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Groove Collective Jacoozy Share Soulful New Single ‘Hurry’ Ahead of Debut Album ‘Still Afloat’

Eric Alper
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Groove Collective Jacoozy Share Soulful New Single ‘Hurry’ Ahead of Debut Album ‘Still Afloat’

Emerging from the vibrant live music scenes of Boone and Asheville, Jacoozy is a five-piece groove collective known for their hypnotic jams, soulful storytelling, and undeniable onstage chemistry. Their new single, “Hurry,” out now on all streaming platforms, captures the essence of their sound – warm, expansive, and rhythmically rich – and offers an early glimpse of Still Afloat, the band’s debut album arriving September 17, 2025.

Built on fluid guitar work, tight percussion, and a subtle sense of nostalgia, “Hurry” explores the push-and-pull of time and self-reflection with both warmth and honesty. It’s a shimmering, melody-driven track that wrestles with the tension between looking back and moving forward, encouraging listeners to stay grounded in the present. With their signature blend of jam-band fluidity and pop-conscious structure, Jacoozy delivers a track that’s both emotionally resonant and ready for repeat listens.

Jacoozy features Killian Wright (vocals, guitar), Will Fentress (vocals, guitar), Pauly Scott (vocals, drums), Isaac McMurray (vocals, keys), and Ramon Garcia (bass). Each member brings a unique musical background – ranging from Southern rock and jam bands to pop hooks, jazz standards, and classic records. The result is a sound that feels instantly familiar yet resists easy categorization. While listeners might hear echoes of the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, or The Band, Jacoozy filters those inspirations through a modern, eclectic lens that’s entirely their own.

Still Afloat marks a defining moment for Jacoozy – a debut album that captures who they are and where they’re headed. Written during a period of personal change, creative evolution, and regional flux, the record channels the band’s deep-rooted belief in music as a steadying force: a way to connect, reflect, and push ahead. Throughout the journey, Jacoozy has remained grounded in what matters – community, intention, and playing with heart. “We’re inspired by that old-school vibe,” says drummer Pauly Scott, “but we’re doing it in our own way. It’s not about repeating the past – it’s about carrying it forward.”

With “Hurry” out now and their debut album Still Afloat on the horizon, Jacoozy enters a new chapter – grounded in their roots yet wide open to possibility. Their music encourages listeners to be present, to feel deeply, and to move freely. For the Asheville-based band, this moment marks the beginning of something bigger – and they’re only just getting started.

Still Afloat Track Listing

Don’t Leave Nothin’ Behind

Spilling

My Old Friend

Tired

Hurry

Early

Tired

Burn

Jacoozy 2025 Tour Dates

10/02 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5

10/03 – Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse

10/08 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle

10/11 – Macon, GA – The Hummingbird

10/15 – Richmond, VA – The Camel

10/16 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House

10/21 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge

10/24 – Raleigh, NC – The Pour House

10/30 – Waynesboro, VA – The Foundry*

10/31 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre*

11/1 – Birmingham – Workplay Theatre*

11/06 – Athens, GA – Nowherebar

11/07 – Greensboro, NC – The Flat Iron

11/12 – Boston, MA – The Middle East

11/13 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse

11/14 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s Downtown

11/15 – Winston-Salem, NC – Wiseman Brewing

12/04 – Nashville, TN – The Basement

12/05 – Brevard, NC – 185 King Street

12/06 – Boone, NC – Boone Saloon

*Opening for Big Something

John Butler Shares ‘King of California’ From Deeply Personal New Album ‘PRISM’ Out This Fall

Eric Alper
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John Butler Shares ‘King of California’ From Deeply Personal New Album ‘PRISM’ Out This Fall

John Butler – one of Australia’s most successful independent artists and a pioneer for a generation of Australian artists, has shared “King of California” today, the third track from his new studio album PRISM (out September 5). “King of California” delves directly into the heart of Butler’s 25-year partnership with his muse and collaborator Mama Kin, charting the ebb and flow of a quarter century of love, growth and challenges. It’s one of 12 original new songs featured on PRISM – formed in the wake of personal tumult and loss, and a creative rejuvenation that led to some of the most candid, poignant and powerful work of Butler’s storied two-decade career. Butler and his new band will also hit the road again tomorrow, for the second and final leg of a major North American summer tour with Dispatch, Donovan Frankenreiter, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Illiterate Light. See below for the full list of tour dates.

Says Butler, about “King of California”: My partner and I have been on a pretty big ride together, constantly evolving and working out what it means to be life partners. With every new phase of living comes a new season of self-reflection and reassessment. We’re here to ground and uplift each other, never to minimise or restrict.”

PRISM marks a bold new chapter for Butler — a formal departure from the John Butler Trio and a return to the one-man-band spirit that launched his career. PRISM is the third installment in a four-volume project entitled Four Seasons. Inspired by a long fascination with New Age music, he spent 10 days in a studio creating meditative music that led to 2024’s Running River, 100 minutes of gentle rhythms and expansive tones. The second installment would be Still Searching, six instrumentals featuring Butler’s virtuosic guitar work, a vital album that brought him back to his earliest days of making music. The table was set for PRISM, a return to lyrics and singing, faster tempos and louder songs – but the tracks Butler had been working on didn’t sit right. It was as if he overlooked the elemental nature of Running River and Still Searching, so he scrapped everything, and started over. 

Butler teamed up with producer James Ireland, a stalwart of the vibrant Aussie indie music scene (Pond, San Cisco), during a period that Butler describes as an “existential breakdown” which included the passing of his father, and his father-in-law, and technical problems that rendered his home studio unusable. After two decades of near constant touring, he was nearly ready to throw in the towel. But what followed in his new sessions is an urgent work from an artist with a lot to say. “It’s a big life, and the world — in many ways — is in turmoil,” Butler explains. “Personally, I did a lot of soul-searching as this record took shape. PRISM is a cathartic release and a celebration of going solo. It reflects the full bandwidth of human emotion — love, death, politics, turmoil, and redemption.” The songs on PRISM double down on Butler’s longstanding activism, cope with his father’s passing, and explore reconciliation and what it takes to fight for love.    

Butler has previously shared two songs from PRISM – “So Sorry,” and “Trippin’ On You,” which has been in the Top 20 on the AAA radio charts for the past few weeks. 

As a musical revolutionary, political activist and environmental warrior, John Butler is one of Australia’s most prolific independent artists, forging his own path to success without surrender to major labels, corporate sponsors, or moral compromise.

PRISM is now available for pre-order: https://ffm.to/jb-prism 

U.S. Tour Dates:

Jul 24, 2025 Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Amphitheater – San Diego, CA +

Jul 25, 2025 The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV +

Jul 26, 2025 The Pacific Amphitheatre – Costa Mesa, CA +

Jul 27, 2025 The Masonic – San Francisco, CA +

Jul 28, 2025 Revolution Hall – Portland, OR

Jul 31, 2025 Hayden Homes Amphitheater – Bend, OR +

Aug 1, 2025 Marymoor Live – Redmond, WA +

Aug 2, 2025 The Festival at Sandpoint – Sandpoint, ID +

Aug 3, 2025 KettleHouse Amphitheater – Bonner, MT +

Aug 5, 2025 Venue TBA – Salt Lake City, UT +

Aug 7, 2025 Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO *

Aug 8, 2025 Dillon Amphitheater – Dillon, CO *

* Dispatch, Donavon Frankenreiter and Illiterate Light

+ Dispatch, G. Love & Special Sauce and Donavon Frankenreiter

Tedeschi Trucks Band to Headline Third Annual ‘Sun, Sand and Soul Beach Weekend’ in 2026

Eric Alper
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Tedeschi Trucks Band to Headline Third Annual ‘Sun, Sand and Soul Beach Weekend’ in 2026

The beloved Sun, Sand and Soul Beach Weekend, presented by Topeka, a leader in music-based beach weekends, returns for its third year, hosted by the GRAMMY-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, who will headline two of the three nights. Known as one of the most dynamic live acts of their generation, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi lead fans through three unforgettable days of music, sun, and soul, set against the pristine shores of Florida’s gulf coast in Miramar Beach. The intimate destination music experience will take place April 23–25, 2026 with a specially curated lineup of friends and favorites joining the weekend. In addition to TTB’s two unique performances, this one-of-a-kind beach weekend will feature daily activities and unforgettable moments with some of today’s most beloved and influential performers in blues, rock, soul, and Americana, including Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band, The Mavericks, Drive-By Truckers, and more. See below for lineup.

Guests booking during the pre-sale will be entered into the chance to win a Meet & Greet with Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and the entire Tedeschi Trucks Band. All guests who book in the pre-sale will receive the first chance at the Best Seating and Early Bird Pricing. Presale registration is open now. Visit https://sunsandsoul.topeka.live to sign up and view pricing.

Sun, Sand and Soul 2026 Lineup:

Thursday, April 23

●     Tedeschi Trucks Band

●     Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band

●     Honey Hounds

Friday, April 24

●     Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

●     Drive-By Truckers

●     Elles Bailey

Saturday, April 25

●     Tedeschi Trucks Band

●     The Mavericks

●     Jaime Wyatt

“This weekend has become one of the highlights of our year,” shares Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. “Sun, Sand and Soul is about music, connection, and collaboration. We are proud and excited to bring it back in 2026. Hope to see you there.”

Following two consecutive years, Sun, Sand and Soul has earned rave reviews from both fans and artists alike.

“It felt like we were part of something special. Sunsets, ocean air, and music that hit your soul…everything was amazing and so easy… we’ll be back every year,” shared one 2025 guest.

Another added, “It’s not just a festival—it’s a community. Seeing TTB up close just off the beach with other fans who share our same passions was unforgettable.”

Designed to redefine the live music experience, Topeka artist-curated vacations make it easy for guests to enjoy shows from the comfort of their own reserved, personal “coves,” with walkable beachside accommodations and on-demand delivery of food, beverages, and merch in five minutes or less. The 5,500-capacity venue is just steps from white-sand beaches, combining hospitality, connection, and music in a seamless vacation format.

Packages include luxury resort accommodations, full event access, and exclusive fan experiences like beachfront performances and artist-led activities. A limited number of music-only passes will be available for local guests or those wishing to book their own accommodations.

Tedeschi Trucks Band (TTB) is a GRAMMY Award-winning 12-piece rock and soul powerhouse that holds the well-deserved reputation as one of the best live acts touring today. Led by husband & wife, guitarist Derek Trucks and singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, “two of the best roots rock musicians of their generation” (NPR), TTB is known for its world-class musicianship and contemporary blend of a wide range of American musical influences that define their extensive catalog.

Since forming in 2010, TTB’s caravan has traveled countless miles to bring their music to audiences around the world. With a large catalog that spans rock, blues, jazz and even country, no setlist is ever the same, leaving their ever-growing fan base of all-ages returning again and again for electrifying performances. In the fall of 2023, Tedeschi Trucks Band played a pair of career-defining arena shows at TD Garden in Boston and a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City. Dubbed “The Garden Parties” the pair of gigs saw praise from Relix, who raved of the group’s “seasoned grace and artistry.” The band’s shows are an eagerly anticipated highlight of the live music calendar — “nothing short of exhilarating” (Salon) — from sold-out multi-night residencies across America to tours through Europe and Japan, to their flagship annual summer amphitheater tours. On top of an 82-show tour in 2024, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi performed at the Kennedy Center Honors in December, honoring Bonnie Raitt, Grateful Dead, and more.

The band continues to tour behind their 2022 release, I Am The Moon, TTB’s fifth and most ambitious studio project to date. Written while off the road during the pandemic, I Am The Moon captures a prolific and collaborative songwriting period for TTB that was inspired by an ancient poem of star-crossed lovers, “Layla and Majnun.” I Am The Moon includes four albums, I. Crescent, II. Ascension, III. The Fall, IV. Farewell and four companion films – delivering more than two hours of music that unfold across a robust tapestry of genre-defying explorations and propel the treasured American ensemble into new and thrilling creative territory. I Am The Moon joins an impressive studio discography that includes Signs (2019), High & Mighty EP (2019), Let Me Get By (2016), Made Up Mind (2013), and the Grammy-winning debut, Revelator (2011) in addition to their live releases, Layla Revisited (Live At LOCKN’) featuring Trey Anastasio (2021), the GRAMMY-nominated film/audio, Live From The Fox Oakland (2017), and 2012’s Everybody’s Talkin’. 

Tedeschi Trucks Band is Susan Tedeschi (guitar, vocals), Derek Trucks (guitar), Gabe Dixon (keyboards, vocals), Brandon Boone (bass), Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (drums), Isaac Eady (drums), Mike Mattison (vocals), Mark Rivers (vocals), Alecia Chakour (vocals), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Ephraim Owens (trumpet) and Elizabeth Lea (trombone).

5 Surprising Facts About The Flying Burrito Brothers’ ‘The Gilded Palace of Sin’

Eric Alper
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5 Surprising Facts About The Flying Burrito Brothers’ ‘The Gilded Palace of Sin’

The Flying Burrito Brothers’ The Gilded Palace of Sin was stitched together with sequins, heartbreak, pedal steel, and amp buzz—and its strange country-soul alchemy still echoes today. In 1969, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman fused genres and crash-tested them in Nudie suits under the California sun. The record flopped, but became legend. Here are five peculiar facts hiding beneath all that rhinestone shimmer.

1. The “Hot Burrito” Suite Was Born in One Night—and One Nap
Bassist Chris Ethridge played Gram a few old melodies from his Mississippi childhood. The two wrote “Hot Burrito #1” and “#2” on the spot, then cut them in the studio that night. Meanwhile, “Sin City” arrived just as suddenly: Hillman woke Gram up from a nap, shouted “get up, we’ve got a song,” and thirty minutes later, they had a country dirge for a crumbling world.

2. Sneaky Pete Kleinow Played Steel Guitar Like a Gumby-Warping Alien
You’ve never heard pedal steel like this. Kleinow, who also animated Gumby, ran his steel through fuzzboxes and Leslie speakers, using bizarre jazz tunings instead of country ones. He was a claymation cowboy with a space-age soul, and his cosmic textures made the record shimmer with heatstroke weirdness.

3. Gram’s Nudie Suit Was a Technicolor Confession
Parsons’ infamous suit was a patchwork of poppies, weed leaves, naked women, and pills. Designed by Nudie Cohn, it was a stitched-up fever dream of vice and vulnerability. That flaming red cross on the back? Salvation by style. The thing now lives at the Country Music Hall of Fame, where it still makes the mannequins nervous.

4. “Hippie Boy” Is a Drunken Utopia Hidden in Spoken Word
Hillman had to pretend to be both a redneck and a hippie for this surreal narrative track. Parsons insisted he drink scotch before recording the part—grass wouldn’t cut it. The final chorus dissolves into a hazy hymn, “Peace in the Valley,” sung by a band barely holding it together. For a record so full of longing, it ends like a barroom prayer.

5. Everyone Thought the Album Was a Mess—And That’s Why It Matters
Producer Larry Marks called himself a “hall monitor” just making sure the album got finished. Parsons and Hillman split harmonies into stereo channels so you’d feel like an angel and a devil were singing into each ear. Some called it sloppy. Others, like Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello, called it genius. Either way, it launched alt-country, changed everything, and only sold 50,000 copies. Go figure.

The Gilded Palace of Sin is cosmic even when it’s crooked. It’s what happens when bluegrass ghosts, Bakersfield barflies, and Laurel Canyon burnouts throw a hootenanny in the desert and someone brings mushrooms instead of whiskey. Long may it shimmer.

5 Surprising Facts About Jason Isbell’s ‘Southeastern’

Eric Alper
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5 Surprising Facts About Jason Isbell’s ‘Southeastern’

Jason Isbell’s Southeastern isn’t all moonshine and melancholy—it’s a reckoning in guitar and ink, a quiet triumph that broke hearts wide open and stitched them up in the same breath. Made in the wake of rehab and recorded right before his wedding, it’s a record that whispers hard truths, even when it burns to speak them aloud. Let’s pour over five lesser-known stories humming beneath the surface.

1. The Album Was Nearly Produced by Ryan Adams—Until It Wasn’t
Isbell initially tapped Ryan Adams to produce Southeastern, but once Adams heard the demos, he backed out. Isbell suspected it was disappointment, then decided maybe Adams was simply rattled by how strong the material was. Either way, he handed the wheel to Dave Cobb—thank God—and the record found its soul in a single-take philosophy that left no room for second-guessing.

2. “Cover Me Up” Was So Personal, He Nearly Couldn’t Sing It
The opener is a gut-punch ballad written for Amanda Shires, Isbell’s wife, muse, and lifeboat. He said getting through the first performance of it almost broke him. There’s no metaphor for the love in this song—it’s raw, exposed nerve. It begins a record that doesn’t blink once, even when it hurts like hell.

3. The Title Comes from an Alabama Factory Dungeon
Southeastern may sound like a geographic nod, but it’s actually named after a grim tool-and-die shop where Isbell’s dad worked—“a dungeon,” he called it. Reclaiming that name, he carved something luminous out of its shadow. That’s the heart of this record: finding light inside the rust.

4. “Elephant” Is a Masterclass in Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
This track doesn’t sugarcoat a single word about watching someone die. It’s brutal, beautiful, and delicate all at once. Isbell said if you’re not getting choked up while singing it, you’re doing it wrong. “Elephant” walks the tightrope between grief and intimacy like only a sober songwriter could.

5. There’s Humor Hiding in the Hurt
Just when you think it’s all sorrow and southern gothic ache, along comes “Super 8” with its bleary-eyed comedy. Sobriety doesn’t erase chaos, it reframes it—and this track leans into the absurdity of it all. Isbell wanted to remind us that even in the rubble, there’s room for a laugh. And a loud one, at that.

Southeastern is a record made by a man who walked through fire and took notes. It’s the sound of clarity hard-won, love wide-open, and a voice that had something true to say—for the first time, and every time after. Listen close. The honesty hums in every corner.

5 Surprising Facts About Sinéad O’Connor’s ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’

Eric Alper
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5 Surprising Facts About Sinéad O’Connor’s ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’

Ah now, sure we all know Nothing Compares 2 U melted hearts from Clonakilty to California, but Sinéad’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got is more than just one song. It’s a howl, a whisper, a slap to the face of anyone peddling pretense. And as any Irish mother might say, “There’s layers in that one, pet.” So pour a cuppa (or a pint), and let’s dig into five quiet marvels you might not know about this iconic album.

1. She Opened the Album With a Prayer—No, Seriously
The first words you hear on the album aren’t sung—they’re spoken. Sinéad recites the Serenity Prayer like she’s standing barefoot in a chapel, eyes closed, fists clenched. It’s a mission statement. Before the music even kicks in, she’s telling you this record is about surrender, strength, and sorting yourself out.

2. One Song Is Rooted in a 17th-Century Irish Graveyard
“I Am Stretched on Your Grave” might sound like a modern lament set to breakbeats, but its bones are ancient. The lyrics come from a 1600s Irish poem, translated by Frank O’Connor, and paired with a loop from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer.” Leave it to Sinéad to lace history with hip-hop, and turn mourning into a mystic rave.

3. Her Vocals on “Nothing Compares 2 U” Were Done in a Single Take
No warm-ups, no ten takes, no auto-tuning wizardry. Just one go, double-tracked. Sinéad told the engineer: don’t you dare compress it. The voice you hear is untouched, unfiltered, and coming straight from the depths of real pain. It’s the sound of a woman singing to a ghost—and daring the world to listen.

4. She Refused Her Grammy—Then Wrote the Industry a Scalding Letter
Winning Best Alternative Music Performance at the 1991 Grammys should’ve been a crown jewel moment. But Sinéad, never one for crowns, said no thanks. Instead, she blasted the Recording Academy for rewarding commercialism over truth. She didn’t just turn down the trophy—she chucked it straight out the window, letter attached.

5. A Dance Remix on the Album Features a Mad Lust Monologue
“Jump in the River” features the one and only Karen Finley delivering a sexually explicit spoken-word piece that could make the saints blush. It’s filthy, feminist, and fearless. The track, originally from Married to the Mob, slinks into the album’s second half like a naughty grin, reminding us that Sinéad’s artistry has always swum in dangerous waters.

Sinéad O’Connor made emotional detonations wrapped in melody. I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got is more than a breakup record or a political statement. It’s a sacred text for the bruised and brave. So light a candle, crank the volume, and remember: nothing compares, indeed.

5 Surprising Facts About Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Pretty Hate Machine’

Eric Alper
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5 Surprising Facts About Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Pretty Hate Machine’

Before it fueled angsty bedroom rituals and dancefloor nihilism, Pretty Hate Machine slipped into the world like a glitch in the Matrix—raw, furious, and painfully pretty. In 1989, Nine Inch Nails emerged not with a whisper, but a fully electrified scream. Let’s rip into five facts you (probably) didn’t know about this industrial touchstone—and don’t worry, you can dance to them.

1. “Down in It” Was Inspired by Skinny Puppy—and Nursery Rhymes
Trent Reznor’s debut single Down in It was his first stab at writing a song—and it was directly modeled after Skinny Puppy’s Dig It. Industrial homage? Yes. But the outro? A twisted take on Rain Rain Go Away. Because why not throw in a children’s rhyme to cap off your descent into emotional ruin?

2. The Drum Fills Are Frankenstein’d Samples From Other Songs
Almost every fill on “Terrible Lie” was lifted from other tracks, warped, reversed, and made unrecognizable. Reznor didn’t have time to collect pristine drum sounds, so he chopped up Public Enemy loops and EQ’d the hell out of them. The result? A mechanical heartbeat stitched together from sonic corpses.

3. “Head Like a Hole” Was Written in 15 Minutes
Yeah, fifteen minutes. Reznor banged it out in his bedroom just before Flood showed up to the studio post-Violator. With its apocalyptic synths and boot-stomping rage, you’d never guess it came together faster than your morning coffee. But anger, it turns out, is a pretty efficient muse.

4. The Original Cover Art Is a Turbine Masquerading as a Rib Cage
Designed by Gary Talpas, the OG cover looks like vertebrae bathed in neon gloom—but it’s actually a turbine, stretched until it screams. When the original art vanished, Rob Sheridan had to reverse-engineer it pixel by pixel for the 2010 reissue. Even the artwork has a resurrection arc. How NIN is that?

5. “Sin” Quietly Samples Clive Barker and Queen
If you thought “Sin” couldn’t get weirder, it includes dialogue from The Cabinet of Caligari, a line from Clive Barker’s Books of Blood, and—wait for it—a Queen cover. Their take on Get Down, Make Love is buried in the single release, complete with a cheeky We Will Rock You sample at the end. Industrial meets glam? Sin never sounded so sweet.

Thirty-five years on, Pretty Hate Machine still pulses like a haunted mainframe—glitchy, ghostly, and genre-defining. Reznor made heartbreak sound like a malfunctioning robot crying in an alley, and somehow, we all related. File under: Eternal. Mood: Corrupted. Recommended dosage: Daily.

Morgan James Turns ‘Thunderstruck’ Into a Soul Shaker Ahead of Genre-Defying Album ‘Soul Remains The Same’

Eric Alper
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Morgan James Turns ‘Thunderstruck’ Into a Soul Shaker Ahead of Genre-Defying Album ‘Soul Remains The Same’

Called “a phenomenal talent whose feel for classic soul music is bone‑deep” by The New York Times, powerhouse vocalist, former Broadway lead, and Juilliard alum Morgan James is back with her boldest concept album yet. Soul Remains The Same (out August 8) drags some of the loudest, heaviest songs of the last four decades—by Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Metallica, and more—straight onto the sweaty soul floor, where horns pop, Hammond organs whirl, and James’ voice testifies with unflinching fire.

The first taste arrives today with her reimagining of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” recast as a Motown-fueled funk workout that sounds like 1960s Aretha stepping into the studio with Angus Young. A video for the track is out now.

“In making this album, I fell in love with these songs all over again,” James says. “When a woman inhabits them—emotionally, vocally, lyrically—they reveal entirely new colors and powers. I hope people hear them with fresh ears, the way I did while recording.”

Soul Remains The Same extends James’ ever-growing catalog of daring, full-album reinterpretations. Alongside five LPs of original music, she’s previously tackled Jeff Buckley’s Grace, D’Angelo’s Black Messiah, The Beatles’ White Album, and—most audaciously—Jesus Christ Superstar, performed by an all-female cast (Cynthia Erivo, Shoshana Bean, Ledisi, Bridget Everett, and more) with an all-female production team and symphony orchestra.

Currently in the midst of a wide-ranging tour that swings from symphony halls to jazz clubs, James treats her career like an open canvas—genreless, fearless, and soul-forward in everything she creates.

Morgan James — 2025 Tour Dates

(* indicates two sets)

June
6/28 – Aspen, CO – Aspen Art Museum

July
7/4 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
7/12 – Park City, UT – Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater
7/22 – Detroit, MI – Orchestra Hall
7/24 – East Lansing, MI – MSU Federal Credit Union Headquarters
7/29 – Lancaster, OH – Lancaster Festival at Wendel Concert Stage

August
8/8 – Charlotte, NC – Middle C Jazz Club*
8/10 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Strings Music Pavilion
8/14 – New York, NY – Dizzy’s Club*
8/15 – New York, NY – Dizzy’s Club*
8/24 – Reno, NV – Nightingale Concert Hall
8/25 – Incline Village, NV – Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Nevada State Park
8/31 – Budapest, Hungary – Béla Bartók National Concert Hall

September
9/5 – New Albany, OH – Hinson Amphitheater
9/7 – Brampton, ON – The Rose Brampton
9/9 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
9/10 – Montréal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount

October
10/3 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre

November
11/15 – Buffalo, NY – Kleinhans Music Hall

December
12/18 – Newport News, VA – Ferguson Center for the Arts

Ozric Tentacles Pay Psychedelic Tribute to Melanie With Reimagined ‘California Dreaming’

Eric Alper
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Ozric Tentacles Pay Psychedelic Tribute to Melanie With Reimagined ‘California Dreaming’

In June 1971, Melanie was among the most eagerly awaited headliners at the Glastonbury Fayre – the free festival predecessor of the modern Glasto beanfeast, and an event oft-described today as the climax of the British underground, both musically and culturally.
 
Melanie was sharing the stage with some of the movement’s most significant acts, including Hawkwind, the Edgar Broughton Band, Traffic, Arthur Brown, Gong and David Bowie, and since her death in January 2024, several of her fellow counter-culture travelers have paid their own musical tributes to her, among them Terry Reid (the man who turned down Led Zeppelin!) and the Pink Fairies.  
 
Now, Ozric Tentacles, long-running heirs to that same cultural throne (and veterans themselves of later Glastonbury events), step forward with their own appreciation of Melanie, layering their unmistakable textures and tones around what the New York Post once described as her “hauntingly beautiful” rendition of “California Dreaming,”  released today on all digital platforms.

The Post continued, “Melanie’s strange phrasing allows her to get nuances out of songs”; while the Boston Globe credited her with “an impassioned vocal that gives the song [a] poignancy that the Mamas and the Papas’ smooth harmonies could not pin down.”


Those were the qualities that drew Ozric Tentacles multi-instrumentalist leader Ed Wynne to the performance.

Melanie’s original recording of “California Dreaming” came about completely by accident. “We didn’t even know we were going to do it, or that [it was being] record[ed],” she recalled in 2023. Pianist Richard Tee “was just doodling on the piano one day, and he started playing that song, so I joined in, and that was all there was to it.  Then [we] played it back and – that has to go on the album.”
 
With Tees’ piano the only thing standing between Melanie and an a capella vocal, “California Dreaming” emerged one of the most powerful, and moving, vocal performances of her entire career – as the Los Angeles Times noted when it described her as “a distinctive vocalist whose wistful, raggedy style has taken on a note of fully developed authority.”
 
Ozric Tentacles’ contributions only amplify those qualities, even as they reach back in time to recapture the radical outlaw status that the young Melanie brought to the festival circuit.

On record, it is true, she was rarely permitted to disrupt the “whimsical hippy chick” imagery that the media had draped across her.  On stage, however, she purposefully overlooked her best known songs; defiantly flaunted live venues’ insistence that audiences sit quietly throughout her performances; and effortlessly captivated everyone from stoners to Hell’s Angels with voice and acoustic guitar alone.

In fact, just moments before she was called onstage at Glastonbury, Melanie was sitting in front of the stage, drinking homemade beer with a bunch of bikers.  “You see it in the movie, I hoisted myself up onstage from the front, and that’s when I was drinking the beer that these guys made….”

It was an attitude with which Ozric Tentacles themselves have forever identified.  Formed at the 1983 Stonehenge free festival by a handful of teenaged friends, the Ozrics – like Melanie – were most at home amongst what they called “their own people”; that is, those who regarded making and listening to music as a fundamental human right, not a business proposition.
 
They still are, they still do. And the biggest surprise about “California Dreaming” is not that the band have so happily turned their attention to Melanie, but that it took them so long to do so!

Zimmer90 Share ‘Feel Myself’ and ‘Wait For You’ as Final Previews of Dreamy Indie-Electro Debut ‘Interior’

Eric Alper
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Zimmer90 Share ‘Feel Myself’ and ‘Wait For You’ as Final Previews of Dreamy Indie-Electro Debut ‘Interior’

One of Germany’s most promising indie-electro pop acts, Zimmer90 – made up of friends Joscha Becker and Finn Gronemeyer – drop two new tracks, ‘Feel Myself’ and ‘Wait For You’, offering the final glimpses into their anticipated forthcoming debut album, Interior, out in September.

Both tracks sit comfortably within the soulful, dreamy, disco-tinged indie-dance sound established on the album’s previous singles: December’s ‘Follow (I Will Never Let You Go)’, April’s ‘Learn To Let You Go’ ft. Balu Brigada, and the RAM-era Daft Punk-esque ‘Yours & Mine’. 

They were created in peace, surrounded by the stillness of rural France – a setting that allowed the duo to reflect, pause, and tap into the emotional core of their work. ‘Feel Myself’ is a delicate, intimate piece of music, bedded with a drowsy, reverb-soaked atmosphere, cascading piano keys and stuttering, revolving synths. It’s nostalgic and self-caring – an ode to introspection and emotional honesty. Meanwhile, ‘Wait For You’ delivers a beautifully Balearic moment, pairing White Isle-worthy percussion with a warm, electronic groove that lifts Joscha’s cloud-like vocal into something dreamlike and deeply resonant. Together, the tracks mirror the album’s central themes: self-awareness, emotional clarity, and the beauty of slowing down.

To accompany ‘Feel Myself,’ Zimmer90 have released a captivating visual that perfectly reflects the track’s introspective tone. The video showcases soft, lingering landscapes – close-up shots of Joscha and Finn interwoven with moments of stillness and emotional contemplation – mirroring the song’s dreamy, reverb-soaked atmosphere. Directed with a subtle yet evocative style, the visuals deepen the listener’s emotional connection to the song, bringing the delicate, self-reflective core of Interior to vibrant life.

Zimmer90 (“Room90”) have spent the last few years carefully shaping Interior – a deeply personal debut born from their search for balance and creative clarity. It’s a space where calm and chaos coexist, where Josch’s creative spontaneity and Finn’s structured calm collide. More than just a name, Zimmer90 has become their sanctuary – a place to turn inward and escape the extroverted noise of the outside world.

“This album is like an exhibition,” Finn explains. “The cover artwork features paintings by Joschaʼs grandfather. Each one holds a piece of our story, just like each song. Together, they form a kind of personal gallery.”

Stuttgart-based Zimmer90 began in 2020, and it wasn’t long until they made a name for themselves in the indie world with their hit track ‘What Love Is,’ which went truly viral on TikTok, featured in over 128 million posts and inspiring more than 251,000 user-created videos. Since then, their social media presence has exploded: their official TikTok account boasts a following of over 350K fans, while on Instagram they consistently engage a growing audience with behind-the-scenes stories, live studio footage, and personal reflections. This digital momentum has helped Zimmer90 translate viral buzz into real-world impact, with sold-out live shows across Europe and America and a dedicated global fan base.

New singles ‘Feel Myself’ and ‘Wait For You’ are out now, ahead of Zimmer90’s debut album Interior on 19th September. The band also head out on a mini album release shows in Stuttgart, Berlin, Brooklyn, Mexico City & LA.

Zimmer90 Tour Dates 2025
Album Release Shows September 20, 2025 – Stuttgart, Germany — Im Wizemann
September 24, 2025 – Berlin, Germany — Lido
October 1, 2025 – Brooklyn, NY, USA — The Sultan Room
October 4, 2025 – Mexico City, Mexico — Foto Indie Rocks
October 8, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA, USA — The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever

Festival Appearances 2025
July 25, 2025 – Mallorca, Spain — Mobo Festival
August 1, 2025 – Diepholz, Germany — Appletree Garden
August 2, 2025 – Oberzent, Germany — Sound Of The Forest
August 3, 2025 – Varel, Germany — Watt En Schlick

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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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