FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS have delivered one of the finest alternative/heavy rock albums of 2025 with their latest full length "BEAR", which was released on October 10, 2025, via Magnetic Eye Records (get the album HERE).
These outstanding American musicians have just announced the first concerts of their highly anticipated 2026 tours in support of the new album with a first leg in the US starting this winter and European dates for late spring into early summer. Please see below for a list of all currently confirmed shows.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS comment on both tours: "We’ve been working toward the goal of making it to Europe for years now; and we're ecstatic that the time has finally come!", vocalist Buick Audra writes on behalf of the duo. "We can hardly wait to see the community over there, to bring what we do to those stages, and to take in the music and culture of all the places we're touring through. We believe that music is a conversation, and we're thrilled to be engaging with new voices. See you very soon, friends! May it be the first time of many. Of course, we're very much looking forward to seeing folks at our upcoming US dates throughout February, March, and April as well! Spines will vibrate; it's our guarantee!"
US TOUR 2026
08 FEB 2026 Houston, TX (US) Black Magic Social Club
19 FEB 2026 Baton Rouge, LA (US) Mid City Ballroom
20 FEB 2026 New Orleans, LA (US) Siberia
21 FEB 2026 Mobile, AL (US) Alabama Music Box
22 FEB 2026 Gainesville, FL (US) The Atlantic
24 FEB 2026 Tampa, FL (US) Deviant Libation
25 FEB 2026 Miami, FL (US) Las Rosas
26 FEB 2026 Orlando, FL (US) Will's Pub
27 FEB 2026 Jacksonville, FL (US) Hard Love
28 FEB 2026 Savannah, GA (US) Totally Awesome Bar
01 MAR 2026 Athens, GA (US) The World Famous
03 MAR 2026 Atlanta, GA (US) Boggs Social
04 MAR 2026 Asheville, NC (US) The Odd
05 MAR 2026 Richmond, VA (US) Cobra Cabana
06 MAR 2026 Durham, NC (US) Pinhook
07 MAR 2026 Charlotte, NC (US) Snug Harbor
08 MAR 2026 Chattanooga, TN (US) JJ's Bohemia
04 APR 2026 Nashville, TN (US) TN Brew Works
10 APR 2026 Chicago, IL (US) Reggie’s Music Joint
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EUROPEAN TOUR 2026
16 MAY 2026 Coevorden (NL) MFC
19 MAY 2026 Barberaz (FR) Le Brin de Zinc
23 MAY 2026 Cottbus (DE) Galerie Fango
25 MAY 2026 Bratislava (SK) Koncerty na Garážach
27 MAY 2026 Radebeul (DE) Barnyard Club
28 MAY 2026 Münster (DE) Rare Guitar
29 MAY 2026 Hagen (DE) Werkhof Hohenlimburg
30 MAY 2026 Asendorf (DE) Kulturhaus B.O.
02 JUN 2026 Hamburg (DE) Hafenklang
03 JUN 2026 Hildesheim (DE) Club VEB
06 JUN 2026 Esch-Alzette (LU) MK Bar
The Lowdown
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS are not just any band within the wider musical cosmos of heavy rock and stoner metal. Artistic excellence, reflected in the two Grammy wins of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Buick Audra as well as the status of drummer and bass player Jerry Roe as one of the most sought after studio percussionists, paired with outstanding lyrical intelligence have once again flown together organically to shape their forthcoming album "BEAR".
"BEAR" was written around the realisation that Buick Audra had essentially been kicked out of womanhood. This album is a documentation of her awareness also while cataloguing other areas of human connection: art, outsider culture, and dark rock venues – all places where empathy and creativity grow wild. Audra and Jerry Roe arranged and performed the fourth full-length of FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERSalbum to have two sides to it, musically: heavy and light, salt and sugar, fire and air, and lost and found.
Although hailing from Nashville, Tennessee these denizens of the 'Music City' kindly beg to differ. FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sound draws from sludge, doom, heavy metal, and grunge with roots in punk and hardcore, among other guitar driven styles.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS were originally conceived as a side project by the two industry veterans Buick Audra and Jerry Roe, whose accolades have already been mentioned above. When the duo found common ground, they were able to bring all their combined musical excellence, perspectives, precision, and power to their new band.
Their early works, the EPs "GARFIELD" (2015) and "JUNEBUG" (2017) as well as the debut full-length "AVE" (2016) were all self-recorded as well as self-produced in their own studio, Fort Knockout, and supported live with regional tours.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sophomore album 'BILL' (2018) was co-produced by the band with Steve Albini and engineered at his Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. Working with Albini proved a pivotal experience for the duo, both personally and professionally. "BILL" reached a notably larger audience and allowed national touring. Following Albini's passing in 2024, the band released his original analogue mixes of the project, "BILL- The Steve Albini Mixes".
Although the duo's members maintained other ventures, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS had developed into a focal endeavour for them both. Their again self-produced 2020 EP, "HOLD ON TO YOURSELF", was the beginning of their by now years-long collaboration with Kurt Ballou, who mixed the record. He also mixed their self-produced pandemic-era singles "STONECHILD/ YOUR REIGN IS OVER" (2020), "ALTAR / LAND OF MEN" (2021), and "AND IF MY BODY" (2022). These were later compiled on a limited vinyl release entitled "RELEASE OF THE REST" (2022). The singles also marked a departure from the duo's previous punk and hardcore leanings while introducing a heavier, sludgier sensibility.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS recorded and co-produced their third album "MASS" again with Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Salem, MA. Audra recorded and produced her vocals at her Nashville studio, and Ballou then mixed the tracks. With "MASS" (2023), a concept album about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts, the duo took the important next step of reaching a global audience.
"BEAR" was again co-produced by band members Buick Audra and Jerry Roe. The duo returned to Salem to work along once more with their longtime collaborator, Kurt Ballou, who also tracked the instrumental performances and mixed the record. As a result, the songs with a huge range of musical ideas and expressions are unified in sound as well as in theme, which runs throughout the record in various ways: the ever-elusive idea of belonging, where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not.
With "BEAR", FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS present a rare sparkling gem of an album, heavy yet captivating, shiny yet dark, and songs that brim with important meaning. "BEAR" is easy to get into, but beware, this album will draw its listeners into fascinating and thought-provoking depths!
Tracklist:
19 MAY 2026 Barberaz (FR) Le Brin de Zinc
23 MAY 2026 Cottbus (DE) Galerie Fango
25 MAY 2026 Bratislava (SK) Koncerty na Garážach
27 MAY 2026 Radebeul (DE) Barnyard Club
28 MAY 2026 Münster (DE) Rare Guitar
29 MAY 2026 Hagen (DE) Werkhof Hohenlimburg
30 MAY 2026 Asendorf (DE) Kulturhaus B.O.
02 JUN 2026 Hamburg (DE) Hafenklang
03 JUN 2026 Hildesheim (DE) Club VEB
06 JUN 2026 Esch-Alzette (LU) MK Bar
The Lowdown
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS are not just any band within the wider musical cosmos of heavy rock and stoner metal. Artistic excellence, reflected in the two Grammy wins of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Buick Audra as well as the status of drummer and bass player Jerry Roe as one of the most sought after studio percussionists, paired with outstanding lyrical intelligence have once again flown together organically to shape their forthcoming album "BEAR".
"BEAR" was written around the realisation that Buick Audra had essentially been kicked out of womanhood. This album is a documentation of her awareness also while cataloguing other areas of human connection: art, outsider culture, and dark rock venues – all places where empathy and creativity grow wild. Audra and Jerry Roe arranged and performed the fourth full-length of FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERSalbum to have two sides to it, musically: heavy and light, salt and sugar, fire and air, and lost and found.
Although hailing from Nashville, Tennessee these denizens of the 'Music City' kindly beg to differ. FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sound draws from sludge, doom, heavy metal, and grunge with roots in punk and hardcore, among other guitar driven styles.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS were originally conceived as a side project by the two industry veterans Buick Audra and Jerry Roe, whose accolades have already been mentioned above. When the duo found common ground, they were able to bring all their combined musical excellence, perspectives, precision, and power to their new band.
Their early works, the EPs "GARFIELD" (2015) and "JUNEBUG" (2017) as well as the debut full-length "AVE" (2016) were all self-recorded as well as self-produced in their own studio, Fort Knockout, and supported live with regional tours.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS' sophomore album 'BILL' (2018) was co-produced by the band with Steve Albini and engineered at his Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. Working with Albini proved a pivotal experience for the duo, both personally and professionally. "BILL" reached a notably larger audience and allowed national touring. Following Albini's passing in 2024, the band released his original analogue mixes of the project, "BILL- The Steve Albini Mixes".
Although the duo's members maintained other ventures, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS had developed into a focal endeavour for them both. Their again self-produced 2020 EP, "HOLD ON TO YOURSELF", was the beginning of their by now years-long collaboration with Kurt Ballou, who mixed the record. He also mixed their self-produced pandemic-era singles "STONECHILD/ YOUR REIGN IS OVER" (2020), "ALTAR / LAND OF MEN" (2021), and "AND IF MY BODY" (2022). These were later compiled on a limited vinyl release entitled "RELEASE OF THE REST" (2022). The singles also marked a departure from the duo's previous punk and hardcore leanings while introducing a heavier, sludgier sensibility.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS recorded and co-produced their third album "MASS" again with Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Salem, MA. Audra recorded and produced her vocals at her Nashville studio, and Ballou then mixed the tracks. With "MASS" (2023), a concept album about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts, the duo took the important next step of reaching a global audience.
"BEAR" was again co-produced by band members Buick Audra and Jerry Roe. The duo returned to Salem to work along once more with their longtime collaborator, Kurt Ballou, who also tracked the instrumental performances and mixed the record. As a result, the songs with a huge range of musical ideas and expressions are unified in sound as well as in theme, which runs throughout the record in various ways: the ever-elusive idea of belonging, where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not.
With "BEAR", FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS present a rare sparkling gem of an album, heavy yet captivating, shiny yet dark, and songs that brim with important meaning. "BEAR" is easy to get into, but beware, this album will draw its listeners into fascinating and thought-provoking depths!
1. KEEPING SCORE
2. DRAIN
3. DRIPPING SILVER
4. MELT
5. NEW
6. X
7. MIDHEAVEN
8. IMPERFECT
9. FOUND
10. DEAD & DISCARDED GIRLS
Line-up
2. DRAIN
3. DRIPPING SILVER
4. MELT
5. NEW
6. X
7. MIDHEAVEN
8. IMPERFECT
9. FOUND
10. DEAD & DISCARDED GIRLS
Line-up
Buick Audra – songs, guitar, vocals, co-producer
Jerry Roe – drums, percussion, bass, synths, co-producer
Links
Jerry Roe – drums, percussion, bass, synths, co-producer
Links
https://www.friendshipcommandersband.com
https://www.facebook.com/friendshipcommanders
https://www.instagram.com/friendshipcommanders
https://www.facebook.com/friendshipcommanders
https://www.instagram.com/friendshipcommanders
Thanks to All Noir PR and Magnetic Eye Records for the details.
