Cody Jinks let the songs breathe. The outlaw country favorite delivered an intimate acoustic set for “Adobe Sessions: Unplugged” in 2018, trading full-band muscle for warm acoustic guitars, melodic vocal lines, and the kind of sincere lyrics that built his reputation. Riding a wave of acclaim following his 2016 album ‘I’m Not the Devil’, Jinks wove together signature hits and newer material, with a stripped-back take on “Cast No Stones” landing with quiet, dramatic force. The unplugged format suited him perfectly, a fitting nod to the 2015 album ‘Adobe Sessions’ that helped cement his place in the genre.
Beat Generation Icon Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl And Other Poems’ Returns To Vinyl For Centennial
One of the twentieth century’s most defining voices gets a fitting tribute. Craft Recordings marks the centennial of Allen Ginsberg with a special vinyl reissue of his landmark 1959 spoken-word album ‘Howl and Other Poems’, originally released by Fantasy Records. The recording captures Ginsberg performing many of his most celebrated works, including the era-defining title poem “Howl.”
The reissue arrives September 4 on eco-friendly green blend vinyl, faithfully replicating the original 1959 package design. This is a limited edition pressing, available for pre-order now and streaming across digital platforms. The set draws from the Big Table reading at Chicago’s Shaw Festival, paired with additional sessions recorded at Fantasy Studios in San Francisco.
The performances crackle with energy. Alongside “Howl,” the album gathers celebrated works including “America,” “Sunflower Sutra,” “A Supermarket in California,” and “Footnote to Howl,” preserving the radical candor, urgency, humor, and musicality of Ginsberg’s early readings.
The history behind the work runs deep. Born June 3, 1926, in Newark, Ginsberg found himself at the center of a 1957 obscenity trial after City Lights published the collection, and the court’s decision affirming the poem’s literary importance became a landmark victory for free expression in America. The continued publication helped establish the Beat Generation as a major cultural movement, alongside writers including Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Gary Snyder.
Ginsberg’s reach extended far beyond the page. His friendships and collaborations with Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, Patti Smith, and Paul McCartney forged lasting connections between poetry and popular music. In 2019, his recording of “Howl” was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, a recognition of its enduring cultural and historical importance. Seventy years on, the work continues to challenge, inspire, and resonate.
Track Listing:
Side A
Howl (Live at Shaw Festival, Chicago, IL / January 29, 1959)
The Sunflower Sutra
Footnote to Howl
Side B
A Supermarket in California
Transcription of Organ Music
America
In Back of the Real
Strange Cottage in Berkeley
Europe, Europe
Kaddish
Europe Recruit Star-Studded Cast For “The Cult Of Ignorance” Video And New Album
Joey Tempest and company are swinging for the fences. Europe have unleashed “The Cult of Ignorance,” the hook-laden second single from their forthcoming album ‘Come This Madness’, due September 25 via Silver Lining Music. The track rides an instantly memorable hook and an anthemic chorus, carrying a message that speaks to today’s fast-moving world while holding onto its feel-good energy.
The accompanying video is a who’s-who of Swedish star power. Directed by Patric Ullaeus, it packs cameos from actress Malin Åkerman, tennis great Stefan Edberg, astronaut Christer Fuglesang, Howling Pelle of The Hives, Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson, and E-Type, among many other faces from music, film, fashion, sports, and science.
Tempest can’t hide his enthusiasm. “I love this track,” he says, describing a straightforward rock anthem with lyrics written slightly tongue in cheek. He credits keyboardist Mic Michaeli with bringing the idea to him while on tour in South America, and points to author and biochemist Isaac Asimov as the inspiration behind the title.
The album carries serious pedigree. ‘Come This Madness’ was recorded at Stockholm’s RMV Studio, founded by Benny Andersson and Ludvig Andersson, with guest backing vocals from Tobias Forge of Ghost and Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth. Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Rammstein, Pixies) produced, embedding himself in the writing and recording, while rock legend Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Van Halen, Metallica) handled the mix. Storm Studios, the team behind classic Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin artwork, designed the cover.
There’s a milestone to celebrate too. The band launches “The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour” in Glasgow on September 30, a major run marking four decades since the song that made them global icons, threaded through a packed schedule of festival dates across the summer and fall.
2026 Tour Dates:
6 Jun – North Festival, Maia (PT)
21 Jun – Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel (BE)
25 Jun – Rock Pod Kameňom Festival, Bela Nad Cirochou (SK)
28 Jun – Retro Trop C, Tilloloy (FR)
5 Jul – Summer Festival Piazza Castello, Marostica (IT)
7 Jul – Cavea-Auditorium Parco della Musica, Roma (IT)
8 Jul – Arena Campo Marte, Brescia (IT)
9 Jul – Villa Bertelli, Forte Dei Marmi (IT)
25 Jul – Son Do Mar Festival, Meaño, Pontevedra (ES)
30 Jul – Wacken Open Air, Wacken (DE)
29 Aug – Stonedead Festival, Newark (GB)
30 Sep – SEC Armadillo, Glasgow (GB)*
2 Oct – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (GB)*
3 Oct – Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London (GB)*
5 Oct – Musis Arnhem, Arnhem (NL)*
6 Oct – Olympia, Paris (FR)*
8 Oct – Poble Espanyol, Barcelona (ES)*
9 Oct – Bilbao Arena Mirabilla, Bilbao (ES)*
10 Oct – La Cubierta, Madrid (ES)*
12 Oct – Salle Métropole, Lausanne (CH)*
13 Oct – Volkshaus, Zürich (CH)*
14 Oct – Alcatraz, Milan (IT)*
16 Oct – Liederhalle, Stuttgart (DE)*
17 Oct – Gasometer, Wien (AT)*
19 Oct – Admiralspalast Theater, Berlin (DE)*
20 Oct – COS Torwar, Warszawa (PL)*
22 Oct – Falkoner, Frederiksberg (DK)*
23 Oct – Film Studios, Gothenburg (SE)*
24 Oct – B-K, Stockholm (SE)*
26 Oct – Sentrum Scene, Oslo (NO)*
15 Nov – Malta Metal Weekend, St. Julians (MT)*
21 Nov – Ostravar Aréna, Ostrava (CZ)*
25 Nov – Aalto Hall @ House of Culture, Helsinki (FI)*
27 Nov – John Smith Rock Frozen Paviljonki, Jyväskylä (FI)*
28 Nov – Unholy Winter Festival Joensuu Areena, Joensuu (FI)*
*The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour
‘Come This Madness’ Track Listing:
One on One
The Cult of Ignorance
Come This Madness
This Time of Year
In a Different World
Scandinavian Eyes
Takin’ It Back
In the Absence of Grace
The Angels Must Have Flown
The Devil’s Back
Nothing Can Follow This
New York Times Games Marks Wordle’s 5th Birthday With V.I.P. Concert Access For Solvers
Five years of daily five-letter guesses deserve a celebration. New York Times Games is marking Wordle’s fifth birthday by handing fans the V.I.P. treatment, short for Very Important Player, with a summer program that turns morning puzzle rituals into live concert access. Players can solve bonus puzzles from famous solvers, snag tickets to shows nationwide, and earn fresh badges along the way.
The music ties run deep here. Starting this month, New York Times Games teams with touring musicians who genuinely love the game, kicking off with five concerts from Nat & Alex Wolff, Young the Giant, Priscilla Block, and Passion Pit, all artists who’ve been solving alongside fans for the past five years. Each one releases a unique bonus Wordle puzzle through the Create Your Wordle Puzzle feature, and select solvers score V.I.P. tickets, artist merch, and more.
The artists make their devotion clear. Nat Wolff credits the game with saving long-distance friendships through races to solve first, while Young the Giant’s Sameer calls the app his most-used by far, an anchoring ritual across more than 250 puzzles and a life defined by constant change. Priscilla Block loves anything that sparks a little competition, and Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos points to memory as a through-line on his new record, noting how the daily exercise carries extra meaning with a parent living with dementia.
There are badges to chase too. Players can earn the 5-for-5 Challenge badge by solving five daily puzzles from June 15 to 19, and the 5th Birthday badge by solving the puzzle on June 19. Wordle remains free to play in the New York Times Games app on iOS and Android, plus mobile web and desktop.
V.I.P. Concert Dates:
Nat & Alex Wolff (Puzzle): 6/13 at Seattle Center in Seattle — Submit HERE.
Young the Giant (Puzzle): 6/19 at Pier 17 in New York — Submit HERE.
Priscilla Block (Puzzle): 7/30 at L27 Rooftop Lounge in Nashville — Submit HERE.
Passion Pit (Puzzle): 8/18 & 8/19 at The Bellwether in Los Angeles — Submit HERE.
Denver’s Mile High Power Fest Unleashes 2026 Lineup Led By The Dread Crew Of Oddwood
Denver’s metalheads have a date to circle. Mile High Power Fest storms into its third year on August 15, 2026, taking over The Oriental Theater with a stacked roster of national headliners and rising local talent. Founded by underground champions BiteSize Productions, the city’s only dedicated power metal festival keeps its mission front and center, uplifting the local scene while bringing world-class metal to the western United States.
The 2026 bill brings serious firepower. The Dread Crew of Oddwood top the lineup, the Southern California folk-metal crew known for their acoustic “Heavy Mahogany” sound, fresh off their fifth album ‘Rust & Glory’ and an appearance on 70000Tons of Metal. Pittsburgh’s Lady Beast fly the flag for refined heavy metal with soaring, rally-the-warriors vocals, while LA power-thrash force Anubis, now fronted by vocalist Hanna Preston, tear through material from their latest album ‘Anthromorphicide’.
The heaviness runs deep across the rest of the card. Boston’s Ice Giant deliver cinematic progressive melodic death metal, Denver’s own Hel Hath Fury channel resilience into crushing, emotionally driven songs, and Colorado’s Darconigan forge myth-steeped melodic black/death battle metal out of the Wet Mountains. Colorado Springs hard rockers Wicked Vixen round things out with electric violin woven through their bold, unapologetic sound.
This is a full-weekend experience, not a single night. Thursday August 13 kicks off with the free MHPF Game Night at Creepatorium, a no-cost community hangout for fans to connect. Friday August 14 brings the Pre-Party at Seventh Circle Music Collective, spotlighting Denver’s underground with Talia Holt, Burn The Myth, Gone Full, Monkey Under The Mountain, and Heathen.
After the Saturday lineup shreds, the official Afterparty runs 11 PM to 2 AM at BlackSky Brewery, featuring the debut of The Dread Crew of Oddwood’s custom beer brewed exclusively for the festival. After drawing roughly 400 attendees in 2025, MHPF is built to shake Denver to its core. Tickets are on sale now, and early grabs are encouraged.
Mile High Power Fest 2026 Lineup:
The Dread Crew of Oddwood
Lady Beast
Anubis
Ice Giant
Hel Hath Fury
Darconigan
Wicked Vixen
Event Details:
Thursday, August 13 – MHPF Free Game Night, Creepatorium
Friday, August 14 – MHPF Pre-Party, Seventh Circle Music Collective
Saturday, August 15 – Main Festival, The Oriental Theater (Doors 4 PM), 4335 W 44th Ave, Denver, CO 80212
Saturday, August 15 – Official Afterparty, BlackSky Brewery (11 PM-2 AM)
R&B Superstar Kehlani Drops “Back And Forth” Video With Missy Elliott And Monica
The party’s in full swing. Kehlani just dropped the music video for “Back and Forth,” her electrifying single featuring the iconic Missy Elliott, pulled from the 2x GRAMMY-winning star’s chart-topping self-titled album ‘Kehlani’. Directed by Director X, the clip unfolds inside a vibrant house party, pairing Kehlani’s soulful vulnerability with Missy Elliott’s unmatched charisma, plus a surprise appearance from R&B legend Monica.
The video lands on a wave of momentum. ‘Kehlani’ debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 69,000 equivalent album units, the biggest debut for an R&B album by a woman this year. It topped the R&B Albums chart and marked her fourth top 10 entry on the Billboard 200, her third to crack the top 5.
Behind it all sits the juggernaut “Folded,” which earned Kehlani two GRAMMY Awards this year for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song. The track holds the record for longest-running No. 1 in Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay history, sitting at the top for 17 weeks and counting, now certified 2x Platinum.
There’s more on the horizon. The Kehlani World Tour, presented by Live Nation, runs 41 dates and kicks off August 6th in Minneapolis at The Armory before sweeping across North America through an October 4th finale in San Francisco. Special guests Durand Bernarr, Isaia Huron, TheARTI$t, and WASEEL join on select dates. The run then crosses to Europe and the UK from November 29th through December 10th, with Odeal and WASEEL supporting throughout. Kehlani holds her place as one of the defining voices in modern R&B.
Kehlani World Tour Dates:
Thu Aug 6 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
Fri Aug 7 – Milwaukee, WI – Landmark Credit Union Live
Sun Aug 9 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Mon Aug 10 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Thu Aug 13 – Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Fri Aug 14 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Sun Aug 16 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Mon Aug 17 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Wed Aug 19 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Fri Aug 21 – New York, NY – Barclays Center
Sun Aug 23 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Wed Aug 26 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Thu Aug 27 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Sat Aug 29 – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Mon Aug 31 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Tue Sep 1 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
Thu Sep 3 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
Fri Sep 4 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Tue Sep 8 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Thu Sep 10 – Miami, FL – iThink Financial Amphitheatre
Fri Sep 11 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sun Sep 13 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Tue Sep 15 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Wed Sep 16 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Fri Sep 18 – Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheatre
Sun Sep 20 – Albuquerque, NM – First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater
Mon Sep 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Wed Sep 23 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
Thu Sep 24 – Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome
Sat Sep 26 – Portland, OR – Theater of the Clouds
Sun Sep 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Tue Sep 29 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
Sat Oct 3 – San Francisco, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sun Oct 4 – San Francisco, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sun Nov 29 – Berlin, DE – Velodrom
Tue Dec 1 – Brussels, BE – Forest National
Thu Dec 3 – Paris, FR – Adidas Arena
Sat Dec 5 – Dusseldorf, DE – PSD Bank Dome
Sun Dec 6 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
Tue Dec 8 – London, UK – The O2
Thu Dec 10 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Biffy Clyro Conquer Home Turf In Triumphant TRNSMT Festival Headline Set
Glasgow Green belonged to Biffy Clyro. The Scottish rock trio, Simon Neil alongside twins James and Ben Johnston, headlined TRNSMT Festival on home soil and turned it into a full-blown homecoming celebration. The set moved between jagged, complex riffs and stadium-sized choruses, with a massive crowd roaring back every word. Neil and company affirmed their place among the UK’s most formidable live acts, opening with the explosive one-two of “The Captain” and “That Golden Rule” before charging through a career-spanning run of fan favorites. They flexed serious range too, from the raw power of “Wolves of Winter” to a tender “Re-Arrange” and Neil’s stripped-back acoustic take on “Machines.” The production matched the ambition, with bagpipes and confetti erupting during “Stingin’ Belle” and fireworks lighting up the closing anthem “Many of Horror.” This was a band at the absolute peak of its powers.
R.E.M. Icon Michael Stipe Teams With Andrew Watt For New Song “I Played The Fool”
Michael Stipe just brought new music to late night. The R.E.M. frontman joined producer and musician Andrew Watt on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform their new song “I Played the Fool,” backed by a few friends on stage. The collaboration pairs one of alternative rock’s most distinctive voices with Watt, the Grammy-winning hitmaker who’s worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Ozzy Osbourne, and the result lands with the kind of melodic pull that’s defined Stipe’s best work.
Irish New-Wave Favorite Christian Cohle Unveils “Living With Lucy” And Third Album ‘Queen Of Ashes’
A love that refuses to fade sits at the heart of Christian Cohle’s new single “Living With Lucy,” out now. The Irish alternative new-wave artist pairs a wistful ache with a euphoric, summery pulse, and uses the moment to announce his third album, ‘Queen of Ashes’, arriving October 16th. A launch show follows at Whelan’s in Dublin on November 13th.
Cohle has earned a reputation as one of Ireland’s best kept secrets, and the new track shows why. “Living With Lucy” rides a warm, groove-led current that recalls Future Islands and the sun-drenched expanse of The War on Drugs, propelled by physical, frontman-led vocals. Alex Reeves of Elbow handles live drums, while soaring analogue Yamaha DX7 pads, upright piano, and bass guitar lock together to push the arrangement forward.
There’s a hidden depth working underneath all that brightness. In the spirit of Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”, the song wraps an uplifting energy around a quieter emotional core that surfaces more with every listen. A melodic chorus carries it, framed by light, jangling acoustic guitars and lyrics that ask whether love survives the passing of years and decades.
The imagery roots the song firmly in place. Flooded roads, grey skies, Storm Éowyn, and a field of whitethorns give “Living With Lucy” a distinctly Irish atmosphere, where intimacy, memory, and time start to blur together. Critics have noticed the depth, with The Irish Times calling Cohle’s work both brave and human, and Hot Press describing it as beautifully stark.
The music video, directed by Tristan Heanue, arrives June 11th. With ‘Queen of Ashes’ on the horizon, “Living With Lucy” opens Cohle’s most raw and assured era yet.
Album Launch Show:
November 13th – Whelan’s, Dublin
Soundgarden Guitar Hero Kim Thayil Tells The Band’s Full Story In ‘A Screaming Life’
The man who built one of grunge’s heaviest sounds is finally telling his side. Kim Thayil, co-founder and lead guitarist of Soundgarden, releases his memoir ‘A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond’ on June 9, 2026, co-written with veteran music journalist Adem Tepedelen and published by William Morrow.
Thayil traces the whole arc, from Soundgarden’s scrappy origins in Seattle’s beer-soaked punk clubs to their place as Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 2025. He pulls back the curtain on the band he founded alongside Chris Cornell, Hiro Yamamoto, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Cameron, charting the triumphs and the creative friction that came with inventing a sound nobody had heard before.
The book digs into identity too. Thayil’s Indian heritage and Yamamoto’s Japanese background shaped Soundgarden’s character, their music, and their experience navigating the industry, dimensions rarely explored in grunge’s well-worn history. His account of grieving Cornell, who died in 2017, has already drawn praise from early reviewers for its honesty.
The writing earns its acclaim. Booklist calls it a clear-eyed account that resists easy nostalgia, while Publishers Weekly describes an entertaining and intriguing history balanced by frank talk about the conflicts that led to the band’s 1997 breakup. For Soundgarden fans and anyone who lived through ’90s alternative rock, this one goes deep.