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Montreal Jazz Festival Completes Its 2026 Lineup With Kamasi Washington, a World-Exclusive Coltrane Preview and More

Eric Alper
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Montreal Jazz Festival Completes Its 2026 Lineup With Kamasi Washington, a World-Exclusive Coltrane Preview and More

The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal has revealed the final additions to its 2026 lineup, and the announcements land with real force. Kamasi Washington returns to the TD Stage following his landmark 2022 performance, cementing what will be one of the most anticipated sets of the entire festival. KELS, an internationally buzzed singer-songwriter known for her powerful old-school vocals, makes her FIJM debut on the Rogers Stage, joined by experimental bassist MonoNeon, famously one of the last musicians to collaborate with Prince, returning to the festival for the first time since 2022.

The innovatively brilliant duo DOMi and JD Beck also appear on the Rogers Stage, their concert moved outdoors to accommodate demand. Local talent gets its moment at Club Montreal Loto-Quebec with Juno-nominated drummer Salin, whose music weaves northern Thai sounds with West African psychedelic rhythms, alongside Ping Pong Go, the new project from pianist Vincent Gagnon and drummer P-E Beaudoin.

The indoor concert lineup adds compelling opening acts. Franco-Gabonese singer-songwriter Anaïs Cardot, considered one of the rising stars of French jazz, opens for Diana Krall at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Cellist and composer Lucinda Chua opens for St. Vincent at the same venue.

The Academie programming delivers the festival’s most headline-worthy announcement. In a world exclusive, the audience will hear an early listen of tracks from a new album of previously unreleased John Coltrane recordings from the early 1960s, presented alongside Ken Druker of Verve Records. Titled ‘The Tiberi Tapes: A Preview of the Mythic Recordings’ and scheduled for September release, this is the kind of event that belongs on every serious jazz listener’s calendar. The Academie also features legendary producer, DJ, and rapper The Alchemist and a masterclass from harpist Brandee Younger showcasing her revolutionary approach to the instrument in modern jazz.

Late nights stay active through the AFTER JAZZ series running 11pm to 3am, with the PHONO pop-up bar featuring DJ sets curated with Ferias and Music Is My Sanctuary, plus sessions at Le Balcon covering jazz, rock, hip-hop, R&B, and soul.

Devin Townsend Unleashes “Prepare For War / The Big Snit” Ahead of Orchestral Metal Opus ‘The Moth’

Eric Alper
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Devin Townsend Unleashes “Prepare For War / The Big Snit” Ahead of Orchestral Metal Opus ‘The Moth’

Devin Townsend releases the visceral double-single “Prepare For War / The Big Snit” today alongside a Studio Sparks-directed video, the latest preview of ‘The Moth’, his orchestral metal opus over a decade in the making, arriving May 29 via InsideOutMusic.

The project began taking real shape about 6 years ago when the head of the North Netherlands Orchestra and Choir approached Townsend after an acoustic show in Amsterdam, turning what had lived in the back of his mind as his “life’s work” into an actual recording. That conversation changed everything.

Townsend describes the double-single as a cinematic experience rather than a conventional song, representing the final moments before fundamental change. “Either viewed from the lens of two warring factions whose actions have culminated in a final battle, or the same thing being essentially a metaphor for an internal struggle, it works in the same light,” he says. “The fastest way out is through, and this piece of music represents that process.”

The title “The Big Snit” comes from a short animated film from the Canadian National Film Board that Townsend grew up watching. His version, he says with characteristic humor, is simply a heavy metal take on it.

‘The Moth’ arrives in 3 distinct parts. The main album is joined by ‘The Moth – The Afterlife’, which highlights the full grandeur of the orchestra and choir in what Townsend considers a purer version of the experience, and ‘The Moth – The War’, a recording of the live debut that took place in the Netherlands in March 2025.

The limited deluxe edition arrives as a 3CD and Blu-ray artbook including all 3 parts plus Dolby Atmos and high resolution stereo mixes. Additional formats include a limited 2CD edition, standard CD, gatefold triple 180g 2LP, and digital.

Butthole Surfers Surface From 1998 With “Intelligent Guy” Video and Long-Shelved Album ‘After The Astronaut’

Eric Alper
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Butthole Surfers Surface From 1998 With “Intelligent Guy” Video and Long-Shelved Album ‘After The Astronaut’

The Butthole Surfers have a new single and video out for “Intelligent Guy,” the third taste of ‘After The Astronaut’, their long-shelved album originally recorded in 1998 as the follow-up to ‘Electric Larryland’ and held back by the label until now, arriving June 26 via Sunset Blvd. The track puts Paul Leary’s searing guitar against King Coffey’s syncopated drum programming while Gibby Haynes delivers the kind of surreal yet oddly poetic lyrics that have made the band one of the most genuinely singular acts in rock history. The accompanying video, directed by Ron English, delivers aliens, cellular-dividing fetuses, grotesque landscapes, muscular babies, and dinosaurs ridden by clowns playing guitar. English, whose own origin story with the band involves Daniel Johnston bursting into a house at 4am demanding acid on their behalf, brings exactly the right energy to the project. “We are not and never were in the business of being intelligent,” Leary laughs about the song’s title, which tells you everything you need to know about what kind of record this is going to be.

Kentish Post-Punks Moron Butler and Yorkshire Jazz Group Vipertime Collide on a Ferocious New Mini LP

Eric Alper
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Kentish Post-Punks Moron Butler and Yorkshire Jazz Group Vipertime Collide on a Ferocious New Mini LP

It started with a chaotic double bill at Hastings boozer The Jenny Lind in February 2025, a mosh pit, a breakneck run through The Stooges’ “TV Eye,” and enough cross-pollinating energy that local label Property Of The Lost commissioned an album before last orders. The result is a mini LP from Kentish post-punks Moron Butler and Yorkshire aggro-jazz four-piece Vipertime, recorded across 2 hectic days at Leeds’ Eiger Studios and mixed in a single session, out now on vinyl.

The music channels Gang Of Four’s acerbic attack, the punk-dub distortion of The Pop Group, and the motoric drive of Can. Troy Osmond’s vocals sit front and center, his delivery interspersed with saxophone abstractions from Vipertime’s dual-drum, bass, and sax configuration. The range across the record is striking, from a 5-minute-plus slow-build sax and feedback crescendo on “The Easter Parade” to the 70-second hardcore gut-punch of “Waugh & Peace.”

Vipertime’s 2023 album ‘Arise’ earned BBC 6 Music airplay and praise from Iggy Pop, Gilles Peterson, and Colin Curtis. Iggy’s verdict on the band says plenty: “I wouldn’t mind hanging out somewhere where that was going on. I guess I’d have to go to Leeds.” Mike Watt of the Minutemen and Stooges called the collaboration “really fucking happening. I dig this big time.”

Moron Butler bring the DIY ethos of Minutemen and Hüsker Dü to songs inspired as much by Cheever and Steinbeck as by the street poetry of Billy Woods and Black Thought. Their songs are short, lyrically bleak, and deliberately hard to categorize, which is precisely the point. Three split 7-inch singles with three equally undefinable bands have done nothing to help them slide into a category, and they’re fine with that.

The two bands take the collaboration on the road through early June, including a London show at The Blue Monk with Sly and the Family Drone on May 29.

Tour Dates:

Wed, May 20 – Oldham – Whittles (Manchester Jazz Festival)

Wed, May 27 – Leeds – Wharf Chambers (Leeds Jazz Festival)

Thu, May 28 – Deal – The Lighthouse

Fri, May 29 – London – The Blue Monk (with Sly & the Family Drone)

Sat, May 30 – Hastings – Jenny Lind

Wed, Jun 3 – Nottingham – Peggy’s Skylight

The Beach Boys Mark 60 Years of ‘Pet Sounds’ With a San Diego Zoo Wildlife Video and New Archival Collection

Eric Alper
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The Beach Boys Mark 60 Years of ‘Pet Sounds’ With a San Diego Zoo Wildlife Video and New Archival Collection

‘Pet Sounds’ turns 60 this month, and the Beach Boys marked the occasion with purpose. The group partnered with the San Diego Zoo for a special video pairing the album’s full track listing with wildlife footage, a direct nod to the Zoo’s connection to the original album imagery. Every dollar raised through the video goes to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, supporting global species conservation and habitat protection.

The video debuted as a live stream on the official Beach Boys YouTube page and remains available to watch now. It’s a genuinely warm pairing of iconic music and stunning animals, and the fundraising angle gives it real staying power beyond the anniversary moment itself.

The archival side of the celebration is just as strong. ‘Pet Sounds Session Highlights’ arrived around the anniversary, drawing from the landmark 1997 4-CD box set ‘The Pet Sounds Sessions’. The new collection brings together alternate takes, a cappella recordings, and tracking sessions, each making their vinyl debut across a 2-LP and 2-CD release.

Together, the wildlife video and the archival collection give one of the most celebrated albums in rock history an anniversary treatment that serves both longtime fans and new listeners finding the record for the first time. ‘Pet Sounds’ has earned every bit of the attention.

Video: Robbie Williams Turns Sydney’s Allianz Stadium Into a 25-Year Celebration on the XXV Tour

Eric Alper
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Video: Robbie Williams Turns Sydney’s Allianz Stadium Into a 25-Year Celebration on the XXV Tour

Robbie Williams’ 2023 stop at Allianz Stadium in Sydney was a full-scale celebration of 25 years as one of the UK’s most beloved solo artists, and the XXV Tour delivered exactly the kind of spectacle that a career that size demands. Running through “Let Me Entertain You,” “Angels,” “Rock DJ,” and a setlist built across a quarter century of hits, Williams commanded the massive venue with the kind of charisma and wit that makes a stadium feel like a room.

Grassfire Festival Returns to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park for a Fourth Year With a Stacked Bluegrass Lineup

Eric Alper
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Grassfire Festival Returns to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park for a Fourth Year With a Stacked Bluegrass Lineup

Grassfire Festival returns to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville, Ohio, July 3 through 6, 2026, for its fourth consecutive year, and the lineup brings together some of the most respected names in bluegrass and progressive acoustic music for a long weekend at one of the Midwest’s most beloved outdoor settings.

Greensky Bluegrass and The Infamous Stringdusters lead the bill, joined by Sam Bush, Peter Rowan and the Walls of Time Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Keller and the Keels, Michael Cleveland Flamekeeper, Fireside Collective, and the David Mayfield Parade. The Del McCoury Band and The Travelin’ McCourys also appear, giving the festival a multigenerational bluegrass depth that few regional events can match.

Local and regional acts fill out the supporting lineup with Rumpke Mountain Boys, Hunter Root, The Fretliners, The Whiskey Drinks, Chloe and the Steel Strings, Jenny and the StreetWalkers, Lea Marra and the River Boys, and Hunter Skeens and the Forerunners. Grassfire has always made space for homegrown talent alongside the bigger names, and that balance is part of what keeps it feeling like a community gathering rather than a ticketing exercise.

Nelson Ledges Quarry Park provides the kind of setting that turns a good festival into an unforgettable one. Described as the best beach in Ohio, the quarry park adds a natural backdrop that suits this music perfectly. The July 4 weekend placement makes the massive Phoenix Pyrotechnics fireworks show a natural centerpiece, with skydivers from Cleveland Skydiving Center adding to the spectacle.

Kids 16 and under get in free, family activities are built into the programming, and a food drive with prizes runs throughout the weekend. Tickets and full information are available at nlqp.com.

Philly Music Fest Hits Its 10th Anniversary With The Dillinger Escape Plan, RJD2, Immanuel Wilkins and a Surprise Headliner

Eric Alper
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Philly Music Fest Hits Its 10th Anniversary With The Dillinger Escape Plan, RJD2, Immanuel Wilkins and a Surprise Headliner

Ten years. Twenty-five bands. Six independent venues. One surprise headliner. Philly Music Fest returns October 12 through 18 for its 10th annual edition, and the lineup is as genre-diverse and community-rooted as anything the festival has produced in a decade of doing this the right way.

Headliners include The Dillinger Escape Plan, RJD2, Sweet Pill, Marietta, Mo Lowda and The Humble, Immanuel Wilkins, and Owen Stewart, with support from Madi Diaz, Jordan Caiola, Noah Richardson, Remember Sports, Euphoria Again, Bleary Eyed, Wax Jaw, Solar Circuit, Nik Greeley and The Operators, Sug Daniels, Angelo Outlaw, Pyrrhon, and many more. Tickets are on sale now at PhillyMusicFest.com and directly from each venue.

The Dillinger Escape Plan at Underground Arts marks PMF’s most aggressive metal booking yet, following last year’s introduction of Horrendous to the lineup. Sweet Pill returns to the stage after cancelling a string of tour dates following their breakthrough album release, with Marietta headlining the following night. The punk and metal programming at Underground Arts has found a new lane, and the audience has been asking for exactly this.

The festival wraps at Solar Myth for the annual Jazz Night, and founder Greg Seltzer landed on Immanuel Wilkins as the closing statement. At 28 years old and from Upper Darby, Wilkins is widely regarded as one of the most gifted saxophone players working today. Seltzer considered a Philly 250 theme and a Coltrane centennial tribute before concluding that booking Wilkins was the most honest way to honor both.

The surprise headliner tradition continues with 2 nights at Ardmore Music Hall, a slot that has previously gone to Dr. Dog, Mt. Joy, and Waxahatchee. The identity won’t be revealed until later this summer, but Jordan Caiola, who opens the show with his solo project, describes it as “a hero of mine, one of my favorite artists.” That’s a strong signal.

Philly Music Fest is a nonprofit run by husband and wife Greg and Jenn Seltzer, funded entirely by community donors and operating without corporate advertising, government money, or multinational promoters. After paying all artists fairly and covering venue costs, every dollar of profit goes to music education programs for Philadelphia kids. Over 10 years, that total has surpassed $600,000, with an annual donation of $100,000 and an estimated $750,000 annual economic impact on the Philadelphia music economy.

Seltzer’s approach to growth is deliberate and worth noting. PMF has turned down significant expansion opportunities, holding firm at 9 club shows across 7 nights. “We don’t measure success by size, we measure success by impact,” he says. That philosophy, maintained for a decade against considerable pressure to scale up, is what makes this festival worth supporting.

David Byrne and Stephen Colbert Bring “Burning Down the House” to a Joyful Boil on The Late Show

Eric Alper
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David Byrne and Stephen Colbert Bring “Burning Down the House” to a Joyful Boil on The Late Show

During the final week of The Late Show, David Byrne brought his “Why Is The Sky?” ensemble to the stage for a colorful, high-energy performance of the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House,” and by the end of the song, host Stephen Colbert had dressed himself in blue, joined the band, and danced like no one was watching. It’s the kind of late-night television moment that reminds you what the format is capable of when the right artist walks through the door.

Maisie Peters Releases Third Album ‘Florescence’ and Headlines The O2 Arena in 2027

Eric Alper
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Maisie Peters Releases Third Album ‘Florescence’ and Headlines The O2 Arena in 2027

Maisie Peters has released her much-anticipated third studio album, Florescence. Co-produced with 2x Grammy Award winner Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves, Beyoncé, Role Model) and featuring duets with Julia Michaels and Marcus Mumford, the album arrives two years after her chart-topping breakthrough The Good Witch. Listen here.

After a whirlwind few years that saw Maisie open for Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Conan Gray, and Noah Kahan, headline her own world tours, and make her Glastonbury debut, she found herself almost constantly on the road. By the end of 2024, the pace had become unsustainable, affecting Maisie physically and mentally, and so she made the decision to step back – pressing pause on the popstar carousel and returning home to reconnect with her life offstage. That quieter chapter gave her space to reset, grounding her not just as a person, but as an artist. It was during this time that the emotional heart of Florescence quietly took shape.

That return to herself was reflected not only in her life, but in the music. Led by her love of storytelling, Maisie headed to Nashville, where she wrote and recorded much of the album. Reuniting with longtime collaborator Ian Fitchuk – whom she first worked with in 2020 – felt like a natural fit. Together, they crafted the album’s warm, textured sound, with Fitchuk supporting Maisie as she stepped into the role of co-producer for the first time.

Drawing from the aftermath of the relationship explored on The Good Witch, as well as the love story she’s now living – having fallen in love with her high school sweetheart – Florescence reflects on how the right love can help heal the wrong ones. It’s an album about perspective, self-realisation, healing, and ultimately, learning how to flourish.

“These 15 tracks depict a blossoming of myself from ages 23 to 25 and a blossoming of a true, real love that anchors both me and this record. It tells the story of the last few long winters, with all of their villains and thorns, heartbreaks and rains, and it leads you, by the end, into a perfect English spring, into the hope and catharsis that comes when the first wildflower blooms,” shares Maisie. “This album feels like a true representation of healing, of finding hope, peace, and strength not just in somebody else, but in yourself. It is knowing that there was a point to all the sadness of before, and the point is the woman you see in this mirror now, and the person you see by her side.”

Fresh from completing her global ‘Before The Bloom’ theatre tour across Australia, East Asia, Europe, the UK, the US, Brazil and Canada, Maisie has been announced as the first artist confirmed for The O2’s 20th birthday celebrations. Set to take to the iconic London stage on Friday 8 May 2027 for her biggest headline show to date, tickets are on sale now*.

Ahead of the landmark show, Maisie will make her debut at Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry on Saturday 13 June – a rare honour for a British artist, following in the footsteps of Elton John, Paul McCartney and Mumford & Sons. She is also set to appear at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Reading & Leeds Festival and Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival later this year.

*Maisie Peters has partnered with PLUS1 so that £1.20 subject to VAT per ticket goes to supporting organizations working for equity, access, and dignity for all. www.plus1.org

FLORESCENCE TRACK LISTING: 

  1. Mary Janes
  2. Audrey Hepburn
  3. Say My Name In Your Sleep 
  4. Old Fashioned 
  5. Houses 
  6. Kingmaker (with Julia Michaels) 
  7. Vampire Time 
  8. My Regards
  9. You You You
  10. If You Let Me (with Marcus Mumford) 
  11. Flat Earther
  12. Questions 
  13. Girl’s Just Flying 
  14. You Then Me Now
  15. Nothing Like Being In Love
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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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