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Indie-Rock Veterans Boys Life Release New Single “Always” From First EP In Three Decades

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Spartan Records and Boys Life present “Always,” the latest single from ‘Ordinary Wars’, the brand new four-song EP from the celebrated Kansas City indie-rock quartet. A reminder that all humans should retain a sense of youthful energy, “Always” suggests we should not allow the role of adulthood to become real. Recorded in June 2024 with Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Soundlab, ‘Ordinary Wars’ is the band’s first original offering in close to three decades.

Emerging from Kansas City, Missouri in 1993, Boys Life carved out a niche in the indie rock scene with their passionate, dissonant guitar-driven sound. Comprised of Brandon Butler, Joe Winkle, John Rejba, and John Anderson, the band’s self-titled debut from 1995 and sophomore effort ‘Departures and Landfalls’ from 1996 solidified their legacy. Despite disbanding in 1997, reunion tours in 2015 and 2024 rekindled their collaborative spirit.

Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett Teams With Gibson Custom For Limited Raven Acoustic Guitar

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Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett continues his long-standing partnership with Gibson with its latest collaboration. Hammett teamed up with the master luthiers at Gibson Custom in Bozeman, Montana, to create the Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Raven, a majestic counterpart to the legendary Gibson Hummingbird. The Kirk Hammett Raven is limited to only 100 guitars worldwide through authorized Gibson dealers, Gibson Garage locations, and online. While it shares the Hummingbird’s square-shoulder silhouette, the Raven distinguishes itself with a dark, artistic twist on the Hummingbird aesthetic. Crafted with a Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, and supported by traditional scalloped Advanced X-bracing, it delivers the timeless acoustic tone that has captivated musicians and audiences for generations. Its mahogany neck features a comfortable Round profile and is topped with a bound ebony fretboard, complete with 20 frets and mother-of-pearl star inlays.

This limited-edition model pays homage to Gibson’s tradition of wildlife-inspired designs, featuring intricately crafted double pickguards and a raven-themed tailpiece accent. Equipped with an L.R. Baggs Element VTC +4 system, the Raven is ready for both stage and studio. The discreet soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls offer easy access without disrupting the guitar’s aesthetics, and the additional four dB of output provides extra headroom when needed. Each Raven ships in a black Gibson Custom hardshell guitar case adorned with a matching raven skull graphic and includes a certificate of authenticity and a custom raven-themed strap. Limited to only 100 guitars, each handcrafted in Bozeman, Montana, and personally signed by Hammett on the soundhole label, this Ebony-finished acoustic is destined to become a collector’s treasure. One of the most influential metal guitarists of all time, Hammett is the lead guitarist and contributing songwriter in Metallica. He grew up in California and formed the group Exodus during the birth of the Bay Area thrash metal movement, and his first Gibson was the legendary 1979 Flying V he used on Metallica’s groundbreaking early studio albums. These days, his number one guitar is Greeny, the 1959 Les Paul Standard formerly owned by Peter Green and Gary Moore.

Jazz Vocalist Whitney Ross-Barris Releases New Album ‘Curtains Of Light’ Blending Neo-Soul And Folk

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Vocalist, songwriter, and storyteller Whitney Ross-Barris is proud to announce the release of her new album ‘Curtains of Light’. A deeply personal and sonically rich collection, the album blends jazz, choral, neo-soul, spoken word, and folk elements into a body of work that explores themes of disconnection, longing, and the fragile beauty of resilience. Woven with field recordings from Ross-Barris’s daily life, from playgrounds to thunderstorms, and featuring lush, cinematic arrangements by Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Drew Jurecka and acclaimed pianist and producer Michael Shand, ‘Curtains of Light’ showcases Ross-Barris’s unique ability to merge intimacy with grandeur. The album’s 13 tracks range from the buoyant energy of “Bourgeois Reverie” and the celebratory groove of “Bird of Paradise” to the atmospheric tenderness of “Only at Night” and the sweeping title track “Curtains of Light,” inspired by Ross-Barris’s memory of witnessing the Northern Lights as a child in Saskatchewan. Featuring an all-star cast of collaborators including Amy Peck, Rebecca Hennessy, Drew Jurecka, Kevin Fox, Lauren Falls, Ben Wittman, and a stunning vocal ensemble of Alex Samaras, Gavin Hope, Mary van den Enden, Miku Graham, Michael Shand, and Yvette Tollar, the album shimmers with creative depth and community spirit.


Folk Singer-Songwriter Nell Mescal Releases Highly Anticipated EP ‘The Closest We’ll Get’ With Single “Middle Man”

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Highly-rated singer-songwriter Nell Mescal has released her highly anticipated new EP ‘The Closest We’ll Get’, led by the heartfelt single “Middle Man.” Produced by Philip Weinrobe of Adrianne Lenker, Billie Marten, and Cass McCombs fame, ‘The Closest We’ll Get’ captures Mescal’s raw, organic sound, developed during intimate recording sessions in Brooklyn, New York. The six-track collection offers an emotionally resonant journey through love, loss, and self-discovery, blending tender folk influences with an unfiltered, natural production style. Discussing the EP, Mescal explains, “The Closest We’ll Get is a collection of songs that tell a story about two people and how their relationship is in the grey area of friends or lovers. Each song is a realisation of how sitting in the in-between affected me and in turn affected the ‘friendship.'”

Ole 60 Perform Career-Spanning Set On “Live At The Print Shop” With Coldplay Cover

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Kentucky-born country-rock outfit Ole 60 are the latest guests on “Live at the Print Shop,” the Atlanta-based music and interview series known for pairing top-tier production with artist-focused storytelling. The episode captures the band performing a career-spanning set alongside a candid conversation about life on the road and the making of their debut album ‘Smokestack Town’. The performance features “Let You Down,” “Nancy Avenue,” “Who We Are,” and “Watching Me Bleed,” among others, blending the swagger of classic Southern rock with the sincerity of country songwriting. Midway through, the band adds a surprise cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow,” which has quickly become a fan favourite from their live shows.

In between songs, the members open up about their early days in Hancock County and the whirlwind success that followed their viral hit “Smoke & Light.” They discuss the real-life stories that shaped ‘Smokestack Town’, a record built around a fictional town but rooted in real experiences of heartbreak, small-town identity, and perseverance. Since its release, ‘Smokestack Town’ has topped digital charts and drawn praise from outlets like Billboard and PEOPLE, both citing the band’s mix of grounded storytelling and rock edge. For “Live at the Print Shop,” which has previously featured Stephen Wilson Jr. and Blues Traveler, Ole 60’s appearance continues a tradition of spotlighting artists with strong live instincts and distinctive perspectives on modern country music.

Emma Kade Celebrates Hard-Working Communities With New Single “Blue Collar Man” And Music Video

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Canadian country artist Emma Kade is celebrating her new single “Blue Collar Man,” which is available across all digital streaming platforms along with an accompanying music video. The track has been added to the North Country Spotify editorial playlist as well as the Canada’s Country editorial playlist on Apple Music. Written by Kade, “Blue Collar Man” marks the second single of 2025 from the Invermere, BC-based Métis artist and the second to be helmed by the award-winning production duo of Garrett Ward and Dan Botch, better known as The Renaissance, who have worked with Zach McPhee and Annika Catharina. First glimpsed as a raw chorus on social media, the overwhelmingly positive social response encouraged Kade to finish the song. In its final form, she brings an open songwriting heart and lush vocals to “Blue Collar Man” along with pride and warmth that stem from her very personal connection to the track.

Kade says, “I have many blue-collar men in my family, including my husband. When I was rehearsing for a show, the commotion of logging trucks around a nearby sawmill inspired me to look past the noise and lean into the moment as a song idea that later became ‘Blue Collar Man’ – my own tribute to the hard-working people who are the backbones of many rural communities.” Since initially entering the industry as a multi-genre singer-songwriter, Kade has made a comfortable shift to the country genre with the 2024 single “End Game,” which garnered her Spotify recognition as a RADAR Canada and EQUAL Canada artist and was supported by SiriusXM Top of the Country Radio and CBC Radio, and 2025’s “Watering Can” for which she graced the cover of Apple Music’s Canada’s Country editorial playlist. Additional country highlights have included opening for Canadian country music star Dean Brody, performing with Brett Kissel, and recently completing an acoustic mini-tour of Alberta. She adds, “I grew up admiring those who take on tough jobs to put food on the table for their families. ‘Blue Collar Man’ is my way of celebrating the sacrifices they make and also giving back to those who encouraged me to bring this meaningful song to life.”

Natalie Jane Announces “The World I Didn’t Want” World Tour Supporting Sophomore Album

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Blog Post:

Rising pop sensation Natalie Jane has announced her “the world i didn’t want” world tour, following the release of her sophomore album ‘the world i didn’t want’ via Capitol Records and 10K Projects. The tour visits major cities across North America including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and Atlanta, with performances also scheduled throughout Europe and the UK. Following the success of singles like “fallin,” “girls will b girls,” “how u been?,” and “r u gonna love me?,” the tour announcement and most recent album build on the momentum of her recent dance anthem collaboration “UH-OH!” with Loud Luxury and teases upcoming work with global DJ duo Two Friends.

Rising to prominence through viral TikTok performances, Jane has quickly become a standout talent, earning accolades from TMRW Magazine, MTV Fresh Out Live, GRAMMY.com’s list of 25 Rising Artists To Watch In 2024, People Magazine, EUPHORIA, and Popdust. With over two billion global streams and a 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards nomination, her ascent shows no signs of slowing down as she continues to invite listeners into her world.

Tour Dates:

February 27 – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA

February 28 – Hawthrone Theatre, Portland, OR

March 2 – Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

March 4 – Pacific Electric, Los Angeles, CA

March 9 – The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT

March 10 – Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO

March 12 – Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN

March 13 – Avondale Music Hall, Chicago, IL

March 15 – Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH

March 16 – The Opera House, Toronto, ON

March 18 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA

March 19 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

March 22 – Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA

March 23 – The Atlantis, Washington, DC

March 25 – Neighbourhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC

March 26 – Center Stage, Atlanta, GA

March 28 – The Truman, Kansas City, MO

March 30 – The Basement East, Nashville, TN

Ark Identity Unveils Surreal Six-Track EP ‘Deluxe Nightmare’ With Grungy Title Track Video

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Toronto dream-pop artist Ark Identity, the project of Noah Mroueh, has unveiled his most expansive work yet with ‘Deluxe Nightmare’, a surreal and euphoric six-track EP that captures the tension between chaos and clarity. At its centre sits the title track, a grungy, distorted, cathartic release that transforms a childhood fear into cinematic sound. Built on live one-take drum and guitar beds, “Deluxe Nightmare” includes shouting section cues in the background, a perfectly imperfect moment that mirrors the unravelling of a nightmare in real time. “As a child, I had this recurring dream of flying monkeys breaking through the glass of my bedroom window,” Mroueh shares. “I wanted the title track to sound grungy and distorted and almost claustrophobic at times. I used fuzzy guitars, kept some of the rougher vocal takes, and leaned into repetition so it feels like you’re stuck in a loop or a bad dream that you can’t wake up from.”

The musical palette expands from distorted anthems to more intimate reflections across ‘Deluxe Nightmare’s’ six tracks, with Ark Identity threading dream-pop, psychedelic pop, and alternative rock into something wide-ranging yet connected. The EP closes with its title track, which fades out to the surreal sound of screaming monkeys and their flapping wings, a haunting finale that captures the spirit of the release. “This EP taught me to stop avoiding things that make me uncomfortable,” Mroueh elaborates. “A lot of these songs started from anxious thoughts or moments of fear, but instead of shutting them out – I leaned into them. That mindset opened me up creatively.” The sequel to Ark Identity’s debut ‘ANNDALE’ EP, ‘Deluxe Nightmare’ continues Mroueh’s journey into immersive, all-analog dreamscapes that feel euphoric yet haunting, distorted yet intimate. Named one of the most exciting new artists of 2024 by EARMILK, Mroueh has quickly gained attention for crafting soundscapes that feel both timeless and contemporary.

Bad Omens Announce Spring 2026 North American Arena Tour With Beartooth And President

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Platinum-certified rock band Bad Omens are set to take North America by storm with their headline arena tour in spring 2026. The run kicks off February 22 in Salt Lake City at Delta Center with support from Beartooth and President, bringing the band’s cinematic, high-energy performances directly to fans across the United States and Canada. The tour follows the release of the band’s recent singles “Specter,” which hit number one on Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay and number 15 on Billboard Alternative Airplay charts, along with “Impose” and “Dying To Love.” Bad Omens have earned a reputation as one of the most compelling live acts in modern rock, with shows that blend cinematic visuals, immersive lighting, and precise musicianship. Frontman Noah Sebastian commands the stage with magnetic presence and passionate vocals, guiding fans through performances that move from haunting, atmospheric passages to explosive, arena-shaking moments.

As highlighted by Live Nation, heavy rock is surging in live music with a 14 percent rise and claiming 13 percent of arena and stadium shows, and Bad Omens stand at the forefront of that movement. The band continues their unstoppable ascent following the explosive success of their breakthrough third studio album ‘The Death of Peace of Mind’ from 2022, which earned RIAA Gold certification and has amassed over 2.7 billion global streams. Their hit single “Just Pretend” became their first RIAA Platinum-certified track, reached number one at both US Active Rock and Alternative Radio formats, and dominated Billboard’s year-end charts. The atmospheric single “Specter” debuted at number one on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and became the band’s fastest rise to number one on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay and Mediabase Active Rock charts while breaking into the Top 20 at Alternative Radio.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2026:

Feb 22 – Delta Center – Salt Lake City, UT

Feb 24 – Ball Arena – Denver, CO

Feb 26 – T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, MO

Feb 28 – Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI

Mar 02 – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN

Mar 04 – Allstate Arena – Rosemont, IL

Mar 06 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON

Mar 08 – Place Bell – Laval, QC

Mar 10 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ

Mar 11 – TD Garden – Boston, MA

Mar 13 – Xfinity Mobile Arena – Philadelphia, PA

Mar 14 – CFG Bank Arena – Baltimore, MD

Mar 16 – Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC

Mar 17 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN

Mar 19 – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX

Mar 20 – Frost Bank Center – San Antonio, TX

Mar 22 – Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, OK

Mar 24 – Desert Diamond Arena – Glendale, AZ

Mar 26 – Kia Forum – Inglewood, CA

Mar 27 – Oakland Arena – Oakland, CA

EU TOUR 2025:

Nov 21 – Dublin, Ireland

Nov 23 – Glasgow, United Kingdom

Nov 26 – London, United Kingdom

Nov 28 – Manchester, United Kingdom

Nov 29 – Nottingham, United Kingdom

Dec 1 – Bruxelles, Belgium

Dec 2 – Paris, France

Dec 4 – Dübendorf, Switzerland

Dec 5 – Nuremberg, Germany

Dec 6 – Berlin, Germany

Dec 9 – Hamburg, Germany

Dec 10 – Oberhausen, Germany

Dec 12 – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Dec 13 – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Witch Delivers Full Live Performance At KEXP

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Zambian rock legends Witch performed live in the KEXP gathering space, with the session hosted by Cheryl Waters. The performance featured four songs including “Kamusale,” “Thou Shalt Not Cry,” “Queenless King,” and “Toloka,” showcasing the lineup of Jagari Chandra on vocals, Patrick Mwondela on keys, Jones on guitar, Tommy on bass, and Oli on drums.