Kentucky’s finest, Black Stone Cherry, will release their brand-new EP, ‘Celebrate’, which will be digitally available on 6 March 2026 via Mascot Records. They explode back into action with the video for their new track, ‘Neon Eyes.’
Black Stone Cherry are a band in the truest sense of the term. Hard rockers of enormous heart. Four accomplished songwriters with rock, metal, roots, blues, soul and hip hop in their blood. Old friends with an instinctive, compassionate sense for what each other is feeling.
On ‘Celebrate’ – produced by the band and recorded at High Street Studios in Bowling Green, Kentucky – they embody all this at the height of their powers. There’s happiness and heartache. Muscular hooks and raw soul. The life experiences of four men approaching forty (two of them parents), in one emotive, unpolished diamond of a record. Six commanding, stage-ready original tracks and an inspired cover of Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ featuring Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman).
New track ‘Neon Eyes’ was a soundcheck riff that exploded into a thumping, hard rock party-starter, and the video follows them on a typical day in the life of a band on the road, as they arrive at their stunning headline performance at the 2025 Maid of Stone Festival in the UK.
You get a glimpse of the band behind the scenes, how they prepare for a show, them mingling with the crowd, fans rejoicing throughout the day, and all the way up to a typically high voltage performance showing what an undeniable force they are – plus some magical and unforgettable memories made during the day – watch the video to the end…
Talking about the song, the band say, “For Neon Eyes we had the riff recorded on an iPhone and immediately wrote a song around it when we first started writing for this EP. We knew we wanted the main riff to also be the chorus so once we landed on the title, everything fell into place. A classic BSC banger.”
Black Stone Cherry are masters of taking a somber subject and flipping it on its head, creating a punchy, empowering rock song. “Any piece of art is a snapshot of that artist’s life,” singer/guitarist Chris Robertson reasons. “I look at these songs as a culmination of everything we’ve lived since Screamin’ At The Sky.”
“None of us are precious, because we’re all fighting on the same team,” Ben says. “John Fred might have a guitar riff, or me or Chris might have a drum beat. And Steve is our bass player, but he played slide on the last album, and there’s parts on the new stuff where he plays guitar. It was cool to think you could start the day without a song, and five hours later walk out with a demo.”
‘Celebrate’ is an EP of contrasts. ‘I’m Fine’ is a dreamily woozy, Nirvana-laced grunge singalong. But it was the searing, mid-tempo heartache of ‘Deep’ that struck a really pertinent chord – with Ben in particular. Following long struggles with fertility issues, he and his wife suffered a miscarriage midway through the writing process. Two days later, he was channelling the experience into ‘Deep’.
For a curveball, ‘Celebrate’ is capped off with a strapping yet sensuous cover of Simple Minds’ classic ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, featuring guest vocals from old Black Stone friend Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman). Immortalised in John Hughes’ seminal 1985 coming-of-age film The Breakfast Club, it turned out to be a surprisingly natural fit for Black Stone Cherry. A happy pairing with the soulful gravel and sincerity of Chris’s vocals. “I love that song!” the frontman laughs.
No one in Black Stone Cherry takes what they have for granted, least of all their fans. They’ll play to thousands in an arena or festival field, followed by a 100-capacity pub, and put on the exact same show. You can feel it in ‘Celebrate’: the sense that their hearts are totally invested, their priorities clear. Time spent with loved ones. Supporting one another. Connecting with audiences. Music that makes you feel something. No polish, no faking it, just moments that matter.
Track Listing
- Celebrate
- Neon Eyes
- Caught Up In The Up Down
- I’m Fine
- Deep
- What You’re Made Of
- Don’t You (Forget About Me) ft. Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman
USA Tour Dates
09/26 Umatilla, OR – Rock The Locks
09/27 Reno, NV – Trip Wire Festival
11/04 Jefferson, LA – Southport Hall
11/05 Destin, FL – Club LA
11/06 Orlando, FL – The Beacham
11/08 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
11/09 Waynesboro, VA – The Foundry
11/11 Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
11/12 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
11/14 Harrisburg, PA – Capital City Music Hall
11/15 Hartford, CT – The Webster Theater
11/16 Hampton, NH – Wally’s
11/18 Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes
11/19 Wilmington, DE – The Queen
11/21 Flint, MI – The Machine Shop
11/22 Wyandotte, MI – District 142
11/23 Fort Wayne, IN – Clyde Theatre
11/25 Warrendale, PA – Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
11/28 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
11/29 Joliet, IL – The Forge
11/30 St. Louis, MO – The Sovereign
12/02 Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
12/03 Colorado Springs, CO -Sunshine Studios Live
12/05 Council Bluffs, IA – Horseshoe Whiskey Roadhouse
12/06 Sioux Falls, SD – The District
12/07 Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
12/09 Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron
12/10 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
In April, 2026 the band will appear on Creed’s Summer of ’99 And Beyond Cruise.
Black Stone Cherry Online:
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