The Beta Band<\/b><\/p>\n
The Beta Band\u2019s \u201cDry the Rain\u201d came to worldwide attention when it was featured in the 2000 film adaptation of Nick Hornby\u2019s High Fidelity<\/i>. The song wasn\u2019t simply included in the movie\u2019s soundtrack; it figured into the story line. Prior to that, the Scottish group was something of a cult act, largely unknown in the U.S. The band\u2019s music deftly drew from trip-hop, psychedelia, folk and indie rock; the show burn and hypnotic beat of \u201cDry the Rain\u201d gained the band a dedicated following. Never prolific, the Beta Band released a trio of EPs and three studio albums \u2013 all of which charted well in the UK \u2013 before splitting in 2004. Band members went on to other projects, all of which had a lower profile than the Beta Band\u2019s activities. Yet to the surprise of many, in early 2025 the group announced a reunion. After a two-decade absence from the concert stage, a Beta Band tour of the UK began in March, with the group performing its acclaimed The Three E.P.\u2019s<\/i> compilation album in its entirety.<\/p>\n
Maroon 5 <\/b><\/p>\n
Evolving out of an earlier group called Kara\u2019s Flowers, Los Angeles-based pop rock band Maroon 5 launched in 2001. Showcasing a winning style that draws from funk, rock and r&b, the band \u2013 fronted by singer Adam Levine \u2013 released its debut album, Songs About Jane<\/i> in 2002. That record soared to the Top Ten in nine countries, selling more than 5 million copies in the U.S. alone and spawning five charting singles. In the years to follow, Maroon 5 would release six more studio albums; each of those was a million-seller (or better) in the U.S.; international success greeted those releases as well. Maroon 5 has placed 22 of its singles on Billboard\u2019s Top 40, and three of those \u2013 \u201cMoves Like Jagger\u201d featuring Christina Aguilera, \u201cOne More Night,\u201d and \u201cGirls Like You\u201d featuring Cardi B \u2013 claimed the Number One spot. Nearly a quarter century after their start, the group\u2019s enduring appeal is remarkable. To date, Maroon 5 has won three Grammy Awards and countless other honors. The band\u2019s latest release \u2013 Maroon 5\u2019s eighth studio album Love is Like<\/i> \u2013 was released August 15, immediately charting in five countries.<\/p>\n
AFI<\/b><\/p>\n
Lead vocalist Davey Havok formed the earliest version of punk band AFI (A Fire Inside) in Ukiah, CA in 1991; the band got its real start in late \u201893 with a show at Petaluma\u2019s Phoenix Theater. Moving to Berkeley, the group began a run of self-released EPs. Signing with Wingnut Records, they released their debut full length, Answer That and Stay Fashionable<\/i> in 1995. Their good-natured take on hardcore won the gorup a dedicated following. AFI\u2019s breakthrough came with Butch Vig-produced album number six, 2003\u2019s Sing the Sorrow<\/i>; that record hit No. 5 on the Billboard<\/i> 200 and was named by Alternative Press as that year\u2019s most anticipated album. Subsequent releases have consistently earned critical praise, with 2017\u2019s self-titled release (aka The Blood Album<\/i>) coming in for special plaudits for its winning synthesis of punk, new wave and goth-rock textures. In October 2025, AFI released Silver Bleeds the Black Sun, their twelfth album, to by now predictably rapturous critical response, with some reviews calling it their best record in more than a decade.<\/p>\n
Geoff Tate<\/b><\/p>\n
Stuttgart, Germany-born vocalist and songwriter Geoff Tate is best known for his time fronting Queensr\u00ffche, the progressive metal band he co-founded in 1982; Tate was with the group through the release of 2011\u2019s Dedicated to Chaos<\/i>. Tate was with Queensr\u00ffche when the band created its breakthrough album, the 1988 conceptual work Operation: Mindcrime<\/i>. Tate \u2013 a classically-trained vocalist \u2013 is renowned in progressive rock and heavy metal circles for his powerful voice and commanding presence. Immediately after he left Queensr\u00ffche, Geoff Tate launched a band of his own, billed as Geoff Tate\u2019s Queensr\u00ffche, eventually re-branding as Operation: Mindcrime. That group continued on in the spirit of his former band, releasing a string of well-received concept albums. Tate has also made a pair of solo albums, moving beyond the prog-metal style and toward experimental and alt-rock textures, and two with Sweet Oblivion, an Italian metal project. Tate has also racked up a long string of gust appearances on other artist\u2019s albums and collaborative works. His current solo tour features a performance of Queensr\u00ffche\u2019s Operation: Mindcrime<\/i> album in its entirety, for what Tate says will be the final time.<\/p>\n
Brian Jonestown Massacre<\/b><\/p>\n
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Anton Newcombe founded Brian Jonestown Massacre in 1990. Over the following three decades-plus, the group\u2019s lineup has undergone countless changes, with more than 30 musicians coming and going (and sometimes returning); Newcombe is the group’s sole constant. The band has released more than 20 albums, showcasing Newcombe\u2019s distinctive take on psychedelia and alt-rock. The band has been consistent in earning critical praise, but that\u2019s where the predictability ends: wildly erratic in a live setting, Brian Jonestown Massacre can veer from sublime to ridiculous, often within the context of a single performance. The band may be completely together, firing on all cylinders. Or the musicians might erupt in verbal sparring or even fisticuffs, the performance breaking down completely. One night BJM is focused and energetic; another, they\u2019re listless and disinterested. At their best, Brian Jonestown Massacre is a must-see-and-hear act. At their worst, they\u2019re an abject disappointment. In the end, that unpredictability is part of the experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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