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Brent Smith hopes sprawling ‘EI8HT’ album proves that Shinedown is ‘everyone’s band’

May 29, 2026 by WDNY Radio

As Brent Smith sings on Shinedown’s song “Three Six Five,” a lot can happen in a year. Well, a lot can also happen on 18 songs.

So you’ll discover on EI8HT, the aptly titled eighth studio effort from the “Second Chance” outfit. The de facto double album takes many twists and turns along the way to proving, as Smith sees it, that “Shinedown is everyone’s band.”

“I really do believe that there is something for everyone on this record,” Smith tells ABC Audio.

Unlike Shinedown’s previous two records, 2018’s ATTENTION ATTENTION and 2022’s Planet Zero, Smith says that EI8HT is not a concept album.

“These songs all belong on the same body of work, but … they don’t relate to one another,” Smith says. “Every song is its own story.”

While EI8HT might not adhere to a specific narrative, it does weave a number of related themes together throughout, including fatherhood, family, growing up and, ultimately, taking control of your own destiny.

Different sounds are used to evoke certain themes: the theatrical opener “At the Bottom” reflects the Broadway background of bassist Eric Bass’ family, while the closer “The Pilot” is a sonic representation of Shinedown’s long-running relationship with songwriter and producer Dave Bassett.

Meanwhile, the country-ish “Searchlight” soundtracks Smith’s advice to his son, and the gothic “Deep End” brings him back to being a teenager watching The Crow in theaters.

In naming such a sprawling work, Smith says he and his bandmates kept a notebook full of “ethereal” and “highbrow” potential titles, but were struck by inspiration upon seeing a piece created by art director Mark Obriski featuring the Shinedown logo combined with the word “eight.”

“I was like, ‘Let’s just call it EI8HT, ’cause that’s what it wants to be,'” Smith says.

EI8HT is out now.

Joe Elliott on a new Def Leppard album: ‘We got a game plan’

May 29, 2026 by WDNY Radio

It’s been four years since Def Leppard released their last album of new material, Diamond Star Halos, but it sounds like fans won’t have to wait much longer for a new record. Frontman Joe Elliott tells ABC Audio the band has recorded several songs for a new album, with plans to have it out by the end of 2026/early 2027.

“We’ve got a game plan, but it is kind of loose and we like it that way,” he says. “It’s not like we’re being told by management and labels it has to be delivered on this day.”

The band’s been touring constantly, but thanks to new technology, recording an album has been a lot easier than in the past. Elliott says the days of them all having to be in the studio together are over, which is something they learned during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“That’s the beauty of the technology is that you never get a period where, OK, here’s the start of a recording of an album and it’s going to run for three months,” he says. “It’s just an ongoing process.”

Def Leppard wrapped their Las Vegas residency in February and will launch a European tour on June 13 in Sweden, and it doesn’t sound like they’re ready to slow down. But Elliott says the end isn’t something completely out of their minds.

“Sometimes you do think that maybe this could be the last tour, but there’s no reason for that,” he says. “I think because we like each other so much, and we like what we do, and like being on tour and playing the songs.”

He adds, “The little guy on your shoulder that keeps going, ‘You know what, it’s going to come to an end at some point,’ it’s not based in logic.”

Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser weather the storm together in WWII film ‘Pressure’

May 29, 2026 by WDNY Radio

We all know bad weather has the power to wreck plans, but it’s a little different when those plans involve the most pivotal operation in World War II.

The new film Pressure, out Friday, recounts this little-known piece of WWII history.

Andrew Scott stars as Capt. James Stagg, the meteorologist tasked with forecasting the weather for D-Day. When he realizes that a storm is on its way to derail the Allied Forces’ plans for the massive seaborne invasion, he must deliver the bad news to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, played by Oscar winner Brendan Fraser. Together, they need to find a way forward or risk losing the war — and with just 72 hours to make a crucial decision, the pressure is a lot more than barometric.

“Who doesn’t want Brendan Fraser yelling in your face?” Scott jokes of their tense scenes together.

“I love the fact that they’re two quite formidable characters, but in very, very different ways, from very, very different cultures, who ultimately have a great deal of respect for each other, and a great deal of humility about their position in the world and what their duty is,” he tells ABC Audio.

Scott adds that it’s moving to see two people who wanted to do the right thing by the world rather than peacock their own achievements.

It was a quality Fraser came to admire about future U.S. president Eisenhower and how he ultimately humanized such an imposing historical figure for the film.

“The things that were important to me that I grew to admire about Eisenhower were his ability to listen to people rather than just hear them and also that he took accountability for the choices that he made,” Fraser says.

Evanescence announces virtual ’Sanctuary’ listening party ahead of album release

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Here’s how you can hear Evanescence’s new album, Sanctuary, a bit early.

The “Bring Me to Life” rockers have announced a virtual album listening party via the platform Volume. It will take place June 3 at 2 p.m. ET, two days before Sanctuary officially drops on June 5.

The playback will be followed by a live Q&A with the band.

You can now claim a free ticket to take part via Volume.com.

Sanctuary is the follow-up to 2021’s The Bitter Truth. It includes the singles “Afterlife” and “Who Will You Follow.”

Evanescence will launch a U.S. tour on June 11 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Spiritbox and Nova Twins will also be on the bill.

One of Taylor Swift’s opening acts confirms she’s going to Taylor’s wedding

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

People who you’d assume would be invited to Taylor Swift’s wedding have been cagey about whether or not they’re actually attending. Talk show host Graham Norton has joked that he had to sign an NDA, for example, and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he’d “probably” been invited and would go “if I don’t outgrow my tuxedo.” But now we’ve got our first case of a celebrity confirming that she’s actually attending the nuptials.

Model, actress and singer Suki Waterhouse, who opened for Taylor during the Eras Tour in London, tells Variety, “I’m gonna go to Taylor’s wedding, and maybe I’ll get some inspiration. It will be amazing.” Suki was talking about her own wedding to her partner, Robert Pattinson. The two share a 2-year-old daughter.

Sadly, Suki didn’t reveal where and when the wedding is taking place. But she did say of Taylor, “Knowing her as a friend, she’s actually been through so much. And I think the thing I always see in her is how she pulls herself through every time, and how everything that’s ever happened to her becomes another piece of art that becomes part of the legacy. That’s so inspiring — that’s the artist that you want to be.”

Suki’s third album, Loveland, comes out July 10. Her collaborators include Taylor’s frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner and legendary Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood. Suki starred in Daisy Jones & the Six, the Prime Video series about a band loosely based on Fleetwood Mac.

Latto announces pop-up shows ahead of ‘Big Mama’ release

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

With a new album arriving Friday, Latto has announced pop-up shows featuring exclusive merch, CDs and vinyl.

The Big Mama Pop-Up, named after her upcoming album, Big Mama, is a three-day event, kicking off with a hometown stop in Atlanta on release day. It will then stop in LA on June 1 before making its way to New York on June 3. Items will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Latto has been teasing her album on social media, recently releasing a series of images on her Instagram, alongside posts tagging artists Doja Cat, Jelly Roll, Sexyy Red, Teyana Taylor, Wizkid, Mariah the Scientist and 21 Savage, who will seemingly feature on the project.

Big Mama is Latto’s fourth studio album. It arrives shortly after she appeared to confirm the arrival of her first child, officially stepping into her Big Mama era.

Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop playing Chicago’s Riot Fest

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

There’s gonna be a riot in Chicago in September and you’re invited.

The Windy City’s 2026 Riot Fest takes place Sept. 18-20 and features an eclectic lineup of artists, including three Rock & Roll Hall of Famers: Elvis Costello & the Impostors, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop.

Also on the bill are Alanis Morissette, Morrissey, Social Distortion, Sugar, the reformed Sex Pistols — now featuring Frank Carter on vocals — and former Sex Pistols frontman John Lyndon’s band, Public Image Ltd.

Tickets are on sale now. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit RiotFest.org.

Patti Smith, Morrissey and the Sex Pistols are also playing the 2026 CBGB Festival, taking place Sept. 26 in Brooklyn, New York.

Buy Olivia Rodrigo’s mini hospital room from ‘the cure’ video

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

At the end of Olivia Rodrigo’s video for “the cure,” we see that the operating room Olivia ends up in is actually a diorama made of cardboard and string, which the “real” Olivia crushes with her foot. If you want to reenact that scene in real life, now you can — thanks to Etsy.

Olivia has teamed with an Etsy creator called Macy Mae Designs, who has created a diorama of the operating room. It comes unassembled with all the pieces you need to recreate it, including the wallpaper, checkered flooring, two tiny shelving units with bottles, a hospital bed and an itty-bitty heart made of felt resting on a medical tray.

The project, described as “part collectible, part craft project, and part display piece,” is perfect for that Livvie in your life, or, as the maker’s webpage notes, “anyone who appreciates a tiny world with a little heartbreak, healing, and imagination woven in.” Each room costs $149.

In the video, Olivia is a nurse in the cardboard hospital who tries to cure her heart by injecting it with various antidotes, but she ends up on the operating table, hooked up to multiple hearts.

Andie MacDowell, Kevin Bacon cast in ‘Beach Read’ film adaptation

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Andie MacDowell and Kevin Bacon are joining the Emily Henry rom-com universe.

The actors have joined the cast of the film adaptation of the bestselling novel Beach Read, ABC Audio has learned. They join Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor and The White Lotus’ Patrick Schwarzenegger, who are set to star in the film. Production will begin on the picture in June.

Beach Read follows the character January Andrews, a romance novelist who struggles with writer’s block due to her grief after the death of her father and her discovery of the secrets he kept.

January spends the summer at her father’s Michigan beach house as she prepares to sell it. While there, she reconnects with Gus Everett, a fellow author and her formal college rival. The pair spark an unexpected romance after they agree to partake in a writing challenge to get them out of their respective writing ruts.

Yulin Kuang, who co-wrote the Netflix film adaptation of Henry’s novel People We Meet on Vacation, will direct Beach Read for 20th Century Studios from her own script.

This is the latest adaptation of one of Henry’s works, following the Netflix release of People We Meet on Vacation in January. Three of her other novels — Book Lovers, Funny Story and Happy Place — are also currently being adapted for the screen.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and 20th Century Studios.

Barry Manilow addresses whether he’s had ‘work done’: ‘I’m as vain as anybody else’

May 28, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Barry Manilow will be 83 in June, and he still looks pretty good, but he admits that he’s had some help in that department — sort of.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times to promote his new album, What a Time, Barry says, “I look fantastic, but I’m a hundred years old, right? I don’t know how that happened, by the way — I don’t get Botox or anything.”

When the interviewer asks him directly, “You’ve had no work done?” Barry responds, “No!” but then continues, “I must say: There was one time when we lived in LA that I did do a facelift. But after that it’s just been a little here, a little there.”

When the interviewer protests that that’s not exactly having “no work done,” Barry argues, “‘Work’ is like a facelift, and I only had one of those. The rest of it — I see something falling down, sure, I’ll do that. I’m as vain as anybody else.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Barry, who’s had to postpone a number of concerts while he recovers from lung cancer surgery, says it’s been “agony” being off the road.

“Make an album, go on the road, come back, make an album, go on the road — that’s what my life’s been for years,” he says. “And I like it. Now I just have to get better and do what the doctors are telling me. It’s the only way out.”

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