Michigan bluegrass aficionado Billy Strings has showcased his diverse tastes and genre-shifting proficiency as part of a new collaboration with Canadian death metal outfit Cryptopsy.

32-year-old Strings – who scored his third No. 1 on the Bluesgrass Albums chart in 2024 with Highway Prayers – has long been a noted fan of some of the biggest names in the world of bluegrass and rock, though he’s frequently indicated that his tastes skew a bit heavier as well.

That heaviness extends to Cryptopsy, the Montreal outfit who have been an active presence in the death metal scene since their formation in 1988. Six years after their founding, the future Juno Award-winners released their debut album, Blasphemy Made Flesh, with the record this year receiving the reissue treatment.

As part of said reissue (which arrives on July 18), the album also includes live cuts and a special eight-and-a-half minute medley dubbed “Blasphemy Made Fresh,” which includes guest vocalists such as Shadow of Intent’s Ben Duerr, Stabbing’s Bridget Lynch, Emasculator’s Mallika Sundaramurthy, and others, while Strings adds his own guitar solo.

“We are super stoked at how excited each guest was to be part of this unique homage to Cryptopsy’s first classic,” vocalist Matt McGachy said in a statement. “We are beyond proud of this medley and are so happy that we can now share it with our new and old fans.”

Per a press release, the medley “sharpens and steels the album’s many surgical hooks and pathological rhythms,” with Strings also sharing his rabid excitement at being involved in the process.

“Cryptopsy is my all-time favorite death metal band,” he explained, before recalling a night in 2023 when both acts performed in Boise, ID. Feeling “bummed” at the unfortunate schedule clash, Strings leaned on the Blasphemy Made Flesh track “Open Face Surgery” and gifted the group a cake that said ‘Open Cake Surgery.’”

A video of the group devouring the cake later made its way onto social media – much to Strings’ delight.

“It blew my mind!” he explained. “I was just so happy I could at least pay my respects in the form of frosting and that they didn’t think I was a total weirdo.”

“It was such a huge honor for me to add this guitar solo to this insane medley by my favorite death metal band,” he added in a post shared to social media. “This is like a dream come true for me and I want to thank the band for having me on it.”

The release of the Cryptopsy medley is the latest addition to a month of ups and downs for Strings, who on Wednesday (July 16) received multiple nominations for the 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards – including entertainer and album of the year.

In late June, the musician revealed during a performance in Lexington, KY, that his mother had passed away just hours earlier. “It was my decision to carry on with tonight’s show because that’s what my mom would have wanted me to do,” he told the crowd. “The reason I decided not to go home and be with my family right now is because I already am.”

Listen to Cryptopsy’s “Blasphemy Made Fresh” below.

Steve Miller Band frontman Steve Miller has cancelled his 2025 tour, according to a note posted to his website.

“The Joker” singer and Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame inductee is cancelling at dates on his 31 date tour, which was set to kick off Aug. 13 at Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and run through Nov. 8 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

“You make music with your instincts,” Miller wrote in a note on his website announcing the cancellation. “You live by your instincts,” he added, “Always trust your instincts…”

For Miller, those instincts told him to cancel his lengthy tour due to “the combination of extreme heat, unpredictable flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest fires make these risks for you our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable.”

Miller didn’t detail any specific weather events in his post cancelling the tour, which stops in 19 different states and includes some big name venues like Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York; Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pennsylvania; Etess Arena at Hard Rock Live in Atlantic City, New Jersey; the Pinewood Bowl Center in Lincoln, Nebraska; the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama and the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California. Miller was also scheduled to perform at this year’s Minnesota State Fair.

“You can blame it on the weather…the tour is cancelled,” Miller wrote. “Don’t know where, don’t know when. We hope to see you all again,” he concluded, before signing off and encouraging his followers to “please take care of each other.”

As of now, no information regarding refunds has been released to the public.

A Welsh teenager planned to attack fans at the first show of Oasis’ comeback tour on July 4, but he was caught by British authorities and has since admitted to a criminal charge.

The Times reports that a 17-year-old from South Wales — kept anonymous because he’s a minor — was accused by U.K. prosecutors last month of plotting to attack the opening night of the much-awaited Oasis reunion tour in Cardiff.

The teenager had also allegedly been planning to target a dance school near his home, inspired by the deadly knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England, last year.

According to the Times, the Welsh teenager researched how to obtain large knives and had a note saved to his phone called “places to attack.” He also allegedly sent Snapchat messages praising the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, and told his school guidance counselor at a June 21 meeting that he wanted to commit a “Rudakubana-style attack.”

The teenager’s guidance counselor and a Snapchat user both reported him to the police, leading to the criminal case.

The 17-year-old pled guilty to a single charge of possessing a document useful for terrorism, admitting that he had a copy of an al-Qaeda training manual on his phone. He appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 21, and a judge ordered a psychiatric examination of the teen before sentencing.

The opening night of Oasis’ 41-date Live ’25 tour, the band’s first tour since 2009, ultimately went forward without issue at Cardiff’s 74,000-capacity Principality Stadium on July 4.

The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service and reps for Oasis did not return requests for comment on Wednesday (July 16).

The 50th anniversary of Los Horóscopos de Durango, the iconic Mexican regional music band founded by Armando Terrazas, brought his daughters Marisol and Vicky to pause their respective solo careers for the first time in four years to celebrate the milestone with an extensive tour.

Formed in 1975, Los Horóscopos de Durango began in the grupero genre but didn’t explode in popularity until 2003 with the addition of Marisol and Vicky’s female voices, reaching their peak during the pasito duranguense movement. Over nearly two decades, the sisters earned many Billboard hits including “Dos Locos,” “No Me Dejes con las Ganas” and “Si La Quieres.”

“My dad had the desire to celebrate the 50 years since last year, but everyone had taken their own path,” Vicky tells Billboard Español. “At the beginning of 2025, we thought all the work and all his dreams achieved through our dreams needed to be celebrated.”

She adds: “The fans were another reason we decided to do this project.”

Under the name “La Gira de Oro: Antes Muertas Que Sencillas” (like one of their biggest hits), Los Horóscopos de Durango kicks off a series of 30+ shows in the United States and Mexico this week, starting Friday (July 18) with the first of two dates in Los Angeles. Stops include Phoenix, El Paso, Las Vegas, San Jose, Dallas and, of course, Chicago, where the musical movement was born.

In Mexico, the response to the tour announcement couldn’t have been better. Their Aug. 23 performance at Arena Ciudad de México sold out in less than a month, leading to the addition of over 20 dates in the country for the remainder of the year and the first quarter of 2026, including a March 18 show at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. (For the full calendar, click here.)

In addition to pasito duranguense, Los Horóscopos de Durango has a vast repertoire of songs featuring banda and mariachi, elements that won’t be missing in their approximately three-hour show. “We’ve paid attention to every detail, the costumes — it all feels like a fairy tale,” says Marisol.

Both sisters spoke extensively with Billboard about the tour, their upcoming plans, and this significant and unexpected moment in their careers.

What motivated you to reunite?

Vicky: My dad had the desire to celebrate the 50 years since last year, but everyone had taken their own path. At the beginning of 2025, we thought all the work and all his dreams achieved through our dreams needed to be celebrated. This wasn’t just about returning for the sake of it — there were very big reasons. Plus, having our father present made this even more important.

Did you feel you needed time apart to focus on your individual pursuits?

Vicky: Exactly. In many ways, we each wanted to explore our solo careers and focus on personal matters. But that didn’t mean we weren’t seeing each other — we’ve always been very close, and now we’re fully focused on this reunion.

What did you think of your fans selling out your first shows?

Marisol: It was something very beautiful and unexpected. We know our fans love us, we see it on social media and streaming platforms, even without releasing anything new. Seeing the Los Angeles show sell out quickly and the Arena Ciudad de México sell out in less than a month has been so exciting for us. The fans were another reason we decided to do this project.

Vicky, now that you’re a mom, how does that change your routine?

Vicky: Fortunately, this tour is very well-structured. We have highly professional teams in both the U.S. and Mexico, so they’ve organized everything to allow me to be with my son while also focusing on this project. For me, having my son with me at the first show is very important because the day before is his birthday, and the day after the first show is my birthday.

Are you nervous about returning to the stage despite your many years of experience?

Vicky: More than ever. Marisol even had some throat issues for a few days, and the doctor told her it was due to stress. It’s a mix of nerves and excitement because we’ve been out of this work rhythm for a while. We want it to start already so we can believe what’s happening.

Aside from the repertoire, what other details have excited you about preparing for the show?

Marisol: We’ve taken care of all the details, from the show’s repertoire, which will last between two and a half to three hours, to the costumes. We’ll be wearing outfits by designers from both the U.S. and Mexico, depending on the country. It all feels like a fairy tale.

Any plans to record new music?

Vicky: For now, we’re not planning to record anything new, just collaborations. We’ve been invited to several, and we’ll reveal them little by little. That also makes us very happy.

Will you have guest performers during the tour?

Vicky: Yes, we want to invite several. For the Arena Ciudad de México, we’ve already confirmed Chuy Lizárraga, Carolina Ross, and Jhonny Caz from Grupo Firme.

You’re both outstanding women in Mexican regional music. What does it mean to return to the spotlight?

Marisol: It’s an honor to be part of the history of regional Mexican music and to be back. We’ll also be heading to South America next year, to countries where we have many fans but haven’t visited before.