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Shinedown Announces Dance, Kid, Dance Tour with Bush, Beartooth, and Morgan Wade

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

Shinedown Announces Dance, Kid, Dance Tour with Bush, Beartooth, and Morgan Wade

Shinedown has announced their highly anticipated upcoming Dance, Kid, Dance Tour. Co-produced by FPC Live and Live Nation, the Dance, Kid, Dance Tour kicks off on April 25th in Des Moines, IA making stops across the U.S. in Nashville, New York and more before wrapping up in Memphis, TN on August 30th. The 30+-city trek will feature special guest Beartooth on the spring dates and legendary band BUSH on the summer dates with Morgan Wade opening all shows.

Fans can expect megawatt sets from all acts including fan-favorite hits and classics. In addition, Shinedown has teamed up with Musicians On Call, donating $1 for every ticket sold on the tour. Musicians On Call, the nation’s leading provider of live music in hospitals, has delivered the healing power of music to patients, families, and caregivers for 25 years.

Shinedown continues to demonstrate that they are one of the most forward-thinking powerhouses in music, forever pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a modern-day rock band. The tour not only kicks off a new era for Shinedown but continues to celebrate the momentous acclaim the band received from their juggernaut song “A Symptom of Being Human” off their 7th studio album Planet Zero (Atlantic Records). The song, which has reached over 100 million streams and counting, crossed over not only to Alternative but Top 40 radio and resonated with fans across the globe for the unifying message of its lyrics: that it is our human connections that matter the most. Recently the band have been teasing possible new music online and getting fans even more excited for all things Shinedown in 2025.

Coming off their hottest tour in 15 years, GRAMMY-nominated, multi-Platinum band BUSH will join Shinedown on the summer leg of the Dance, Kid, Dance Tour. The band recently released Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023 (Round Hill Records), a 21-track retrospective celebrating nearly three decades of hits, including “Everything Zen,” “Glycerine,” “Swallowed,” and their latest single, “Nowhere To Go But Everywhere.” Frontman Gavin Rossdale will also debut Dinner with Gavin Rossdale, a new series premiering February 13, 2025, on VIZIO’s free streaming service, WatchFree+. Sign up here. The show features intimate, celebrity-filled dinners at Gavin’s Los Angeles home, with guests such as Serena Williams, Common, Tom Jones, where they share candid conversations and a three-course meal designed and prepared by Gavin himself.

Beartooth has solidified their place as a powerhouse in rock, with their latest album The Surface debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Alternative and Hard Rock charts and earning top spots in Current Album Sales and Vinyl. With multiple #1 hits like “Might Love Myself” and “I Was Alive,” as well as a Platinum certification for their breakout single “In Between,” they continue to dominate rock radio, ranking as the 8th most-played artist and landing “I Was Alive” as the #6 most-played song.

An ACM, AMA, and CMT Awards nominee, Morgan Wade has earned acclaim from the The New York Times, Rolling Stone, NPR, Garden & Gun, Billboard, No Depression, Vulture, and more. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Wade’s latest album Obsessed puts the focus on her storytelling abilities and singular voice. She writes with incredible force about the ache for home and the emotion of being reunited with loved ones, of feeling dangerously preoccupied with someone, and of being in situations that society might consider outside the norm. Produced by her touring guitarist Clint Wells, Obsessed is an entirely self-written, stripped-down 14-track collection that showcases Wade at her rawest and most vulnerable. She recently toured with Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett on the TRIPLE MOON TOUR and has hit the road with Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, and Lucero, among others.

Inkcarceration Festival 2025 Unleashes Metal Titans at Ohio State Reformatory

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

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Inkcarceration Festival 2025 Unleashes Metal Titans at Ohio State Reformatory

Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival returns to the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio on July 18-20, 2025 for one of America’s most unique events, featuring 66+ top rock and metal bands across 3 stages, along with 100+ tattoo artists and haunted attractions. Following a record-setting year in 2024 with 75,000 fans in attendance, and four consecutive years of sellouts, 2025 marks the biggest year yet for Inkcarceration.

Friday night at Inkcarceration will feature headliner Falling In Reverse, along with Knocked Loose and Beartooth; Saturday will be headlined by Slipknot, supported by Marilyn Manson and Slaughter To Prevail; and Five Finger Death Punch will headline Sunday, joined by Three Days Grace (with Adam Gontier) and Lamb of God.

Clown of Slipknot said, “Slipknot is playing very few shows in the U.S. this year, so this will be special. It will be good to be back with our friends, family, and culture at the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival. Stay safe! Stay (sic)!”

Ronnie Radke of Falling In Reverse said, “I am honored to play side by side with legends like Slipknot, a band that I grew up listening to. See you soon, Ohio!!!”

“The fan experience at Inkcarceration is the top priority every year,” added Dan Janssen, Co-Founder and GM of Inkcarceration. “We did a lot of work on the infrastructure after last year’s event, such as adding space, more shade and a larger viewing area, an expansion that was imperative as this festival continues to grow. We could not be more excited to unveil it to the fans in 2025.”

While festival co-producers Danny Wimmer Presents have unveiled some of the Inkcarceration 2025 bands in recent weeks, the full music lineup–including several reunions and rare performances–is as follows for the 7th year of America’s Rock, Metal and Tattoo Festival: Slipknot, Falling In Reverse, Five Finger Death Punch, Three Days Grace (with Adam Gontier), Marilyn Manson, Beartooth, Knocked Loose, Lamb of God, Parkway Drive, I Prevail, In This Moment, Slaughter To Prevail, Acid Bath, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Architects, Chiodos, Killswitch Engage, Dayseeker, Bilmuri, Kublai Khan TX, Crossfade, August Burns Red, We Came As Romans, The Amity Affliction, DRAIN, Kittie, The Devil Wears Prada, The Plot In You, Attila, Drowning Pool, Snot, Sleep Theory, Emmure, Alpha Wolf, Currents, Spite, Bodysnatcher, Carnifex, Suffocation, Catch Your Breath, The Union Underground, Dry Kill Logic, Taproot, Crystal Lake, Signs of the Swarm, Distant, The Browning, 216, A Killer’s Confession, Of Virtue, Until I Wake, Mugshot, The Pretty Wild, Colorblind, Convictions, Swollen Teeth, Bodybox, Big Ass Truck, Silent Theory, Alyxx, Carbonstone, How We Feel, Bittersweet Revenge, and Archon Theory.

Some of the special appearances and reunions at Inkcarceration will include:
Acid Bath: Rare performance from the band that has reunited after 28 years
Crossfade: One of the band’s first performances in 13 years
Reunion shows for Three Days Grace (with original vocalist Adam Gontier), The Dillinger Escape Plan, Chiodos, Dry Kill Logic, and Snot (with new vocalist to be announced soon)

Inkcarceration will also have an expanded festival footprint for 2025, which means more space, better viewing, and more shade for fans. With the improved festival layout, the historic Ohio State Reformatory will become the iconic backdrop to the main festival stages.

During the festival, Inkcarceration attendees will have the opportunity to get inked at Monster Energy Tattoo X, the onsite tattoo convention hosted inside the world-famous historic prison made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption. In addition, fans can take self-guided tours of the reportedly haunted building during INK-this is the only time outside the Halloween season that the award-winning Blood Prison experience is open to guests.

Weekend and Single Day General Admission and VIP passes for America’s Rock, Metal and Tattoo Festival are on sale now starting at $1 down (or 10% of the total purchase) on layaway, with more than 6 months to pay off in full.

Coming after a record setting early bird, weekend (3-day) GA passes are currently at level 3 pricing, and Weekend VIP are at level 4. Single Day GA and VIP passes are now available.

ZZ Ward Reclaims Her Blues Roots With ‘Liberation’ on Sun Records

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

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ZZ Ward Reclaims Her Blues Roots With ‘Liberation’ on Sun Records

Acclaimed singer-songwriter ZZ Ward is back with her most authentic and blues-infused work to date. Liberation, her debut album on the iconic Sun Records, out now, marking a bold new chapter in her celebrated career. Leading the charge is the album’s first single, “Love Alive,” available now alongside its striking music video.

Drawing inspiration from the blues greats and her own life’s most transformative experiences, Liberation is a fearless exploration of empowerment, authenticity, and self-discovery. Written during her journey through motherhood, the album finds ZZ returning to her blues roots, reflecting the raw, unfiltered emotions of life’s trials and triumphs.

“I didn’t plan to make a blues album about motherhood, it just sort of happened naturally,” ZZ shares. “I’ve always written to get through things in life. Suddenly, I was faced with a new job that’s 24/7 with no breaks, and that’s what I wrote about. But when you get tested, you discover who you are, and this album comes from a feeling of empowerment.”

ZZ’s relationship with the blues began in her early childhood, spurred on by her father, a bluesman with a rich record collection that became a soundtrack for her upbringing. She started singing the blues at age 8 and performing by the time she was 12. But as her career evolved, ZZ often found herself navigating industry expectations that pulled her away from her blues roots. “I used to care so much about what other people wanted my music to sound like, but after I became a mother, my priorities changed,” she says. Liberation marks a triumphant return to her formative influences, blending them with her singular voice and vision.

“Love Alive” is the perfect introduction to this new era, conjuring the haunting echoes of Son House with clapping, hollering, and a signature ZZ twist. The song’s emotionally resonant chorus reflects the struggles and hopes of maintaining connection in the face of life’s challenges. “Having kids can really test your relationship. This song is about keeping the love alive during the trying times of early parenthood,” ZZ explains. The music video for “Love Alive” further amplifies the song’s emotional core, with striking visuals that mirror its themes of resilience and vulnerability.

Shutdown Roars Back With First New EP in 25 Years

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

0

Shutdown Roars Back With First New EP in 25 Years

Shutdown are excited to announce the release of By Your Side, the NYHC institution’s brand new, six-song EP and first offering of new material in 25 years. A collection of passionate songs that are fueled by the same fiery intensity of the band’s youth but imbued and inspired by an outlook, worldview and wisdom that only comes with age and time, By Your Side transcends the genre and shows how effectively the band can write songs that appeal beyond the confines of the scene.

Additionally, Shutdown has released “What Are You Thinking?” today, a new single inspired by bassist Dion DeNardo’s son being diagnosed with autism, and a song that confronts and comes to terms with the challenges that this diagnosis posed for him. “That diagnosis taught Dion and even myself – because my oldest son is on the autism spectrum – to open ourselves up and learn more about who we are as people, especially compared to what we were taught when we were kids,” says vocalist Mark Scondotto.

While it’s a song that slots seamlessly into the Shutdown canon, it’s also one that obviously couldn’t have been written when the band first began. As if to drive that point home, it ends with all the band members’ children singing its chorus over an acoustic guitar. It’s the quietest moment on the EP but also its most powerful; not only does it demonstrate how well the band’s message resonates, but it serves as a symbolic passing of the torch to the next generation.

There are some bands that are just like old friendships – even if you haven’t spoken (or written music) for a while, you can pick up right where you left off. It had been an incredibly long time since New York hardcore outfit Shutdown had written a record together – 25 years, to be precise – but one listen to By Your Side and it’s almost as if that time has never passed.

Formed in Brooklyn in late 1994 as a bunch of teenagers, the four-piece quickly settled into their own skin. They solidified the line-up – Mark Scondotto on vocals, Steve DellaCroce on guitar, Dion DeNardo on bass and Jimmy McCormack on drums – and, after a handful of EPs and split 7″, released their debut full-length, Against All Odds, in 1998. An EP called Something To Prove came out the next year, followed by a second full-length, Few And Far Between, in 2000. Though young, the overriding sentiment of those songs was one of positivity despite the circumstances, and the band channeled that optimism and defiance through their raw and breathless take on hardcore. Straight edge and no bullsh*t, the four-piece soon became a known name in the scene … but then things slowed down and eventually just came to a stop. Life, as life does, got in the way.

“We never officially broke up,” says DellaCroce. “We needed to stop touring, and we started doing a few other things. We all tried to play when we could, but it wasn’t consistent. A couple of us had side projects going so we could keep playing, and we would write some Shutdown songs once in a while, but we realized we needed a plan of what we wanted to do and what the band should sound like. We’ve talked a lot over the past couple of years about how we’ve evolved and grown as musicians and songwriters, and we wanted everyone to hear what we were talking about.”

Given the state of the world right now, the community, optimism and hope the songs on By Your Side offer is not just important, but truly revolutionary and necessary. True to its title, it’s a companion, a friend, something to turn to when things get tough – because things always get tough. These six songs are a vital reminder that they also get better.

“That positivity is just how we roll,” DellaCroce summarizes, “because it helped us when we were angry teenagers. To this day, when we write songs, we write them for us and whoever likes it likes it, but obviously it speaks to a lot of people and it’s helped us survive this long as humans. So it was essential to keep that message going with this EP.”

“There’s a lot of hope on this release,” Scondotto summarizes. “I really think that’s what the world needs right now.”

WhatsApp Adds Camera Effects, Selfie Stickers & Fast Reactions

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

0

WhatsApp Adds Camera Effects, Selfie Stickers & Fast Reactions

Meta has introduced camera effects, selfie stickers and quicker reactions to make WhatsApp more fun and easier to use.

You can now create your own sticker packs and share them directly in your chats, so your friends and family can all use your custom stickers to express themselves.

Adding stickers to a chat's sticker pack

Meta are always working on making WhatsApp more fun and easier to use, so they’re announcing new features and design updates to improve your experience.

Camera effects: Now, when you take and send a video or photo in your chats, you can choose from 30 backgrounds, filters and effects to transform your shots.
Selfie stickers: You can now turn your selfies into stickers. To get started, tap the create sticker icon and you’ll see the camera option to take a selfie and create your sticker. This feature is available on Android now and coming to iOS soon.
Share a sticker pack: Spotted a sticker pack you know a friend will love? Now you can share them directly in your chats.
Quicker reactions: You’ll now be able to double tap a message to react and quickly scroll through your most-used reactions.

They’re looking forward to introducing more exciting features this year, while continuing to offer private, secure messaging across the world.

How Open Source AI Models Like Llama Are Fueling Innovation

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

0

How Open Source AI Models Like Llama Are Fueling Innovation

Artificial intelligence is poised to drive innovation, enhance human productivity and inject trillions of dollars into the global economy. At the forefront of this transformation are open source AI models, like Llama, which empower organizations to use and build upon them for free.

These models allow businesses of all sizes to create innovative new products and tools that benefit individuals, society and the economy – saving time and money in the process. Without open source AI’s cost-effective way of working, these innovations, which are poised to push the world forward in essential areas like job creation, knowledge access and drug research, might not be possible.

Here are a few examples of companies that are using Llama to save time and money.

WriteSea

Oklahoma-based tech company WriteSea used Llama to build Job Search Genius, an AI career coach designed to enhance the job search experience and help candidates stand out. Job Search Genius provides an essential resource for candidates who need help reaching better outcomes in a competitive job market.

Brandon Mitchell sitting in a chair with the quote "The experience of looking for a job just got easier." above him.

Using easy-to-integrate AI-powered tools, Job Search Genius helps job seekers write custom resumes, practice mock interviews and learn how to negotiate their salaries. Their interface even facilitates video-based interviews, transcribes candidates’ mock interview responses and provides metrics to help candidates improve their performance in job interviews.

WriteSea’s CEO, Brandon Mitchell, says the company chose Llama because it’s cost effective – open source helps the company avoid API call costs and they’ve been able to scale rapidly to support over 100,000 users.

The Washington Post

The Washington Post launched “Ask The Post,” an AI tool built with Llama that helps users find answers from its published reporting, in an effort to democratize access to information and meet audiences where they are. Readers can ask the chatbot questions and receive factual responses based on information from The Washington Post’s article archives dating back to 2016. “Ask The Post” responds in the newspaper’s voice and links to source articles, helping to ensure transparency and accountability.

Vineet Khosla sitting a chair with the quote, "The world is moving at the speed of news-- and open source AI is helping people stay ahead."

Open source has been essential for The Washington Post. “Open source AI is helping people stay ahead, without the limitations and cost restrictions of other proprietary AI models,” says Vineet Khosla, the publication’s chief technology officer.

Nanome

Nanome, a biotech software company based in San Diego, leverages Llama for Molecular Analysis and Reasoning Assistant (MARA), an AI agent that helps scientists view molecular structures in both text and 3D visual form. Powerful scientific tools are often inaccessible and expensive, slowing down the pace of innovation in areas like biopharma research – Nanome aims to fix that with the help of open source AI.

Steve McCloskey sitting in a chair with the quote "Llama's open source nature is critical to ensure biopharma research security and privacy," above him.

Scientists can ask MARA questions about the structure they’re viewing, and MARA provides answers and insights that can be used to further the development of new drugs and treatments.

Nanome uses Llama because of its performance and adaptability, and because it allows universities, researchers and scientists to collaborate. “Creating new medications could take years and cost billions. Our startup wants to change that,” said Steve McCloskey, Nanome’s Founder and CEO.

From the Top’s Rising Stars Shine Bright at Tiny Desk

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

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From the Top’s Rising Stars Shine Bright at Tiny Desk

Thirteen-year-old Cameron Renshaw shreds Paganini on one cello string. Violin prodigy Laura Jin makes Wieniawski’s fireworks look effortless. Rhyuhn Green, 18, brings down the house with his own Romantic-era piano piece written at age 9. NPR’s Tiny Desk just became a time machine for the future of classical music.

Red Clay Strays Electrify Tiny Desk With Southern Soul and Swampy Swagger

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

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Red Clay Strays Electrify Tiny Desk With Southern Soul and Swampy Swagger

When Brandon Coleman of the Red Clay Strays opens his mouth, it’s like Johnny Cash wandered into a gospel-tinged Southern rock revival — and stayed for the harmonies. But make no mistake: this isn’t a one-man show. With Drew Nix shaking things up, Sevans Henderson trading keys for electricity with Zach Rishel, and John Hall’s thunderous restraint on drums, every song — from “Ramblin’” to “Wanna Be Loved” — is a front-row seat to magic in motion.

Lynyrd Skynyrd to Rock OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino for 50th Anniversary Celebration

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

0

Lynyrd Skynyrd to Rock OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino for 50th Anniversary Celebration

– Feel the excitement as a legendary band of rock and roll – Lynyrd Skynyrd is set to celebrate a golden milestone of 50 years at the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino on September 19, 2025. Known for the venerable southern rock swagger only Lynyrd Skynyrd can deliver – fans are in for an incredible evening of music. Tickets for Lynyrd Skynyrd go on sale Friday, January 24 at 10:00am through ticketmaster.ca.

“Lynyrd Skynyrd is a band like no other with a legacy that has had a lasting impact,” says Cathy Price, Vice President of Marketing and Resort Operations at Niagara Casinos. “We can’t wait to welcome you to the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino for a night of incredible music.”

As Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrates the 50^th anniversary of the band’s critically acclaimed debut album Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd’ in 2023, they resonate as deeply with their multi-generational fan base today as when they first emerged out of Jacksonville, Florida in 1973. Today, Lynyrd Skynyrd rocks on with a current line-up featuring Johnny Van Zant, Rickey Medlocke, Mark “Sparky” Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Keith Christopher, Peter Keys, Carol Chase and Stacy Michelle. With a catalogue of over 60 albums, billions of streams, and tens of millions of records sold, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd remain a cultural icon that appeal to all generations. Hit songs include “Free Bird”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Simple Man”, “That Smell”, “What’s Your Name”,“Saturday Night Special” plus many more

Show date & performance
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Celebrating 50 Years
Date: Friday, September 19, 2025
Showtime: 8:00pm
Venue: OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino

Patterson Hood Unveils “The Pool House” From Forthcoming Album ‘Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams’

Music

Eric Alper

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Jun 28, 2025

0

Patterson Hood Unveils “The Pool House” From Forthcoming Album ‘Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams’

Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood has shared the second song, “The Pool House,” from his landmark new solo album, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams, arriving via ATO Records on Friday, February 21, 2025. Pre-orders are available now.

“The Pool House” was originally inspired by a night I spent at a creepy rental,” says Hood. “A literal pool house for an apartment complex that I rented cheap for the night during a solo tour. It was off-season and the pool was dark green and filled with algae. The whole thing was creepy and as I’d had a couple of drinks, my mind was definitely wandering, conjuring up some macabre shit.

“I wrote most of it during lockdown and demoed it then on my home rig.

“I later recorded it with Nate Query (The Decemberists) playing upright bass and Dan Hunt (Neko Case) on drums. I played piano, guitar, vocals, and a trashcan as percussion on the bridge. Then I had Kyleen King do her magic adding viola and layers of strings (from her own arrangement) to it and the great Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) played flute, which he knocked out of the park. He had come by the studio to put some sax parts on some songs and I mentioned wanting a flute for this song. He asked me what kind of flute part I was thinking of and I said, “something like what Christ Wood would play in Traffic.” He just smiled and said he’d see what he could do.

“It’s one of the weirdest and most twisted tracks I have ever recorded and I’m really thrilled with how it all turned out.

“Frances Thrasher (Heaven4TheYoung), who painted the album cover, also does incredible and creepy stop-motion animation and has made me a super cool video for the release using a vintage dollhouse and her own amazing skills and talents.”

Produced by Chris Funk (The Decemberists, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks) at various studios in Hood’s current hometown of Portland, OR, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams marks the singer-songwriter-guitarist’s most expansive and ambitious extracurricular effort to date, supported by a stellar cast of friends and fellow musicians including Waxahatchee, Brad and Phil Cook (Megafaun), Kevin Morby, Wednesday, Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos, The Blasters), David Barbe (Sugar, Mercyland), Nate Query (The Decemberists), Steve Drizos (Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons), Daniel Hunt (Neko Case, M Ward), and Stuart Bogie (The Hold Steady, Goose).

The 10-track was heralded late in 2024 with the first single, “A Werewolf and a Girl,” featuring additional vocals from Lydia Loveless. A lyric video directed by Jason Shevchuk is streaming now on YouTube.

Hood’s fourth solo album and first in over 12 years, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams sees the veteran singer, guitarist, and songwriter exploring his youth and young manhood in a collection unlike anything in his ever-evolving catalogue. It is inspired in part by his own short story, “The Exploding Trees,” in which Hood tells the tale of a natural disaster that occurred in his North Alabama hometown just as he turned 30 and relocated to Athens, GA where Drive-By Truckers were co-founded in 1996.

The album gathers songs that have amassed over the remarkably prolific songwriter’s career, many of which provided him with distraction and creative sustenance during lockdown, others which have resided among his notebooks for years, including the string-driven “Airplane Screams,” written over four decades ago but never successfully recorded until now.

The album was further driven by his friendship with producer/musician Funk, a “profound chemistry” forged upon Hood’s 2013 move to Portland, OR. Having long discussed a collaboration, in 2023 the stars finally aligned, and they set to work on recording this new album which Hood intended to be “a bigger departure” from Drive-By Truckers and his previous solo efforts than ever before.

Working together at a number of Portland studios, Hood accomplished his goal, in part by writing much of the album on piano in a vigorous attempt to expand his parameters in new, heretofore uncharted, directions. While he planned to bring in a professional pianist for the recording sessions, Funk, eager to push his friend from his comfort zone, encouraged Hood to play the parts himself. Hood further took the opportunity to explore sounds outside the boundaries and obligations of his day job, deviating from his traditionally guitar-driven palette to create richly textured arrangements marked by the inclusion of strings, woodwinds, and vintage analog synthesizers.

The result is an ingeniously baroque Americana song cycle, fueled by Hood’s finely drawn character studies and gift for clear-eyed self-examination. Songs like “Pinocchio” and “Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile” are nakedly autobiographical and remarkably unflinching, steeped in the past but very much informed by who Hood is in the here and now. With its powerful textural clarity and Hood’s literary strengths at the fore, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams coalesces as a staggering investigation into how time can shed light on the recesses of memory, revealing an exceptionally gifted songwriter’s resolute inclination to look back through the golden haze in order to grapple with the darkness and secret truths that perhaps weren’t understood or reckoned with at the time.

“You remember it one way, but when you really dip into it, when you really look back, the world was a different place,” Patterson Hood says. “Things were accepted that wouldn’t be accepted now and things you didn’t understand then make sense now.

“This record has all these kind of unintended themes. I don’t know if that was anything I set out to do as much as it just kind of worked out that way. You know, there are a lot a lot of happy accidents in this record.”

The cover art for Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is by Frances Thrasher, an artist from Athens, GA. “She recently put up a show called Heaven4TheYoung that really blew me away,” says Hood. “I was especially moved by one painting in the series, and she was kind enough to let me use it for the cover. I honestly didn’t have a second choice.”

“I’m putting together a kind of stripped-down band so we can go do this record right,” Hood says. “Now the challenge to see if I can pull off a few of the songs on piano live. There’s nothing but good to come from it. I think good has come from each of my solo records, they each made me better at what I do in various different ways.”