Band Releases First Two Singles from Long-Lost 1988 Live Recording Ahead of September 4 Album Release

ST. LOUIS, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly four decades after one of its final performances, Illinois alternative rock trio Lucky Mary Blonde is returning with new music from an extraordinary chapter in its history.

Today the band releases its first two singles, “700 Candles Burn” and “I’m a Romantic,” offering listeners the first preview of a newly restored live album recorded during one of the group’s final concerts in the fall of 1988. The complete album is scheduled for worldwide release on September 4, 2026, with two additional singles planned in the weeks leading up to the release.

Recorded at the legendary Gatsby’s music club in Carbondale, Illinois, the concert remained hidden on buried and aging cassette tapes for nearly 40 years before discovery and advances in AI-assisted audio restoration made it possible to recover and restore the performance for modern audiences.

Lucky Mary Blonde emerged as one of the Midwest’s rising college rock bands following the release of its debut album, Let the Moonlight Burn, in late 1987. The album earned regional college radio airplay and established the trio as a favorite throughout the Midwest, performing from Chicago to Memphis before the band unexpectedly disbanded in late 1988.

The restoration project began when St. Louis-based drummer John Baldus received a rediscovered original cassette recording of the concert, prompting him to launch a year-long restoration project with professional recording engineers and original band members, Florida-based Todd Baxter and Virginia-based Jerry Tilk. An unexpected, almost miraculous discovery of a second cassette from the same concert ultimately provided missing audio that helped transform the recording into a remarkably clear and authentic live album.

The finished collection features 16 live performances, including 11 songs never before released, along with five songs from the band’s debut album, Let the Moonlight Burn. Together, they capture Lucky Mary Blonde during its final months and preserve a remarkable chapter of Midwest independent rock history.

The first two singles, “700 Candles Burn” and “I’m a Romantic,” are now available on all major streaming platforms.

The complete live album will be released on September 4, 2026, on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other major digital music services worldwide.

About Lucky Mary Blonde

Lucky Mary Blonde was an Illinois-based alternative rock trio that gained a loyal following throughout the Midwest college music circuit during the late 1980s. Following the release of Let the Moonlight Burn in 1987, the band toured extensively before disbanding in 1988. Their restored live album documents one of the group’s final performances and preserves an overlooked chapter in independent college rock history.

Media Contact
Lucky Mary Blonde
Email: luckymaryblonde@gmail.com
Website: www.luckymaryblonde.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forty-years-in-the-making-lucky-mary-blonde-restores-a-lost-1988-concert-through-the-power-of-ai-302828034.html

SOURCE Lucky Mary Blonde

CLEVELAND, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cohen & Co has named Brian Ganser, MBA, partner in charge of advisory, effective July 13, 2026. In this role, Brian is responsible for the strategy, growth and operational performance of the firm’s Advisory Practice, including its Office of the CFO, Transaction Services and Valuation teams.

Brian has more than 25 years of experience leading and advising middle market organizations through periods of significant growth and transformation. As an entrepreneur, CEO and adviser throughout his career, he has worked alongside founders, management teams and private equity investors to accelerate growth, execute strategic acquisitions and navigate ownership transitions.

“We are excited to have Brian join our senior leadership team,” says Chris Bellamy, Cohen & Co CEO. “As we continue to expand our services to help clients improve performance, execute strategic initiatives and prepare for growth, Brian is the perfect fit both culturally and from a technical perspective to build on the group’s momentum and deliver results on a national scale.”

The firm’s Advisory Practice has seen significant growth, both organically and from recent M&A activity. Cohen & Co recently brought together its cross-functional expertise to formalize an Office of the CFO advisory service offering. The team supports finance leaders through technical and financial reporting, finance transformation and managed accounting services. The firm also has expanded its advisory expertise via various acquisitions since 2024: Tax & Wealth Management based in Cleveland, Ohio, focused on custom tax and accounting advisory services to family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals and corporate executives working internationally; Chicago-based Tassi and Company, focused on outsourced fund and partnership accounting, property management and development accounting, and construction draw accounting and tax services; and New York-based Gioffre & Company, focused on outsourced accounting, financial reporting and tax expertise.

Brian is based out of the firm’s Chicago office and serves on the Leadership Council of Special Olympics. He received his MBA from Indiana University Kelly School of Business and his B.A. from Millikin University.

About Cohen & Co
Named one of America’s Most Recommended Tax and Accounting Firms by USA TODAY and one of the Best of the Best Firms by INSIDE Public Accounting, Cohen & Co offers assurance, tax and advisory services to clients throughout the U.S. and worldwide. The firm serves a broad range of clients, from privately held companies and their owners; to public and private funds, advisers and fund service providers within the asset management industry; to Fortune 1000 multinational enterprises. Founded in 1977, Cohen & Co has 900 dedicated professionals across the U.S. and 15 offices in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Through affiliated entities, the firm also has a presence in the Cayman Islands and India. Learn more at cohenco.com. 

 ”Cohen & Co” is the brand name under which Cohen & Company, Ltd. and Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC, and its subsidiary entities, provide professional services. Cohen & Company, Ltd. and Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC practice in an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law, regulations and professional standards. Cohen & Company, Ltd. is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients. Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC and its subsidiary entities provide tax, advisory and business consulting services to their clients and are not licensed CPA firms. The entities operating under the Cohen & Co brand are independently owned and are not responsible for the services provided by any other entity operating under the Cohen & Co brand. Our use of terms such as “our firm,” “we,” “us” and other terms of similar import denote the alternative practice structure of Cohen & Company, Ltd. and Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brian-ganser-named-partner-in-charge-of-growing-advisory-practice-302828579.html

SOURCE Cohen & Co

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UnionPay International has actively participated in the premier 7th Africa Fintech Forum, held at the Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The strategic move signals a major milestone in solidifying its brand equity and expanding its footprint within the pan-African fintech ecosystem, while simultaneously accelerating digital payment innovation and scaling cross-border financial rails.

As the continent’s ultimate fintech gathering, the forum unites top-tier executives from the fintech, banking, payments, and digital innovation sectors across the African continent. UnionPay is utilizing this high-visibility platform to position itself not merely as a traditional payment scheme, but as a critical infrastructure partner capable of bridging Africa’s localized digital payment ecosystems with global commerce.

This year’s forum takes place amid a monumental shift in global trade corridors. Following China’s landmark policy to eliminate tariffs and ease trade barriers for 53 African nations, the volume of China-Africa bilateral trade is experiencing unprecedented acceleration. As local agricultural exporters, manufacturing tech firms, and SMEs scale up to meet this massive demand, the need for friction-free, institutional-grade cross-border payment settlement has become an urgent operational requirement. At the event, UnionPay highlighted its strategic focus on open-API integrations, localized QR code deployment, and robust virtual card issuance frameworks tailored to help regional fintechs capitalize on this multi-billion dollar trade boom.

“Africa’s fintech ecosystem is distinct in its mobile-first velocity and entrepreneurial agility,” said Mr. Feng Chen, General Manager of UnionPay International Africa Branch. “UnionPay’s mission is to act as a global catalyst for these local innovators. With China easing tariffs for 53 African nations, the trade corridor is widening exponentially. By offering seamless integration into our global network, we enable Kenyan and African fintechs to solve complex cross-border challenges, unlock global e-commerce for local merchants, and deliver the world-class secure payment architectures needed to sustain this massive bilateral growth.”

During the collaborative sessions at the Villa Rosa Kempinski, UnionPay delegates engaged with local fintech pioneers to showcase its robust, ready-to-deploy product infrastructure, structured across three key strategic pillars:

1. Global Acceptance & QR Routing

Fintechs can seamlessly integrate UnionPay’s global QR code rails via open APIs. This allows their local wallet users to make secure payments at millions of merchants globally or transact via highly interoperable local digital wallets. For acquiring fintechs and payment gateways, UnionPay provides infrastructure that natively supports UnionPay alongside other international schemes. This significantly reduces payment friction for cross-border travelers and maximizes transaction success rates.

2. Issuing & White-Labeling

Fintechs and digital banks can partner with UnionPay to instantly issue scheme-based physical or virtual prepaid cards, allowing local consumers and businesses to efficiently capture expanding global e-commerce procurement opportunities. FinTech platforms on the continent can directly leverage existing local on-soil network integrations to facilitate intra-Africa transactions, bypass foreign exchange friction, and lower overall operational costs.

3. Ready-to-Deploy Ecosystem Infrastructure

To accelerate time-to-market for African tech firms, UnionPay emphasized that fintechs do not have to build payment infrastructure from scratch. Many established global processors and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) providers already feature pre-built, production-ready APIs for UnionPay.

By leveraging its expanding network of local issuers, acquirers, and technology hub integrations, UnionPay is actively transforming how African consumers and businesses interact with the global economy. The company’s focus remains on fostering rapid-to-market, cost-efficient partnerships that drive transaction volume and create shared value across the financial services value chain.

As Kenya cements its status as the Silicon Savannah, UnionPay remains committed to investing in open-loop partnerships, regulatory compliance standards, and payment technologies that define the future of inclusive digital finance across Africa.

About UnionPay International

UnionPay International (UPI) is focused on expanding the global acceptance network of UnionPay cards. UnionPay cards are accepted in 183 countries and regions, including 51 African countries. UnionPay International remains a leader in digital transformation and financial inclusion across the continent.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/unionpay-drives-cross-border-interoperability-and-digital-commerce-infrastructure-at-the-7th-africa-fintech-forum-302828583.html