Ashley Monroe announced her sixth studio album Tennessee Lightning will be released August 8. Recorded in the wake of Monroe’s transformative bout with cancer, the 17-song collection documents her remarkable journey as a celebration of life, love and the healing power of music. Along with the announcement, the 3x GRAMMY nominee shares her new single “The Touch” (feat. Marty Stuart), a smoldering love song complete with a dreamy guitar riff from Stuart on guitar and Shelby Lynne on bass.

Hans Zimmer Presents today announced details for The World of Hans Zimmer – A New Dimension (www.worldofhanszimmer.com), a 24-city arena tour debuting in North America this fall after a tremendously successful European run in 2024. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 2.

Music Factory Records announces the April 25 release of “Blurry Face,” a raw, exhilarating trio performance by guitarist-composer Ari Joshua alongside John Medeski (organ, clavinet) and Billy Martin (drums), the storied rhythm team of Medeski Martin & Wood. Tracked live at Applehead Recording Studios in New York, the piece distills the crackling spontaneity that defines great improvisational music.

Dark Shadow Recording (DSR) heads into the 2025 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) voting season with its most formidable showing to date, fielding contenders in virtually every major category. From marquee vocal honors to instrumental virtuosity and album-of-the-year consideration, the DSR roster underscores the label’s reputation for pairing forward-thinking artistry with deep bluegrass roots.

Becky Buller & The Becky Buller Band

    Female Vocalist of the Year – Becky Buller

Mountain Home Music Company and its sister imprint Organic Records have once again demonstrated their depth and diversity, fielding an impressive slate of recordings for consideration on this year’s first-round ballots. From hard-driving instrumentals and soaring bluegrass anthems to heartfelt gospel offerings, the labels’ roster underscores their shared commitment to delivering the very best in contemporary roots music.

Independent folk-rock innovator Jefferson Berry and his ensemble The Urban Acoustic Coalition (UAC) today release Born Into A Blizzard, a daring new album that blends heartfelt storytelling with intricate acoustic and jazz-rock arrangements. American Blues Scene raves, “the album is a delight for those who like songs that tell a good story,” and John Kereiff of The Rock Doctor encourages listeners to “bask in its awesomeness.”

Kupferberg Center for the Arts proudly presents Chucho Valdés: Irakere 50, a powerful tribute to the legendary Cuban ensemble that transformed Afro-Cuban jazz. Taking place on Thursday, May 8 at 8 PM at Colden Auditorium, this special performance celebrates the 50th anniversary of Irakere, the groundbreaking band led by Chucho Valdés, a visionary pianist, composer, and arranger who was recently named NEA Jazz Master 2025 by the National Endowment for the Arts.

flipturn will continue to bring their "shimmery and catchy" (NPR Music) new album Burnout Days (out now via Dualtone Records) across North America this summer, with a slate of new tour dates just-announced through August. Stops include their first Burnout Days shows in Atlanta, Portland, Cleveland, Sacramento, Tuscon, Madison and more, along with main stage festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands.

Independent American rock band The Vegabonds’ new song, “Where Do You Have To Be Tomorrow,” is out now. Listen/share HERE.

Keyboardist Beau Cooper shares, “I wrote this song during COVID when I was desperate for adventure. ‘Where Do You Have To Be Tomorrow’ is a subtle way of asking someone if they’re down to stay up all night and see where the night goes.”

Rising American folk singer, songwriter and musician Ken Pomeroy’s new song, “Flannel Cowboy,” is out today. Listen/share HERE.

Reflecting on the track, Pomeroy shares, “I wrote ‘Flannel Cowboy’ while on a trip across country with my stepmom Wendy. Started it in Oklahoma, wrote parts of it on the way to Montana, and finished it in Parma, ID. This song sounds like a love song but actually tells of the hardships that come when feelings are one sided.”