Ian Astbury is a true believer. As the singer for the Cult, he’s been immersed in the ritual of rock ‘n roll, of sweeping riffs and full-throated vocals, for four decades. He’s been fueled by a lifetime of art and music, shamanic and indigenous influences, spirituality and mysticism—all of it in service of a night…
The Discover Weekly playlist that lands this Monday in my Spotify deck jolts me, packed as it is with jack-yo-body, hi-NRG-style club tomfoolery. Top of the 30 tunes that Spotify’s AI has selected for me is Marek Mela’s “Bring It” (“bring it bring it bring it bring it bring it”) followed by Christian Fletcher’s “Your…
This new series highlights on-the-record conversations that didn’t make it into the published feature, with text directly lifted directly from the transcript. Anything off the record remains off the record. By the time I interviewed Ace for his February 5 Albums I Can’t Live Without feature, the weekly series was in its third year. He…
Every year, I’m relieved not to be attending Coachella. I went for the festival’s first 10 years, then limited myself to the surrounding parties. My last trip was in 2013, when the lineup looked like I had personally curated it, and I had such a miserable time that I swore off the desert for good….
As his music suggests, the Canadian experimentalist known as JayWood (real name Jeremy Haywood-Smith) is the type of guy who enjoys thought-provoking conversation about topics like manifestation, astrology, and mysticism—not in a blind follower kind of way, but in a loose and curious, self-reflective way. He offers glimpses of these ideas throughout his new release…
Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer project will return early next year with its first album in five years, Normal Isn’t, which will arrive Feb. 6 from Puscifer Entertainment/Alchemy Recordings/BMG. The lead track, “Self Evident,” is out now in tandem with a video filmed at a special album preview event at Exchange L.A. in August. “Instead of…
A routine dentist visit provided the unlikely creative spark behind Tranquilizer, the latest album from Daniel Lopatin’s Oneohtrix Point Never project. The set is due Nov. 17 in digital form from Warp and four days later in physical editions. Three new songs, “For Residue,” “Bumpy” and “Lifeworld,” are out now. Tranquilizer was also informed by…
Tame Impala unveils three songs from its just-released album, Deadbeat, as part of the first installment of the new live video series Sound Check at Cherry Lane Theatre. Filmed at the A24-owned New York venue, the episode sports the live debut of album opener “My Old Ways” plus the pre-release singles “Dracula” and “Loser.” With…
After taking 2025 off due to issues related to its lineup, the hard rock festival extravaganza Sick New World will be back with two editions next year. The first will be held at the event’s customary home of Las Vegas Festival Grounds on April 25, while an inaugural Texas version is set for Oct. 24…
Live and Collective Soul both made massive hits in the 1990s, but it’s in the 21st century that the two veteran alternative bands have become a successful package deal on the road, first co-headlining a tour in 2008 and then reuniting this year for the Summer Unity Tour. The two bands played 30 dates from…
