Classical guitarist and lutenist Brandon Acker has posted a candid, entertaining video tracing his journey from long-haired metalhead to specialist in classical guitar and early plucked instruments including the lute and theorbo. It is a genuinely compelling watch for anyone curious about where those two worlds intersect.
The Diffie Classic Returns in September to Honor Country Legend Joe Diffie and Support First Steps
The second annual Diffie Classic returns September 21st and 22nd, bringing together country music fans, golfers, and the Nashville community for a two-day tribute to the late Joe Diffie. The event kicks off Monday September 21st with a golf tournament at 12 Stones Crossing Golf Club in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, followed by a live concert at the Nashville Palace on Tuesday September 22nd. Proceeds benefit First Steps, a Nashville-based early intervention and child development organization that held deep personal meaning for Diffie and his family.
The connection between Diffie and First Steps runs back decades. His son Tyler, who has Down syndrome, attended First Steps’ programs for several years, and from 1992 through 2004 Diffie championed the organization through annual Country Steps In For First Steps concerts and golf tournaments. The Diffie Classic, organized by his sons Parker Diffie and Travis Humes, brings that legacy full circle. “Dad loved golf and his family and was deeply appreciative of everything First Steps did for Tyler,” the brothers share. That personal grounding gives the event a warmth and purpose that goes well beyond a standard tribute.
First Steps Executive Director Heather Higgins frames the partnership with equal clarity: “From the earliest days of his rise in country music, Joe Diffie made an intentional commitment to give back to the community he loved.” The classic 1990s country hitmaker behind “Pickup Man,” “Third Rock from the Sun,” and “John Deere Green” was as committed to his community as he was to his craft, and this event honors both dimensions of that legacy with genuine care.
Golf team registration is $800 per four-person team, covering both days of events including golf, cart, meals, beverages, and event swag. Sponsorship opportunities range from $500 Gold Hole Sponsors to $5,000 Platinum Title Sponsors. The Tuesday night concert at Nashville Palace is included with golf registration, with a limited number of standalone concert tickets available for fans not participating in the tournament.
Emerging Pop Architect Arden Alexa Announces Debut Album ‘Hope You’re Watching,’ Out April 24
Arden Alexa does not make pop songs so much as she constructs worlds. ‘HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING’, her debut album out April 24th and crafted over three years with producers Simon Jay and Luke Shrestha, is the fullest expression of that instinct yet, a cinematic, emotionally driven collection that bridges high-energy pop with theatrical sophistication and intimate confessional storytelling. Built on over 1.3 million Spotify streams and writing credits for Warner Chappell and Sony Music, the album arrives with real momentum behind it.
The scope of Alexa’s creative vision is genuinely striking. She pulls from Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Danny Elfman, musical theater, and glossy modern pop to give her songs a dramatic almost orchestral weight, even when the subject matter is deeply personal. Her Lebanese-Syrian heritage runs through the details, from string arrangements that feel like film overtures to old-Hollywood visual choices that inform everything from costumes to merch design. She writes or co-writes every track and stays closely involved in production and engineering, arriving in the studio with the visual world already fully mapped. Every drum hit, string line, and lyric is designed to serve that larger vision.
The title track sets the tone immediately, moving seamlessly between bright pop production and emotionally driven cinematic moments. Previously released singles “Crush!!!” and “BREAK MY HEART” have already demonstrated her range, with the former accumulating over 450,000 Spotify streams and the latter drawing nearly 800,000 YouTube views. Alexa frames the album with characteristic clarity: “This album was my first step into truly figuring out what kind of artist I wanted to be and how I would channel all of my influences and inspirations into a sound entirely my own.” The result is one of the most assured and fully realized pop debuts in recent memory, and a serious opening statement from an artist with a great deal more to say.
A music video for “Crush!!!” drops May 1st, inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’s and filmed with an intimate team that included her brother, her boyfriend, and her cat Liza. Nominations at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards for Best Female Vocal and Best Original Song provide early industry validation for what the music makes immediately apparent.
‘HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING’ Tracklist:
- HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING
- BREAK MY HEART
- mess of you
- Poison
- Crush!!!
- Worth It
- Thank God
- National Boyfriend Day
- Here
Bryan Adams Hits the Road This Summer With Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on All U.S. Dates
Bryan Adams is heading back out on the road, and he is bringing serious company. The celebrated singer-songwriter has announced a U.S. arena tour beginning July 24th in St. Louis, with rock legends Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo joining him on every date. Sixteen arena shows across sixteen cities, running through mid-August, the tour supports ‘Roll With the Punches’, Adams’ 16th studio album and his first release on his own imprint Bad Records.
Adams launched the album with characteristic directness: “So much has happened in the past couple of years, all of which has been the inspiration for Roll With the Punches. Rock on.” That energy carries into a tour routing that hits hard across the South, Midwest, and Northeast before wrapping August 16th in Milwaukee. Having Benatar and Giraldo on every date elevates the bill into genuine event territory, two of rock’s most enduring and beloved live acts sharing a stage night after night.
The U.S. run is followed by a Canadian tour beginning August 24th, with rising artist Lights supporting across a fourteen-date run through Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. Adams on home turf with a coast-to-coast Canadian routing is always a significant event, and this run reaches cities including Hamilton, London, Saskatoon, and Penticton alongside the major markets.
Taken together, the full summer campaign represents one of the most substantial touring commitments Adams has undertaken in years, and the Benatar and Giraldo pairing on the U.S. leg makes those arena nights something well beyond a standard support-the-album run.
U.S. Tour Dates (with Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo):
Friday, July 24 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Saturday, July 25 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
Sunday, July 26 – Thackerville, OK – WinStar World Casino & Resort
Tuesday, July 28 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Wednesday, July 29 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Friday, July 31 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Saturday, August 1 – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
Tuesday, August 4 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Wednesday, August 5 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center
Saturday, August 8 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Sunday, August 9 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
Tuesday, August 11 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena
Wednesday, August 12 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Friday, August 14 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Saturday, August 15 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Sunday, August 16 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Canadian Tour Dates (with Lights):
Sunday, August 24 – Trois-Rivières, QC – Amphitheatre Cogeco
Monday, August 25 – Kingston, ON – Slush Puppie Place
Tuesday, August 26 – Oshawa, ON – Tribute Communities Centre
Thursday, August 28 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
Friday, August 29 – London, ON – Canada Life Place
Sunday, August 31 – Sudbury, ON – Sudbury Arena
Monday, September 1 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – GFL Memorial Gardens
Wednesday, September 3 – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
Friday, September 5 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
Monday, September 8 – Lethbridge, AB – VisitLethbridge.com Arena
Wednesday, September 10 – Red Deer, AB – Marchant Crane Centrium at Westerner Park
Thursday, September 11 – Dawson Creek, BC – Ovintiv Events Centre
Saturday, September 13 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre
Danish Power Metal Warriors Seven Thorns Make Their Turkish Debut at Istanbul’s Dorock This April
Seven Thorns are mid-tour and heading to Turkey for the first time. The Danish power metal outfit, known for their cinematic sound, soaring vocals, and orchestral-heavy live shows, bring “The Road To Power European Tour 2026” to Istanbul’s Dorock on April 5th for an exclusive one-night appearance, the band’s first ever performance on Turkish soil.
The band has spent the past decade building a formidable reputation on the European metal circuit, blending crushing guitar riffs with symphonic elements and melodic intensity into a live experience that earns comparisons to the theatrical grandeur of the genre’s finest acts. Seven Thorns arrive in Istanbul with a rebuilt lineup and a clear message: “We are back with a new line-up. We are stronger than ever. We are (not) the same.” That kind of declaration, backed by a full European run already underway across Italy, Croatia, and Greece, carries weight.
The Istanbul date sits at the center of a broader Balkan and Eastern European run that continues through Bulgaria and Romania before the tour wraps. For Turkish metal fans, a single night at Dorock with a band of this caliber and this momentum is not an opportunity to sleep on. The remaining tour dates following Istanbul round out an already substantial European campaign.
Remaining “The Road To Power” Tour Dates:
April 5 – Istanbul, Turkey – Dorock
April 6 – Ruse, Bulgaria – Karaoke Star
April 7 – Varna, Bulgaria – Varna Live Club
April 8 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Old Skull
April 9 – Timisoara, Romania – Nemesis Art Club
Banjo Player and Geologist Benny Bleu Announces New Album ‘When I Am A Fossil,’ Out June 5
Benny Bleu spent a decade making ‘When I Am A Fossil’, and the patience shows in every note. The New York-based banjo player, songwriter, and former environmental geologist announces his new album arriving June 5th, a deeply personal and philosophically rich collection of songs shaped by years spent witnessing, as Bleu puts it, “the residue of man’s progress.” The result is one of the most quietly ambitious folk records of 2026, rooted in the Anthropocene and asking a question that lingers long after the music stops: how might a scientist from the deep future know we were here?
The album bridges old-time banjo traditions with jazz phrasing, global rhythms, and modern sonic exploration across a concept record anchored in climate change, mortality, and resilience. Recorded live to tape over four days in Pennsylvania with collaborators Gus Tritsch, Huck Tritsch, Eric Heveron-Smith, and Katie Martucci, the record captures ensemble interplay and spontaneity that ten years of careful crafting has not smoothed away. It feels immediate and unhurried at the same time, equally at home on a front porch or in a late-night philosophical spiral.
Bleu’s background as an environmental geologist gives the album a grounding that most folk records simply cannot access. His work took him not to mountains and lakes but to gas stations and factories, and that specific, unglamorous perspective on human impact gives ‘When I Am A Fossil’ a moral weight that never tips into preachiness. The title track channels that perspective into something genuinely haunting, a meditation on deep time that manages to feel both vast and intimate. This is the kind of album that announces a distinctive artistic voice fully formed and worth following closely.
A 2026 tour supports the release, mixing intimate solo sets with full band performances across the East Coast and beyond, including a full band release show at Bop Shop Records in Rochester on June 6th and a Caffe Lena appearance in Saratoga Springs on May 3rd. ‘When I Am A Fossil’ is available for pre-order now ahead of its June 5th release.
2026 Tour Dates:
April 10 – Rochester, NY – Little Theatre
April 17 – Frostburg, MD – Clatter Cafe (w/ Dakota Karper)
April 18 – Westminster, MD – Common Ground Downtown (w/ Dakota Karper)
April 19 – Naples, NY – Hollerhorn Distilling
May 3 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena (full band)
June 6 – Rochester, NY – Bop Shop Records (full band)
June 13 – Rochester, NY – Abilene (full band)
June 14 – Naples, NY – Hollerhorn Distilling (full band)
September 20 – Walton, NY – Music on the Delaware
November 12 – Soquel, CA – Ugly Mug
November 16 – Portland, OR – Hostel Cafe
Taiwanese Soul-Psych Favorites Sunset Rollercoaster Bring ‘QUIT QUIETLY’ to North America This Fall
Sunset Rollercoaster have been one of the music world’s best-kept secrets for over a decade, and ‘QUIT QUIETLY’ is the album that keeps closing that gap. The Taiwanese soul-psych outfit have announced a North American fall tour behind their 2025 release, hitting Toronto, Boston, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver between September and October. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 27th at 2pm EST.
The numbers behind ‘QUIT QUIETLY’ tell their own story. The album surpassed one million Spotify streams on its first day of release, landed ten songs in the Spotify Top 200 in its opening week, and earned a spot on the U.S. NACC Top 200. Single “Bluebird” has already passed four million streams. For a band that has always built momentum through word of mouth and relentless touring rather than industry machinery, that kind of immediate impact reflects just how deep their audience runs.
The Taipei five-piece has been building toward this moment since their debut album ‘Bossa Nova’ arrived in 2011, followed by the globe-traveling EP ‘Jinji Kikko’ and its runaway single “My Jinji,” which has independently accumulated over 117 million Spotify streams. Fuji Rock, Coachella, sold-out runs across Asia, Europe, and the U.S., praise from NME, Paste, Hypebeast, and Brooklyn Vegan, and a Beats By Dre mini-documentary later, they remain one of those rare acts whose reputation consistently outpaces their mainstream profile. ‘QUIT QUIETLY’ is their most mature and contemplative work yet, and these North American dates are the fullest expression of that record on a live stage.
The venues selected match the moment perfectly, from History in Toronto and Brooklyn Steel to The Warfield in San Francisco and Showbox SoDo in Seattle. For anyone who has not yet caught Sunset Rollercoaster live, this is the tour to fix that.
2026 North American Tour Dates:
September 9 – Toronto, ON – History
September 11 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues
September 13 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
October 16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
October 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
October 21 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
October 24 – Vancouver, BC – The Centre in Vancouver
TikTok’s New Ad Tools Give Artists and Labels More Power to Reach Audiences at the Right Moment
TikTok has always been where music breaks first. The platform’s ability to turn a track into a cultural moment overnight is well established. What has evolved considerably is the sophistication of the tools available to artists, labels, and their marketing teams to capitalize on that momentum, and the new ad solutions announced at IAB NewFronts this week represent a meaningful step forward.
The most immediately useful addition for music campaigns is Prime Time, a sequential ad format that delivers up to three ads from a single advertiser to the same user within a fifteen-minute window. For album releases, tour announcements, or single drops timed to peak engagement periods, the ability to tell a continuous story in a compressed window rather than serving isolated impressions is a genuine upgrade. Release day campaigns in particular stand to benefit from that kind of concentrated storytelling.
TopReach combines two existing high-visibility placements, TopView and TopFeed, into a single buy for maximum one-day reach. For major launches where broad awareness matters immediately, collapsing those two placements into a single purchase simplifies the buy while extending the reach. Logo Takeover, meanwhile, gives brands and by extension artists and labels the ability to co-brand with TikTok at the moment the app opens, before any other content appears. First impression, undivided attention, no competition.
The expansion of TikTok Pulse is where things get particularly interesting for music. Pulse Mentions places ads adjacent to content where users are already talking about a specific brand or category, meaning an artist campaign can now surface precisely inside conversations that are already happening organically. Pulse Tastemakers lets advertisers align with specific eligible creators, building brand association through trusted voices rather than generic adjacency. For artists with strong creator communities already engaged with their music, that targeting capability is a powerful amplification tool.
Taken together, these tools give music marketers considerably more precision and narrative control on a platform that already drives discovery better than anywhere else. Understanding and using them is now part of the job.
BLOND:ISH Headlines Daybreaker’s Miami Music Week Gathering at Wynwood Walls This Sunday
Daybreaker is bringing its global sober dance movement to one of Miami’s most iconic cultural spaces this Sunday, and the lineup is worth paying attention to. Taking place at Wynwood Walls Museum on March 29th from 11am to 2pm, the Miami Music Week edition features a headlining set from internationally acclaimed DJ and producer BLOND:ISH, an opening set from rising house artist GUDFELLA, a guided yoga session with Mimi Yoga, and a closing speech from artist Peter Tunney. Surrounded by large-scale murals from some of the world’s most celebrated street artists, the setting alone makes this one of the most distinctive gatherings of the week.
BLOND:ISH brings a presence that fits the Daybreaker ethos precisely, a globally recognized artist whose community-driven approach to dance culture has always prioritized connection over consumption. GUDFELLA, the Philippines-born, LA-based DJ and producer behind the breakout track “Morning Coffee,” arrives as one of house music’s most exciting new voices, with Miami Music Week buzz building ahead of an upcoming Coachella appearance. The two together make for a daytime dance floor that punches well above its weight.
Daybreaker began in Brooklyn with a single early-morning dance floor and has grown into a movement spanning 66 cities and more than one million community members. Every event is alcohol-free and open to all ages, designed around joy, self-expression, and genuine human connection rather than the trappings of traditional nightlife. Co-founder Radha Agrawal frames it cleanly: “We’re offering a new expression of that same spirit, one that leaves you feeling more alive than when you arrived.” That is not marketing language. For anyone who has attended a Daybreaker event, it is simply accurate.
The event is powered by iHeartRadio and Einstein Bros. Bagels, with complimentary fresh-baked bagels and cold brew on offer to fuel the morning. Wynwood Walls Museum sits at 2516 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL. For tickets and full information, visit daybreaker.com/event/miami-03-29.
The James Hunter Six Return to the U.S. This Summer Behind Critically Acclaimed Album ‘Off The Fence’
The James Hunter Six are heading back to the United States, and American soul music fans should take note. The British singer, songwriter, and GRAMMY-nominated artist dubbed “The United Kingdom’s Greatest Soul Singer” by MOJO has announced a summer tour beginning July 1st in Denver, running through Nashville, Minneapolis, Chicago, and more. The tour celebrates ‘Off The Fence’, Hunter’s eleventh studio album on Easy Eye Sound, a critically acclaimed record that also marks 40 years since his recording debut.
‘Off The Fence’ has drawn some of the strongest notices of Hunter’s career. MOJO awarded it four out of five stars, calling it “the very best of Hunter’s skill set.” Living Blues Magazine placed him in company with Lee Fields as one of the rare artists who can “sing soul music as if the 1970s simply never happened.” Relix, No Depression, PopMatters, AllMusic, and WBGO have all weighed in with praise. Twelve self-penned tracks delivered with Hunter’s customary blend of smooth vocal control, heart-worn grit, and dry wit, the album moves from the infectious blues blaster “A Sure Thing” to the beautifully moving “Here And Now” and includes a rare duet with Van Morrison on “Ain’t That A Trip,” a collaboration that alone makes ‘Off The Fence’ essential listening.
Hunter announces the tour with characteristic deadpan: “The U.S. Embassy finally granted me the official ‘Oh Go On Then If You Must’ certificate, and we’re all set. We’ve had fun knocking these tunes together (one of them is quite good), and we’re looking forward to inflicting them on you at the earliest opportunity.” That kind of wit, delivered with complete commitment, is exactly what makes Hunter one of the most distinctive and genuinely beloved figures in contemporary soul music. A performer this assured and this deep in the tradition is worth catching whenever the opportunity presents itself.
April dates in Washington DC, Sellersville, and New York City precede the summer run, which stretches through August with stops at storied rooms including the Dakota in Minneapolis, Space in Evanston, Knuckleheads in Kansas City, and The Iridium in New York. Full tour information and tickets are available at jameshuntermusic.com.
‘Off The Fence’ Tracklist:
- Two Birds One Stone
- Let Me Out Of This Love
- Gun Shy
- Believe It When I See It
- Here And Now
- Off The Fence
- Ain’t That A Trip (feat. Van Morrison)
- One For Ripley
- Trouble Comes Calling
- Particular
- A Sure Thing
- Only A Fool
The James Hunter Six 2026 U.S. Tour Dates:
April 19 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
April 20 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater
April 21 – New York, NY – Iridium
July 1 – Denver, CO – The Bluebird
July 2 – Vail, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Center
July 8 – Nashville, TN – Franklin Theater
July 10 – Kent, OH – Kent Stage
July 11 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
July 12 – Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
July 14 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota
July 15 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota
July 16 – Evanston, IL – Space
July 18 – St. Louis, MO – Music at Intersection
July 19 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
August 5 – Natick, MA – The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN)
August 7 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center
August 8 – Shelter Island, NY – Sylvester Manor
August 9 – Old Saybrook, CT – The Kate