Category: news

You ever think about milk? Like, thousands of years ago, some prehistoric person looked at a cow’s udder and thought I should drink what’s in there, and now it’s a staple of the human diet across so many cultures? Pretty fucking weird, man. Many people, for both health and moral reasons, won’t consume dairy. And then there are others who do consume dairy but who just don’t like to think about it. Lil Wayne, for instance, cannot look at milk.

The post Lil Wayne Can’t Look At Milk appeared first on Stereogum.

Following a successful broadway stint as the Emcee in Cabaret last year, country pop star Orville Peck is returning as the masked balladeer with a new album. Mule, which is out September 18 via Warner Records, will be his latest full-length since 2022’s Bronco. He announced news with the lead single “Too Little, Too Late.”

The post Orville Peck Shares “Too Little, Too Late,” Surprisingly Not A Cover Of The JoJo Hit Released 20 Years Ago Today appeared first on Stereogum.

It has been nearly two years since The Ordinary People was released. This was the album that launched Blue Nation to new heights, exponentially increasing their fan base and critical acclaim. The three lads from Birmingham have continued to win hearts and minds with a winning formula of massive riffs blended with gorgeous melodies, meaningful songs and an on-stage chemistry and penchant for humour and chaos reminiscent of Crowded House. Most of all, Blue Nation are authentic. What you see is most definitely what you get, off stage as well as on. 

After several tours and festival dates over the last year or two, not to mention picking up industry awards and nominations along the way, the trio are ready to unleash new music. Wisdom For Pennies is a four-track EP that perfectly encapsulates their sound and shows real development too.

Recorded at Circle (Recording) Studios under the watchful and exacting eye of producer Trevor Gibson, the EP is compact but brimming with rich layers that reward repeated listening. 

To mark the release, a special showcase was held at The Gibson Garage London, where the event room was filled with fans and industry professionals eager to hear the first live run-through of these tracks.

Neil Murdoch (guitar/vocals) and Luke Weston (bass/vocals) gave a sparkling performance, seasoned with the total glee of being among this Aladdin’s Cave of treasures, at one point joking that the presence of a security guard was to make sure that the band themselves did not run off with the goods. 

The lads may not take themselves very seriously, but their music is a different matter. From the heavy and profound Wisdom For Pennies to the heartfelt plea of Tired Of Waiting, to the up-tempo groove of Watch Me Fly to the earworm of Comfort with its magical lyrics verging on psychedelia, this EP is stuffed with quality.

On record it sounds huge and powerful, and when stripped down to only acoustic guitar and bass, the songs still shine brightly.

Ending the showcase with fan favourite Echoes, prefaced as always by supportive words and a shout-out to Ian’s Chain, a charity working with those in mental health crisis, then a mass sing-along to Down By The River, this next era of Blue Nation was well and truly ushered in.

Following the performance, all three members, including Nick Sharman whose thunderous drumming was deemed to have too much power for this acoustic show, convened for a Q&A session with doyenne of the airwaves, Absolute Radio’s Leona Graham.

We learnt about the band’s pride at being part of the Birmingham music scene, the thrill and gratitude of playing on bigger stages, and their first albums bought (a nicely eclectic mix of Aerosmith, At The Drive-In and Keane) and how the preferred post-show beverage is tea rather than beer. 

Chatting to the band afterwards, as the trio processed the ecstatic reception they had received, they were still marvelling that they got play among all of the mouth-watering Gibson gear. 

“I’ve always had Gibsons and Epiphones,” Neil says, who earlier played a Gibson SJ200 and a Dove acoustic. “Every single thing has been a Gibson because when I said to my dad that I wanna be in a band, I wanna play guitar, he said there’s only one thing you can do. You need a Gibson Les Paul, and you need a Marshall.”

For Luke, who wielded a borrowed Gibson EB-3 bass, this afternoon will remain a treasured memory. “I love Jack Bruce, so watching him play an EB-3, I’ve always wanted one. I bought a Gibson a few years back, a Les Paul double cutaway thing which is lovely. To be able to come here and look at all of the guitars, an 11-year-old Luke would be very, very proud right now.”

Even drummers can have guitar envy, as Nick confirms. “I have never owned one, but Sam, our guitar tech, owns a Gibson Firebird, which I’m very, very envious of. It’s a great guitar, it’s beautiful.”

As far as ambitions for the new EP go, Neil answers in typical authentic Blue Nation form. “I hope that people like it. I hope it makes people’s day better.”

Catch Blue Nation on Tour this autumn. Tickets are available from linktr.ee/BlueNationTourDates.

David Lee Roth has canceled nearly every remaining date of his 2026 US tour. Shows in Dillon, Colorado; Clear Lake, Iowa; Louisville, Kentucky; and East Moline, Illinois were all pulled from his official website on Thursday, July 23, leaving just one date standing — his previously announced August 7 appearance in Sturgis, South Dakota. No reason has been given. And within hours, the response came from the one person in rock nobody would have predicted: Sammy Hagar, the man who replaced him in Van Halen, posted a video message offering Roth an open invitation to his Las Vegas residency.

STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:

Two Van Halen frontmen, forty years of sniping, and a phone call that changed the tone overnight — Scott Penfold breaks down the David Lee Roth cancellations and Sammy Hagar’s remarkable response on Monday’s Metal Breakdown Daily. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and stream the broadcast now.

What Was Canceled

Roth launched the 2026 run on April 16 at Spokane Live! at Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, Washington — a tour we previewed back in April when he turned up unannounced at Coachella days before the opening night. Billed under the very Diamond Dave banner “Don’t Love Me, Rent Me,” the setlist paired his solo catalogue with a heavy dose of the Van Halen material that made him famous, and the schedule had at one point been extended into early September.

As of Thursday, that schedule is essentially gone. The Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky and Illinois dates have all been scrapped, and Sturgis on August 7 is the lone survivor.

His touring band for the run consisted of Al Estrada on guitar, Sean McNabb on bass, Francis Valentino on drums, and Danny Wagner on keyboards, along with several backing vocalists. McNabb had joined this year, replacing Ryan Wheeler.

No Explanation Has Been Given

This is the part to be careful with, because the internet is already filling in the blanks.

Roth has not stated a reason. Neither has anyone in his camp. What has been reported is that several of his June and July shows had visible empty seats, which has led to speculation that soft ticket sales played a role — but that remains speculation, not a stated cause.

There has been no announcement of any health issue. Hagar raised the possibility in his message only to say he hoped it wasn’t the case, which is a friend expressing concern rather than information about Roth’s condition. Until Roth says otherwise, the honest answer is that nobody outside his organization knows why these shows came off the calendar.

Also Recommended – “For the First Time, I Feel Rich”: David Lee Roth Cashes Out Van Halen Legacy in Massive Multi-Million Dollar Catalog Sale

Sammy Hagar’s Response Is The Real Story Here

On Thursday, Hagar posted a video message saying he’d just gotten a call from Michael Anthony — the former Van Halen bassist who now plays in Hagar’s solo band — telling him Roth’s tour had been canceled.

What followed wasn’t a jab. Hagar said he was sorry from the bottom of his heart, told Roth he hoped he was well, and said that he and Anthony genuinely loved seeing him out on the road keeping Van Halen’s music alive. He told Roth to carry on whenever he was ready, and made a point of saying the two of them, along with Anthony, Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen, are irreplaceable: “You and I, Mikey, Al, Ed cannot be replaced”.

Then he made the offer. Hagar invited Roth to come out at his September Las Vegas residency with himself and Anthony — sing a couple of songs, emcee the show, or simply do what he does, which Hagar noted is pretty damn entertaining.

Why That Olive Branch Lands So Hard

To understand why this is genuinely surprising, you have to remember what the relationship between these two men has looked like for four decades.

As recently as January 2024, Roth posted a video in which he went after Hagar over the alien abduction story from Hagar’s 2011 memoir, in terms far too crude to reprint here. That wasn’t an outlier. The Roth-versus-Hagar rivalry has been one of rock’s longest-running public feuds, complete with a disastrous 2002 co-headlining tour and decades of interviews where neither man missed a chance to take a shot.

For Hagar to lead with sympathy, credit Roth for carrying the catalogue, and publicly hand him a stage — with no conditions attached — is a meaningful shift. Whether Roth takes him up on it is another matter entirely. But the offer is on the table, in public, and that’s not something anyone had on their 2026 card.

Check This Out – Alex Van Halen Reveals Why Van Halen’s Best Work Was With David Lee Roth

Roth’s Long, Complicated Goodbye

The 71-year-old singer has been circling retirement for years. In early 2021 he announced he was done, framing a 2022 Las Vegas residency at the House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay as his final five shows and declining to explain the decision. That residency was then canceled over circumstances related to COVID.

He returned anyway. Roth played his first full solo concert in more than five years on May 3, 2025 at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland, then reversed the retirement outright with a summer 2025 US tour that wrapped September 14 in Napa, California. The 2026 run was the follow-up.

Elsewhere, it’s been an eventful year for him off the stage as well, including selling his stake in the Van Halen publishing catalogue earlier in 2026.

Roth fronted Van Halen from 1974 to 1985, briefly again in 1996, and then from 2007 until the band ended in 2020, though they hadn’t toured since 2015. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of the band in 2007.

For now, Sturgis on August 7 remains the only date on his calendar.

TL;DR

• David Lee Roth has canceled all but one remaining date of his 2026 US tour
• Shows in Dillon CO, Clear Lake IA, Louisville KY and East Moline IL were removed from his site on July 23
• Only his August 7 appearance in Sturgis, South Dakota remains scheduled
• No reason has been given; reports of empty seats at June and July shows have fueled speculation about ticket sales, but nothing has been confirmed
• Sammy Hagar posted a video message expressing sympathy and support after hearing the news from Michael Anthony
• Hagar invited Roth to join him and Anthony at their Las Vegas residency in September

FAQ

Forty years of shots fired, and Sammy’s the one who picked up the phone — say what you want about either guy, that took class. Would you want to see Dave walk out at one of those Vegas shows? Let us know in the comments, and follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post David Lee Roth Cancels All But One Date Of His Entire Tour, And Sammy Hagar Breaks Forty Years Of Feuding To Offer Him A Stage appeared first on Loaded Radio.

SNAYX are back with another belter, readymade for the sunshine but hiding a much more sentimentally vital core.

Titled ‘Nice Day 4 It’, it is a blend of rock and roll mayhem and drum and bass bravado, equalling the sort of anthem designed for festival main stages and beyond.

Though dig a little deeper and not everything is peachy. As between the good times, there is existentialism, anxiety and doubt, that as many as us will know, has the capacity to spread like wildfire. What results is a rather claustraphobic listen, despite its sunny day playability; a perfect juxtaposition of everything that SNAYX is.

The band had this to say about it:

“It’s a summer song, but lost in its own melancholy, in its own weird way. It’s about that headspace where self-destruction stops feeling like a problem and starts feeling more like just another day. Feelings get filed away for a future version of yourself to deal with. Your mate texts. You go again. When the spiral begins to spin so rapidly out of control, you eventually end up in motion and before you know it, you’re actually rolling. There’s something almost freeing in the dissonance. Like once you stop trying to hold it together, the pressure’s off. It’s not quite nihilism, but there’s definitely a sense of: everyone’s a bit fucked, the world’s a bit fucked, so why not make a nice day of it?“

The track swiftly follows on the frantic ‘Brain Cellz’, which sounds a lot like this:

The band are set to hit the road as support for YONAKA later this year. Here are the dates:

SEPTEMBER

29 – BELFAST The Limelight 2
30 – DUBLIN Academy Green Room

OCTOBER

02 – MANCHESTER New Century Hall
03 – LONDON O2 Forum Kentish Town
05 – CARDIFF Tramshed
08 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
09 – LEEDS Leeds Beckett Students Union
10 – GLASGOW The Garage

The post SNAYX Share Red Hot Summer Banger ‘Nice Day 4 It’ appeared first on Rock Sound.