All seven members of BTS are headed to the Hot Ones table for the season finale, and host Sean Evans has already confirmed what that means: 80 wings, seven chairs, and the largest table the studio has ever seen, a record before a single sauce has been opened. The episode drops April 9 at 11 a.m. ET, and Evans is already teasing the carnage with a wink: “It’s gonna be dynamite. Smooth like butter.”
Public Enemy’s Chuck D and The Doors’ John Densmore Unite as doPE With the 2026 RSD Song of the Year
It started with a chance meeting at a Record Store Day panel in 2014 and an email a year later that read: “You’ve got the beats, I’ve got the rhymes, let’s make doPE.” Twelve years on, Public Enemy’s Chuck D and The Doors’ John Densmore have delivered exactly that. Their debut single “every tick tick tick” has been named the 2026 RSD Song of the Year, and their album ‘no country for old men’ arrives April 18 via Org Music as a limited-edition oxblood transparent high-melt vinyl in a deluxe gatefold package featuring original illustrations by Chuck D.
The project is called doPE, a name Chuck D stylized by combining the first two letters of The Doors’ iconic logo with the last two from Public Enemy’s unmistakable icon. Produced by David “C-Doc” Snyder, John Densmore, and JP Hesser, the album blends spoken word, hip-hop urgency, and raw social commentary into something that neither artist could have made alone. “John Densmore’s beat isn’t just rhythm, it’s history talking,” says Chuck D. “This collaboration is about locking generations together and pushing sound forward.”
The philosophical anchor of the record came early. When Chuck D began sending verses, Densmore responded with a line that became the project’s cornerstone: “Everybody gets older, but not everybody gets elder.” That idea of responsibility, legacy, and generational connection runs through ‘no country for old men’ from start to finish. Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz put it plainly: “‘every tick tick tick’ captures that moment, as well as the times we’re living in.”
Both artists bring Hall of Fame credentials and GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Awards to this project, along with decades of music that changed culture. The fact that ‘no country for old men’ was recorded specifically for Record Store Day brings everything full circle in a way that feels genuinely earned.
‘no country for old men’ arrives April 18 via Org Music. Record Store Day 2026 is the same day.
Track Listing:
Side A
every tick tick tick
no country for old men
doomsay
the bones of my father
i love that i don’t love
people are strangers
Side B
breakthru
ops3ssion
dajali ii
everybody dies
no country for old men (dub)
saydoom (dub)
Finnish Rock Outfit Plastic Tears Give “Bad Ballerina” the Visual Treatment It Deserves
Plastic Tears have released a music video for “Bad Ballerina,” and it delivers exactly what the song calls for. The Finnish melodic rockers originally unveiled the track in late 2024, and the video now gives it a visual dimension built around a character who’s tough, self-possessed, and not interested in being anyone’s victim. Director Eco Inkinen layers subtle visual details against the band’s intense performance to build an atmosphere that’s both compelling and genuinely sharp, expanding the song’s story without overexplaining it.
Ticketmaster and CashorTrade Team Up to Keep Concert Tickets at Face Value for Real Fans
Ticketmaster has launched an integration with CashorTrade that lets verified concert tickets be resold on CashorTrade’s fan-to-fan marketplace at face value or below. It’s a direct shot at scalpers, and it’s built on technology that actually backs up the promise.
CashorTrade has been fighting this battle since 2009, building a community-driven marketplace around profile transparency and peer accountability long before the conversation went mainstream. The platform already has the trust of artists like Phish, Umphrey’s McGee, Waxahatchee, The Disco Biscuits, moe., and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, among others. “What started in the parking lots as a fight for fairness has grown into something much bigger,” says CEO and co-founder Brando Rich. This integration is the next logical step.
The mechanics are straightforward. Ticketmaster tickets can be listed on CashorTrade, authenticated through Ticketmaster’s verification technology, and capped at or below true face value with no markups. Sellers choose who they sell to, and buyers receive a newly issued ticket directly through the CashorTrade app. “Fans deserve more ways to buy and sell tickets at the original price, with confidence that what they’re getting is legitimate,” says David Marcus, EVP of Music at Ticketmaster.
The integration builds on Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange, launched in 2019 to give artists the option to cap resale prices. Expanding that infrastructure through a platform with CashorTrade’s credibility and community roots makes the whole system more useful for everyone except the scalpers.
Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, and Little Big Town Join the 61st ACM Awards Performer Lineup
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards just added three heavy hitters to its performance lineup. Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and Miranda Lambert will join previously announced performers Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Riley Green when the show streams live on Prime Video from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com.
Musgraves makes her ACM Awards performance debut with a new song from her upcoming sixth studio album ‘Middle of Nowhere’, out May 1. That alone makes this a night worth marking. Little Big Town, eight-time ACM Award winners, bring their signature vocal blend to a special performance, while Miranda Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM Award history, is set to deliver what the show describes as a showstopping set. With nominations being announced April 9 and more performers, presenters, and the host still to be revealed, the lineup is clearly just getting started.
ACM Awards Week kicks off before the main event with “ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends” at Topgolf Las Vegas on May 15, featuring Lauren Alaina, Randy Houser, and Rodney Atkins. The following night, “ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash” at Mandalay Bay Beach brings Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Dasha, Flatland Cavalry, Tucker Wetmore, and more. The full weekend is built for fans who want more than just the telecast.
The 61st ACM Awards streams live globally across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video, with the broadcast also available on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and in the Amazon Music app.
Skip to contenOpen Reel Ensemble Turned Wikipedia’s 25th Anniversary Into a Reel-to-Reel Dance Floor Momentt
Open Reel Ensemble celebrated Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary the only way they know how: by physically syncing magnetic reel-to-reel tape with Wikipedia articles to create “Cyklepedia,” an electronic dance piece that turns an encyclopedia into an instrument, proving once again that the most unexpected source material makes for the most compelling music.
Al Green, Public Enemy, Patti LaBelle and More Headline America’s Longest-Running Free Music Festival
Eighty-nine years in, Stern Grove Festival still does what almost no one else does: world-class live music, completely free. San Francisco’s longest-running summer tradition returns June 14 through August 16, 2026, with a lineup that spans Al Green, Public Enemy, Patti LaBelle, Major Lazer, Japanese Breakfast, Violent Femmes, Suki Waterhouse, Charley Crockett, and Bomba Estéreo, among others. Free tickets are available via lottery at sterngrove.org.
The eucalyptus-lined amphitheater at Sigmund Stern Grove draws over 100,000 people across the summer, and this season more than half the lineup comes from the Bay Area itself. That’s a deliberate choice, reflecting the festival’s ongoing commitment to local artists at a moment when independent musicians are facing real economic pressure. “Stern Grove is a place where that joy is shared across generations,” says Executive Director Bob Fiedler, “where thousands of people can come together and feel something bigger than themselves.”
Founded in 1938 by Rosalie Meyer Stern on the principle that live music should be free and accessible to everyone, the festival is now stewarded by her great-great grandsons Matthew Goldman and Jason Goldman. “As we celebrate our 89th season, supporting live music feels more important than ever,” says Board Chairman Matthew Goldman. The continuity matters. So does the mission.
The season closes with The Big Picnic Weekend on August 15 and 16, a two-day fundraising finale. Public Enemy headlines Saturday, followed Sunday by Al Green with The GLIDE Ensemble and Goapele. It’s a closer that earns the name.
2026 Stern Grove Festival Lineup:
June 14 – Peter Cat Recording Co. + Marinero
June 21 – Bomba Estéreo + La Misa Negra
June 28 – Japanese Breakfast
July 5 – Major Lazer + Fijiana + DJ Bad Juuju
July 19 – Charley Crockett + Nicki Bluhm
July 26 – Suki Waterhouse
August 2 – Violent Femmes + Tune-Yards
August 9 – Patti LaBelle + Destini Wolf
August 15 – Public Enemy
August 16 – Al Green + Goapele + The GLIDE Ensemble
Nazareth Dig Deep Into a Defining Era With the ‘Born Under The Wrong Sign’ Box Set
Nazareth built their reputation on grit, volume, and a refusal to stay in one lane. ‘Born Under The Wrong Sign (1976-1979)’, a 5CD box set arriving June 26, covers four albums from one of the most restless stretches of their catalog, and adds 27 bonus tracks including single versions, outtakes, and an alternate version of ‘Expect No Mercy’ that’s never been properly heard.
The collection opens with ‘Close Enough For Rock ‘n’ Roll’, recorded at Le Studio in Montreal and featuring “Telegram,” the four-part rock opera that opened their live shows throughout the era. ‘Play ‘n’ The Game’ follows, with Manny Charlton producing and the band pushing into arena rock and AOR territory with Southern rock and psychedelic touches woven through. It’s a period that often gets overlooked in favor of the ‘Hair Of The Dog’ era, and this box makes the case for a serious reassessment.
‘Expect No Mercy’ brings the heaviness back, with Dan McCafferty’s gravelly vocals front and center over gritty guitar riffs, and Frank Frazetta’s iconic cover art giving the album a visual identity that’s held up for nearly five decades. The original alternate version, spread across disc four, adds a completely different sequence and includes tracks that didn’t make the final cut. It’s the kind of deep archival inclusion that makes a box set worth owning rather than just admiring.
‘No Mean City’ closes the collection, marking the addition of Zal Cleminson on second guitar and a heavier twin-guitar sound that pointed toward where hard rock was heading into the 1980s. Rodney Matthews, who also designed covers for Thin Lizzy and Diamond Head, handled the artwork.
‘Born Under The Wrong Sign (1976-1979)’ arrives June 26.
Track Listing:
Disc One
Close Enough For Rock´N´Roll (1976)
1. Telegram (Parts 1 – 4)
2. Vicki
3. Homesick Again
4. Vancouver Shakedown
5. Born Under The Wrong Sign
6. Loretta
7. Carry Out Feelings
8. Lift The Lid
9. You’re The Violin
Bonus Tracks
10. My White Bicycle (Single)
11. You’re The Violin (Edited A-Side)
12. Loretta (Alternate Single Version)
13. Carry Out Feelings (US Single Edit)
14. Lift The Lid (Alternate Single Version)
15. My White Bicycle (Original Version)
16. Telegram (Edited Version)
17. On Your Way
18. So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
Disc Two
Play ´N´ The Game (1976)
1. Somebody To Roll
2. Down Home Girl
3. Flying
4. Waiting For The Man
5. Born To Love
6. I Want To Do Everything For You
7. I Don’t Want To Go On Without You
8. Wild Honey
9. L.A. Girls
Bonus Tracks
10. Good Love (B-Side)
11. I Don’t Want To Go On Without You (Alternate Edit)
12. Waiting For The Man (Alternate Edit)
13. Somebody To Roll (Edit)
14. Born To Love (Edited Version)
Disc Three
Expect No Mercy (1977)
1. Expect No Mercy
2. Gone Dead Train
3. Shot Me Down
4. Revenge Is Sweet
5. Gimme What’s Mine
6. Kentucky Fried Blues
7. New York Broken Toy
8. Busted
9. Place In Your Heart
10. All The King’s Horses
Bonus Tracks
11. Greens (B-Side)
12. Desolation Road (B-Side)
13. Gone Dead Train (Edited Version)
14. Expect No Mercy (Alternate Version)
15. Place In Your Heart (Alternate Edited Version)
16. Kentucky Fried Blues (Edited Version)
17. Expect No Mercy (Live)
Disc Four
Expect No Mercy (Original Version)
1. Kentucky Fried Blues
2. Gone Dead Train
3. Shot Me Down
4. Greens
5. Life Of A Dog
6. New York Broken Toy
7. Revenge Is Sweet
8. Desolation Road
9. Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
10. Moonlight Eyes
Disc Five
No Mean City (1979)
1. Just To Get Into It
2. May The Sunshine
3. Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)
4. Star
5. Claim To Fame
6. Whatever You Want Babe
7. What’s In It For Me
8. No Mean City (Parts 1 & 2)
Bonus Tracks
9. Snaefell (No Mean City Outtake, 1979, Instrumental)
10. May The Sunshine (Single Edit)
11. Whatever You Want Babe (Single Edit)
12. Star (US Version)
13. No Mean City (Alternate Edit)
14. Simple Solution (Edit)
The Strokes Tease New Album ‘Reality Awaits’ Ahead of Coachella and Beyond
The Strokes have a new album coming, and they’ve announced it the way only they could. A teaser trailer dropped on the band’s social media Monday with four words and a tagline: ‘Reality Awaits’. “In the flesh, it’s even sexier.” No release date, no tracklist, no overthinking it.
The announcement lands as the band has been warming up with small club dates in San Francisco, playing the Warfield on April 4 and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on April 6, ahead of back-to-back Coachella appearances on April 11 and April 18. Festival dates at Outside Lands and Bonnaroo are also on the books. The Strokes are clearly building toward something, and the live shows are part of the process.
‘Reality Awaits’ will be the follow-up to 2020’s ‘The New Abnormal’, making it the band’s first studio album in six years. That gap hasn’t cooled anything. The club shows have confirmed the band is locked in, and the festival circuit is about to find out exactly where they are right now.
There’s more to come. For now, the tease is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
BTS Just Answered the Internet’s Biggest Questions and the World Is Not Calm
BTS sat down with WIRED to tackle the internet’s most searched questions about the group, and the result is exactly what it should be: seven of the most watched people on the planet being completely themselves. Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook work through the queries with the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of doing everything together, and the whole thing lands as both genuinely funny and quietly revealing. The internet clearly had questions. BTS had answers.