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Dropkick Murphys proudly remain Boston’s rock ‘n’ roll underdogs turned champions. Since 1996, the boys have created the kind of music that’s meant to be chanted at last call, in packed arenas, and during the fourth quarter, third period, or ninth inning of a comeback rally. Their celebrated discography includes four consecutive Billboard top 10 album debuts (Turn Up That Dial, 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, Signed and Sealed in Blood, Going Out In Style), along with 2005’s Certified-Gold The Warrior’s Code featuring the double platinum classic “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.” Whether you caught a legendary gig at The Rathskeller (The Rat) under Kenmore Square, found the band by taking the T to Newbury Comics to cop Do Or Die in ’98, discovered them in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award winning The Departed, or saw ‘em throw down at Coachella (or one of hundreds of other festivals), you’ve become a part of their extended family.

London based musician, composer and producer Sam Shepherd began Floating Points in 2008 upon the release of several white-label singles. Shepherd formed Eglo Records in 2009 with his own early highlights for the label including cuts ‘Vacuum Boogie’ and ‘ARP3‘ leading to increasingly spacious and musical releases ‘Sais,’ ‘King Bromeliad,’ and ‘Nuits Sonores.’

In a journey that’s been taking new directions since it started, every step of the way has led STRFKR to Parallel Realms. The band’s energetic, danceable pop has assumed many forms since they first emerged in 2007, always reliably delivering unshakeable melodies and larger-than-life anthems infused with intellectually challenging lyrics. In recent years, STRFKR explored more experimental waters when they constructed a fuzzy dream world with their home-recorded 2020 album Future Past Life or subtracted structure entirely from fully instrumental collection Ambient 1. New album Parallel Realms finds yet another path, redefining the kind of direct, high-impact songwriting that’s long been the core of the band’s strongest material.

When The Fray first burst onto the scene in the early aughts, the Colorado-bred band introduced the world to a profoundly life-affirming form of alt-rock: timeless but inventive, arena-sized in scope but firmly rooted in raw emotion. Over the coming decades, their soul-searching songwriting and high-powered sound led to earning four Grammy Award nominations, scoring a multitude of Billboard top 10 hits, and amassing a passionately devoted worldwide fanbase.

Ben Harper is one of the premiere songwriters of his generation. He is also one of the most versatile and brave songwriters, fearlessly working in a cross-section of genres, ranging from pop, reggae and soul, to blues, rock, funk and folk. He has recorded 18 studio albums and amassed a worldwide following having sold over 16 million records worldwide and 3 Grammy Awards. Ben was born on October 28, 1969. While his music and career embody the sonic bravery, brilliance, lyrical honesty and social activism of that pivotal time, Harper adds his unique modern day cultural awareness brining music with social conscience into the now, reflected in the 2023 nomination for the newly minted Grammy Special Merit Award for “Best Song For Social Change.”

Twenty-five years into their genre-defying electronic music career, Thievery Corporation’s founding principles of D.I.Y. and inclusion have become key themes in mainstream social conversation. After a dozen highly acclaimed full-length albums, remix LPs, concert recordings, and over two decades of incendiary live performances that have thrilled audiences worldwide, Thievery Corporation’s music and message is more relevant and important now than ever.

Hawthorne, California-based singer, songwriter, and producer Cuco has been challenging musical conventions since his emergence. From the lo-fi bedroom pop of his 2016 debut mixtape “Wannabewithu” to his dreamy first full album, 2019’s “Para Mi,” Cuco has methodically crafted a distinctive Mexican-American musical identity characterized by bilingual vocals, romantic themes, and psychedelic undertones.

Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Wyatt Flores is in the midst of a breakout year following the release of his full-length debut album, Welcome to the Plains, this past fall (Island Records). With the record, produced by Beau Bedford (Orville Peck, Shane Smith & The Saints), Flores continues to gain widespread attention, having appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series and “CBS Saturday Morning,” while the album landed on several “Best of 2024” lists such as NPR, Rolling Stone and more. Known for his electric concerts, Flores recently released his first live album, Live At Cain’s Ballroom, and will continue to tour through this summer with his “Welcome Back to the Plains” headline tour as well as several festival dates across the country.

No one paid too much attention when Jake Lenderman recorded Boat Songs, his third album released under his initials, MJ Lenderman. Before he cut it, after all, he was a 20-year-old guitarist working at an ice cream shop in his mountain hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, getting away for self-booked tours of his own songs or with the band he’d recently joined, Wednesday, whenever possible.