Roger Joseph Manning Jr. shares new single "Just Lust" / new LP 'Hopium' out Sept. 18 via Omnivore Recordings

September 18 marks the date that acclaimed singer-songwriter/keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. will release his forthcoming album "Hopium" Listen to the sumptuous advance track "Just Lust" and learn more via the official media release. Additionally, check out my coverage of the artist's memorable appearance at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on May 17, 2018 HERE..Robert Kinsler

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. shares new single "Just Lust"

Upcoming album 'Hopium' featuring new music and live tracks from the Jellyfish and Imperial Drag co-founder

Out September 18,  2026 via Omnivore Recordings

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. / Photo courtesy of the artist

August 28, 2026: Today, Roger Joseph Manning Jr. has shared his new single “Just Lust,” the next offering from his upcoming album Hopium, out September 18, 2026 on Omnivore Recordings. Available on vinyl, CD and digital, the forthcoming LP features five new songs and five live tracks from the beloved Jellyfish and Imperial Drag co-founder.

Roger on the new single: “‘Just Lust’ was actually written towards the final days of Jellyfish. Because it had to wait in line behind lots of songs contending for the third unrealized album, it didn’t see the light of day at that time. So many years later, I met the daunting task of writing and singing my own lyrics because I believed in it so much. While I did play all the instruments on this song, I didn’t believe in my guitar skills enough to take on the guitar solo the song was begging for. So my intention became to compose the greatest guitar solo ever but pull it off with a synthesizer. The end result is more exciting than I could have ever imagined. Hope you agree!”

 

Stream "Just Lust" HERE

Pre-order Hopium HERE

Side one of Hopium features five new songs, including “Modern Dance (The After School Specials),” some of which have been in the works for over 15 years. Across the ensuing years, Manning worked with musician friends Victor Indrizzo (drums), Steve Shane McDonald (bass), Jim Wilson (electric guitars), Ken Sluiter (mixing, mastering) and Jason Falkner (additional electric guitars) to perfectly craft the basis of the new album.

 

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. performing
at the Grammy Museum in 2018.
Photo credit: Robert Kinsler

About the songs on Hopium, Roger says, “I remember writing the lyrics in a hotel room in Germany. Out on tour, especially in the middle of the night when you’re jetlagging, you have all this time to think about lyrics that take forever to take shape. It’s a huge sense of personal victory when you realize you’ve got something. This collection of songs is like that, ideas that developed over time that I believed in enough to take the time and resources to flesh out and record thinking, ‘Somebody’s got to hear this someday.’ So I just keep going and it’s a method that’s worked for me over the years because as a freelance musician, we’re all so busy trying to make ends meet, the songs that make it through have a special place in my heart.”

 

The flipside of Hopium is drawn from Manning’s live appearance at the 2018 International Pop Overthrow Festival at Molly Malone’s in Los Angeles. Those five songs include a pair from his 2006 album The Land Of Pure Imagination, one from his previous Omnivore release, 2023’s Radio Daze & Glamping, and another pair from his former band, Jellyfish. The live band appearing alongside him for the IPO date includes Chris Price, Dan Rothchild, Ben Lecourt, Alex Jules, and Emeen Zarookian.

 

Music fans worldwide know Roger Joseph Manning Jr. as co-founder or member of the bands Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, The Moog Cookbook, TV Eyes and The Lickerish Quartet, in addition to being a member of Beck’s band and an in-demand session player. Over the years, he’s contributed to albums by Beck, Morrissey, Lana Del Rey, Blink-182, Johnny Cash, Cheap Trick and Adele, among many others.

 

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. – Hopium:

1. Modern Dance (The After School Specials)

2. Just Lust

3. My Magic Bicycle

4. Wish Away

5. The Lords Of Altamont

6. That Is Why (Live at International Pop Overthrow 2018)

7. The Loser (Live at International Pop Overthrow 2018)

8. Pray For The Many (Live at International Pop Overthrow 2018)

9. Funhouse (Live at International Pop Overthrow 2018)

10. The King Is Half-Undressed (Live at International Pop Overthrow 2018)

Visit Manning's official website HERE.

Beck to release 'Ride Lonesome' on Sept. 18, 2026

Today comes word that groundbreaking singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Beck will release his forthcoming album Ride Lonesome on Sept. 18, 2026 via Capitol Records. The title track "Ride Lonesome" was recently released and is terrific. I can't wait to hear the album (the first since 2019's GRAMMY-winning Hyperspace) when it's released later this summer. You can pre-order the album at: https://Beck.lnk.to/RideLonesome ...Robert Kinsler

In a prepared statement, Beck commented, “My new album Ride Lonesome is coming out this fall. The musicians from my original touring and recording band that I recorded Sea Change, Morning Phase and Mutations with — Smokey Hormel, Joey Waronker, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and Jason Falkner— reconvened with me at my favorite studio (Room B at United Studios in Hollywood). We had Nigel Godrich, who worked on Sea Change and Mutations with us mixing all the songs. It had been a decade since we went in the studio and recorded Morning Phase. This time It felt like the playing and the chemistry had evolved and deepened— a sound that’s come together over the decades of working together.

While we were revisiting a musical and physical place, it also felt like we were finding new sounds and emotional textures along the way.”

The announcement of Ride Lonesome is accompanied by “In The Night,” the second advance offering from the forthcoming album. The video was directed by Mikai Karl, produced by Ryan Smale and stars Denis Lavant (Beau Travail, Mauvais Sang), and can be seen HERE

Both songs were produced by Beck and mixed by Nigel Godrich.

 

Ride Lonesome’s release will coincide with the September kick-off of the Ride Lonesome tour. For further information, go HERE

 

Track listing: 

 

1. Ride Lonesome
2. Run Away
3. In The Night
4. Failed Words
5. Bleed
6. Disappearing Act
7. For Your Love
8. Slow Canyon
9. It Ends Right Here
10. Falling Through My Hands
11. If You Don’t Know What Love Is
12. Beyond The Light

Tour Dates:

 

09/16/26 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre (SOLD OUT)
09/18/26 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle
09/19/26 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium (SOLD OUT)
09/22/26 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
09/23/26 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
09/25/26 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
09/26/26 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
10/01/26 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
10/03/26 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha
10/04/26 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
10/06/26 – Milwaukee, WI – Landmark Credit Union Live
10/07/26 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre (SOLD OUT)
10/09/26 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theater
10/10/26 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theater
10/12/26 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
10/14/26 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
10/15/26 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
10/17/26 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/18/26 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/22/26 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
10/23/26 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount (SOLD OUT)
10/25/26 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
10/27/26 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
10/28/26 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (SOLD OUT)
10/30/26 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
10/31/26 – Nashville, TN – The Truth

New music: Buck Owens And His Buckaroos, Splitsville, Maria Muldaur

In this column I review titles featuring Buck Owens And His Buckaroos, Splitsville and Maria Muldaur.

Artist: Buck Owens And His Buckaroos
Title: Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974 (Omnivore Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam

Tell me more: Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974  is an outstanding collection featuring live concert performances featuring Buck Owens And His Buckaroos. The parade of 75 top-tier performances presented across the three discs included on the collection will thrill fans of Owens; 25 of the selections are previously unissued in the U.S. while 20 have been previously unissued anywhere, and all 75 cuts are presented on audio CD for the first time ever. "Act Naturally," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "The Streets Of Laredo," "I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)," "Big Game Hunter," a countrified take on Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" "Ruby (Are You Mad)," "Big In Vegas" and "Dust On Mother's Bible" are among the beloved cuts featured across the essential collection. The packaging contains a 56-page book featuring historical photographs and an extensive essay from Grammy-nominated writer/producer Scott B. Bomar. Information: omnivorerecordings.com.

Artist: Splitsville
Title: Mobtown (Big Stir Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Cheap Trick, Big Stir, Weezer, Jellyfish

Tell me more: Back with their first album since 2003's Incorporated, power pop heroes Splitsville reaffirm their place as one of the genre's modern greats on the new 10-track studio album Mobtown. Identical twins/vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Brandt and Matt Huseman, bassist/keyboardist Paul Krysiak and guitarist Tony Waddy have crafted a bona fide masterwork that thrills across its fast-moving track listing. The parade of stellar cuts includes the blistering melodic opener "Cold Open," dreamy "A Glorious Lie" (whose lyrics focus on a tale of Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel and a 1926 visit from the Queen of Romania), stirring "Southern Hospitality," prog rock-mining "Gray," instantly-memorable "I Hate Going To Hutzler's," luxurious "Fallsway," and pointed "Beth Steel" (the latter is an affecting track chronicling a former employee of Maryland's now-shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant). Information: bigstirrecords.com.

Artist: Maria Muldaur
Title: One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Victoria Spivey, Maria Muldaur

Tell me more: Maria Muldaur's One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey is a full-length celebration that simultaneously celebrates classic blues queen Victoria Spivey (who passed away in 1976 at the age of 69) while also showcasing the talents of six-time Grammy nominee Muldaur. In the 1960s Spivey was an early mentor of Muldaur and this wonderful collection soars thanks to inspired takes on Spivey's sassy and spunky blues material. Highlights include the jazzy Spivey-penned "Dreaming Of You," playful piano-anchored romp "No, Papa, No!," New Orleans-flavored "Funny Feathers" and the tender ballad "Don't Love No Married Man." Another standout on the excellent album is a duet with Elvin Bishop, a playful take on "What Makes You Act Like That?" One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey casts a welcome spotlight on the late Spivey across a dozen stellar selections. Information: nolabluerecords.com.

Robert Kinsler

The Three O'Clock’s 'Sixteen Tambourines' 40th Anniversary Edition out October 20

Very exciting news with today's announcement that legendary band The Three O'Clock's "Sixteen Tambourines" will be released as a special 40th Anniversary Edition on Oct. 20, 2023 courtesy of Yep Roc Records. On a released note, read my review of The Three O'Clock's memorable concert in Santa Ana, CA in December 2013 HERE. Additionally, the band performed at Coachella in April 2013; read my coverage of that appearance HERE.

The official media release about the forthcoming "Sixteen Tambourines" reissue is below...Robert Kinsler

Yep Roc Records Announces 40th Anniversary Edition of The Three O'Clock’s Sixteen Tambourines Out October 20, 2023 

 

Remastered Album Features Brand-New Double Front Artwork

 

Baroque Hoedown Features Four Songs Not On Original EP Out Now

 

Yep Roc Records celebrates the 40th anniversary of Sixteen Tambourines by The Three O’Clock, one of the core groups in L.A. 's Paisley Underground scene, with a remastered edition of the band’s second album featuring new artwork. 

 

Out October 20 and available on CD and LP (transparent green vinyl), Sixteen Tambourines was remastered by Bill Inglot and Dave Schultz, lacquer cut at Bernie Grundman Mastering, with the vinyl pressed at Citizen Vinyl in Asheville, NC; pre-order here.

 

Blending psychedelic pop with contemporary sounds, Sixteen Tambourines was produced by Earle Mankey, who encouraged the band in their experimentation. The result yielded a college-radio hit, "Jet Fighter," which remains one of the group's most well-known songs. Other standouts include, "A Day In Erotica," "Stupid Einstein," "Fall to the Ground," and their version of the Bee Gees "In My Own Time." 

 

Originally released in October 1983, for the anniversary reissue the band updated the artwork which features a double front cover, meaning no matter which way you view the album, it will always appear like you are looking at the front cover - front cover image with the opening for LP or CD on the right side. The photos used for the new cover(s) are never-before-seen images taken from the era the album was recorded.

 

Remastered by Bill Inglot and Dave Schultz, the 40th anniversary reissue of the band’s seminal debut Baroque Hoedown was released earlier this year and originally available only for Record Store Day. Now available for wide release, the expanded edition of the debut EP features the five original songs with four additional recordings from the era to create a full-length album. One of the new songs is a cover of Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam.” The album is available for order here.

 

The Three O'Clock –  Michael Quercio (vocals, bass guitar, percussion); Danny Benair (drums); Louis Gutierrez (guitars, vocals, percussion); and Mark Mariano (keyboards, vocals, percussion); were the quintessential L.A. Paisley Underground band. Lead singer/bassist Michael Quercio coined the term to describe the bands that incorporated their love of various sixties music with more modern sounds, including the Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, and The Bangles.

 

Beginning as the Salvation Army in 1982, and forsaking the name due to a conflict with the actual organization, The Three O'Clock originally included Quercio and guitarist Louis Gutierrez. Their self-titled debut in 1982 featured a garage-y sound. When ex-The Quick drummer Danny Benair and keyboardist Mickey Mariano joined for the follow-up EP, Baroque Hoedown and the LP Sixteen Tambourines in 1983, the band found a more polished, perfect pop sound.

 

In 1985, the band released Arrive Without Travelling for I.R.S. Records, followed by Ever After. Gutierrez departed in 1986. For their Warner Bros./Paisley Park debut (Prince was a fan), Vermillion, Jason Falkner joined to play guitar for what would be the band’s last album release. 

 

After years of turning down offers to reunite, in 2013, the band’s original lineup (minus Mariano, who was replaced by Adam Merrin of the 88) re-formed to play the Coachella Festival. In November 2018, Yep Roc Records released three new recordings by The Three O'Clock as part of a compilation album called 3 × 4, including The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, and Rain Parade, with each of the four bands covering songs by the other bands (Read my review of the "3 x 4" collection HERE).

 

Sixteen Tambourine Tracklisting: 

Side A

1.Jet Fighter

2. Stupid Einstein 

3. And So We Run 

4. Fall to the Ground 

5. A Day in Erotica

Side B

1.Tomorrow

2. In My Own Time

3. On My Own

4. When Lightning Starts

5. Seeing Is Believing

 

Baroque Hoedown Tracklisting:
Side 1

1.With A Cantaloupe Girlfriend

2. I Go Wild

3. Marjorie Tells Me

4. Lucifer Sam

 

Side 2

1.Sorry 

2. In Love In Too

3. All In Good Time

4. Feel A Whole Lot Better

5. As Real As Real

New Music: Gorillaz, Paul McCann, Fringe Benefit

New titles featuring Coachella-bound Gorillaz and Irish singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Paul McCann as well as a marvelous reissue of the self-titled release from Fringe Benefit are well worth discovering.

Artist: Gorillaz
Title: Cracker Island (Warner Records/Parlophone)
You might like if you enjoy: Damon Albarn, Bad Bunny, Beck, Tame Impala
Tell me more: Gorillaz' eighth studio album Cracker Island is another enthralling journey showcasing singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Damon Albarn's otherworldly talents fusing art pop, electronica, hip hop and other styles into a signature brew as accessible as it is artistic. On this disc he directs the world's most beloved virtual band to stratospheric heights with collaborations that surprise and expand the project's sonic reach. Surprises abound; just listen to the shimmering "Oil," a track featuring the duel vocals of Albarn and Stevie Nicks. "Silent Running" is a majestic mid-tempo track co-written by Albarn and producer Greg Kurstin featuring guest vocalist Adeleye Omotayo. The hypnotic trip hop romp "New Gold" features the tandem talents of Tame Impala and Bootie Brown to up the quotient. Bad Bunny brings a palpable Latin zest to "Tormenta." The collaboration with Beck, "Possession Island," is a decidedly gorgeous song with a soundscape complete with mellotron, synthesizer, vibraphone, pump organ and acoustic guitar providing the perfect musical backdrop for the song. Even in the absence of outside notables, the magic is fully on display; the trippy "The Tired Influencer," dance-minded "Baby Queen" and dreamy "Skinny Ape" reflect the sparkling joyfulness that immerse the listener across Cracker Island. Information: gorilla.com. 

Artist: Paul McCann
Title: Alter Ego (Kool Kat Musik)
You might like if you enjoy: Jason Falkner, Beck, Tom Petty, Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Tell me more: Paul McCann's new album Alter Ego is a beautiful and deeply affecting listen inspired by the Irish artist's emotions surrounding the death of his father in late 2018. The themes explored across the 12-track album include loss and love, with McCann extending his expert musical touch to other areas of grief including anger and confusion as well. Recording the album during the global pandemic was a challenge, but this singular moment in time also afforded McCann the opportunity to reach out to a number of legendary musicians to guest on the project; guitar great Jason Falkner (St. Vincent, Beck, The Grays), keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, Beck, Air), Charlotte Hatherley (Bat for Lashes, Ash) and Gary Lucas (Jeff Buckley, Captain Beefheart) all guested on Alter Ego. The strong opener "The World Keeps Turning" offers up a melancholy-draped soundscape with layers of nuanced guitar and burgeoning vocal textures adding to the magic. The driving "Lost In This Moment" is an immediate connection; the alluring original blends reflective lyrics and a propulsive power pop sound that lures in the listener with a single listen. The lovely acoustic Baroque ballad "Love Is All That Matters" and explosive melodic rocker "Divide and Conquer" are other early standouts on the album. The funk-flavored "Where Has The Music Gone," elegant "Red River Run," ambitious "Call Off the Dogs," euphoric "Something Has Changed" and progressive closer "Weight of the Bow" impress on the disc's last half. Information: KoolKatMusik.com. 

Artist: Fringe Benefit

Title: Fringe Benefit (Kool Kat Musik)
You might like if you enjoy: Badfinger, Power pop, Paul McCartney, The Hotshots
Tell me more: Fringe Benefit — a Dorset, England-spawned outfit whose self-titled debut was released via Capricorn Records in 1977 — is back again thanks to a newly-issued deluxe edition of Fringe Benefit by Kool Kat Musik. This writer was sadly unaware of the 45-year old gem until I heard the disc's soaring lead-off track "All In Vain" and was instantly hooked. The album's musical riches definitely extend beyond that timeless track; the tuneful Burt Bacharach-mining "Darling" and "Wanna Be With You," psychedelic blues-meets-prog rock foray "Was God an Astronaut," uptempo rootsy reading of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and enchanting "Let A Light Shine" collectively make a compelling case for adding Fringe Benefit to your music library. The Kool Kat audio CD edition features four previously unreleased bonus tracks. Information: KoolKatMusik.com. 

Robert Kinsler