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Michael Des Barres Delivers a Jolt of Glam-Fueled Proto-Punk Thunder With New Single “Kiss or Kill Me”

Eric Alper
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Michael Des Barres Delivers a Jolt of Glam-Fueled Proto-Punk Thunder With New Single “Kiss or Kill Me”

Michael Des Barres has never needed permission to make noise, and “Kiss or Kill Me” is proof he never will. The British-born, Los Angeles-based rock and roll provocateur has released a searing new single soaked in glam swagger, garage grit, and proto-punk urgency, and it lands like the jolt of lightning it was designed to be. Doused in the rebellious spirit of Bowie, the street-walking swagger of the Stooges, and the sonic seduction of T.Rex, it’s one of the most alive things Des Barres has put his name to.

The single is backed with “I Was Saved in ’64,” a spoken word b-side that transports listeners to the year a teenage Des Barres discovered rock and roll in England and first felt truly free. Molinare’s atmospheric guitarwork soundtracks the time machine beautifully. “London, sex, drugs, B.B. King. Little Richard, young English kids, Mick Jagger, Plant,” Des Barres reflects. “Three chords are all you need. It’s a teenage mantra, with a little help from illegal substances. And flared jeans.”

Des Barres wrote “Kiss or Kill Me” with longtime collaborator Loren Molinare, the Detroit legend known for his work in Slamdinistas, The Dogs, and Little Caesar. The track was produced by Molinare and Richard Duguay, engineered by Patrick Burkholder, and recorded at Pawnshop Studios in Los Angeles. The band is rounded out by Paul III on bass and Rob Klonel on drums. Molinare explains the approach: “We both wanted ‘Kiss or Kill Me’ to have the urgency of ’70s street rock, rough and dangerous sounding. Just guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. I feel the lyrics really focused my guitar playing to be dirty rock and roll.”

Des Barres frames the song with characteristic directness: “Really the song is an anthem of love, love me or leave me. You either bring love to life, or you’re not living.” His résumé backs every word of it. From fronting Silverhead and Detective, to replacing Robert Palmer in The Power Station at Live Aid before two billion people, to playing arch villain Murdoc across nine episodes of MacGyver, to hosting a daily garage rock and soul program on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM, Des Barres has lived more rock and roll history than most people could invent.

Fuerza Regida Make History With First-Ever U.S. Stadium Tour “This Is Our Dream”

Eric Alper
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Fuerza Regida Make History With First-Ever U.S. Stadium Tour “This Is Our Dream”

Fuerza Regida are thinking bigger than ever, and their first-ever U.S. stadium tour proves it. The GRAMMY-nominated música mexicana powerhouse has announced the nine-stop “This Is Our Dream” tour, kicking off June 18th at Petco Park in San Diego and rolling through some of the most iconic stadiums in the country, including Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Citi Field in Queens. This is a genuine milestone for the group and for the genre.

The announcement arrives on the heels of a remarkable stretch for the band. They made history by selling out the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden in the same weekend, a first for any artist. Their “Esto No Es Un Tour” brought música mexicana to a wider global audience across Latin America. Now they’re bringing that same energy to stadiums where tens of thousands will witness it firsthand.

2026 has already been a strong year for the group. Their cumbia-norteño single “Triston,” infused with corrido influences, launched in January and pushed them back into the Top 8 most-streamed artists globally on Spotify. Their GRAMMY Award ceremony debut made waves in outlets including Vogue. They’ve also earned a nomination for Regional Mexican Artist of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and eight nominations for Premio Lo Nuestro 2026.

Tickets are on sale now.

2026 “This Is Our Dream” Tour Dates:

June 18 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park

June 20 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park

June 25 – Seattle, WA – T-Mobile Park

July 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium

July 12 – Phoenix, AZ – Chase Field

July 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Dodger Stadium

July 26 – Houston, TX – Daikin Park

July 31 – Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field

August 7 – Queens, NY – Citi Field

Photo Gallery: Triumph and April Wine at Toronto’s TD Coliseum on April 24, 2026

Eric Alper
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Photo Gallery: Triumph and April Wine at Toronto’s TD Coliseum on April 24, 2026
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
April Wine
April Wine
April Wine
April Wine
April Wine
April Wine

All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.

Boo Radleys Architect Martin Carr Turns a Fever Dream Into Stunning New Single “Connie Converse Is Playing at My House”

Eric Alper
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Boo Radleys Architect Martin Carr Turns a Fever Dream Into Stunning New Single “Connie Converse Is Playing at My House”

Martin Carr has never done things the expected way, and “Connie Converse Is Playing At My House” is proof that he never intends to. The Cardiff-based songwriter, guitarist, filmmaker, and creative force behind The Boo Radleys and bravecaptain has released his strikingly unconventional new single, accompanied by a self-directed animated video, and it’s as fascinating and singular as anything he’s put his name to.

The song grew from an obsession. Carr discovered the story of Connie Converse, a little-known singer-songwriter who home-recorded her own wildly original music in the late 1950s before disappearing in the 1970s, through a true crime podcast. “Within a week I had listened to her songs a thousand times,” he says. “I really connected to her personal and self-effacing lyrics, there is a yearning in her songs that I recognise in my own.” The obsession peaked with a dream: Converse playing in his kitchen on a huge old Moog synth. That image became the song.

The single heralds ‘What Future,’ a new solo album of distracted beats and messy electronics arriving later this year via Carr’s own Sonny Boy Records. It follows ‘The Canton Hours,’ a collection of odds and sods recorded in the wake of his critically acclaimed 2017 solo album ‘New Shapes of Life,’ which Pitchfork called a suave, sophisticated, rhythmically robust pop record, while CLASH gave it a 9/10 and called it very possibly the best thing he’d ever released. Record Collector declared it his finest work since The Boo Radleys.

The Deadmans Arrive With Cinematic Alt-Pop Debut and Wryly Brilliant Single “If Arizona Didn’t Exist”

Eric Alper
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The Deadmans Arrive With Cinematic Alt-Pop Debut and Wryly Brilliant Single “If Arizona Didn’t Exist”

The Deadmans have arrived, and they’ve brought a whole world with them. The London-based international alt-pop collective released their self-titled debut album on April 24th, and it’s the kind of record that announces a genuinely distinct creative vision. Written and recorded across Paris, London, Brooklyn, Silverlake, and Brunswick Heads, Australia, the album is as transient and restless as the band that made it.

The latest single “If Arizona Didn’t Exist” is out now and it’s a quietly brilliant piece of work. A breakup song with no interest in drama, it trades bitterness for something more complicated and more honest, a bashful thank you wrapped in sarcasm and relief. Lyricist LaurenSage Browning captures it perfectly: “Gently indifferent gratitude isn’t sexy and doesn’t often get airtime in the discussion of fizzled out love stories, but I think it’s a very common final-destination emotion to land on for a mismatched pairing of two decent, but gravely different people.”

The self-produced music video, shot on 16mm film on a desolate stretch off Pear Blossom Highway, matches the song’s campy, knowing tone. Harry Deadman describes the intention: “We wanted this video to feel campy and glib to align with the 21-year-old-petulance that this song reflects on. Using the mid-roadtrip-strandedness as a sort of ‘Waiting for Godot’ container, we let sincerity seem cheap and light when framed through the ‘nothing-better-to-do-ness’ of waiting.” Cinematography is by Maximillian McKay, with color grade by Megan Lee at Electric Theatre Collective.

The Deadmans are Harry Deadman on music and production, LaurenSage Browning on lyrics, and Nikki DeParis on vocals. The album was mixed by Jake Black and mastered by Ruairi O’Flaherty, whose credits include Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Lana Del Rey. Their debut single “Nice Kid” already earned enthusiastic responses from Record of The Day, LOUD WOMEN, and At The Barrier. The album is out now.

‘The Deadmans’ Track Listing:

Nice Kid

If Arizona Didn’t Exist

She’s Not Here

Bull

Make Me Prey

Darling

You’re My Edge

Opposite Of Lonely

Cynthia

Tattoo Season

Mason Hill Roar Back With New Singer and Crushing New Single “Twisted”

Eric Alper
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Mason Hill Roar Back With New Singer and Crushing New Single “Twisted”

Mason Hill Roar Back With New Singer and Crushing New Single “Twisted”

TAGS: Mason Hill, Tom Ward, James Bird, Marc Montgomery, Matt Ward, Craig McFetridge, Dan Weller, Scott Taylor, Enter Shikari, Bury Tomorrow, Those Damn Crows,

Mason Hill are back with a vengeance. The Glasgow-based rock four-piece have released “Twisted,” a crusher of a single that marks the arrival of new vocalist Tom Ward and signals a darker, heavier direction for the band. Huge riffs, thundering drums, and a vocal performance that swings from emotive whisper to full arena power, “Twisted” is the sound of a band that’s found its footing again and isn’t wasting a second of it.

Ward describes the song with zero ambiguity: “It’s a mix of grit and melody, a poppy chorus and a balls-to-the-wall breakdown section. 10/10 would recommend to a friend.” The song tackles toxic love with the kind of riff-driven directness that made guitarist James Bird’s original idea impossible to ignore. Ward’s voice wraps around it perfectly, and the result is one of the most immediate things Mason Hill has put out.

“Twisted” and its predecessor “Remember” are the opening shots from a fully recorded second album, produced by Dan Weller, whose credits include Enter Shikari, Bury Tomorrow, and Those Damn Crows. Four years after ‘Against The Wall’ introduced Mason Hill to a wider audience, the new record marks a genuine evolution, not a retread.

The road to this point wasn’t easy. False starts, a six-year gap between releases, a record deal that fell apart, and the departure of former singer Scott Taylor at the end of 2023 all tested the band’s resolve. James Bird is candid about how close they came to calling it: “There have been times over the years when we weren’t even sure we’d be able to keep on being a band. Even just before Tom came in, we were so close to saying, ‘Well, we tried, but let’s call it a day.'” Ward’s arrival changed everything. “When Tom put his voice to some of the demos we’d sent, that was when we knew this could work,” Bird adds.

The UK tour has already wrapped, but the album is coming, and “Twisted” makes a very strong case for it.

Our Nameless Boy Hold Up a Mirror to Political Hollow Talk on Charged New Single “(Not in My Name)”

Eric Alper
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Our Nameless Boy Hold Up a Mirror to Political Hollow Talk on Charged New Single “(Not in My Name)”

Our Nameless Boy have released “(Not in My Name),” the second track from their upcoming EP ‘Thorns,’ and it arrives with both a music video and a sharp political edge. The Bristol alt-rock four-piece have built something quietly ferocious here, channeling the quiet-loud dynamics of the late 90s and early 2000s US alternative scene into a track that pulls no punches about the hollowness of political posturing.

Guitarist and vocalist Iain Gorrie is direct about the song’s origins. “‘(Not in My Name)’ highlights the hollowness I often perceive in political speeches and discourse,” he says. “There are certain things that almost shouldn’t need to be said, and then when they are, it feels like there’s no substance or action to back those words up.” It’s the kind of observation that cuts deeper the longer you sit with it, and the band have wrapped it in a track that demands you pay attention.

The video, directed by videographer and I, The Lion singer Chris Evans, leans into performance over cinema, using mirrors as its central visual device. Gorrie explains the thinking: “We could metaphorically hold these mirrors up to the main character in the song, who is using their platform to publicly denounce the actions of others whilst doing nothing to actually counter such actions. Having little to no eye contact from us as we’re performing highlights how this character refuses to take a good look.” It’s a smart, purposeful visual choice.

Our Nameless Boy draw from Manchester Orchestra, Thrice, and MewithoutYou, and those influences are audible without being imitative. The band is Iain Gorrie on guitar and lead vocals, Chris Brain on bass and vocals, Ewan Simpson on lead guitar and vocals, and Will Purcell on drums and vocals. ‘Thorns’ is out now on Bandcamp and across all platforms, with an EP release show at The Croft in Bristol on May 15th.

‘Thorns’ EP Track Listing:

  1. ’38
  2. (Not in My Name)
  3. Thorns
  4. Little Bird

Upcoming Live Dates:

May 15 – Bristol – The Croft (EP Release Show)

Kathryn Grimm Chases Away the Darkness on Joyful New Pop Rock Single “Goodbye To The Blues”

Eric Alper
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Kathryn Grimm Chases Away the Darkness on Joyful New Pop Rock Single “Goodbye To The Blues”

Kathryn Grimm has released “Goodbye To The Blues,” and it does exactly what the title promises. The Portland-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist delivers a driving, feel-good pop rock single built on a propulsive bass groove, a lilting melody, and a message that’s impossible to argue with. Grimm puts it plainly: “Love and the Blues cannot coexist.”

The single comes from an artist with a résumé that genuinely stops you in your tracks. Jeff Buckley backed her up in her original band Group Therapy. She jammed with Bo Diddley between takes on the set of Rockula. After hearing her version of “Spanish Castle Magic,” Al Hendrix reached out personally to give his blessing. She’s the featured guitarist in Michael Bolton’s video for “Dance With Me.” The Los Angeles Times said she “pummels crowds into a blissful heap,” and Billy Hulting, who has worked with Natalie Cole and Lou Rawls, called her the “voice of an angel who plays guitar like the Devil.” That’s a track record that speaks for itself.

Sandy Beaches Cruise Announces a Stacked Roots Music Lineup for Its 2027 Voyage

Eric Alper
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Sandy Beaches Cruise Announces a Stacked Roots Music Lineup for Its 2027 Voyage

The Sandy Beaches Cruise has announced its initial lineup for the 2027 voyage, and it’s a serious gathering of American roots music talent. The seven-day sailing departs Fort Lauderdale on January 9th aboard Holland America Line’s m/s Eurodam, with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico before returning January 16th. More than 100 live performances across five venues, jam sessions, songwriter sessions, and artist collaborations make this far more than a floating concert.

The 2027 roster already includes Keb’ Mo’, JJ Grey & Mofro, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The California Honeydrops, The Band of Heathens, Paul Thorn, Marc Broussard, Shinyribs, Mike Zito, Lee Roy Parnell, Carolyn Wonderland, Jimmy Hall, Wayne Toups, Jim Quick & Coastline, Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps, Gary Nicholson, Seth Walker, Yates McKendree, Big Joe Maher, The McCrary Sisters, Seth James, Red Young, Etta Britt, Alice Spencer, and more still to be announced. That’s a lineup that holds up against any roots music festival on land.

The cruise follows the sold-out 30th Anniversary voyage in January 2026, which featured Little Feat, Lyle Lovett, Hayes Carll, Eddie 9V, Sue Foley, and many more. StarVista LIVE President of Live Entertainment Mike Jason speaks to what makes the event endure: “The plan is to continue to respect the special feeling of the Sandy Beaches music and fans while selectively inviting new artists and guests to the party.”

Cabins are available now at SandyBeachesCruise.com, and based on the track record, 2027 won’t stay open long.

New York City Renames West 8th Street in Honor of Jimi Hendrix With a New National Education Partnership

Eric Alper
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New York City Renames West 8th Street in Honor of Jimi Hendrix With a New National Education Partnership

New York City has officially co-named West 8th Street “Jimi Hendrix Way,” marking the historic block where Electric Lady Studios still stands as one of the most continuously operating recording studios in the city. The ceremony, led by NYC District 2 Council Member Harvey Epstein and spearheaded by Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., served as the public launch of a new national education partnership with Stevie Van Zandt’s TeachRock, bringing a brand new multimedia Hendrix curriculum to middle and high school students across the country.

The new TeachRock lesson, Jimi Hendrix: Rock’s Trailblazing Innovator and Influential Guitarist, traces Hendrix’s journey from his Blues and R&B roots to his revolutionary impact on rock, sound design, and live performance. Co-developed with educator and musician John Anthony, it features exclusive archival footage from Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., including Hendrix’s iconic 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival performance. TeachRock partnered with NYU’s MusEdLab to build interactive tools that let students experiment with the guitar effects and sonic innovations that defined his sound.

Van Zandt frames the mission with characteristic directness. “Jimi Hendrix didn’t just play guitar, he reimagined what art could be,” he says. “I want TeachRock to transport students into that same sense of possibility and discovery I felt the first time I saw Jimi perform. His story, lyrics, and sound remind young people that creativity has no limits.” Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., echoes the sentiment: “This collaboration speaks to the heart of our mission, carrying on Jimi’s legacy through education. His music is a powerful gateway for young minds to connect with history, creativity, and their own potential.”

TeachRock, founded by Van Zandt with support from Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen, has now reached more than 80,000 educators across all 50 states and over one million students worldwide. The free Hendrix lesson is available now at teachrock.org.

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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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