Record Store Day 2026 News: The Cars - Heartbeat City Live LP

Last year, this Cars concert - recorded at Houston's The Summit in September 1984 - was part of Rhino Records' superb multi-disc Heartbeat City box set which included rare demos and various mixes. 

Now, for Record Store Day on April 18, Heartbeat City Live will get a limited 2LP release of 3500 copies. Originally issued on VHS and Laserdisc (remember those?) formats, it has been expanded with previously unreleased versions of “Candy-O” and “My Best Friend’s Girl.”

Half of the then-latest album was featured amid the 70-minute, 17-song set, alongside older top 40 pop chart hits like "Just What I Needed," "Touch & Go," "My Best Friend's Girl," and "Let's Go," and others. 

Although there was a common consensus at the time that The Cars were often boring live (unfortunately, I never got to see the original lineup or the brief reunion minus the late Ben Orr perform to weigh in), this concert sounds terrific. Singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Elliot Easton, singer/bassist Orr, keyboardist/backing vocalist Greg Hawkes and drummer/backing vocalist Greg Robinson are all in fine form here. Among the standouts: an eerie "Moving in Stereo," "Magic," where Ocasek changes his vocal inflection slightly, and the closing rocking maelstrom of "You're All I've Got Tonight." I can just picture Easton at the front of the stage wailing away.  

Info: recordstoreday.com

Coachella Festival 2026 News: The Strokes' New Album 'Reality Awaits' Due in June

The Strokes, performing Day 2 of Coachella Weekends 1+2, have announced Reality Awaits, the seventh studio album set for release on June 26 via Cult Records/RCA Records. —get it here. 

Peppy initial single “Going Shopping,” where frontman Julian Casablancas sounds like he's singing through a vocoder, is out now—listen here.

Recorded in Costa Rica with producer Rick Rubin (Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Adele), Reality Awaits marks the band’s first new music since 2020’s The New Abnormal and subsequent world tour. 

The Strokes will play major festivals around the world this spring and summer including this weekend and next at Coachella, in addition to dates headlining Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Japan’s Summer Sonic 2026 and more.

The NYC band - best known for 2000s alt-rock radio hits like "Last Nite," "Someday," "12:51," "Reptilia" and "Juicebox" - previously performed at Coachella in 2011 and 2002.

Track listing:

1. Psycho Shit
2. Dine N’Dash
3. Lonely in the Future
4. Falling out of Love
5. Going to Babble On
6. Going Shopping
7. Liar’s Remorse
8. The Fruits of Conquest
9. Pros and Cons

Redlands Bowl's 2026 Summer Music Festival Season Lineup

Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival 2026 Season

Presented by Redlands Bowl Performing Arts

Friday, 6/19/26

Yacht Rock Symphony, featuring Ambrosia and John Ford Coley

Ambrosia, with original members Joe Puerta (bass) and Burleigh Drummond (drums), boasts hits from the 1970s and 80s soft rock era including "The Biggest Part of Me, "How Much I Feel," and "You’re the Only Woman." Singer John Ford Coley's hits include "I’d Really Love to See You Tonight," "We’ll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again," and "Nights are Forever Without You." Joining Ambrosia and John Ford Coley will be the Redlands Bowl Festival Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Nolan Livesay.

Tuesday, 6/23/26
Grand Finals of the Redlands Bowl Concerto Competition
Roger Kalia, Competition Music Director and Conductor

Finalists compete for the prestigious competition’s top prize. This year’s featured soloist will be musician Thomas Hooten, the principal trumpet player for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Friday, 6/26/26
Ticket to the Moon: The ELO Experience

Tuesday 6/30/26
Ashes & Arrows

The country/roots/bluegrass trio are from the mountains of Asheville, NC, and were 2024 finalists on America’s Got Talent.

Friday, 7/3/26
A Star-Spangled Evening of Patriotic Pops
Nolan Livesay, Producer and Conductor

The Redlands Bowl Festival Orchestra, singers, and Inland Master Chorale will perform. Debuting at the concert will be a commissioned work to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and Redlands’ own Lincoln Shrine.

Tuesday, 7/7/26
The Filharmonics

An LA-based a cappella crew of young Filipino American singers, The Filharmonics were

showcased in NBC’S musical competition, The Sing-Off; and in the movie, Pitch Perfect 2. They went viral after a Late Late Show appearance with James Corden and Anna Kendrick.

Friday, 7/10/26
Leyenda Folklorico

A celebration of folklorico dance and mariachi music featuring Leyenda Folkorico, a Southern California based company who has brought the unique art forms to stages worldwide. The production will include 15 dancers, and 10 musicians.

Tuesday, 7/14/26
“The Sweet Caroline Tour” Starring Jay White

White has spent over 25 years performing in tribute to Neil Diamond including several long stints in Las Vegas. In 2008, he was cast by director Ron Howard to play Neil Diamond in the Academy Award nominated film Frost/Nixon. 

Friday, 7/17/26
The Hutchins Consort

The violin chamber ensemble performs on eight scaled violins crafted by Dr. Carleen Hutchins in the mid-20th century for optimum acoustic alignment. The Hutchins Consort will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and more. 

Thursday, 7/23/26 – Sunday, 7/26/26
Public Dress Rehearsal: Tuesday, 7/21/26
Disney’s Frozen: The Musical

Produced by Nathan Prince and Steve Simons of Legendary Productions
Directed by Nathan Prince

Tuesday, 7/28/26
TAIKOPROJECT

Founded in 2000 in Los Angeles, the Taiko drummers' modern American style of taiko blends traditional forms with a modern aesthetic. 2005 winners of the Tokyo International Taiko Contest.

Friday, 7/31/26
West Side Story in Concert

A collaboration with the Inland Master Chorale and its artistic director, Joseph Modica, the

evening welcomes soloists, a full orchestra, and over 60 members of the Chorale.

Tuesday, 8/4/26
Navy Band Southwest

The 38-member winds ensemble will do patriotic favorites including the armed services medley, big band, and hits by pop and country artists.

Friday, 8/7/26
The Doo Wop Project

Featuring five Broadway stars, this show comprises doo wop classics and reimagines contemporary songs by Daft Punk, Chris Stapleton and Taylor Swift as doo wop classics.

Tuesday, 8/11/26
The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra

Founded in 1956, it performs "In the Mood," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "A String of Pearls" and more. 

Friday, 8/14/26
Fireworks Finale

The Redlands Symphony Orchestra with featured soloist/violinist Miclen LaiPang, who will perform Tchaikovsky’s "Violin Concerto in D Major." Miclen is a past Redlands Bowl Young
Artist winner. Based in Paris, he maintains an active international schedule as a chamber musician and soloist and currently serves as a faculty member at the International Chamber Music Academy in Ochsenhausen, Germany,

Friday, 12/4/26
A Holiday Evening with Phat Cat Swinger

The range of musical styles comprise original music and reimagined favorites, as the 11-piece big band plays artists from Brian Setzer and Michael Bublé to Bruno Mars, in this holiday show.

For more information: RedlandsBowl.org.

Out now: 'Trixies' - Squeeze (Album Review)

Squeeze

Trixies
(BMG/Love)

For more than 50 years, the enduring Squeeze songwriting partnership between singer/guitarists Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford has produced some of the most memorable, finely crafted pop music ever to emerge from England.

Here in America, the award-winning band is best known for such pop/rock radio hits as “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Hourglass” and “Tempted” (sung by onetime member Paul Carrack). Then there are college radio faves and UK hits from the late ‘70s/early ’80s like “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” and “Another Nail in My Heart.”

Now the duo is back with Trixies, its first studio album since 2017’s The Knowledge and it’s definitely a keeper. A highly engaging concept album revolving around fictitious British nightclub Trixies, the colorful characters and goings-on there, the tunes were originally written in 1974 (when Tilbrook was age 16 and Difford, 19), yet they got shelved before notoriety for Squeeze arrived.

Recently, the duo unearthed the original demos. They were surprised at how accomplished their teenage musician selves actually were and decided to flesh out the arrangements with the current eight-piece Squeeze lineup and others.

The results are sure to delight diehard fans. Tilbrook manages the lion’s share of lead vocals, as usual, but Difford also does a couple and they both harmonize throughout the 13 tracks. Trixies opens with the idyllic “What More Can I Say,” as Tilbrook sings about the bar past closing time: “The doors have all been closed…the lipstick has been smeared.” Difford had a knack for picturesque lyrics even then. A subtle, acoustic guitar led “You Get the Feeling” could've fit on the 1991 Play album, while the warm “The Place That We Call Mars” reminds of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.”

Highlights include the frantic, keyboard-dominant “Hell on Earth” (think: 1987's Babylon and On), slow burn rocker “Don’t Go Out in the Dark,” about the seedy area outside the club, the tension-filled rocker “Why Don’t You,” a luxurious Difford-sung “It’s Over” (also, about closing time at the club, with sonic shades of Prefab Sprout),” and the finger-snapping, subtle glam rock vibe of “The Jaguars,” surrounding a typical busy night. Tilbrook does some searing electric guitar work in various places, while the band provides exquisite power pop sounds via mellotron, celeste, vibraphone, harpsichord, and more. Snazzy up-tempo closer “Trixies Pt. 2” even features sax by Jeff Coffin (I assume the same musician from Dave Matthews Band).

Physical versions are strongly recommended due to the brilliant packaging design that should be nominated for a Grammy in 2027. Graphics for the 3CD edition – comprising the Trixies album, 1974 demos, two 2024 live tracks and the album in Dolby Atmos and 24bit Stereo Master - include a 4+2 panel fold out, with credits, a full color photo of the band in a club and Trixies show posters; the liner notes or “Concoctions Menu” contains lyrics and a detailed overview by UK music scribe Pete Paphides. The back states: “Difford and Tilbrook – The Mixologists Since 1973.”

Other formats are black, transparent pink or red LP and standard CD. 

www.squeezeofficial.com

Final Album by The Alarm Due in May

photo: Andrew Labrow

Transformation, the last Alarm studio album recorded by Mike Peters, who succumbed to cancer in 2025, is scheduled for May 29 via Twenty First Century Recordings/Virgin Music Group. It is now available for presale at the band's official webstore (thealarm.com).

“Mike lived a life of beauty and never gave up right to the very end,” says Jules Peters, the singer/guitarist's bandmate and wife. The latest single, “Live Today” just premiered. 

Filmed just days before Mike underwent the innovative CAR-T treatment with hopes of eradicating Richter’s Syndrome, an aggressive form of lymphoma, “Live Today” is Mike’s final video.

“As the sun rose, watching Mike perform this song with so much optimism and hope will live with me forever,” said Jules. “It was a bittersweet day for me as we filmed this incredible joyous film on the beach in the North of England. After filming concluded, we climbed onto the tour bus and drove straight to the Christie Hospital in Manchester, U.K.. We were full of determination that the pioneering CAR-T would save Mike’s life but, at the same time, I was personally terrified as I couldn’t shake off a feeling that cancer had finally caught up with us both.”

The video shows Mike performing without any hint of weakness, though his health was ailing at the time. “This video is such a difficult watch,” Jules said. “It broke my heart… but it captures the eternal essence of Mike Peters that keeps us coming back to him and his incredible songs time after time.”

Recording sessions for Transformation began spontaneously on October 7, 2024, and after various life-interventions, it was finally completed on the evening of January 15, 2025 - the night before he began his CAR-T therapy.

First single “Chimera” was poised as an allegorical rebirth when it was released on January 23, 2025 - the exact day his CAR-T therapy began. Symbolically encapsulating the Greek mythos of a chimera which embodies the characteristics of different animals into one body, Mike envisioned that he himself would become like the fabled creature. “When I have CAR-T therapy I will literally become chimeric,” stated Mike at the time. “There will be two types of blood flowing inside of me. Two individual types of DNA.”

Mike Peters first rose to prominence in the early 1980s with the original lineup of The Alarm, and enjoyed hit singles like "68 Guns," "Rain in the Summertime" and "45 RPM." Diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995 and later with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Peters refused to let his illness silence him. Instead, he turned his fight into a mission to help others.

Alongside his wife Jules, he co-founded Love Hope Strength, a music-driven cancer charity that revolutionized awareness and action around stem cell donation that continues beyond his passing. Through its innovative “Get On The List” campaigns—often hosted at rock concerts and even atop mountains—the charity has added over 400,000 people to the global stem cell registry and helped secure thousands of potential life-saving matches for patients worldwide.

Jules concludes, “Mike and the spirit of The Alarm will ‘Live Today,’ forever more. I invite you all to blast Transformation out loud. Imagine Mike in the room with you. Transformation is his battle cry, his resilient love of life. Right to the very end, Mike believed that he was going to live, to be totally free. My last memory is driving him open top along the North Wales coast road, playing Transformation at maximum volume. He was so happy. So full of life. Playing his air drums, bass guitar, already imagining himself on his next world tour. So keep that positive spirit moving forwards. Imagine him as you all knew him best, striding out on to that stage, changing lives one concert at a time. This is an album of hope and a passionate celebration of a life well lived. Please do not be sad. Mike wouldn’t want that. He was so proud of this album and had the best time recording it during the last six months of his life. Blast it out loud like Mike did. Play along to the track list and most of all, be happy that we all had Mike in our lives and continue to do so. The music of Mike and The Alarm will always keep us strong”.

Track listing:

New Life
Chimera
Outlier
Saviour
Metaverse
Wired
One In A Million
Live Today
Soul Town
In Unity
To Be Alive
Love Makes Love

Coachella Festival 2026 Preview

A Potent Musical Mix Headed to Indio

George A. Paul and Robert Kinsler provided top picks for some acts set to appear at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 10-12 and April 17-19 in today's Desert Star Weekly.

This year’s headliners are Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G. Italian techno DJ Anyma - who performed at Sphere Las Vegas and the Giza pyramids - will also premiere his science fiction-meets-ancient mythology live production AEden. Nearly 150 established and emerging artists are scheduled to perform over the two consecutive weekends.

Fridays, April 10 and 17

Moby — Richard Melville Hall (better known as Moby) is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter/producer who has successfully brought dance and electronica music to the mainstream around the globe. Between 1992 and 1997, he scored eight top 10 hits on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. His albums Play (1999), 18 (2002) and Always Centered at Night (2024) are essential listens; hopefully, his Coachella appearances will offer material from across a rich discography. (RK)

The xx — A favorite discovery at Coachella ’17, the British trio’s sublime turn included an opening segment with guitarist Romy Madley Croft and bassist Oliver Sim sharing exquisite vocals amid the lush “Say Something Loving” and otherworldly “Angels.” The xx are currently working on a fourth studio album — the first since 2017's UK chart-topper I See You — so Coachellagoers may hear new music during their highly-anticipated sets. (RK)

Saturdays, April 11 and 18

David Byrne – As leader for NYC’s Talking Heads, David Byrne and company crafted seminal Brian Eno-produced alt-rock albums like More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light during the late 1970s and ‘80s. They were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The singer’s solo career has been equally adventurous. Last year’s festive Who is the Sky? often recalled 1992’s Uh-Oh. It saw him collaborate with St. Vincent, Hayley Williams, and Ghost Train Orchestra with idiosyncratic results. Recent sets have included such Talking Heads classics as “Psycho Killer,” “Once in a Lifetime,” and “Life During Wartime.” (GAP)

Sombr – New Yorker Shane Boose (pictured above), who records under the name Sombr, put out one of the best albums of ’25 with the reverb-drenched, alternative pop and dance-leaning I Barely Know Her. Among the strongest debuts in recent memory, it spawned international hits “Undressed,” “12 to 12,” and “Back to Friends” (the latter resides in the Spotify “Billions Club”). Latest single “Homewrecker” is equally alluring. Sombr’s TV appearances have projected plenty of swagger, so it’ll be interesting to see how that translates outdoors here. (GAP)

Interpol — Back in 2015, Manhattan’s Interpol knocked me out with their nighttime appearance on the Coachella Stage. Blending indie, alternative, and post-punk into a signature dream-swept sound, singer-rhythm guitarist Paul Banks, lead guitarist Daniel Kessler, and drummer Sam Fogarino are sure to feature winning originals from across their 25-year career, including groundbreaking 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights and 2022 album The Other Side of Make-Believe. (RK)

Sundays, April 12 and 19

Iggy Pop – Widely considered the “Godfather of Punk, thanks to his pioneering and confrontational late 1960s-early ‘70s work with The Stooges, Pop jump-started a riveting solo career with David Bowie at his side. Their results included classics “Lust for Life” (frequently included in films, TV shows, and commercials), “China Girl,” “The Passenger,” and “Funtime.” Pop’s biggest mainstream hit, “Candy,” a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52’s, arrived in 1990. More recently, 2023’s spiky Every Loser, produced by Andrew Watt, featured a star-studded guest list of alternative rockers. (GAP) 

Foster the People — Los Angeles-spawned Foster the People rose to fame in 2010 with the viral success of frontman Mark Foster's dance-minded crossover hit “Pumped Up Kicks.” The group's infectious synth rock-meets-dance pop approach has also yielded winning singles such as “Helena Beat,” “Houdini,” “Coming of Age” and “Sit Next to Me.” (RK)

Sombr photo by Bryce Glenn, courtesy Warner Records

David Byrne photo by Shervin Lainez, courtesy Matador Records/Grandstand Media

Iggy Pop concert photo by Marc Ducet, courtesy of EarMusic 

Book of Love's eponymous debut to get special LP reissue in June

Synth-pop band Book of Love will release a 40th Anniversary edition of their self-titled debut, on June 26 via Rhino Records. Originally released on April 1, 1986, Book of Love gained popularity thanks to its songs “Boy,” “I Touch Roses,” and “You Make Me Feel So Good” and more.

40 years later, this special anniversary edition – remastered by its original engineer, Ted Jensen – will arrive during Pride Month in a clear vinyl variant. The album artwork has also been refreshed in collaboration with original art director Nick Egan to honor the anniversary, including a four-page insert featuring outtakes from the iconic photo session with Michael Halsband.

It also features new liner notes by writer and music historian Kurt B. Reighley, who sat down with founding members Susan Ottaviano and Ted Ottaviano. 

Grammy-winning producer Dave Audé has also shared a new remix of “Boy,” reimagining the band’s breakout single. Listen HERE.

A Message from Book of Love:

We are thrilled that April 1 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of our self-titled debut album. To celebrate the occasion, Rhino Records will be releasing a newly remastered edition of the album, available both digitally and–we’re especially happy to share–on vinyl. The album has never sounded better!

Working with Rhino on this anniversary vinyl edition has truly been a labor of love. This album has always had a life of its own, and it’s been incredibly meaningful to revisit it. We’ve been fortunate to reunite much of the original creative team for this special release. We’re so grateful for the love this record has received over the years and are excited to celebrate this milestone with all of you.

Track list (LP):

Side One
1. Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)
2. You Make Me Feel So Good
3. Still Angry
4. White Lies
5. Lost Souls
6. Late Show

Side Two
7. I Touch Roses
8. Yellow Sky
9. Boy
10. Happy Day
11. Die Matrosen
12. Book of Love