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January 28, 2020

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Digital Noise Staff

Unreleased promotional material for country-rocker Aaron Lewis has taken a bizarre detour ahead of his album drop, turning up as literal garbage stuffing inside Taylor Swift merchandise shipments.

The odd crossover came to light when TikTok creator Christa Jo posted a viral unboxing video of her physical CD orders for Swift’s new single "I Knew It, I Knew You" (featured on the Toy Story 5 soundtrack). While digging through the protective recycled packing material, the fan pulled out a complete, albeit heavily shredded, music lyric book for Lewis’ upcoming album. Despite the damage, the imagery of the Staind frontman transposed over an American flag was completely unmistakable.

Lewis caught wind of the packing mishap and addressed it directly on social media, writing, "Oh look, there’s my new album, that hasn’t even been released yet, shredded as packaging paper in Taylor Swift merch. Ain’t that some shit." In a subsequent interview with USA Today, Lewis—who openly admits he doesn't use social media and has never even had a MySpace—confessed he found the entire situation completely baffling:

"I don't know how this happened. I hate to think it's malicious, but at the same time, I don't know that it's not."

Ironically, the blunder highlights a shared history between the two seemingly polar-opposite artists. Lewis is scheduled to release Give My Country Back on July 17th via Big Machine Label Group—the exact same record label that originally signed a teenage Taylor Swift as its flagship artist and launched her first six studio albums. Lewis has previously commended label boss Scott Borchetta for defending his right to free expression, even when they clash politically on Lewis' defiantly pro-MAGA country anthems.

Neither Big Machine nor Swift's camp have issued an official statement on how the unreleased booklets wound up in the industrial shredder.

Do you think this was just an innocent oversight at a shared printing facility, or is there a bit of music industry trolling at play?

#AaronLewis #TaylorSwift #GiveMyCountryBack #IKnewItIKnewYou #ToyStory5 #BigMachineRecords #Staind #CountryMusic #MusicNews2026

Limp Bizkit gave their diehard European fan base a major setlist shock this past week, digging deep into their catalog to deliver a long-awaited live rarity. During their June 24th concert at the Parkbühne Wuhlheide in Berlin, Germany, the nu-metal icons unexpectedly launched into "Stuck," a fierce fan-favorite from their 2x platinum 1997 debut album, Three Dollar Bill, Y’all.

The performance didn't happen without a bit of hesitation from frontman Fred Durst. Shortly after starting the heavy track, Durst actually paused the band to directly ask the Berlin audience if the song was simply too old for them to be playing. However, the crowd answered with a massive wave of cheers and roars, encouraging Durst and the rest of the band to completely restart the song and blast through its first full live performance since 2014.

The surprise live bust-out comes as Limp Bizkit rides an unprecedented modern wave of global momentum. Guitarist Wes Borland recently commented on the band's staggering resurgence on the touring circuit, admitting that it feels like they are "the biggest we’ve ever been right now." With plenty of summer tour dates left on the horizon, fans across the globe will be keeping a close eye on the setlists to see if "Stuck" or other early classics continue to make appearances.

What classic, deep-cut track from Three Dollar Bill, Y'all are you hoping Fred and the band dust off next on this tour?

#LimpBizkit #FredDurst #WesBorland #Stuck #ThreeDollarBillYall #Berlin #ParkbuhneWuhlheide #NuMetal #LiveMusic #SetlistSurprise #RockNews2026

Baltimore hardcore outfit End It has officially returned to the stage, seemingly bringing a peaceful resolution to their highly publicized war against costume-clad concertgoers. During the band's June 27th set at the Jera On Air festival in Ysselsteyn, Netherlands, vocalist Akil Godsey was spotted hugging a fan dressed in a full banana suit. Godsey later reshared the photos on his Instagram story, lightheartedly captioning the moment, “The great Banana Treaty of Ysselsteyn.”

The sudden onstage truce comes after weeks of internet scrutiny and industry fallout stemming from the band's June 5th performance in Toronto, Ontario. During that set, Godsey infamously placed a bounty on a concertgoer wearing a banana costume, offering up the band’s physical setlist to anyone who could successfully tear the outfit apart. Proclaiming that the fan "wanted the attention, and now he has it," Godsey watched as members of the crowd aggressively ripped the suit to shreds. The incident sparked intense discourse within the scene regarding concert safety and artists inciting crowd violence over harmless crowd attire.

In the weeks of silence that followed, older footage resurfaced showing End It routinely targeting costumed fans. Meanwhile, the Toronto banana man clarified online that he was simply a fan of headliners Terror, was unfamiliar with End It's strict anti-costume stance, and frequently wears the suit to various shows just for fun. The backlash seemingly carried real professional consequences for the Baltimore band; they were reportedly dropped at the last minute from a highly anticipated fall tour package featuring Hatebreed and Life Of Agony, and their official Facebook page quietly vanished.

When Godsey finally addressed the situation in a video statement last week, he initially doubled down on the behavior, dismissively stating, “We’re a hardcore band, we do hardcore things.” However, kicking off their current European festival run, the band appears ready to move past the drama—one banana hug at a time.

Do you think the "Banana Treaty" is a genuine apology to the scene, or is it just a clever PR move to smooth things over after losing a major tour slot?

#EndIt #Ak…

In a new appearance on the Mark And Me podcast, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale opened up about the mental and physical shift required to take the stage every night, describing her pre-show nerves as a "beautiful panic." Hale revealed that when she or her bandmates aren't fully "feeling it" before a concert, they resort to high-energy tricks like running in place and yelling backstage to amp themselves up.

Hale, who labels herself a "reformed introvert," explained that about 15 minutes before showtime, an internal countdown begins where she can no longer sit still. She equates the rush to preparing to jump out of an airplane, which has sparked a nightly running joke with her bass player checking to see if he "packed her parachute."

A massive driver of that adrenaline is Halestorm's strict commitment to playing 100% live without backing tracks or click tracks. While Hale notes she isn't against other artists using playback rigs, she feels utilizing them would make her own shows feel too rigid, like a music video shoot. Guitarist Joe Hottinger echoed this sentiment, stating that rock and roll is supposed to be "a little dangerous" and that the band embraces making mistakes on stage. Drummer Arejay Hale also previously pointed out that while performing without a safety net is an uphill battle that requires immense focus and training, it allows the musicians to let the songs breathe and react directly to the crowd's energy.

This unfiltered, organic approach heavily anchored the band's latest musical chapter. Halestorm's sixth studio album, Everest, was released last August via Atlantic Records, featuring production work by Dave Cobb.

Do you prefer the raw, unpredictable energy of a completely live rock show where anything can happen, or do you think backing tracks have a valid place in modern touring?

#Halestorm #LzzyHale #JoeHottinger #ArejayHale #EverestAlbum #DaveCobb #AtlanticRecords #LiveMusic #RockNews2026

$Blink-182 co-founder Tom DeLonge is officially expanding his creative empire into the world of adult animation with his highly anticipated new series, Breaking Bear. The official trailer for the project has made its debut online, offering a first look at a raunchy, action-packed narrative that DeLonge concisely describes as “a ridiculous show about animals doing drugs.” The series centers around a family of articulate, talking bears who decide to build a massive illegal narcotics empire in order to fund the defense of their beloved forest from corporate frackers, while simultaneously battling a parade of violent, underworld enemies. The freshly released trailer leans heavily into crude, fast-paced humor and a chaotic visual style. DeLonge has assembled an elite, star-studded voice cast to bring the forest animals to life, including Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Annie Murphy, Josh Gad, and Elizabeth Hurley. Fans won't have to wait long to binge the project, as Breaking Bear is officially locked to premiere on the streaming service Tubi on July 24th. While DeLonge dives into animation, the musical engine of Blink-182 is simultaneously keeping things moving. The pop-punk legends recently celebrated the landmark 25th anniversary of their classic 2001 record Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. Looking ahead to the live circuit, the trio has formally announced a major European tour slated to kick off in June 2027, ensuring fans will see the band return to their natural habitat on the road next summer. Are you tuning into Tom DeLonge's wild new animation venture next month, or are you already counting down the days to the 2027 tour dates? #TomDeLonge #Blink182 #BreakingBear #Tubi #BrendanFraser #SarahMichelleGellar #AnnieMurphy #JoshGad #AdultAnimation #TakeOffYourPantsAndJacket #RockNews2026$