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Joe Bonamassa has released two new live singles, “Bad Penny (Live)” and “Back On My Stompin’ Ground (Live),” from his upcoming live album and concert film The Spirit Of Rory Live From Cork, which arrives June 19 via J&R Adventures.

The performances were recorded during Bonamassa’s sold-out tribute shows in Cork, Ireland, honoring late Irish blues guitarist Rory Gallagher. The project was recorded with the blessing of Gallagher’s family across a three-night run that expanded from an originally planned one-night event.

The setlist for The Spirit Of Rory Live From Cork was inspired in part by Gallagher’s famed Irish Tour ’74 era and the live energy associated with that period of his career. While “Bad Penny” originated from Gallagher’s 1979 album Top Priority, “Back On My Stompin’ Ground” first appeared on 1973’s Blueprint.

“Bad Penny” became one of Gallagher’s signature live songs, known for its hard-driving blues rock groove and aggressive guitar work. Bonamassa’s live version stays close to the spirit of the original performance while capturing the atmosphere of the Cork crowd.

“Back On My Stompin’ Ground (Live)” highlights a different side of Gallagher’s catalog. The song blends blues, folk, and rock influences and became one of the more emotional moments during the Cork performances in Gallagher’s hometown.

Additional DVD and Blu-ray bonus features will include The Inspiration of Rory, featuring conversations with Brian May and Slash, along with behind-the-scenes footage and segments focused on Gallagher’s instruments and legacy.

The Spirit Of Rory Live From Cork will be available digitally, on CD/DVD, CD/Blu-ray, and double 180-gram red marble vinyl.

CD Track Listing

1. “Cradle Rock (Live)”
2. “Walk On Hot Coals (Live)”
3. “Tattoo’d Lady (Live)”
4. “I Wonder Who (Live)”
5. “Calling Card (Live)”
6. “Who’s That Coming? (Live)”
7. “Messin’ With The Kid (Live)”
8. “Bullfrog Blues (Live)”
9. “Treat Her Right (Live)”
10. “Bad Penny (Live)”
11. “I Fall Apart (Live)”
12. “A Million Miles Away (Live)”
13. “As The Crow Flies (Live)”
14. “Back On My Stompin’ Ground (Live)”

DVD / Blu-ray

1. “The Spirit Of Rory (Opening Scene)”
2. “Cradle Rock”
3. “Walk On Hot Coals”
4. “Tattoo’d Lady”
5. “I Wonder Who”
6. “Calling Card”
7. “Who’s That Coming?”
8. “Messin’ With The Kid”
9. “Band Introductions”
10. “Bullfrog Blues”
11. “Treat Her Right”
12. “Bad Penny”
13. “I Fall Apart”
14. “A Million Miles Away”
15. “As The Crow Flies”
16. “Back On My Stompin’ Ground”
17. “Ballycotton (End Credits)”

DVD / Blu-ray Bonus Features:
• “Ballycotton – A Million Miles Away”
• “Rory’s Acoustic Guitar”
• “The Inspiration of Rory (A Conversation with Brian May & Slash)”

Vinyl (180 Gram Red Marble Double LP)

Side A

1. “Cradle Rock (Live)”
2. “Walk On Hot Coals (Live)”
3. “Tattoo’d Lady (Live)”
4. “I Wonder Who (Live)”

Side B
5. “Calling Card (Live)”
6. “Who’s That Coming? (Live)”
7. “Messin’ With The Kid (Live)”
8. “Bullfrog Blues (Live)”

Side C
9. “Treat Her Right (Live)”
10. “Bad Penny (Live)”
11. “I Fall Apart (Live)”

Side D
12. “A Million Miles Away (Live)”
13. “As The Crow Flies (Live)”
14. “Back On My Stompin’ Ground (Live)”

U.S. Summer Tour 2026

June 26 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts w/ JJ Grey & Mofro & D.K. Harrell
June 27 – Atlantic City, NJ – Ocean Casino Resort
June 28 – Newark, NJ – New Jersey Performing Arts Center
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 – Crossroads Guitar Festival @ Moody Center

EU Fall Tour 2026

October 21 – Helsinki, FI – 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, PL – Ethno Festival

The post Joe Bonamassa unleashes fiery rendition of Rory Gallagher’s “Bad Penny” appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

Over a decade removed from the djent boom of the early 2010s, stylistic flagbearers Periphery have settled into a comfortable routine, periodically regrouping from side projects and business ventures to release a new record every few years. Cracks in that formula began to show on 2023’s Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre, where the compositions started to feel both formulaic and scattershot. Their new release, A Pale White Dot, is their first non-numbered album since the two-part Juggernaut (2015). It seems intended as a departure from their established release pattern and a chance to reconnect with a more instinctive, creatively driven approach written from a “top-down” perspective shaped by themes of isolation and loneliness. Periphery remains one of my favorite bands (even if I find myself stuffed into the occasional AMG locker for this opinion), and I’m always excited by the prospect of their technically minded, melodic, and smartly written take on progressive metalcore. By centering this record around a more focused concept and shedding some of the expectations attached to their numbered releases, can this league of extraordinary “djentlemen” deliver another satisfying dose of syncopated brilliance?

As Juggernaut did for Periphery I and II, A Pale White Dot streamlines the maximalist hyper-technicality of Periphery III–V in service of its concept, even if that comes at the expense of what once made the band so compelling. Periphery helped define the 2010s metalcore formula of “djent riff + soaring clean chorus + breakdown,” a blueprint that would eventually shape modern heavyweights like Sleep Token and Spiritbox. Their music could pivot seamlessly between dizzying guitar acrobatics and polished melodic hooks without sacrificing momentum, turning even the most familiar structures into sprawling narrative journeys. A Pale White Dot is the first record where this strength fades into the background, with a diminished presence of the “pure-riffery” and progressive elements the band is known for. With a few exceptions (the psychotic opening riff of “Malevolent” or the bombastic bridge of “Everyone Dies Alone”), a set of shorter songs is largely held together by straightforward chugs and massive vocal-forward choruses. Periphery still sounds like themselves, but the overall shape of these songs is far closer to run-of-the-mill “Octanecore” than ever before. For the first time in their career, it feels like Periphery is merely iterating on popular sounds, rather than pushing them forward.

I’d describe the songcraft on A Pale White Dot as frustratingly competent. Periphery clearly knows what they’re doing every step of the way, and the band still finds ways to inject personality and variety into familiar formulas, even as their material sounds increasingly more generic. As always, the musicianship is absurdly sharp across the board, and once you acclimate to his squeaky pop cleans, vocalist Spencer Sotelo proves to be an essential ingredient in this polyrhythmic pie. His delivery feels more powerful than ever, shifting effortlessly between varied harsh vocals and emphatic arena-ready hooks. “Mr. God” and “Subhuman” land as earth-shaking djentcore bruisers, but beyond this, each track demonstrates a surprising diversity of moods. Subdued, vocal-driven tracks erupt into blackened tremolo passages (“Obsession”) or ludicrous mid-song breakdowns (“Carry On”), while songs like “Talk” and “Heaven on High” recapture the band’s classic sense of breakneck momentum, swerving between entertaining djent, crushing breakdowns, and massive refrains. Despite these turns, the whole package feels decidedly safe. The different song sections arrive with predictable timing, and certain chorus chord progressions/melodies begin to feel so familiar that some climactic moments lose their impact, especially when a weaker hook like “Unlocking” fails to justify the buildup.

Whereas my favorite moments on past Periphery records tend to come from huge, cathartic climaxes, some of the strongest passages on A Pale White Dot instead lean into understated nuance. “Blackwall” follows in the footsteps of “Silhouette” from Periphery V as a synth-pop-leaning earworm, but its most compelling moment is an expansive IDM-influenced middle section where synth washes and digital percussion fully take over. The titular closing track is another quiet highlight, built around a delicate acoustic guitar melody wrapped in subtle electronic atmosphere. There are other standout sections, like the wisteria-tinged progression of “Neon Valley’s” chorus or the emotional guitar solo of “Everyone Dies Alone.” These highs serve as memorable moments that anchor repeat listens, even if no single track quite reaches the heights of the band’s very best work.

A Pale White Dot is an album that’s easy to admire on a craftsmanship level, but hard for me to connect with. Periphery remain highly accomplished musicians and effective songwriters. As a fan of their style, there are still plenty of moments and tracks to enjoy throughout. At the same time, this record marks a noticeable streamlining of their sound, trading much of their trademark progressiveness and technical intricacy for more straightforward material that sits closer to contemporary metalcore than much of their earlier work. It’s far from bad, but I’d be hard-pressed to pick it over any other Periphery album.

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Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream to end all streams
Label: 3Dot Recordings
Websites: periphery.net | facebook.com/PeripheryBand
Releases Worldwide: May 15th, 2026

The post Periphery – A Pale White Dot Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

As creativity doesn’t move within the confines of specific timelines, it didn’t take Richie Kotzen long to start working on new music. Fresh off a world tour, inspiration struck, and he immediately went into the studio, breathing new life into a track he had been sitting on, patiently waiting for just the right moment to complete.

Today, Richie Kotzen has surprised fans with the digital release of his newly recorded song, “Catch a Star.” Stream it below.

“After coming off the road with Smith/Kotzen, I fully intended to take a long break from live performance and recharge creatively,” says Richie Kotzen. “While going through old archives, I rediscovered “Catch A Star” in a semi-completed form, and for whatever reason, the direction suddenly became obvious to me in a way it hadn’t before. Once that happens as a writer,” Kotzen continues, “you must trust your instincts and follow the momentum. That’s exactly what happened with this song.”

Playing all the instruments on “Catch a Star,” Kotzen digs into his Philly musical roots with soaring verses, soulful melodies and choruses, and driving rhythms, as he pushes both his guitar and bass techniques and style in new and innovative directions.

“What I love about ‘Catch A Star’ is how direct it is,” says Kotzen.  “The chorus arrives immediately, the arrangement stays intentionally simple, and the focus is really on the melody, lyric, and atmosphere. This is also one of those recordings where I handled every instrument and vocal myself, layering each part individually in the studio. In the past, I probably would have held onto a song like this until I had enough material to complete a full album, but these days I feel more inspired by releasing music in real time rather than waiting indefinitely for a larger project to materialize.”

While there are currently no immediate touring plans, Richie Kotzen continues to create and wanted to share “Catch A Star” with the people who have supported and accompanied him throughout his musical journey. 

“If it eventually leads to a full-length album, great,” states Kotzen, “and if it doesn’t, for now, that’s fine too.”

The post RICHIE KOTZEN Streams New Single “Catch A Star” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Without “Exit Music (For A Film)” there would be no “Watermelon Sugar.” Think about that. Let that sink in. That’s what Harry Styles admitted when he honored Radiohead’s Thom Yorke last night at the Ivor Novello Songwriter Awards. Styles made a surprise appearance that was innocently spoiled by Elton John earlier in the evening, according to Variety. They also described the event as a “hot mess of a show.” Styles’ speech teetered between charm and chaos, reflecting on Yorke’s influence throughout his life, from hearing his sister play Radiohead while he was doing homework as a kid to losing his virginity to “Talk Show Host.” Yes, he admitted that as well.

The post Harry Styles Honors Thom Yorke At Ivors, Reveals Which Radiohead Song He Lost His Virginity To appeared first on Stereogum.

We’ve Got A File On You features interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc. Blue Morpho is the first album Ed O’Brien has released under his own name, but it isn’t his first solo album. When the Radiohead guitarist…

The post We’ve Got A File On You: Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien appeared first on Stereogum.

Sober, the seminal single from 1993’s Undertow, made Maynard James Keenan and co. a quick success story, but not everybody was a fan

Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is over now. Last year, under deeply suspicious circumstances, CBS announced the show’s cancelation. Colbert got a few extra months to build up to a grand finale. Earlier this month, the show featured guests like Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne. The show’s final episode aired on Thursday night, and Colbert didn’t announce its final guest ahead of time. A bunch of celebrities showed up for cameos, but the real final guest was Paul McCartney, who first played the Ed Sullivan Theater with his old band the Beatles 62 years ago. McCartney got the honor of turning the lights out on the venue.

The post Paul McCartney Returns To Ed Sullivan Theater For Stephen Colbert’s Final <em>Late Show</em> appeared first on Stereogum.

It was a simple conversation with her future husband that helped Amy Lee write the anthem of a generation

I’m about to go Pepe Silvia on Olivia Rodrigo; her new single has given me plenty of enough thread to do it, to completely unravel. (If you don’t know Pepe Silvia, you should. It’s one of TV’s best moments from the legendary It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.) Anyway, this post is about Olivia Rodrigo and…

The post Olivia Rodrigo – “The Cure” appeared first on Stereogum.

There’s a particular kind of dread that comes with a long-awaited comeback. You want it to be good. You need it to be good. And the longer the absence, the higher the stakes. Marmozets have been away for eight years; long enough for an entire generation of festival-goers to know them only by reputation. Long enough for the word “legendary” to start getting thrown around a little too casually. Long enough, frankly, for the pressure to become almost unfair.

Pressure? Pressure is for tyres! ‘CO.WAR.DICE.’ doesn’t buckle under it. It doesn’t even acknowledge it. It just gets on with being an excellent record. What’s immediately striking is how little the band seem interested in playing it safe. A lesser comeback would have chased the energy of ‘Move, Shake, Hide’ and called it a day. Instead, Marmozets have arrived as a leaner, stranger version of themselves. Four people rather than five, drawing from a weirder, wider pool of influence. There’s DNA here from post-punk’s jagged early days, from the jerky, irreverent spirit of Devo, to the swaggering weirdness of The Cramps. There are several moments on this record where Becca MacIntyre’s vocal has a dreamy, almost Siouxsie-esque quality. Their sound has evolved, but not so much that it’s not quintessentially Marmozets. 

A voice so distinctive and instantly recognisable is like being born with a third nipple. You either have it, or you don’t, and MacIntyre has it. Opener ‘A Kiss From A Mother’ wastes absolutely no time making that case. It’s tight, urgent, and sets the tone for an album that refuses to let you drift through its 11 tracks. ‘Cut Back’ is a force of nature. Relentless and immediate, it’s the kind of song that burns itself into your brain on that first listen and doesn’t look like it’s going to leave any time soon. ‘New York’ crackles with excited, spontaneous energy, capturing the feeling of a band rediscovering the joy of simply playing together in a room. It’s loose and alive in ways that expensive production often inadvertently kills.

‘You Want The Truth’ is perhaps the album’s most direct moment – the title alone tells you what you’re getting, and Becca delivers it with a confrontational clarity that feels both thrilling and galvanising. ‘Swear I’m Alive’ and ‘Running With The Sun In Your Eyes’ keep the momentum rolling in the album’s midsection, the latter swinging with a groove reminiscent of the early 2000s that sits in completely unexpected but brilliant territory. Even the more restrained moments pull their weight; ‘Mes Désirs’ adds texture and breathing space, while ‘Like Last Night’ has an almost nostalgic warmth to it that catches you off guard.

The album earns its ambitions in its quietest moments too. ‘Dandy’ strips everything back to something fragile and exposed, demonstrating a confidence that now extends beyond volume. Closer ‘Keep Going Darling’ is a slow-burn builder that takes its time before arriving somewhere moving – loops layering and shifting beneath MacIntyre’s vocal until the whole thing feels like it’s about to lift off. It’s a perfect closer in that it recontextualises everything before it.

Thematically, the record is unafraid to look outward. War, cowardice, the paralysis of watching a fractured world and wondering what one band from Yorkshire can actually do about any of it. The title itself, ‘CO.WAR.DICE.’, ties all of that into one anxious, playful knot. But the album never tips into despair. Its conclusion, and its whole emotional architecture, is stubbornly hopeful. That’s harder to pull off than fury, yet Marmozets do it with ease. It was a long wait but this comeback has more than made up for it.

KATHRYN EDWARDS