Bruce Springsteen's New Album Released Early on Amazon

The rocker's 18th studio release, "High Hopes," became available Saturday -- two weeks ahead of its announced release date.

Fans expecting to wait two more weeks for the new Bruce Springsteen album got a surprise Saturday.

The New Jersey rocker's 18th studio album, High Hopes, became available for purchase and download via Amazon, despite an announced Jan. 14 release date.

High Hopes was released through Amazon's mobile website in an MP3 format, Billboard reports, and is now available through file-sharing websites by those who purchased the album through Amazon. It is unclear if the early release was an intentional move on Amazon's part. Read more here.

Article by: Michele Amabile Angermiller, THR

Grammys Add Shelton, Nelson, Haggard, Kristofferson

Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Blake Shelton will share the stage at the upcoming Grammy Awards to pay homage to their roots in Oklahoma and Texas.

This will be Haggard's first-ever performance on the show, according to the Recording Academy. The Grammy Awards will air live on CBS on Jan. 26.

Producer Ken Ehrlich is keeping the details of the segment under wraps, but he did tell CMT.com that bringing the four stars together was "just too good to pass up."

Ehrlich said he wanted the Grammys to get involved in relief efforts after Oklahoma and Texas were ravaged by tornadoes in May. The idea to bring Nelson on board occurred when Ehrlich saw him play at the Hollywood Bowl in August. Read more here.

Article by: Craig Shelburne, CMT News

                       Merle Haggard (left), Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Blake Shelton

Dream Theater Announce 2014 North American Tour Dates

Dream Theater will be getting plenty of frequent flyer miles in 2014. They have a previously announced European tour lined up beginning in mid-January, and have now revealed dates for their North American ‘Along for the Ride Tour’ that begins March 20 in Toronto. Read more here.

Article by: Chad Bowar, Loudwire

Dream Theater 2014 North American Tour Dates
3/20/14 — Toronto, Ontario — Massey Hall
3/21/14 — Montreal, Quebec — Bell Center
3/25/14 — Boston, Mass. — Opera House
3/27/14 — Upper Darby, Pa. — Tower Theatre
3/28/14 — New York, N.Y. — Hammerstein Ballroom
4/1/14 — Washington, D.C. — Lincoln Theater
4/2/14 — Pittsburgh, Pa. — The Palace
4/4/14 — Detroit, Mich. — Fillmore
4/5/14 — Chicago, Ill. — Chicago Theatre
4/6/14 — Milwaukee, Wis. — Pabst Theater
4/8/14 — Minneapolis, Minn. — Burnsville Performing Arts Center
4/9/14 — Kansas City, Mo. — Uptown Theater
4/10/14 — Denver, Colo. — Paramount
4/12/14 — Vancouver, British Columbia — Queen Elizabeth Theatre
4/15/14 — Salem, Ore. — Elsinore Theatre
4/17/14 — San Francisco, Calif. — The Warfield
4/18/14 — Riverside, Calif. — Fox PAC
4/19/14 — Los Angeles, Calif. — The Orpheum
4/23/14 — Mexico City, Mexico — Arena Ciudad De Mexico
4/25/14 — Monterrey, Mexico — Arena Monterrey
4/26/14 — Guadalajara, Mexico — Auditorio Telmex

                                                        Robert Cianflone, Getty Images

Ray Price Dead at 87

Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Price has died. The singer succumbed to complications from pancreatic cancer at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas on Monday (Dec. 16), four days after issuing a goodbye letter to his fans and entering home hospice.

Price’s 65-year career created a catalog of well-known, award-winning hits, but he’s also remembered as a true gentleman. “Ray Price was a member of country music’s greatest generation, and he radiated poise, dignity and class,” Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs told the Tennessean. Read more here.

Article by: Billy Dukes, Taste of Country

                                                   Michael Ochs Archive, Getty Images

Primal Scream unleash another round of "More Light" shows

Scottish alt-rockers Primal Scream will head stateside next spring for a club, theater and festival trek in continued support of "More Light."

Following a successful fall headlining run in the U.S., the Glasgow-based band will begin the next leg of their North American excursion with an April 30 performance in Houston, followed by another 11 major market stops. Appearances at Austin's PsychFest (5/2) and Memphis' Beale Street Festival (5/4) are also on the books before the May 16 wrap-up in Toronto. Read more here.

Article by: Tara Hall, SoundSpike

Jake Bugg & Albert Hammond Jr. On Tour

Jake Bugg is kicking off 2014 with a North American excursion that launches the second week of January. The 19-year-old English singer/songwriter is bringing along Albert Hammond Jr. as support.

 

Bugg is winding down a European trek as he makes his rounds across the globe supporting his sophomore album, Shangri La, which was released Nov. 18. Following last night’s appearance at The Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, Bugg will play London’s Eventim Apollo Dec. 20. Read more on the release here.

Article by: Sarah Marie Pittman, Pollstar

Here’s the plan for 2014:

Jan. 9 – Baltimore, Md., Rams Head Live!   
Jan. 10 – New York, N.Y., Terminal 5   
Jan. 11 – Boston, Mass., House Of Blues Boston   
Jan. 12 – Montreal, Quebec, Metropolis   
Jan. 14 – Toronto, Ontario, Sound Academy   
Jan. 15 – Royal Oak, Mich., Royal Oak Music Theatre   
Jan. 17 – Minneapolis, Minn., First Avenue   
Jan. 18 – Chicago, Ill., Riviera Theatre   
Jan. 21 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Orpheum   
Jan. 22 – Portland, Ore., McMenamins Crystal Ballroom   
Jan. 23 – Oakland, Calif., Fox Theater   
Jan. 24 – Los Angeles, Calif., The Wiltern   
Jan. 28 – Dallas, Texas, House Of Blues   
Jan. 29 – Houston, Texas, House Of Blues

                                                                    (John Davisson)

Stone Sour gets behind "House of Gold & Bones - Part 2"

Alt-metal rockers Stone Sour have unleashed a winter club and theater run in continued support of their most recent effort, "House of Gold & Bones - Part 2."

The Iowa outfit will take to the road for the Jan. 14 kickoff in Lake Buena Vista, FL, and work its way across the U.S., performing in 21 major markets from coast to coast. The month-long tour wraps up Feb. 15 in San Antonio, TX. Read more on the article here.

Article by: Tara Hall, SoundSpike

                                                 Photo: Antonio Marino Jr. / SoundSpike

Thank God For St. Vincent’s North American Tour

St. Vincent is just full of blessings this week for her devout followers – a release date for her new album and all the info you need to know about her 2014 North American tour. She’s also posted the LP’s first track online, “Birth in Reverse.”

 

After wrapping her trek with David Byrne in September in support of their collaborative 2012 album, Love This Giant, St. Vincent’s ready to do her own thing in 2014. Read more on this article here.

Here’s the itinerary:

Feb. 26 – New York, N.Y., Terminal 5   
Feb. 27 – Boston, Mass., House Of Blues Boston   
Feb. 28 – Philadelphia, Pa., Union Transfer   
March 1 – Washington, D.C., 9:30 Club   
March 4 – Saxapahaw, N.C., Haw River Ballroom   
March 5 – Asheville, N.C., The Orange Peel   
March 7 – Nashville, Tenn., Marathon Music Works   
March 8 – Atlanta, Ga., The Tabernacle   
March 10 – Houston, Texas, House Of Blues   
March 14 – Dallas, Texas, House Of Blues   
March 18 – Phoenix, Ariz., Orpheum Theatre   
March 19 – San Diego, Calif., House Of Blues   
March 21 – Los Angeles, Calif., The Wiltern  
March 22 – Oakland, Calif., Fox Theater
March 24 – Portland, Ore., McMenamins Crystal Ballroom   
March 25 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Commodore Ballroom   
March 26 – Seattle, Wash., Moore Theatre   
March 28 – Salt Lake City, Utah, The Depot   
March 29 – Denver, Colo., Ogden Theatre   
March 31 – Lawrence, Kan., Liberty Hall   
April 1 – Omaha, Neb., Sokol Auditorium / Underground   
April 3 – Minneapolis, Minn., The State Theatre   
April 4 – Milwaukee, Wis., Turner Hall Ballroom   
April 5 – Chicago, Ill., Riviera Theatre   
April 6 – Detroit, Mich., The Majestic Theatre   
April 8 – Cincinnati, Ohio, Bogart’s   
April 9 – Columbus, Ohio, Newport Music Hall   
April 10 – Cleveland, Ohio, House Of Blues   
April 11 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Stage AE   
April 12 – Buffalo, N.Y., Asbury Hall At Babeville

 

B.B. King works the North American tour trail in early 2014

Just a couple months after finishing up a late summer itinerary, guitar icon B.B. King will welcome the New Year with a North American theater tour.

The 88-year-old blues musician will tackle a New Year's Eve (12/31) performance in Clearwater, FL, followed by a second night (1/2) at the same venue. The 31-city outing crisscrosses the nation and extends through a May 31 concert in Joliet, IL. Read more here.

Article by: Tara Hall, SoundSpike

Tickets and tour dates here

                                                     Photo: Gene Schilling / SoundSpike

George Strait Sells Out Final Date of Cowboy Rides Away Tour

More Than 100,000 Tickets Sold Quickly for All-Star Stadium Concert in Texas

Tickets to the final stop on George Strait's Cowboy Rides Away tour sold out within hours of going on sale Friday (Dec. 6). More than 100,000 tickets were sold for the June 7 concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Lee Ann Womack will perform three songs each at the concert, and Strait plans to deliver a full set of his hits to mark the end of his national tours. Asleep at the Wheel will open the Dallas-area show.

"Wow," Strait said after learning of the sold out show. "To see this response from the fans to our final show is humbling and exciting at the same time. This is going to be an incredible night, and I feel very blessed this holiday knowing how many of you we'll get to see next year on our final tour." Read more on the release here.

Article by: Written by CMT.com Staff

Get a great selection of George Strait tickets here.

Breathe Carolina Savages The States

Breathe Carolina is taking 2014 by storm with a U.S. headlining tour set to kick off Feb. 5 in Tucson, Ariz.

The electronic rock band recently released the title track for its forthcoming album Savages, which drops this spring.

To celebrate, Breathe Carolina is heading out on the aptly dubbed “We Are Savages Tour” and hitting cities along the way including Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago before wrapping in Des Moines, Iowa, March 29. Read more on the release here.

Article by: Dana Parker-McClain, Pollstar

Here are the dates:

Feb. 5 – Tucson, Ariz., The Rock
Feb. 6 – Albuquerque, N.M., Sunshine Theater
Feb. 7 – Denver, Colo., The Summit Music Hall
Feb. 8 – Salt Lake City, Utah, Murray Theater
Feb. 10 – Seattle, Wash., El Corazon
Feb. 11– Portland, Ore., Hawthorne Theater
Feb. 12 – Sacramento, Calif., Ace of Spades
Feb. 13 – San Francisco, Calif., Slim’s
Feb. 14 – Las Vegas, Nev., Hard Rock Live
Feb. 15 – Pomona, Calif., Glass House
Mar. 10 – San Antonio, Texas, White Rabbit
Mar. 11 – Dallas, Texas, The Door
Mar. 12 – Houston, Texas, Walters Downtown
Mar. 14 – Orlando, Fla., The Social
Mar. 15 – St Petersburg, Fla., The State Theatre
Mar. 16 – Atlanta, Ga., Masquerade – Hell Stage
Mar. 17 – Raleigh, N.C., Lincoln Theater
Mar. 19 – Baltimore, Md., Ottobar
Mar. 20 – Philadelphia, Pa., Theatre of the Living Arts
Mar. 21 – New York, N.Y., Gramercy Theater
Mar. 22 – Allston, Mass., Brighton Music Hall
Mar. 24 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Altar Bar
Mar. 25 – Cleveland, Ohio, Agora Ballroom
Mar. 26 – Grand Rapids, Mich., The Stache
Mar. 27 – Chicago, Ill., Subterranean
Mar. 28 – Burnsville, Minn., The Garage
Mar. 29 – Des Moines, Iowa, Wooly’s

                                                                    (John Davisson)

Pixies Part Ways With New Bassist

The Pixies have parted ways with recently added bassist Kim Shattuck.

"Super disappointed to learn that my time with the Pixies ended today," Shattuck wrote Friday on Facebook (via Pitchfork). "Amazing experience. Looking forward to focusing my attention back on the Muffs and our upcoming new album. All the best to everyone." Read more on the release here.

Article by: Erik Hayden, The Hollywood Reporter

                                                                       Getty Images