CloZure was originally formed in 2012 by lead guitarist Michael Cordle, aiming to rid southeast Alabama of its lack of original hard rock bands. After years of lending itself to the local scene, in 2019 drummer Michael McCann and rhythm guitarist Matthew Russell were added, and the project really began to aim higher.
In 2024, CloZure underwent more lineup changes, and with new vocalist Nikollaj Lleshi and bassist Zack Taylor, they released a cover of Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life.” They were then swept up in a whirlwind of touring, sharing the stage with such acts as Tantric, Saliva, and Powerman 5000. This aided in the amassing of followers, views, streams, etc.
CloZure currently consists of Michael, Matthew, Zack, Nikollaj, and drummer Brad Hardin. Their latest single, “Framed,” was released in March, and the band has been touring almost nonstop this summer.
To keep up with CloZure and ensure you don’t miss out, be sure to follow/subscribe to their various socials!
Hey y’all! It’s been a minute since my last check-in, and I hope this one finds you well.
This month has been surprisingly therapeutic for me. It didn’t start that way. I had to cut someone out of my life who meant more to me than I ever did to him and it was very difficult. I struggled with it a lot. I let myself cry, I almost let myself message him, and then I decided fuck it! My tagline became “Dry your eyes and remember who the fuck you are.” And while I won’t say I’m over it, I will say it hurts less now.
The events in May have helped immensely. It started with Mother’s Day. I worked on the actual holiday, but Mom and I celebrated early by exploring a few areas around Huntsville. We hiked almost 7 miles and just…absorbed nature. It was really, really cool – even if we’re not sure the “waterfall” we went to actually constitutes a waterfall. Lol. You’ll see what I mean in the pictures at the bottom of this post.
One of my cousins from Indiana came down that weekend, as well. I didn’t get much time with her; however, we did have a big family dinner on Mother’s Day, which made Mom incredibly happy.
The very next weekend, my brother and I went to a Marilyn Manson show. Now, you may be thinking “ok, you’ve already seen them,” and yeah, you’re right. But I haven’t seen them with my brother. This concert was major for a couple of reasons.
My brother is the OG Manson fan in our household, yet he had never been to a show. I got to take him to his first Manson concert!
Tim Skold is back in the lineup, and if you know me at all, you know I love Tim Skold.
Songs that were in the setlist that I never thought I’d see Manson perform: “Great Big White World,” “Coma White,” “The Nobodies,” and “Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World.”
Manson looked and sounded great. As my brother said, “Okay, sober Manson. I see you!”
The night was perfect. My brother was so relaxed and happy, and we stuck to tradition and went to Waffle House after the show. Oh! And we tried Hattie B’s for the first time. That was some damn delicious chicken!
Fastforward to the very next weekend. An old friend of mine, Brian, had tickets to The Rise of Rock World Tour, which featured Dorothy, Stone Temple Pilots, and Godsmack. He invited me to go with him, so I did. We had fun during Dorothy, then we had to move to the interior area of the amphitheater because of a storm. Unfortunately, the delay meant Stone Temple Pilots only played six songs, but they were awesome! The new vocalist, Jeff Gutt, nailed it. (He used to be in Dry Cell, a band you know if you ever owned the Queen of the Damned soundtrack.)
Godsmack is always a kick ass show. I’m not a huge fan, but Sully Erna knows how to work a crowd. Most of my favorite songs were on the setlist, except “Moon Baby,” “Bad Magick,” and “Greed.” I’ve accepted I’ll never see them do those…
Can I tell y’all how therapeutic it was, having back-to-back weekends during which I got to scream along with artists who helped me through my angsty teenage years? Man. It was fantastic.
The last stop on May’s healing journey happened yesterday. I went and got a tattoo. I used a different artist than usual, though it was the same shop, and she knocked it out of the park!
Okay. It’s picture time.
Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk Green Mountain Nature Preserve Green Mountain Nature Preserve Alum Hollow FallsGreen Mountain Nature Preserve Madison County Nature TrailMadison County Nature TrailMadison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Outfit for the Manson showBrotato!During “Tourniquet.” I was so excited that he wore the stilts!
If you wanna see a few videos from the Manson and Godsmack shows, you can check out my YouTube or Instagram. I also have a few more interviews I’m getting scheduled soon, so look out for those!
FFO: Dorothy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Patti Smith
Originally formed in 2020, Purple Grace underwent a few changes before settling into their current lineup of Emily (vocals), Lewis (drums), Luke (guitar), Ed (guitar), and Ben (bass). The band recently released “Narcissist,” and their next single – “Just 19” – will be available May 8th!
Purple Grace has been hitting the stage quite frequently, with two upcoming gigs of note May 31st at FaceBar Reading and August 30th on the second stage at Wokingham Festival 2026. For more show dates, plus new music and general band shenanigans, follow Purple Grace’s various socials.
Alt-metal vets Godsmack have announced The Rise of Rock World Tour with alt-rock OGs Stone Temple Pilots and the newer hard rockers Dorothy. Below are the U.S. dates for spring and early summer. Tickets are available at godsmack.com!
May
5/7 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville 2026*
5/9 – Camden, NJ – 93.3 WMMR MMRBQ 2026^
5/10 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
5/12 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
5/14 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
5/16 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
5/17 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2026*
5/19 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
5/21 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
5/23 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater
5/24 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf
5/27 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
5/29 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
5/30 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June
6/12 – Riverside, MO – Morton Amphitheater
6/14 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
6/16 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
6/18 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
6/20 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
6/21 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
6/23 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
6/24 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
6/27 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
6/28 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
6/30 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
July
7/2 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
7/3 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
September
9/4 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma 2026* (New date!)
9/6 – El Paso, TX – Speaking Rock Entertainment Center+
9/7 – Albuquerque, NM – First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater
9/9 – Denver, CO – The Junkyard
9/11 – Las Vegas, NV – Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino+
9/12 – Phoenix, AZ – KUPD UFest
9/15 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
9/17 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
9/19 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/20 – Corning, CA – Rolling Hills Casino+
9/22 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
9/24 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
9/25 – Umatilla, OR – Rock the Locks 2026* (New date!)
FFO: Black Sabbath, Dio, Jefferson Airplane, Dorothy
Devil Electric have released two studio albums – Devil Electric (2017) and Godless (2021). Their third, Tahlia, drops today, March 27th! The band will be playing shows in support of the new record throughout April and May. Unfortunately, none of those live performances will be in the U.S.
You can stream their music and learn more about Devil Electric by following their socials. Head over to their Bandcamp to order exclusive Tahlia bundles!
Hard rockers Dorothy are kicking off The Redemption Tour this week! Featuring support from Cory Marks and Return to Dust, this 22-date run has stops in Nashville, Flint, Denver, Dallas, and Atlanta before wrapping up at Boardwalk Rock 2025 in Ocean City, Maryland.
Disturbed is touring this spring and summer with an alternating cast of other bands, which includes Breaking Benjamin, Theory of a Deadman, Jinjer, and even a couple of festivals with Falling in Reverse, Beartooth, and Dorothy! Tickets and VIP experiences are on sale now at disturbed1.com.
4/27 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell^
4/29 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre^
5/1 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena^
5/4 – Milwaukee, WI – FiServ Forum (Hog Fest)+
5/6 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center (93X Twin City Takeover)+
5/8 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre^
5/10 – Edmonton, AB – Roger’s Place^
5/12 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre^
7/11 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena*
7/13 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre*
7/15 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater*
7/16 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre*
7/18 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre*
7/20 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre*
7/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre*
Last weekend was exhausting, but totally worth it. Saturday, my friend Chris and I drove up to Knoxville. We had dinner at a Mexican place on Market Square and walked around for a while – all the way to the river, actually – before heading to our hotel. After a couple of movies, we went to bed, only to get back up at 7 a.m. on Sunday.
We drove around the campus of the university, explored Ijams Nature Center, visited both the Knoxville National Cemetery and the Old Gray Cemetery, then we had lunch at a BBQ place. Finally, we headed over to Thompson-Boling Arena to begin the wait for Shinedown.
It was miserably hot, we got rained on, and we were on the turf of one of my favorite college football team’s rivals, but I can’t complain. We were front row, on guitarist Zach Myers’ side of the stage, which was perfectly fine with me 😉
I’m not going to wax poetic about how amazing the show was. Just believe me when I say that Shinedown puts on one of the best performances in live music right now. They are so energetic, the band is tight, and front man Brent Smith’s vocals are… Well, you’ve heard him sing, right? Plus, openers Diamante and Dorothy both killed it as well.
It was a hometown show for Brent, and it was magical. The energy was electric. And to top it all off, the mayor of Knox County – who happens to be WWE Hall of Famer Kane, aka Glenn Jacobs – made an appearance. He presented Brent with the key to the city, stating that Knoxville is proud of all that Shinedown has accomplished and really appreciates the band’s inspirational and positive message.
Despite the fact that I was deliriously tired and we had to drive home following the concert, I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. So here are some pictures (and a link to a video I took), just to give y’all a glimpse into the experience. If you have the chance to see Shinedown, DO IT!
First and foremost: “Second Chance” (full song, live) At the beginning, Zach is messing with his lip, then he abruptly starts singing and it is so cute.
I uploaded these separately as they’re my favorites.
So I’m not doing my usual concert announcement and/or song of the day because I am in Knoxville, anxiously awaiting the Shinedown show tonight, but I will be back tomorrow!
Mostly Music 