James Taylor at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony (Disney/Eric McCandless)
James Taylor is set to return to Ireland in 2026.
The “Fire and Rain” singer has announced two dates in Ireland, which will be his first shows there since September 2022.
Taylor and his All Star Band are confirmed to play in Cork on July 10 and Dublin on July 12, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
The two shows are additions to Taylor’s previously announced U.K. and European tour. So far the U.K./European shows are the only concerts on Taylor’s 2026 schedule.
The three founding members of Talking Heads on a Manhattan rooftop, US, 1976. (L-R) Singer-guitarist David Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz. (Photo by Linda D. Robbins/Getty Images)
An early demo of the Talking Heads’ classic “Psycho Killer” is part of the band’s Record Store Day Black Friday release, Tentative Decisions: Demos and Live, and drummer Chris Frantz is happy fans are getting to hear it.
The song was recorded in the early ’70s when he and bandmates David Byrne and Tina Weymouth were a cover band, The Artistics, playing on the Rhode Island School of Design campus.
“I think the real fans will recognize the songs in their demo form,” Frantz told The Boston Globe. Henotes “it was three amateurs in front of one microphone in a dusty apartment on Benefit Street, so technologically it’s not brilliant or anything like that. Quite the opposite.”
He adds, “But it’s got an excitement to it and it’s got a real, I think, rock ‘n’ spirit. I’m very happy with it.”
The Record Store Day release also includes The Artistics’ demo of the More Songs about Buildings and Food track “Warning Signs,” as well as other tracks recorded by the trio between 1975 and 1976.
“In our early years in New York before we made any records, you can see the songs evolving over time, and they really did evolve as we got better and more refined in our listening and our thinking,” Frantz said. “I’m very happy that this is coming out because it’s, you know, to me, it’s an important cultural artifact.”
Bryan Adams is getting everyone in the holiday spirit.
The rocker just released the new holiday song “California Christmas,” which he co-wrote with his longtime songwriting partner Jim Vallance.
The tune is described as “a sun-soaked holiday anthem that brings a bright West Coast twist to the season.” It is the first taste of Adams’ upcoming holiday album, Bryan Adams & Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam, and features guest appearances by such Canadian artists as Alessia Cara, Barenaked Ladies, Alan Doyle and The Sheepdogs.
“California Christmas” is available now via digital outlets.
The album also features Adams and friends covering holiday staples like “Little Saint Nick,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Deck the Halls,” “O Christmas Tree” and more.
Bryan Adams & Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam will be released Dec. 8 to coincide with Adams’ Canadian holiday TV special of the same name, which will air on CityTV.
Adams, who earlier this year released the new album Roll With the Punches, is set to wrap his U.S. tour on Wednesday in Minneapolis. He then heads to the U.K. in December. A complete list of dates can be found at BryanAdams.com.
USA Photo of Jimmy CLIFF (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
The Rolling Stones have paid tribute to Jamaican reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, who passed away Monday at the age of 81.
Mick Jaggerposted a black-and-white photo on social media of him and Cliff laughing together, writing, “So sad to lose the beautiful voice of Jamaica, Jimmy Cliff.”
Both Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood also posted photos with Cliff. While they were different shots, they appear to have been taken around the same time.
Richards covered Cliff’s hit track “The Harder They Come” in 1993 and wrote about seeing the impact of the movie of the same name, which Cliff starred in.
“Farewell Jimmy, I was in Jamaica when the ‘Harder They Come’ was in every cinema on the island. You could feel the pride and and the love for Jimmy everywhere,” he wrote. “The sweetest voice, the sweetest soul. His music will live with us forever! Heartfelt condolences to his family! One love, Keith @jimmycliff.”
And in his tribute, Wood recalled Cliff’s 1982 album, Special, which he appeared on.
“Very sad news, bless @jimmycliff,” he wrote. “I made an album with him Jimmy in Kingston, Jamaica – a song called ‘Peace Officer’ among others xx.”
And those weren’t the only times The Stones and Cliff collaborated. The reggae star contributed backing vocals to the band’s 1986 album, Dirty Work.
Cover of ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’/ (Legacy Recordings)
While some folks will be headed to the mall on Black Friday to find the best deals, plenty of music fans will be headed to their local record store to nab some special releases for the annual Record Store Day Black Friday event.
This year there will be over 170 releases at independent record stores across the country. Here are some to look out for:
Bob Dylan will be represented with two new releases, including The Original Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan, which features four songs that Columbia Records execs pulled from the original 1963 album. There will also be a 7-inch single of “Masters of War,” recorded in Alan Lomax’s apartment in 1962, that includes a conversation between Dylan and Lomax on the B-side.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ live collection The Live Anthology – From The Vaults Vol. 1 will be released on turquoise blue vinyl, marking its first-ever vinyl release.
Fleetwood Mac is releasing Fleetwood Mac: Live 1975 on vinyl for the first time. The album features recordings from the band’s 1975 tour and is being released as a limited-edition crystal clear vinyl.
Grateful Dead has three releases, including a recording of their Oct. 4 & 6, 1980, concerts at The Warfield in San Francisco, which will be released on both limited-edition vinyl and CD. They will also release the live album On A Back Porch Vol. 2, a collaboration between The Dead and Dogfish Head Brewery.
RSD Black Friday 2025 will also feature releases from Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Van Halen, Ramones, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Robbie Robertson, Sammy Hagar, Elton John and Brandi Carlile and more.
For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.
Cover of Warren Haynes’ ‘Tales of Ordinary Madness’ (Megaforce Records)
Warren Haynes is revisiting his 1993 debut solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness.
The Gov’t Mule frontman is releasing a remixed and remastered version ofthe album on Jan. 30, featuring one bonus track, “Tear Me Down,” which didn’t appear on the original album.
And Haynes is previewing the release with the remixed version of the album’s opening track, “Fire in the Kitchen,” which is now available via digital outlets.
The album, co-produced by Haynes and Allman Brothers Band‘s Chuck Leavell, was originally released in March 1993. Since then Haynes has released several solo records, his most recent being 2024’s Million Voices Whisper.
Haynes is set to hit the road on an 11-date intimate solo tour starting Feb. 12 in Grass Valley, California, and wrapping Feb. 26 in Pelham, Tennessee. He’ll also be going on tour with the Warren Haynes Band starting March 1 in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrapping March 7 in Ithaca, New York.
Next up, Haynes will headline his annual Christmas Jam on Dec. 13 in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The lineup includes Stone Temple Pilots and MJ Lenderman & The Wind, along with a specialChristmas Jam tribute to Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, featuring Haynes, Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh, Widespread Panic‘s Jimmy Herring and more.
Dave Mason and Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam perform at NJPAC at Prudential Hall on July 16, 2015 in Newark City. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
Artists including Dave Mason and Steve Hackett are taking part in the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund holiday auction.
Mason, former guitarist for Traffic, has donated a signed Fender Player II Stratocaster in red, while former Genesis guitarist Hackett has also signed a guitar for the auction.
Also up for bid are instruments signed by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, The Black Keys, Hozier, Dream Theater and more, as well as a signed Pearl Jam poster, and tickets to shows by bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Three Days Grace, Third Eye Blind and Dropkick Murphys.
The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides “financial assistance to musicians and music industry workers who are facing illness, disability, or age-related challenges,” according to a press release.
“Wow, another year of incredible generosity from our music industry supporters!” says Sweet Relief Executive Director Aric Steinberg. “All of the proceeds will help us to continue to provide a safety net for musicians and music industry professionals in need of physical or mental health care.”
The auction will be hosted by the site Fandiem. Visit Fandiem.com for more info.
Billy Gibbons of Billy F. Gibbons and the BFG’s performs at Blue Note Hawaii on January 17, 2025 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
ZZ Top frontman Billy F Gibbons will once again be celebrating his birthday in Los Angeles.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced dates for his annual Birthday Jam, with the shows taking place Dec. 18, 19 and 20 at the Troubadour. Gibbons will be joined at the shows by a trio of guests, including guitarist Orianthi on Dec. 18, The Doors’ Robby Krieger on Dec. 19 and guitarist Joe Bonamassa on Dec. 20.
Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
This isn’t the first time Gibbons has held his Birthday Jam in Los Angeles. In fact, in the announcement he shared photos of last year’s concerts, giving fans an idea of what to expect. Those photos included guests like Guns N’ Roses’ guitarist Slash, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, Orianthi and others.
In addition to the birthday concerts, Gibbons is set to headline his annual The Jungle Show blues concerts on Dec. 26 and 27 at Antone’s in Austin, Texas. Gibbons will be joined at the shows by fellow musicians Jimmie Vaughan, Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin and Chris “Whipper” Layton.
Singer Kenny Loggins performs onstage during the One805 Rock for First Responders benefit at The Granada Theatre on March 08, 2025 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose,” the title track to the 1984 Kevin Bacon film, has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, making it Loggins’ first entry in Spotify’s Billions Club.
“Five decades ago, I began a musical journey that has been incredibly rewarding,” said Loggins. “I’m thrilled to see my songs continue to find new life with new fans after all these years.”
He adds, “One billion streams for ‘Footloose’ is almost unimaginable. I’m grateful that my work still resonates with so many people.”
Released Jan. 11, 1984, “Footloose” was Loggins’ first #1 hit, spending three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It is one of two songs he had on the Footloose soundtrack, the other being “I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man),” which peaked at #22.
Loggins has a lot to look forward to in 2026. On Feb. 7 he’ll be inducted into the People’s Music Hall of Fame by the Sound Support Foundation during the annual ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah, and on Feb. 14 he’ll be honored at the Power of Love Gala 2026 in Las Vegas. Plus, a new documentary about Loggins, Conviction of the Heart, is expected to premiere in the spring.
Loggins is also nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year. Voting is set to run through Dec. 4, and the inductees will be celebrated at a gala event in New York City next year.
Elton John performs at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, November 8, 2025 (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Elton John has left touring behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped playing live. He tells Variety he’s done 11 private shows this year, plus a few public ones, like his show at the London Palladium with Brandi Carlile. In 2026 he’ll headline the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil on Sept. 7.
In an Instagram video, Elton says he’s doing the gig because he felt he’d let his Brazilian fans down by not including the country on his farewell tour. He promises a “fantastic show” that he’s “really, really looking forward to.”
Elton is also looking forward to getting in the studio and making his next album, a follow-up to his Grammy-nominated collab with Brandi, Who Believes In Angels?
“I just can’t wait to go into the studio now and write some new songs. … I’ve got seven new lyrics from Bernie [Taupin] … and they’re really, really good,” he tells Variety. He specifically wants the new album to reflect what’s happening in music now.
“The album with Brandi, it’s a timeless record, but it’s not of its time,” he explains. “We just wanted to make a record that we loved, with great songs. That was a yesterday record, and it was fantastic. But there is a part of me that wants to do a much more commercial record and do more Bernie Taupin songs that are more of today than yesterday.”
