Glen Hansard one of the most prolific and beloved contemporary Irish musicians, has died at age 56.
“With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning,” read a statement on the website of his manager, ATC Management. “We are still dealing with the shock of it all, so we kindly ask that the privacy of Glen’s family, colleagues and friends is respected at this difficult time.”
Posted in News with tags Meshuggah on 08/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
The hypnotic state of sustained, meditative pummelage featured on Destroy Erase Improve and Catch Thirtythree was so distinct that it helped coin a term used specifically to describe the Meshuggah sound: djent. Imitators have come and gone over the years, perhaps flattering the originators of a whole new heavy metal sound, but it’s unlikely, because iconoclasm – or maybe it’s ichor – flows through the veins of current members Haake, Jens Kidman (lead vocals), Fredrik Thordendal (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Mårten Hagström (rhythm guitar, backing vocals and Dick Lövgren (bass).
The band will soon release anniversary editions of both records. Read my full news report on the Meshuggah reissues via AllMusic.
Melissa Auf der Maur returns with her first new music in 15 years, releasing a soundtrack tied to her upcoming art exhibition featuring rare demos and photography. Read my full news report at AllMusic.com.
(L-R: Alfredo Hernández, James Childs and June Kato)
It’s only taken about two decades to clinch an interview with the one, the only, the mighty Alfredo Hernández, former drummer for Queens of the Stone and Kyuss, and one of the originators of the “desert-rock” that continues to catch on across not just the U.S. but, rather peculiarly, Europe.
Not to be overlooked on Hernández’ resume are stints with (Kyuss founding member) Brant Bjork and the Bros and Yawning Man, and his current status in the band Avon. which QOTSA devotees will recall as one of the song names on the band’s first album. (Lesser-known fact: Hernández co-wrote seven of the 11 album tracks with Josh Homme; and joined forces with the band’s leader as well as Monster Magnet guitar and Homme homie John McBrain to craft “Regular John,” still considered one of the prolific band’s best numbers.)
As for these days, Avon just delivered a new album, Black on Sunshine, in mid-April via Go Down Records. Unsurprisingly, promotional materials for the record suggest three RIYLs: Wouldntyaknowit: Kyuss, QOTSA and Monster Magnet. Filling out the lineup are Emmy-winning guitarist, Airbus band member and Geoff Barrow (Portishead) collaborator James Childs. Palm Springs mainstayCharles Pasarell handles bass. Childs’ guitar and vocalist pal in Airbus playing guitar and sang on “Black on Sunshine” and “Strangest Love” too.
The amount of information Hernández shared in his well-considered answers is nothing less than very noteworthy (we’re not prone to hyperbole, even if it’s all the rage these days). Here are a few main points before you dig in:
• The most salient point made in the premise of the story as you’ve read it so far is wrong. • Hernández and Josh Homme are still on good terms, and while they don’t talk about their current projects, you might see them play together again at some point. • Same goes for Nick Oliveri, who brought Hernández into his Mondo Generator project twice, and apparently they had a blast. • Kyuss and perhaps even QOTSA were modeled at least in part after Hernández’s bands.
Atarashii Gakko! – From Tokyo With Love (88Rising) The Avalanches + Karen O – “Blue Shadows” single
Bayside – Battle Scars single Black Blood – Holy Man single (Scream for Existence) Bleached Cross – Wrath (New Morality Zine) Body Type – Tally (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s p(doom) Records)
Amon Amarth are finally being summed back from … Valhalla? They never died or broke up, but they’ve been off cavorting somewhere probably involving thunder, fireballs and drinking horns filled with Fireball.
Breaking the longest stretch between studio records since they started releasing them in 1998, four years and two months, the sons of Odin and high-ranking heroes of Swedish melodic death metal will release The Allfather Awakens on October 2. They also released the above video an hour or so ago.
Blondie (well, Debby Harry) famously sang: “One way or another, I’m gonna find ya/ I’m gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya.”
U.K. noise-pop duo Weather Happy have their own, similar refrain – “It Leaks Out” – that they express in their new song of the same name.
“There’s certain things you just can’t hide,” vocalist/guitarist Holly Carter sings on the angular, off-beat and yet irresistibly catchy track. “Tiptoe around and you might.”
Debuting today on The Bad Penny, the tune is the first bite at the apple that we’re getting of Weather Happy’s new EP, Moth,due October 30 on Easy Does It Records. Produced by Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones, “It Leaks Out” was the natural first single, the band told The Bad Penny in an exclusive statement.
A sloppy and bloody smooch to each and every person who has stumbled across The Bad Penny and – even more so – to those who frequently or infrequently check to see the latest rubbish to surface on this blog website.
A few minutes ago, The Bad Penny surpassed the total amount of traffic that the site drew during the entirety of 2025. A sincere thanks to all the musicians, music lovers and readers who made this possible. And a derisive smirk (because the middle finger is soyesterday) to the publicists, managers and other industry folks who dissuaded their clients from engaging with the site because they believed it wouldn’t sufficiently pad their precious purses.
It’s unclear whether the Jesus Lizard are an active band to any degree at the moment – an ambiguous status level the noise-rock tricksters seem to enjoy as much as they do occasionally reuniting for an unexpected swing of shows or even a new record. But with vocalist David Yow having ditched the U.S. for Poland, the chances seem slimmer than usual for another reunion of any sort.
But that’s not to say the other band members – we’re looking at you, guitarist Duane Denison – are inclined to rest on their laurels. At the end of a 20-minute video conversation with Melvins main man Buzz Osborne that Consequence posted two days ago, Denison mentioned – almost as an aside – that he’s formed a new band in Nashville, where he currently resides. It’s called D2 Archipelago and features two other players: guitarist Matt Swanson and drummer Brian Kotzur, formerly of Lambchop (also based in Nashville) and Silver Jews, respectively.
For a Korean boy band that had achieved worldwide dominance between the year they formed (2010) and the ensuing decade, the 2022 annual gathering intended to celebrate BTS’s stratospheric success was a shockingly somber affair. Officially designated as “BTS Dinner Party 2.0” but nicknamed “The BTS Festa Dinner,” what was intended to be a joyous occasion for the group’s members, family and friends — and, of course, admirers — felt irrefutably unsettling.
The Bad Penny (beta) 