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Drone Metal Architects Sunn O))) Bring Their New Self-Titled Album to Europe and the UK This Summer

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Sunn O))) are heading to Europe and the UK this summer, and they’re bringing a new album with them. The Seattle drone metal architects released their self-titled record on April 3, and the upcoming run gives European audiences their first chance to hear that material live.

The 12-date run kicks off June 23 at Rote Fabrik in Zurich and works its way through Antwerp, Amsterdam, Cologne, and across the UK before landing in Berlin for a 2-night stand at Silent Green Betonhalle on July 6 and 7. UK stops include Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, and London’s Troxy.

The new self-titled album is available now, with LP preorders through Sub Pop Mega Mart. The European and UK run follows a completed North American trek that hit Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York, and more.

Sunn O))) are repped by United Talent Agency in North America and booked by Odyssey Booking and Wasserman Music across Europe and the UK. Tickets for the summer dates are on sale now.

2026 UK/EU Tour Dates:

June 23 — Rote Fabrik, Zurich, CH

June 24 — Trix, Antwerp, BE

June 25 — Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL

June 26 — Essigfabrik, Cologne, DE

June 28 — Prospect Building, Bristol, UK

June 29 — Corn Exchange, Brighton, UK

June 30 — The Dome, Liverpool, UK

July 1 — Project House Leeds, Leeds, UK

July 2 — O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK

July 3 — Troxy, London, UK

July 6 — Silent Green Betonhalle, Berlin, DE

July 7 — Silent Green Betonhalle, Berlin, DE

Blues, Soul, and Fireworks: Waterfront Blues Festival Returns to Portland With a Global 2026 Lineup

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Nearly 4 decades in, Waterfront Blues Festival keeps finding new ways to prove the blues never stays in one place. The 2026 edition returns to Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Downtown Portland, July 2-4, with a lineup spanning 5 continents and 6 decades of music rooted in the blues and branching into everything it’s touched.

The Revivalists, Durand Jones & The Indications, Tank and The Bangas, Cymande, Hailu Mergia, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, and Seratones lead a bill that pulls from Louisiana soul-rock, Ethiopian jazz, London funk, Peruvian cumbia, and Portland’s own underground. 3 days, 3 stages, dozens of acts.

This year marks a new programming partnership with True West, one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading independent concert producers and the team behind PDX LIVE, co-curating the lineup alongside longtime Festival Artistic Director Peter Dammann. The collaboration brought in Latin artists like The Point, Fernando Viciconte, and Orquestra Pacífico Tropical alongside blues institution Don Was, a booking the festival had been pursuing for years.

Senior Talent Buyer at True West, Lori Hughes Killen, framed the approach directly: “This lineup isn’t about preservation. These are artists who don’t stick to the script. They collaborate, they take risks, they see where the moment takes them.”

The festival delivers on multiple fronts beyond the music. Kids 12 and under get in free thanks to Buick GMC of Beaverton, local food and drink fill the Blues Bites food court, and the July 4th fireworks show, launched from a barge on the Willamette River and choreographed to a live musical soundtrack, ranks among the best in the country.

Since 1988, Waterfront Blues Festival has raised over $10 million for community organizations. The 2026 benefiting partners are Meals on Wheels People and The Jeremy Wilson Foundation Musician Health & Service Program.

1-Day Tickets start at $45 and 3-Day Passes start at $99, with GA and VIP tiers available now at early bird pricing at waterfrontbluesfest.com/tickets.

2026 Festival Dates:

July 2-4 — Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, OR

Drum Legend Carmine Appice and Cactus Recruit an All-Star Army for ‘Temple Of Blues II’

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Carmine Appice isn’t done raiding the rock and roll hall of fame. The drum legend and his reformed Cactus are back with ‘Temple Of Blues II – All Stars’, the follow-up to 2024’s ‘Temple Of Blues: Influences And Friends’, and the guest list reads like a summit of heavy music royalty.

Returning from volume one are Ted Nugent, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot, Dee Snider, and Pat Travers. Joining them this time around are Deep Purple’s Steve Morse, Rainbow and Deep Purple’s Joe Lynn Turner, Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot’s Rudy Sarzo, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, and many more across an 11-track lineup of thunderous blues rock.

The lead single is a 2-part “Back Door Man” featuring Sheehan, Eric Gales, and Artie Dillon. Appice put it plainly: “When we finished ‘Back Door Man’ and listened to the whole mix, it blew me away. Billy and Eric are amazing together on top of my drums.” That enthusiasm comes through in the recording, a savage, locked-in performance from 3 players operating at full force.

The album digs deep into blues rock’s backbone, with Dee Snider and Tracii Guns tearing through “The Little Red Rooster,” Pat Travers returning for “Moanin’ At Midnight,” and Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley delivering an astonishing take on “Spoonful.” Joe Lynn Turner joins Morse, Tony Franklin, and Dream Theater’s Derek Sherinian for “Bad Stuff,” one of the album’s most layered moments.

The tracklist also carries real historical weight. “Purple Haze” reunites Cactus with Melanie, recalling the summer of 1970 when both acts performed at the Isle of Wight Festival alongside Jimi Hendrix, the original headliner. Oft-described as America’s Led Zeppelin, Cactus debuted that same year with an immediate impact on the live circuit, and ‘Temple Of Blues II’ ties directly back to those roots.

Tracklist:

  1. Back Door Man Pt. 1 & 2 featuring Eric Gales & Billy Sheehan
  2. 300 Pounds Of Joy featuring Ty Tabor
  3. Moanin’ At Midnight featuring Pat Travers
  4. Down In The Bottom featuring Dug Pinnick
  5. Token Chokin’ featuring Bumblefoot
  6. Bad Stuff featuring Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Derek Sherinian & Tony Franklin
  7. Tail Dragger featuring Rudy Sarzo & Alex Skolnick
  8. The Little Red Rooster featuring Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Jimmy Haslip
  9. Purple Haze featuring Melanie
  10. Spoonful featuring Ted Nugent & Bob Daisley
  11. Feel So Good featuring Billy Sheehan & Britt Lightning (CD Bonus Track)

Poison The Well Drop “Everything Hurts” Video Ahead of First Album in 16 Years

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16 years between albums is a long time to sit with an audience’s expectations. Poison The Well have answered with ‘Peace in Place’, out now via SharpTone Records, and the new single “Everything Hurts” makes a strong case for why the wait was worth it.

The track locks into PTW’s signature quiet/loud dynamics with real precision. Moody and metallic in equal measure, it builds tension steadily from the opening notes and doesn’t let go. It’s the kind of song that reminds you exactly what made this band essential.

The accompanying video follows singer Jeffrey Moreira in an almost voyeuristic style. The tension mirrors the music, escalating deliberately, and there are easter eggs scattered throughout for fans paying close attention.

Moreira was direct about the lyrical core: “‘Everything Hurts’ is about the patience and effort it takes to keep relationships alive. I care deeply about the people in my life, but even the people you love can be frustrating sometimes. And it’s important to remember that we can be just as frustrating to them. The ones that stick around are the ones you have a unique connection with.”

PTW are also out on a spring 2026 headlining tour with support from Converge, Balmora, SPY, The Armed, and The Barbarians of California appearing on different segments. ‘Peace in Place’ is out now on SharpTone Records.

Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, and Chris Stapleton Lead a Stacked 2026 Bourbon & Beyond Festival Lineup

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Bourbon & Beyond just raised the bar. Danny Wimmer Presents has unveiled the full lineup for the 2026 edition of the Louisville festival, and it’s the most compelling slate the event has put together yet.

Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Queens of the Stone Age, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, and Hootie & The Blowfish are among the headliners leading more than 100 genre-spanning artists across 5 stages over 4 days, September 24-27 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, KY.

Mumford & Sons are making their first stage appearance in a decade. Hootie & The Blowfish return to Kentucky after 20 years. Those 2 bookings alone make this a festival worth circling on the calendar.

The 2026 edition also rolls out a revitalized Fork & Flask curated by Kroger experience, spotlighting bold spirit and food pairings, local restaurants, innovative speakeasies, and standout bars. The Kroger Big Bourbon Bar doubles as home to The Bluegrass Situation Stage, featuring the best bluegrass acts and line dancing.

Festival-goers also get free access to Kentucky Kingdom, the amusement park that joined the Bourbon & Beyond footprint in 2025 and is open exclusively to attendees during the festival weekend.

Single-day GA Lawn Chair passes are on sale now for $1 down. VIP, camping, and glamping options are available, as are single-day college student passes for $130 all-in with a .edu email. General Admission covers all festival stages, celebrity chef culinary demonstrations, exclusive bourbon workshops, the Wine Garden, and more.

New for 2026, the Bourbon & Beyond Group Reward Offer lets fans pool their purchases. Groups of 10 or more passes earn a $10 refund per pass, and the largest group of at least 50 takes home the Ultimate Bourbon & Beyond Experience.

2026 Festival Dates:

September 24-27 — Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, KY

Jam Rock Legends Phish Hit the Road This Summer With Madison Square Garden and Fenway Park on the Itinerary

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Summer Tour ’26 puts Phish everywhere that matters. The run stretches from July through Labor Day weekend, hitting some of the most iconic venues in live music along the way.

5 nights at Madison Square Garden, July 22 through July 29, will mark the 92nd through 96th times Phish has played The Garden since their 1994 debut there. That number tells the whole story of what this band means to New York City.

Boston gets a 2-night stand at Fenway Park on July 31 and August 1. The tour then closes with their customary 3-night Labor Day run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO, September 4-6.

The routing also brings Phish back to Madison, WI for the first time since 1998, and delivers their very first performance in Savannah, GA. Four decades in, and there are still new cities on the map.

This summer follows the sold-out 9-night Sphere Las Vegas residency that wrapped May 2, and January’s 9th Riviera Maya destination event at Moon Palace Cancún. That Cancún run produced a record-breaking rendition of “A Song I Heard The Ocean Sing,” running just over 40 minutes and landing among the top 10 longest jams in Phish history.

Tickets are on sale now.

2026 Tour Dates:

July 7 — Kohl Center, Madison, WI

July 8 — Kohl Center, Madison, WI

July 10 — Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN

July 11 — Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN

July 12 — Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN

July 14 — Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA

July 15 — Enmarket Arena, Savannah, GA

July 17 — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC

July 18 — Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD

July 19 — Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD

July 21 — Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse, NY

July 22 — Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

July 24 — Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

July 25 — Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

July 27 — Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

July 29 — Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

July 31 — Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Aug 1 — Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Sept 4 — DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

Sept 5 — DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

Sept 6 — DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO

Dance Music Titan Alesso Returns to Stockholm for a One-Night Hometown Spectacular

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10 years is a long time to stay away from home. Alesso is fixing that on June 27, returning to Stockholm for a one-night-only performance at Solliden Stockholm, his first show in Sweden in a decade.

The homecoming carries real weight. Alesso made history as the first international recording artist in Billboard Dance Radio chart history to achieve 2 No. 1 hits with 2 different songs in consecutive weeks. He’s launched his own label, BodyHi, and built a global footprint that stretches from festival mainstages to major ceremony stages.

Recent releases have kept him firmly at the top of the dance music conversation. “Surrender” with Becky Hill, “Inside Our Hearts” with Martin Garrix, and “Destiny” with Sacha all charted, with more music building momentum heading into the summer.

His 2025 festival run was relentless. Ultra Music Festival saw him bring out Nadia Ali for her first live performance in over a decade. At Coachella, he delivered a back-to-back set with Gorgon City at the Quasar stage during weekend 2. EDC Las Vegas put him on the Kinetic Field mainstage, one of the most coveted slots in dance music.

He also joined Grammy-nominated cellist Tina Gou to perform their remix of “Ascension” at the Esports World Cup Opening Ceremony, an event headlined by nine-time diamond-certified artist Post Malone. The range and scale of his 2025 alone tells the full story.

Alesso put it plainly: “Stockholm, Sweden! Been a long time since I’ve done my own hometown show! Is extremely excited to be doing them again!”

June 27 at Solliden Stockholm is the date. For a crowd that’s been waiting 10 years, this one lands differently.

Upcoming Shows:

June 27 — Solliden Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden

Bon Scott’s 80th Birthday Brings a Year of Merch, Events, and Rock and Roll Celebration

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Bon Scott’s 80th Birthday Brings a Year of Merch, Events, and Rock and Roll Celebration

TAGS: Bon Scott, AC/DC, Fraternity, The Valentines, Perryscope Productions, Neumann, The Perth Mint, Reg Mombassa, Mental As Anything, Knucklebonz, Dixxon Flannel Co., Copa Football Jerseys, Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Rick Springfield, Bruce Howe, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian, Anthrax, Bonfest, Reef, Chris Slade, Corey Glover, Living Colour, Jimmy Kunes, Cactus, Humble Pie, Peter Shaw, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Lena Hall, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Derek Scott, DD8 Music,


BLOG POST:

Forty-six years after his passing, Bon Scott still commands the room. The legendary AC/DC singer and lyricist would have turned 80 on July 9, and the Bon Scott Estate, alongside exclusive licensing and merchandising partner Perryscope Productions, has built a full year of events and releases to honor the milestone properly.

German studio specialist Neumann is partnering with the Estate on a limited-edition signature product dropping on his July 9 birthday. The Perth Mint, following up on its 2024 sold-out 1-ounce silver proof coin, will issue limited collector’s edition 1-ounce gold and 10-ounce silver bars bearing Bon’s name and likeness.

Collectible powerhouse Knucklebonz will issue their third Bon Scott statue edition in 2026, based on iconic images from the 1978 Powerage Tour. It follows the sold-out 1979 Highway To Hell edition and the 1976 ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top’ statue, bagpipes included.

On the apparel front, Dixxon Flannel Co. launches a second limited-edition Bon Scott shirt in Heritage Tartan, following 2025’s Touring Tartan shirt. Copa Football Jerseys adds a collectible Bon 80 football jersey, also in Heritage Tartan. Both are rooted in the officially registered Bon Scott tartans, created with Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers of Edinburgh.

Reg Mombassa, legendary graphic artist and founding member of Australian rock icons Mental As Anything, has designed an exclusive birthday artwork available on posters, t-shirts, and more. Additional Bon 80 t-shirt designs and limited-edition items will be available through the Perryscope official online store and Australia-based Merch Jungle.

The Estate has also struck a deal with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to deliver Bon Scott video content to his official YouTube channel. Exclusive interviews with Rick Springfield, Fraternity’s Bruce Howe, Sammy Hagar, and Anthrax’s Scott Ian are among the upcoming additions, each sharing why Bon remains a touchstone nearly 5 decades on.

Bonfest: The International Bon Scott Rock Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary May 1-3 in Kirriemuir, Scotland, with a sold-out weekend featuring UK rock legends Reef and former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade. A pop-up Bon Scott merch store ran at the site of the original Scott family bakery at 19 Bank Street.

The 3rd annual Bon’s Birthday Bash lands in NYC on Monday, July 6. Past celebrations have brought in Living Colour’s Corey Glover, Trans Siberian Orchestra’s Peter Shaw, Tony Award-winner Lena Hall of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and more of NYC’s finest vocalists.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum will host a one-night-only theatrical screening of the classic concert film ‘Let There Be Rock: The Movie’, accompanied by a special limited Bon Scott memorabilia display.

Meanwhile, AC/DC continues their massively successful PWR/UP Tour through South and North America in 2026, with 11 Bon Scott co-written songs in the current setlist, delivered nightly to stadium crowds around the world. The legacy isn’t fading. It’s growing.

Bailey Zimmerman Brings His Multi-Platinum Momentum to The Long Road Festival

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The Long Road Festival has a headliner, and it’s a big one. Multi-platinum country star Bailey Zimmerman is confirmed as the Saturday night headliner for the 2026 edition of the UK’s largest outdoor country, Americana and roots festival, marking his first UK performance in more than two years.

The festival returns for its seventh year to the stunning grounds of Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, over the August Bank Holiday weekend, August 27-30. Zimmerman’s booking follows his sold-out UK and European headline run in 2024, and the return already feels like a statement.

The Long Road has built its reputation as a genuine tastemaker event. It’s the kind of festival that champions artists at every stage of their career, from powerhouse veterans to rising names earning their breakthrough moment. Six stages, all inspired by the geography and culture of country music, from front-porch intimacy to main-stage glory.

Zimmerman’s Saturday night slot sets the tone for what the festival is calling its strongest lineup yet. Additional acts, including Friday and Sunday headliners, are still to be announced across all six stages.

The full festival experience goes well beyond the music. The Long Road draws returning fans for its U.S.-inspired street food, American BBQ, craft beers, the Lucky Dice Classic Car and Bike show, line dancing, campfires, vintage funfair rides, a dog show and pooch parade, family activities, and country-oke.

For anyone who caught Zimmerman’s 2024 run and knows what he delivers live, this booking needs no further convincing.

2026 Tour Dates:

August 27-30 — The Long Road Festival, Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, UK

Warren Tipton, Voice of the Chi-Lites in Their Final Chapter and Father of Freddie Gibbs, Has Died

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There is a particular kind of devotion in joining a legendary group late in its story, long after the gold records and the chart runs and the cultural moment have passed, and simply showing up night after night to honour what came before. Warren Tipton did exactly that. He joined the Chi-Lites in 2018, stepping into one of the most storied legacies in American soul music with humility and genuine vocal talent, handling the majority of lead vocal duties in concert after the passing of singer Frank Reed. He was not there for the hits. He was there for the love of it. Tipton died on May 9, 2026. His age has not been confirmed, but the loss is being felt deeply by everyone who knew him.

The news was shared by Marshall Thompson, the last living original member of the Chi-Lites, in a social media post that said everything it needed to in very few words. “I regret to inform my fans, friends, and family that Warren Tipton, from The Chi-Lites family, has passed away this morning. My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife and family during this difficult time. Please keep them lifted in prayer.” His son, rapper Freddie Gibbs, shared several photos of the two of them together on Facebook with three words that said the rest: “RIP Dad.”

The Chi-Lites themselves are one of Chicago’s proudest contributions to soul music, formed at Hyde Park High School in 1959 and built around the remarkable songwriting and lead vocals of Eugene Record alongside the harmonies of Thompson, Robert Lester and Creadel Jones. Their greatest years ran from the late 1960s through the early 1970s, producing eleven top-10 R&B hits including “Oh Girl,” which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, and “Have You Seen Her,” both of which sold over a million copies and remain touchstones of the era. Their music has never entirely gone away – Beyoncé sampled “Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)” for “Crazy in Love” in 2003, and a new generation discovers them regularly. In September 2021, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Thompson accepting on their behalf in a ceremony that honoured both the living and the long departed.

Tipton’s joining in 2018 was a meaningful chapter in that ongoing story. Before his life in music, he had served as a police officer – a fact that speaks to a man of varied commitments and quiet discipline. He brought those qualities to the stage with the Chi-Lites, earning the respect of Thompson and the group’s loyal fanbase. His death comes just weeks after fellow Chi-Lites member Fred Simon, who had been with the group since 2010, also passed away in April 2026 at 74. It has been a painful stretch of weeks for everyone who cares about this group and its history.

Freddie Gibbs, one of the most critically respected rappers of his generation, has spoken warmly about his father in interviews over the years. The two shared a connection that clearly ran deep, and the image of them together in those Facebook photos – a son and his father, proud of each other – is the kind of thing that reminds you that behind every name in the music world is a family, a story, and someone who loved them first. Warren Tipton was a Chi-Lite, a former officer of the law, a father, and by every account, a very good man.