The Oak Ridge Boys will release a new album, Buried Treasures, on October 30 via Lightning Rod Records. The 10-song set was produced and engineered by Anderson East and executive produced by Dave Cobb, and was recorded at Sanctuary Blonde Studio in Nashville. The title track, the album’s only newly written song, is out now along with the pre-order, according to the announcement.

The collection consists largely of cover versions the group says have long been meaningful to them, including Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” “Stardust,” “What a Wonderful World” and Billy Joe Shaver’s “Live Forever,” alongside gospel staples “Deep River,” “How Great Thou Art” and “Softly and Tenderly.” The lone original, “Buried Treasure,” was written for the project by Aaron Raitiere, who also co-wrote a track on the group’s 2024 album Mama’s Boys.

The album marks the second Oak Ridge Boys release to feature Ben James, who joined the group after the death of Joe Bonsall, with Tim Duncan handling many bass vocal parts amid Richard Sterban’s ongoing health issues. The group, inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015, will support the release with a fall tour that opens with three nights at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville beginning September 3 and continues through December.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by 2911 Media Alert, 2911.us.

Kitchener, Ontario singer-songwriter Kevin Westphal, who performs as The Canuck, has released a new single called “The Food Inflation Blues,” a country comedy track about rising grocery prices. According to the announcement, the song was inspired by a supermarket checkout conversation and a subsequent news report on grocery chain profits, and follows a narrative arc in which a fictional store manager blames diesel costs, tariffs, climate change and wages before the song points to record retailer profits as the real culprit.

Westphal wrote and produced the track himself, recording at Fred Smith Studio in Kitchener with a backing band that includes Fred Smith on lead guitar, Doug Dietrich on pedal steel, Don McDougall on drums and Paul Stouffer on keyboards. A companion video, directed by Danny Bailey, features Paul Schultz playing the grocery store manager opposite Westphal.

The single continues a nearly 15-year run of topical novelty songs from Westphal, including “The Gas Song,” “Here’s to Our Farmers,” “A Typical Day on the 401” and “The Marijuana Song,” which the announcement says have drawn Canadian radio, television and online coverage. Westphal’s earlier work reportedly led to a friendship with country artist Stompin’ Tom Connors between 2005 and 2012.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Nashville piano-rock trio Absolute Silence kicks off an eight-stop European tour September 3 in Dresden, Germany, with additional dates in Leipzig, Prague, Reutlingen, Barberaz, Grenoble, St-Pierre-de-Clages and Angers through September 18. The run marks the band’s latest international outing since forming its current lineup in 2022.

The trio, consisting of Steven Okoniewski (vocals/piano), Robert Darmstadt (bass) and Harrison Nemarich (drums), says it has played more than 300 shows since January 2025 across the U.S., Europe, the UK and South Africa, building fan bases in cities including Dresden, Angers and Secunda, South Africa. The band met while attending Belmont University in Nashville; Okoniewski began writing music and formed an early version of the group while serving in the U.S. Navy in San Diego.

The European dates arrive as Absolute Silence finishes its debut album, recorded starting in May 2026 at Dark Horse Recording in Franklin, Tennessee, with producer Leah Haywood, who is Grammy-nominated. According to the band, the album draws on experiences from touring across four continents. Additional touring throughout the Americas, Europe and South Africa is planned for 2026-2027.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Christy Walker-Watkins, 3on.e2ma.net.

Jake Soberlak, a 17-year-old blues guitarist, singer and harmonica player from Kamloops, British Columbia, has released the single “You Gotta Leave” ahead of his debut album “I’m In Trouble,” set for release September 11, 2026. The song is an original composition that Soberlak says was inspired by Papa Lightfoot’s “Wine, Whiskey and Women.”

The album was recorded at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver with producer and drummer Leon Power, whose credits include City and Colour and Frazey Ford. The backing band includes bassist Darren Parris and pianist Darryl Havers, with engineering by John Raham. According to the announcement, the tracks were recorded live off the floor over two days.

Soberlak will support the release with a run of shows across British Columbia in October, including stops in Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo and Langley, along with a hosting slot at the Nanaimo Blues Jam.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Montreal-based singer-songwriter Crimson99 has announced her debut EP, “Daredevil,” due October 2, and released the single “Open Up Your Heart.” The EP was produced by Koko Love, with the tracks reportedly recorded live in a single day.

Crimson99, the project of Dominican-Canadian musician Maria Brousseau-Labbé, describes “Open Up Your Heart” as addressing the temptation to return to past habits that felt good but were not beneficial. According to the announcement, the EP blends alternative rock, dream pop and soul influences and centers on themes of identity, spirituality and self-discovery, with song structures the artist says were left intentionally unconventional.

The five-track “Daredevil” includes “I Need You,” “Fix Your Eyes,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Open Up Your Heart” and “Who Am I.” The project is available for pre-save ahead of its October 2 release.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Romy Bayhack.

A$AP Rocky brought the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour to London’s The O2 for a sold-out performance, according to Live Nation, marking the tour’s first UK date after sold-out opening shows in Brussels and Amsterdam. The set combined catalog hits such as “Fashion Killa,” “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)” and “Sundress” with new material from his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb, including “PUNK ROCKY,” “HELICOPTER” and “STOLE YA FLOW.”

The tour continues through the UK and Europe with stops in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, Cologne, Milan, Munich and Paris, among other markets, before wrapping October 11 in Athens. Don’t Be Dumb is Rocky’s first new album in eight years and features cover art by Tim Burton along with contributions from Doechii, Gorillaz, Tyler, The Creator, Jon Batiste and others.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Genesis Salazar, LiveNation.com.

Iron Maiden is bringing its Eddie’s Dive Bar pre-show fan gatherings to the United States for the first time, tied to the U.S. leg of the band’s Run For Your Lives World Tour, which opens September 5 in New Jersey. The events, open to both ticket holders and the general public, have previously run only overseas and give fans a chance to gather near venues before showtime.

The U.S. events are tied to Trooper West Coast IPA, a limited-edition beer released in July as a collaboration between Iron Maiden’s Trooper beer brand and Lagunitas Brewing Company. According to the announcement, it is the first West Coast IPA under the Trooper label, made with a hop variety called Krush and carrying a 6.6% ABV.

At the New York and Los Angeles stops, pours will come from Lara Mirinjian, whom Lagunitas describes as its first-ever “Beer Roadie,” a paid role the company says it created via a nationwide contest earlier this year. Eddie’s Dive Bar events are scheduled at venues in New York, Boston, Gainesville, Va., Charlotte, Harrisburg, Louisville, Minneapolis, Chicago, West Hollywood and San Antonio between September 5 and 29.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by FunHouse Entertainment.

Ariana Grande has completed “The Eternal Sunshine Tour,” wrapping the run with a 10-night residency at London’s The O2. The Live Nation-promoted tour played 41 shows across 10 cities and sold more than 630,000 tickets, according to the announcement, with an average of roughly 15,000 attendees per night.

The tour launched in London following the release of Grande’s album “petal,” which the announcement says reached No. 1 on both the UK Official Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. During the run, Grande introduced live debuts of several album tracks, including “freak,” “kiss me,” “bad thing (bunny hop),” “like i do” and “warning signs,” varying the setlist across different nights.

The tour also served as a promotional platform for Grande’s r.e.m. beauty line. The brand ran pop-up activations alongside the shows, drawing close to 15,000 guests across 28 US dates and more than 20,000 visitors during an 18-day pop-up in the UK, per the announcement. The company says it hosted more than 450 influencers in branded suites across 31 shows and that a limited-edition merchandise item, a bear bag charm, sold out within the tour’s first two stops.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Maya Sarin, LiveNation.com.

Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen has been appointed a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. The Dutch-born musician co-founded Van Halen with his late brother Eddie Van Halen after the family emigrated to the United States.

The honor recognizes his contribution to music and his ties to his native Netherlands.

Read the full story at Billboard.