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Chicago Industrial Supergroup The Joy Thieves Erupt With Blistering New Single Feat. Chris Connelly

Eric Alper
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Chicago Industrial Supergroup The Joy Thieves Erupt With Blistering New Single Feat. Chris Connelly

The Joy Thieves have opened their ‘Apocalypse Pending’ album campaign with a track that doesn’t ease you in. “The Wrong End of Your Rifle,” featuring Chris Connelly (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface, Fini Tribe) on vocals, is out now via Armalyte Industries, a jagged, industrial-rooted broadside aimed squarely at corporate impunity, state violence and the screen-numbed culture that lets it all happen in plain sight. The full album lands June 5.

The track’s foundation is a modern re-recording of one of hip hop’s most iconic breakbeats, “Ashley’s Roachclip” by The Soul Searchers, rebuilt by producer-drummer Dan Milligan with contemporary drum sounds and layered into something that hits with both sonic force and political edge. God Is In The TV Zine called it “blistering and unrelenting,” adding that it “lingers long after the noise fades.” That’s exactly the right read.

Connelly doesn’t soften the message. “When the billionaires are accountable for nothing and force their will by suppression in the streets, we have to become inventive,” he says. “We can’t argue or reason with bullets.” It’s confrontational language for a confrontational track, and it fits the moment The Joy Thieves are clearly trying to capture across ‘Apocalypse Pending.’

The Joy Thieves revolve around Dan Milligan and James Scott, drawing from an 80-plus member roster that includes current and former contributors from Ministry, Stabbing Westward, Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, KMFDM, Nitzer Ebb and more. Their approach produces something they describe as made by “all of us. And yet, none of us,” and the result is aggressive, precise and layered with melody in ways that pure industrial rarely manages.

Produced, engineered and mixed by Joy Thieves Productions at Populist Recording + Mastering in Wheaton, IL, “The Wrong End of Your Rifle” is available now on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

Bill McClintock’s Latest Mashup Pairs “Roxanne” and “She Works Hard for the Money” in Surprisingly Perfect Fashion

Eric Alper
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Bill McClintock’s Latest Mashup Pairs “Roxanne” and “She Works Hard for the Money” in Surprisingly Perfect Fashion

Video editor Bill McClintock has done it again. His latest mashup locks “Roxanne” by The Police together with Donna Summer’s “She Works Hard for the Money,” and the result is one of those combinations that makes you wonder why nobody tried it sooner. McClintock’s quiet thesis, that both songs share more than just a time signature, lands immediately once the tracks start weaving together. Guitars from L.A. Guns’ Tracii Guns (“Never Enough”) and Ratt’s Warren DeMartini (“Round and Round”) add another layer of unexpected muscle to the whole thing.

Head Automatica Hit the Road This June With a New Album on the Way

Eric Alper
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Head Automatica Hit the Road This June With a New Album on the Way

Head Automatica are touring again, and a new album is coming. The Daryl Palumbo and Dan the Automator project has announced a seven-date run through the western United States this June, kicking off June 1 in Seattle and wrapping June 11 in Denver, with a September date at the Bolero Block Party in Meadowlands, NJ also on the books.

The band launched in 2004 as Palumbo’s vehicle to push beyond his punk roots into new wave, synth-heavy electronics and garage. They toured with The Cure, Gary Numan and Interpol, hit main stages at Coachella and Riot Fest, collaborated with El-P and Del the Funky Homosapien, then went on indefinite hiatus in 2012 after two albums. In the years since, the catalog quietly accumulated 42 million-plus streams.

The current lineup brings back original guitarist Craig Bonich, Glassjaw drummer Chad Hasty and longtime Palumbo collaborator Richard Flesh. They’ve released two singles in the past two years, most recently the industrial-leaning “Annulment,” which followed “Bear The Cross,” their first new music since the ‘Popaganda’ era. Both tracks signal a band that’s retained its electronic DNA while pushing into heavier, more textured territory.

A third full-length is expected later this year. These June dates are the lead-up.

Head Automatica Tour Dates:

June 1 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

June 2 – Portland, OR @ Holocene

June 4 – Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post

June 6 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room

June 7 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge

June 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

June 11 – Denver, CO @ Marquis

September 25 – Meadowlands, NJ @ Bolero Block Party

Haircut 100 Announce First Album in 43 Years With ‘Boxing The Compass’ Due This May

Eric Alper
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Haircut 100 Announce First Album in 43 Years With ‘Boxing The Compass’ Due This May

Haircut 100 have a new album coming, and that sentence alone carries real weight. ‘Boxing The Compass’ arrives May 29 via October is Orange Ltd, distributed in North America by BFD/The Orchard, with a vinyl release following June 26. It’s the band’s first full-length with the classic lineup since ‘Pelican West’ in 1982, a Platinum-certified, chart-topping debut that defined a moment in British pop and never really left the conversation.

The reunion gathered momentum when single “The Unloving Plum” became BBC Radio 2’s Record of the Week, followed by sold-out shows across North America and the UK. Nick Heyward, Graham Jones, Les Nemes and Blair Cunningham reconvened at Famous Times Studio in East London with producer Sean Read (Dexys), and what came out sounds unmistakably like them. The groove-driven, horn-laced melodic pop that made “Love Plus One” and “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)” instant classics is still fully intact.

Heyward frames the album around navigation and return. “Boxing the Compass is the traditional way of finding out where you are on land or sea,” he says. “We’re arriving back at the port we left 43 years ago with a log of songs from our personal travels.” Nemes puts it more simply: “We are best mates but also a band. We light a spark inside each other as soon as we switch on the amps.” That’s not nostalgia talking. That’s a group of musicians who still trust each other completely.

‘Boxing The Compass’ is ten tracks of melodically rich, warmly produced pop from a band that earned its reputation the hard way and apparently hasn’t lost a step. On CD, digital and vinyl.

‘Boxing The Compass’ Tracklist:

  1. “Come Back To Me”
  2. “Vanishing Point”
  3. “Soul Bird”
  4. “Raincloud”
  5. “Sunshine”
  6. “The Unloving Plum”
  7. “Someone”
  8. “That’s a Start”
  9. “Dynamite”
  10. “A Wonderful Life”

Post Malone, Kenny Chesney and Riley Green Headline Tortuga Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach

Eric Alper
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Post Malone, Kenny Chesney and Riley Green Headline Tortuga Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach

Tortuga Music Festival is back on the sands of Fort Lauderdale Beach this weekend, and its 13th edition arrives with one of its strongest headline slates yet. Post Malone, Riley Green and Kenny Chesney are leading a three-day event that runs deeper than most festival lineups, with Dwight Yoakam, The Fray, Colbie Caillat, Amanda Shires, Lukas Nelson, Flatland Cavalry, G. Love & Special Sauce, Uncle Kracker and Brittney Spencer among the acts filling out the bill across three stages.

Chesney will also receive the festival’s inaugural Ocean Legacy Award this weekend, a recognition of his longstanding ties to Tortuga and his commitment to ocean conservation. It’s a meaningful moment for a festival that has built its identity around exactly that mission. Since launching, Tortuga and its attendees have raised more than $6 million for marine research, education and advocacy through the Rock The Ocean Foundation.

The conservation infrastructure here is real. Tortuga just earned a 2-Star Seal from Oceanic Global’s Blue Standard for its work reducing single-use plastics and managing waste responsibly. The festival’s Conservation Village gives attendees direct access to marine protection initiatives, hands-on programming and environmental experts throughout the weekend.

The setting makes all of it land harder. Three stages of live music directly on Fort Lauderdale’s coastline, with a sustainability framework that shapes every operational decision, from energy solutions to waste management. Tortuga isn’t tagging conservation onto a music event. It’s built around it.

Limited weekend and single-day tickets are available now at tortugamusicfestival.com.

Suwannee Hulaween 2026 Returns With Pretty Lights, My Morning Jacket and Three Nights of String Cheese

Eric Alper
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Suwannee Hulaween 2026 Returns With Pretty Lights, My Morning Jacket and Three Nights of String Cheese

Suwannee Hulaween is back for its 13th edition, and the 2026 lineup is built to make a statement. Pretty Lights, My Morning Jacket, Excision, Geese and three nights of The String Cheese Incident lead the bill, with the festival returning to its home at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida from October 22 to 25.

The supporting lineup spans electronic, jam, Americana and rock with real range. Ben Böhmer, Big Gramatik (Big Gigantic and Gramatik together), STS9, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Green Velvet, Lettuce, Karina Rykman, Manic Focus, Of The Trees and Daily Bread are among the acts filling out the weekend. First-time Hulaween performers include Dope Lemon, Greyboy Allstars, Guerilla Toss, Jerro and Kasablanca, with curated takeovers from Green Velvet (LaLaLand), Of The Trees (Memory Palace) and the Def: Off Limits Stage adding another layer to the programming.

The festival has also made a deliberate move on pricing. Four-day GA passes start at $469, more than $75 less than 2025, a direct signal to the community that accessibility matters here. The Spirit Lake 360° Experience returns in full after attendee feedback, restoring the immersive walking path that’s become one of Hulaween’s most defining features alongside the forest-set Amphitheater Stage.

New for 2026 are glamping and preset RV pass options, expanded VIP access including a dedicated gate from Meadow Field camping, and an increased shuttle program across the park. Hulaween isn’t just maintaining what works. It’s actively improving the experience for everyone on the grounds.

Tickets and full pass details are available now at hulaween.com.

2026 Lineup (A-Z):

A Hundred Drums

Ahee

AK SPORTS

Anthill Cinema w/ Jon Ditty

Baalti

Ben Böhmer

Big Gramatik feat. Big Gigantic & Gramatik

Caitlin Kristo & the Broadcast

Casey Club

Close Friends Only

Costa

Crankdat

Curra

Daily Bread

Daniel Allan

Dope Lemon

Drama (DJ Set)

Effy

Eggy

EOTO & Friends

Excision

Geese

Gravagers

Green Velvet

Greyboy Allstars

Guavatron

Gudfella

Guerilla Toss

Hamdi

HerShe

Heyz

Hhunter

INVT

Jackie Hollander

Jerro

Jon Stickley Trio

Joy Wagon

KARAN!

Karina Rykman

Kasablanca

LaMP

Lettuce

Levity

Lewis OfMan

Lyny

Maddy O’Neal

Magoo

Manic Focus

Midnight Generation

Minim

Moonstone Riders

Motifv

Mountain Grass Unit

My Morning Jacket

Natalie Brooke

Of The Trees

Opiuo

Playlunch

Pretty Lights

Richard Finger

Riordan

Rudashi

Saka x Fly

Salute

Sneezy

Steller

STS9

Supertaste

Taper’s Choice

The Ain’t Sisters

The String Cheese Incident (3 Nights)

The Yeah Babys

Tini Gessler

Tire Fire

True Loves

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Willis

Austin Electronic Collective XANIMAL and Nagavalli Deliver Hypnotic New Single “The Awakening”

Eric Alper
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Austin Electronic Collective XANIMAL and Nagavalli Deliver Hypnotic New Single “The Awakening”

XANIMAL have released their second single, and it lands in a completely different sonic space than their debut. “The Awakening,” featuring Austin collaborator Nagavalli, is a downtempo trip-hop track that weaves hypnotic tablas, lush atmospheric synths and funky breakbeats into something that feels genuinely cinematic. It’s available now on Bandcamp via New Human Music, with wider digital release on April 21.

The Austin-based trio, Claude McCan, Noëlle Hampton and Ken Christensen, built this one around a deliberate emotional shift. Their debut single ‘Love Axis’ leaned into bright 80s synth-pop energy. This track goes darker, more searching, and the addition of Nagavalli’s Eastern Soul vocals gives it a dimension the group couldn’t have reached on their own. Hampton’s lead vocals carry disillusionment and loss; Nagavalli’s layered vocalizations push the track toward something closer to transcendence. The contrast works.

“She is truly magical and brings so much emotion and expression with her singing,” says Hampton of Nagavalli. “With her vocals, our vision was complete.” McCan adds that the track pulls from deep in his musical history while reflecting the emotional weight of the current moment, a pivot from an earlier disco-influenced direction that no longer fit what the project needed to say.

The video, created by Fumihito Sugawara of Fumanstudios (who also designed the cover artwork), matches the track’s meditative intensity. God Is In The TV Zine called it “electro-pop with a passport and a pulse,” and that reads exactly right. XANIMAL aren’t chasing a lane. They’re carving one.

“The Awakening” is mastered by Max Lorenzen at Rare Ear Studio. More releases from XANIMAL are expected later this year.

BTS Rules a Dark Dystopia in Stunning New “Hooligan” Music Video

Eric Alper
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BTS Rules a Dark Dystopia in Stunning New “Hooligan” Music Video

BTS have dropped the video for “Hooligan,” the latest visual from their ‘ARIRANG’ album era, and it’s a statement. The clip places all seven members, RM, Jimin, Jin, j-hope, SUGA, V and Jung Kook, across fog-drenched dystopian landscapes, delivering sharp choreography against barren terrain, a stark red platform, masked dancers and gravity-defying civilians floating through a dark, windswept passage. It’s cinematic, controlled and built for a stadium world tour that kicks off this week with three nights at Goyang Stadium in South Korea, running through to March 2027 across North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia. ‘ARIRANG’ is out now and sitting atop the Billboard 200 for a second consecutive week.

Robin Ross and The Melodynes Bring Flower Power Back With Breezy New Single “All I Want (Is A Lover)”

Eric Alper
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Robin Ross and The Melodynes Bring Flower Power Back With Breezy New Single “All I Want (Is A Lover)”

Robin Ross & The Melodynes have a new single out, and it sounds like 1967 never left. “All I Want (Is A Lover)” is out now via RPM Entertainment Enterprises, a sun-warmed, harmony-rich track built on buoyant rhythms and acoustic warmth that pulls directly from the flower power playbook without feeling like a museum piece.

The track’s already moving. It landed a featured placement in the Apple TV+ and Peacock original series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” appearing in the second episode airing April 15, 2026. The cast alone tells you the profile of this show: Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman and Nicole Kidman. Getting a sync in that room isn’t a small thing.

Songwriter and producer Robin Ross wrote the foundation of the track around a C-B-Am progression, capturing an early vocal scratch that he and vocalist JoEllen Gaetani later shaped into something complete. “The song is about letting love live without the stigma often placed on those who don’t ‘match the norm,'” Ross says. “It’s about moving past that and letting love flow like an atom in flight.” The track earns that sentiment, warm and unhurried, without overselling it.

Recorded at Baa Baa Leaf Music Studio in Milford, Pennsylvania, and co-engineered by Jonathan Duckett (Philip Glass, Kenny G, David Sanborn), the production reflects Ross’s three-plus decades behind the board. The result sits comfortably alongside the ‘Mind Space’ album, available now on Bandcamp digitally and on CD.

Ross, who co-founded the progressive rock outfit Jack’s Maze in the early ’90s, has been prolific lately, releasing records under multiple project names in 2025 alone. A fresh Jack’s Maze release is also expected later this year.

John Cleese Brings Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s 50th Anniversary to Hamilton

Eric Alper
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John Cleese Brings Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s 50th Anniversary to Hamilton

Fifty years on, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” still holds up, and now John Cleese is hitting the road to prove it. Just For Laughs and Mills Entertainment have announced “Not Dead Yet! John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50,” a special evening at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Concert Hall on Sunday, October 4, 2026, pairing a 50th anniversary screening of the film with a live conversation and audience Q&A with Cleese himself.

This isn’t a passive screening night. Cleese will be on stage after the film, sharing behind-the-scenes stories, fielding questions, and doing what he’s done for six decades: making rooms full of people laugh. VIP tickets include prime seating and a post-show photo opportunity with Cleese, making this one of the more personal comedy events the year will offer.

The film co-written and co-starred in by Cleese remains one of the most quoted, referenced and genuinely funny pieces of cinema ever made. Watching it in a concert hall setting, followed by the man himself unpacking how it all happened, is exactly the kind of experience that doesn’t come around twice.

Cleese’s career has never needed much of an introduction. From “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and “Fawlty Towers” to “A Fish Called Wanda” and beloved franchise roles in Bond, Harry Potter and Shrek, his fingerprints are on a half-century of comedy history. This Hamilton show is a chance to hear him tell it in his own words.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 10 at 10:00AM at ticketmaster.ca. Coconuts are not included.

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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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