The Red Clay Strays tipping their cap to the great Hank Williams Jr. If you ask me, the Red Clay Strays – consisting of Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), Sevans Henderson (keys), and frontman Brandon Coleman – are great ambassadors of country music. They are one of the genre’s brightest modern day acts… even though they insist they aren’t even making country music. Yeah, that’s true. Right after they took home the award for “Best Vocal Group” at the Country Music Awards, they spoke with the media and said that they don’t even feel as though they’ve really made any country music yet. That’s somewhat of a flex to say that after winning an award at the CMAs, am I right? But the way Coleman explained it all, he and the band don’t want to do country music a disservice by playing other forms of music and just calling it country: “We’re very thankful for it. We were a lot of different genres when we started playing together. John was more hard rock, Andrew was more funk and blues, Zach was more rock, Sevans was more jazz, and I was more country. I was the hick of the group. So country music has a very special place in my heart, and that’s the reason I always say we don’t really play country music, because when we get ready to make an actual country record, it’ll be country music. Because I think country music deserves to be recognized as a genre, so if you’re just playing rock n’ roll music, but calling it country music, I think that’s doing country a disservice. So that’s why I always say that. But we are all country boys and we’re Southern gentlemen, so we’re very happy to be accepted by the community – and we’ll eventually make some actual country music, too.” That’s both confusing and exciting. I think the country music they’ve put forth already is exceptional, and if they don’t even consider it to be country… we’re all in for a real treat when the band from Alabama locks in and starts making some “actual country.” The Red Clay Strays may have even teased that era of their band with their latest social media post. At some point during their tour in 2025, they covered Hank Williams Jr’s “Country State of Mind.” The 1986 song shot all the way up to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart upon its release, and it’ll forever be a popular karaoke song (what Hank Williams Jr song isn’t though?). And the Red Clay Strays decided to work it into their setlist one night, recorded it, and posted a snippet of it on their social media earlier today. It’s a very respectable rendition of the classic Hank Jr., and I guess you could say it gives fan a sneak peak into what they could sound like when they go full-fledged country. The band said in the post’s caption that they may or may not post the whole thing up on YouTube, and I’ve got a feeling that a) enough of their fans will hear this and then b) clamor for them to do just that in the comments section: “Might throw the whole thing up on YouTube later, who knows. Here’s a cover we did of an old Hank Williams Jr. song.” Yeah, I’ll go ahead and speak for everyone and say that you all should post the full version on YouTube. Better yet… a studio version of the song – perhaps on an album full of other classic country covers – would be greatly appreciated. Just something for you all to consider, if any band member of the Red Clay Strays is reading this.The post Red Clay Strays Put Their Soulful Spin On A Hank Williams Jr. Classic — Should They Drop The Full Version? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Colin Hay is back on the road in 2026 but this time fronting Men at Work, the successful Australian band he helped to form in 1978. The group, which nowadays has only him from the classic line-up, has scheduled tour dates in South America and North America. Besides Colin, the band is currently formed by Jimmy Branly (Drums), San Miguel Perez (Guitar), Yosmel Montejo (Bass), Rachel Mazer (Saxophone, flute, keyboards), Scheila Gonzalez (Saxophone, flute, keyboards) and Cecilia Noël (Backing vocals - also Colin's wife). They will play in Mexico, Brazil and United States. The concerts in the USA will have the bands Toad the We Sprocket and Shonen Knife as opening acts. Men At Work announces more 2026 tour dates April 30 - San Pedro Garza García, Mexico - Showcenter Complex May 2 - Mexico City, Mexico - La Maraka 6 - São Paulo, Brazil - Vibra São Paulo 8 - Recife, Brazil - Centro de Convenções 10 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - BeFly Hall 12 - Curitiba, Brazil - IGLOO Super Hall 13 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Auditório Araújo Vianna 14 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Auditório Araújo Vianna 16 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Qualistage 22 - Napa, CA, USA - BottleRock Napa Valley Festival July 16 - Pompano Beach, FL, USA - Pompano Beach Amphitheater - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 17 - St. Augustine, FL, USA - St. Augustine Amphitheatre - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 18 - Clearwater, FL, USA - BayCare Sound - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 21 - Atlanta, GA, USA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 22 - Southaven, MS, USA - BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 23 - Nashville, TN, USA - The Pinnacle - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 24 - Detroit, MI, USA - Masonic Temple - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 26 - Cohasset, MA, USA - The Music Circus - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 28 - Durham, NH, USA - Whittemore Center - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 29 - Bangor, ME, USA - Maine Savings Amphitheater - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 31 - Atlantic City, NJ, USA - Borgata Event Center - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife August 1 - Harrington, DE, USA - Delaware State Fair - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 6 - Bloomington, IL, USA - Grossinger Motors Arena - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 7 - New Lenox, IL, USA - Performing Arts Pavilion at The Commons - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 8 - Council Bluffs, IA, USA - Stir Cove at Harrah’s - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 10 - Salina, KS, USA - Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 14 - Carnation, WA, USA - Remlinger Farms - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 18 - Reno, NV, USA - Silver Legacy Resort Casino - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife 20 - Los Angeles, CA, USA - United Theater on Broadway - With Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife Although Men At Work only released three studio albums: "Business as Usual" (1981), "Cargo" (1983) and "Two Hearts" (1985), they had many huge worldwide hits. Some of them are "Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", "Overkill", "It's a Mistake" and "Be Good Johnny". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOMsm9ZG6Eo&list=RDjOMsm9ZG6Eo&start_radio=1&pp=ygUQbWVuIGF0IHdvcmsgMjAyNaAHAQ%3D%3DThe post Men At Work announces more 2026 tour dates appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Blues guitarist and singer George Thorogood will continue touring in 2026 and has announced additional dates. His band currently consists of Jeff Simon (drums, original member), Billy Blough (bass, since 1976), Jim Suhler (guitar, since 1999) and Buddy Leach (saxophone and piano, since 2003). They will perform next March, April and May in California, Nevada, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Kentucky. Some of the shows will have the Marshall Tucker Band as the opening act. George Thorogood announces new 2026 tour dates February 13 - Nashville, TN - Grand Ole Opry House 21 - San Francisco, CA - A Night to honor Taj Mahal March 06 - Highland, CA - Yaamava Resort and Casino 07 - Laughlin, NV - Edgewater Casino Resort 08 - Thousand Oaks, CA - Bank of America Performing Arts Center - With Canyon Lights 10 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre - With Canyon Lights 11 - Modesto, CA - Gallo Center for the Arts 13 - Grand Ronde, OR - Spirit Mountain Casino 14 - Coquitlam, BC - Great Canadian Casino Vancouver - Evening With 15 - Coquitlam, BC - Great Canadian Casino Vancouver - Evening With 17 - Kamloops, BC - Sandman Centre - With Canyon Lights 19 - Enoch, AB - River Cree Resort and Casino 20 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Resort and Casino - With Canyon Lights 22 - Regina, SK - Conexus Arts Centre - With Canyon Lights 24 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre - With Canyon Lights 25 - Duluth, MN - Duluth Convention Center - With Robert Cray Band 27 - Battle Creek, MI - FireKeepers Casino 28 - Nashville, IN - Brown County Music Center - With Canyon Lights 29 - Joliet, IL - Rialto Square Theatre - With Robert Cray Band 31 - Newark, OH - Midland Theatre - With Canyon Lights April 02 - Hamilton, ON - FirstOntario Concert Hall - With Canyon Lights 03 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama 04 - Ottawa, ON - Hard Rock Hotel and Casino May 01 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre 02 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount 03 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penn’s Peak 05 - Tysons, VA - Capital One Hall 06 - Myrtle Beach, SC - The Carolina Opry Theater 07 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre 09 - Key West, FL - Key West Amphitheater - With The Marshall Tucker Band 10 - Okeechobee, FL - Seminole Brighton Bay Casino 12 - Macon, GA - Macon City Auditorium 13 - Pensacola, FL - Saenger Theatre 15 - Richardson, TX - Wildflower Arts and Music Festival 16 - Norman, OK - Riverwind Casino 17 - Omaha, NE - The Astro Amphitheater 19 - Waukee, IA - Vibrant Music Hall 21 - Windsor, Ontario - The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor 22 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center 23 - Beaver Dam, KY - Beaver Dam Amphitheater - With The Marshall Tucker Band June 19 - Grolloo, Netherlands - Holland International Blues Festival 20 - Grolloo, Netherlands - Holland International Blues Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG-AwXSlw0Y&pp=ygUVZ2VvcmdlIHRob3JvZ29vZCAyMDI1The post George Thorogood announces new 2026 tour dates appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Nicko McBrain made his last concert with Iron Maiden in São Paulo, Brazil in the end of 2024 and he was replaced by Simon Dawson. The band's longtime drummer had to leave the group due to the health issues he was facing after he suffered a stroke that changed his ability to perform the songs like they were originally made. In an interview with Metal Hammer España, Adrian Smith said that the change had to be made for the band to continue. Adrian Smith says Iron Maiden had to replace Nicko McBrain in order to continue "I think the Maiden drumming gig is one of the toughest, for sure. It's very, very physical. And Nick, he had this stroke… He had a sort of a — not a full recovery. And that, unfortunately, really affected his playing. But thank God he's doing okay now. But, yeah, it's a serious thing. And this is life. And let's face it, we're not kids anymore." "It was very difficult. Very difficult. I mean, he tried the tour before last we did, Nick did his best (keep going), but he knew himself that he couldn't do what he used to do. So, we had to make the change for the band to continue. And it was heartbreaking, really. Nick was such a big — and he still is, really — a big part of the band, and he always will be. He just had a massive presence. And people love him. We all love him. And he's an incredible drummer," Adrian Smith said (Transcribed by Blabbermouth). Simon Dawson has been the drummer of British Lion, Steve Harris’ side-project, for the last 12 years.. He is known for being a praised session drummer and already was a touring member of the British Pop Rock/New Wave group The Outfield. The band will continue to tour the world in 2026 celebrating their 50th anniversary. https://youtu.be/zrm5KavmvyUThe post Adrian Smith says Iron Maiden had to replace Nicko McBrain in order to continue appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

As one of the most prolific and acclaimed songwriters in history, Bob Dylan wrote songs that changed the course of music and popular culture. He was one of the artists who helped spark a revolution in the 1960s, showing musicians that they could write and sing about anything they wanted. Although he spent decades focused on writing his own material and touring almost nonstop, he always remained aware of what was happening in the music scene. Throughout his career, Dylan praised many songs by other artists and singled out two that, in his opinion, rank among the most powerful of all time. 2 songs Bob Dylan said are among the most powerful of all time Johnny Thunder "I'm Alive" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ_wzLVhJSs&pp=ygUYaSdtIGFsaXZlIGpvaG5ueSB0aHVuZGVy "I heard a record by Johnny Thunder. It's called 'I'm Alive'. Never heard it either, huh? Well, I can't believe it. Everyone I've talked to, I've asked them if they've heard that record. I heard it on the radio a (few months ago). It was one of the most powerful records I've ever heard. It was that sentiment, truly expressed. That's the most I can say, if you heard that record, you'd know what I mean. But that's about all (at the Rock scene now)," Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone magazine in 1969. Although the song was first recorded and made famous by the American R&B singer Johnny Thunder, it was actually written by Tommy James from the Shondells. Johnny's version was released as a single in 1968, with the song "Verbal Expressions of T.V." as the b-side. Tommy James recorded the track with the Shondells in 1969, being featured on their groundbreaking album "Crimson & Clover". It was also released as a single, but being the b-side for "Crystal Blue Persuasion". Other famous songs by the band are "Crimson & Clover", "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony". Besides "I'm Alive," Johnny Thunder was also previously known for the 1963 song "Loop de Loop," originally written by Teddy Vann and Joe Dong. However, he didn’t have any other major hits after the 1960s and passed away in 2024 at the age of 93. His real name was Gilbert Leroy Hamilton and he is often cited as one of the biggest American ‘one-hit wonder’ artists. "Blues in the Night" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-domL2Q4no The second song is "Blues in The Night", a popular Blues standard which was written by Harold Arlen back in 1941, being first recorded by Woody Herman and His Orchestra. "Harold Arlen had written 'The Man That Got Away' and the cosmic "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", another song by Judy Garland. He had written a lot of other popular songs, too. The powerful 'Blues in the Night,' 'Stormy Weather,' “Come Rain or Come Shine,' 'Get Happy.' In Harold’s songs, I could hear rural blues and folk music. There was an emotional kinship there. I couldn’t help but notice it. (..) "I could never escape from the bittersweet, lonely, intense world of Harold Arlen," Bob Dylan said in his book Chronicles. That track was written by Harold with lyrics made by Johnny Mercer. It was made for a 1941 film which had the working title of "Hot Nocturne" but the song was so good that they decided to rename it "Blues in the Night". In the movie the song was sung by William Gillespie on the film. It ended up being one of the nine songs nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Over the decades the track was covered by artists like Shirley Bassey, Helen Shapiro and Rosemary Clooney. She was the mother of actor Miguel Ferrer and aunt of George Clooney. He also was a prolific songwriter Like Bob Dylan, Harold Arlen was also an extremely prolific songwriter, having written more than 500 songs during his career. He composed some of the most influential songs of all time, the biggest example is "Somwhere Over the Rainbow". The track was featured on the groundbreaking movie "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939. With the succcess, became one of the biggest movie songs of the history of cinema. He won the Oscar for the Best Original Song with that track and was nominated another 8 times. Arlen also wrote composed many songs for Broadway musicals from the 1930s to the 1950s. He passed away in 1986 at the age of 81, a victim of cancer at his Manhattan apartment.The post 2 songs Bob Dylan said are among the most powerful of all time appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

President Donald Trump's winding, antagonistic speech to business moguls and government officials in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday was hardly a salve to concerns the Western Alliance is at its breaking point. Trump complained relentlessly about the United States being taken advantage of by Europe, and wondered incredulously why his attempt to take control of Greenland was being met with resistance. He castigated European leaders for making their continent unrecognizable through what he cast as uncontrolled migration and radical economic policies...