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Dierks Bentley Takes Country Music “Off The Map” With a Summer Amphitheater Run

Eric Alper
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Dierks Bentley Takes Country Music “Off The Map” With a Summer Amphitheater Run

Dierks Bentley has a summer plan, and it involves amphitheaters, bluegrass royalty, and a deliberate step away from the noise. The multi-platinum country hitmaker has announced the “Off The Map Tour,” a six-week run of outdoor venues through June and July, and the lineup he’s assembled around him is worth paying attention to.

Joining Bentley on select dates are the legendary Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, rising singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts, and up-and-comers Cole Goodwin, Owen Riegling, and the Mountain Grass Unit. Every act was hand-picked by Bentley himself, and that intentionality comes through in how he talks about it.

“‘Off The Map’ is a song about going to that place where you take a break from it for a little bit, whether it’s a bar stool sipping something cold, or a back porch down a back road,” Bentley says. “I like to think that our shows are a place where our fans can go off the map for a few hours and recharge the batteries.” He adds that on-stage collaborations with Skaggs are already on his mind, and if their recently shared jam on “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” is any indication, those moments are going to be something special.

The tour follows Bentley’s spring stadium run alongside Luke Combs, keeping him on the road through the heart of summer. Tickets are on sale now.

2026 “Off The Map Tour” Dates:

June 12 – Rogers, AR (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Owen Riegling)

June 13 – Kansas City, MO (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Owen Riegling)

June 25 – Bonner, MT (with Mountain Grass Unit & Kaitlin Butts)

June 26 – Airway Heights, WA (with Kaitlin Butts & Cole Goodwin)

July 2 – Colorado Springs, CO (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Cole Goodwin)

July 9 – Gilford, NH (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Kaitlin Butts)

July 10 – Bridgeport, CT (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Kaitlin Butts)

July 11 – Canandaigua, NY (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Kaitlin Butts)

July 16 – Wilmington, NC (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Cole Goodwin)

July 17 – Charleston, SC (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Cole Goodwin)

July 18 – St. Augustine, FL (with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder & Cole Goodwin)

Brighton’s ladylike Craft a Seven-Minute Folk-Rock Epic With New Single “Fresh Linen”

Eric Alper
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Brighton’s ladylike Craft a Seven-Minute Folk-Rock Epic With New Single “Fresh Linen”

ladylike have released “Fresh Linen,” and it’s the kind of track that demands your full attention. The Brighton quartet’s latest single runs seven minutes, moving through a quiet-loud dynamic with a precision and naturalness that most bands spend careers chasing. It lingers, swells, and pulls back, and every moment of it feels earned.

The single arrives ahead of their debut EP, ‘It’s a Pleasure Of Mine, to Know You’re Fine,’ out now digitally via Heist or Hit, with a special Dinked Edition Vinyl following on April 24th. The EP was recorded with producer Ali Chant, whose credits include Aldous Harding, Perfume Genius, and PJ Harvey, and across four tracks it captures the quiet urgency that’s defined ladylike from the start.

The band describes “Fresh Linen” with striking honesty: “It felt incredibly natural to create. It showcases us as individuals, yet when we play the song live, we merge and immerse ourselves into one big machine. A very odd machine, that’s constantly evolving, but it’s churning and chugging on with life.” That sense of collective momentum is exactly what the track delivers.

Georgia Butler, Spencer Withey, James Ely, and Archie Sagers have been building steadily and intentionally. Festival slots at Green Man, Left Of The Dial, The Great Escape, and Dot To Dot, plus support runs with The Orielles, Ugly, Mary in the Junkyard, and Lime Garden have sharpened them into a formidable live act. Radio support from KEXP, BBC 6 Music, Apple 1, and Radio X has only widened the circle.

They’ve got a run of UK and European dates ahead, including a Paris appearance and a hometown slot at The Great Escape in May. “Fresh Linen” is the sound of a band fully in command of what they’re making.

Upcoming Live Dates:

April 11 – Bristol – Outer Town Festival

May 14 – Paris, France – Supersonic Block Party

May 15 – Brighton – The Great Escape

The Pretty Wild Drop “zero.point.genesis” Video While a Massive North American Tour Rolls On

Eric Alper
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The Pretty Wild Drop “zero.point.genesis” Video While a Massive North American Tour Rolls On

The Pretty Wild aren’t slowing down for anyone. The metaphysical metalcore sister duo has released the official music video for “zero.point.genesis,” the title track from their album of the same name on Sumerian Records, and it arrives right in the middle of one of the busiest stretches of their career.

The video is a fitting centerpiece for a record that pushes genre boundaries with genuine force. The Pretty Wild fuse rebellious energy with raw, heartfelt lyricism, and “zero.point.genesis” captures that combination at full intensity. With over 37 million all-time streams already behind them, the duo has built real momentum, and this video makes clear they know exactly what they’re doing with it.

2026 has been relentless for the duo. They made their ShipRocked debut in January, kicked off their first-ever UK/EU tour with Sleep Theory, and are now deep into a massive North American run alongside Bloodywood, Ladrones, and Ankor. Festival appearances at Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, Download 2026 in the UK, and Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium are also on the horizon.

The North American tour runs through mid-May, with remaining dates spanning major markets across the U.S. and Canada. Toronto gets their shot on May 15 at Danforth Music Hall. These are rooms worth being in.

Upcoming Tour Dates with Bloodywood, Ladrones + Ankor:

April 28 – Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall

April 29 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Austin

May 1 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre

May 2 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues Chicago

May 4 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club

May 5 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts

May 6 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza

May 8 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues

May 11 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre

May 12 – Chattanooga, TN – The Signal

May 13 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom

May 14 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2026

May 15 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall

May 16 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall

American Vanity’s “Lifeline” Video Is a High-Voltage Pop-Punk Sprint You Won’t See Coming

Eric Alper
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American Vanity’s “Lifeline” Video Is a High-Voltage Pop-Punk Sprint You Won’t See Coming

American Vanity have released the music video for “Lifeline,” and it matches the song’s emotional urgency beat for beat. The Pennsylvania-based four-piece dropped the single earlier this year, and the visual brings it fully to life, placing dual vocalists Luke Hoffman and Virginia Franks in a grungy, high-energy race against the clock as captives fighting to break free. It’s visceral, kinetic, and impossible to look away from.

The song itself is a pop-punk gut-punch wrapped in a catchy, nostalgia-tinged melody. Hook-laden guitar lines and larger-than-life drums drive the track forward while Hoffman and Franks dig into something genuinely raw. “Lifeline” examines emotional dependence with real honesty, the feeling of clinging to someone even when the connection starts to define you more than sustain you.

The band frames it plainly: “‘Lifeline’ examines emotional dependence in a culture where validation feels constant but fragile. The song captures the tension between wanting connection and recognizing when that connection starts to define you.” That tension runs through every second of the track, and it’s what makes it stick.

Formerly known as Burn The Jukebox, American Vanity has built their identity around turning modern rock into something unfiltered and direct. Led by Franks on bass and Hoffman on guitar, with Luke Vanchure on lead guitar and Carter Dennis on drums, the band writes music that takes aim at image, approval, and identity in an attention economy where everyone’s chasing views but nobody feels seen.

They’re also a serious live act, with a string of upcoming dates running through the summer. “Lifeline” is out now everywhere.

2026 Tour Dates:

May 8 – Barnstable, MA – Neptune’s

May 23 – Berwick, PA – Hog’s Hollow Saloon

June 6 – Mayfield, PA – Lakeland Orchard & Cidery

June 7 – Scotia, NY – Lion’s Pavillion

June 28 – Oakland, MD – Honi Honi Bar

Crown Lands’ ‘Apocalypse’ Is a 19-Minute Progressive Rock Epic Built to Destroy You

Eric Alper
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Crown Lands’ ‘Apocalypse’ Is a 19-Minute Progressive Rock Epic Built to Destroy You

Crown Lands have never been interested in playing it safe, and ‘Apocalypse’ makes that clearer than ever. The Canadian progressive rock duo’s new studio album arrives May 15, and it’s the most ambitious, fully realized thing they’ve put together yet. Three albums deep, two JUNO Awards in, and they’re still pushing further out.

The record follows their JUNO Award-winning self-titled debut, 2023’s ‘Fearless,’ and the instrumental duo ‘Ritual I’ and ‘Ritual II,’ their first releases on InsideOutMusic and recent JUNO nominees. Each release has expanded the Crown Lands universe. ‘Apocalypse’ doesn’t just continue that expansion, it reframes everything that came before it.

At the center of the album sits the 19-minute title track, a sprawling, section-by-section construction that drummer and vocalist Cody Bowles describes as built from the ground up. “With long-form songs, it always starts with the music,” he says. “We built Apocalypse from instrumental sections, some older riffs, a lot of newly inspired ones, and mapped them out on a whiteboard, figuring out how one section could melt into the next.” The result is a prog epic that earns every minute of its runtime.

Conceptually, ‘Apocalypse’ fits into a larger narrative arc. Bowles connects the dots: “Fearless and Ritual exist in the same story. But Ritual takes place much earlier in the timeline. It shows the planet during times of peace. Apocalypse moves the story forward and sets up the events that lead directly into Fearless.” This is world-building at a scale most rock acts simply don’t attempt.

Much of the album was written and recorded in the same home studio Crown Lands has worked in since 2020, a space that became a proving ground during the ‘Ritual’ sessions. Guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist Kevin Comeau credits that process directly: “That record gave us the confidence to realize we could make a Crown Lands album in our own space, without a major-label budget or a big, fancy studio.” For the album’s most crucial moments, they brought in producers Nick Raskulinecz and David Bottrill.

‘Apocalypse’ arrives May 15 on Ltd CD Edition, Gatefold Neon Yellow LP, Limited Gatefold Neon Green LP, and digital. One remaining Canadian tour date and a summer festival appearance round out the live rollout.

‘Apocalypse’ Track Listing:

  1. Proclamation I
  2. Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate
  3. Through the Looking Glass
  4. Blackstar
  5. The Fall
  6. The Revenants I
  7. Apocalypse.

2026 Tour Dates:

July 4 – Miramichi, NB – New Maritime Music Festival

PILGRIMS Turn Icy Post-Punk Into an Act of Joy With New Single “Blissing Hour”

Eric Alper
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PILGRIMS Turn Icy Post-Punk Into an Act of Joy With New Single “Blissing Hour”

Boston post-punks PILGRIMS have dropped “Blissing Hour,” the third single from their upcoming album ‘Gemini,’ and it’s doing something genuinely interesting. The track takes the cold, rigid architecture of classic post-punk and floods it with euphoric light. Icy sounds, warm overtones, and a quietly radical message underneath it all.

The band has roots that run deep and cross borders. Vocalist Juls Garat and multi-instrumentalist Claudio Marcio, originally from Chile and Colombia respectively, met in Chile and emigrated together to the U.S., eventually planting their flag in Boston. They launched under the name Pilgrims of Yearning in 2018, building a following through a string of releases, including 2022’s ‘Hadal’ EP and its standout single “La Mar.”

Now joined by bassist Sean Woodbury, the trio has shed the longer name and returned simply as PILGRIMS. The rebrand carries real weight. Marcio explains: “With the name PILGRIMS, we reflect not only our spiritual journey, but our living experience as immigrants, our pilgrimage. The new album is touched by our experience as immigrants existing in this moment and place in history. We feel a lot of people can relate to the archetype of the traveller, the wanderer.”

“Blissing Hour” carries that weight without buckling under it. Garat frames joy as resistance, and the song earns that framing completely. “Joy can be a form of resistance,” she says. “This is true for everyone, but especially for marginalized groups. If we’re not hustling, we’re supposed to be doomscrolling and getting depressed and enraged by watching the news and fighting with strangers on social media. But we can always choose stepping into the real world. We can choose community, hope, joy, art and fun. And sometimes that’s the rebellion we need.”

John Shambles Brings His Debut Solo Album ‘Cabin Fever’ to Life on the Road

Eric Alper
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John Shambles Brings His Debut Solo Album ‘Cabin Fever’ to Life on the Road

Brett Emmons has a new name, a new record, and zero interest in playing by anyone else’s rules. Under the moniker John Shambles, the JUNO Award-winning frontman of The Glorious Sons steps out with his debut solo album, ‘Cabin Fever,’ out April 30. It’s a record steeped in nostalgia, washed guitars, and a well-worn feel that sounds like it was earned, not engineered.

‘Cabin Fever’ pulls from lo-fi alternative, folk, and garage rock, weaving them into something that feels simultaneously fresh and deeply lived-in. Emmons’ raw, introspective storytelling is front and center throughout, and it lands hard. The album is relatable, disarming, and genuinely captivating from start to finish.

The singles paint a vivid picture of what’s ahead. “Fool In The Woods” is a melodic dreamscape. “Landmines” drifts into the unsettling feeling of being perceived. “Try Not To Freak Out” is sharp and self-aware. “New Friends” turns a character study into something quietly devastating. Together, they make a compelling case for Shambles as a fully formed solo identity.

Emmons is candid about where he’s at. “I asked for one thing out of life from an early age and it happened,” he says. “Almost 15 years ago now, I started this for real. I’m not a pop star. I’m not a fashion icon. I don’t believe in almost anything except for one thing: create. That’s it.”

He continues: “It got confusing. Really confusing. But I decided after that, that this, right here, is all I wanted. Fuck money. Fuck stars. Fuck sub-genres. Fuck politicians. Fuck fashion. Movies. News. Movements. It’s all beyond my control. In fact, it gets more beyond my control with every passing year. So, I’m gonna do what I do. That’s it. I’m gonna do it relentlessly, and with a little help I’m gonna do it right from my front porch. The rest is for the birds.”

Supporting the record, Shambles is heading out on the “Spring Fever Tour,” hitting Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan through May. This is the full live rollout of ‘Cabin Fever,’ and it’s worth showing up for.

‘Cabin Fever’ Track Listing:

  1. Concrete Cowboys
  2. Landmines
  3. Try Not Too Freak Out
  4. Gameshow
  5. Fool In The Woods
  6. New Friends
  7. Tin Man Time Machine
  8. Back On The Gas
  9. Making Sense (B-Side)
  10. Hail (B-Side)

2026 “Spring Fever Tour” Dates:

May 7 – Hamilton, ON – Bridgeworks

May 8 – Waterloo, ON – Maxwell’s

May 9 – London, ON – London Music Hall

May 11 – Thunder Bay, ON – Magnus Theatre

May 12 – Winnipeg, MB – The Park Theatre

May 14 – Calgary, AB – Commonwealth Bar

May 15 – Edmonton, AB – Midway Music Hall

May 16 – Saskatoon, SK – Coors Event Centre

Holly Humberstone Brings the “Cruel World Tour” to North America This Summer Behind Sophomore Album

Eric Alper
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Holly Humberstone Brings the “Cruel World Tour” to North America This Summer Behind Sophomore Album

Holly Humberstone’s sophomore album ‘Cruel World’ is out now via Interscope Records, and the North American tour supporting it is one of the more compelling indie pop runs of the summer. Kicking off June 3 in Boston and running through June 28 in San Francisco, the “Cruel World Tour” hits headline rooms across the continent alongside major festival appearances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, and All Things Go Toronto.

‘Cruel World’ was built through daily studio sessions with collaborator Rob Milton and explores the tension between pain and pleasure, chaos and acceptance, anchored in stability and recollection after the turbulence of her debut. Where ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ was marked by longing and unease, this record reaches toward something more grounded, drawing on childhood memories, gothic fairytales, feminine solidarity, and the strange comfort of digging through your own past.

Visually, Humberstone built the album’s world with her sister Eleri and creative director Silken, inspired by childhood trinkets uncovered while leaving the house she grew up in, ballet shoes, Alice in Wonderland books, and films like Edward Scissorhands and James and the Giant Peach. That imaginative richness runs through every corner of the record, and the live show promises to match it.

“Cruel World” North American Tour Dates:

June 3 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club

June 4 — Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre

June 6 — Toronto, ON @ All Things Go Toronto

June 7 — Queens, NY @ Governors Ball Music Festival

June 9 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of The Living Arts

June 10 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

June 12 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

June 13 — Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

June 15 — Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall

June 16 — Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre

June 19 — Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater

June 21 — Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre

June 22 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex

June 24 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

June 25 — Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom

June 26 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

June 28 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

San Jose Political Punks Last Ditch Effort Take on Violent Femmes Classic “Blister in the Sun”

Eric Alper
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San Jose Political Punks Last Ditch Effort Take on Violent Femmes Classic “Blister in the Sun”

Last Ditch Effort have released a cover of the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” and it’s exactly the kind of move you’d expect from a San Jose political punk outfit whose stated mission is bringing back the social fury of punk’s most charged decades. The band formed in 2023 with charged lyrics and heavy rhythms built to inspire dissent, and their most recent EP ‘Twenty-25’ earned genuine critical praise. Their new EP ‘Imminent Demise’ is out now, and this cover makes a fine entry point into what Last Ditch Effort are building.

“Blister in the Sun” and ‘Imminent Demise’ are both out now.

Colorado Springs Alternative Rock Trio Mindless Vitality Go Deep on Raw New Single “Broken Minds”

Eric Alper
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Colorado Springs Alternative Rock Trio Mindless Vitality Go Deep on Raw New Single “Broken Minds”

Mindless Vitality are starting 2026 with a statement. The Colorado Springs alternative rock trio, Joseph Nutter on vocals and guitar, Max Thornton on vocals and bass, and Hayden Wyatt on drums, have released “Broken Minds,” a track that goes directly at the psychological weight of internal struggle, emotional burnout, and the exhausting work of holding yourself together when everything feels like it’s unraveling.

The band puts it plainly: “‘Broken Minds’ is about the mental and emotional struggles people go through but don’t always talk about. It’s that feeling of being stuck in your own head, fighting thoughts that won’t slow down, and trying to find clarity in the chaos. We wanted the song to feel intense but also honest, because nobody’s mind is unbreakable.”

That honesty is what separates Mindless Vitality from the pack. Their grunge-rooted foundation gives “Broken Minds” real grit, while a sharper modern alternative edge keeps it from sitting still. It’s emotionally charged and musically direct, which is exactly what this kind of subject matter demands.

The band is expanding its 2026 performance schedule with regional and out-of-state dates in the works. “Broken Minds” is out now.

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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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