Ed Sheeran and John Mayer pull back the curtain on “Drive,” their collaboration from the soundtrack to ‘F1: The Movie.’ In a behind-the-song feature, the two hitmakers join producer Blake Slatkin to walk through the writing, recording, and creative choices that shaped the track. The conversation captures the chemistry between three seasoned musicians working at full speed inside the studio.
Hollywood Icon Jodie Foster Reveals Favorite Films In Criterion Closet Picks
Jodie Foster steps into the Criterion Closet to share a personal selection of films that shaped her cinematic perspective. The Oscar-winning actor and director highlights the work of Céline Sciamma, reflects on the Olympic documentary ‘Visions Of Eight,’ and recalls watching ‘Berlin Alexanderplatz’ with her mother. The conversation moves through Foster’s lifelong relationship with film, offering thoughtful insight into the directors, stories, and viewing experiences that continue to inspire her.
10 Artists Who Quietly Shaped Modern Music More Than Most People Realize
Music history loves its giants. The names everyone recognizes. The chart-toppers, the arena-fillers, the icons who dominate documentaries and playlists. But behind those legends are the architects. The artists who influenced entire movements, inspired generations of musicians, and quietly reshaped the sound of popular music. Their fingerprints are everywhere, even if their names are not always front and center.
Here are 10 artists whose influence runs deeper than most people realize.
Michael Nesmith
Before country-rock was a genre, Michael Nesmith was already blending twang, folk, and rock in ways that would influence artists like The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. After The Monkees, he also helped pioneer music video storytelling with his show “PopClips,” which later inspired the creation of MTV.
Bob Mould
With Hüsker Dü in the 1980s, Bob Mould helped bridge the gap between punk and what would become alternative rock. Loud guitars, emotional songwriting, and melodic hooks that later echoed through bands like Pixies, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters.
Cheap Trick
At first glance, Cheap Trick looks like classic rock radio comfort food. But their fusion of Beatles melodies and hard rock guitars became a blueprint for power-pop, influencing everyone from Nirvana to Weezer and much of the 1990s alternative rock explosion.
Todd Rundgren
Producer, songwriter, engineer, and studio wizard. Todd Rundgren’s fingerprints are on albums by Meat Loaf, The New York Dolls, and countless others, while his own work experimented with studio technology and pop structure long before it became common.
Alex Chilton
As leader of Big Star, Alex Chilton created some of the most influential power-pop albums ever made. They did not sell much at the time, but their jangly guitars and emotional songwriting became essential inspiration for bands like R.E.M., The Replacements, and Teenage Fanclub.
T. Rex
Marc Bolan’s T. Rex helped ignite glam rock and redefine how rock stars looked, sounded, and moved onstage. The swagger and riff-driven simplicity of songs like “Get It On” would echo through later rock bands from AC/DC to Oasis.
Lou Reed
With The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed rewrote the rules of what rock lyrics could talk about. Art, street life, vulnerability, darkness. The band’s early records sold modestly, but their influence spread through punk, indie rock, and alternative music for decades.
Allan Holdsworth
Often called “your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist,” Allan Holdsworth transformed jazz-fusion guitar playing. His complex chord voicings and fluid technique influenced generations of guitarists across jazz, rock, and progressive music.
Robert Fripp
As the mastermind behind King Crimson, Robert Fripp helped define progressive rock while pushing guitar sound design into new territory. His experimental playing and production techniques shaped artists from David Bowie to Talking Heads.
Tangerine Dream
German pioneers of the Berlin School of electronic music, Tangerine Dream helped establish the sonic vocabulary of ambient and electronic music. Their work with synthesizers and sequencers influenced everything from film scores to modern electronic and trance music.
The biggest impact in music is not always measured in chart positions.
Sometimes it is measured in the number of future artists who listened, learned, and started a band because of what they heard.
5 Of The Biggest Media Mistakes Artists Make Before An Interview
You want coverage. You want attention. You want the headline, the quote, the viral moment. But then the interview comes along and suddenly everything slows down. Artists spend months crafting a song, years building a career, and then treat the interview like an afterthought. That is where things start to fall apart. The media moment is not separate from the music. It is the amplifier. And when artists walk into interviews unprepared, distracted, or worse, guarded, the story never reaches the audience it could have. The music business runs on stories. If you cannot tell yours, someone else will.
Here are five of the biggest media mistakes artists make before an interview.
- Showing Up Without Knowing Who Is Interviewing You
This happens more than you think. Artists walk into interviews without reading a single article by the journalist, without knowing the publication, and without understanding the audience. That is like stepping onstage without knowing which city you are playing. Every outlet has a different voice, a different readership, and a different way of telling stories. When artists take five minutes to understand that, the conversation becomes smarter, deeper, and more memorable. - Treating Every Interview Like A Promotion
Journalists are not megaphones. They are storytellers. When an artist only repeats the same release date, tour plug, or talking point, the interview dies instantly. Audiences already know the facts. What they want is the story behind the music. Where it came from. Why it exists. What changed in the artist’s life. Promotion without personality turns a conversation into a commercial. - Being Afraid To Be Human
Some artists think they have to sound perfect. Safe answers. Neutral responses. No opinions. No personality. But interviews are where fans meet the person behind the music. The most memorable interviews are not rehearsed. They are honest. Imperfect. Curious. When artists open up about the real experiences behind the songs, that is when listeners lean in. - Ignoring The Moment They Are In
Every interview happens in a cultural context. Maybe the artist is touring. Maybe they just won an award. Maybe they are coming off a viral moment. Maybe the world itself is in a completely different mood than it was when the record was written. Artists who recognize the moment they are in create relevance. Those who ignore it sound like they are speaking into a vacuum. - Forgetting That Interviews Live Forever
The internet does not forget. Quotes travel. Headlines spread. Clips get reposted. A single offhand comment can follow an artist for years. That does not mean being afraid to speak. It means understanding that every interview is part of a permanent record. The smartest artists think about the message they want to leave behind.
Because here is the truth.
Music gets people in the door. Stories keep them there.
And the artists who understand that are the ones who turn a simple interview into something that people remember long after the record stops playing.
Outlaw Country Legend Dale Watson Returns With “Willie Waylon And Whiskey” From Album ‘Unwanted’
Dale Watson returns with the new album ‘Unwanted,’ a hard-edged collection of Ameripolitan country that continues his lifelong devotion to honky-tonk tradition. The album is out now via 40 Below Records, led by the swaggering single “Willie Waylon And Whiskey.”
Written and produced entirely by Watson, ‘Unwanted’ leans deep into the sounds that shaped his career. Honky-tonk, outlaw country, western swing, and rockabilly collide across the record, all delivered with the sharp songwriting and road-tested voice that define Watson’s catalog.
Recorded in Austin and Memphis, the album pulls strength from two cities central to Watson’s musical identity. “Austin taught me how to swing,” Watson explains. “Memphis taught me how to feel.” The sessions feature backing from The Lonestars along with contributions from Celine Lee, Katie Shore, Matt Hubbard, and The Memphians.
The lead single “Willie Waylon And Whiskey” celebrates the rebellious spirit of country’s outlaw era. Watson delivers the track with fearless conviction and classic honky-tonk grit, continuing a tradition he has championed for decades.
With more than 30 albums in his catalog and a touring schedule that still pushes past 300 shows a year, Dale Watson remains one of the most dedicated voices in roots music. ‘Unwanted’ stands as another strong chapter from a lifelong torchbearer of real-deal country music.
Track Listing:
- Willie Waylon And Whiskey
- She Was My Baby
- If You Really Love Me (Outlive Me)
- Gotta Try Harder
- What The Hell Happened To The Cadillac
- You’ve Got My Heart
- Don’t Let The Honky Tonks Go
- Just Yesterday
- Life Is Like A Song
- Never Mend The Broken Spoke
- If I Can
- Unwanted
Metal Hip Hop Trailblazers UnityTX Unleash “Enjoy Tha Show” From Album ‘Somewhere, In Between…’
UnityTX return with “Enjoy Tha Show,” a hard-hitting new single from the album ‘Somewhere, In Between…,’ which is out now via Pure Noise Records. The track arrives as another powerful step forward for the Dallas metal and hip-hop fusion group, continuing the momentum built from their earlier release “Heinous.”
“Enjoy Tha Show” blends crushing riffs, hip-hop flow, and electronic textures into a relentless sonic attack. The band’s signature hybrid sound lands with raw intensity, fusing metal aggression and rhythmic punch into a track that refuses to sit still.
Frontman Jay Webster, also known as SHAOLIN G, describes the song as a reflection on identity and perception. “‘Enjoy Tha Show’ was crafted to provoke thought on the narratives we embrace as humans,” he explains, exploring the tension between personal expression and outside judgment.
UnityTX have pushed boundaries since forming in 2014, forging a sound that refuses to fit neatly into one genre. That fearless approach carries throughout ‘Somewhere, In Between…,’ a 14-song collection driven by determination and creative freedom.
The album captures the band reconnecting with the energy that defined their early days. The result is a fierce statement from a group continuing to carve its own lane across the heavy music landscape.
Pop Punk Upstarts Autumn Fires Ignite With “Gone By June” From EP ‘BLOOM.’
Autumn Fires charge forward with “Gone By June,” a punchy pop-punk anthem taken from their EP ‘BLOOM.,’ which is out now via Marshall Records. The Milton Keynes and North London quintet continue building momentum after winning Kerrang! Radio’s ‘The Deal’ competition and landing a coveted slot at Download Festival.
“Gone By June” moves with bright guitars, driving drums, and a chorus built for packed club floors. The track channels the melodic urgency of modern pop-punk while leaning into the high-energy spirit that shaped the band’s early influences. The song lands with infectious hooks and emotional bite.
“For ‘Gone By June’, we wanted to write a song that got every fan up on their feet jumping and moving,” the group explains. “The vision in our head was our fans crowd-surfing and moshing.” The recording also features a playful studio moment with bassist Neil Dowd delivering the opening voice clip.
Autumn Fires formed during the pandemic after vocalist Charlotte Haimes and guitarist Callum Skea began building a new project together. Guitarist Luca Testa, bassist Neil Dowd, and drummer Daryl Humphries soon joined, forming a lineup shaped by shared roots in alternative music and live performance.
Produced by Grammy and Mercury Prize nominated producer Romesh Dodangoda, ‘BLOOM.’ captures the band’s bright melodic instincts and energetic songwriting. “Gone By June” stands as a bold statement from a group bringing fresh momentum to modern pop-punk.
Electronic Music Titans Kappa FuturFestival Reveal Phase Two Lineup With Solomun Richie Hawtin And Peggy Gou
Kappa FuturFestival expands its 2026 edition with the announcement of its Phase Two lineup. The internationally acclaimed electronic music gathering returns July 3-5 to Parco Dora in Torino, Italy, bringing together some of the most influential names shaping global dance music culture.
The newly revealed artists add depth and scale to an already powerful lineup. Solomun returns for his seventh appearance with an extended set, while Peggy Gou, Armin van Buuren, DAPHNI, Disclosure, and Boys Noize join the bill. Electronic music innovator Richie Hawtin also steps back onto the stage with his forward-facing live concept DEX EFX X0X.
Kappa FuturFestival continues its tradition of carefully curated collaborations and rare back-to-back performances. Highlights include Four Tet B2B Skrillex, Floating Points B2B Palms Trax, and Jamie Jones B2B Joseph Capriati B2B Seth Troxler. These collaborative sets remain a defining element of the festival’s programming and creative identity.
The lineup stretches across the spectrum of contemporary club culture. Artists such as Miss Monique, Argy, Carl Craig with Mike Banks, KI/KI, Joe Claussell, DJRUM, and Interplanetary Criminal bring further depth to the program alongside rising names and experimental live acts.
Ranked #6 Best Festival in the World by DJ Mag in 2025, Kappa FuturFestival continues to stand as one of Europe’s most respected electronic music events. Tickets are on sale now for the 2026 edition as thousands of fans prepare to gather in Torino for three days of forward-thinking electronic music.
Lineup:
Argy
Armin van Buuren
Boys Noize
Carl Craig ft. Mike Banks
DAPHNI
Diplo B2B Busy P B2B Tatyana Jane
Disclosure (DJ Set)
DJRUM
Fireground (Live)
Floating Points B2B Palms Trax
Four Tet B2B Skrillex
Gandalf
Interplanetary Criminal
Jamie Jones B2B Joseph Capriati B2B Seth Troxler
Joe Claussell
KI/KI
Konduku B2B Marco Shuttle
Mad Dog B2B CARV
Manda Moor B2B Cuartero
Miss Monique
Nicola Gavino
NOVAH
Peggy Gou
Redrago
Richie Hawtin – DEX EFX X0X
Solomun (Extended Set)
STØØR [Rødhåd, Speedy J & Dasha Rush]
Tal Fussman
Vendex
Vieze Asbak
Xiaolin (Live)
Emo Rock Firestarters The Funeral Portrait Release Live Album ‘Live From Suffocate City’
The Funeral Portrait launch their first-ever live album, ‘Live From Suffocate City,’ capturing the electrifying atmosphere of their sold-out hometown performance at The Masquerade in Atlanta. The release arrives alongside a live video for “Stay Weird,” bringing the band’s theatrical stage energy directly to fans everywhere.
The emo-rooted rock group built massive momentum with three #1 rock singles. “Holy Water,” featuring Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch, “Suffocate City,” with Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills, and “Dark Thoughts” all climbed to the top of the Billboard and Mediabase rock charts. The run places the group among a rare set of acts whose first three charted songs each reached #1.
‘Live From Suffocate City’ captures the chaos and catharsis of the band’s first “Suffocate City Town Hall Meeting.” The performance delivers dramatic visuals, explosive crowd energy, and fan-favorite anthems delivered with full theatrical force. The recording gives listeners a front-row experience of the band’s powerful live presence.
Frontman Lee Jennings describes “Stay Weird” as a message to the group’s devoted community of fans. “‘Stay Weird’ has always been our love letter to the beautifully strange souls who’ve supported this band from day one,” he said, recalling the moment when the crowd roared the song back during the Atlanta show.
The band continue their massive touring run with appearances on the Alienation tour alongside Three Days Grace, with additional festival stops across Europe and North America. The Funeral Portrait move forward with momentum, bringing their theatrical rock spectacle to stages worldwide.
Track Listing:
Blu-ray / CD
- Generation Psycho
- You’re So Ugly When You Cry
- Paper Mache Man
- Blood Mother
- Voodoo Doll
- Chernobyl
- The Crash
- Flowers In The Attic
- Alien
- Stay Weird
- Dark Thoughts
- Holy Water
- Suffocate City
- Casanova
Vinyl
Side A
- Generation Psycho
- You’re So Ugly When You Cry
- Paper Mache Man
- Blood Mother
- Voodoo Doll
Side B
6. Chernobyl
7. The Crash
8. Flowers In The Attic
9. Alien
10. Stay Weird
Side C
11. Dark Thoughts
12. Holy Water
13. Suffocate City
14. Casanova
Side D
Artwork
2026 Tour Dates:
Mar 17 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
Mar 18 – St Augustine, FL – St Augustine Amphitheatre
Mar 20 – Clearwater, FL – The Baycare Sound
Mar 21 – Orlando, FL – Central Florida Fairgrounds
May 29 – Stitching, Netherlands – Vestrock
Jun 5 – Nürburgring, Germany – Rock Am Ring
Jun 7 – Nuremberg, Germany – Rock Im Park
Jun 13 – Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic – Rock For People
Jun 18 – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop
Jun 21 – Clisson, France – Hellfest
Jun 27 – Helsinki, Finland – Tuska Festival
Jul 2 – Viveiro, Spain – Resurrection Festival
Jul 10 – Gettysburg, PA – Gettysburg Bike Week
Oct 23 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Oct 25 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Oct 26 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
Oct 28 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Oct 30 – Huntsville, AL – The Orion Amphitheater
Nov 1 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Nov 3 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center Arena
Nov 4 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Nov 6 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
Nov 7 – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Nov 9 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Nov 11 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Nov 14 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
Nov 15 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena
Nov 17 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Nov 18 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
Nov 20 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
Nov 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Nov 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome
Pop Punk Firestarters Straight Back Forward Drop “Souvenirs” Featuring GOOD4NOTHING Frontman U-TAN
Straight Back Forward return with “Souvenirs,” a fast-moving pop punk single that channels the rush of early 2000s skate-era anthems. The Tokyo and UK-rooted project continues building momentum with the track, which features guest vocals from U-TAN, frontman of Japanese punk mainstays GOOD4NOTHING.
The song hits with speed and heart. Bright guitar hooks race alongside punchy drums while the chorus explodes with singalong energy. The track captures the spirit of classic pop punk, delivering a rush of melody and adrenaline that feels instantly familiar and completely alive.
“SOUVENIRS is a bit of a throwback to early 2000s pop punk,” vocalist Josh explains. “Just a reminder that even pushing 40, we still feel like that nerdy teenager in love.” The recording process brought a new dynamic to the band, marking the first time every instrument on a single was played by members rather than relying primarily on guitarist masasucks.
The collaboration with U-TAN came together naturally while the band recorded vocals in Osaka. “We were recording vocals in Osaka and U-TAN just happened to be hanging out at the studio,” Josh recalls. “With a bit of arm-twisting he jumped on the track.”
Formed in Tokyo in 2020 by guitarist masasucks and London-raised vocalist Josh, Straight Back Forward blend influences from Japan and the UK into a melodic punk sound rooted in sweaty clubs, scratched CDRs, and loud guitars. “Souvenirs” continues that momentum with a blast of pure pop punk energy.