Billy Strings NPR 'Tiny Desk' Debut, Electric Forest Shares 2026 Lineup
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Respond to Spotify AI Clone
Relix Daily
December 10, 2025
December 10, 2025
WATCH
At long last, Billy Strings has taken his talents to NPR’s Tiny Desk. The maestro and his band, Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), and Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals) honored the bluegrass tradition while gathered around a single microphone during their visit to the music division of National Public Radio’s Washington, D.C., headquarters in a performance deemed “the way these instruments are meant to sound.”
NEWS
Electric Forest has revealed the initial artist lineup for its 2026 staging. Returning to its longtime home of Rothbury, Mich. from June 25-28, the storied electronic summit will once again host some of the most exciting acts that the genre (and its many branching styles) has to offer, spanning electro-funk, dubstep, hyperpop, drum & bass, tech house, trap, nu-disco, indie-rock, jam and more. The festival’s first dispatch confirms 100 performers, with more to be announced as the event approaches.
Bring color and movement to your gift wrap with these playful designs by artist Lia Burke Libaire. Featuring dancing bears, skull & roses, and more patterns, these officially licensed patterns are perfect for any celebration, vibrant and nostalgic.
NEWS
In July, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard announced that they would no longer host their music on Spotify. Following a precedent set by early critics Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, and since adopted by Massive Attack, Sylvan Esso, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Cindy Lee, Hotline TNT, Skee Mask, John Mailander and more, the shape-shifting Australian psych ensemble attributed the move to an objection to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in AI-powered military software. In their absence, an AI impersonator gained traction on the streamer.
Featuring the unmistakable steal your face logo in the middle, the back design encapsulates iconic imagery that heads have come to know and love over many decades. The terrapins play their tune, and the dancing bears swing to every note. The aces also feature stunning full-art design, complete with logos and mascots that are cemented in the band’s history.
NEWS
Widespread Panic’s Jimmy Herring will no longer participate in the Warren Haynes Presents: The Christmas Jam, the event scheduled for this Saturday, December 13, at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, N.C.
FEATURE
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram doesn’t get too hung up on the titles that people assign to him, no matter how well-intentioned or laudatory they may be. In his case this could be easily become a distraction, given the number of times that others have dubbed him the “Future of the Blues.” The dynamic guitarist first heard this descriptor as a teenager, a few years prior to the release of his Grammy-nominated debut album Kingfish, which Alligator Records issued in 2019, shortly after he turned 20.
NEWS
The String Cheese Incident have announced their annual summertime return to the acclaimed outdoor venue in their own backyard, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo.
Our latest Relix Staff Picks are here, featuring fresh pulls from what’s been spinning around the office. Dive into our team’s go-to tracks, now streaming on Qobuz.
NEWS
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Plan Spring Tour, Including Camp Cosmic and Fourth Annual Cosmic NOLA
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country have announced a new slate of tour dates for spring 2026. From April 9 to May 23, the Nashville axeman and his tried and true band of psychedelic Americana pioneers will make 15 stops around the Southeast. The Horizons Spring Tour will continue the celebration of Donato’s acclaimed fourth studio album, which arrived in August, and will follow the band’s previously announced Winter Tour.
EXCLUSIVE
In preparation for the January 16, 2026, release of Turn A Midnight Corner, Mike Mattison and his Trash Magic band share a new single, “Going Down the Alley.” Premiering today via Relix, the track demonstrates the lighter side of the bandleader’s range as a songwriter. Gone are the seismic descriptions of the Big Apple borough lit by something bigger than the stars; here, Mattison summons an upbeat ditty with a subtle cowboy undertone that might inspire the listener to dance through the streets rather than saunter.