(Former NCS writer TheMadIsraeli returns after a long absence with the following review of a new album by the Toronto death metal band Apogean, which was released on July 10th by The Artisan Era.) It sounds so fucking stupid to say, but a pretty good barometer of a good album especially if you’re on the […]
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Ritchie Blackmore is coming out of retirement, at least for one song. The 81-year-old guitarist confirmed he will join Deep Purple onstage Wednesday night (August 12) at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y., marking his first appearance with the band in more than three decades.
Blackmore, who parted ways with Deep Purple in 1993, broke the news during an Instagram Live session with his wife, Candice Night, on Tuesday (August 11).
Blackmore said in part (transcribed by Blabbermouth), “There is something we wanted to mention about tomorrow night… Well, it is a secret and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably get up and do an encore with the band, Deep Purple. But you can’t tell anybody, and I know that this is gonna be kept a secret. And will it? I suppose so.”
Asked how the guest slot came together, Blackmore described reaching out to Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan through a rather modern method: “I actually called up… I didn’t call him up, I sent my A.I. pigeon to [Deep Purple singer] Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment. And I said, ‘How would you feel about if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure, just kind of [for] old times’ sake.’ I’m 81 now. So he seemed to love the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up, and it looks like we might be doing that.”
Blackmore is already thinking through logistics for Wednesday’s show.
“I have my roadie there kind of now, setting up my amplifier,” he said. “But I’ll be using a small amplifier, but it’s very loud. It’s what I use when I record. I hope I can compete with the [current Deep Purple] guitar player [Simon McBride], ’cause I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him.
“So, it’d probably just be the one number, as it’s been a while. I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years… I hope the guy out in the front can turn me up. I’ve got my roadie there for a soundcheck.”
Night noted that the song won’t be “Highway Star,” since Deep Purple is opening the show with that track, according to Blackmore.
Blackmore also spoke candidly about the physical toll of getting back onstage, referencing a severe vertigo attack in late 2025 that forced him off the road, along with ongoing battles with gout, arthritis in his fingers and feet, and past heart trouble.
“I did have my injection in my lumbar area yesterday,” Blackmore said. “It’s a special injection I have that enables me to stand in one spot, because if I’m playing a Strat on stage, I have a hard time with the shoulders and the lumbar area. I’ve got four herniated discs, if anybody wants them.
“And I had my injection yesterday of a steroid which helps me get through standing up on stage. But I do have a kind of a stool there just in case I start toppling over or something. But I know that Ian Gillan has his maladies too with his eyesight, I think. And so as you get older, you collect all these things… And fusion is out of the question. That’s too big a job. But the stem cell stuff looks interesting.
“So I’m kind of recovering from that at the moment. I’m on steroid. And it’s very hard to sleep when you’re on steroids, but I’m on one steroid. And thanks to the doctors at Stony Brook [University Hospital]; they were excellent. I didn’t feel hardly any pain. But I think we’ve all got something to complain about. I just have more things to complain about than usual. And if don’t complain, I’ll find something to complain about.”
Turning back to Wednesday’s reunion, Blackmore had kind words for the two guitarists who filled his shoes in Deep Purple: “[Simon] is a very good guitar player. As was, and is, [former Deep Purple guitarist] Steve Morse, is a great guitar player.
“So, that’s gonna be interesting. I have not played rock music in 25 years, actually.”
That claim glosses over the fact that Blackmore put his post-Deep Purple project Blackmore’s Night (which also features Night) on hold in 2016 to reform Rainbow for a run of shows, his first rock dates in 19 years.
“It’ll be good to see the old guys again,” he continued. “I think we’ll all be on crutches and wheelchairs and things, although I think the rest of them are okay. But, yes, it’s kind of frightening. I haven’t played rock in 25 years… I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for 25 years, and at first I was very uncomfortable playing it, but I got used to it, and now I’m used to playing the acoustic more so than the electric.”
Blackmore said he wanted to get word out ahead of time because, in his words, “I just thought it might be an idea to let a few people know ’cause I think a lot of people would like to see that. So hopefully my guitar stays in tune, and I can play whatever song is going to be played. It’s just the one song, I think.”
Blackmore’s Night‘s catalog leans into what the pair calls Renaissance or medieval music, with Night typically writing lyrics and Blackmore composing the melodies. The couple and their two children live on Long Island near Port Jefferson.
Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple and penned several of the band’s signature riffs, including “Smoke on the Water,” but hasn’t performed with the group since leaving in 1993. During his years away, he launched the neo-classical outfit Rainbow, which started out blending baroque influences with hard rock before drifting toward a more radio-friendly pop-rock sound.
Blackmore stepped away from Blackmore’s Night in 2016 to run a short Rainbow reunion with an entirely new lineup: singer Ronnie Romero, Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, Blackmore’s Night drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (born Robert Curiano, formerly of Blackmore’s Night), and backing vocalist Lady Lynn, alongside Night herself on backing vocals.
Two of those 2016 Rainbow shows in Germany were filmed and released that November as Memories in Rock – Live in Germany.
After his final split from Deep Purple in 1993, Blackmore had already reformed Rainbow once before, releasing Stranger in Us All in 1995 and touring behind it until wrapping up in Denmark in 1997.
Blackmore skipped Deep Purple‘s 2016 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, previously claiming the band’s manager kept him from attending, an explanation he leaned on for his absence. He still got plenty of mentions during his former bandmates’ induction speeches that night. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who handled the induction, singled out “Ritchie fucking Blackmore” for crafting one of rock’s most iconic riffs on “Smoke on the Water.”
The post DEEP PURPLE Co-Founder RITCHIE BLACKMORE Says “I Haven’t Played Rock In 25 Years” Ahead Of Surprise Encore appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
Van Chamberlain turn up the volume on Fantasy TBD, delivering a cathartic and hook-driven indie rock track packed with saturated guitars, driving drums, and a restless sense of release. The song channels the frustration of breaking away from an unhealthy attachment, balancing sharp lyrical imagery with an empowering sense of independence. Its production deliberately embraces distortion and raw energy, giving the track a beautifully unrestrained character that matches its emotional theme. Beneath the noise, strong melodies and memorable songwriting keep everything focused. Loud, urgent, and emotionally liberating, Fantasy TBD captures the exhilaration of finally letting go and moving forward.
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Here at Stereogum, we’ve been very into pretty much everything we’ve heard from Jawdropped, the ragged young power-pop band from Los Angeles. They’ll release their full-length debut Secret To Spare next month, and the singles “Monday” and “Split Lip” are both keepers. The same is true of “Cup,” the new song that they’ve got out today.
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Sadurn came back into our orbit this summer with “Whole Thing,” the lead single from their forthcoming album The Underworld. Our next preview of the album arrives today in the form of “Never Tell Me,” a song that may well be familiar to this band’s biggest fans. Sadurn mastermind G DeGroot says they’ve been closing their shows with the six-minute indie-folk power ballad since even before the release of their 2022 debut Radiator:
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When: From today, Thursday August 13
Where: Disney+ & Hulu
Watch anywhere: With Nord VPN’s 30-day trial
The highly-anticipated documentary Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear has arrived for streaming today – just a couple of months after it debuted at the Tribeca Festival in New York City.
The Justin Krook and Michael Dwyer-directed 90-minute film is available to watch on Disney+ and Hulu and chronicles the talented Blink-182 drummer’s life before he joined the band, his incredible rise to fame and his brutal recovery after the 2008 South Carolina plane crash that claimed the life of four of the six passengers onboard.
In the film, Barker says: “Why am I here when everyone else isn’t? I had to ask myself who I was going to be after this accident. I had this burning desire to become the greatest person and father I could be. Knowing how close I got to not being here, my appreciation for life is something I can’t even explain.”
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If you want to watch Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, you’ll need an active Disney+/Hulu subscription. I’ve broken dow the latest prices below:
Monthly price 🇺🇸: From $9.99 (Disney/Hulu bundle), from $19.99 (Disney/Hulu Premium bundle)
Monthly price 🇬🇧: £5.99 (Standard with ads), £9.99 (Standard), £14.99 (Premium)
Free trial? There’s no free trial currently, but look out for special offers throughout the year
Once you have your subscription set up, you’ll be able to watch the documentary straight away.
If you’re going to be out of the country but still want to catch Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear while it’s still fresh, you’ll need a VPN to help you.
Virtual Private Networks are used to change the location of your IP address, enabling you to watch the film no matter where you are. Nord VPN is Louder’s service of choice and it’s currently available with 75% off the usual price – and there’s a 30-day money back guarantee.
1. Install a VPN. As we’ve mentioned above, Nord VPN is Louder’s favourite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN. If you’re currently outside of the country and don’t want to miss the Travis Barker film, just select your country from the list, then log on to your Disney+/Hulu account.
3. Kick back and relax: That’s it – you’re all set to watch this highly-anticipated documentary on the Blink-182 drummer.
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear features interviews with Barker, alongside artists including Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee and late Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins.
The film is described as a “raw and redemptive journey” with a press release adding: “Once a trash collector in Laguna Beach, his life changed when he stepped in as a replacement for Blink-182’s drummer – igniting a meteoric rise that would make him the driving pulse of a generation.
“Yet beneath the spectacle of fame, the film reveals a complex man battling pain, grief and the thin line between survival and surrender.
It continues: “Featuring appearances from collaborators, cultural icons and those closest to him, this is the story of the man behind the tattoos and a tribute to those who keep going when the music almost stops.”
If you want to dive deeper into the drummer’s life, his excellent 2016 memoir Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums which he co-wrote with author Gavin Edwards is well worth a read.
Travis also has his own line of Vans merch, including a pair of Old Skool black and white Vans complete with barbed wire design. There’s also a black long-sleeve t-shirt, and two short-sleeve t-shirts – available in black and white which have a back graphic with tattooed fists and “Dues Paid, Self Made” on the knuckles.
Disney+ is one of the many TV and film streaming services available, but while I’d like to see more music-related content, there’s still plenty to get excited about.
The service is home to the likes of Peter Jackson’s Beatles doc Let It Be, and the three-part series Get Back. Other musical highlights include Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, Summer ’82: When Zappa Came To Sicily, Abbey Road: If These Walls Could Sing, Hip-Hop And The White House, and the 2024 biopic The Beach Boys.
For me, the real draw of Disney+ and the reason I’ve had a subscription for years is that it’s home to the entire Star Wars universe – all the classic movies are here, alongside spin-offs such as The Mandalorian, Andor, The Book Of Boba Fett and The Clone Wars animated series. There’s even an option to watch everything in timeline order.
Marvel content is another draw, and like the Star Wars content, it’s crammed with flicks, series and shorts – and the ability to binge on the entire MCU complete timeline.
There’s also all the classic Pixar movies and shorts, the National Geographic Channel, and the Hulu network (featuring the excellent comedy crime drama Only Murders In The Building starring Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short.
East of West bring a vibrant blend of Balkan and Mediterranean influences to Gathering, an instrumental piece shaped by rich traditional rhythms, warm acoustic textures, and a strong sense of communal spirit. Inspired by a spontaneous family gathering, the track carries an unmistakable feeling of movement, celebration, and connection. Double bass, oud, and hand percussion interact naturally, while subtle jazz elements and improvisational passages add depth and spontaneity to the arrangement. Lively yet deeply rooted, Gathering feels like a musical celebration of place, family, memory, and shared experience, capturing the warmth of human connection through an expressive world-music sound.
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Ryan Hemsworth loves to collaborate. Even his last solo album, 2018’s Elsewhere, had a myriad of guests. Since then, he’s worked with Tinashe, Dazy, Avery Springer, Snow Ellet, Shalom, Yurufuwa Gang, and more, and his project Bodysync with Giraffage has been very active. If that’s not enough, he’s currently a part of Gia Margaret’s live band. But now he’s back to announce a new solo album called Numbskull, and it features Tegan And Sara, MSPAINT, Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin, and more.
The post Ryan Hemsworth Announces New Album <em>Numbskull</em> Feat. Tegan And Sara, MSPAINT, Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin, & More appeared first on Stereogum.
Logic1000 and Jam City are two forward-thinking dance producers with a taste for collaboration, so it makes sense that they would link up. The Australian-born, Berlin-based Logic1000 will release her new album Confirmation! this fall, and it’s got contributions from people like Christine And The Queens, yunè pinku, FAUZIA, and Tiffi M; we’ve already posted the Kučka collab “All In For You.” Londoner Jam City, meanwhile, will release his own album My World next week, and the title track features Aidan, Bawo, and Ox Eye. Today, we hear what happens when Logic1000 and Jam City team up.
The post Logic1000 – “Jersey” (Feat. Jam City) appeared first on Stereogum.