NEW YORK (AP) — They’re going to light up 2026 like dynamite: K-pop group BTS’ comeback has an official date.

According to a note shared to social media by the entertainment company BigHit Music, the mega popular group will return on March 20.

That’s after a nearly four-year hiatus, as all seven members of BTS — RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope — completed South Korea’s mandatory military service.

“March 20th comeback confirmed,” BigHit Music wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Rapper Suga was the last group member to be released — from his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to serving in the military that he reportedly chose due to a shoulder injury. That was in June 2025.

The six others, RM, V, Jimin, Jung Kook, Jin and j-hope, served in the army.

BTS tiered their enlistments, giving ample time for its members to focus on solo projects while the group was on a break.

Last summer, the group teased a world tour and announced that a new album would be released in the spring of 2026. At the time, they said they would begin working on the project in July 2025.

“Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas,” they said in a statement. “We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.”

The 2026 album will mark their first since 2022’s anthology, “Proof,” their 2021 Japanese compilation album “BTS, the Best,” and their last studio album, “Be,” released in 2020.

From Neko Case to Rob Thomas and The Philadelphia Funk Authority to an annual Hank Williams tribute concert at Godfrey Daniels, the Lehigh Valley is a music-lovers paradise this month.

Read on for January’s top Lehigh Valley concerts.

JACK MURRAY & THE BLUE TARP WRANGLERS

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1

Where: Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem

How much: $26.63-$31.82

Tickets: godfreydaniels.org/ 610-867-2390

Musical style: Americana, blues, country

Known for hits like: “Once a Day,” “Dublin Blues,” “Lost Highway,” “Hey Good Lookin” and “Believe What You Say”

Meet the band: Jack Murray is an accomplished singer-songwriter who has penned songs for Nashville recording artists like Alabama and Ronnie Sessions. He’s played in several bands and has become a main-stay at the Sellersville Theater and Godfrey Daniels. Jack fronts The Blue Tarp Wranglers when not performing as a solo artist. The band’s line-up includes guitarist Alan Landes, bassist Nick Franclik, percussionist Josh Kanusky and pedal steel maestro Dave Van Allen.

Check them out if you like: Hank Williams, Buck Owens, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Chris Smithers, Lenny Kaye, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

PHILADELPHIA FUNK AUTHORITY

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2

Where: Musikfest Cafe, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem

How much: $19.25-$34.25

Tickets: artsquest.com 610-332-1300

Musical style: Funk, soul, R&B

Known for hits like: Eclectic covers of dance songs, including “Disco Inferno,” “I Can’t Go For That,” “1999,” “Uptown Funk” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

Meet the band: Philadelphia Funk Authority is an award-winning band that prides itself on bringing the party. Their performances are exceptionally high energy with the intention of getting everyone on the dancefloor. Comprised of nine professional musicians, with a knack for bringing out the best in live crowds, the band takes on the best party hits from the past 50 years.

Check them out if you like: Prince, Hall & Oates, The Trammps, Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, Kool & The Gang

ROB THOMAS

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16

Where: Wind Creek Event Center, 77 Wind Creek Blvd., Bethlehem

How much: $79.50-$169.50

Tickets: ticketmaster.com/ 610-297-7414

Musical style: Pop, alternative, adult contemporary

Known for hits like: “Smooth” (w/Santana), “3 AM,” and “Push” (both in w/Matchbox 20), “Little Wonders” and “Lonely No More”

Honors: He’s a 10-time Grammy Award nominee and has won three Grammys for his work on “Smooth” with Santana. He’s written songs for Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger and Travis Tritt, and in 2004 the Songwriters Hall of Fame awarded him the first Hal David Starlight Award. He also fronts the band Matchbox 20, who’ve been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and have topped the Billboard Charts on several occasions.

Check him out if you like: Matchbox 20, Five For Fighting, Train, Goo Goo Dolls, Santana, Hootie & The Blowfish, Tonic

BIG LAZY

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan 16

Where: Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem

How much: $30.78-$35.98

Tickets: godfreydaniels.org/ 610-867-2390

Musical style: Instrumental noir, jazz, soundtrack

Known for hits like: “Skinless Boneless,” “Avenue X,” “Ramona,” “Girl” and “Don’t Cross Myrtle”

Meet the band: Deemed “The Big Apple Crème de la Crème” by esteemed critic Robert Christgau, NYC’s Big Lazy have been playing their distinct combination of instrumental noir and twang for over two decades, blending elements of rock, jazz and the Avant Garde into one solid sound. The band has been featured on a number of radio, film and television programs, and appeared live on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Stephen Ulrich, the founder of the band, is also the composer for the HBO series “Bored to Death” and the documentary “Art and Craft.”

Check them out if you like: Stephen Ulrich, Marc Ribot, Guano Padano, Spindrift, Langhorns, Friends of Dean Martinez, Shotnez

NEKO CASE

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17

Where: Archer Music Hall, 939 Hamilton Street, Allentown

How much: $46-$72

Tickets: ticketmaster.com/ 610-798-1466

Musical style: Indie rock, alt-country, singer-songwriter

Known for hits like: “I Wish I Was the Moon,” “Calling Cards,” “Buckets of Rain,” “Star Witness” and “Hold On, Hold On”

Meet the artist: She’s a member of the Canadian supergroup The New Pornographers, was celebrated as the Female Artist of the Year at the PLUG Independent Music Awards in 2006, in 2010 her album “Middle Cyclone” was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Recording Package at the 52nd Grammy Awards, and in 2014 her album “The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You” was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. She’s appeared on numerous television shows, like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” and the Australian music quiz show “Spicks and Specks.” And she’s been a guest on radio shows like NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” and BBC Radio’s “Woman’s Hour.”

Check her out if you like: The New Pornographers, Nicole Atkins, Jenny Lewis, Dusty Springfield, Wilco, Rilo Kiley, Lucinda Williams

PROFESSOR LOUIE & THE CROWMATIX

When:  8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17

Where: Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem

How much: $30.78-$35.98

Tickets: godfreydaniels.org/ 610-867-2390

Musical style: Blues, gospel, American roots

Known for hits like: “Miss Marie,” “Don’t Wait,” “Living in the Country” and “A Thousand Ways to Freedom”

Meet the band: Professor Louie & The Crowmatix started out as the backing band for The Band, they’ve received five Grammy nominations, their album, “Crowin’ the Blues” reached No. 24 on the Australian Blues & Roots Airplay International Charts in 2017, and “Miles of Blues,” was awarded “Best Album” by Radio Crystal Blue in 2019. Professor Louie (real name Aaron L. Hurwitz) produced three albums for The Band — “Jericho,” “High on the Hog” and “Jubilation” — and has also produced and performed with Graham Parker, Commander Cody, Guy Davis, and Buckwheat Zydeco. Professor Louie was inducted into New York’s Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.

Check them out if you like: The Band, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers Band

THE MENZINGERS

When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24

Where: Archer Music Hall, 939 Hamilton Street, Allentown

How much: $46-$71

Tickets: ticketmaster.com/ 610-798-1466

Musical style: Pop punk, alternative, punk rock

Known for hits like: “After the Party,” “I Don’t Wanna be an Asshole Anymore,” “Good Things,” “Lookers” and “Anna”

Meet the band: Formed in Scranton in 2006, The Menzingers are a punk band that signed with Epitaph in 2011, and have released seven studio albums to date. Last year they put out a deluxe edition of their 2023 album, “Some of it was True,” produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, The War on Drugs, Waxahatchee) and expanding the album with two new tracks.

Check them out if you like: Gaslight Anthem, Bouncing Souls, Beach Slang, Modern Baseball, The Wonder Years, Against Me!, Hot Water Music

STRANGELOVE: THE DEPECHE MODE EXPERIENCE

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27

Where: Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave.

How much: $40-$47

Tickets: www.st94.com/ 215-257-5808

Musical style: New wave, synth-pop, post-punk

Known for hits like: Covers of Depeche Mode hits like, “Never Let You Down Again,” “Enjoy the Silence,” “Master and Servant,” “Policy of Truth,” “People are People” and “A Question of Lust”

Meet the band: They were featured on E!’s “Clash of the Cover Bands,” and in 2015 were included in LA Weekly’s “20 Best Tribute Acts in Los Angeles.” They formed in 2010 and have since played all over the U.S. as well as internationally in Mexico, Canada, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and England. They were featured on a Depeche Mode tribute album called “Music for Constructions,” that went to No. 1 on Amazon Germany in the Indie & Lo-Fi category.

Check them out if you like: Depeche Mode, New Order, Soft Cell, Duran Duran. Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, Gary Numan

JESSIE’S GIRL: BACK TO THE ’80s SHOW

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31

Where: Penn’s Peak, 325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe

How much: $48-$58

Tickets: www.pennspeak.com/ 866-605-7325

Musical style: New wave, pop, arena rock

Known for hits like: Covers of classic ‘80s hits including “1999,” “99 Red Balloons,” “Rebel Yell,” “Like a Virgin” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me”

Meet the band: Celebrate the ‘80s in true style with this team of seasoned musicians taking on the most memorable hits of everyone’s favorite decade. From high-profile appearances at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, ABC/NY Magazine’s launch party, The Goldbergs, a Halloween bash with Jamie Foxx, a private birthday party for ‘80s icon Neil Patrick Harris, to opening for Smash Mouth, Jessie’s Girl continues to sell out shows across the country.

Check them out if you like: Prince, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oates, Madonna, Billy Idol, Men at Work, Def Leppard

Jay Honstetter is a freelance writer.

But the most notable debut album of the year, the aptly titled “New Dawn,” came from a musician who is very likely the world’s veteran living jazz artist. Saxophonist Marshall Allen, who turned 101 in May, is now in the Guinness Book of Records as “the oldest person to release a debut solo album (male).”

Allen was, in fact, only 100 when “New Dawn” came out in March. He continues to head the Sun Ra Arkestra, the cutting-edge jazz and Afrofuturism ensemble he joined in 1958 and has led since shortly after Ra’s death in 1993. He is that anomalous musician whose life has not been stunted by smoking.

At the other end of the spectrum is a host of fresh-faced artists who are bringing their own imprimatur to jazz. They include Baltimore trumpeter Brandon Woody, British saxophonist Xhosa Cole, Spanish trumpeter Milena Casado and Philadelphia-born singer Samara Joy, 25, who already has five Grammy Award wins to her credit.

As in previous years, my favorite jazz albums released in 2025 number in the dozens. Today, these are the ones that made my list today.

Linda May Han Oh, “Strange Heavens” (Biophilia)

Malaysian-born bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh has performed leading her own band and as a pivotal member of groups led by such greats as guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Joe Lovano. Her latest album, “Strange Heavens,” soars repeatedly as she, drum marvel Tyshawn Sorey and the sublime trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire create vibrant music that is by turns combustible and contemplative, carefully crafted and wonderfully animated.

Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts (Nonesuch)

New York guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson is a master of textures, dynamics and contrapuntal twists and turns whose music never goes quite where you expect but always hits its mark. With alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and tenor saxophonist Brian Settles joining her six-piece band, Amaryllis — which features the outstanding vibraphonist and marimba player Patricia Brennan — Halvorsen makes full use of her expanded sonic palette. What results is a consistent treat.

Patricia Brennan, “Of The Near And Far” (Pyroclastic)

There is a cinematic scope in the music of Patricia Brennan, whose 10-piece ensemble performs her impeccably scored compositions with meticulous attention to detail while leaving room for improvisatory flights of fancy. Brennan’s multifarious pieces at times nod to progressive-rock at its most urbane — in particular such bands as Gentle Giant, Tangerine Dream and Happy The Man. Ultimately, though, “Of The Near and Far” is a singular accomplishment that promises even better things to follow.

Xhosa Cole, On a Modern Genius, Vol. 1 (Stoney Lane)

At 28, English tenor saxophonist Xhosa Cole is a star in the making. His often ecstatic playing enlivens this album of classic songs by Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington’s rhapsodic “Come Sunday.” All of them sound reverent and brand new as Cole injects them with infectious vigor and delightful twists — including key support from New York tap dancer Liberty Styles.

Yazz Ahmed, “A Paradise In The Hold” (Night Time Stories)

English-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s fourth album is her most rewarding work to date. It’s a stunning, East-meets-West synthesis that deftly combines swirling Arabian melodies and polyrhythms with jazz tonalities and lively improvisation to create a borders-blurring whole that is both earthy and exotic.

Ambrose Akinmusire, “Honey From a Winter Stone” (Nonesuch)

Jazz, chamber music, electronica, Afro-Latin and hip-hop are all equals on this absorbing album by trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire. By turns introspective and illuminating, graceful and high-flying, tender and abstract, the music on “Honey From a Winter Stone” is a powerful statement of purpose from an uncompromising musical auteur.

Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, “Defiant Life” ECM

One of the most contemplative, understated and moving albums of the year, “Defiant Life” finds pianist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith reuniting for their first album together in nine years. While the title of “Defiant Life” reflects the challenges, pain and tumult in our increasingly chaotic world, the exceptionally poignant music Iyer and Smith make also points to redemption, if not catharsis.

Branford Marsalis Quartet, “Belonging” (Nonesuch)

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis was a New Orleans high school student and a member of the Big Easy funk band The Creators when pianist Keith Jarrett’s “Belonging” album was released in 1974. This new album is faithful to the joyous spirit and soul of the original album while exuding a welcome sense of celebration.

Joshua White, “Flora and Fauna: 9 Preludes for Solo Piano” (Orenda)

Now based in Long Beach, San Diego-bred pianist Joshua White has an expansive musical vocabulary that covers almost the entire breadth and depth of jazz. “Flora and Fauna: 9 Preludes for Solo Piano” is his second solo album — and his first without any accompanists. But a pianist this skilled requires no help to make compelling statements. Whether playing with whisper-soft delicacy and a meditative focus or with an infectiously exultant air, White is a major talent who deserves to be discovered and welcomed by a broader audience.

NEW YORK (AP) — Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band The Cure, has died. He was 65.

The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday.

“It is with enormous sadness that we confirm the death of our great friend and bandmate Perry Bamonte, who passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas,” the band wrote.

“Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.”

Bamonte worked with the band in various roles from 1984 to 1989, including as roadie and guitar tech. He officially joined the band in 1990, when keyboardist Roger O’Donnell quit. It was then that he became a full-time member of the group, playing guitar, six-string bass and keyboard.

Having joined just after the band’s mainstream breakthrough, 1989’s “Disintegration,” Bamonte is featured on a number of The Cure’s albums, including 1992’s “Wish” — which features the career-defining hits ″Friday I’m in Love″ and “High” — as well as the 1996’s “Wild Mood Swings,” 2000’s “Bloodflowers” and 2004’s self-titled release.

Bamonte was fired from The Cure by its singer and leader Robert Smith in 2005. At that point in time, he had performed at over 400 shows across 14 years. Bamonte rejoined the group in recent years, touring with the band in 2022 for another 90 gigs.

In 2019, Bamonte was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside the rest of The Cure.

His last performance with the band was on Nov. 1, 2024 in London for a special one-off event to launch their latest album and first in 16 years, “Songs of a Lost World.” The concert was filmed for “The Cure: The Show of a Lost World,” a film released in cinemas globally this month. It is also available to purchase on Blu-ray and DVD.

The Associated Press described “Songs of a Lost World” as “lush and deeply orchestral, swelling and powerful” — one of the best of the band’s career.

LOS ANGELES — Tunes — well-chosen ones — turn normal movie scenes into electric ones. Needle drops, they’re called in the film world. (And don’t laugh: Several of the filmmakers below are, indeed, dropping turntable needles onto vinyl records.)

What makes for a good needle drop? Sometimes it’s comic irony. Elsewhere, it’s trapping the sincerity of a moment in the amber glow of a perfect pop song, one you’ll never think of in the same way again.

We went through the entire year and grabbed a dozen of our favorites, listed below in no particular order — feel free to resequence them into your own personal playlist.

The Spice Girls, ‘2 Become 1,’ as heard in ‘Together’

Dave Franco and Alison Brie are married in real life, but in the body horror romance “Together,” they play an engaged couple named Tim and Millie who might be happier breaking up. He’s a frustrated, flunked-out rock star; she’s a schoolteacher who loves the Spice Girls. Writer-director Michael Shanks plays their discordant musical taste like a minor joke among all the major reasons why their codependent relationship has hit the skids. As a Hail Mary, Tim and Millie move from the city to the countryside for some miserable quality time — and there, deep in the woods, an eerie cave infects Tim’s skin cells with the urge to merge with Millie permanently. It all climaxes in a slow dance to the 1996 grrrl-pop ballad that’s never felt more sticky-sweet. — Amy Nicholson

Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreimanis, ‘Pick Poor Robin Clean,’ as heard in ‘Sinners’

So much of Ryan Coogler’s supercharged vampire movie is saturated with blues music, both in its original score by Ludwig Göransson (itself an impressive piece of scholarship) and its careful selection of authentic period songs that both articulate and subvert the legend of going down to the crossroads to make a deal with the devil. So why is it this one I’m fixated on? It’s the tune most loaded with subtext. A trio of white musicians shows up at the door of the juke joint. They play this traditional number in the hopes of getting through the door. But in their smiling, cleaned-up, sprightly version of it, you can hear the whole of white cultural appropriation to come. The music is ominous. What exactly is getting picked clean? The song has become an evil spell. And the fact that it doesn’t work — they’re turned away — is another credit to Coogler’s instincts. It’s music criticism smuggled into a Hollywood smash. — Joshua Rothkopf

Steely Dan, ‘Dirty Work,’ as heard in ‘One Battle After Another’

Paul Thomas Anderson has been deploying needle drops with precision since “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia,” and 10 movies deep into his career, his ear remains sharp. In “One Battle After Another,” his darkly comic action-thriller, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary who has spent years in hiding, raising his teenage daughter and trying to keep his past at bay. But the movie’s frenetic opening stretch loosens into something shaggier when Steely Dan’s 1972 world-weary track “Dirty Work” comes in. We see Bob parked outside his daughter’s school, getting high before a parent-teacher conference, ducking the eyes of other parents and swinging the door to air out the smoke. When the chorus arrives — “I’m a fool to do your dirty work” — it lands as recognition, not commentary. Bob knows he’s a sucker. We all are sometimes. The song just says it out loud. — Josh Rottenberg

George Harrison, ‘Beware of Darkness,’ as heard in ‘Weapons’

Zach Cregger’s viral horror hit winds its way methodically to a climax of such hilarious savagery that you’ll scare yourself with how hard you’re laughing. Yet the movie opens with an almost unbearably poignant blend of picture and sound: a bunch of third-graders in their PJs running over dark, rain-slicked suburban streets — why? how? to what end? — against the aching psychedelic folk-rock of George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness.” The song, from Harrison’s first solo album after the Beatles’ breakup, urges the listener not to be swallowed by “the hopelessness around you in the dead of night.” In “Weapons,” its eerie harmonic movement portends an innocence soon to be lost. — Mikael Wood

Led Zeppelin, ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ as heard in ‘F1’

Too on the nose? Sure. That’s why it’s such a thing of beauty. First with “Top Gun: Maverick” and now this year with “F1,” director Joseph Kosinski has perfected Dad Cinema, creating movies centered on old(ish) guys who most definitely know best. There’s no better soundtrack to this microgenre than classic rock music. And there’s no better classic rock band than Led Zeppelin, a group famously resistant to licensing their songs until recently when the levee has apparently broken. Kosinski employs “Whole Lotta Love” when Brad Pitt’s Sonny arrives at the track for his shift at the 24 Hours of Daytona. His team is languishing until Sonny gets behind the wheel and Robert Plant starts wailing and John Bonham begins bashing. Jimmy Page’s guitar riff seemingly propels Sonny’s car forward to the lead. Ramble on, baby. — Glenn Whipp

John Prine and Iris DeMent, ‘In Spite of Ourselves,’ as heard in ‘Die My Love’

Lynne Ramsay’s film is an elliptical, claustrophobic portrait of postpartum delirium. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson evoke the small-bore unraveling of new parenthood in the boonies, with Lawrence in particular throwing her whole body into a creeping alienation from one’s spouse and oneself. But there is humor and tenderness shot throughout, moments where the lines of connection between them still hum. The pair singing along to Prine and DeMent’s “In Spite of Ourselves,” with its wincingly funny lovers trading jabs and devotions, is one moment of levity and self-awareness breaking through the desperation. The tune also memorably appeared in Celine Song’s “Materialists,” but here, it’s arguably the heart of the movie. — August Brown

Gil Scott-Heron, ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,’ as heard in ‘Dead Man’s Wire,’ ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘The Running Man’

If the same piece of music is used at the end of three different movies, it becomes song of the year by default, right? Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” unexpectedly captured the mood of the moment, one of absurdity and anger with a clear-eyed view on the world. Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” used the song’s looping, funky backing track underneath a bit of conspiracy-minded explainer video, adding an escalating urgency to the conclusion of the movie’s action-packed satire of corporate media culture. Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” (in theaters Jan. 9) placed it in the end credits to sharpen focus on the film’s growing sense that those stuck outside the system must make their own sense of justice. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” also deploys the song as part of the end credits, revealing that lines of his script’s dialogue — repeated numerous times as a passcode among compatriot revolutionaries — come from the lyrics. To see three movies using this one song in particular is thrilling, giving expression to the confusion and discontent felt by so many. Moviemaking can often feel disconnected from the moment. To get three films so vibrant and relevant, in tune with the times and each other, is electrifying. — Mark Olsen

Peter Gabriel, ‘I Have the Touch,’ as heard in ‘Marty Supreme’

Let the era of Peter Gabriel’s gentle movie contributions — “In Your Eyes,” and “Solsbury Hill” most sweetly — come to an end. So much of his spikier music deserves attention. Take this cut off 1982’s “Security,” which director Josh Safdie puts to vibrant use in “Marty Supreme” (in theaters Dec. 25). How good is Timothée Chalamet’s Marty at table tennis? He’s a machine. Aggressive ’80s drums and processed electric guitars set the tone. Even as his opponents step up, there’s no question about the outcome. “I have the touch,” Gabriel states, an alpha competitor in his element. Originally, the song was about establishing dominance while meeting strangers (ah, art rock). Safdie turns it into a referee’s instructions: “Shake hands!” the lyrics continue, as we train in on a match. Then, a few seconds later, we hear Gabriel’s voice isolated in scary clarity: Shake hands. — J. Rothkopf

Donna Summer, ‘Love to Love You Baby,’ as heard in ‘The Secret Agent’

Between “Sirāt” and “The Secret Agent,” 2025 was a good movie year for scenes featuring late-night drives along treacherous rural roads. “The Secret Agent” finds a ruthless stepfather and stepson hit man team winding their way around São Paulo in the dead of night, skirting the Sérgio Motta Dam, their headlights barely illuminating the path ahead. The darkness is essential to the task at hand: dumping a corpse into the dam’s reservoir. It’s 1977 and the radio’s on, so naturally the soundtrack to their drive is Donna Summer’s disco anthem. It’s a 17-minute song, punctuated by 23 orgasmic moans (per a BBC count). The hypnotic groove gives the sequence an eerie, otherworldly feel, giving it a place among cinema’s great late-night body disposal scenes. — G.W.

Katy Perry, ‘Firework,’ as heard in ‘Eddington’

Katy Perry’s “Firework” insists on optimism whether you’re in the mood or not. Midway through “Eddington,” Ari Aster’s polarizing pandemic-era Western, the glossy pop song becomes a pivot point as tensions rise between Joaquin Phoenix’s sheriff and Pedro Pascal’s mayor. At a COVID-masked backyard fundraiser, the sheriff shows up on a noise complaint and tries to turn the music down. The mayor turns it up. The sheriff cuts it again. The mayor cranks it louder still. When Pascal finally slaps Phoenix across the face, the joke is gone and what’s left is a petty, pathetic standoff, scored to Perry’s incongruously perky anthem. Aster has shown a taste for this kind of pop perversity before, most memorably using Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” in an Oedipal sex scene in “Beau Is Afraid.” For some filmmakers, a needle drop doesn’t just score a moment. It pierces it. — J. Rottenberg

The Veronicas, ‘Untouched,’ as heard in ‘Bring Her Back’

In any other movie, the pop-punk confection of the Veronicas’ “Untouched” would be a perfect cue to establish its setting in middle-class suburban Australia, as light and lucky a place as ever was. In this foster care cult-horror nightmare, though, the song is the comic foil to one of the movie’s most grotesque and intense moments, and you’re left to watch the scene cackling through clenched hands as all the gore gets barely papered over by a frothy mid-aughts hit. It’s played less for irony and more as context for the relatable world that the directing Philippou brothers built for Sally Hawkins’ desperate pain. A completely sinister, bleakly hilarious bit of soundtrack work that the Veronicas must have found absolutely delicious. — A.B.

Metallica, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls,’ as heard in ‘Freaky Tales’

“Freaky Tales” is a kooky love song to the Oakland of the 1980s by the filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (“Half Nelson,” “Captain Marvel”). Fittingly, it’s packed with fantastic tunes by local artists like Too Short, who narrates these retro misadventures and lets a younger version of himself lose a rap battle to a pair of ferocious female teenagers. Their lyrical spat is my favorite scene but the film’s show-stopping sequence is Golden State Warriors point guard Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis) avenging himself upon a Nazi gang who murdered his girlfriend during a playoff game. (Here’s where I should say “Freaky Tales” is very fictional.) At the first peals of Metallica’s thrash classic, Floyd stuffs his pockets with knives, grabs a samurai sword and gets to slashing, offing so many goons that the movie eventually has to cue up another Bay Area banger, E-40’s “Choices (Yup).” — A.N.

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Stankovic, the longtime lead singer of the polka band “Stanky and the Coal Miners,” headlined countless Northeast Pennsylvania bazaars and sailed the world for decades as the starring entertainer on cruise ships.

“Every night Stanky ended the performance with the song ‘I don’t want to go home, don’t want to go home’ but today Stanky was called safely home.,” a posting on his band’s website announced. “He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and fans!!!.”

His coal miner father urged Stankovic to learn to play the accordion as a young boy rather than focusing on baseball. He told him if he learned 10 songs he could make a living for himself.

“I told him, ‘I’ll learn 11 and see the world.’ And I did,” Stankovic said in a 2019 interview.

Stankovic toured the world thanks to his accordion playing skills and wholesome polka songs.

He told his life story in an autobiography titled “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie: The Story of Stanky and the Coal Miners.”

Back in his polka band’s heyday, Stankovic once had a globe-crossing marathon weekend. He performed in England on a Friday, at the Bloomsburg Fair that Saturday and then in Switzerland on Sunday. He once performed in front of one million people at a festival in Tiananmen Square in China. His polka band would pack cruise ships as the main act on excursions all across the world.

“We saw the entire world playing Polka music from Nanticoke Pennsylvania,” said Stankovic’s daughter Debbie Stankovic Horoschock, a trumpeter in his band.

For example, one day they would play in Nanticoke and the next day they would play in South Korea with little notice, Horoschock said.

“He loved entertaining people. He loved being around people. He had a great love for life. There is a heritage and a tradition to it. It’s music that lifts you up,” Horoschock said.

Stankovic was inducted into the International Polka Association’s Hall of Fame in August 2019. Earlier this year, he gained induction into the Luzerne County Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Stankovic was also recognized for 60-plus years of serving the fire station in the city’s Hanover section.

Stankovic’s biggest supporter for most of his career was his wife of more than 60 years, Dottie, well known as Luzerne County’s long-time elected register of wills.

Dottie often took the stage with the band to sing, ring bells and play the violin. For decades, the couple hosted the “Pennsylvania Polka” show on WVIA public television, a show which televised people dancing to polka music.

Stankovic’s band name was originally the “Tip Toppers” until he changed it to “Stanky and the Coal Miners.”

While the name paid tribute to the area’s coal mining roots, for him it was literal.

Stankovic’s early band mates were all coal miners and he picked them up directly from the mines to go on gigs

“We used to pick them up and their faces were black, their clothes were black. We used to get to a job and they would wash their faces off in the restroom and then come out to play,” Stankovic recalled in a 2019 interview.

Hazleton native Jan Lewandowski, one of the world’s most famous polka musicians who was portrayed by actor Jack Black in the 2017 movie “Polka King,” said he was saddened to hear about the news of Stankovic’s death.

They rose the ranks together in the business and often played together at Polka events across the country.

“Stanky was a very close friend to me. He was one of the people who supported me. It was sad news,” said Lewandowski, 83, who now primarily resides in Palm Beach, Florida. “It’s a loss of one of the best polka leaders. He was a very good man. He was everyone’s friend.”

Lewandowski, known professionally as “Jan Lewan,” said Stankovic gave him the single best piece of advice during his career.

During his performances, Lewan said he did covers of Bobby Vinton’s song “My Melody of Love.” Vinton was more famous than both and known nationally as “the Polish Prince.”

Stankovic said Lewandowski told him he did such a good job with the song — maybe even better than Vinton — he should close his shows with it instead of playing it near the beginning.

“It always came back to me what John Stanky said about the ‘Melody of Love.’ ‘You should sing it in the end and not the beginning.’ The ‘Melody of Love’ has been going on through my career because of what Stanky said,” Lewandowski said.

Plymouth Councilwoman Alexis Eroh, the leader of the nonprofit group Plymouth Alive, said Stankovic, was a great man. He performed at the Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Festival from the beginning.

“John Stanky was a living polka legend and a Plymouth Alive was so fortunate to have his incredible talents at the Kielbasa Festival for over 20 years,” Eroh said.

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-121, of Wilkes-Barre, who was a musician on the side of his teaching career, said Stankovic was a legend.

“When I was a kid, the polka music was ‘thee’ music. You would hear it on a Sunday afternoon and all day at your house,” Pashinski said.

Pashinski said Stankovic changed the world and industry. .

“Because of John Stanky’s talent, John exposed everyone who heard him to polka music. He shared it all over the United States and beyond. Now he’s known worldwide. I have great admiration for him,” Pashinski said. “He’s a legend.”

Stankovic’s band inspired a new generation of local Polish band members, the group “Polka Bandski.”

The band leader Dan Van Why said Stankovic was an inspiration.

“He’s a legend,” Van Why said. “He’s one of the last giants of polka in the region.”

The band has long prided itself on pairing infectious, techno-driven rhythms with sharp social and political commentary. That approach continues on the recent single “Hater Liquidator,” taken from the forthcoming album “We Mean It, Man!” — a defiant, high-energy track that plays like post-punk revenge set to a dance-floor pulse.

Led by Ukrainian-born frontman Eugene Hütz, Gogol Bordello is closing out the year with a run of East Coast dates, including a stop at Archer Music Hall in Allentown on Sunday.

I recently spoke with Hütz about the upcoming Allentown performance, the new album and more in the interview below.

Q. What can fans expect from the band’s upcoming performance at Archer Music Hall in Allentown?

Hütz: We just came back from touring Europe and spent two months sizzling up to perfection our new material. So it’s a safe time to say the new material is fully activated. We’re not going to be testing it out. It’s fully blazing. It’s going to be a broiler and a boiler.

Is there a way you can put into words what the music of Gogol Bordello is all about?

As a band we wanted to do something that was going to be chimney for our love of music. We have all of these logs burning with our love for punk rock, gypsy music, classical, hardcore and techno in this one fireplace called Gogol Bordello. It’s a synthesis of all of these elements. By margining this orchestra pit with mosh pit aesthetics we stumbled into this Frankenstein of high energy sinful, gypsy and hardcore folk punk.

What can you tell me about the band’s most recent single, “Hater Liquidator?”

It’s a perfect example of bringing in new elements. This one heavily features synth and the brilliant playing and catchy melodies by Erica Mancini. The song is about perseverance through the crazy times in which we’re living. But it’s also an optimistic song that points to the fact that these tough times are a distillation process of letting go of negative patterns in your life and letting the positive qualities in ourselves bubble up to the top.

The track is part of the band’s new album coming out in February. How does this one relate to some of the band’s previous work?

The opening track, “We Mean It, Man!” kind of paints the picture fast. It’s high energy, post punk/post hardcore along the lines of our breakthrough album, Gypsy Punks. It’s a playful album with a lot of similar qualities.

We’re seeing quite a bit of AI being used to create songs these days. What’s your opinion on that and do you see it having any sort of real impact?

I don’t see it happening because it’s such a blatant personality-less way of creating. A person can tell the genericness of the material they’re being fed. I believe AI is a fantastic development for tech that will do good in engineering and give new hope in medicine and astronomy but it’s not going to be great for soul matters. As long as people are made of flesh and bone the idea of AI is not going to be a dominant force in life.

Was a career in music something you always envisioned for yourself?

Absolutely. I never debated it. As a kid I loved music and was also an athlete and long-distance runner. But when I was thirteen and heard Ronnie James Dio’s album “The Last in Line” and the opening track “We Rock,” my athletic career quickly came to an end [laughs].

Are there any other projects you’re working on for 2026?

Running my record label, Casa Gogol Records, is a project that takes a lot of care. I’m finding myself more and more in a producer chair working with new bands from New York City. It makes me feel optimistic. It’s a period where people with infectious energy are playing exciting music with just drums bass and a couple of guitars. The things they’re doing are mind blowingly exciting. I’m really enjoying this rebirth of this atmosphere. Our label is all about being a portal for that.

Is there a message you have for fans here in the Lehigh Valley prior to the band’s performance? Something you’d like them to know?

If you like the idea of dancing around the fire to high energy music and have taste for maximum celebration then this will be a night for you. It’s great to be together. We love rocking out with our friends, family and our fans in one cathartic hoe down. So if you’re into that uplifting energy, this should be your call.

James Wood is a freelance writer. His new music-themed novel, “Beyond What We Know” is available now. You can contact him at jimmywood@gmail.com

Manilow, 82, said doctors found the cancer after he had an extended bout of bronchitis — six weeks, then a relapse of another five weeks.

“My wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK,” Manilow wrote on Instagram. “The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early.”

The singer added that doctors don’t believe cancer has spread, so for now he expects “No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and ‘I Love Lucy’ reruns.”

A statement issued by Manilow’s representatives specified that the spot was a stage one tumor, and that the surgery would take place in late December.

Manilow will be recovering for the month of January and plans to return to action with Valentine’s weekend concerts beginning Feb. 12 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino, and then his arena concerts will resume Feb. 28 in Tampa, Florida.

Manilow was due to perform 10 concerts in January at nine locations in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Ohio. They will now be held in February.

Rea died in the hospital following a short illness, according to a statement from his family to Britain’s Press Association news agency.

Rea found fame in the 1980s in Britain with hits such as “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” and “Let’s Dance.”

Two of his studio albums, “The Road to Hell” in 1989 and “Auberge” in 1991, went to number one in the country.

“Driving Home for Christmas,” did not become an overnight hit when it was first released in 1986, but the gentle track proved to be an enduring success over the decades and remains one of the U.K.’s most-loved festive songs. It featured in a TV advertisement for the retailer Marks and Spencer just this year.

The musician was born in 1951 in Middlesbrough, in northeast England, to an Italian father and Irish mother. He took various jobs after leaving school and helped out in his family’s ice cream business.

He came late to the guitar, picking one up at 21, and played in bands before going solo.

He had suffered from health problems including pancreatic cancer, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke. In more recent years he turned away from pop and released several bluesy records.

Rea is survived by his wife and two daughters.

A major torchbearer of this sound and tradition is Cedric Burnside, progeny of storied guitar-playing singer-songwriter R.L. Burnside, who passed on in 2005. For the late blues giant, whose family lovingly called him “Big Daddy,” grandson Cedric has made a name for himself as a drummer and guitarist and an artist whose 2021 outing, “I Be Trying,” earned him his third Grammy nomination and first win for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Now the 47-year-old Burnside has released “Hill Country Love,” a 14-song collection banged out over the span of two days. Helping with the heavy lifting was childhood friend Luther Dickinson (co-founder of the North Mississippi Allstars and son of legendary Memphis producer/musician Jim Dickinson). Burnside was thrilled to work with Dickinson on this no-frills affair that benefitted from a stripped-down sound of slide guitar, harp and a minimal groove, juiced along by the acoustics of a building Burnside purchased that was slated to be a juke joint.

“I have to say one of my favorite parts of this album was working with my brother from another mother — Luther Dickinson,” Burnside explained in a recent interview. “We were on ‘The Voices of Mississippi Tour’ and I had bought this building. Even though it needed a lot of work and it didn’t work out (as a juke joint), I got a chance to play my guitar in there and listened to the acoustics, which sounded awesome. I mentioned that to Luther on the road. I didn’t think about recording this album in that building until he said something about it. When he said that if it sounded that good, why don’t we record in there, I decided we should do that. The sound was great and it was just an all-around great thing.”

A humble and faithful man, Burnside oozes gratitude, be it for the life lessons his “Big Daddy” taught him or having the privilege to record this latest batch of songs, which was originally recorded at the end of 2021, before he won his Grammy.

“I always say to myself that the universe is always going to throw you something to write about, whether that’s good or bad,” he said. “I’ve been living life and over these past few years, ever since the pandemic, life has been very interesting. I’d written most of these songs before I recorded the album and created one in the studio. It just come to me — feelings that I’ve had — and I’m sure other people can relate to them and it was (with) the song ‘Closer.’ It’s just about being in the world and getting your faith tested all over the place and (in) every way. I was really grateful that the Lord gave me that song to put on the album and bless people, too, in hoping they can relate to it.”

With a ton of good mojo in his back pocket, Burnside has been bringing the blues gospel to the masses in a manner he’s been honing ever since he started playing in local juke joints at the tender age of 10. Fans can expect more of the same when they see him on his current tour. He makes a stop, along with singer/guitarists Samantha Fish and Jon Spencer, on Friday at the Keswick Theatre in Montgomery County.

“I can tell you that we’re definitely going to bring out a bunch of energy, so be ready to kick up a little dust and dance a little bit,” Burnside said with a laugh. “I’m going to bring the truth. I like to think my music is the truth and I like to write it according to how I live my life. I just want people to be able to relate to it. We’re definitely going to be bringing some energy and some good vibes.”

A man is only as good as his roots, and with as formidable a personage as R.L. Burnside serving as a father figure and musical mentor, it’s not surprising to see the success Cedric Burnside has achieved, especially in recent years. “Big Daddy” brought his son on tour as a drummer when the younger Burnside was only 13. Life lessons came fast and furious for him, even ones as mundane as properly packing food in your luggage while touring.

“I have to give props to my ‘Big Daddy,’ and of course, the good Lord for allowing me to experience such a life,” Burnside said. “Just watching him as a kid — his overall aura was beautiful, and not just his guitar playing and singing. His aura was so great to me and to a lot of the audience. I thank him for giving me the first opportunity in life to play music. That was (in) Toronto, Canada. It was scary and beautiful all at the same time. He just taught me everything, man.

“My dad wasn’t around as much when I was a kid growing up,” the son said. “Being with my ‘Big Daddy — him giving me the chance to go on the road with him to play drums — I learned a lot from him. He taught me how to pack my bags and how to pack Vienna sausages and crackers in my bags. When we go overseas, a lot of places over there are closed early and you couldn’t get anything to eat until the next day. I was wondering to myself why I should do that. It wasn’t very long until I learned why. I remember him telling me all the time that I should always treat people the way I want to be treated. Little things like that always stick with me and I’m glad to be part of the Burnside family. My ‘Big Daddy’ raised me as a kid and I stayed with him until I was old enough to move out on my own. That right there is just a true blessing to me and why I love and appreciate him so much.”

Not surprisingly, “Big Daddy” was in the younger Burnside’s head when his name was announced for that Grammy win. The idea of paying homage to their musical forefathers is a hallmark of generations of blues players ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Robert Cray and Buddy Guy. It’s a sentiment woven into Burnside’s character and spirit alongside this ever-present gratitude and humility.

“When they called my name, I have to say it was a beautiful feeling,” Burnside recalled. “It wasn’t just about winning the Grammy, but I saw my ‘Big Daddy.’ I saw his face smiling. I saw Miss Jessie Mae Hemphill, Mr. Otha Turner, Junior Kimbrough and all those guys. They just popped in my head. As I was running up there to get that Grammy, all I could do was think that I did it. And I didn’t just do it for myself — I did it for the whole region. I did it for Hill Country (of Mississippi). It hasn’t been done before. There have been a lot of accolades for all these old legends. I’m just grateful to be one of the grandchildren they showed the ropes to. To get the Grammy and bring it home to Mississippi — the Hill Country — it was a beautiful feeling.”

Dave Gil de Rubio is a freelance writer.