As they prepare for their MAD! Tour, with dates in the UK in June and July, Sparks – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – are celebrating their career-best UK chart position. Their 28th studio album MAD!, released on May 23 2025, entered at Number 1 in the Official Physical Albums Chart, Official Independent Albums Chart, Official CD Albums Chart, Official Vinyl Albums Chart and Official Scottish Albums Chart, and at Number 2 in the Official Albums Chart (sales and digital combined).
Sparks previously peaked at Number 4, 51 years ago, with 1974’s Kimono My House. MAD! gives them their seventh UK Top 40 album to date and fourth UK Top 10 in the last 8 years.
Speaking to the Official Charts they said: “We’re so deeply appreciative of the way our new album MAD! has been embraced by all of you, to such an extent that it’s reached Number 2, our highest chart position ever! Hard to believe! We will continue – to paraphrase a certain band, Sparks – to “do things our own way,” knowing the support we’re getting from all of you. See you soon on the UK leg of our tour in June and July!”
The band also took to social media to thank their fans saying “Thank you everybody for making MAD! be this incredible achievement for Sparks, we’re just so over the moon and want to thank you all for your wonderful support and reception to the album” Russell Mael.
“We’ve always felt really strongly about this album musically and we’re glad that so many people seem to agree with our judgement” Ron Mael.
Sparks’ MAD! Tour kicks off in Japan this week before returning to Europe. Fans can expect musical thrills and unbridled joy from the career-spanning show. UK dates are:
Wed. June 18 – London, Eventim Apollo Thu. June 19 – London, Eventim Apollo Sat. June 21 – Manchester, O2 Apollo Sun. June 22 – Manchester, O2 Apollo Tue. June 24 – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall (SOLD OUT) Fri. July 18 – Edinburgh, Edinburgh Playhouse Sat. July 19 Wolverhampton, The Halls
Nigerian superstar Kizz Daniel returns with a brand-new EP entitled Lemon Chase. The 7-track project is a precursor to his forthcoming album, Uncle K, which is primed for widespread acclaim.
On the EP, Kizz Daniel says “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade out of it. I wanted this project to feel like real life; sweet, sour, confusing, beautiful. This is music for your heart, for when you’re healing, or hoping, or remembering. I just wanted it to be honest, authentic and true to self.”
With Lemon Chase, Kizz Daniel continues to grow, not just as a hitmaker, but as a storyteller who’s open to pulling back the curtain. The international pop star has an ability to draw listeners into a space where vulnerability, raw emotions, and self-reflection all exist in equal measure. The EP, out now, includes guest appearances from FOLA, Zlatan, ODUMODUBLVCK, Bella Shmurda, Runtown, Angelique Kidjo, and Johnny Drille.
Kizz Daniel has been building anticipation for Uncle K with a series of singles and next-level collaborations like “Police” featuring Johnny Drille and five-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo. Now, the Ogun star delves deeper into his personal story while providing listeners with the latest taste of his upcoming fifth studio album.
The Otis Redding Foundation celebrates Otis Redding’s ongoing legacy with the Otis Redding Statue, a life-size bronze sculpture that pays tribute to the King of Soul and his multi-platinum, international classic hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” With June marking Black Music Month, the statue honors the late icon’s cultural contributions in the history of American music, and legacy of his deep roots in Macon giving back to the community. This June, the Otis Redding Foundation will also lead their popular Otis Music Camp, the annual summer program that empowers new generations of young artists through arts education.
The Otis Redding Statue is now installed at the corner of Cotton Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Macon, atop a new water fountain added to its design by sculptor Bradley Cooley Jr. It stands in front of the cultural hub the Redding family has built along Cotton Avenue, which includes the Zelma Redding Amphitheater and Otis Redding Center for the Arts (ORCA), and the Otis Redding Museum. The statue is an enduring reflection of Macon’s rich musical legacy, a community that’s been a vital home to helping Otis Redding, the Redding family, and many artists to flourish. The statue was previously displayed since 2002 in Macon’s Gateway Park overlooking the historic Ocmulgee River, and originally created by sculptors Bradley Cooley and Bradley Cooley Jr.
“The statue of Otis Redding is not simply a symbol of the Reddings’ enormous impact on Macon. It being on Cotton Avenue, mere feet from where a relocated statue of a Confederate soldier stood for almost a century is a beautiful testament to Macon’s generational progress. The statue of Otis Redding and the Center are a true representation of who we were, are, and can and will be” – says Seth Clark, Mayor Pro Tempore for Macon-Bibb County and Executive Director of the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative.
Karla Redding-Andrews, Vice President and Executive Director of the Otis Redding Foundation, says – “As lifelong residents of Macon, our family is proud to have our father’s statue relocated to Cotton Avenue, together in front of the new amphitheater named for our mother, and just blocks from property our father owned in the 1960s. Macon has always been a vibrant community that has been an important foundation to support our father and mother’s dreams, nurturing us to be able to lead and develop opportunities to support the dreams and education of future generations. At the Otis Redding Foundation, we carry on our purpose of serving the youth and adults of Macon and middle Georgia, together let’s continue to make an impact for our community to continue thriving here at home and the world.”
Established in 2007 by Founder and President Zelma Redding, the Otis Redding Foundation is now housed in ORCA, now the home site for its signature summer camp programs (Otis Music Camp and Camp Dream). The Otis Music Camp runs June 2 – 21, 2025, serving youth ages 12-18 interested in the music business. Camp Dream will follow from July 14 – 25, 2025, serving children ages 5-11 to explore the arts, from music and dance to visual arts and theater. The state-of-the-art ORCA is a 15,000 sq-ft facility encompassing the Zelma Redding Amphitheater, multiple creative labs and classrooms, and the O3 Recording Studio, named after Otis Redding, III, who passed away in April, 2023.
This June in celebration of Black Music Month, also sees one of Otis Redding’s most acclaimed albums Otis Blue, getting a mastered vinyl treatment, to be released by Warner Music’s Rhino Reserve premium vinyl series on June 27th. For more information on the Otis Redding Foundation, its programs and ORCA, visit https://www.otisreddingfoundation.org/ and https://www.orcamacon.org/.
Grammy-nominated musician Grace Potter releases her long awaited album Medicine, produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett via Hollywood Records. You can stream Medicine on Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes and watch the brand new music video for the title track HERE.
“I remember being in the studio with T Bone and feeling like this was everything I’d been waiting for. It never occurred to me that the album might not get released, but I’m at peace with the fact that it’s taken this long,” says Potter. “This is an album that truly belongs in its own space, and I’m so happy to finally give it the platform I know it deserves.”
In 2008, Potter went into the studio with T Bone Burnett and cut an album unlike any other in her wildly expansive body of work. Made with a wrecking crew of musical luminaries, the Burnett-produced LP captured Potter at a moment of profound metamorphosis, then wound up shelved. She has now joined forces with Hollywood Records to unearth those recordings from deep in the vaults and release Medicine: a powerhouse album that’s equal parts archival gem and thrilling new addition to her extraordinary catalog.
Potter is set to appear on Live! With Kelly and Mark next Wednesday, June 4. Last week, she was featured on the cover of the Arts section of The New York Times. She was also recently featured in Garden & Gun, on Southern Living’s Biscuits & Jam podcast, and Takin’ A Walk podcast on behalf of the new album. Earlier this month, Potter “wowed” (People Magazine) the crowd with a capella rendition of the National Anthem at the 151st Kentucky Derby at the iconic Churchill Downs.
Recorded at The Village Studios, Medicine strays far from the high-spirited roots-rock of Potter’s earliest work, bringing a shadowy intensity to her soul-baring songs of lust and longing and self-salvation. To carve out the sonic landscape envisioned for the album, Burnett enlisted his longtime collaborators Jim Keltner, bassist Dennis Crouch, guitarist Marc Ribot, and keyboardist Keefus Ciancia.
Over the course of its 12 songs, Medicine achieves a hypnotic power thanks to the charmed interplay between Potter’s shapeshifting voice and the sonic exploration of her collaborators. The tracklisting’s myriad high points include the title track, which has since become a staple in Potter’s notoriously transcendent live show, “Paris (Ooh La La),” the first song ever written on her iconic Gibson Flying V, as well as the original, never-before-heard versions of “Make You Cry,” “Losing You,” “To Shore,” and “Before the Sky Falls.”.
Last weekend, Potter joined Kenny Chesney during the opening weekend of his residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The two performed their GRAMMY-nominated hit “You & Tequila” and Rod Stewart’s “Hot Legs,” on which broke out her signature Flying V. This summer, Potter is set to join Chris Stapleton for select dates, including two nights at Madison Square Garden. For the complete itinerary and full ticketing information visit https://www.gracepotter.com/. 
Medicine Track List:
Before The Sky Falls* Losing You* That Phone Money Colors Low Road Medicine Make You Cry* Oasis Paris (Ooh La La) To Shore* Goodbye Kiss (*previously unreleased)
GRACE POTTER 2025 TOUR DATES
July 17, 2025 – Lowell Summer Music Series – Lowell, MA
July 18, 2025 – Rome Capitol Theatre – Rome, NY
July 19, 2025 – Artpark – Lewiston, NY
July 20, 2025 – Point of the Bluff Vineyards – Hammondsport, NY
July 23, 2025 – UBS Arena – Belmont Park, NY *Supporting Chris Stapleton
July 24, 2025 – Upper Merion Township Building Park – King Of Prussia, PA
July 25, 2025 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY *Supporting Chris Stapleton
July 26, 2025 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY *Supporting Chris Stapleton
September 28, 2025 – Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival – Franklin, TN
The Azrieli Music, Arts and Culture Centre is launching its annual international call for proposals for the Azrieli Music Prizes Performance Fund. The fund supports professional music ensembles from around the world in preparing and presenting excellent public performances of AMP-winning works.
AMACC is currently accepting proposals through July 4, 2025, for performances during the 2025-26, 2026-27 or 2027-28 seasons. Proposals are accepted online. Submission guidelines and additional details, including a complete listing of eligible AMP-winning works, may be found at azrielifoundation.org/amp/the-azrieli-performance-fund.
Created in 2014 by Dr. Sharon Azrieli CQ for the Azrieli Foundation, the Azrieli Music Prizes celebrate excellence in music composition. Offering the largest prize package of its kind in Canada, AMP has become one of the most significant composition competitions in the world. AMP consists of one discovery prize, The Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music, and three commissions, The Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, The Azrieli Commission for International Music and The Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music. These are awarded to the composers whose submissions display the utmost artistry, technical mastery and professional expertise in response to each Prize theme.
“We know that offering support to both the composers and to orchestras, after a composition has its world premiere, is key to the new work’s future success,” says Dr. Sharon Azrieli, CQ. “The Azrieli Music Prizes Performance Fund bolsters professional music ensembles to share these powerful works with their audiences. These valuable considerations of what Jewish, Canadian and International music each can be generates meaningful intercultural understanding throughout the world.”
Professional ensembles may submit a proposal requesting support ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 CAD, to help cover the costs of score and parts rental, soloist fees, additional rehearsal time, augmented concert promotion and/or attendance of AMP Laureates at rehearsals or the concert performance.
AMP-PF funds are awarded annually to outstanding music ensembles through a competitive selection process. Proposals must feature works from the list of 14 eligible award-winning AMP works ranging from chamber to choral and orchestral music, with and without soloists. To date, AMP-PF has helped to fund dozens of concerts featuring compositions by AMP Laureates in cities including Berlin, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Santa Barbara, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vancouver and Warsaw.
Created in 2014 by Sharon Azrieli CQ for the Azrieli Foundation, AMP offers opportunities for the discovery, creation, performance and celebration of excellence in music composition. Open to the international music community, AMP accepts nominations for works from individuals and institutions of all ages, nationalities, faiths and genders, which are then submitted to its expert juries through an open call for scores and proposals.
The four AMP prize packages – valued at $200,000 CAD per Laureate – currently makes it the top competition for music composition in Canada and one of the most substantial in the world. Past prize-winners include Canadian composers Jordan Nobles (2024), Rita Ueda (2022), Keiko Devaux (2020), Kelly-Marie Murphy (2018) and Brian Current (2016); Israeli composer Yair Klartag (2024); Israeli-Georgian composer Josef Bardanashvili (2024); Mexican American composer Juan Trigos (2024); Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi (2022); Israeli-Canadian composer Aharon Harlap (2022); Israeli-Australian composer Yitzhak Yedid (2020); Dutch-born American composer Yotam Haber (2020); Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman (2018) and US-based Polish composer Wlad Marhulets (2016).
An expanded edition of Churn, the debut album by ’90s alt-rock standard bearers Seven Mary Three, originally released independently in 1994 through the band’s 5 Spot Records, is slated to be reissued by ABKCO on May 30. The album, recorded between December 1993 and January 1994, was notable for its inclusion of the first version of “Cumbersome,” the track that was re-recorded when the band later signed with Atlantic-distributed Mammoth Records the following year and hit #1 on Billboard’s US Mainstream Rock chart. The same is true of “Water’s Edge” that was also first heard on Churn and later re-recorded for inclusion on platinum-selling American Standard, the band’s initial album for Mammoth.
ABKCO’s new digital version of Churn, includes the original album in addition to three previously unreleased tracks: “Wrecking Wall”, which has never been heard in any form, an early demo of “My My”, and “Over Nothing”, which served as the blueprint for “Margarette” on both Churn and American Standard. The ABKCO edition of Churn also includes six Seven Mary Three tracks that comprised the Yukon Cornelius EP, a title derived from an earlier name for the band that evolved to become Seven Mary Three. Three of the tracks from that EP – “Marching On”, “50,000 Spectators”, and “Saturday” –have never been previously released digitally and three are demo versions of songs that ended up on Churn as well as on American Standard.
The history of Seven Mary Three can be traced to the early ‘90s when Ross attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where he met guitarist Jason Pollock. Together with drummer and fellow William and Mary undergrad Giti Khalsa, and bassist Casey Daniel (a high school friend of Ross’ from Florida), the band found its footing in clubs, bars and coffee houses throughout the southeast. Influenced by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M. and the Seattle grunge movement, Ross fronted the band in various incarnations for two decades with Seven Mary Three, re-grouping thereafter from time to time.
In the years following his tenure with Seven Mary Three, Ross has become a music and marketing executive heading Fresh Produce, the audio-first creative studio with a presence in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Mexico City and London. The company specializes in talent-led, narrative audio and video with over 30 launched series. Its projects span from music storytelling, wellness and sports, to scripted fiction and news. Ross also witnessed and catalyzed an explosion of talent during his seven years with New York’s The Bowery Presents. He recently referenced his multi-faceted career commenting, “Stepping away from making music to focus on the business of music for a while, I was able to come back to it in a way that felt like I hadn’t lost what did the most for me. As soon as I started making music again, life got better – work, marriage, everything. Nervous as I am about getting a toe back in the water, the farther out I swim the better it is. I’m glad to come back to music not feeling like I’m retreading. I feel like I’m still learning.”
Track listing for 2025 expanded edition of Churn:
1. Cumbersome
2. Water’s Edge
3. Devil Boy
4. Roderigo
5. Lame
6. Kater
7. Margarette
8. Anything
9. Punch In Punch Out
10. Favorite Dog
11. Wrecking Wall (Unreleased Demo)**
12. My My (Unreleased Demo)**
13. Over Nothing (Unreleased Demo)**
14. Margarette (Demo)*
15. 50,000 Spectators (Demo)*
16. Marching On (Demo) *
17. Devil Boy (Demo)*
18. Saturday (Demo)*
19. Punch In, Punch Out (Demo)*
*Yukon Cornelius Sessions – recorded in Fall 1993
**Recorded at Rumble Studios in August 1994, never previously released
Becky Buller celebrates the release of her new single “Muddy Waters” from her up-coming album of cover songs that had a huge impact on her musical career.
Songwriter Phil Rosenthal says: “I’m thrilled to have Muddy Waters given new life in this creative rendition by Becky Buller and the band. It’s especially nice to have Seldom Scene offspring Chris Eldridge and Jay Starling on board!”
“Muddy Waters was on my short list for this album well before Hurricane Helene’s historic destruction of the Southern Appalachian region,” says Buller. “With so many friends in our bluegrass, old-time, and roots music community directly impacted, I heard this song in a profoundly more visceral way. I lament and mourn with them through the arms of Phil Rosenthal’s bleak lyric.”
“Becky and I have been working on this album for a while, and it was put on pause to make way for the Jubilee project last year,” shares producer Stephen Mougin. “When she sent me her funky version of Muddy Waters, originally performed by the Seldom Scene, I knew it was powerful. It occurred to me that we should invite a couple of Scene Sons. With Chris Eldridge (guitar) and Jay Starling (dobro/vocal) on the session, joined by Casey Campbell (mandolin) and Jeff Picker (bass), we gave it a fresh coat of paint and dug deep into the meaning and story of the song. As we started doling out solos, Chris asked if he could have the beginning section so he could quote some of his dad’s legendary banjo break… of course we said yes. It’s amazing! I’m really proud of the arrangement, the sonics, and the powerful performance that each musician brought to this track.”
ABOUT BECKY BULLER: Becky Buller is a 10-time IBMA award-winning Bluegrass artist. A celebrated musician, singer and songwriter, Buller made history as the first-ever artist to win in both instrumental and vocal categories at the 2016 IBMA Awards, as well as being the first female to ever win IBMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year. Since 2018, Becky has moonlighted with the all-female supergroup, The First Ladies of Bluegrass, which was recently recognized at the Country Music Hall of Fame with their own exhibit. Buller achieved a lifelong goal in 2021 when she made her Grand Ole Opry debut. Her songs appear on Grammy award-winning albums by Molly Tuttle (2023), The Infamous Stringdusters (2019) and The Travelin’ McCourys (2018). Buller is a 2023 inductee into the Minnesota Music Hall Of Fame.
ABOUT DARK SHADOW RECORDING: Dark Shadow Recording is a full-service studio and record label led by award-winning Stephen Mougin, located on a hilltop that surveys Music City’s electric skyline. The label produces and turns out music from some the industry’s most promising artists in the Bluegrass, Americana, Country, and Folk genres – Becky Buller, Rick Faris, Laura Orshaw, Henhouse Prowlers, Jana and Stephen Mougin.
Milwaukee singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp returns this fall with Osborne, his most raw, revealing, and radically different album to date — a blazing 11-track journey through addiction, recovery, and rebirth. The album’s lead single, “Loaded,” is set for release on May 29, marking the first chapter in a deeply personal new era for the 34-year-old artist.
“Loaded,” cuts deep with Trapper’s searing commentary on the reckless over-prescription of opioids: “It’s long and orange with a child-proof lid / It jingles like a tambourine where I once hid / It oughta be a crime the whole world should know / Your face on a true crime reality show / You ain’t gave me nothing but a loaded gun.”
“A pain management doctor said to my face that he helped patients get on these drugs but not off of them,“ Trapper says. “They wrote me advance prescriptions that I could fill at my leisure. I thought they were like loaded guns just sitting in my desk, which is where that title comes from.”
Set in a rage room, the “Loaded” music video is a cathartic commentary on the American opioid epidemic. It stars indie film legend Mark Borchardt as an evil, overprescribing doctor. Osborne was born from Schoepp’s experience last year at Hazelden Betty Ford, one of the country’s leading addiction treatment centers. After a decade of dependency on prescription painkillers stemming from a spinal surgery, Trapper checked himself into the Minnesota-based facility — and was assigned to the Osborne unit, a subtle nod to Ozzy Osbourne, who famously underwent treatment there. “There was heavy metal-themed artwork, a guitar Clapton left behind, and DVDs of The Osbournes laying around,” Trapper recalls. “It felt like home.”
“Recording this album was an exorcism of my demons,” Schoepp says. “I kept asking myself if this was a test or torture. I realized that if cleaning myself up was the torture, putting it all down on paper honestly was the test. I needed both.”
The album delivers blistering lyrics atop a chugging rhythm section, channeling the spirits of Black Sabbath, Suicide, and Springsteen. Songs were written shortly after Schoepp left Hazelden, recorded in a church basement in California with producers Mike Viola (Andrew Bird, Dawes) and Tyler Chester (Jackson Browne, Madison Cunningham), and tracked live to tape for maximum emotional punch.
From the reggae-tinged “Suicide Summer” to the Sackler family indictment “Satan is Real (Satan is a Sackler),” Osborne balances ferocity with humor, devastation with celebration. “I wanted this album to feel celebratory and not maudlin,” Trapper explains. “Nothing about recovery has to be gloom and doom.”
The album also marks a sonic and visual shift. Osborne is the first record to omit his last name on the cover, a subtle tribute to the anonymity of recovery communities — and features artwork of Trapper with a burning guitar in his mouth. “I want to set fire to the stigma around addiction,” he says.
While Osborne is a major artistic leap, Trapper’s songwriting roots remain grounded in craft. In 2019, he made headlines for completing an unfinished 1961 song by Bob Dylan called “On, Wisconsin,” earning himself a co-writing credit with the legend. “Imagine telling that to a 14-year-old kid standing in the baseball field that one day you’re going to have a co-writing credit with Bob Dylan about your home state,” Schoepp told Rolling Stone. “You just can’t make that sh*t up.”
With Osborne, Trapper offers an unflinching look at pain, addiction, and healing — but also a triumphant reminder: survival isn’t sad. It’s a story worth shouting from the stage.
To celebrate the release of his new single “Loaded” and the forthcoming album Osborne, Trapper is launching his earthy startup Schoepp Seeds—a line of organic, heirloom seed packets inspired by rock n’ roll and art-pop imagery,
Trapper Schoepp on the Road: 6/ 5 – Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theatre (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night) 6/6 – Visalia, CA @ Visalia Fox Theatre (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night) 6/7 – Napa, CA @ Uptown Theatre Napa (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night) 6/13 – Milwaukee, WI @ Anodyne (Solo Opening for Peter Mulvey) 6/14 – Burlington, WI @ WBSD 50th Anniversary 6/19 – Green Bay, WI @ Truck Yard 6/20 – Ripon, WI @ Siebkens 6/21 – Chicago, IL @ FitzGerald’s (Supporting Old 97’s) 6/24-25 – West Bend, WI @ Bend Theater (Solo Opening for Hotel California) 6/26 – Lake Geneva, WI @ Flat Iron Park 6/28 – Hartland, wI @ Lake Country House Concerts 6/30 – Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night) 7/15 – Green Bay, WI @ Bay Beach Amusement Park 7/17 – Hopkins, MN @ The Sunset Series 7/24 – Nekoosa, WI @ Lake Arrowhead: Tunes on the Turn 7/25 – Selbyville, DE @ Freeman Arts Pavilion (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night) 7/26 – Williamsport, PA @ Community Arts Center (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night) 7/27 – Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theater (Solo Opening for Three Dog Night)
Supporting Laura Jane Grace: 8/01 – Peoria, IL @ Scottish Rite Theatre 8/02 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown 8/03 – Fargo, ND @ Sanctuary Events Center 8/05 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre 8/06 – Saskatoon, SK @ Louis’ Pub 8/08 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room 8/09 – Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth Bar & Stage 8/10 – Kelowna, BC @ Revelry 8/12 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl 8/13 – Victoria, BC @ Sticky Wicket 8/15 – Missoula, MT @ Monk’s Bar 8/16 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall 8/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell 8/19 – Casper, WY @ Oil City Beer Company 8/24 – Dallas, TX @ Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ 8/25 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s Nightclub 8/26 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston 8/27 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
Album release shows: 9/26 – Madison, WI @ Bur Oak 9/27 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
EUROPE: 16 Oct – Malmo, SE @Medley 17 Oct – Trelleborg, SE @ Kulturhuset 18 Oct – Kristianstad,SE @Biljardkompaniet 22 Oct – Trondheim, NO @ Moskus 24 Oct – Kristiansand, NO @ Vaktbua 25 Oct – Bergen, NO @ Statsraaden 30 Oct – Nieuw-en Sint Joosland, NL @ Theater de Wewijzer 31 Oct – De Speelplaats, NL @ Baars 1 Nov – Groningen, NL @ Take Root Festival 2 Nov – Nijmegen, NL @ Thiemeloods 4 Nov – Leiden, NL @ Q-bus 5 Nov – Ebersberg, GE @ Altes Kino 7 Nov – Lauchhammer, GE @ Real Music Club
SMURFS Movie announces the full soundtrack to the film featuring music from Rihanna, Tyla, DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Shenseea,James Corden and more. The soundtrack is available for Pre-Order/Pre-Save HERE and will officially release June 13th via Roc Nation Distribution.
The reveal of the soundtrack follows the release of Rihanna’s “Friend Of Mine” off the soundtrack as well as“Higher Love” by DESI TRILL featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi.
When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe. SMURFS features an all-star voice cast including Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Marshmello, with Kurt Russell and John Goodman.
SMURFS MOVIE SOUNDTRACK TRACKLIST
1. Milenge by Natania
2. Celebrate by Natania
3. Friend Of Mine by Rihanna
4. Higher Love by DESI TRILL feat. DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi
5. Liar For A Living by Natania
6. It Takes A Village by Natania and The Indian Connect
7. Big Dreams by James Fauntleroy
8. To Me by Lous and the Yakuza
9. Did We by Natania
10. Balle Balouza by Natania, Subhi and The Indian Connect
A fan favorite at their live shows, it was just a matter of time before “Gay Boy Boogie” made its way into the studio, accompanied appropriately by a bawdy video. Returning to the director’s chair was punk rock mastermind Frank Meyer of The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs who had directed their previous video for “Highway to Hell.” An instant hard rock masterpiece, that video featured brilliant cameos from Johnny Martin (L.A. Guns), John Bush (Armored Saint, ex-Anthrax), and dUg Pinnick (King’s X).
“The idea to do a video for ‘Bad Boy Boogie’ was considered soon after we completed the ‘Highway To Hell’ video’,” explains drummer Brian Welch. “It’s one of the raunchier songs lyrically that we do live, and I thought ‘Why don’t we do something fun for this?’ After all, people come to our shows expecting an R rated show, so let’s give ’em an R rated video too!”
Reinterpreting the Twisted Sister iconic video for “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” GayC/DC and Meyer envisioned a prequal to their “Highway to Hell” video with L.A. Guns’ Johnny Martin reprising his role of “Waldo.”
“This was our love letter to Twisted Sister and homage to director Marty Callner but with a GayC/DC twist,” says Welch. (The late Callner was an acclaimed director for videos by Bon Jovi, KISS, and Whitesnake among others, as well as “We’re Not Going to Take It.” He passed away in March 2025).
“For Waldo’s parents, I asked Joanie Pimentel [bass player from No Small Children], to play the mom. For the dad, I asked Don Speziale who was the lead actor in several of my films when I was in film school and also wrote the scripts for Pansy Division when we were developing the Jonah video series for the That’s So Gay album,” adds Freeman about the casting choices.
While the video (which was premiered by American Songwriter who called the video “full-on GayC/DC glam metal queer rock”) adds to their lovingly boa-frocked reverence for AC/DC, their adoration for Twisted Sister does not go uncredited, especially when it comes to that glam metal band’s colorful onstage regalia. “We love Twisted Sister who took rock and drag further than anybody at the time,” laughs Welch. “This is our homage and ‘thank you’ for giving us as young gay kids the opportunity to see fully grown men in drag every day on MTV decades before RuPaul’s Drag Race was a thing.”
Reinforcing the adage “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Twisted Sister’s lead singer Dee Snider offered his unwavering approval, “I think this is great!”
Taking “the songs of perhaps the globe’s most heterosexual band and turning them into something altogether more fabulous” (Classic Rock Magazine), the glitter-hugged and boa-frocked “GayC/DC is literally the gayest AC/DC cover band out there” (Metal Injection). Reworking AC/DC’s uber-hetero-leaning catalog and tweaking it ever so slightly in a gay way (not that there’s anything wrong with it), they transform the classics into songs like “Dirty Dudes (Done Dirt Cheap),” “Big Balls” (which obviously didn’t really require any changes at all), and their recent cover “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).” While the band and their presentation may be campy, their musicianship is pure, unadulterated rock. Founded by Freeman (who also plays bass for Pansy Division) and drummer Brian Welch, GayC/DC is rounded out by bassist Glen Pavan, Patrick Goodwin on guitar and Steve McKnight on lead guitar.
