Today, revered pillar of North American dance music HARD Events announces its new event sub-brand, HARD Selects. An outgrowth of HARD’s tenure as an evolving multi-genre curational force in North America, HARD Selects aims to spotlight the diverse global underground music community while paying homage to and celebrating the Los Angeles scene’s DIY ethos, aesthetic, culture and selectors.

Acclaimed California rock band Dawes have shared their epic new single, “Surprise!,” available everywhere now. Co-produced by brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith alongside longtime friend Mike Viola, the not-quite-center centerpiece about life not going as expected, written as Taylor was settling into fatherhood, marks the latest single from Dawes’ upcoming ninth studio album, Oh Brother, arriving on Dead Ringers via Secretly Canadian Distribution on Friday, October 11. Pre-orders are available now.

Pianist & Synthesizer legend Don Preston will be touring Europe starting in September (tour dates below). Don Preston leads a life filled with music, innovation, and experimentation in acoustic and electronic music. “Groundbreaking” is a phrase that is clearly overused. With Don it rings true. One of the first performers to drag a pile of oscillators and filters onstage, he brought his classical training to the Avant Garde. In the early 60s Frank Zappa would come to see Don’s “electronic music with films of bacterial life” shows in Los Angeles.

Today, Folk Alliance International (FAI), the world’s leading nonprofit dedicated to serving, strengthening, and engaging the global folk music community, unveiled the lineup of Official Showcases for its thirty-seventh annual conference, scheduled for February 19-23, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Featuring over 175 artists from 38 countries, 19 U.S. states, and all 13 Canadian provinces, the 2025 showcase slate is among the largest in the conference’s history.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, or any other, Suzanne Vega is sharing a new single, "Rats," along with a music video directed by acclaimed animator and filmmaker Martha Colburn. You can stream/share the video HERE and the track HERE.

To coincide with National Voter Registration Day, Constitution Day, and Citizenship Day, R.E.M. has today released We Are Hope Despite The Times, a digital compilation of songs aimed at encouraging their listeners to stay informed, engaged, and vote during this critical election season. The playlist brings together tracks from the band’s catalog that resonate with themes of activism and social responsibility. Fans can listen on their preferred music platform here.