Rising Canadian country artist Jessica Sole has released her new single, “Strangers Don’t”, marking her first release with New Motor Records. Written with Patrick Kordyback and Madison Banham, the song centers on the uneasy space after a breakup, when closeness fades and familiarity slips away. The track reflects Sole’s continued growth as a songwriter, pairing a restrained arrangement with a focus on storytelling and emotional clarity.
Speaking about the song, Sole says, “‘Strangers Don’t’ is a heartbreak song about forcing yourself to move on from someone who once felt like home.” She adds, “It’s a really universal feeling, which is why after bringing in the first verse, the song almost wrote itself.” The release follows a period of momentum for Sole, including a #1 single on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country channel and performances at major Canadian festivals and showcases, as she continues expanding her catalog and presence nationwide.
Twenty years into their career, The Infamous Stringdusters continue to roll out music from their forthcoming twenty-track album ’20/20′, due February 13, 2026, via Americana Vibes. With several tracks already released, the band now shares the final pre-album single, “Up from the Bottom”, alongside an accompanying music video. Banjoist Chris Pandolfi describes the song as deeply personal, saying, “This song is my comeback story. After everything shut down in 2020, I was stuck at home and I felt like the world was closing in on me.” He adds that the chorus became a source of momentum, eventually growing into “the first song I ever wrote fully on my own for the band.”
Pandolfi also notes how the track evolved within the group, explaining, “It’s a little deceptive because it’s a very personal song and Travis sings it on the record, but we figured out that his voice sounds great on it, and the music leads the way.” Alongside the album release, The Infamous Stringdusters are touring extensively across the U.S. through the summer, with headline dates, festival appearances, and stops at venues including Bowery Ballroom, Thalia Hall, the Station Inn, the Grand Ole Opry, and The Ryman.
The Infamous Stringdusters Tour Dates: January 21, 2026 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts January 22, 2026 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom January 23, 2026 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot January 24, 2026 – Stowe, VT – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center January 25, 2026 – Portland, ME – State Theatre January 27, 2026 – Buffalo, NY – Electric City January 28, 2026 – Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron January 29, 2026 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre January 30, 2026 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall January 31, 2026 – Appleton, WI – Ice Dance Music Festival February 1, 2026 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House February 11, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Station Inn February 13, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry February 19, 2026 – Boulder, CO – eTown Hall February 20-22, 2026 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House February 24, 2026 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory February 25, 2026 – Jackson, WY – Jackson Hole Center for the Arts February 26, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room February 27, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room February 28, 2026 – Steamboat Springs, CO – WinterWonderGrass March 18, 2026 – Rutland, VT – The Paramount Theatre March 19, 2026 – Poughkeepsie, NY – Bardavon 1869 Opera House March 20, 2026 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre March 21, 2026 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall March 22, 2026 – Providence, RI – Uptown Theater March 24, 2026 – York, PA – Appell Center for the Performing Arts March 25, 2026 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater March 26, 2026 – Southern Pines, NC – The Sunrise Theater March 27, 2026 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival March 28, 2026 – Brooksville, FL – EMS Spring Bluegrass Festival April 23-26, 2026 – Wilkesboro, NC – MerleFest April 24, 2026 – Charleston, SC – The Refinery April 26, 2026 – Greenville, SC – Coach Music Factory May 21-24, 2026 – Cumberland, MD – DelFest May 29, 2026 – Highlands, NC – Bear Shadow Festival June 18, 2026 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Bluegrass Festival June 24-27, 2026 – Owensboro, KY – ROMP Festival July 14, 2026 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman July 16-18, 2026 – Snowshoe, WV – 4848 Festival July 17, 2026 – Hammondsport, NY – Point of the Bluff July 30-August 2, 2026 – Del Norte, CO – Rhythms on the Rio Music Festival
Rik Emmett has announced a new poetry collection titled ‘Leaning Into It: Poems’, set for release on April 7, 2026, via ECW Press. The book marks Emmett’s second published collection of poetry and was written during 2021 and 2022, a period shaped by the isolation and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Structured in five parts, the collection moves between personal reflection and observation, shifting from interior narration to commentary on the modern world.
‘Leaning Into It: Poems’ engages with themes of power, politics, frustration, and hope, using wit and critical distance to examine contemporary life. Emmett draws inspiration from voices that challenge authority through humor, humility, and skepticism, positioning poets and outsiders as necessary counterweights to entrenched systems. The book is available for preorder now and will be released in paperback format.
Earl Sweatshirt has released a new music video for “INFATUATION”, a track from his album ‘Live Laugh Love’. The visual unfolds inside a restaurant setting and marks his first video release of 2026. The song continues the album’s thematic thread through understated imagery and closely observed details, adding another visual layer to the project as Earl remains on the road internationally.
The release follows earlier videos tied to the album, including “exhaust”, “Tourmaline”, and “CRISCO”, each presenting a different narrative approach. ‘Live Laugh Love’ is out now via Warner Records and Tan Cressida, and arrives as Earl brings his catalog to audiences across Europe and the UK after recent North American dates. The current tour stretches through February with performances across multiple countries.
Earl Sweatshirt Tour Dates: 01/20 – Helsinki, Finland @ Ääniwalli 01/22 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller 01/23 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Slaktkyrkan 01/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Amager Bio 01/26 – Hamburg, Germany @ Uebel & Gefahrlich 01/27 – Berlin, Germany @ Metropol 01/29 – Prague, Czech Republic @ ROXY 01/31 – Vienna, Austria @ Flex 02/02 – Rome, Italy @ Hacienda 02/03 – Milan, Italy @ Farbique 02/04 – Munich, Germany @ Backstage Werk 02/06 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Rote Fabrik 02/07 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Batschkapp 02/08 – Cologne, Germany @ Essigfabrik 02/10 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ TivoliVredenburg 02/12 – Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma 02/13 – London, UK @ Exhibition 02/14 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall 02/15 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Academy 02/17 – Paris, France @ Trabendo 02/19 – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Apolo 02/20 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisboa ao Vivo
The Kerrville Folk Festival returns for its 54th consecutive year, running May 21 through June 7, 2026, at Quiet Valley Ranch just south of Kerrville, Texas. Founded in 1972 by Rod Kennedy, the festival stands as the oldest continuously running music festival in Texas and one of the world’s most respected gatherings dedicated to songwriting. Over nearly three weeks, the ranch becomes a shared village where songs, stories, and community take center stage, drawing songwriters, families, and listeners from around the globe.
The 2026 lineup brings together artists across generations, including James McMurtry, Brandy Clark, S.G. Goodman, The Vandoliers, Lilly Hiatt, Jon Muq, The East Pointers, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Jason Ricci, and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters. A cornerstone of the festival, the Grassy Hill New Folk Competition returns during the opening weekend, continuing a tradition that has supported emerging songwriters since 1973. Alongside performances, the campground remains a vital part of the experience, hosting late-night jams and spontaneous collaborations that have defined Kerrville for more than five decades.
SoCal production duo Syence have teamed up with UK project Supafly and London-based singer-songwriter x.o.anne for the new single “Earth Move”, released via Lost In Dreams Records. The collaboration brings together Syence’s melodic house foundations, Supafly’s genre-blending approach rooted in UK garage, house, and hip-hop, and x.o.anne’s vocal style shaped by R&B, pop, and dance music. The track centers on themes of connection and emotional pull, using deep house structures and layered production to support its lyrical focus.
Speaking on the collaboration, Syence shared, “The second we heard the ‘Earth Move’ vocal, we knew we could bring something special to it from a production standpoint.” Supafly added, “Been a fan of x.o.anne’s voice and style for a long time, so creating this song together felt really special.” x.o.anne describes the meaning behind the song, saying, “It speaks to how love connects us together and affects us almost like gravity; a rule of physics, like the earth moving underneath our feet.” The release marks a meeting point between three artists working across continents and styles.
The very first episode of Sesame Street, which originally aired in 1969, is now available to watch alongside more than 140 additional episodes at no cost on their Classics YouTube Channel. The collection includes early installments that introduced foundational characters such as Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and Kermit the Frog, offering a look at the show’s original format and educational approach. The episodes highlight how Sesame Street blended music, humor, and learning from the beginning, establishing a template that continues to influence children’s television.
Brass Against teamed up with vocalist Morgan James for a live cover of “The Great Gig in the Sky,” originally released by Pink Floyd on the album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’. Known for reimagining rock songs through a brass-driven lens” This collaboration centers on James’ vocal performance, which follows the structure and emotional phrasing of Clare Torry’s original recording while placing it within Brass Against’s large-ensemble arrangement.
During a 2017 appearance on Amoeba Music’s long-running series “What’s In My Bag,” Bob Weir stopped by the Los Angeles store to dig through the racks and talk through a selection of albums that shaped his listening. The Grateful Dead co-founder highlighted a wide-ranging group of records, including Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis, Schmilco by Wilco, Blues From Hell by Howlin’ Wolf, Sacred Island by Taj Mahal & The Hula Blues Band, Rubber Soul by The Beatles, The Essential Bessie Smith by Bessie Smith, and two albums by John Coltrane: Africa / Brass and Coltrane. The segment offered a concise look at the jazz, blues, and rock records that continue to inform Weir’s musical perspective.
Danish artist Nina Baun has announced a new EP titled ‘Status’, set for release on February 12, 2026. The five-track project marks her return as a solo artist after several years focused on collaboration, family life, and work in other musical projects. Drawing from jazz, pop, and contemporary composition, the EP reflects on being at a midpoint in life, connecting past and present through songs that address identity, time, and change. The release follows two Danish-language singles and introduces a broader mix of Danish and English lyrics.
The latest single “2 Piece Puzzle” is Baun’s first English-language release from the EP, built on electronic foundations and expanded by her band into a tactile, atmospheric arrangement. Baun describes the song as originating during her time at the conservatory, later revisited and fully realized through self-production. She and her band will mark the release with a concert on February 8 at Taverna Centrale in Copenhagen, with additional live dates to be announced. The EP was created with drummer and producer Rune Lohse, alongside guitarist Mads Nørgaard and bassist Nicolai Claesson.
