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Summer has officially begun, and it’s time to be out dancing. From K-pop to house to electro, our critic Jon Caramanica has five songs to get you started.

Queen legend Brian May and prog icon Rick Wakeman have been confirmed as performers at this year’s Starmus conference in the Canary Islands.

Starmus VIII – The Search For Truth promises to bring together “Nobel laureates, legendary astronauts, pioneering scientists, technology leaders, and world-renowned artists”, and will take place on the islands of Tenerife and LaPalma from October 17-26.

Joining May onstage will be Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, with whom he performed a version of Queen’s Who Wants To Live Forever in Lajatico, Tuscany, in 2024, plus soprano Sarah Brightman, the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra, and the Starmus All Stars Band. Wakeman will be performing with Moldovan violinist and composer Rusanda Panfili. Further artists will be announced.

“From Neil Armstrong to Richard Dawkins to Jean-Michel Jarre and beyond, past Starmus festivals have delivered their promise of uniting top-level art and science,” says May. “Starmus VIII will continue that quest with its theme ‘The Search For Truth’, and our hopes are very high.”

Starmus VIII will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Starmus Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, which has previously been awarded to May, Hans Zimmer, Jean Michel Jarre, Brian Eno and Laurie Anderson, and see the introduction of a new award, the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth Medal, named in honour of the late primatologist and anthropologist. Goodhall was a speaker at Starmus in 2025.

“Jane Goodall and Stephen Hawking are two human spirits who changed the way we see the world,” says May. “One by looking to the stars, the other by reminding us of the urgent need to protect the life beneath our feet, and the need for true humanity in science. Bringing their legacies together at Starmus is something profoundly moving and deeply necessary for our time.”

Brian May founded Starmus with astronomer/musician Garik Israelian in 2011. Tickets for this year’s event are available from the Starmus website.

Shaun Glass, who initially found fame as the bassist of death metal band Broken Hope, before achieving further success with Soil, has passed away following a stroke. His former Soil bandmates posted the following message regarding his death: "We’d like to take a moment to say goodbye to our former guitarist Shaun Glass who passed away earlier to… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Joe Bonamassa has extended his own record for the most #1 albums on the Billboard Blues chart after his latest live release, The Spirit of Rory: Live From Cork, debuted at #1.

The album, which pays tribute to legendary Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher, marks Bonamassa’s 31st #1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart, further adding to one of the most successful chart runs in the history of the genre.

Recorded during Bonamassa’s tribute performances in Cork, Ireland, The Spirit of Rory: Live From Cork celebrates Gallagher’s lasting influence while showcasing Bonamassa’s interpretations of songs from the late blues rock icon’s catalog.

“When I started making records I never thought I would be in a position to have survived long enough to make enough albums in the first place, let alone hold the record,” says Bonamassa. “Live albums have always been my favorite to listen to as a fan and as an artist to make. It allows you to expand beyond the constraints of a studio. Having fewer options live drives the sense of urgency and creativity I have found.”

Bonamassa thanked fans around the world for helping the album reach the top of the chart in a social media post.

“Many thanks to all around the globe for making The Spirit of Rory my 31st number one blues album on the Billboard charts. So honored to have been asked to do these shows last year and really chuffed by the response to it all.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joe Bonamassa (@joebonamassa)

TOUR DATES

U.S. SUMMER TOUR 2026
July 4 –  Sioux City, IA – Saturday in the Park
July 29 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap w/ Gov’t Mule
July 31 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater w/ Gov’t Mule
August 1 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion w/ Gov’t Mule
August 3 – Hyannis, MA – Cape Cod Melody Tent
August 5 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater w/ JJ Grey & Mofro
August 7 – Selbyville, DE – Freeman Arts Pavilion
August 8 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion w/ Gov’t Mule
August 9 – Youngstown, OH – The Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre w/ Gov’t Mule
August 11 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights
August 12 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
August 14 – Interlochen, MI – Kresge Auditorium w/ Gov’t Mule
August 15 – Welch, MN – Treasure Island Resort & Casino w/ Gov’t Mule
August 16 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater w/ Gov’t Mule
August 19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Civic Center
August 20 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater
August 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Resort & Casino
August 23 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 26-27 – Austin, TX – Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival @ Moody Center
 
EU FALL TOUR 2026
October 21 – Helsinki, FL – Veikkaus Arena
October 23 – Stockholm, SE – Stockholm Avicii Arena
October 24 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum
October 25 – Gothenburg, SE – Göteborg Partille Arena
October 27 – Copenhagen, DK – K.B. Hallen København
October 29 – Rostock, DE – Stadthalle Rostock
October 30 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
October 31 – Dortmund, DE – Westfalenhalle
November 4 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
November 6 – Toulouse,FR – Zenith Toulouse Metropole
November 7 – Barcelona, ES – Barcelona Sant Jordi Club
November 8 – Madrid, ES – Madrid Palacio Vistalegre
November 11 – Wroclaw, Poland – Ethno Festival

The post Joe Bonamassa extends record with 31st top Billboard Blues album appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

They’ve shared some footage from the sessions.

The post Flat Black (Ex-Five Finger Death Punch) Hit Studio 606 For Their Sophomore Album appeared first on Theprp.com.

In ancient Rome, the political arena was a strict, impenetrable fortress of male authority. The Roman Forum [the public square where all government and legal business took place] was heavily guarded and completely restricted from women. Women could not vote, hold public office, or have any official say in the laws that controlled their daily lives. They were expected to stay silent and hidden in the background. But when three powerful dictators decided to exploit the women of Rome to fund their massive civil war, a brilliant woman named Hortensia took charge of the narrative and marched right into the center of male power.

Back in 42 BC, the Roman Republic was tearing itself apart. The three men ruling Rome as the Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus) were completely out of money to pay their armies to hunt down Julius Caesar’s assassins. Instead of taxing the wealthy men who might actually fund a rival army and fight back, they decided to target a group they thought was defenseless. They slapped a crushing, unfair tax on 1,400 of the wealthiest Roman women. At first, the women attempted behind the scenes negotiations. They went to the female relatives of the rulers, including Mark Antony’s notoriously ruthless wife Fulvia, seeking an alliance. Instead, Fulvia literally shut the doors in their faces. That is when Hortensia realized that quiet diplomacy was a dead end.

Hortensia had grown up observing the sharpest legal minds in Rome, but the fierce, unyielding courage she brought to the fight was entirely her own. She did something completely unheard of for a woman of her era. She gathered a massive crowd of the taxed women and led a protest straight down into the Roman Forum. She pushed past the armed guards and stood directly in front of Octavian and Mark Antony, the most feared men in the ancient world. Then, she delivered a legendary speech that completely destroyed their logic. She publicly demanded to know why women should pay for a civil war they did not start. She questioned exactly why they should fund a government that refused to give them any representation, voice, or power.

The dictators were absolutely furious and ordered their guards to physically drag the women away. But Hortensia’s words were so undeniable and her delivery was so fierce that the angry public crowd actually turned against the rulers. Octavian and Mark Antony were so publicly embarrassed that they had to back down, eventually reducing the number of taxed women from 1,400 to just 400. She did not stop at simply winning a local tax dispute. Her brilliant defense was recorded and studied by male historians for centuries, proving that her intellect could effortlessly rival the greatest politicians of the ancient world and essentially inventing the concept of no taxation without representation.

The stark truth we can pull from Hortensia’s rebellion is that you never have to accept the bill for a mess you did not create. Whether you are dealing with a workplace that expects you to do the heavy lifting without the title, a dynamic where you carry all the emotional weight, or a system built to keep you quiet, passive compliance is not always the answer. Sometimes, playing along only protects the people who wrote the rules. To fix an unfair situation, you have to stop waiting for an invitation, walk right into the room, and force them to hear your voice.

The post She’s In Charge: Hortensia and the Roman Rebellion first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Their debut album arrives next week.

The post No Cure’s “When The Spasms Cease” Music Video Launched appeared first on Theprp.com.

Filmed amid their summer European/UK touring.

The post Mastodon Release New Performance-Themed Video For “Your Ghost Again” appeared first on Theprp.com.

An eight-song set that was captured this past May.

The post SPACED’s New In-Studio Performance For ‘Audiotree Live’ Released appeared first on Theprp.com.

Running through the latter half of October.

The post I Promised The World & Rosasharin Set For Fall European/UK Tour appeared first on Theprp.com.