Images and information about Jerry Garcia exhibition are courtesy of Arete Gallery

Jerry Garcia is one of a few defining figures who reshaped American culture and rock history in the second half of the Twentieth Century, a cornerstone of anti-war and human rights movements of the late ’60s through early ’70s, whose heritage and legacy, both as a musician and as an artist, continues to resonate, embodying a spirit of innovation, nonconformity, and creative exploration that has influenced generations.

On August 1st, 2024, the Arete Gallery opened a ravishing exhibition celebrating Jerry Garcia's art. This exhibition brought music and visual art fans into the dynamic creative world of the iconic Grateful Dead frontman. Though Garcia is best known for his extraordinary musical legacy, he was also an accomplished artist, creating a remarkable collection of paintings, drawings, and mixed-media works throughout his life.

All-female rock sensation Plush recently wrapped up their first headlining Find The Beautiful Tour, following an epic, 23-show arena series with Disturbed and Falling In Reverse earlier this year. Plush closed the touring year by heading over the ocean to shake up Japan, where they played a special show in Okinawa on October 5, 2024, at the Futenma Flight Line Fair. 

Right before leaving for The Land Of The Rising Sun, Plush has dropped a new music video for their smashing hit "Run," directed by Chase Warren. The song held a spot on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream Rock Chart for several weeks and is featured on their latest EP, Find the Beautiful, which was released in January under Pavement Entertainment.

In the dynamic world of rock and metal, there are a few names that demonstrate an unparalleled synergy of technical mastery and raw passion as Nick Z Marino, a powerhouse vocalist and keyboardist known for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen and his solo project NZM, and John Ivan Belousov, an internationally acclaimed progressive and thrash metal guitarist and songwriter, a member of the Michael Vescera Project, and co-founder of The Voices of Metal Project. 

In this exclusive interview, we explore their musical journeys, their life experiences and stories, and what drives them to continue evolving. Nick and John talk about the roots of their friendship, the commonality of their backgrounds and fate, and share the history of their collaboration, offering a rare glimpse into the minds of two artists who live and breathe music of the highest level of creativity, drive, and multi-layered complexity.

In the modern guitar world, few names resonate as profoundly as Grammy-winning producer, engineer, virtuoso guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Larry Mitchell. Renowned for his spellbinding techniques, soulful compositions, and eponymous signature sound, Mitchell has carved out a niche that defies genre boundaries, seamlessly blending rock, jazz, blues, and world music influences.

During his star-studded journey, Larry recorded and toured with icons such as Tracy Chapman, Ric Ocasek, Billy Squier, Miguel Bosé, and Nile Rodgers. He collaborates with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, George Lynch, and Doug Doppler, among many others, produced award-winning records for a variety of artists, and released several solo albums since emerging on the scene in the late 1980s.

The release of “the best of…” compilation albums by any accomplished artist is always a major and highly anticipated event, praised by fans and the press. More importantly, such work is expected to be a signified mark set upon a certain, often pivotal point of the artist’s career, embarking on the upcoming new chapters. "The Best of NZM" by the prominent South Florida power metal band NZM, released on July 19, 2024, via FireRock Music Group, is just that.

NZM, led by brilliant vocalist, virtuoso keyboard player, and producer Nick Z Marino, introduced their exceptional work throughout the years, which features the band's greatest hits, fan favorites, and rare tracks, capturing the essence of NZM's high-energy and emotionally charged performances and powerful sound, including their latest hit single “No Innocence," offering fans both a nostalgic journey and a fresh perspective on the band’s musical evolution.

For Chicago heavyweights SOiL, 2024 became an exciting and busy year of touring. They started in March by headlining in The Back To The 2000’s Tour along with their counterparts from Texas, nu-metal pioneers The Union Underground, playing exclusive material from their most popular albums that were released in the early 2000’s.

In August, SOiL takes off to Europe for a two-week European tour, The tour kicks off at the legendary Wacken Open Air Festival on August 2 and concludes on August 16 in Sulingen, Germany at the ReLoad Festival. In November 2024, the band returns to the UK for another headlining round for the first time since 2019.

With the February 20, 2024 release of their fourth original hit single "Defenseless," alternative metal and modern hard rock powerhouse NOAPOLOGY have entered the undeviating pathway to make a worldwide breakthrough with over 900,000 subscribers and staggering 200 million views on YouTube, and their eagerly anticipated upcoming full-length debut, finalizing their transition from a cover project, formerly known as Sershen&Zaritskaya.

"Defenseless" stands as the newest testament to NOAPOLOGY's unwavering dedication to crafting genuine, heartfelt music. It is a contemplation of Ukrainian rockers in their artistic development, following their previous highly successful originals, “Deadhearted” of 2023, and a debut single “Ashes,” which was produced in two versions - acoustic and a power-charged arrangement.

Thunderous riffs charged with the raw energy of purely aggressive and uncompromised hard rock and catchy melodic hooks comprise the foundation of Chicago rock masters The Outfit's new studio album, "Go." The album was released via Pavement Entertainment, marking their third release, following 2020's "Viking."

"Go" was expertly engineered by Chicago music stalwart Matt Mercado at Sonic Palace Studios in Oak Park, Illinois. It was mixed in Los Angeles by Grammy-nominated, multi-Platinum producer Ulrich Wild, known for his work with Pantera, Static-X, White Zombie, Deftones, and Breaking Benjamin, who produced densely tight, yet well balanced high-quality sound.