Latest news with #musicband
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Thousands of dollars of music equipment stolen from northern band while in Edmonton
Images of guitars that were stolen from Alberta band's Soul Smash's van in Edmonton on July 8, 2025. (Credit: Soul Smash) A theft has derailed the recent success of an Alberta band, but the trio is determined to regain their momentum. Soul Smash, a Fort Vermilion-based mostly rock cover band consisting of two brothers and their friend, was in Edmonton on the weekend to perform at Rendezvous Pub and spent Monday night at a friend's place near Southgate Centre. Lead singer Kinley Paul was the one to realize their van in the driveway had been broken into on Tuesday. 'It was one of the worst feelings ever, to be honest. It was quite heartbreaking and shocking and devastating and a lot to process,' Paul told CTV News Edmonton during an interview on Wednesday. One of the band's main recording and performing guitars, the main bass and audio mixer were among the items stolen. 'There was some groaning and some tears,' Paul said. 'We do carry around a lot of valuables in our vans, so I guess that is kind of on us. But when you're in a driveway in what seems to be a safe place, you don't always expect that.' The stolen equipment is worth around $6,000, according to Paul – a 'substantial' hit for a group that sometimes only pockets $150 from a gig after travel expenses. '(This is) stuff that we saved up for for a long time, made payments on, and had in our families for a long time,' he said. 'It's kind of part of the whole investing in ourselves until we start to make it.' The theft also happened at a time when the band was starting to feel more established with semi-regular gigs in Edmonton, a busy summer season, and the June release of a four-song EP. Soul Smash File photo of Fort Vermilion-based band Soul Smash performing. (Credit: Soul Smash) But the supportive response to the theft news has made the band hopeful. In the meantime, Soul Smash has pulled back-up equipment onto the stage and is renting an audio mixer. The band is also considering putting on a fundraising concert in September to help recover some of the cost. 'We have a lot of fun doing what we do. I mean, it's not always easy, but it certainly should have been a lot easier than this,' Paul said. 'It's been an emotional roller coaster, but I am starting to feel better about it now. Like it could be just a bump in the road – and definitely not the end of the band.' CTV News Edmonton has asked Edmonton Police Service for an update on the investigation.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Move over ‘Brat summer': Country band hopes to make 2025 a ‘Barbara summer'
Music lovers are welcome to channel their inner 'Barbara' this summer, especially if they have a strong attachment to Old Dominion. The mega-popular country music band has broken records, topped the charts, sold millions of albums and headlined arenas and amphitheaters around the world for the past decade. Now the band is on the precipice of achieving another major milestone: introducing the concept of 'Barbara Summer' in conjunction with their latest album, 'Barbara,' due Aug. 22. The album's playful cover, which was officially revealed on June 2, depicts an older woman wearing white-framed sunglasses, a pink dress and a fuzzy jacket sitting in a salon chair with her hair wrapped in curlers and smoking a cigarette — fully embodying the essence of Barbara. 'We hand selected her because we knew that the album was going to be called 'Barbara,' and we just wanted this good representation of who that album is,' Old Dominion's frontman Matthew Ramsey told MassLive, adding that the band wanted someone to encaspulate 'the range of emotions' on the project. 'We picked this lady and we wanted her to be someone that looks like they have lived some life and could tell you crazy stories, that could probably drink you under the table and also take you to church,' Ramsey said. 'This album is sort of doing that. It's all over the place emotionally, and it's very vulnerable at times, but it has a lot of fun at the same time,' Ramsey continued. 'So it reflects our life experiences. So that's who we chose to represent the album.' The idea behind 'Barbara' summer stems from last year's 'Brat Summer', which was a cultural trend inspired by Charli XCX's critically and commercially successful album, 'Brat.' Fans of the British pop star adopted several elements from 'Brat' into their lives — such as adding the album's signature lime green into their wardrobes or being more unfiltered. Old Dominion Fans already appear to be hopping on the 'Barbara Summer' trend, which carries some elements of 'Brat Summer' — namely the cigarette smoking and being unapologetically yourself. A woman went to one of Old Dominion's shows in June wearing hair curlers, a pair of white-framed sunglasses and a pink dress while holding a fake cigarette. The band posted a video of the woman on Instagram with the caption, 'Locked in for Barbara Summer.' And it wasn't just one woman who committed to the bit. 'We had that one person show up, and then two days later, there were, like, four people that showed up,' Ramsey said. 'The next day, I saw some people up in the crowd — I could see them all the way up in the lawn — they were way in the back, but I could tell they were dressed like Barbara.' Ramsey's Old Dominion bandmates include lead guitarist Brad Tursi, bassist Geof Sprung, drummer Whit Sellers and keyboardist Trevor Rosen. The band's 2014 self-titled EP marked their first entry on the Billboard charts and paved the way for their future success as 'one of mainstream country music's most popular live groups,' as described by Rolling Stone in a 2021 article. Old Dominion's first full-length album, 'Meat and Candy' arrived in 2015. Containing the hits 'Break Up with Him,' 'Snapback' and 'Song for Another Time,' the album peaked at No. 3 on the Country Albums chart and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. The Nashville-formed band followed up with back-to-back No. 1 country albums: 'Happy Endings' in 2017 and 'Old Dominion' in 2019. Old Dominion continued to rack up hits during this time, including the chart-topping singles 'No Such Thing As A Broken Heart,' 'Written In The Sand,' 'Hotel Key,' 'Make It Sweet' and 'One Man Band.' The band nabbed a 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their song 'Some People Do.' Old Dominion's fourth and fifth albums — 'Time, Tequila & Therapy' and 'Memory Lane' — were released in 2021 and 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, the band earned two more platinum singles — 'I Was on a Boat That Day' and 'Memory Lane' — and one gold single, 'No Hard Feelings.' Old Dominion has notched nine No. 1 singles at country radio, surpassed five billion streams and earned a dozen RIAA platinum and gold single certifications. In May, Old Dominion took home their historic eighth consecutive 'Group of the Year' win at the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards, breaking the records for both all-time and most consecutive wins in the category. 'It's been quite a ride,' Ramsey said in response to the monumental feat. 'It seems like yesterday when we won our first one, but when we were there, someone reminded us that we've been nominated for that award for a decade now. So it's been a pretty crazy run.' The band released their greatest hits compilation, into in September 2024 before returning with new music at the start of 2025. Old Dominion has released four singles ahead of 'Barbara' — 'Man or the Song,' 'Making Good Time,' 'Me Most Nights' and 'Water My Flowers.' Of the latter track, Ramsey said the song's inspiration came from the desire of not wanting to be lonely and thinking about 'who's going to be there for me throughout my life and after I die.' 'That's where that question came from,' the singer explained. 'Then it kind of took shape in the form of this kind of moody, bluegrass, twinged kind of Fleetwood Mac thing.' 'Water My Flowers' also has a more positive connotation related to one of the band's traditions. Ramsey said he and his bandmates always request fresh flowers in their dressing rooms before shows to help bring some joy into their lives. 'We just like it to feel a little happy in there,' he said. Old Dominion is currently on the 'How Good Is That World Tour,' which runs through the middle of November. The tour includes two shows at BankNH Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire, on July 5 and July 6. Old Dominion will also perform at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Sept. 5. 'We have a really strong connection with that region,' Ramsay said when asked about the band's relationship with New England. '[It] is really our strongest market. We have a real, true connection with those fans up there, and the energy is unparalleled,' he said. 'We love it when we get to play up there.' Fans can shop for tickets to Old Dominion's shows using reliable third-party ticket sellers such as StubHub, VividSeats and SeatGeek. Country singer who rejected usual treatment says he's 'whipping cancer's ass' Country music star 'doing much better' after having stroke on stage Country music star falls off stage with beer in hand, keeps on singing 'Nothing sadder': Country singer asks fans to pray for his 4-year-old daughter New music from country music legend to be released 23 years after his death Read the original article on MassLive.
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
US rock band cancel UK tour as vocalist suffers ‘medical emergency'
AN AMERICAN rock band has scrapped the UK leg of their tour due to a "medical emergency." The group issued the shock statement on Instagram, uploading an image of their colourful tour poster with the word 'cancelled' emblazoned in yellow text over the top. 5 5 5 In their caption, The Georgia Thunderbolts wrote they had made their decision with "heavy hearts." The Stand Up hitmakers put: "Good day friends and fans of The Georgia Thunderbolts. "It is with heavy hearts we have to announce the cancellation of our first ever UK tour. "We have had our sights set on touring the UK since our band's infancy. "We were so looking forward to playing your stages and making new friends that we could share our live music with." The Take It Slow singers were due to kick off their tour in Newcastle on July 12, wrapping up in Maidstone on July 19. In between, they were set to play sets in Wakefield, Bilston, Southampton and London. Yet in their post they explained how vocalist TJ had suffered a stroke. They added: "On Thursday, June 19th, while operating heavy construction equipment for his father, our lead singer, T.J. Lyle, suffered a mild stroke. "T.J. is recovering the best, but his medical team feels he should rest up a bit, not get too hot and avoid flying for a while. "A huge thank you to all for prayers and everyone pulling for T.J. We promise we will be coming to your shores soon. "Full Steam Ahead…Damn the Torpedoes!! The Georgia Thunderbolts." The Georgia-founded band's loyal fans were hugely understanding, and one took to the comments section to write: "Health first always." A second put: "All the best, T.J." What are the symptoms of stroke? The FAST method – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time – is the easiest way to remember the most common symptoms of stroke: F = Face drooping - if one side of a person's face is dropped or numb then ask them to smile, if it's uneven then you should seek help. A = Arm weakness - if one arm is weak or numb then you should ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm drifts downwards then you might need to get help S = Speech difficulty - if a person's speech is slurred then this could be a sign of a stroke T = Time to call 999 - if a person has the signs above then you need to call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for emergency care. Other symptoms include: sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body difficulty finding words sudden blurred vision or loss of sight sudden confusion, dizziness or unsteadiness a sudden and severe headache difficulty understanding what others are saying difficulty swallowing A third mused: "Get well soon TJ! You are in our thoughts and prayers!" One then added: "TJ's health is the most important. I'll be there for your next UK tour. Love you TJ. Big hugs from Paris to all of you GTB." It came after the group pulled out of their scheduled gig at The Hub in Bremen, Georgia, due to the medical issue - but did not at the time state what it was. They first announced their UK tour last month. In an excited Instagram post the group, which formed in 2015 but did not release their debut album Can We Get A Witness until 2021, wrote: "The time has come!! We are excited to announce we're headed to the UK this summer!! "Mark your calendars and get those tickets…on sale now in bio…" "We can't wait to meet you all!! Let's Rock!!!" 5 5
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Creed's Massive Single Returns — And Becomes A Surprise Dance Win In The Process
The song 'One Last Breath' helped Creed rise to the next level decades ago, when it first became a worldwide hit. Many years later, the track remains one of the rock band's most familiar, and these days, it seems like it may have even outpaced every other entry in its discography as perhaps its most successful — or at least its longest-charting. The tune returns to multiple Billboard charts this week and also debuts on several other rankings that Creed is largely unfamiliar with in another form, thanks to an inventive reworking. 'One Last Breath' currently appears on a trio of Billboard charts in the United States, after living on just one of them a few days ago, as it has become both a top streamer and a bestseller once more. Creed's cut breaks back into the top 10 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, reentering at No. 9. At the same time, it lands in last place on the Alternative Streaming Songs chart, at No. 25, after not quite performing well enough just a few days ago to appear on Billboard's ranking of the most played alternative cuts on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The same Creed smash can also be found once again on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart. In that case, it doesn't need to return. Instead, it almost recaptures the throne, pushing from No. 6 to No. 2 and coming within striking distance of the top spot, where it has already spent some time. 'One Last Breath' may be surging in popularity again thanks to a remix — or perhaps it's a cover — that has become a hit on some Billboard lists that are largely foreign to Creed. The production act ATLiens debuts its remix of 'One Last Breath' on both the Dance Digital Song Sales and Hot Dance/Electronic Songs charts this week. The tune, which doesn't actually credit Creed at all, is essentially just a dancified reworking of the early rock win. The inventive tune opens in the runner-up space on the purchase-only tally, behind 'Abracadabra' by Lady Gaga, which surges back to No. 1. At the same time, it starts at No. 17 on the all-encompassing list of the most consumed dance and electronic tracks throughout the U.S.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Wurzels: Somerset band write song using artificial intelligence
Folk band The Wurzels have released a new single written by artificial intelligence (AI) called Wurzel Me Somerset band, best known for songs such as The Combine Harvester and I Am A Cider Drinker, said they had decided to use the technology as they had not written a song for a Pete Budd, 84, said: "We realised that it was a long time since we had written a new pop tune. We needed some 'cutting-hedge' technology."The band's longest-serving member, Tommy Banner, 85, added: "We decided to explore this new artificial world to see if it could help us analyse our catalogue of Wurzel songs and give us some lyrical inspiration for a new release." Budd added he realised there were "genuine concerns" with AI over plagiarism and copyright added: "We don't agree with plagiarism in any form without some form of remuneration and so, in this case, we have strived to only plagiarise ourselves."Formed in 1966, the band have had eight UK hit singles and three UK top 40 Combine Harvester reached the top of the UK singles chart in May 1976, while follow-up, I Am A Cider Drinker, reached number three in the same band is currently made up of Budd and Banner with bass player Sedge Moore, keyboard player Louie Gribble and drummer Leigh Delamere.
