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Jake Worthington Takes ‘When I Write The Song’ On the Road With the Intent To Tonk Tour

Eric Alper
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Jake Worthington Takes ‘When I Write The Song’ On the Road With the Intent To Tonk Tour

Jake Worthington was built for the road, and the Intent To Tonk Tour proves it. The country singer-songwriter has launched his first headlining run in years, hitting markets across the U.S. through spring and into summer, spotlighting his critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘When I Write The Song.’

Worthington puts it simply: “I’m excited to announce that I’m going on a headlining tour for the first time in a very long time. The Intent To Tonk Tour is coming your way this spring.” The energy behind that statement is backed by a catalog that’s already making serious noise.

‘When I Write The Song’ is a record built for barrooms and honky tonks, featuring all-star collaborations with Miranda Lambert, Marty Stuart, and Mae Estes, produced by Joey Moi, Jon Randall, and Chuck Ainlay. The viral “It Ain’t The Whiskey” has cleared 40 million listens, and tracks like the Lambert collab “Hello Shitty Day,” “I’m The One” featuring Marty Stuart, and the sharp-witted “Two First Names” have carved out real cultural space.

The Intent To Tonk Tour runs alongside a loaded year that includes stadium dates with Luke Combs, a Stagecoach billing, and opening slots for Luke Bryan, Hardy, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, and Ian Munsick. Worthington is everywhere in 2026, and for good reason.

2026 Intent To Tonk Tour Dates:

May 1 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel

May 7 – Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard

May 8 – Park City, KS @ Gilley’s Park City

June 11 – Jackson, MS @ Duling Hall

June 18 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair

June 19 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen Announce ‘They Call Us The Lucky Ones’ and Hit the Road This Spring

Eric Alper
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Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen Announce ‘They Call Us The Lucky Ones’ and Hit the Road This Spring

Seven years is a long time to wait, and Ryan Bingham has made every one of them count. The Grammy and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter has announced ‘They Call Us The Lucky Ones,’ his seventh studio album recorded with The Texas Gentlemen, out May 15 via The Bingham Recording Co./Thirty Tigers, and the lead single “Ballad of The Texas Gentlemen” is out now.

Bingham explains the heart of the record: “After years of being out on my own and playing shows on and off with The Texas Gentlemen, I realized somewhere along the way I was part of a band again without really planning it. ‘Ballad of The Texas Gentlemen’ really came out of that moment, just being back out on the road with people you trust and remembering why you fell in love with playing music in the first place.”

The album was tracked largely live with minimal overdubs, built around feel and spontaneity rather than polish and precision. Bingham describes it as the most fun he’s had making a record: “I’ve always loved records that feel loose and live and gritty with a bit of soul, where the imperfections from the moment are left in. It finally felt like I was capturing these songs the way I always heard them in my head.”

Across 10 tracks, including previous releases “The Lucky Ones” and “Americana,” the album reflects on the highs and lows of life on the road and a renewed sense of joy in the craft. The genre-defying sound Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen build together, spanning folk, blues, country, and rock, gives the record a scope that few artists working today can match.

‘They Call Us The Lucky Ones’ arrives in multiple vinyl variants including indie retail exclusive electric smoke, Barnes & Noble exclusive blue sky, Amazon exclusive vintage bone, and a limited edition roadside rust available through Bingham’s webstore. A CD and cassette round out the physical offerings.

To celebrate the release, Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen launch the Still Gettin’ Away With It Tour this spring, with stops at Irving Plaza in New York, Roadrunner in Boston, The Fillmore in Philadelphia, Lincoln Theatre in Washington D.C., and many more. Tickets are on sale now.

‘They Call Us The Lucky Ones’ Track Listing:

  1. The Lucky Ones
  2. Let The Big Dog Eat
  3. I Got A Feelin’
  4. Twist The Knife
  5. Americana
  6. Cocaine Charlie
  7. Blue Skies
  8. Relevance
  9. Ballad of The Texas Gentlemen
  10. I’m A Goin’ Nowhere

2026 Still Gettin’ Away With It Tour Dates:

May 22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

May 23 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!

May 24 – Cleveland, OH @ The Agora

May 26 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre

May 27 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre

May 29 – Buffalo, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater

May 30 – Kingston, NY @ Ulster Performing Arts Center

June 1 – South Deerfield, MA @ Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company

June 2 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre

June 3 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner

June 5 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre

June 6 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place

June 7 – Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theater

June 9 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

June 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore

June 12 – Richmond, VA @ The National

June 13 – Washington, D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre

June 14 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva

July 11 – Alta, WY @ Grand Targhee Resort

July 18 – Whitefish, MT @ Under the Big Sky Festival

French Synth-Pop Rising Star Mango In Euphoria Delivers Cinematic New Single “ARM CANDY”

Eric Alper
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French Synth-Pop Rising Star Mango In Euphoria Delivers Cinematic New Single “ARM CANDY”

Mango In Euphoria doesn’t do subtle. The French synth-pop rising star has released “ARM CANDY,” her most striking and talked-about single yet, and it lands like a scene from a film you can’t stop thinking about.

Cinematic, seductive, and edged with danger, “ARM CANDY” is a late-night neon fever dream built on retro ’70s and ’80s synth pulse with a sharp modern edge. The recurring line “sell your soul, grab your arm candy” cuts directly into fame culture, transactional relationships, and the hollow performance of desire. It’s pop music with real teeth.

The single is a preview of her upcoming EP “Lethal Lust,” a project Mango has described as centered on men in the industry who dismissed and underestimated her. That context gives “ARM CANDY” an additional layer of charge, a face-to-face reckoning delivered with unflinching confidence.

French lyric passages add intimacy and vulnerability to the track, revealing an inner conflict between self-protection and the need for truth. The emotional exposure is real, and the sonic packaging around it is immaculate.

Early live performances have added another dimension entirely. Audiences have noted the charged onstage tension between Mango and her new permanent bassist Falko, a dynamic that carries directly into the music video and gives the whole project a palpable narrative energy.

“ARM CANDY” is out now, and it positions Mango In Euphoria at the front of a new wave of European synth-driven pop.

South Wales Psych-Rock Favourites Waterpistol Kick Off 2026 With Dreamy New Single “Felin”

Eric Alper
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South Wales Psych-Rock Favourites Waterpistol Kick Off 2026 With Dreamy New Single “Felin”

Waterpistol have a sound that feels like it was excavated from a very specific and very excellent corner of music history, and “Felin” is their most fully realized statement of it yet. The South Wales six-piece have released their first single of 2026, and it arrives with real creative weight behind it.

Drawing on the guitar textures of ’90s shoegaze and golden age rock ‘n’ roll, with clear influence from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The La’s, and Liverpool cult favourites Shack, Waterpistol have built a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly their own. BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton put it well, calling their music “sounding timeless, such an exquisite combination of some of my favourite artists of all time.”

“Felin” touches on the highs and lows of the creative process, and it’s the first glimpse of a wider collection of material already taking shape. It follows previous singles “Shotgun,” which earned airplay on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales, and Amazing Radio, and “Où est ton âme?,” which landed the band a DIY Magazine playlist spot.

The timing is significant. Waterpistol have just been awarded BBC Horizons’ 2026 Launchpad Fund, in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales and Arts Council Wales, a meaningful endorsement of where this band is headed. God Is In The TV called them “a refreshing blast” with “a ton of promise,” and “Felin” backs that up completely.

Formed in late 2022 and gigging hard ever since, Waterpistol have already logged appearances at FOCUS Wales, Green Man, Sŵn Festival, and In It Together Festival. The six-piece, Harry Watton, Rhea Padua, Aaron Tormey, Carwyn Whiteman, Emma Way, and Efan Watkins, are building something with genuine staying power, and 2026 looks like the year it breaks wide open.

Glasgow Indie Rockers The Rooks Drop Video For “Found My Reason Why” as Debut Vinyl Sells Out in 30 Minutes

Eric Alper
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Glasgow Indie Rockers The Rooks Drop Video For “Found My Reason Why” as Debut Vinyl Sells Out in 30 Minutes

The Rooks mean business. The Glaswegian five-piece have released the official music video for “Found My Reason Why,” shot by long-time collaborator Daniel Blake against the tower blocks of their hometown, grainy and grounded in exactly the kind of visual honesty that defines what this band is about.

The timing says everything. The Rooks recently pressed their debut EP ‘Noise & Confusion’ to vinyl, and 100 unique personalised copies sold out in just 30 minutes. The band put it plainly: “We’re looking to give back to the fans that were here at the very start. This is going to be a very big year.”

‘Noise & Confusion’ arrived last November as a direct love letter to their fanbase, and the response has been immediate and loud. The Rooks have built a rabid, devoted following through relentless gigging, and the live scene has noticed. Support slots with Miles Kane, Brògeal, Overpass, and The Academic sit alongside a sold-out headline show at Glasgow’s Art School (500 capacity) and a London debut at The Victoria in Dalston for The Money Trench Podcast.

Ross Gardiner (lead vocals), Cameron McKie (guitar), Matthew McFadyen (guitar), Kieran Luddy (bass), and Coll McKinnon (drums) are a tight, purposeful unit, and the momentum they’re carrying into the rest of 2026 is real. Festival appearances at The Great Escape in Brighton and Belladrum in Inverness are ahead, with more dates to be announced.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

May 13-16 – Brighton @ The Great Escape Festival

May 23 – North Shields @ A Stone’s Throw Festival

Aug 1 – Inverness @ Belladrum

Belfast Post-Punk Duo CHALK Drop Ferocious Final Single “Tongue” Ahead of Debut Album ‘Crystalpunk’

Eric Alper
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Belfast Post-Punk Duo CHALK Drop Ferocious Final Single “Tongue” Ahead of Debut Album ‘Crystalpunk’

CHALK arrive fully formed. The Belfast post-punk and electronic duo have released “Tongue,” the final single from their debut album ‘Crystalpunk,’ out now via ALTER Music, and it’s a track with an origin story as compelling as the song itself.

Vocalist and producer Ross Cullen explains: “For the demo, I sang the opening few lines of the song on my earphones microphone and that take made it to the final version. I had to whisper because my girlfriend was sleeping beside me. There was something ominous about the track and felt like it would be the beginning of something. I played the intro to Ben and it felt like a ‘Eureka’ moment for us and felt like we had accidentally taken care of the opening track for the album without thinking too hard about it.”

That spontaneous energy runs through everything CHALK do. Spearheaded by Ross Cullen (vocals, production) and Benedict Goddard (guitar, synth), the duo blend industrial dance, electronic textures, and raw post-punk into something that has drawn comparisons to Nine Inch Nails while remaining entirely their own. NME calls it “a sheer bombardment of energy.” Rolling Stone UK calls it “unrivalled.” Annie Mac put it more directly: “I’ve basically never seen anything like it before.”

‘Crystalpunk’ is rooted in the experience of growing up in the North of Ireland, a place where national identity has never been simple. The record encapsulates beauty, confusion, and intensity in equal measure, with industrial dance punk baked into its DNA. Lead singles “Pain,” “Can’t Feel It,” and “I.D.C.” have already landed on the BBC 6 Music playlist and earned CHALK their second KEXP session.

“Tongue” was produced by Chris Ryan (NewDad, Enola Gay, Just Mustard) and Ross Cullen, mixed by Scott Desmarais (Post Malone, Lizzo, blink-182), and mastered by Chris Gehringer (Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Rihanna). The production pedigree alone signals how seriously everyone involved is taking this record.

CHALK head into a massive spring and summer, with SXSW already under their belt, a full UK and Ireland headline tour running through May, festival appearances including Bearded Theory and God Save The Kouign, and a headline slot at Custom House Square in Belfast supporting IDLES in August.

‘Crystalpunk’ Track Listing:

  1. Tongue
  2. Pain
  3. Can’t Feel It
  4. Longer
  5. One-Nine-Eight-Zero
  6. Eclipse
  7. Skem
  8. I.D.C.
  9. Béal Feirste
  10. Ache

2026 Tour Dates:

May 14 – Glasgow, UK @ The Arts School

May 15 – Dublin, IRE @ The Button Factory

May 16 – Belfast, NI @ Limelight

May 20 – Derbyshire, UK @ Bearded Theory

Jun 13 – Penmarc’h, FRA @ God Save The Kouign Festival

Aug 26 – Belfast, UK @ Custom House Square (with IDLES)

Dave Lenahan and Karree Phillips Find Something Real on Americana Duet “Wildflowers”

Eric Alper
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Dave Lenahan and Karree Phillips Find Something Real on Americana Duet “Wildflowers”

Some songs don’t need to raise their voice to make an impression. “Wildflowers,” the new single from Dave Lenahan featuring Karree Phillips, is exactly that kind of track, a warm, folk-leaning country duet that draws you in quietly and stays with you.

The song celebrates love that grows through shared moments and steady presence rather than grand gestures. Lenahan and Phillips trade lines with genuine ease, giving each other room to breathe and meeting naturally in the middle. The chemistry between them feels conversational and unforced, like a story told softly between two people who mean every word.

The chorus anchors everything: “Young love blooming in the sun / two hearts beating as one / talking ’bout forever / how we’ll always be together.” It’s a classic-leaning sentiment delivered with warmth and sincerity, and it lands cleanly because neither performer oversells it.

Lenahan leans comfortably into Americana and folk influences here, keeping the production grounded and the focus squarely on the performances. “Wildflowers” is a song built around connection, and it delivers that in full.

Whey Jennings Hits the Road Hard With the Massive Baptized By Fire Tour

Eric Alper
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Whey Jennings Hits the Road Hard With the Massive Baptized By Fire Tour

Whey Jennings runs deep. The Nashville country singer-songwriter has launched his 2026 Baptized By Fire Tour, a nationwide run hitting more than 45 cities across 18 U.S. states, and he’s bringing his sophomore album of the same name along for the ride. ‘Baptized By Fire’ is out now via Dirt Rock Empire.

The tour is a full-year commitment, woven through festival appearances, residencies, and special events that reflect exactly the kind of artist Jennings is, roots-driven, road-tested, and deeply connected to his audience. Festival stops include the Long Beach Country Festival, Veteran’s Band Aid Music Festival, Buckles n’ Spurs Country Music Festival, NEO Vet Fest, Monsoon Lake Opry Festival, Poppy Mountain Music Festival, and the Lone Star Rally.

Jennings puts it in his own words: “The 2026 Baptized By Fire tour is shaping up to be a powerhouse year and one for the record books as I make my way into new towns and new stages. I’ll be celebrating my new music, my faith and my family on this tour, so make sure you plan to join us when I’m nearby. God bless my fans, I love you all.”

That sincerity is baked into everything Jennings does, and the scale of this tour reflects just how much momentum he’s carrying into 2026. Additional dates and festival appearances are still to be announced.

2026 Baptized By Fire Tour Dates:

May 14 – Ashland, KY

May 15 – Crossville, TN

May 18 – Lexington, KY

May 22 – Forksville, PA

May 23 – Long Beach, CA (Long Beach Country Festival)

May 24 – Temecula, CA

May 25 – Rancho Cucamonga, CA

May 29 – Virginia Beach, VA (Veteran’s Band Aid Music Festival)

Jun 5 – Myrtle Beach, SC

Jun 6 – Campbell Hall Junction, NY

Jun 12 – Dayton, TX (Buckles n’ Spurs Country Music Festival)

Jun 19 – Hinton, OK

Jun 24 – Warrendale, PA

Jun 26 – Cadillac, MI

Jun 27 – Lima, OH

Jun 28 – Lebanon, OH

Jul 30 – Kittanning, PA

Aug 1 – Westtown, NY

Aug 7 – Alden, NY

Aug 8 – Alexandria, PA

Aug 9 – Miamisburg, OH

Aug 14 – Watseka, IL

Aug 15 – Cory, IN

Aug 16 – Belleville, IL

Aug 29 – North Ridgeville, OH (NEO Vet Fest)

Sep 3 – Foxburg, PA

Sep 6 – Bellefontaine, OH

Sep 11 – Sunburg, MN (Monsoon Lake Opry Festival)

Sep 18 – New Market, TN

Sep 19 – Morehead, KY (Poppy Mountain Music Festival)

Oct 16-18 – Ormond Beach, FL

Oct 31 – Powells Point, NC

Nov 6-8 – Galveston, TX (Lone Star Rally)

Crobot’s Brandon Yeagley Brings Let There Be Rock School to His Pennsylvania Hometown

Eric Alper
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Crobot’s Brandon Yeagley Brings Let There Be Rock School to His Pennsylvania Hometown

Brandon Yeagley has come full circle. The frontman of hard rock outfit Crobot, a band with multiple Top 20 Billboard-charting singles and a Top 10 hit with “Low Life,” has co-founded Let There Be Rock School – Pottsville, a performance-based music education center now open at 2300 Mahantongo Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the same region where Yeagley first picked up music and formed his earliest bands.

The school’s mission is direct and community-focused: to prove that students from Schuylkill County can build real, lasting careers in music without leaving home to do it. That’s not an abstract goal for Yeagley. It’s a lived one.

Let There Be Rock School – Pottsville runs on a performance-first curriculum that separates it from traditional lesson models. Students don’t just learn an instrument in isolation. They learn to collaborate in bands, rehearse with intention, and step onto a stage with confidence. Programs cover guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboards, songwriting, improvisation, and ensemble performance, available to children, teens, and adults through one-on-one lessons, band programs, or a combination of both.

Yeagley’s decades of international touring and charting records aren’t just credentials hanging on the wall. He’s shaped the curriculum himself, building practical, real-world pathways into the program rather than pure theory. After years on the road, the decision to reinvest in the community that shaped him was a deliberate one.

The school functions as a creative incubator at every level, from first lessons through advanced performance. Regular live showcases serve as key developmental milestones, and community partnerships keep the school tied to the local arts ecosystem it’s working to strengthen.

Enrollment is open now, with limited space available.

Chris Poland and Marty Friedman Reunite on Nuclear Messiah’s All-Star Metal Album ‘Black Flame’

Eric Alper
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Chris Poland and Marty Friedman Reunite on Nuclear Messiah’s All-Star Metal Album ‘Black Flame’

Some albums are collections of songs. ‘Black Flame’ is something else entirely. Nuclear Messiah’s all-star concept album is out now via Cleopatra Records, and it’s one of the most ambitious heavy music projects in recent memory, uniting 36 iconic musicians across five decades of rock and metal history.

Built around the guitar mastery of Chris Poland, the former Megadeth guitarist whose fusion-driven technique helped reshape modern metal, ‘Black Flame’ is a full-scale metal summit. Produced by Cleopatra founder Brian Perera, Derek Hughes, and Jurgen Engler, with A&R direction from John Lappen, the record opens with a spoken introduction from William Shatner and doesn’t let up from there.

The lead single “Electric Burn” is the album’s climactic closer, and it delivers exactly what that position demands. Poland is joined by fellow Megadeth alumni Marty Friedman and Chris Adler, alongside Blue Oyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard and Ross The Boss frontman Marc Lopes. Poland himself puts it plainly: “‘Electric Burn’ is just that, this song is on fire. Chris Adler is smokin’ hot and the rest of the band follows suit. I mean, come on, freakin’ Marty Friedman is on this track.”

The album’s guest list reads like a hall of fame roll call. Sebastian Bach, Rick Wakeman, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Joe Lynn Turner, Pat Travers, Derek Sherinian, David Ellefson, Bumblefoot, Jonathan Cain, and many more each bring their own era and energy to the record. Covers of tracks from Lucifer’s Friend, May Blitz, Holocaust, and Uriah Heep sit alongside all-new material, each song composed by its own lineup.

Perera describes the project’s core: “Chris isn’t just a guitarist, he’s a spirit of sound. Nuclear Messiah was built around his brilliance and brought to life by an army of legends who share his passion and precision.” Poland echoes that sentiment about the full record: “This record has so many metal icons playing on it. It’s really a must for any metal head’s record collection.”

The “Electric Burn” video pulls footage from Kazy Tauginas’s award-winning film Mirror Life: Modern Zombies, a visual match for the track’s intensity and scale.

‘Black Flame’ is out now. It’s a living timeline of heavy music, and there’s nothing else quite like it.

‘Black Flame’ Track Listing:

  1. The Prophet Of Fallout feat. Chris Poland & William Shatner
  2. Devil Won’t Let Go feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Vinnie Moore, Vinny Appice, Don Airey, Steve Di Giorgio
  3. Death Or Glory feat. Chris Poland, Thor, Bob Daisley, Glen Drover, Fred Aching
  4. Ride The Sky feat. Chris Poland, Arthur Brown, Vinny Appice, Alan Davey
  5. Dice And Thunder feat. Chris Poland, Rick Wakeman, Ronnie Romero, Bumblefoot, Steve Di Giorgio, Fred Aching
  6. For Mad Men Only feat. Chris Poland, Pat Travers, Joe Lynn Turner, Alan Davey, Shawn Drover
  7. Nuclear Messiah feat. Chris Poland, Lance Lopez, Greg Walker, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Vinny Appice, Don Airey
  8. Look At Yourself feat. Chris Poland, Sebastian Bach, Derek Sherinian, Bob Daisley, Mick Box, Carmine Appice
  9. She’s So Evil feat. Chris Poland, Joel Hoekstra, David Ellefson, Don Airey, Andrew Freeman, Simon Wright
  10. Black Flame feat. Chris Poland, Ronnie Romero, Jonathan Cain, Phil Soussan, Glen Drover, Chris Adler
  11. Electric Burn feat. Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, Joe Bouchard, Marc Lopes, Chris Adler
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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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