Joe Bonamassa has officially released “The Spirit Of Rory Live From Cork”, a powerful live album and concert film celebrating the music and enduring legacy of Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher. Available now via J&R Adventures, the project captures Bonamassa’s sold-out tribute performances in Cork, Ireland, where Gallagher’s influence remains woven into the fabric of the city itself. Alongside the album release, Bonamassa has also unveiled the epic live performance video for the project’s emotional centerpiece, “A Million Miles Away (Live).”
Recorded with the blessing of Gallagher’s family and performed before passionate hometown audiences, “The Spirit Of Rory Live From Cork” documents what many in attendance described as a once-in-a-lifetime musical event. A lifelong admirer of Gallagher, Bonamassa approached the material with deep reverence, bringing together a band capable of honoring the fire, spontaneity, and emotional honesty that defined Gallagher’s work while allowing the performances to breathe with their own energy.
Rory Gallagher remains one of Ireland’s most beloved musical figures, revered worldwide for a style that fused traditional electric blues with hard rock intensity, Celtic influences, and fearless improvisation. His distinctive guitar tone, expressive slide work, and deeply emotional performances inspired generations of players, including Bonamassa himself. Together, the album and film capture both the scale of Gallagher’s influence and the deep personal connection his music continues to inspire among musicians and fans around the world.
At the heart of the release is “A Million Miles Away,” one of Gallagher’s most beloved and emotionally resonant compositions. Originally released on 1973’s “Tattoo” and a legendary extended rendition on his “Irish Tour ‘74“, the song captures themes of loneliness, longing, and emotional distance, pairing poetic imagery with one of Gallagher’s most vulnerable vocal performances. Joe’s DVD bonus features include a special interview with Rory’s brother, Donal, who recounts the story behind the song’s creation and visits the dramatic Irish cliffs whose rugged beauty helped inspire its emotional power.
Bonamassa’s interpretation embraces that emotional core. Filmed in front of a packed Cork audience, the performance unfolds with patience and restraint before building into a soaring guitar statement that reflects both Gallagher’s influence and Bonamassa’s own musical voice. The result serves as a fitting centerpiece for a project built on admiration, respect, and a shared love of the blues.
What began as a single tribute concert ultimately grew into a three-night sold-out run in Gallagher’s hometown, with fans traveling from around the world to celebrate the music. The atmosphere throughout the performances was electric, creating what Bonamassa describes as one of the most meaningful experiences of his career.
Early praise has already begun to reflect the significance of the project. Guitarist Magazine praised the release, writing, “Joe does his hero proud…a very fitting affectionate tribute to one of the most notable blues guitarists of our age.” Blues Matters hailed “The Spirit Of Rory “one of the finest live albums ever produced,” while Powerplay awarded the project a perfect 10/10, writing that “Bonamassa has captured Gallagher’s genre-defining influence and honoured it with flawless perfection.”
Across fourteen carefully selected songs, “The Spirit Of Rory Live From Cork explores the full breadth of Gallagher’s catalogue, from explosive live staples like “Walk On Hot Coals,” “Bullfrog Blues,” and “Bad Penny” to deeply personal performances including “Tattoo’d Lady” and “I Fall Apart.” The broader setlist was also inspired in part by the spirit of Gallagher’s legendary “Irish Tour ‘74” era, which first introduced many listeners, including Bonamassa, to Gallagher’s singular live power.
The project also includes several moments of special historical significance, including Bonamassa’s performance of “As The Crow Flies” on Gallagher’s own 1930 National Triolian resonator guitar, generously loaned by the Cork Public Museum. Additional DVD and Blu-ray bonus features include The Inspiration of Rory, featuring conversations with Brian May and Slash, along with Rory’s Acoustic Guitar and Ballycotton – A Million Miles Away.
Joe Bonamassa Releases ‘A Million Miles Away (Live’ From Tribute To Rory Gallagher Album
Lily Seabird is on a roll. Her third album in as many years, “Lightspheres On Their Way”, was just announced, and with it came “Election Day,” an ode to being trapped between a rock and a hard place that, pardon my French, simply fucking rips. As much as I loved last year’s “Trash Mountain“, I’m over the moon that “Election Day” finds the Vermont singer-songwriter in a mode she hasn’t occupied since 2024’s “Dirge”: riotous distortion, screeching guitars, downright wails. Seabird’s voice is as songbird-clear as ever, cutting into the chaos with the precision of a canary’s warble.
But there’s an edge there, too—moments her vocals snag on the emotion of the words, ripping open ever so slightly, sharp and jagged. She’s long excelled at the art of the slow-burn, so it’s only fitting that she’s come to conquer the art of immediacy next. But don’t worry, this isn’t Seabird slotting herself into the rather redundant post-punk of the past few years; her own alt-country sensibilities are still on full display, the lilt in her voice and the twang of her sound palpable even through the din. It’s an Americana headbanger, a mosher’s gateway drug into folk—and it’s addictive.
“Election Day” is from Lily Seabird’s “Lightspheres on Their Way“, out September 4th 2026 via Lame-O Records
Oklahoma City’s favorite sons Chat Pile have announced that their third LP, “Who Loves the Sun”, will arrive on September 4th via The Flenser. “This record focuses on my grievances with the modern world,“ said the band’s vocalist Ray B of their follow-up to last year’s full-length Hayden Pedigo collaboration. “AI, genocide, climate change, the power elite, $$$$ hoarding pigs—all that shit fucks up your life and mine. The band is definitely stretching out their abilities on the album and I too felt inspired to go further—as a huge fan of Boston, I like to think Brad Delp is somewhere up there, smiling down, as I take the layering to new heights, but who can say? We have fun with it.”
Regarding first single “Deep Blue,” bassist Stin said: “This is the first track we wrote for the album and the one that helped set the tone for the whole thing. I personally love this because it sounds like Chat Pile doing a Billy Squier song. It’s our ‘Lonely Is the Night,’ which is actually a fake Led Zeppelin song so who knows what the hell we’re actually doing here?”
Mazzy Star an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback’s friend Hope Sandoval became the group’s vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.
Mazzy Star is best known for the song “Fade into You”, which brought the band commercial success in the mid-1990s and was the group’s biggest mainstream hit, earning extensive exposure on MTV, and radio airplay. Roback and Sandoval were the creative center of the band, with Sandoval as lyricist and Roback as composer of the majority of the band’s material until his death in Los Angeles in February 2020, from cancer.
The band was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, but also faced challenges and struggles, such as pressure from the music industry, personal issues, and creative differences. The band eventually faded from the spotlight, and Roback tragically passed away in 2020, leaving behind a legacy that still resonates with fans and musicians today.
Mazzy Star’s founding drummer Keith Mitchell, originally part of Opal, died on May 2017, also from cancer. Thier EP “Still” released on June 2018, was dedicated to Mitchell and stage manager Tom Cashen who also died in 2017.
Mazzy Star has deep roots within the Paisley Underground movement of the early 1980s. David Roback, along with his brother Steven, was one of the main architects of leading Los Angeles psychedelic revival band the Rain Parade. Leaving that band after their debut LP, he founded Clay Allison in 1983 with then-girlfriend, ex-Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith.
Soon after the publication of their sole release, the 1983 double A-sided single “Fell From the Sun”/”All Souls”, Clay Allison renamed themselves Opal and released the LP “Happy NightmareBaby” on SST records With Roback as its musical catalyst, Opal were a direct precursor to Mazzy Star musically—often featuring the same psychedelic guitar drones and similar hints of blues and folk that would later appear on Mazzy Star recordings.
Meanwhile, Sandoval—who was in high school at the time—formed the folk music duo Going Home in the early 1980s with fellow student Sylvia Gomez, and played gigs with Sonic Youth and Minutemen. Both were devoted followers of the Rain Parade, and after a 1983 concert by the band in the Los Angeles area, Gomez entered the backstage area of the venue and gave Roback a copy of Going Home’s demo tape, featuring Sandoval on vocals and Gomez on guitar. Upon hearing the tape, Roback offered to produce a still-unreleased album by the pair.
When Smith left Opal under cloudy circumstances in the middle of a tour Sandoval was chosen as her replacement.
Despite Smith’s departure, Rough Trade retained Roback’s original record deal, contractually obligating him to supply a follow-up to Opal’s debut LP. As a result, Roback and Sandoval continued to tour under the Opal alias for the next two years, during which time they completed production on Opal’s planned second album, titled “Ghost Highway.”
Composed mainly of songs written by Roback and Smith, Sandoval stated that she was unhappy with the material, and expressed an interest in wanting to “start something completely new”. The pair quickly composed and recorded seven new tracks in Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, and renamed the band Mazzy Star. Written over a year before Mazzy Star’s inception, the track “Ghost Highway” is the band’s only original song to not feature a writing credit from Sandoval, while another song, “Give You My Lovin'”, was written by Going Home guitarist Sylvia Gomez which had first been recorded by Sandoval and Gomez in the mid-1980s.
Following Roback’s death in 2020, Sandoval and Ewers are the last surviving members of the band’s original lineup. The band released three album’s “She Hangs Brightly” in 1990, “So Tonight That I Might See” in 1993 (the album went platinum in 1995), and “Among My Swan” in 1996.
The band’s fourth studio album, “Seasons of Your Day“, was released in 2013, followed by the EP “Still” in 2018.
“She Hangs Brightly”
“She Hangs Brightly” was released in May 1990 on Rough Trade and, although it was not an immediate commercial success, the album established the duo as a recurrent fixture on alternative rock radio, with lead single “Blue Flower” – a cover of the Slapp Happy track, The album would go on to sell over 70,000 copies in the UK.
This dark and dreamy psychedelic band pairs former Rain Parade and Opal guitarist Dave Roback with vocalist Hope Sandoval. Drawing primarily from the swirling, textured drone of such ’60s groups as the Velvet Underground and the Doors, Mazzy Star also incorporate blues, country, and pulsing acoustic folk elements, creating a highly textured and luminous amalgam. The band’s auspicious debut is a rich, atmospheric bag of tricks.
“So Tonight That I Might See”
The American branch of Rough Trade folded in late 1990, briefly leaving Mazzy Star without a record label. Within weeks, the duo’s contract was picked up by Capitol Records, who re-released “She Hangs Brightly” November 1990, and released their follow-up, “So Tonight That I Might See” on September 1993.
Combining the considerable talents of guitarist Dave Roback (Opal, Rain Parade) and Hope Sandoval‘s sultry, heavy-lidded vocals, Mazzy Star fuses blues, country, and pulsing acoustic folk in a dark psychedelic mix that recalls The Velvet Underground and The Doors. The group’s highly textured, atmospheric sound emerged glittering and fully formed on the debut She Hangs Brightly, surprising listeners of underground music with its moody yet accessible mix.
A year after its release, the album yielded an unexpected hit single. “Fade into You” Following the success of “Fade into You”, “She Hangs Brightly” album opener “Halah” began to receive heavy airplay.
“So Tonight That I Might See” sticks close to the ground staked out by its predecessor, though with no less success. “Wasted” moves insistently down the twelve-bar road to nuanced, snarling guitar embellishments. “Blue Light” is smoky, blue-eyed (if black-hearted) soul.
Of particular note is the cover of Arthur Lee’s “Five String Serenade,” graced with lilting cello and tambourine accompaniment. Dave Roback‘s electric/lysergic guitar explorations and Hope Sandoval‘s bluesy, lazily erotic sigh weave a deeply evocative spell, making “So Tonight” a perfect 2:00am album.
“Among My Swan“
Their final album for Capitol, “Among My Swan“, was released on October 1996. it produced their highest-peaking single in the United Kingdom, when “Flowers in December” entered the chart
“Among My Swan” features the same swirling, psychedelic folk music that brought Mazzy Star mainstream success with 1993’s “So Tonight that I Might See”. The songs employ the sparse arrangements and dark sense of space first explored by bands like Big Star (on Third / Sister Lovers) and the Velvet Underground. but with tunes that are always accessible, and sometimes irresistible, Mazzy Star has brought this dreamy ballad sound up from the underground. David Roback provides a shimmering backdrop of slide guitar and organ for Hope Sandoval’s mesmerizing vocals. smooth as honey and wispy as tumbleweed, Sandoval’s haunting voice traps the listener in a celestial trance. “Among My Swan” never lapses into the self-indulgent side of psychedelia; the music is always kept muted and close to its folk and blues roots. this is an album of beautiful mood music that flickers in the shadows.
The band promoted the album with a five-month tour of the US and Europe, after which Sandoval and Roback began work on new material. Over the course of these sessions, Sandoval reportedly “begged” Capitol to be released from her contract, later elaborating, “It seemed record companies wanted bands to be creative because they didn’t know how to manufacture underground music. We could do our own thing and go at our own pace. But that changed when major labels started wanting bands that would sell millions of records. They had a formula. And suddenly all these people wanted to come to the studio to keep track of what we were doing and make sure we were following that formula.
“Seasons of Your Day”
“Seasons of Your Day” is the fourth studio album by Mazzy Star, coming after a long hiatus of seventeen years. This album returns to the band’s roots with a blend of folk, blues, and psychedelic elements, marked by the languorous vocals of Hope Sandoval and the intricate guitar work of David Roback.
The band finally returned in 2013, with their fourth and final album, “Seasons of Your Day”, which was released on their own label, Rhymes of an Hour Records. The album was a welcome comeback for the fans and the critics, who appreciated the band’s consistency and quality, as well as their new and fresh elements. The album featured songs such as ‘California’, ‘In the Kingdom’, and ‘Common Burn’, which demonstrated the band’s timeless and classic sound, as well as their growth and evolution.
This album was recorded between 2010 and 2012 in California and Norway. The production was led by David Roback, who also performed most of the instrumental work with Sandoval’s vocals leading the emotional depth of the record.
The album also featured guest appearances from musicians such as My Bloody Valentine’s Colm O’Ciosoig, and the late Bert Jansch, a legendary folk guitarist who influenced Roback.
The Winter of ’94 and a year after the release of the sublime “So Tonight That I Might See”, Mazzy Star find themselves still touring and promoting the album, some of the songs featured here are from that album such as “Into Dust”, “Bells Ring” the title track and the hit single “Fade Into You”. Whilst songs like “Flowers In December” would turn up on the next album released a whole two years later.
Four of the selections are from the critically acclaimed first album “She Hangs Brightly” issued in 1990, including the Sylvia Gomez penned “Give You My Lovin” and the obscure German band SlappHappy cover of “Blue Flower”.
In the immediate aftermath of Mazzy Star’s dissolution, Sandoval, who had appeared on the Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1994 release “Stoned & Dethroned“, made another guest appearance on their album “Munki“, she also collaborated with the Chemical Brothers, while Roback produced and mixed two songs found on Beth Orton’s 1999 album “Central Reservation“.
In June 2000, the band reunited for a mini-tour of Europe. Performing up to seven new songs at each of these concerts, Sandoval revealed in interviews around this time that these new songs were written and recorded for Mazzy Star’s fourth studio album, which was to be released independently sometime in the future. This did not materialize, however, as later that year, Sandoval joined with Colm Ó Cíosóig (formerly of My Bloody Valentine) to form Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions.
Sandoval issued her first EP with the Warm Inventions, “At the Doorway Again”, and followed it up with her debut full-length album, “Bavarian Fruit Bread“, a year later.
Sandoval performed as part of Bert Jansch’s 60th birthday celebration at Queen Elizabeth Hall on November, 2003. As well as Ó Cíosóig, Jansch and his son Adam, she was also joined on stage by David Roback for renditions of “Suzanne” and “All This Remains”, a song Sandoval had contributed lead vocals and wrote lyrics to for Jansch’s 2002 album “Edge of a Dream“. This would remain Sandoval and Roback’s final appearance together on-stage until 2012.
Roback and Sandoval had a strong musical chemistry, and complemented each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Roback was the main composer and arranger, who played various instruments and created atmospheric and layered soundscapes. Sandoval was the main lyricist and vocalist, who sang with a soft and sultry voice, and expressed intimate and melancholic emotions.
David Roback died on February 2020, of cancer.
Mazzy Star may have come to an actual end, however, as co-founder Roback passed away in February 2020. Sandoval, devastated by the loss, posted a poem about her former partner: “What will we do now? Now that you leave me here. Even though the dark blue sky is still radiant and filled with the comforting sadness that holds us together.”
Courtney Barnett has a wonderful knack for singing lyrics that are so deeply personal and specific to her own life, but give them a universal feel. Taylor Swift might be the biggest-selling artist of our time, but is there anyone who can make a more compelling claim to being the voice of her generation than Courtney Barnett?
Whether it was in the sick-of-the rat-race and idling-insignificantly anthems ‘Elevator Operator’ or ‘Pedestrian at Best’ on her full length debut, her tackling of misogyny, social isolation and raised expectations across all of “Tell Me How You Really Feel” or the more casual, mature and worldly falling in love again of Things Take Time, Take Time, Barnett has always spoken to something bigger than herself. It’s no wonder that her fans both hang on to every word at her shows and fire them back at her as if they were their own individual thoughts.
Barnett is at her best when she is taking your complicated thoughts and feelings and turning them into simple, and simply brilliant lyrics, like on her latest (and best) album, “Creature of Habit“. “Keep on getting in my own way” she sings in ‘Site Unseen’, while the future-anthem ‘Sugar Plum’ gave us the quip “I’m in over my head, yeah, I’m over my head” and, maybe best of all, a lyric that not only sums up the state that most people seem to find themselves in just this year, but this decade altogether, in ‘Mantis’: “I got my head sorted, sort of”. We’re all just doing our best to get by, and Courtney Barnett’s latest is a wonderful and helpful companion in that endeavour.
This soaring music documentary traces Gregg Allman’s journey from a childhood scarred by his father’s murder to becoming the iconic co-founder and voice of The Allman Brothers Band and a pioneering force in Southern rock. Exploring themes of grief, addiction, love, and the racially charged American South through his transcendent music, the film is both tender and unsparing. Featuring electrifying performances and archival recordings, it reveals how Gregg’s unforgettable blend of rock, country, and blues mirrored the music and struggles of his soul
A timeless portrait of one of our greatest bands ever – The Allman Brothers Band. Centered around a rare and intimate interview with Gregg Allman, “The Music of My Soul” tells the whole story of survival, loyalty, love, loss, family, genius, perseverance and one of the wildest rides in rock history.” Cameron Crowe“Everything that Gregory was, was fine with me,” he says in the film, which premieres June 17 as a special one-night-only event theaters. “Because we did what we did together… most of it just being human beings, and unrestricted Black and white brothers.
Tracing Gregg Allman’s journey from a childhood scarred by his father’s murder to the heart of a generation-defining sound with the Allman Brothers Band, this tender film uses electrifying performances and archival recordings to reveal how his music, his headline-making marriage to Cher, and his restless pursuit of authenticity affirmed him not just as a rock legend, but as a lasting cultural force.
On Squirrel Flower’s new album, “Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going”, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Ella Williams, delivers her most transcendent and instantly classic record to date. It’s an album full of hope and beauty, with themes of staying in constant motion, electric love, and knowing when to leave, but also when to stick around.
After touring in support of 2023’s “Tomorrow’s Fire”,Williams remained on the road, following instinct over itinerary—passing through Gary, Indiana; Los Angeles; Putney, Vermont; Silver City, New Mexico; and Hudson, New York. Each stop became a site of creative renewal. She ended up recording the album at two locations: a makeshift studio in rural Wisconsin, and at Drop of Sun in Asheville, NC, featuring friends and collaborators such as Dimitri Giannpolous (Horse Jumper of Love), Sofia Jensen (Free Range), Clay Frankel (Twin Peaks, Hazel City), and many others along the way.
Standouts like “Reelin” and “Highway Woman” showcase the push and pull of life as a musician; the constant need for embarking on a hero’s journey in search of reflection and freedom. Others like “Not Me” and “Cleveland” are classic Squirrel Flower, but with a sharper and more concentrated writing style paired with some of Williams’ strongest vocal delivery of her career.
Mixed and co-produced by Alex Farrar (MJ Lenderman, Wednesday), “Say a Prayer to the Gods of GettingGoing” is the sound of cosmic rebirth, looking behind to illuminate what’s ahead. “Pack your life and your guitar,” Williams sings on “Highway Woman.” “You can change it as you go. You do not plan on dying.”
The new album ‘Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going’ out 8/21 on Polyvinyl Records
The Fat Angel Sings 