Skillet have just released the title track off their forthcoming album, Rise, which is available June 25th. The song “Rise” is part of the band’s first ever concept album, as singer John Cooper explains, “The narrative idea happened after we had 10 or 11 of the songs chosen. As we recorded them, we started to realize that there was something going on – that the album was really telling a story. Realizing that, I knew we needed to make it as powerful as we could.”

The title track is available on iTunes now.

The band are also offering their die-hard fans the chance to hang out with them on tour via the “Road to Rise VIP Experience.” For more info check out this video here.

Skillet will also be hitting the road this Summer on the Festival Circuit. Be sure to catch them at Rock on the Range, Alive, Creation East, and Rock the Park this summer.

To stay current on all things Skillet related, be sure to check out their Official Site, Facebook, and Twitter.

Monster Energy’s Rock Allegiance Tour, featuring four game-changing rock bands from four different countries, with Volbeat, HIM, All That Remains and Airbourne on the bill, has announced the first round of tour dates, which are posted below.

The tour will bring American audiences the very best that rock music as a whole has to offer, with a decidedly international feel. Rock music is a universal language and all the acts on this tour embody the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll without borders.

“The fans have made our North American visits thus far this year great fun and truly memorable,” Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen said. “We are looking forward to headlining Monster Energy’s Rock Allegiance festival tour this summer, and sharing the stage with HIM, All That Remains and Airbourne.”

Danish superstars Volbeat, who have enjoyed No. 1 status at active rock radio, will share the stage with HIM, a cult favorite from Finland whose fans are disciple-like in their devotion. All That Remains have scratched and clawed their way out of Massachusetts and rocketed up the radio charts over the past half-decade, all the while keeping a firm foothold in the hard rock/metal scene. Airbourne have been making a name for themselves ever since emerging from Australia, armed with plenty of riffs and just as much attitude.

The first round of dates are below. Tickets for these shows go on sale on Friday, May 17. For ticket information, go here.

8/24 – Twin Lakes, Wis. | Shadow Hill Ranch Festival
8/31 – Tulsa, Okla. | Convention Center
9/3 – Salt Lake City, Utah | Maverick Centre
9/4 – Las Vegas, Nev. | The Joint at the Hard Rock
9/6 – Seattle, Wash. | KISW Pain in the Grass
9/19 – Houston, Texas | Bayou Music Center
9/22 – Atlanta, Ga. | Tabernacle
9/27 – Boston, Ma. | Tsongas Arena
9/28 – Brooklyn, N.Y. | Brooklyn Waterfront

More dates will be announced after Memorial Day Weekend, so be on the lookout for further details, date and information soon.

Photo credit: Ed Miles

Maximum-blues-infused, hard rock band RIVAL SONS will perform two songs acoustically Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 PM PT live on AXS-TV: singer JAY BUCHANAN and guitarist SCOTT HOLIDAY will do “Keep On Swinging”–the first single from their acclaimed current album HEAD DOWN–as well as “Burn Down Los Angeles” from their 2011 album Pressure and Time.  The video for “Keep On Swinging” can be seen here: www.vevo.com/watch/rival-sons/keep-on-swinging/GBA631200133.  

AXS TV is broadcast on DIRECTV Channel 340, DISH Network Channel 167, AT&T U-Verse Channel 1106, Verizon FiOS Channel 569.   For additional affiliate and distributor channel information including Comcast Xfinity, Charter, Suddenlink and others please visit:  www.axs.tv/subscribe

RIVAL SONS–Jay Buchanan (vocals), Scott Holiday (guitar), Robin Everhart (bass) and Michael Miley (drums)–just wrapped up their headlining tour with shows in Canada, Europe and the U.K. Next, the group will tour the U.S., beginning May 29 in Grand Rapids, MI (itinerary below), to support of their third album HEAD DOWN, which was released March 19 on Century Media Records. It features “Keep On Swinging,” which hit #1 on the Active Rock Radio Charts in Canada and remained at the top for six straight weeks.

The band is anxious to be back in States, says drummer Michael Miley, “Finally!  Back in the USA! We’ve been steeped in Europe and UK love for two solid years.  We’re so ready to play the home court. Live, raw, and truthful.  We’re thankful to the US radio stepping up and taking a risk on us.  See you soon!”

Reaching #1 on the Rock chart in 2012 in the U.K., HEAD DOWN has garnered the group four-star reviews (including Mojo and the Guardian) overseas as well as magazine covers and the “Breakthrough Artist” award at the 2012 Classic Rock Awards show in London. The RIVAL SONS made their major national television debut when they performed “Keep On Swinging” on ABC-TV’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” in March. Here are the links:

Performing their single “Keep on Swinging”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwW43MaPNDM
Performing “You Want To”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p16PSwrcODc

RIVAL SONS will also be the first American band to stream a live performance on LiveMusicStage.com–an online platform where audiences can interact with the performing artists, while enjoying high-quality live streams. The RIVAL SONS concert will be streamed live from Kivenlahti Rock–an outdoor festival in Finland which annually attracts about 15,000 music lovers–on Saturday, June 8 at 10:30PM local time (3:30 PM Eastern). The band’s gig can be viewed all over the world through LiveMusicStage.com for the fee of 5 Euros. The show will be found at the following address: www.livemusicstage.com/kivenlahti-rock.

For more information, check out:
www.rivalsons.com
www.facebook.com/rivalsons
twitter.com/#!/rivalsons
www.youtube.com/user/RivalSons

Catch the RIVAL SONS on tour: 

Mutli-talented actor, dancer, and singer Matthew Morrison has just released his new single, a cover of Duke Ellington’s jazz standard “It Don’t Mean A Thing” (available now on iTunes). The song, which premiered this week on Huffington Post, will appear on Morrison’s upcoming album, Where It All Began, due June 4th as the debut release on Adam Levine’s 222 Records.

Featuring a collection of classic standards and Broadway hits, Morrison turned to legendary producer Phil Ramone (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett), along with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Gregg Field, to create the album. Where It All Began featured such treasured classics as “Singin’ In The Rain,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “West Side Story Medley,” and more.

Be sure to check out the stream of “It Don’t Mean A Thing” on SoundCloud, and head to Morrison’s official website for more of the latest news.