System of a Down is a band that had a great run, but has been fairly quiet as of late.  The band formed in California in 1994, and is made up of singer Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian, drummer John Domavan and bassist Shavo Odadjian.  To date, the band has released 5 studio albums, been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and have had a string of big hits.  They took a break in 2006, but returned with a tour in 2011.  Fans hungry for new System of a Down tunes only have one question, however: “When is the new album coming out?”   The answer may not be to everyone’s liking.

Front man Serj Tankian has been a very busy man, and his hard rock and metal fans may be surprised to learn that the singer is releasing his third album separate from the band.  The reason many System fans haven’t heard of the new album entitled “Harakiri” is the fact that it is closer to the punk rock genre.  What may be even more shocking to System fans is Tankian’s next album entitled “Orca”, as it is a classical symphony.  Not to be stopped here, he also has an electronic album in the works he has titled “Fuktronic” and even a jazz record with the controversial name, “Jazz-iz-Christ”.  It certainly must be fulfilling as a musician to get to dabble in so many differ genres of music.  Fans of System of a Down still have that same old question on their mines however.

When asked recently in an interview the front man said there are no plans as of yet for a new album from the band, that it just “hasn’t been that time yet”.  He did mention when the time was right there would be another album.  Not to worry, in the meantime, fans can still catch the band on tour and hear all of their old favorite songs in concert like “Chop Suey”, “B.Y.O.B”, and “Lonely Day” live and in person.  The band is touring with the Deftones, and the schedule runs until August 15^th, so be sure to snap up your tickets.  You can also keep an eye out for the solo tours of Serj Tankian, if jazz, electronic, or classical…if you like awesome music!

The Dave Matthews Band, with 28 hit singles under their belts, always seems to have another great song up their sleeves.  There is nothing like hearing their tunes live and in concert, however, and lucky fans are happy to hear that they are currently doing a tour across the U.S. all the way through September.  Will they be making a stop in your hometown?

The band has been keeping very busy these days.  They recently appeared on the “Jack Johnson and Friends – Best of Kokua Festival” live album.  An unheard of deal has been agreed upon—100% of the proceeds for albums sales are going to the Kokua Hawaii Foundation.  This foundation supports things such as art, music, and environmental education.  The song on the album that the band performs is called “A Pirate Looks at Forty”, which is a Jimmy Buffet cover song about a pirate born a few centuries too late.

Funny man and light night TV host Jimmy Fallon’s new album entitled “Blow Your Pants Off” also features Dave Matthews Band.  There are also other impressive voices to be enjoyed on the album such as Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Big & Rich, and Bruce Springsteen.  The comedy song Dave Matthews contributes to the album is called “Walk of Shame” which is about a night of drinking and the morning after.  Dave Matthews also preformed “Mercy” on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon show; this song is expected to be a single on the band’s upcoming album, which they recently announced would be released sometime this year, with hints at Fall 2012.

Between all the fun the lead singer and the band seems to be having these days, they are still managing to do a summer tour across the country.  They are currently scheduled to make stops in cities in Texas, Ohio, New York, Florida, California and many other states.  Don’t miss your chance to hear “Crash Into Me”, “Ants Marching”, “The Space Between”, “American Baby” and other favorites including the new “Mercy”.  Check for tickets to see if the band will be playing your favorite songs live in concert near you.

If the announcement that Vince Gill was going on tour wasn’t enough for country music fans, the fact that he’s returning to his bluegrass roots will have them picking up their own banjos and mandolins to join him. The tour will be entirely bluegrass and, Vince says, it’s all in tribute to a musician he’s looked up to his whole life.

The bluegrass tour Vince will embark on begins on June 13 at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia and will wrap up on June 30 in Wabash, Indiana. So what prompted the tour? Aside from the fact that Vince said his current goal is “to make ten times the music that I’ve made at this point,” there’s another reason for the tour; and that’s Earl Scruggs.

Earl Scruggs was a musician that made bluegrass music famous in the 1940s and even styled his own style of picking his banjo with three fingers. This style became so popular that still today it’s known as “Scruggs style.” After Scruggs passed away in March of 2012, Vince knew what the inspiration would be for his next tour.

“After the passing of Earl Scruggs, it means the world to me to do these dates with this world-class band playing the music that Earl defined,” Gill said when speaking about the tour. “I absolutely adore this music.”

Vince Gill playing music he adores for fans that adore him; sounds like a great night of country music!

Florence & The Machine are just about to finish the U.S. leg of their current tour before heading to Australia; but they’ll be back and when they are, they’ll be performing shows that are all about the music!

Even though The Machine’s current U.S. leg included fifteen stops and some of the biggest cities in the country including Las Vegas, New York, New Orleans, and Minneapolis, some fans were disappointed that the band didn’t make a stop in their town. When they come back in the fall though, there will be 13 more stops and plenty more chances for fans to see this dynamic group. Those stops will still include some of the biggest spots in the country including Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Los Angeles. The second U.S. leg will begin on September 14, 2012 in Mansfield, Massachusetts and will wrap up on October 10, 2012. The band will also be returning to the U.S. and Canada for a few festival stops in July.

Florence & The Machine has always been a band to be counted on for a huge show, but fans can expect something a little different this time; and with a focus on music, it might be something they enjoy even more. When talking about the tour lead singer Florence Welch said, “In a way, it’s not going to be too big a production. We’ve done a lot of quite extravagant stuff, and that’s been amazing, but for this tour, it’s definitely going to be about showcasing the music. The songs are going to be the most important thing.”

It’s refreshing to hear a band talking about how their tour won’t be “bigger and better than ever before;” but that’s just par for the course with this band, who have been doing things differently ever since they hit the scene — and proving why it works.

Nicki Minaj has always been an opening act but now she’s taking center stage and headlining one on her own. The tour will be called “Pink Friday” and is in promotion of her second studio effort “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” which was released last month.

The tour begins on July 16 in Chicago, Illinois and from there Nicki will head out on fourteen different stops around on thirteen different spots in the United States. Nicki will perform on August 11 in Seattle, Washington and that will be her last stop in the U.S. before she heads to the last stop of the tour. That will be in Vancouver, BC, Canada on August 12 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. To get the full listing of Nicki Minaj tickets and tour dates, visit StubPass.com.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday and along with general admission and VIP packages will also be available. For the most avid fans, VIP ticketholders will be able to be the first through the doors and they’ll also receive a Nicki laminate and lithograph. Along with those special perks, Nicki has also promised that she’s going to have a meet and greet session at all shows for selected guests.

While the actual tour is still some time away, fans are going to have tons of opportunities to get their Nicki fix. She’ll be on a radio tour with stops in Los Angeles on May 12; Philadelphia on June 1; Boston on June 2; and New York on June 3.

The Civil Wars, speaking of singer and songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White (not referring to the American Civil War, mind you), are currently on the rising track to fame to international fame.  The duo’s voices often intertwine on their tracks (as heard in the album Barton Hollow) and this is one of the most interesting aspects about these Nashville upstarts.  While Williams was born in California and White in Alabama, the duo found their way to music in Nashville.

How did this wonder-band come to be?  With just a little luck and fate in fact, as the two singers met at a song writing session in Nashville, Tennessee and they just “clicked” upon meeting.  The band chose its name The Civil Wars as they felt it described the tumult of married life and the direction their music was going in.

Their first album has already taken off and recently won two Grammy Awards in 2012, one for “Best Country Duo” and the other for “Best Folk Album.”  Adele, the queen of the Grammy Awards this year, and Taylor Swift the current teen music darling, have also lavished praise on the band and have turned many of their fans on to them as well.  Things just keep looking up for this band!

The TV show Grey’s Anatomy got the duo off and running as their song “Poison & Wine” was featured in one of the series pivotal episodes.  Currently, you can hear one of the Civil Wars’ songs on the soundtrack of the popular tween flick, The Hunger Games.  “Kingdom Come” is one of their most soulful selections and definitely worth a viewing on YouTube if you haven’t heard the song or seen the movie yet.  If the smash hit movie is any indication of the sales of the soundtrack, the band couldn’t have picked a better album to start their career!  The album is currently number one on the album charts.

Come experience the Civil Wars in person and find out why they are the talk of the Grammy’s, the highlight of the Hunger Games and one of country’s true crossover stars!

It was sad news to Dispatch fans when they announced in 2002 that they’d be taking an indefinite hiatus, after months of rumors of inner-band conflicts occurring during their Who Are We Living For? tour. At the time, fans couldn’t have expected for the hiatus to go on for over a decade but now after 12 years of being apart, the band has reunited and they’re putting out an album with a tour soon to follow.

The album, called Circles of the Sun, is Dispatch’s fifth studio effort and is currently slated for release on August 21. Nearly just one month later on September 20, the band will launch their tour in Vancouver and will travel around to big stops in the United States including Seattle, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

For nearly the first two weeks of the tour, Sleeper Agent will join the band as their opening act; on September 29, Good Old War will pick up the opening slot and will remain with Dispatch throughout the rest of the tour.

Throughout their hiatus Dispatch has gotten back together a few times to play festivals and one-time events. This tour though is sure to see some of the biggest rock crowds yet. The band’s final concert, one that was held for free and called “The Last Dispatch” in 2004 went down in history as the largest concert in independent music history, with 100,000 people in attendance. While the venues they’re visiting on this tour might not allow for those kinds of crowds, they’re sure to be packed to the rafters on this one!

The 90’s was a time of some good alternative rock music. If you love 90’s music then no doubt you’ve heard of the band Sugar Ray. These guys hail from Orange County, California and originally had a more metal sound. In 1997 however, their song “Fly” became a big summer hit with its more alternative and pop sounds. This song went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This success eventually led this band in a new direction musically, away from heavy metal and more into the alternative music scene.

After the bands big hit in 1997, many critics labeled the band as nothing more than a “one hit wonder”. Their album 14:59 (a reference to their 15 minutes of fame) which was released in 1999, would change all that. “Every Morning” was a track that got a lot of airplay that spring and eventually went all the way to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. After that the next single “Someday” also got a lot of attention and reached number 7 on the chart. The album was considered a success and actually outsold their previous efforts. The band still wasn’t done with the hits yet, as their 2000 album titled simply “Sugar Ray” had the hit “When It’s Over” that reached spot 13 on the Billboard chart as well as other well liked songs like Under the Sun, and Answer the Phone.

After that success, the band took a break for a while, with members pursuing new avenues. Lead singer Mark McGrath even landed a nice little role as an anchor on Extra, helping to dish out all of the newest celebrity gossip. In 2012, the band is going back on the road as part of the Summerland tour. The tour will be featuring a lot of the 90’s summer hit bands including Everclear, Gin Blossoms, Lit, Marcy Playground, and of course Sugar Ray.

Can you believe 1997 was over 15 years ago? Why not enjoy a little nostalgia and check out Sugar Ray when they are once again in your neck of the woods during the Summerland Tour?

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is a very busy man! Still enjoying the success of this year’s American Idol, he’s now also collaborating with his band Aerosmith for another album, and another tour. And fans who are yearning for the days of “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way” will be pleasantly surprised; according to Tyler, this album will be going back to the early days of the band.

Recently sitting down with Rolling Stone, Tyler says that it doesn’t just sound like back in the day, but writing it also feels like back in the day. “We’re gonna’ have a vintage sound,” Tyler says, “Because we’re going to tape and a lot of good things like that. We’re keeping tracks clean, not a lot of overdubs. So you’re gonna’ hear some stuff where you might think Aerosmith’s back.” We didn’t think they had ever left; but maybe that vintage sound comes from the fact that they’ve once again teamed up with producer Jack Douglas, who worked with the band on their earlier albums “Toys in the Attic” and “Draw the Line.”

And, there’s even more Aerosmith news to get excited about. The band is going on tour, although details on that are few at the moment. Tyler needs to finish things up on the “Idol” stage before he can head anywhere else, although he did happen to sneak in an opening date in his Rolling Stone interview. “June 18th it starts,” he said. “So spread the word.”

We’re trying, Steven, we’re trying.

Leaving fans disappointed and concert-less in 2011, the Dave Matthews Band has decided to make it up to them by not only going on an extensive tour this summer, but also planning a new album to coordinate along with it. When will the new album be released, and what will it be called? While there’s no record news as of yet, the band has promised that the new album is “coming soon.” And until then, there’s lots of concert news to keep fans going for at least a little while.

The tour will run from May to September, and will include a total of 39 stops. And if that isn’t enough, there are plenty of overnight dates where the band will play two shows and give fans even more opportunity to see one of the greatest live bands in rock. Some of those two-show stops include: the Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, IN; the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ; the Alpine Valley Music Center in East Troy, WI; the First Niagara Pavilion in Burgettstown, PA; and the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL. All of the stops will be in the United States, except for one night on June 2 when the band will play the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. To get all the tour dates and stops, you can check out the full listing here.

Dave Matthews will also be bringing along lots of great talent to open for him and his band. Acts include the likes of The Head and the Heart, Brandi Carlile, Tower of Power, the Avett Brothers, and Allen Stone.

The Dave Matthews Band is known for putting on one of the greatest rock shows of all time; and this was one reason why fans were so disappointed that DMB had taken an unannounced hiatus from their yearly summer tours last year. But now with a new record to be out soon, there’s no doubt that fans will get a taste of some fresh tunes from the band, and be able to rock out to old tunes such as “Crash Into Me,” and “Ants Marching.” And who knows? Maybe the band will try to beat their record for longest performance of one song with “#41.” On April 20, 2002, the band played that song on stage for a very, very long 32 minutes.