Exclusive Bruce Hornsby Feature, Sturgill Simpson Plots Mutiny for the Masses Tour
Springsteen vs. Trump: Round 2
Relix Daily
April 02, 2026
April 2, 2026
FEATURE
Bruce Hornsby was ready for a well-deserved songwriting break. But, as is often the case, the muse had other plans. “At that point, I was kind of fried with all this. I’d written 40-some songs in four years. And that’s a lot for me. But then this one idea popped into my head, and it just wouldn’t leave me alone,” Hornsby says with an audible, self-effacing chuckle, still clearly amused by the situation several years later. “It would wake me up in the middle of the night. It’d be in my head, and I was trying to give it the Heisman, the stiff arm, but it wasn’t working. Finally, after about six-eight months of trying not to deal with this idea, I finally said, ‘OK, I yield to you. I’ll give in and take the deep dive.’ So I wrote it, and then I recorded it.”
NEWS
Sturgill Simpson has announced a new North American tour as Johnny Blue Skies, backed by his road-hardened Dark Clouds band. From Sept. 4 to Oct. 30, the alt-country firestarter will burn through 28 performances across the US and a lone Canadian stand. The group’s next ride will support Mutiny After Midnight, Simpson’s second album under his new moniker, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 after an unconventional (mostly) physical-exclusive release in early March.
If you haven’t been to New Orleans for Jazz Fest, you are missing out. Jazz Fest has over 600 artists on 14 stages spread over two weekends celebrating the music, food and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana alongside the biggest names in music. Don’t wait until next year. Single-day tickets and weekend wristbands are on sale now. Visit www.nojazzfest.com for all the details.
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NEWS
On Tuesday, Bruce Springsteen launched his Land of Hope and Dreams tour from Minneapolis’ Target Center with an urgent and impactful performance, featuring songs carefully selected to meet the moment and extended reflections on the political context that brought him back to the stage. After Springsteen and Trump traded threats and criticism over social media during his European tour of the same name last year, there was some expectation that the President would comment on the current run at some point. This morning, in the wake of his last night’s address on the war in Iran and its economic fallout, he responded predictably. That was quick.
On April 25, 1981, the Grateful Dead, billed here as "The (Not) Dead", took the stage at Berkeley Community Theater for an intimate acoustic set that remains one of the most beloved documents of the band's quieter side. Captured by the legendary Owsley "Bear" Stanley and released as part of his ongoing Bear's Sonic Journals archival series, Sing Out! showcases Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Billy Kreutzmann, and John Kahn running through a warm set of folk, bluegrass, and country classics.
LISTEN
The celestial rollout for Peter Gabriel’s o/i continues today with “Till Your Mind Is Shining,” the fourth single from his 11th studio album. Like 2023’s i/o, which brought Gabriel back to the studio for his first new release in 21 years, the icon’s new project has been slowly unfolding with the lunar calendar since January, with “Dark-Side” and “Bright-Side” mixes by Tchad Blake and Mark ‘Spike’ Stent landing on the full moon and new moon of each month. Gabriel says the latest preview, after “Been Undone,” “Put the Bucket Down” and “What Lies Ahead,” is “the closest I get to a pop song on this record.”
FEATURE
As The Infamous Stringdusters celebrate their 20th anniversary, the Grammy Award-winning quintet continues with what it’s always done—pushing forward as creative artists. As they recorded their latest album, bassist Travis Book came up with the concept of the release aligning with their two decades together. Inspiring each other during the process, nearly 50 songs were written by Book, Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (dobro), Andy Falco (guitar) with 20 of these eventually recorded for 20/20, which features their boundary-pushing mix of bluegrass, Americana, country and folk.
NEWS
Athens, GA-bred group Futurebirds will release their first double album, Far Out Country, on June 5 via Dualtone Records. Produced by Brad Cook, known for his time with Megafaun and recent work with Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman, the record is described as being “split into two distinct worlds of Far Out Country I & II—a restless, sunlit day and a deeper, more interior night that blends psychedelic country-rock, indie and something that feels less like a genre than a place.”
NEWS
Umphrey’s McGee have announced a new slate of tour dates for this summer. From July 15 to Aug. 23, the progressive rock powerhouse will add nine further engagements to their already packed 2026 tour calendar, moving through the Southeast and Midwest between legs of their previously announced co-headline tour with moe.
RECAP
On Monday, Mike Gordon brought his first tour with his current five-piece combo to a close at South Burlington, VT’s Higher Ground. The second of two shows at the hometown venue, the Phish bassist invited a few familiar faces to the stage during the night’s encore. First, Gordon’s teenage daughter Tessa and area musician Kat Wright, a close collaborator of the band’s new guitarist Bob Wagner, emerged to sing with the group on the latter musician’s “Reminder.” Then, the singers remained for the Gordon band’s debut take on The Wood Brothers’ “One More Day.” Tessa frequently plays with his father around the Burlington area, and the Gordons supported The Wood Brothers last summer.
