.”

Born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Bowman began singing gospel at age three and built his career from the ground up, joining the Lonesome River Band in 1990 alongside Dan Tyminski. His 1994 solo album ‘Cold Virginia Night,’ featuring Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, and Del McCoury, won IBMA Album of the Year, with the title track taking Song of the Year. His voice, a steady and honest tenor that conveyed heartbreak and warmth in equal measure, defined an era of bluegrass and made him one of the most in-demand session singers working, appearing on records by Loretta Lynn, Alan Jackson, John Fogerty, and Sierra Hull.

His songwriting catalog represents a separate and equally remarkable legacy. “Nobody to Blame,” co-written with Chris Stapleton and Barry Bales for Stapleton’s landmark debut ‘Traveller,’ won the ACM Award for Song of the Year in 2015. Bowman also co-wrote Stapleton’s “More of You” and “Outlaw State of Mind” for the same album, making him a foundational part of one of the best-selling country records of all time. Kenny Chesney took “Never Wanted Nothing More,” another Bowman/Stapleton collaboration, to No. 1 in 2007. Brooks & Dunn’s “It’s Getting Better All The Time” reached No. 1 in 2005. Lee Ann Womack, Jake Owen, Cody Johnson, and the Grascals all recorded his songs, and in 2011, bluegrass great Ralph Stanley recorded his “A Mother’s Prayer.” At the 2016 ACMs, accepting the Song of the Year award, Bowman traced everything back to its origin: his mother asking him to write her a song when he was fourteen. “I went back there and did that and I’ve been doing that ever since, thanks to my mama.”

Ronnie Bowman is survived by his family. He leaves behind a mountain of music, a catalog of songs that will outlast all of us, and a community of artists and fans who are better for having known him.

Carrie Anne Fleming, Beloved Canadian Actress Known for ‘Supernatural’ and ‘iZombie,’ Dead at 51

0

Carrie Anne Fleming, the Canadian actress who brought warmth, depth, and quiet conviction to every role she took, died on February 26th in Sidney, British Columbia. She was 51. Her representative confirmed she died from cancer complications, with her “Supernatural” co-star Jim Beaver sharing the news publicly and confirming it was breast cancer. “She died peacefully with her loved ones by her side,” her rep told US Weekly. “It was a great privilege to have known Carrie. She was a beautiful soul, inspiring, and above all, kind.”

Fleming built a career across three decades of television, earning genuine affection from fans through two landmark CW roles. As Karen Singer on “Supernatural,” the demon-possessed late wife of Bobby Singer played by Beaver, she delivered performances that resonated far beyond their screen time, returning across Seasons 5 and 7 in ways that left a lasting mark on the series. On “iZombie,” she spent five seasons as Candy Baker, bringing her characteristic humanity to a show that rewarded exactly that quality. Her agency, Integral Artists, remembered her simply and accurately: “a force of nature.”

Before those roles defined her for a generation of genre fans, Fleming had already accumulated a substantial body of work. Guest appearances on “Smallville,” “The L Word,” “The 4400,” “Masters of Horror,” “Continuum,” “UnREAL,” and “Supergirl” demonstrated a performer who showed up fully prepared regardless of the size of the role. Her film credits included “Happy Gilmore,” “Good Luck Chuck,” and “Married Life.”

Fleming is survived by her daughter, Madalyn Rose. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. She leaves behind a body of work built on generosity, craft, and the kind of quiet professionalism that makes every production better.

Copenhagen Hypergaze Duo 100%WET Return with Maximalist Cover of Grimes’ “Delete Forever”

0

100%WET are back, and their return announces itself with real force. The Copenhagen duo of Jakob Birch and Casper Munns have released a maximalist cover of Grimes’ “Delete Forever” via Crunchy Frog Recordings, featuring collaborator Eir (AKA Sanna) alongside Casper’s own vocals. After a difficult period that saw the band hospitalized for weeks, forced to cancel UK appearances, and halt all writing, this return lands with the kind of emotional weight that only a band who has genuinely fought through something can deliver.

The choice of song carries personal significance. Grimes wrote the original in response to losing six friends to the opioid epidemic, and 100%WET approached the cover with deep reverence for that emotional core. Casper explains the creative pull: “I felt drawn to the atmosphere of the song, because of these raw emotions and feelings of hopelessness, which are carried by an almost naive harmonic progression and uplifting melodies.” He also experimented with a new 12-string guitar tuning, stringing in fifths instead of octaves, giving the chords a massive, expansive quality that pushes the track’s inner turmoil to the point of excess. The result is hypergaze at its most emotionally charged and sonically ambitious.

Formed at Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatoire, 100%WET built their debut album from a shared love of drum and bass, hyperpop, and shoegaze, earning praise from KEXP, The Line of Best Fit, Louder Than War, and God Is In The TV, and supporting Primal Scream on their last Copenhagen headline show. “Delete Forever” picks up exactly where that momentum left off, and then pushes further.

Fighting fit and with more packed into 2026 than ever, 100%WET sound like a band with something to prove after the time away. “Delete Forever” is out now via Crunchy Frog Recordings.

Newcastle Indie Riser Heidi Curtis Signs to AWAL and Delivers Stunning New Single “Siren”

0

Heidi Curtis has signed to AWAL, and “Siren” makes an immediate case for why that matters. The Newcastle-based indie riser delivers her first release of 2026 with a track that pulls from folk myth, personal experience, and a genuinely powerful vocal performance that draws inevitable comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Jeff Buckley, and Florence & The Machine. Those are heavy reference points, and Curtis earns every one of them.

The song operates on two levels simultaneously. On the surface it’s a vicious love story between a siren and a sailor. Underneath, it’s something more universal. Curtis explains it directly: “The siren in the song merely represents our desire as a species to turn to substance and pleasure, in order to soothe and numb our depressions. We’ve all seen the Siren and felt that pull towards her, some more than others, and no matter what it always ends badly.” That kind of lyrical depth, delivered with urgent, authentic songwriting, is exactly what has already earned her coverage from DIY Magazine, Rolling Stone UK, Dork, and Wonderland, plus airplay across BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, and BBC 6 Music.

Curtis has built her live reputation alongside serious company. Support slots with Sam Fender, CMAT, Inhaler, Paolo Nutini, and Ben Howard across the UK and Europe have sharpened her into a performer operating well above her debut status. Wonderland called her “the latest Geordie set to make an impact on the wider British scene,” and “Siren” lands that assessment with full force.

“Siren” is out now via AWAL. A thrilling twelve months starts here.