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Guitarist outlines what he and his colleagues want to achieve in the year ahead, and explains why musicians who refuse to listen to their own recordings are cheating themselves

Before she was making records in Nashville studios, before she stepped into the booth with producer Dan Auerbach, before the songs on All Dressed Up took shape, Leah Blevins was a little girl in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, pushing pause and play on a boom box and trying to understand how words fit together. “I think […]

Where do we start here? How about: Who thought this was a good idea? Who decided that we couldn’t leave Gnarls Barkley in 2006, where they belong? Gnarls Barkley, the duo of CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse, were an incredibly successful, critically lauded enterprise back then, and I’m sure plenty of people have warm feelings about “Crazy,” their huge surprise hit. Since then, though, Green has been accused of some horrific crimes, and he doesn’t have anywhere near the intense, widespread goodwill that he once did. But apparently that doesn’t matter, and we’re about to get a new Gnarls Barkley album.

The post Gnarls Barkley’s First New Album In 18 Years Is Out Next Week appeared first on Stereogum.

“It’s disappointing when people put politics so far ahead”

In a world full of conflict, drama, and 30 second attention spans, Wicked is here to give it to you straight, with another single off their upcoming album. ‘Go Rebel‘ is the theme song for those who have the passion to live their life loud and express themselves with no apology! Rock N Roll should […]

The post Wicked Releases New Single ‘Go Rebel’ Off Their Upcoming Album appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM!.

If you’re a fan of old school roadhouse blues rock, Garret T. Willie’s Bill’s Café needs to be on your radar. Bill’s Café is released on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast Records label on February 27. Reminiscent of ZZ Top, with Billy Gibbons’ gravel-laden vocals and guitar-centric sounds, Willie’s songs transcend his mid-twenties age. Garret is from Alert Bay, off the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. He is a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation and grew up in this tiny coastal community listening to classic rock and blues that shaped his sound, mixing Texas blues grit with AC/DC-style high-octane guitar.

Bill’s Café, named after his grandfather’s pool hall café, is the follow-up to his debut album Same Pain. Recorded in Vancouver, Same Pain garnered international acclaim, with top 20 chart placements in the UK, U.S., and Canada, along with Canadian Music Award nominations. This early success helped elevate his profile, leading to opening gigs for Kenny Wayne Shepherd and John Fogerty. When Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise held its Alaska edition this past fall, Willie was invited on board, where he played alongside the likes of Jimmy Vivino and Bonamassa himself.

Garret ventured south of the border to the recording hub of Nashville for Bill’s Café. Producing the album was the multiple Grammy-winning powerhouse Tom Hambridge, who also provided drums and backing vocals. Nashville also provided proximity to an all-star group of session contributors: Tommy MacDonald on bass; guitarists Kenny Greenberg and Audley Freed, known for their work with Cry of Love, The Black Crowes, and Sheryl Crow; and keyboardists Kevin McKendree and Mike Rojas.

The recording sessions gained unexpected personal inspiration for Willie. “Before my first writing session for Bill’s Café, I walked through the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. The visit hit hard. My grandfather looked so much like Cash. They both served in their respective Air Force service, same quiet gravity, same way of carrying the room without having to say much,” he shared on social media, followed soon after by declaring the album was “about living life at full volume.”

This emphasis is clearly evident in the first pair of singles from the album. “Devils Doll” is a blues rock stomper with claws that Joe Bonamassa included on his Epic Guitar Solos playlist. “Hypnotist” was a longtime live show staple that followed a month later. This one adds fangs to grooves rife with AC/DC influences. Garrett posted that the song is “about an ex who tried to drag my name through the mud… but the truth is… she was throwing stones from a glass house,” a theme that gets blasted away by the nearly three-minute closing power jam. Garrett isn’t shy about his love for AC/DC, proudly posting that they were the top-streamed band on his 2025 playlist and sharing old Halloween pictures of himself dressed as Angus Young. The influences are present throughout the album but surface strongly on some tracks, like the solo on “Going to Toronto,” a catchy road song about chasing a lost love.

Life-on-the-road themes are also featured on “High Beam Blues” and the third single, “Golden Highway,” a slower country-style ballad where you can hear the Hambridge influence. “I’m Late” is a raucous song for the habitually tardy that Garrett shared was “a real snapshot of life on the road when the clock never cuts you any slack.” “I’m Late,” also the most recent single, was promoted with a full performance-driven video. Willie also pays homage to his rural roots with the bluesy “Young Country Boy” and the heavier “Small Town People.”

Though not a single, Garret teased “It Won’t Get Done” in a short clip on social media. This track offers a basic lesson in empowerment and taking action: approach that woman at the bar, buy that guitar, keep living life. It appears Garret T. Willie is taking that advice at full speed.

With Bill’s Café, Garrett mixes the small-town kid, the bruised storyteller, and the bar-burning guitarist to bring to life tales about home, hustlers, and heartbreakers in a gritty blues rock album that demands more volume.

The Review: 8/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Hypnotist
– Devils Doll
– Going to Toronto
– I’m Late
– It Won’t Get Done
– Golden Highway

The Big Hit

– I’m Late

The post Garret T. Willie: Bill’s Café Review appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

AFTERDRIVE have released a new track that perfectly embodies all the neon glow and beautiful atmospheres of the last decade.

Titled ‘Fashion’, it is the best song that never made it onto The 1975’s debut album.

A quintessentially British, romantically vibrant piece of driving pop-rock, it finds the band in a flirtatious, fantastical mood. From the addictive hooks to the white-hot chords, it’s a brilliant showcase of the band’s intentions and passions, all rolled into one sensationally catchy package.

Get stuck in below.

AFTERDRIVE are set to support Maggie Lindemann on her headline tour across the UK and Europe later this year. Here are the dates.

APRIL

14 – DUBLIN The Academy 
16 – GLASGOW The Garage
17 – MANCHESTER New Century Hall
19 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute Birmingham
20 – LONDON O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
22 – AMSTERDAM Melkweg Max
24 – PARIS Alhambra
26 – COLOGNE Live Music Hall
27 – BERLIN Hole 44
29 – HAMBURG Uebel und Gefährlich
30 – BRUSSELS La Madeleine 

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A post shared by MAGGIE LINDEMANN (@maggielindemann)

The post AFTERDRIVE Sharing Glittery New Track ‘Fashion’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

The much-loved and award-winning ArcTanGent Festival has just revealed the final acts for this summer’s bash, and it’s a proper eclectic mix. Taking over Fernhill Farm near Bristol from 19th to 22nd August, the festival remains the ultimate melting pot for anyone who likes their music a bit weird, very heavy, or just plain brilliant. … Continue reading Cardiacs and The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza head up final ArcTanGent 2026 announcement

The band haven’t announced every show of 2026 yet, but they’ve revealed the last ones they’ll play before taking a well-earned break from the road