Random music news for Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Llamas 1, on-the-run criminal 0. Music news for February 17, 2026, is a home run.

1. RIP songwriter Billy Steinberg. You may not recognize the name, but you’ll know all of the hits he wrote.
2. It appears that Evan Dando of The Lemonheads is having a serious mental health crisis. He’s been hospitalized.
3. Bijou Phillips of Wilson Phillips desperately needs a new kidney. Any donors out there?
4. Tool at The Sphere in Las Vegas? They’re talking about it.
5. Will Oasis tour in 2026? Unclear. Will they tour in 2027? Yes–and they’ll have new music, too.
6. Although we’ll never get DAB (digital audio broadcasting) in North America (blame the US), but in Europe where it’s big, there are problems. (Via Rick J)
7. Was that Chad Kroeger drunk singing in a casino? Why, yes. Yes, it was.
8. Just because your dad is in The Rolling Stones doesn’t mean you’ve got an easy ride. Ask Jesse Wood, son of Ronnie.
9. Trump is now pissed at Apple over Apple News. It’s spreading woke garbage from the radical left media, apparently.
10. Hollywood is going after a new AI tool called Seedance 2.0. Too realistic and trained on copyrighted material. The owner? Bytedance, the people behind TikTok.
11. On a similar note, an NPR radio host is suing Google because its NotebookLM voice stole his.
12. Attention SNL fans: A Lorne Michaels documentary is coming in the spring.
13. Are an audiophile spending $$$$ on cables? Maybe you shouldn’t. (Via Josh)
14. A bedding company wanted to use the phrase “Swift Home” as a trademark. Guess who stepped in and stopped that?
15. On one hand, this could be cool and helpful. On the other…
16. This book is pretty specific: I Go There with You: The U2 Sites of Southern California, from Significant to Sacred.

More music news? Go here.

BONUS: What happens when you go into phone-free silence for a few days? It can be disturbing.