Music

Old Dominion is bringing the good vibes with their upcoming tour. 

The five-piece band will set off on the No Bad Vibes Tour this spring, and they’re taking a team of up-and-coming country acts with them.

OD made the announcement during Whiskey Jam, a weekly live music showcase in Nashville, on Monday night. Frank Ray, Kassi Ashton, Shawn Austin and Greylan James were also part of Monday’s lineup, surprising the audience with the news that they will all be joining them on the road as openers.   

The trek begins on January 19 in Evansville, IN and travels through the U.S. and Canada before wrapping on June 30 in Lake Tahoe, NV.

“At the #NoBadVibesTour, we want y’all to feel happy… like you can forget about whatever is bothering you or whatever’s weighing you down. Just come and hangout with us, and escape for a couple hours,” the band shares. “We can’t wait to see you! Hopefully you’ll walk out feeling a little lighter than when you walked in.”

Frank and Kassi will join the band for their U.S. dates, while Shawn, Greylan and Steven Lee Olson will be the opening acts for the shows in Canada. 

Tickets go on sale on October 28 at 10 a.m. Visit OD’s website for a full list of dates. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ava Max angered her fans when she announced a delay in her forthcoming album, Diamonds & Dancefloors.  The album was set to arrive October 14, but the release date has since been pushed to late January.

Taking to TikTok, the singer addressed fans about why they have to wait a little longer to hear her sophomore album. She confirmed the effort was leaked online.

“I wanted to come on here personally and talk about all the leaks that have been happening [with] Diamonds & Dancefloors.  I am extremely upset about it, obviously,” Ava began. As the video went on, it became apparent just how deeply the leaks have affected her.

She continued, “I don’t want anyone thinking I am trying to avoid this or anything. I see what is happening. I, personally, haven’t seen the leaks or where they’re coming from online.”

Ava also explained she has no idea how people are coming across her unreleased album and noted, “I just know that it’s out there and — I don’t know… My team and I are trying our hardest to bring it down. We’ve all worked so hard on Diamonds & Dancefloors and I can’t wait for everyone to hear every single song on the album.”

The singer started becoming emotional, and her voice broke as she signed off by telling her fans how “grateful” she is to have them. “I just wanted you to hear it from me that it is upsetting,” she sighed before ending the recording.

Fans have flooded the comment section with words of encouragement and understanding.

Diamonds & Dancefloors — the follow-up to Ava’s debut and RIAA-certified Platinum album, Heaven & Hell — is now set to arrive January 27. Fans can presave the forthcoming effort now.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Imagine Dragons‘ Latin American tour, which was to have begun Tuesday night in Colombia, has been postponed while singer Dan Reynolds recovers from some health issues.

On the band’s socials, they wrote, “In our 12 years as a band, we’ve never had to cancel a tour (and could count the number of shows on one hand). We hope you guys know how hard it is for us to postpone these dates, and we plan to make it up to you soon.”

The message goes on to explain that Reynolds has been “struggling with hemorrhaged vocal cords and a [vocal cord] nodule” and has been told by a doctor that if he continues to sing, he could “irreparably harm his voice.”  He’s also “unexpectedly” sprained his knee and must wear a brace and undergo rehab.

“We just can’t give you the show you deserve right now,” the band concludes.  They apologize for ruining those who’d made travel plans to see them, and assure fans that refunds will be available for those who can’t attend the rescheduled dates, whenever they’re announced.

Imagine Dragon’s final show of 2022 was to have taken place November 4 in Mexico.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Taylor Swift continues to info drip on her new album Midnights, choosing her boyfriend Joe Alwyn‘s hometown as the location of her next lyric reveal.

At midnight, a billboard in London, England lit up with the lyric: “I polish up real nice.”  It follows her previous lyric reveal, “I should not be left to my own devices.”  It’s not clear which song or songs these lyrics are from, but they could be from the first single, “Anti-Hero,” given that Taylor has said it’s about her own insecurities.

The lyric reveal is part of Taylor’s partnership with Spotify; on the app’s mobile version, she’s also revealed the second thing that she says “kept her up at night” and helped inspire the album: “Fantasizing about revenge.” We can all probably think of a few folks she’d like to take revenge on. 

The first thing Taylor revealed kept her up at night was “self-loathing.”

Meanwhile, E! reports that Taylor’s official U.K. website revealed that anyone who pre-orders Midnights will receive a pre-sale access code “for forthcoming and yet to be announced Taylor Swift show dates.” 

It’s been a minute since Taylor’s headlined a show in the U.K. She was scheduled to headline the 2020 edition of the country’s most prestigious festival, Glastonbury, but it was, of course, canceled due to the pandemic. This past July, she made a one-off appearance at a London concert by her pals HAIM.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jimmie Allen is a bowling champion. 

The country singer teamed up with pro bowler Sean Rash at the Jimmie Allen PBA Challenge, and the two came out victorious. The tournament paired celebrities with professional bowlers, with Nelly and comedian Hannibal Buress also taking part.

Jimmie and Sean bested Hannibal and partner Ronnie Russell with a score of 195 before defeating Terrell Owens and AJ Johnson 177 to 173, giving them the win.

“CHAMPS!!! My guy @sean_rash had my back and was the reason we got the win!!!” Jimmie shared on Instagram alongside a photo of the two holding their trophies, which display a silver guitar and bowling ball. “Thanks so much to all the Celebs, @pbatour and the fans that came out!!”

Jimmie also performed his song “Be Alright,” the lead track on his new album, Tulip Drive, which he had inscribed on his jersey, at the inaugural event.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

R&B diva Ciara is broadening her musical horizons with a new country song.

She teamed up with singer Walker Hayes on “Y’all Life” and says a country record is something she’s long wanted to achieve. 

“I’ve always dreamt of doing something in country and working with a country artist, so it’s just surreal,” Ciara said during a recent appearance with Hayes on The Kelleigh Bannen Show on Apple Music Country. 

On whether the collaboration was unlikely, she said, “No, because, this is from my perspective, just my thoughts and my love for and my appreciation for the country community and culture. So this is like a dream come true.”

During a filming of Dick Clark’s Rocking Eve the duo noticed one another and realized a collaboration was possible. “So I texted her and was like, ‘Here’s “Y’all Life.” What do you think?’ And she sent me a voice text back and was like, ‘Y’all Life. Y’all Life.’ She was into it,” Hayes said.

After nearly two decades of producing award-winning music, Ciara said that the opportunity to break into the country genre is one she’s particularly proud of. 

“I said the other day, I was like, ‘This is one of the coolest things I feel I’ve ever done in my career.'” She added, “In all of my years, to be in this setting, and to have a collaboration like this, is pretty special for me. So it’s such a blessing to be having moments like this.”

Ciara and Hayes recently performed the song at the Country Music Television Artist of the Year 2022 event.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Monday night in Denver, Colorado, Em Beihold kicked off her biggest tour yet, opening for singer/songwriter King Princess. When it comes to performing live, the “Numb Little Bug” singer has come quite a long way since being rejected by a major singing competition show because of her lack of stage presence.

“I feel like I just have more fun [onstage] because the more you do it, the less nervous you get, obviously,” Em told ABC Audio about doing concerts these days. 

She laughs, “I used to have extreme stage fright. I remember I got a callback from The Voice once, and the reason they didn’t take me, they said, was because I stood like a stick onstage the whole time.”

“I’d say there’s more going on now,” she adds of her performance abilities.

Em’s run with King Princess goes through November 5. If you can’t get tickets to see her this time around, or you want a preview of upcoming shows, you can watch one of her full concerts on the music website The Circle Sessions.

Meanwhile, Em recently celebrated “Numb Little Bug,” off new EP Egg in the Backseat, being RIAA-certified Platinum for sales of 1 million units. She wrote on Instagram, “i never would’ve imagined this in my wildest dreams” and thanked her fans for “streaming and creating a community around this song.”

She added, “You’ve changed my life and I love you all so much.”

Fellow breakout stars Lauren Spencer-Smith and GAYLE responded in the comments, writing, “PROUD OF U” and “YES BABE,” respectively.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Judas Priest will be welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 5, and two of the band’s surviving former members — guitarist Ken “KK” Downing and drummer Les Binks — will be inducted alongside most of the group’s current lineup and late drummer Dave Holland.

While Downing has been at odds with his former bandmates since leaving Judas Priest in 2011, frontman Rob Halford confirms both KK and Binks will perform at the Rock Hall ceremony.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Halford tells ABC Audio about having Downing and Binks playing with the band. “And that was never a real issue. We felt that this is what the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame represents in terms of showing the talent, showing these are the guys that are receiving this accolade and there they are playing, you know.”

Halford also shares some details about the band’s performance, noting with a chuckle, “We’ve got, like, 8 minutes and 32-and-a-half seconds … Everything’s on the clock, which is the way it is in these kinds of events. So, we’re gonna try and cram as much as we can in that space.”

He adds, “And we got a few other things that we’re gonna do, which we won’t let out until the actual night, because that’s part of the magic of Priest. We’ve always got a little something up the metal Houdini sleeve.”

Judas Priest will be inducted into the Rock Hall in conjunction with receiving the Musical Excellence Award. The ceremony will take place at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, and the event will air on HBO at a later date.

Meanwhile, Priest launched the fall 2023 U.S. leg of its 50 Heavy Metal Years tour last week. Check out all the upcoming dates at JudasPriest.com.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Artists including Tom Morello and Billie Eilish have joined the lineup for the upcoming virtual #iVoted Festival.

The Rage Against the Machine guitarist will be taking part in a conversation with comedian W. Kamau Bell, while the “bad guy” artist will be making an appearance on the webcast alongside her brother and collaborator, FINNEAS.

As previously reported, the #iVoted Festival takes place on Election Day, November 8. You can RSVP to watch by sending in a selfie from outside your polling location or with a blank, mail-in ballot. People who aren’t yet of voting age can also take part in the #iVoted Festival by RSVPing with their first voting-eligible election year and sharing why they’re “excited to vote.”

The announced performers include Rise Against, Halestorm, The Revivalists, Black Stone Cherry and Run the Jewels. Bands including Filter, Dead Sara and Local H have also since joined the lineup.

For more info, visit iVotedFestival.org.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.