Sammy Virji

Leslie Jones: Live

Bipul Chettri & The Travelling Band

Blue October

Blue October, the Houston-born, San Marcos, Texas-based alternative rock band, has become a beacon of emotional transparency and artistic transformation. Led by Justin Furstenfeld (vocals, guitar, songwriter) and joined by Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums, percussion), Ryan Delahoussaye (violin, mandolin, piano, backing vocals), Matt Noveskey (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Steve Schiltz (lead guitar), the multi-platinum group is known for their deeply personal lyrics, cinematic soundscapes, and electrifying live performances. With over a billion streams and eighteen Top 40 singles, including hits like “Hate Me,” “Into the Ocean,” “Oh My My,” and “I Hope You’re Happy,” Blue October has cultivated a fiercely loyal global fanbase. From their platinum-certified album Foiled (2006) to the uplifting optimism of Home (2016) and the reflective poignancy of This Is What I Live For (2020), Blue October’s catalog chronicles a remarkable journey through struggle, redemption, and hope. Justin Furstenfeld’s advocacy for mental health and recovery has further cemented the band’s legacy as a voice for resilience, inspiring fans worldwide with his openness about addiction and sobriety, most notably captured in the acclaimed documentary Get Back Up. Hailed for their unparalleled ability to connect and inspire through music, Blue October’s live performances are a testament to the transformative power of vulnerability, positivity, and raw emotion. Whether performing anthems or intimate ballads, the band continues to push boundaries and create music that resonates deeply, offering listeners a soundtrack for healing, celebration, and everything in between. The band is currently in the studio recording their thirteenth studio album to be released Fall 2025.        

Mammoth

GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Wolfgang Van Halen continues to separate Mammoth from the pack. The music stands alone on a foundation anchored by his impressive sonic proficiency (across drums, bass, keys, and guitar) and airtight arena-size hooks with unforgettable vocals. He harbors an irresistible signature sound, inventive vision, and incomparable identity vaunted by a fervent global fanbase. For as unique as the music is, his story so far proves to be just as unprecedented. This is arguably the first hard rock act to genuinely break out from ground zero in the 2020’s, generating north of 100 million streams, toppling charts, and selling out headline tours less than five years since its debut. Back in 2021, Mammoth’s first offering, Mammoth WVH, took flight, bowing at #12 on the Billboard 200 and capturing #1 on three Billboard charts—Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Independent Albums, and Top Rock Albums. “Distance” soared as the first of two #1 Rock Radio Hits and earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Rock Song.” Two years later, Mammoth II only saw him pick up the pace. It debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top Album Sales Chart in addition to bringing him back to #1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums Chart. It incited widespread applause from Rolling Stone, Guitar World, GRAMMY.com, Classic Rock, American Songwriter, and KERRANG! The band canvased the globe with Metallica and Pantera and supported Foo Fighters in North America as well as filling houses on their own. They performed on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, at MusiCares 2024 gala in honor of Jon Bon Jovi, and Wolf took the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® Induction of Ozzy Osbourne. Now, Wolfgang pushes forward on Mammoth’s third full-length LP.

The Band CAMINO

After more than five years as a band, The Band CAMINO have never felt more confident in their music. Now, they have a self-titled album to prove it.  The Band Camino, due Sept. 10 on dblblk/Elektra Records, expands on the guitar-driven pop that the group introduced with their anthemic debut EP tryhard in 2019. The pop-rock three-piece (singers/guitarists Jeffery Jordan and Spencer Stewart, and drummer Garrison Burgess) have been honing their dynamic Band Camino sound since relocating from Memphis to Nashville in 2018. It was a fateful move for founding members Jeffery and Spencer, college buddies-turned-bandmates who were in search of a drummer and recruited Garrison upon arriving in Music City. “As soon as we played the first show together, we knew we hit it off,” Jeffery recalls. Garrison agrees: “There was this instant chemistry, and everybody on the team could feel it. Everybody's very appreciative of each other and what they bring to the table. It was cool to be part of something that was growing and was bigger than me, and bigger than each of them. It was magic.” That magic has seemingly been evident to fans, too. The Band CAMINO completely sold out their 2018 and 2019 headlining tours, as well as their biggest headlining show to date at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in September 2021 -- the latter of which sold out in 10 minutes. But the group has clearly made an impact since their start, garnerning 2.6 million monthly Spotify listeners and more than 330 million global streams to date. Their growth has been largely stimulated by raw discovery, even catching the attention of Taylor Swift, who included the band’s reflective song “Berenstein” on her “Songs I’m Loving Right Now” playlist in 2018. Garrison’s addition came at a pivotal time for The Band CAMINO creatively, as 2018 was also the beginning of their partnerships with Nashville superproducer Jordan Schmidt and singer-songwriter Seth Ennis. “That was a big season of when everything changed,” Jeffery says, calling tryhard’s roaring lead single, “Daphne Blue,” the “turning point” for the band. “Right after we wrote it, we were like, ‘We have something different here, and this kind of defines where we're headed.’” Echoes Spencer, “It gave us a different vision of what we could be.”  “Daphne Blue” took the group’s production from lo-fi to stadium-ready, ramping up their electric guitars and drums, and letting their powerful vocals soar. That amplified sound reaches new heights on The Band Camino, a 14-track showcase of the group’s multifaceted soundscape that features ‘80s synths in punchy tunes such as “I Think I Like You,” arena-rock anthems including rollicking single “1 Last Cigarette,” and heartfelt moments like the introspective “Who Do You Think You Are.” The trio recorded the entire album over a month-long stay at the iconic Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, where they, as Jeffery puts it, “rode this wave of creativity” alongside Jordan Schmidt and executive producer Jameson Roper last fall. All but two of the songs are the result of the band’s unexpected downtime during quarantine in 2020, when Garrison says their songwriting “went into overdrive.”  The guys' resounding favorite is “Underneath My Skin," a spirited tale of dysfunctional love. Yet, they all agree that the two most Band Camino-esque tracks are “Roses” and “Look Up” because of their “don’t take life for granted” sentiments. Spencer asserts that sharing a meaningful message has always been one of the most important facets of The Band CAMINO’s music, even when it comes in a more somber form like the album’s goosebump-inducing breakup ballad “Help Me Get Over You.” Outside of that track and the acoustic confessional “Sorry Mom,” the rest of the new material masks any melancholy lyrics with infectious melodies and upbeat vibes, immediately evidenced on the album’s bluntly titled kickoff “Everybody Dies.” The Band CAMINO’s juxtaposing creative approach has become even more effective as their sound has elevated, with one constant carrying throughout their entire catalog: relatability. “Art feels like it's a reflection of society, emotions, and relationships, and it's supposed to make you feel understood. With the songs we wrote, we hope we can continue to make people feel understood and that you're not alone in whatever you feel,” Jeffery says, excitedly adding, “and that bands are back, baby!” Jeffery, Spencer, and Garrison are eager to usher in a new wave of bands in today’s solo act-dominated pop world. “We want to make music for the people who listen to everything. We want people to be able to listen to Justin Bieber and then listen to The Band CAMINO back-to-back," Jeffery declares. With that goal in mind, the band promises to continue pushing boundaries as the rock band of the pop generation. "We've always just wanted to make music that we would want to listen to," Jeffery says. “I hope that we're around long enough to get made fun of,” Spencer adds with a laugh. “and that we're so popular that one day people hate us because we've been around for so long.” With an opening slot on Dan + Shay’s 2021 U.S. Tour and an impactful album in their future, The Band CAMINO are certainly on their way to long-term success. According to Jeffery, he and his bandmates are more than primed for that: "We're ready to keep doing this forever."

Avatar

AVATAR will save Heavy Metal.   There are no weapons on this planet that can challenge might of the electric guitar. For decades metal has been the most powerful force known to man. Its sonic teeth have gnawed through the status quo over and over, pushing the boundaries for what can be created in the marriage between blood and machine. If a Mount Rushmore were to be carved for all the titans of the genre, it would span the entire globe many times over. It’s a burning beacon, the misfits and rebels.   As time has passed, much of the scene has become divided in two equally stale camps. The first is forever stuck in the past, no longer seeking to lead. The second are those who have forgotten the most important ingredients to what made metal what it was and must remain. They’ve lost touch with the devil. They’ve forgotten how to move. In a genre best experienced with your whole body, they’ve lost the lust.   We grew up together. John and Jonas started the band when they were just 15 and 14 years old. Johannes joined at the age of 16, as did Henrik and finally Simon, who left to be replaced by Tim, a longtime friend of ours, in 2012. While constantly redefining what we do and why we do it, we are among a select few who have remained a true band of brothers. Metal has been our key to the kingdom, our way to see the world. Self-financing our debut when we were between 18 and 19, we have never waited for anyone’s approval or permission. With DANCE DEVIL DANCE we are adamant to give something back for all we’ve received.   DANCE DEVIL DANCE was recorded in the Swedish wilderness, far away from all the perceived glamour of the big city and modern studios. Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Mr. Bungle, Crobot, Stone Sour, Amon Amarth, Uriah Heep etc.) returned as producer. He first worked with us when he mixed Hail the Apocalypse, a role he reprised on Feathers & Flesh before taking the wheel as producer on Avatar Country and Hunter Gatherer. No extra personnel were wanted nor needed. We stayed together for a month, eating, sleeping and breathing DANCE DEVIL DANCE, just the six of us.   With grit and sheer force of will, we made the music the only way metal ever should be done. Modern metal too often becomes homogenized by everyone using the same drum samples and pre-sets for guitars. DANCE DEVIL DANCE is the sound of our bodies in motion, and nothing else. It sounds hard because we play hard. It’s loud because we are loud. Every band knows the challenge of capturing the rage of a stage performance on tape. This time we succeeded. This album bleeds black blood, bludgeoned by the road.   We are a metal circus. The road is our home. DANCE DEVIL DANCE mirrors all the madness of this world and worlds beyond. It’s celebration of the ugly and a challenge in the face of all things deemed beautiful. Metal should make you move. Metal is music for the body. We don’t know when it happened but it seems that at some point recently, most of the world decided that this music was best enjoyed sitting down. This is a great tragedy and it must be rectified. Why have drums, why have bass, if people don’t move their feet?   And feet will move indeed. Our music was always made for the stage first, as anyone can attest to, whether it’s as an opening band for greats such as Iron Maiden or Slipknot, or playing the major stages on Wacken, Hellfest, Download, Rock on the Range, Poland Rock, and many more, or bringing the entire freakshow with us, headlining night after night. From coast to coast across the United States of America and Canada. From Mexico down all the way to Brazil; all over Europe, north, south, east and west. The whole world is our stage and you better get ready, because when we begin you will all be the Devil’s playthings.   Avatar are:   Johannes Eckerström, vocals John Alfredsson, drums Jonas Jarlsby, guitar Henrik Sandelin, bass Tim Öhrström, guitar

Spiritbox

Having a hit song is one thing, but backing up that success in a sustainable manner is something else entirely. Tales of bands eaten up and spat out by the music industry after failing to build on early promise are commonplace, and it’s that fear of failure, of not living up to the hype, that can crush artists and stifle their creativity before they’ve had the chance to truly blossom. But that’s not the case for Spiritbox, a band who amassed 66 million streams before they’d dropped a debut album, growing that number to 155 million following the release of first LP Eternal Blue, which hit #1 on the U.S. and Canadian Rock and Hard Rock charts, and peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. Formed in 2017 by husband and wife Courtney LaPlante (vocals) and Michael Stringer (guitar), Spiritbox are named after a device some believe is capable of communicating with the dead. There’s a gleeful sense of the paranormal running through all the band do, but despite their celestial stylings, this is a group of artists who are very much brimming with life and creating something remarkable with their music. The release of the single “Holy Roller” by the Canadian metal four-piece in July of 2020 was a runaway success, scoring the band – Courtney, Michael, bassist Bill Crook and drummer Zev Rosenberg – the No. 1 song of the year on Sirius XM and peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock chart. And with Eternal Blue now out in the world, Spiritbox continue to usher in accolades. Gracing the cover of esteemed rock outlet Kerrang! – who, in a perfect 5/5 review, labelled Eternal Blue “the debut of the year” – Spiritbox are spreading their unique brand of metal far and wide, also appearing on the covers of Revolver, Poll Star, Metal Hammer and Rock Sound, and garnering support from the likes of Loudwire, Forbes, Billboard, AltPress and Spin. The elements that make Spiritbox such a special band – fierce intensity, unwavering emotion and technical splendour – are present across Eternal Blue, but the formula is never once repeated. Whether it’s the anthemic metal of “Circle With Me” – which reached #15 on the Sirius XM ‘Biguns’ 2021 countdown and #1 on Sirius XM Liquid Metal 2021 (making Spiritbox the first act to top the chart two years in a row) – or the ambient melodies of album closer and single “Constance” (#15 Billboard Hot Hard Rock chart), each of Eternal Blue’s 12 tracks bring something fresh to the table. The reviews agree. In a four-and-a-half star review, Metal Hammer called the album “a staggeringly brilliant record that resoundingly delivers on the hype;” Distorted Sound, meanwhile, declared Eternal Blue “a masterpiece of modern heavy music” in a flawless 10/10 write-up. As for the band themselves, it’s their love of experimentation and flamboyant songwriting that makes Spiritbox stand-out from the crowd, according to vocalist Courtney. “The experimental aspect of our music is a key part of Spiritbox,” she explains. “We’re very open with our approach, and in some ways, we’re still figuring ourselves out. All we do is make the music we feel compelled to create – there’s no grand plan here. We go with our feelings; if I'm pissed-off or I'm mad, we run with that and see what happens. “In previous bands I’ve been in, the genre fluidity was almost formulaic, like a novelty,” she continues. “But that’s not what Spiritbox is about. We’re very self-aware with how we do this, and that’s attracting open-minded people to our music. With Eternal Blue, we want to get even more people like that on board.” The wild abandon of the music reflects Eternal Blue’s imaginative theming. Inspired by a computer virus to which the album owes its name, the phrase ‘Eternal Blue’ took on a new life and conjured all manner of images in Courtney’s mind, which in turn inspired the songs. “It very much became its own thing for me,” she says. “It’s like, yeah, I feel eternally blue, and sometimes I feel like I'm in a totally depressed world. Hearing the words ‘Eternal Blue’ made me think of a world where the sun had died, and the planet was slowly dying with it. From there, an array of images formed in my mind, and the songs grew into something bigger.” Having topped the rock charts in the United States and Canada, broken the top 10 in Australia and the top 20 in the U.K. and Germany, the impact of Eternal Blue’s powerful imagery and spectacular songwriting continues to send shockwaves across the globe. But it’s the connection the songs have made with so many, rather than Spiritbox’s myriad achievements, that fills Courtney with the greatest sense of pride. “What we have with Eternal Blue is something I hold dearly,” she concludes. “I’m incredibly passionate about what we’ve created, but becoming the biggest band ever isn’t my aim. For people to find hope and comfort in this music is far more important. As long as this album continues to find its place with people who truly connect with it, I’ll be happy.”

Waterparks

For as much as Waterparks is a genre-busting collective of three friends who play music, hang out, and constantly flip the script, Waterparks really represents a bigger, dare we say, movement. The Houston trio— Awsten Knight [vocals, guitar], Otto Wood [drums], and Geoff Wigington [guitar]—have unassumingly brought vibrancy back to rock. (The only thing bolder than their melodies is whatever hair dye Awsten opted for this week!) Their strange magnetic pull has attracted a growing cohort of devoted fans who pack sold out shows, stream their songs like crazy, and have even elevated them to multiple Billboard charts as they’ve also headlined the Sad Summer Festival and accompanied My Chemical Romance on a sold out arena tour. However, the next era begins with the band’s fifth full-length and debut album for Fueled By Ramen, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, and even more adventures…Waterparks might just be the biggest band of tomorrow. To understand why, you have to go back to the beginning. Their 2011 formation cemented the union of three distinct personalities. Raised somewhere in between the iPod generation and the first wave of social media, Awsten, Otto, and Geoff occupied a singular creative crossroads. A glance at Otto’s listening history would span the likes of Every Time I Die and Balance & Composure, while Geoff found inspiration in crossover juggernauts such as Linkin Park. Awsten’s tastes covered the gamut from Donald Glover and One Direction, to Ke$ha (and everything else in between). Following their launch, the group bubbled up with a famed one-off Houston appearance on 2013’s Warped Tour—which they eventually shined on for its entirety during 2016. It’s fitting they popped off on the same stage that also supported category-defiant disruptors a la Eminem, Deftones, Katy Perry, and more early on. With eye-catching, often meme-able music videos and a sound somewhere between alternative, pop, electronic, and rock spiced up with a little hip-hop attitude and even R&B vocal acrobatics, Waterparks fittingly defied categorization themselves and ushered in a new era of “alternative,” living up to the definition of the word for the 2020’s, speaking to not only music but also total cultural immersion with fashion, unforgettable videos, and a boundary-breaking culture. They reached unprecedented heights with 2021’s Greatest Hits. Don’t let that title fool you—it didn’t collect their best-performing songs at a discounted price, but it did showcase their best material to date. As such, it cracked the Billboard Top 200 and landed in the Top 10 of the Top Alternative Albums Chart and Top Rock Albums Chart. In the wake of its release, they impressively eclipsed half-a-billion streams thus far. In addition to coverage from Rolling Stone, MTV, Kerrang!, and Alternative Press, they graced the covers of V Magazine and Upset Magazine (who also awarded the record a “five-out-of-five star” perfect score). Along the way, they sold out various headline tours. 2022 saw the band sign to Fueled By Ramen and turn the page on a new chapter in 2023 with INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. That brings us to the first single “FUNERAL GREY.” Powered by four different guitars (including a toy guitar for the main riff), the track swings like a wrecking ball from a buoyant verse into a distortion-lifted hyper-hypnotic hook.  On its heels, they served up the introspective, infectious, and irresistible single “SELF-SABOTAGE.” Like listening to an internal dialogue, airy verses culminate with a self-effacing query, “What the f*ck is wrong with me?” Meanwhile, snappy guitars and fuzzy electronics underline the manically catchy hook highlighted by Awsten’s wild sky-high register. It’s yet another illustration of the boys’ uncanny knack for the unpredictable. Speaking of “F*CK ABOUT IT” [feat. blackbear] only further showcased their progression with its sticky hooks and artful vibe curation as it initially reeled in over 10 million streams (and counting). INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY really kicks into high gear with “REAL SUPER DARK.” Its heavy catharsis manifests through jarring electronics, guttural screams, and an unexpectedly catchy chant. Meanwhile, “BRAINWASHED” depicts the ups and downs of infatuation against a soundtrack of handclaps and a sunny guitar riff that wouldn’t be out of place in your favorite turn-of-the-century summer comedy. A rush of hyperpop-style production barely relents long enough for the singer to proclaim, “Now Jesus hates my guts. It’s getting personal,” before one last blast of apocalyptically catchy melody. There’s something for everyone here. As always, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY is meant for the people comprising this greater movement—like everything Waterparks do.